This tomb is now just one stone, standing forlorn in the center of a field. I really didn't fancy trudging through the newly sprouting crops to get any closer.
I don't know when the rest of it disappeared but it must be not too long ago because someone knows it was a tomb.
The first time I came to this site I got it wrong. This is because the OS map people got the map wrong first, though, so I feel vindicated. What I first thought was the tomb is a standing stone that is where the map says 'Megalithic Tomb'.
The tomb itself is 250m south of the stone in the next field. It's not really worth visiting, because of two factors. One it has collapsed and two it is completely hidden under a mound of briers.
I managed to scrape some of the brambles to one side so that I could verify that I had actually found it. The rather large, 1m thick, capstone has now completely squashed all of the structure beneath it. The Archaeological Inventory says it stands on one portal, but alas no more.
This site is still a mess. There is even more vegetation covering it now. I managed to peer inside the brambles at the front of the tomb today. The two stones that once held this end up have definitely collapsed and now lie beneath the capstone. I don't know when this happened, but I do know that they were upright in 1897, but that's about it.
The tomb is also a bit more tricky to find than it used to be, because of the new road just to the south.
From Waterford take the Tramore road south until you reach Ballindud roundabout. Turn left and then turn left again at the Couse Bridge roundabout. 50m up this road you will be able to see a standing stone in the field to the left. Park here (carefully). From the gate walk straight along the edge of the field through the gap into the next field. Turn left and walk around this field until you reach another gap. Go through this and the tomb (or pile of brambles) can be seen to the left.
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. |