Giant's Grave — Mondooey Upper

This monument is in fair pasture on gently rolling ground. To the N is a fall in ground level toward the coast at the inner end of Lough Swilly c. 7km away. Mongorry Hill restricts the outlook to the S. Five orthostats represent a megalithic chamber, c. 4m long, orientated ENE-WSW, perhaps originally part of a long gallery. A low gabled stone marks the W end of the chamber; three stones form the N side; and a single stone stands at the E end. There is a large displaced slab supported on a low stone to the S of the remains. This slab measures 2.1m by 1.7m by 0.3m thick, and the stone under it measures 1m by 0.5m by 0.35m high. The status of the supporting stone is uncertain. The structure stands in the corner of a field, where it is bounded on the E by a drainage ditch and on the W by a field bank. There is a low earthen bank with bushes along it (not on plan) c. 3m from the N side of the monument. There are cracks in three of the orthostats, suggesting a deliberate attempt to damage the site. The stone at the W end of the chamber is 0.7m high. There is a break in this stone from base to top, midway along its length. The position of the break at ground level is indicated by a pecked line on the plan. The westernmost of the three stones forming the N side of the chamber is set with its flat face inward. It is 1.35m high. There is also a break in this stone from base to top. It overlaps and leans against the end of the middle orthostat, which is stepped-in somewhat from the stones at either side of it. This is 1.15m high. There is also a break in this stone from base to top. The easternmost sidestone, its inner face flat, is 0.2m lower than the middle one. The orthostat at the E end of the gallery, a flat-topped stone, is set inside the line of the last, which rises 0.7m above it. Its base is exposed at the S close to the drain, and, although it is slightly loose, there can be little doubt that it is in situ. Just 0.2m inside the S end of the western endstone is a small stone partly embedded in the ground. It measures 0.4m by 0.3m and rises 0.2m above ground level. It is clearly displaced. An account of the monument by Thomas Fagan (1845-8) suggests that it was then in its present state. He noted that the stones that had formed the S side of the structure were then prostrate. However, a plan of the tomb by Kinahan (1885-6) shows a large stone in place on the S side of the gallery. This measured 7 feet (c. 2.15m) long, 6 feet (c. 1.8m) high and 1 foot (c. 0.3m) thick. These measurements compare closely with those of the large displaced slab at the site. Two additional stones, not now visible, appear on Kinahan's plan. One is shown outside the NW corner of the tomb, and the other outside the middle one of the three stones on the N side of the gallery. Their dimensions, recorded by Kinahan, show them to have been small low stones. In 1982, when the plan was made, there was a hole, 0.6m by 0.45m and 0.7m deep, in the floor of the gallery. The upcast from this contained some charcoal and small stones that had been subjected to heat, but it was unclear whether this burnt material was ancient. This may be the remains of a court tomb. The gabled stone at the W may well be a backstone, and the stone at E end a jamb, although further investigation would be required to confirm this. The monument must remain unclassified. Fagan 1845-8, book 8, 26; Kinahan 1885-6, 428 (plan); Borlase 1897, 235, Raphoe North no. 3 (plan after Kinahan); de Valera 1960, 131, no. 6 (plan); Ó Nualláin 1983, 46, no. 135; SMR 1987, 62:17; Ó Nualláin 1989, 142; RMP 1995, 62:17. The above description was published in the 'Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI, County Donegal.' Compiled by: Eamon Cody (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). Date of upload: 22 September 2008