Killowen

In 1976, a court tomb known locally as the "Giant’s Grave" at Ballinran, near Killowen on the shore of Carlingford Lough, was excavated ahead of road widening works. The site, located on boulder clay over Silurian shale, revealed sockets for orthostats that confirmed the presence of a long north-south aligned gallery tomb with a circular forecourt at the northern end. Although no cairn or kerb stones survived, the segmented gallery, over 12 meters long, featured typical sills and jambs, and one portal socket still contained a fractured stone stump. While no intact burials were found, cremated human bone fragments were recovered from several sockets, likely remnants from when the orthostats…

Patrick Murphy, famously known as the original Irish Giant, was born on 15 June 1834 in Killowen. His extraordinary height, measured at 7'3.4", made him a figure of fascination across Europe. Though he initially resisted public exhibition, he eventually toured as part of a curiosities show, mingling with aristocracy and earning enough to buy a farm near Rostrevor. Despite his travels, Killowen remained central to his story: it was his birthplace, early home, and the foundation of his identity. His legacy endures in the listed building he once lived in and in the memory of Killowen as the origin of Ireland’s most iconic giant.