Shesknan : Court Tomb
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| Shesknan - Wedge Tomb |
Visit Notes
Sunday, 7th April 2002
After a little climb up the hill and much searching we located this tomb and were amazed at both its size and complexity. Although much ruined it is still a great monument and definitely deserves to be rated highly.
The kite shaped cairn is some 30m+ long and 12m at its widest point. There seems to have been a last minute rethink in its design as the rear chamber is not in line with the front chamber and small court.
Both chambers are filled with rubble but one large roof slab exists over the entrance. There is also signs of upto four chambers about half way down the cairns length. Some kerb stones remain, the most surprising of which marks one side of the entrance. It has a picked groove (the picking looks almost new) across it and a small semicircle of stones in front of it. It is possible that this marks a later burial.
The tomb faces a huge table like mountain, like an altar, over which the sun rises. The views to the south are simply divine.
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A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
7.4 Km (S) there is a Hut Circle at Aghamore.
6.8 Km (SSE) there is a Wedge Tomb at Aghamore.
6.4 Km (SSE) there is a Portal Tomb at Tawnamachugh.
4.6 Km (W) there is a Portal Tomb at Gorteen (Co. Sligo).
A Selection of Other Court Tombs
 Aghnaglack (Co. Fermanagh) |  Shalwy (Co. Donegal) |  Ballyalbaanagh (Co. Antrim) |
 Ballynichol (Co. Down) |  Ballymacdermot (Co. Armagh) |  Cashel (Co. Mayo) |
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. |
