| MONUMENT OF THE MONTH |
MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS
OF IRELAND.COM
| CO-ORDINATES 53 6' 3.549"N...8 51' 29.512"W |
| DIRECTIONS From Gort, take the R460 towards Corrafin. Take the first right turn, heading for Cloonteen. In Cloonteen, take the first turn right (north) and drive 4 km to Ballynastig. Take a right turn here until you reach some farm buildings at a sharp right bend. The tomb is 400m directly east from here across 3 fields. |
| JULY 2011 |
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| CRANNAGH PORTAL TOMB COUNTY GALWAY |
| This fantastic portal tomb, marked on the OS & Historic maps as 'Dermot & Grania's Bed', is located on a large limestone plateau NW of Coole Lough, 'Loch na Cuile', west of the town of Gort. The tomb, orientated NE - SW, consists of very substantial remains including the elongated cairn which measures 18m in length, 6m in width at the front, with an average height of 0.50m. The large, steeply inclined capstone measures 3.2m in length, 2.4m in width and 0.40m in depth and is very similar in profile to the portal tomb at Poulnabrone, County Clare. The capstone is supported by the two well-matched portal stones measuring 2.2m in height and which also form the sides of the chamber. The narrow chamber, which measures 1.7m in length, 0.9m - 0.8m in width, is completed by a large, thin back-stone, measuring 2.1m in width, 1.5m in height and 0.20m in depth but does not support the capstone. This has got to be one of the best preserved portal tombs in Ireland but it can be difficult to reach in wet weather. |
| INSIDE THE CHAMBER |
| THE ELONGATED CAIRN |
| FROM THE SE |