Why do I always go to sites the hard way? I missed the track that leads past the field in which this impressive monument stands and ended up with quite a walk from the woods. I'll know better next time!
In a photographic way this is one of the most impressive sites in the area, but it's a bit of a sham. The wonderful large capstone that provides such a lovely profile was placed on top of the largest uprights in the mid-1800s.
At over 1.3m tall the entrance jambs are two of the most impressive I have ever seen on a court tomb. This is only the height above the remains of the cairn - the floor of the gallery is almost 1m lower. A third large stone to the rear of these helps to support the massive 'new' captone.
To the front of the entrance jambs at the north end of the monument some of the stones that form the court are in place. Underneath the capstone the gallery is in nice condition. There is a compartment about 2m x 1m. Behind this there is a jumble of stones that are (apparently) the rest of the gallery, but the very last section looks circular and I originally thought it was a subsidary chamber.
I was extremely surprised by the tomb's location. It is built in a shallow valley that runs N-S - as does the tomb's axis. This low spot severely limits the views from the site. It is hard to know if the landscape immediately to the north of the site has been altered by modern agricultural activities. If there hasn't been much change then the tomb seems to have been placed so that Knocklayd Mountain is only just visible to the north.
Click Thumbnail to View Full Size Image
_
_
_
_
_
_
_All Sites Visited On 18th February 2007 « Previous Site Next Site »
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Aghagashlan (Co. Cavan) |  Carndoo (Co. Antrim) |  Labbyfirmore (Co. Monaghan) |
 Rathlackan (Co. Mayo) |  Dunmaurice (Co. Monaghan) |  Cloghafadd (Co. Antrim) |
