Craigarogan, Country Antrim
Previously regarded as a passage tomb derivative but now generally accepted as a wedge tomb, this unusual megalith lies near the Ballymartin Water 200 yards north of the hamlet of Roughfort, which is 2 1/2 miles east-south-east of Templepatrick. Though the main structural features survive it is in disarray and overgrown, with a formidable barrier of brambles along one side preventing close inspection.
A plan drawn in the early 1900s shows a long boulder-built gallery covered by a series of roofstones which decrease in height from front to back, typical of wedge tomb construction. Its east-north-east/west-south-west orientation is also consistent with the type, and so too is the presence of an antechamber, which here takes the form of a dolmen-like structure in front of the gallery.
The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1838 state that 'within the memory of some old people this temple was enclosed by two circles of standing stones'. While the innermost was probably the kerb of a vanished cairn, it is possible that the outer one, which reportedly had a surrounding ditch, was a ritual feature, suggesting that this may have been a sacred site as well as a place of burial. A clue to its function may lie in the old name by which it is still known in the district: Carn Greine, 'Cairn of the Sun'. An encrusted urn recovered from the tomb early last century indicated a Bronze Age date for the monument, as would be expected.
Other Ancient Stones in County Antrim: Ballylumford | Ballymacaldrack | Broadstone | 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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