According the OSNI Map there should be no path to this tomb. In fact there's a well signposted and paved path suitable for a car. The last tract is by foot only and takes about 3 minutes. This tomb is huge and might resemble Creggandevensky. It's one of the best preserved tombs of this type in Ireland. As a matter of fact, the court is very well preserved, it's 4.75 metres wide and 5.70 metres long. The court wall is made by several upright and tall stones with dry stone walls between them. The tallest stone of the court wall is on the northeast side and is 1.84 metres tall. The court wall is about 3.80 metres thick. A standing stone once stood in the centre of the court, but now it lies on the ground next to the east side of the court wall. The main gallery departs from the court to the north-northeast (25°) and is divided into three chambers. The first one from the court is 2.70 metres long and 1.65 metres wide, the middle one is 2.25 metres long and 1.10 metres wide, the one at the bottom is 1.50 metres long and 1.10 metres wide. During the excavations in 1963 and 1964, the middle and bottom chamber returned the cremated remains of two individuals and the unburnt remains of a child and a woman. Among the finds pieces of pottery, flint scrapers and a javelin head were found. There are two subsidiary chambers, built much later, one with the entrance facing east (90°) which measures 2.90 metres in length and 2.05 metres in width. The other ones faces west-northwest (290°) and is 2.60 metres long and 1.65 metres wide. The excavations revealed that these two chambers were never used for burials. The structure of the cairn, which is in excess of 20 metres long, tapers towards the end.
The site is infested with hungry midges!
|