In August 1966, a US astronomy professor shared his astonishing findings with the BBC. He believed that the Neolithic stone circle was built to predict eclipses.
At the entrance to the parallel galleries at Cloghanmore. The rain, a seeming regular companion here, beat us back to the car way too soon.
In a deluge, from behind the parallel galleries towards the massive court.
The stone in the foreground here is said to be the backstone of the gallery of an east facing court tomb. You’d never tell, but this end contains the best of what remains.
Looking west down along the shambles that used to be a small court tomb.
What is thought the be the base of the walls of a limekiln lies in the middle of the scant remains here.
The stone in the middle of this shot is a covering lintel over what seem to be two segmenting jambstones. The tomb is overall a wrecked mess.
Plan of the six tombs taken from the Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume 6, County Donegal. See the recent link posted to TMA for free downloads of all these amazing books.
Zipped PDFs of all 6 books, tomes even. Quite a download but endlessly fascinating and highly recommended. Photos, descriptions and plans of every recorded monument. They didn’t do the six counties nor quite a large chunk of Leinster but invaluable all the same.
Tomb number 6 according to Cody’s classification in the Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, the easternmost, is in the garden of a house.
The north end of the monument with some probably modern drystone construction.
This shot illustrates the mess at the site that confounds those looking for an easy classification. Both Herity and Cody mention maybe court tomb.
North-west towards Biofán and Glen Head.
Station no. 1 of the Gleanncholmcille Turas is actually a prehistoric megalithic tomb, probably a court tomb.
Large slab with one basin, almost as deep as it is wide.
The road heads west off up to the Sliabh Liag cliffs – the bullaun is the smaller stone in this shot.
22cm deep basin in this eroded stone.
Roadside and streamside bullaun in this small townland.
2.1 metres tall stone in this megalith saturated townland.
Back eastish, towards Cloghanmore court tomb on the other side of the road.
Over 2 metres tall. The mound of stones, though cairn-like, is thought to be modern field clearance.
Looking south-west. Much field clearance has been dumped on the remains of the tomb.
The remaining portal with the standing stone over its left shoulder.
Looking roughly south-east. The stone in the foreground here may, according to the survey, have been the roofstone.
Looking roughly north-east. There are 2 stones still standing here, a sidestone towards the foreground and a two metre tall portal stone.
From the rear of the tomb – there was a backstone here as late as 1887 but it has been removed since.
Pretty scant remains, 7 still-socketed stones – Benwiskin rears up in the distance to the south-east.
A pair of jambstones at the eastern entrance of the gallery.
The passage at Magheracar, holding on at the edge of the world.
Bullaun in the same townland as the more famous court tomb which is visible here south-west down the valley. Croaghbeg is further down still.
The Janus figure at Caldragh – I believe the carvings on the broken piece of stone leaning to the left are the hands of the figure thats hidden in this shot.
Shallow basin beside the socket of the high cross at Kilgobbin.
A frustrating visit. I was hoping for something more accessible.
Yes, there are the quite substantial remains of a court tomb in there.
South-east over the backstone of what I’m guessing was a small wedge tomb. There’s a more substantial court tomb 250 metres or so to the north of here.
