Knockanbaun : Portal Tomb
Visit Notes
Sunday, 17th August 2003
This tomb is very hard to spot as it sits in the centre of a very thick clump of trees and scrub. Approaching from the front, which seems the easiset is by no means sensible as there is a very deep ditch hidden in the trees, which runs right across the front of the tomb. Luckily I saw this before plunging down into it.
I eventually managed to find a route through to the back of the monument (via another stream ditch which runs parallel to the tomb, between it and the road.
The capstone is not massive (just 2.5m long and 1.5m wide), but it is big enough to have crushed the chamber and forced the portal stones forward. Because of the trees it is impossible to get a very good view of the tomb, but I was instantly reminded of Crowagh (County Sligo), which I had visit earlier.
Very soon, as the surrounding trees grow, it will be impossible to see this tomb at all from the road, as now only the very tip of the capstone is visible. There is even the possibilty that the forward leaning portal stones could fall into the ditch at the front. This tomb needs some urgent attention.
Like this monument
Marked Sites
Random Gazetteer
A Selection of Other Portal Tombs
About Coordinates Displayed
|
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. |
Page loaded from cache: (Generation time: May 17 2013 04:14:49.)