This site is the real reason I came on to the Ards Peninsula. I have read so much about it in Field Guides and books on Irish monuments that I had to come and visit. For me it was worth the extortionate £5.20 one-way ferry ticket - for others it may not be.
Unless you know what is below your feet when you stand on the mound it is very difficult to appreciate this site. Several large stones stick up from the rectangular bump that was put back over the delicate remains after excavation. These stones are from a 'ring' of stones that surrounded a fragile inner tomb, which had crude carvings on its small orthostats.
It is worth standing here for the view though if you can ignore the great big farmhouse that stands just 10m away. The monument is built on a low ridge that runs parallel to the bay, where the beach is just 150m away. While I was standing here my thoughts were snapped into the real world by a large 'whooshing' sound that I could not place. When I returned to the car I heard it again and realised that it was made by the sea rising between the sharp, jagged rocks that lie out in the bay. These do look a little like semi-submerged dragons, especially when coupled with the noise. Is this why the tomb was built here?
To the south Millin Hill rises above the sea and on a day of poor visibility might even appear to float upon it. Perhaps it's just the coast playing tricks, but this is another place with a magical feeling. As mentioned above though, there isn't a great deal to see on the ground.
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_All Sites Visited On 12th February 2006 « Previous Site Next Site »
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_A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Cabragh (Co. Sligo) |  Ballygroll 16 (Co. Derry) |  Carrowmurray (Co. Sligo) |
 Ballynahown (Co. Cork) |  Magheracar (Co. Donegal) |  Loughash (Co. Tyrone) |
