Knockbrack forum 2 room
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Knockbrack

Calling CianMcLiam

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Hi Ken,

I'm heading to Carlow again tomorrow. Is this easy to find? I don't have a gps so any directions you could give me would be great. Also this one http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10735/rathgeran_upper.html if you have the time.

thanks in advance

Andy

Knockbrack is quite easy to get to, but not so easy to explain :) I assume you have the OS map? Coming out of Tullow, head towards Enniscorthy, turning left at the junction with the main road. Go over Ballon hill and turn right at the Forge restaurant. Follow that road until you come to a Y junction and turn left. Take the next right turn and head uphill until you see a brand new bungalow on the right (no-one had moved in when I was there), there's some restored granite farm buildings across on the left.

Park around there somewhere and head uphill from behind that house. From there I'm a bit hazy cos I wandered around a bit looking for it. You could really do with a gps because it's almost in a corner between two fields, even with a gps I got in a muddle! Your best bet is to print off the map on archaeology.ie.

That Rathgeran stone is a little easier, in Ballymurphy head in the direction of the more famous Rathgeran stone but just before you leave the village take the right turn uphill signposted 'Rathgeran'. Go up that road and turn left at the T junction. Follow that road around until you see a farm entrance on the right, a long driveway up to the farmhouse. Ask there, the stone is through the field entrance to the left of the house, head across the field to your right to the corner jutting out into the field. The stone forms part of that corner.

I was there this Sunday just gone. Easy to find. The new bungalow has been built by the chap that owns the fields behind, so that's the place to ask once he as moved in. I chatted to the chap that's doing up the stone house down the road. Nice chap - was interested to hear about the presence of the stone.

To complete the last part of the walk to the stone:

Go through the gate above the new bungalow. Head in a straight line to a semi-broken, unopenable gate. Over that and directly to the corner of the that field that's in front of you (you'll see tractor marks in the grass disappear through a gap in the hedge). The stone is 10m through this gap.

Now ... about that GPS ... my new one arrived today ... make me an offer if you're interested in a Garmin eTrex. It's a basic GPS, but does the job.