Wedge tomb in Knockshanbally

In pasture on a very gentle W-facing slope c. 80m to the W of the foot of a N-S ridge. First recorded by Rynne in 1954 (1959, 26-7) who noted the local tradition of the site being known as a ‘Giant’s Grave’. He described a low ‘pear-shaped’ cairn (L c. 12m E-W; max. Wth c.7m; H c. 1m) of small stones, some recently added as a result of field clearance and observed ‘several large flagstones’ protruding above the cairn stones, an in situ capstone towards the W with a second possible capstone close by, on the edge of the cairn. The monument was subsequently inspected by the Megalithic Survey (de Valera and Ó Nualláin, 1964, 75: Fig. 45. Plate 33) which commented that, since Rynne’s visit, the site had been enclosed by a shallow fosse (D 0.2m; Wth 0.3-0.9m) and a low outer bank (H 0.4m; Wth 0.5-1.5m) ‘to delimit the monument which was at the time in danger of destruction’ and was ‘much obscured by the dumping of field stones’. The dumping had ‘greatly obscured the site’ and several stones noted previously by Rynne were no longer visible and only small portions of others were still exposed. Two stones roughly aligned E-W were interpreted as representing the N side of a gallery (east stone L 0.6m; Wth 0.3m; H 0.20m; west stone L 1m; H 0.25m) and a short distance (L 0.5m) to their W, the edge of a prostrate slab, a possible capstone was visible (L 1m; min Wth 0.7m; T 0.1m). No orthostats of the south side of the gallery were visible. Roughly parallel to the line of the N side of the chamber, and c. 1m to N, four stones were thought to represent an outer-wall. The conclusion was that in its obscured condition, the site would have remained unclassifiable, however, given Rynne’s previous account, and notwithstanding difficulties in exact correlation of his details with the remains visible, the monument was accepted as a wedge tomb. When inspected in October, 2025, the monument was found to survive but grass, fern, nettle, briar and whitethorn growth obscured most of the detail previously recorded. This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 7/1957). Date of visit: 24-10-2025 Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy