Known as ‘Dermot and Grania’s Bed’, after the legendary lovers from Irish mythology, this ancient site consisted of two large stones that may have marked a prehistoric grave. When first documented on Ordnance Survey maps between 1847 and 1849, one stone stood upright whilst the other lay prostrate on the ground, suggesting they might have been the last remnants of a megalithic tomb.

The upright stone was quite substantial, measuring about 1.2 metres high, just over a metre broad, and 15 centimetres thick. Its fallen companion was even larger at 2.15 metres long, 90 centimetres broad, and 17 centimetres thick. According to historian Fagan, who wrote about the site in the 1840s, the standing stone marked the western end of what appeared to be a grave measuring roughly 2.3 metres long and between 1.2 to 1.5 metres wide. Local tradition held that the prostrate stone had once stood at the eastern end, forming a pair of grave markers that would have been an imposing sight on the landscape.

Unfortunately, this intriguing piece of Ireland’s ancient past has vanished without a trace. By 1902, when surveyors returned to update their maps, the stones had been completely removed, likely broken up for building materials or cleared for farming. Whilst archaeologists suspect this may have been a megalithic tomb, possibly dating back thousands of years, the limited evidence makes it impossible to say for certain. Today, nothing remains at the site to hint at its former significance; the stories of Dermot and Grania’s Bed exist only in old survey books and the fading memories of local folklore.