Megalithomania - Latest Trip

Ballygowan (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

This is a pretty standing stone when viewed from the south side. It stands on the edge of a field overlooking a farmhouse, beneath two large trees. It is on the highest point in the area and would hav ...

(4 Images Added)

Ballyalbaanagh (Rath)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

This site is known locally as [i]The Fort[/i], but I'm not 100% certain that it is a rath. I think it could be a barrow. It is just 8m in diameter and the surrounding bank is just 50cm high. Inside th ...

(2 Images Added)

Ballyalbaanagh (Court Tomb)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

This court tomb is not marked on the OS map, nor does it feature in many publications. t is difficult to reach and quite ruinous, but it does have some special qualities.

The tomb is now located in ...

(7 Images Added)

Goakstown (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

It is Slemish that makes this site worth stopping at. Today I walked down the track alongside the field with this stone in to get a side-on view. It's not much different from that angle, to be honest. ...

(2 Images Added)

Goakstown (Wedge Tomb)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

It has been nearly five years since I was shown this site by Anthony Weir. It seems like yesterday, really. At the time of this visit there were young lambs in the field, so I didn't enter, and made d ...

(4 Images Added)

Cargan (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

This one took me by surprise. The OS map shows the stone to be behind some buildings, so I was walking up and down the road trying to see which of the houses it was hidden by. Then I saw it. It isn't ...

(1 Image Added)

Scotchomerbane (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

As I drove past this stone I was surprised to see a new bungalow on the opposite side of the road. I decided to stop and get a GPS reading from it and to take a look at the views. The disused farm bui ...

(4 Images Added)

Ballylig (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

I called in at the farm, but there was no one in. You can see the stone from the road just outside the farmyard and the field looked empty, so I popped in to see the stone. It wasn't until later that ...

(3 Images Added)

Lisboy (Standing Stone)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

This is a small, irregular standing stone that doesn't really have much going for it. It is a little over 1.5m tall and stands in the centre of a small field. The area is heavily farmed and there are ...

(5 Images Added)

Ossian's Grave (Court Tomb)

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This trip was just a return visit to get some better photos for my next book, [i]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/i]. I sat and enjoyed the views, which surprisingly do not include Teivebulliagh, ...

(5 Images Added)

Carnanmore (Passage Tomb)

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

With the location of the carvings firmly in my head I set off to climb back up to this cairn. This time I approached from the north: a much easier walk than the way I went last time.

I didn't find ...

(4 Images Added)

West Torr (Passage Tomb)

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The first time I was here the weather was terrible. This time I could experience the views, which stretch as far as the Scottish mainland and islands.

With weather being a bit more pleasant I was ...

(9 Images Added)

Loughconnelly (Court Tomb)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The Northern Ireland monuments record states that this tomb has gone. Well, it hasn't! There isn't much left of it, mind, but there's enough to match it with a 1940s description.

The dry-stone wall ...

(2 Images Added)

Skerry (Church)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Skerry church is perched on the top of a high rocky outcrop and towers over the surrounding fields. The main part of the building is very ruined with just one gable end and a side wall remaining. Ther ...

(3 Images Added)

Townend (Standing Stone)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This is a huge standing stone! At its tallest point it measures around 2.5m. It is 2m wide and over 1m thick. By volume it must be one of the largest standing stones in Northern Ireland. The top of th ...

(5 Images Added)

Ballycraig (Standing Stone)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I couldn't get very close to this stone due to some surprisingly early crops in the field, but it's not hard to see from the road as it stands on top of a small knoll.

It would appear to be about 1 ...

(2 Images Added)

White Park (Cairn)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

As I walked down to White Park beach I could see a high, domed bump in the dunes, but it didn't fit the description I had read of this monument. I walked past it at first and after finding no other si ...

(6 Images Added)

Broughanlea (Cross Pillar)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This lovely cross slab is mounted atop a wall alongside the busy A2 a short way outside Ballycastle.

It is 1m or so tall and 80cm wide. The road-facing face has a nice yet crude carving of a crosie ...

(3 Images Added)

Turraloskin (Cross Pillar)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This 1.6m tall stone originally stood on the opposite side of the road near to a rath and souterrain, where there is now a quarry. It was moved here for safe keeping ... except someone seems to have f ...

(3 Images Added)

Toberbile (Standing Stone)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I really like this impressive standing stone. From the road to the west it looks very slim and at over 3m tall it is very impressive. When viewed side on from the south or north it takes on a far bul ...

(5 Images Added)