Walking from the car park, up the winding path it is impossible to know what you will be confronted with when you arrive at the top. It doesn't matter what pictures you have seen, nothing can prepare you.

The first thing you see is the huge cairn T. This is complete and central to this part of the necropolis. Unfortunately, the entrance is locked and there is no indication of where to get the key. I was later told by a local, 84 year old farmer that it was obtainable from a lady called Mrs. Napper in the village. This means that I was unable to see the fantastic carvings at the rear of this tomb. This did not mean that I saw no carvings here. In fact I have only seen this much carving at Knowth before. In the entrance to cairn T you can clearly see two massively carved orthostats.

Scattered around cairn T are cairns R1, R2, S, U, V & W. R1, R2 & W are just bumps in the ground. Cairn S & V are slightly better having exposed passages and chamber with traces of carving upon the stones. U is fantastic! A heavily carved cruciform chamber exposed in all its glory.

Cairns Q, P and N are unreachable and in states of decay and hard to distinguish. I think cairn N has a large standing stone outside it.

From the top of the hill looking north it is possible to see many standing stones, promontory forts and a stone circle (yet to be properly investigated).

I could spend hours up here. Next time I will make sure I get the key!

Great! We got the key for a €20 deposit from Mrs. Napper at Loughcrew Historic Gardens and set off eagerly to enter Cairn T. What a fantastic tomb this is.

As you enter you are greeted by four heavily carved orthostats lining the passage and it gets better. The chamber is similar to Fourknocks but not as big, with three sub-chambers. The back stones of all three chambers are heavily carved with fantastic designs which include Dowth style sun motifs.

The chamber facing the passage is the most elaborately carved of the three with many carvings on the roof stone too.

On any visit to Loughcrew the key to this cairn is a must.