Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandFermanaghGiant's grave. portal tomb
NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB

Giant's grave. portal tomb

Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 9947
Period
NEOLITHIC
Site type
MEGALITHIC TOMB
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 9947
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H3904654372
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Giant's Grave is a portal tomb situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. This Neolithic megalithic monument consists of a burial chamber accessed through a distinctive portal entrance, a characteristic design of tombs constructed during the early farming period in Ireland, roughly 3500 to 3000 BC. The monument's stones rest upon bedrock of the Kilskeery Group, a geological formation comprising sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate that would have been quarried locally by Neolithic communities.

Portal tombs served as communal burial places for multiple individuals, likely built by settled farming groups to mark their territorial presence in the landscape. The Fermanagh location places Giant's Grave within a region rich in megalithic monuments, reflecting the concentration of early agricultural settlement across Ulster. The tomb's name reflects the folklore that traditionally attributed such impressive stone structures to giants rather than human effort.

The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 9947, recognising its significance as a rare surviving example of Neolithic monumental architecture. These monuments constitute some of the earliest substantial structures built in Ireland and provide essential evidence for understanding the beliefs, social organisation and burial practices of Ireland's earliest farming communities.

Giant's grave. portal tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 9947. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Giant's grave. portal tomb?

Giant's Grave is a portal tomb situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 9947.

What period does Giant's grave. portal tomb date from?

Giant's grave. portal tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Giant's grave. portal tomb?

Giant's grave. portal tomb is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 9947.

What other scheduled monuments are near Giant's grave. portal tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Giants' graves. court tomb (0.7 km), Standing stone (1.4 km), Carnnamoghil. multiple cist cairn (1.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Giant's grave. portal tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Giant's grave. portal tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Giant's grave. portal tomb

Giant's grave. portal tomb stands on Kilskeery Group, bedrock that formed in the Chesterian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.