As you drive west down the valley towards this site you can just see what looks like a low cashel on the valley floor. It is only as you get very close you realise what you know already - that this is the restored cairn around the arms of the extensive full court.
There is a car park 300m away from the site, but no signposts to let you know what is there. A small gate leads to a footbridge across a stream, which in turn allows access to a narrow concrete path across the bog to the court entrance. When I visited the 2m wide gap that forms the entrance was a veritable marsh and very difficult to cross without getting soaked.
The courtyard itself is is defined by sweeping arcs that extend in an oval from the unusual twin, parallel galleries that face the entrance. A large stone lies oddly in the centre of the court partially blocking the initial view of the gallery entrances. In front of the leftmost gallery is the gabled lintel stone - this would have looked similar to Shalwy (County Donegal) when in place.
Immediately to the left of the entrance as you enter, built into the fabric of the cairn is a subsidiary chamber, the roofstone of which is propped up gainst its front. To the right of the entrance is a second one with its roofstone almost in place. Next to each of these chambers was a stone which had passage tomb style rock art - a unique occurance at a court tomb. These seem to have been removed ... i.e. I couldn't locate them.
I was lucky enough to arrive here about midday and I witnessed a great sight. To the south of the monument the mountains rise up and the one due south has an arced ridge. Being close to mid-winter the sun at this time of year is at its lowest high point at midday and, while I stood in front of the latter sub-chamber I witnessed the sun ride across the top of this arced ridge. A wonderful phenomenon to behold and (I think) possibly the first time this has been noticed and documented. At midday the sun shines directly into the second chamber mentioned above.
Looking southeast from the tomb along the valley presents another wonderful site. The tip of Lergadaghtan protrudes just above the slope north of Slieve League, possibly giving a mid-winter solstice sunrise alignment.
There is definitely a lot more to this location than has been realised to date and I feel it needs full investigation.
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_All Sites Visited On 1st January 2004 « Previous Site Next Site »
| Stephen Mackey from Northern Ireland |  |
| Philip Powell from Athy | |
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_A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Corlealackagh (Co. Monaghan) |  Ally (Co. Tyrone) |  Ballyglass (Co. Mayo) |
 Strandhill (Co. Sligo) |  Breagho (Co. Fermanagh) |  Milltown (Co. Down) |
