'Banshee Stone' : Portal Tomb
Visit Notes
Sunday, 9th February 2003
This tomb is classified as a portal tomb in the Carlow Inventory and on first sight you have to agree. A large capstone rests on two projecting portal stones with a full height doorstone in between - one wall of the chamber lies prostrate below the capstone.
However, closer inspection raises several issues. The portal stones are very low, just 1.2m, and the chamber would have been the same height. In front of the 'portal' there are definite signs of a courtyard and bits of the kerb. Walking to the rear of the tomb there are several slabs set across the line if the tomb in line with the chamber - perhaps indicating a gallery?
To me this just seems like one big hodge-podge of styles and really should be investigated properly. I'm sure that it would provide more questions than it answers though.
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_How Other People Have Rated This Monument
| steve mynhardt from carlow |  |
| Noel O'Sullivan from Knocksquire, Borris, Co.Carlow | |
| Bernadette O'Sullivan from Knocksquire, Borris, Co.Carlow | |
Have you visited This Monument?
If so, give it a rating for others to seeDirections
Due to the road arrangement in Borris I will give a indirect route here. From the west end of Borris take the R705 north for 2.5km and turn right. Continue and go over two crossroads. Turn right along the second farm track. Park at the sharp bend in this track. The tomb is 200m into the trees in a direct line with the track you have just driven down, but you can't really go straight to it. Head to the right and walk along the wall and keep looking into the trees. I wish you the best of luck, because I walked right past it and only found it on the way back by seeing the white Fogra sign.
Random Gazetteer
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
3.7 Km (ENE) there is a Holy Well at Killoughternane.
4.6 Km (NNW) there is a Hill Fort at Ballinkillin.
7.1 Km (E) there is a Rock Art at Crannagh.
4.7 Km (WNW) there is a Standing Stone at Ballyellin And Tomdarrach.
A Selection of Other Portal Tombs
 Errarooey Beg (Co. Donegal) |  Drumany (Co. Leitrim) |  Crannagh (Co. Galway) |
 Aughnagurgan (Co. Monaghan) |  Brittas (Co. Wicklow) |  Dunhill (Co. Waterford) |
About Coordinates Displayed
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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. |
