Knockoneill is a fantastic court tomb that stands on a gentle slope overlooking the Bann Valley in County Derry. Like many of our megalithic sites it is known locally as the ‘Giants Grave’. The large impressive court measures 7 by 7 metres with most stones being around 1.5metres in height. The court leads to a gallery 5 metres in length and consisting of two chambers, unusually the backstone of the gallery also serves as a sidestone of a subsidiary chamber that is entered from the side of the monument. The majority of court tombs with subsidiary chambers are found in Mid-Ulster and North Connaught. Excavations have shown that the tomb was covered with a circular mound of earth and stone. Bronze Age burials and an urn were found in the forecourt and in the tomb itself. Due to the subsidiary chamber and the extra kerb stones surrounding the monument we can presume that this tomb would have been reused, adapted and been a focal point for a family or clan over an extended period of time. I’d recommend a visit to this peaceful and beautifully positioned site.

GPS: 54.92027, -6.72273