Harristown : Passage Tomb
Visit Notes
Sunday, 31st March 2002
What an incredible location - the views are splendid, even on a misty day like today.
Harristown tomb has a large wedge shaped passage and chamber and it is hard to differentiate between the two. It is of a similar style to that found on the Scilly Isles.
Two roof stones remain still resting on the orthostats. Much of the kerb remains and consists of mainly upright stones. The passage and chamber are 5m long in total and 2m wide at the back.
The site is somewhat ruined by the nearby radio masts which you have to walk through to get there, but luckily you can face the amazing views to the south and not see them once there.
A small word of warning - on the gate to the field there is a sign saying: Private Land. Anyone wishing to visit the tomb should contact Tony Power 383244. I was directed to the site by a farmer and so I hope it was he.
Saturday, 5th August 2006
Being so close to Waterford City, this is the perfect starting point for any trip in this county. This time I rang the number on the gate (which is now topped with barbed-wire) to get permission to visit the site. This was promptly given, so off we set. When ringing the number on the gate prefix it with 051.
The grass around the tomb is a little higher than when I last came here. This is presumably because it's summer now, so, as with many sites, it is better to come here in the winter or early spring. However, the purple patches of heather dotted around the tomb do look very nice right now.
Once again I was struck by the beauty of this location. The estuary to the east, the sea to the south, rolling hills to the west and the slightly rounded hill 500m to the north with mountains beyond.
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Marked Sites
Site Plans
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_Directions
Take the R683 east from Waterford and then the R684 south for 4.5km until you come to a left turn and take this road. After about 1km you will see a small track/drive on the left. Park here and walk along the track until you reach a gate into where the radio aerials are. Go through this enclosure and over the gate. Walk across the ridge to the far end where the tomb is located. See notes above about access.
Miscellanea
Friday, 3rd May 2002:
I heard a rumour today that permission for yet ANOTHER radio mast is being sought on this hill. I will add more info here when I get it.
Hopefully we can stop this ridiculous proposal from coming to fruition.
Random Gazetteer
A Selection of Other Passage Tombs
About Coordinates Displayed
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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. |
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