Rathfranpark : Wedge Tomb
Visit Notes
Sunday, 4th August 2002
So often you see a tomb and wish that it had not been broken up and damaged, and this is one of those for definite. Personally I think this at them all, but this has moved near to the top of that list. It is absolutely enormous!
The outer walling measures 10m long and 6m wide at the front. The stones that form this outer walling aare upto 1.7m tall and all big round stones. It is very easy to see the doule walling, because you can actually walk along the gap between the two rows of stones. Unfortunately the gallery itself is filled with rubble and broken or displaced stones from the structure.
For sheer scale this has become one of the most impressive wedge tombs that I have visited.
Sunday, 16th March 2003
Just a quick stop to show my partner this monster tomb ... and to pick up several plastic drinks bottles.
Monday, 25th October 2004
Standing next to these stones is still humbling. Their near 2m height and vast bulk make them seem like the biggest stones ever used in a tomb. They aren't, but they cant be far off.
One thing I did notice is that the widest part of the structure is actually at the east end, yet the taller stones are at the west end. This makes the wedge shape a bit odd.
Again Nephin plays a major part in the skyline here.
Saturday, 21st August 2010
This is one of those sites that I love coming back to. As I said in 2004 - Standing next to these stones is still humbling.
I wanted to show Tatjana one of Mayo's monster tombs and the roadside location of this one makes it ideal.
Like this monument
Marked Sites
Directions
From Killala take the R314 north for around 4kms. Here the road turns sharp right, crosses a river and turns sharp left. At this bend carry straight on. Continue along this road for 2kms and keep looking into the field on the right. You can not miss this monster.
Random Gazetteer
A Selection of Other Wedge 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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