Ballymagaraghy Cairn and Standing Stones

In rough upland pasture, dotted with rushes and clumps of gorse, and strewn with stones and disused field walls. This cairn (3m NE−SW; 2.7m NW−SE; H 0.7m) surrounds the base of a pair of standing stones (DG012-018001-). The bulk of the cairn is piled against the NW face of the standing stones, and in its NE-SW length, ends more or less flush with the NW stone but extends a little beyond the SE stone. It fills the intervening space (Wth c. 0.75m NE-SW) between the stones and spills out to NW and SE between the two stones, and has a gently domed NW−SE profile. Along its NW side, medium to large sized stones, some of which are embedded in the ground surface, are visible in the basal layer of the cairn. A number of large stones lie on top of the basal layer and piled above this is a loose, jumbled heap of small to medium-sized stones, resembling field clearance. The antiquity of the cairn is uncertain. It appears to post-date the standing stones. It may be the result of the incorporation of the standing stones into a later field fence, now removed, or it may simply be a field clearance heap. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 11 July 2016

Neolithic cairn with associated standing stones, dating to approximately 4000–2500 BCE. The site represents a ritual or funerary monument, typical of early farming communities in Ireland.