'The Giant's Ring' : Passage Tomb
Visit Notes
Saturday, 27th July 2002
We arrived here just as it was starting to drizzle, but this did not dampen the experience of being at this amazing place. I will get to the passage tomb shortly, but first I will mention the henge.
This is massive!! It must be one of the most complete monuments of its type anywhere. I was told that it was used as a race course at one point and this probably saved it from the plough. The banks reach a staggering 4m in height and some entrances are clearly visible. The ring is over 120m in diameter. A truly fantastic monument in its own right.
Inside the embankment, but not in the centre, is a passage tomb without a cairn or mound. Just the skeletal stones remain. Pointing to the east the short passage is blocked by its roof stone which has slipped. The small chamber is covered by a very nice solitary roof slab which is now tilted slightly. The whole site is idyllic and a great place to come for a stroll around the banks.
Click Thumbnail to View Full Size Image
_
_
_
_
_
_Sunday, 7th May 2006
Nearly four years since I was here? Wow! It doesn't seem anything like that. I took the time to walk all around the top of the huge banks this time. It just has to be done.
We shared the site with just half a dozen people. I thought that it'd be much busier on such a fabulous day.
Click Thumbnail to View Full Size Image
_
_
_How Other People Have Rated This Monument
| PAUL G from GLENGORMLEY |  |
| Ronny and Sarah Broeren from Belgium |  |
Have you visited This Monument?
If so, give it a rating for others to seeSite Plans
Click Thumbnail to View Full Size Image
_Old Images
Click Thumbnail to View Full Size Image
_Random Gazetteer
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
2.5 Km (SSW) there is a Round Tower at Drumbo.
223.6 m (ENE) there is a Standing Stone at Ballynahatty.
A Selection of Other Passage Tombs
 Cairn F (Co. Meath) |  Magheracar (Co. Donegal) |  The Fairy Ring (Co. Wicklow) |
 Craigs Lower (Co. Antrim) |  The Druid Stone (Co. Antrim) |  Carrowmore Tomb 19 (Co. Sligo) |
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. |
