Discover Alone, back to main map

Giants Grave

Court tomb

What is recorded here

Giants Grave is a court tomb in County Leitrim, Ireland. It hides in a coniferous clearing on a south-facing slope, holding a narrow six-metre gallery and four stones marking a possible northern court. The name suggests people once imagined giant bones inside, but the chamber is small enough for one person to crawl through. That gap between the grand name and the modest stone work makes the grave remember itself as a place where human scale still matters.
Located in a clearing of a coniferous forest, on a S-facing slope. This is a single gallery (dims 6m N-S; 2m E-W) with a possible court at N, represented by a line of 4 stones (L c. 6m) on the W side. (Lowry-Corry and Richardson 1940, 173-4, 177-8; de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1972, 66-67) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 September 2008 See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume III. Counties Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Laoighis, Offaly, Kildare, Cavan. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1972).
Neolithic passage tomb with possible court, dating to c. 3500–2500 BCE. Its orientation and layout suggest ritual or ceremonial significance typical of early megalithic funerary practices in Ireland.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

Places near here

Add to this placeAdd a picture Comment or add a tip

Explore 1,118,481 places