Giants Grave — Moytirra West

On gently rolling upland pasture about 2km to the E of the NE corner of Lough Arrow. The remains of a WSW-facing gallery (L at least 3.5m) divided by a septal-stone into a portico (L 1.5m; Wth 1.9m at the front, 1.6m at the septal-stone) and wedge-shaped main chamber, stands at the centre of a substantial circular cairn (20m N-S; 17m E-W; H 1m). Three orthostats, two together about 1.5m W of the front of the gallery and another almost 2m SE of these protrude from the cairn and seem to represent a buried kerb or outer-wall. A single stone forms each side of the portico. The septal-stone reaches to the level of the chamber sides each of which is now represented by two orthostats. Outside the junction of the two stones at each side there is a small stone apparently intended to strengthen the wall and there is another outside the end of the eastern of the two orthostats at the N side. A single roofstone resting on the septal-stone and the gallery sides covers the remains of the main chamber. A fence follows the cairn perimeter at the W and S and there is the remains of a small limekiln (SL034-208003-) at its eastern edge. The central part of the cairn, i.e. that part of it adjoining the structure rises about 1m above the rest of the cairn and includes spoil from the gallery area. This site was dug into at least twice in the 19th century and human remains, a piece of bronze and pottery sherds, among which were the remains of at least three Beakers, are among the recorded finds (Wood-Martin 1883-4, 461-2; 1888, 182-5; Madden 1969, 157-9). (Ó Nualláin 1989, 63-4, no. 103) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008 See linked document with details from Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume V. County Sligo. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1989)