Cairn T is the most splendid of all the Carnbane East tombs, having been restored to its full glory. The cairn that covers the passage and chambers reaches over 5m high. The orthostats that line the passage and those that wall the chambers are heavily carved with beautiful motifs (see parent site for images of the inside of this tomb).
The passage is built so that the Equinox sun shines along it and lights up the rear stone of the west chamber. Many people gather here each year to try and witness this wondrous event.
Situated on the northside of the kerb is a large, carved stone known as The Hag's Chair. The front face of this stone is carved with graffiti, but it was once carved with spirals and zig-zags. Some of the original carvings can be seen if you catch the stone in the right light - At the base fo the stone in the centre there is a faint spiral, for example. The upper surface of the stone has been cut away to form a seat - hence the stone's name.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |