The Broad Stone, Country Antrim
This striking example of a Neolithic court tomb is situated in Craigs townland and lies at a height of 614 feet on the west side of Long Mountain, a conspicuous hump of moorland pasture rising abruptly from the Bann lowlands north of Rasharkin. It nestles in a hollow beside a thorn tree and is fenced in to protect it from grazing livestock. The remains are in a fair state of preservation and comprise a three-chambered gallery segmented by jambs, an almost semi-circular forecourt 18 feet in diameter, facing south-east, and a number of kerbstones delimiting the long cairn. Its most notable feature, the great 10 by 8 1/2 feet capstone, had collapsed or been overthrown sometime prior to 1816 (when Mason's Statistical Survey of Ireland records it fallen), but was replaced late in the nineteenth century by the concerted efforts of the local population, a task said to have taken a week to complete. At that time the megalith was a well-known focal point for community gatherings and merrymaking.While the position of the reinstated capstone over the first chamber is probably authentic, the tall supporting upright at the back which gives it the appearance of a classic 'tripod dolmen' must be regarded as suspect, since it contravenes the normal rules of court tomb construction. On the other hand it could conceivably be an aberrant original feature, given the recognised transitional link between court and portal tombs.
Other Ancient Stones in County Antrim: Ballylumford | Ballymacaldrack | Craigarogan | Craigs | Doagh | Ticloy
Click here to buy the Appletree Press book from Amazon.co.uk. For more information click on: Ireland's Ancient Stones - A Megalithic Heritage by Kenneth McNally, published by Appletree Press.
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