Giants Grave — Culdaly

In a broad valley among foothills at the SW end of the Ox Mountains. It lies to the E of a field fence on land reclaimed from the bog. A well-preserved SW-facing gallery (L 8.7m) opens onto a flat facade which links it to flanking lines of outer-walling. A curved line (L c. 8m) of seven orthostats between 2m and 4m beyond the more northerly side of the outer-walling seems to represent a kerb. The whole stands in a low mound (16.5m N-S; 12m E-W; max. H 0.75m). A high septal-stone divides the gallery into a portico (L 2m; Wth 2.1m at front, 1.8m at the septal-stone) and main chamber (L 6.2m; Wth 1.6m at front, narrowing to c. 0.8m at rear). Single stones form the portico sides. The septal-stone, now split from base to top towards its N end, is inset in the gallery walls and rises 0.2m above the portico sides. Two broken and partly concealed roofstones lie to the E of the septal-stone and there are other smaller displaced stones beyond these. The N side of the main chamber is formed by eight orthostats some of which partly overlap each other. Only three stones, alongside to the W, remain of the opposite side. Ten outer-wall stones are in position to both N and S and the eastern two examples at both sides turn inwards towards the backstone of the gallery. A single façade-stone joins the front of the gallery to the outer wall at each side. Adjoining the inner end of each facade-stone is an orthostat. These two stones stand at either side of the portico entrance (Wth 0.8m). Another wedge tomb (SL036-036----) lies c. 1km to NE in the same valley. (Ó Nualláin 1989, 72-3, no. 114) 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)