Knockmany : Passage Tomb
Visit Notes
Sunday, 8th June 2003
I parked at the north car park so that I would have the shorter walk to the top. The walk is quite easy and pleasurable, although the last 200m or so are quite steep. The views from the top of the hill are very good. The hill may be quite low, but it has nothing but a flat, rolling landscape to the southeast.
In 1959 a covering 'cairn' was built over the remaning stones to protect them from getting damaged any more. This is like a 1960's public toilet done up in the 70's. There is a locked gate, through which you can see some of the carvings, but more of the modern names carved into the back of the stone nearest the gate. There is a huge skylight abover the chamber, through which you can see down into the tomb and, when the sun isn't too bright, see the markings more clearly.
What remains of tomb are pretty spectacular. The carvings are lovely, but it is very warn now. The best pieces are to the right of the backstone and out of view from the gate.
I think a more sensitive covering needs to be built over the site. The current one does a good job of protecting the stones from further damage, but really does suck away any ambience and make the site sterile.
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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. |
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