Ancient Sites in Northern Ireland


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Interesting Places To Visit > Ancient Sites
Loughinisland Churches The old graveyard at Loughinisland occupies a natural island in Loughinisland Lake and now reachable by a modern causeway from the west. The three churches among the graves are of different dates. The Middle Church may date from the 13th century although there is evidence that the walls were refaced at a later date. The North Church probably dates from the 15th or 16th century and it continued in use until 1720 for both Protestant and Catholic worship when the roofing materials were removed for re-use in the Church of Ireland building at Seaforde. The South Church is also called MacCartan's Chapel and was built in 1636. It is a rectangular gabled structure about 7m by 4.5m internally. It has a two-light eat window and small north and south windows.

Inch Abbey The site of Inch Abbey beside the marshy bank of the River Quoile was carefully chosen, as it is within sight of Downpatrick Cathedral and Mound. It was John de Courcy who founded the abbey of Erenagh, south of Downpatrick during the course of his campaign to conquer Ulster. It is appropriate therefore that the location is on the site of a much earlier monastery known as Inis Cumhscraigh, which was surrounded by a large earthwork discovered by means of aerial photography, and which was already in existence by the year 800.

The Giants Ring The Giant's Ring, a massive circle of megaliths covering ten acres with a dolmen at its centre near Edenderry is one of the most striking prehistoric monuments in Ireland.

Legananny Dolmen This ancient burial site is located on the southern fringe of the Slieve Croob mountain range. The structure consists of two portal stones to the south, one 5ft 9ins high, the other 6ft and a further single support at the north end, 4ft high. The long capstone, almost 2ft in diameter gives the structure its distinctive tripod appearance.

Audleystown Cairn This is a dual court grave, not far from the shore of Stranford Lough. The monument consists of a wedge-shaped cairn, its straight sides revetted with neat dry stone walls. A shallow crescent-shaped forecourt at each end leads to a burial gallery. The two galleries lie along the main axis of the cairn and each is divided into 4 chambers, segmented by jambs and sills. During excavations in 1952 the burnt and unburnt bones of 34 people were found, 17 in each gallery, representing both sexes and all age groups. These graves like the the other example of the dual form found at Milltown, near Carlinford were build by early farming communities in the Neolithic period (New Stone Age ) in the 4th and 3rd millennia B.C.

Dromore Celtic Cross - Motte and Bailey The Dromore Mound, which is the remains of an ancient Motte & Bailey, can be found just a few hundred metres from the town centre. It is one of the finest examples of a Norman Motte & Bailey to be found in Ireland today. Also of interest in Dromore is the ancient Celtic Cross and old town stocks where those who misbehaved were locked in full public view.

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