After breaking my camera at Beltany Tops (County Donegal) I decided to come all the way up here, because this photo (link) is wonderful.
However, like so many sites it has changed since this was taken. Approaching from this direction it is impossible to see the tomb, because those small clumps of gorse now form a massive wall that hides the tomb. Fortunately, the tomb is accessible and clearly visible from the front still.
The views from here are great. You can see down to a slither of Mulroy Bay and to the northeast is the beautiful sleeping giant form of Knockalla Mountain. This is almost a typically Welsh setting for a portal tomb.
The tomb is still in very good condition. The massive capstone projects at a lovely angle above the 2m tall portal stones. The monument is one of those that seems to morph as you walk around it - given any two angles it would be difficult to say that it was the same tomb.
Although there is a sign to the monument from the road out of Carrowkeel the trail ends there. You'll get no further help, only hindrance in fact. Someone seems to be making it very difficult to get to this tomb. Saying that, it looks like some work might be about to be done up here. There was a row of fence posts layed out across the field, indicating that a new fence might be about to be erected around it. As you would expect, it looks as if it will be very close to the tomb, stopping you standing back and admiring its gloriousness.
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_All Sites Visited On 9th November 2003 « Previous Site Next Site »
I couldn't wait to get back here. I love this monument and its setting. I also had the added incentive of wanting to get some decent pictures, because last time I had broken my camera at the previous site and had to rely on my backup.
Today I was fully equipped and ready to shoot! I also couldn't help having a look around to see if my phone was still lying around from when I lost it last time. Obviously it wasn't.
It's a shame about the gorse still being around the monument, but we did meet the farmer on the way down the hill - he doesn't seem to mind visitors at all - who did say that he would clear the site soon. Just how soon he didn't say.
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_A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Banagher (Co. Cavan) |  Annadorn (Co. Down) |  Clogher (Co. Clare) |
 Inch Island (Co. Donegal) |  Knockavally (Co. Galway) |  Whitestown East (Co. Waterford) |
