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The Giant's Grave is a megalithic tomb in Armagh, Northern Ireland, situated on bedrock of the Gala Group formation, a wacke laid down during the Telychian period of the Silurian. This monument represents the Neolithic tradition of collective burial in stone-built chambers, a practice widespread across Ireland and Britain from around 4000 BC onwards. The site rests upon ancient sedimentary rock that has shaped the local landscape for over 400 million years.
Megalithic tombs such as this served as focal points for early farming communities, housing the remains of multiple individuals across generations. The construction of such monuments demanded significant communal labour and reflected the social organisation and spiritual beliefs of Neolithic societies. The Giant's Grave takes its name from widespread folk traditions that attributed these impressive stone structures to giants or ancient races.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 5912, ensuring its preservation for future study and public appreciation. Such tombs provide crucial archaeological evidence for understanding settlement patterns, burial practices and the material culture of prehistoric Ireland. The site's survival demonstrates the enduring quality of megalithic construction and the cultural significance these monuments held for their builders.
The giant's grave. megalithic tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5912. View the official record →
The Giant's Grave is a megalithic tomb in Armagh, Northern Ireland, situated on bedrock of the Gala Group formation, a wacke laid down during the Telychian period of the Silurian. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5912.
The giant's grave. megalithic tomb dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The giant's grave. megalithic 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 5912.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Portal tomb (0.1 km), Devlin's fort. bivallate rath (5.8 km), Gordon's fort. multivallate rath (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The giant's grave. megalithic tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
The giant's grave. megalithic tomb stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.