tombs tyrone

Hugh stones of a Neolithic passage tomb inscribed with fascinating designs of early art. Superb view....

The extensive townland of Ballywholan (locally pronounced Ballyhullion), which stretches a few miles north of the Tyrone/Monaghan border, contains two chambered tombs of differing types, both close to side-roads leading westwards off the B 83 about 3 miles south-east of Clogher. Carnfadraig, just to the north of the more northerly of the two side-roads, is apparently a portal-tomb, with chambers built of large stones at each end of an 86 foot long cairn. 'Excavations' in 1897 uncovered some hum...

Cregganconroe, reached by a long lane from the nearest by-road, is a well preserved example of those court-tombs erected by Stone Age farmers in many parts of the north of Ireland around and after 3500 B.C. as communal burial places. This one is located on a small hillock, and preserves the semicircular east-facing forecourt which leads into a two-chambered burial gallery, a large capstone of which has fallen in close to the entrance. The tomb stands in a roughly rectangular cairn, which has t...

The monument's true nature as a court-tomb of c.3500 B.C. was only revealed during excavations in 1979-82, which removed the peat that had helped to preserve what turned out to be one of the most complete examples of its kind, and ensured its survival. The trapezoidal stone cairn over 50 feet long has a semicircular forecourt at its eastern end, at the centre of which a portal covered by a mighty capstone gave access to a triple-chambered burial gallery which had originally been roofed with cor...