Ticloy, County Antrim
This distinctive small dolmen, 'The Stone House', stands little more than 6 feet in overall height at the east end of what appears to have been a long cairn, situated on the south side of Ticloy hill some 5 miles south-west of Carnlough. A neatly constructed chamber 4 feet square is roofed with two capstones and opens north-east between portal stones 5 1/2 feet high, the southern of which lies fallen alongside. Its collapse was presumably the result of a treasure hunt over a century ago by the owner of the land, who boasted of having dreamt of a hoard of gold buried in the chamber. To his great disappointment - and it was said, much local glee - his only discovery after hours of fruitless digging, was an urn containing some burnt bones.This megalith is of interest because of a plan in the 1830s Ordnance Survey Memoirs, which clearly shows that it had a curved orthostatic façade, traces of which survive, thus confirming a link with the court tombs. Portal tombs may have developed from court tombs and retained some of their features in a less elaborate form. Little remains of the cairn, and nothing at all of a second 'stone house' which once occupied its western end.
Other Ancient Stones in County Antrim: Ballylumford | Ballymacaldrack | Broadstone | Craigarogan | Craigs | Doagh
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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