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Giants Grave

Court tomb

What is recorded here

Half-buried in the undulating soil of County Leitrim, Giants Grave still holds one roofstone above three narrow chambers. Pairs of jambstones divide the gallery like ribs beneath a skin of moss, while a broken court lies scattered to the south. The name suggests something enormous died here, yet the tomb is small enough to walk through in a breath. Size often belongs to memory rather than stone.
In an undulating landscape with rock outcrop. A three-chambered gallery (dims 8m ENE-WSW; 1.6-1.9m NNW-SSE) with pairs of jambstones separating the chambers and one roofstone in position. The remains of a court (Wth 3m) lie to the SSW, and a chamber (LE001-022---) in a field wall c. 20m to E may represent the E end of the tomb. (Lockwood 1901, 86-7; de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1972, 44-5; Holly 1976, 128-31) 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, dating to approximately 3500–2500 BCE. Its three-chambered gallery and court indicate a significant ceremonial or funerary site, reflecting early communal burial practices in the region.

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What survives
Recorded monument

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