Other tombs / sites

Clontygora – Court Tomb 2

Image by CianMcLiam

juamei Jul 29, 2007 14:56:48

Before I start on the blog of our week in N Ireland...

One of the lovely sites we visited was Clontygora (awesome tomb) and happened to chat to the bloke who owns the field its in, who lives in the house straight up the field.

In that field are 7 standing stones in a oval which I notice FW has said on megalithomania 'someone had built', so is the thinking that these are modern?
(http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/531)

Now the nice man in the house said Clontygora was part of a line of 3 tombs, the main Court Tomb, the standing stones and what was the largest of the 3 in another field behind the house up the hill slightly. The largest was mostly destroyed to provide stone for Newry canal. There is a standing stone still there and a slight mound (all we could see from the road).

To complicate matters a local from warren point took me up into ravendale woods (bit further round the hill) and showed me something identical to the 'middle tomb'. Apparently there are 4 or so more things in the woods but we couldn't find them this time. One of those has the stones with a mound in the middle of it...

Are they circles? Remains of tombs? Entirely modern?

CianMcLiam Jul 29, 2007 15:07:48

Replying to juamei

Both the circles are fakes, the one up the field from Clontygora looks very modern and the one in Ravensdale is a few hundred years old. There's a much later wedge tomb near Clontygora court tomb also but that's bronze age.

Clontygora is fantastic though isn't it!

Looking forward to seeing the blog, what other sites did you get to in the end?

FourWinds Jul 30, 2007 14:19:31

Replying to juamei

juamei wrote:

Before I start on the blog of our week in N Ireland...

One of the lovely sites we visited was Clontygora (awesome tomb) and happened to chat to the bloke who owns the field its in, who lives in the house straight up the field.

Are they circles? Remains of tombs? Entirely modern?

Well, if the stones in the garden aren't new, that's great. However, I've never seen anyone else mention them. There's a wedge tomb just down the road and the main Clontygora court tomb was definitely robbed for the canal.

Was this the Ravensdale circle? http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/226

According to tradition, this was built by Lord Clermont - the same bloke that robbed the decorated stones from this tomb (http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/231/Black+Mountain.htm) to built a gazebo!