Archaelogy Trail

Please note that not all have open access. There are also waymarked trails at Carntogher Mountain and Drumnaph Wood. St. Lurach’s Old Church open to the public, key at Maghera Recreation Centre St. Lurach, patron saint of Maghera, was of the royal line of the Uí Tuirtre, the sept which dominated mid-Ulster in the early Christian period. He founded his monastery in the sixth century, around which the settlement of Maghera grew up. In Irish the town is called Machaire Rátha Luraigh, ‘the plain of Lurach’s fort’. St. Lurach’s headstone, a cross-inscribed upright slab and the earthen ramparts of his ráth, can still be seen in the old graveyard to this day. The beautiful carvings of the crucifixion which adorns the stone doorway, dating to the eleventh or twelfth century AD, has been described as the most important single Romanesque (12th century) monument in Ulster. The church has a long and chequered history. One of its monks, Fearghas, was abbot of Finglas around 800 AD and a leader in the Céile Dé sect which flourished at this time. In 831 AD the monastery was plundered by Vikings led by Turgesius. In 1135 it was attacked again, this time during inter-dynastic warfare. The year 1150 AD saw Maghera become the diocesan seat with Muireach Ó Cofaigh, a native of Carntogher, as bishop. During the wars between Irish and English forces in the 17th century, when the tower was added, the church was attacked three times. Tobar Luraigh, St. Lurach’s Well, was located in an entry off Main Street and it was said that anyone who drank from this well would always wish to return to Maghera. Tirnoney Dolmen open to the public This impressive monument is four to six thousand years old and stands one mile north-west of Maghera. It is a burial tomb and in it our ancestors would have placed the cremated remains of their dead. At one time it would have been covered, or at least partially covered, by a cairn of small stones. The word dolmen comes from a Breton word meaning ‘stone table’. These monuments are now known as portal tombs because of the two large uprights upon which the capstone rests at its highest end which form the entrance to the tomb. In the small field to the south there is rumoured to be a souterrain, or artificial cave. Normally associated with ringforts, these sites were constructed as a refuge in times of danger or as a store for food, between the sixth and twelfth centuries. This portal tomb or dolmen is one of five types of megalithic (from the Greek mega lithos, meaning ‘large stone’) tomb. The others consist of court tombs (considered to be the earliest type of megalithic tomb, as at Knockoneill), passage tombs (as at Newgrange, Co. Meath), wedge tombs (considered to be the latest type, as at Slaughtneil) and unclassified tombs. Six portal tombs are located in County Derry. Killelagh Old Church access by owner’s permission This ancient church is associated with St. Ciarán. Its name in Irish is Cill a’ Locha, ‘the church of the lough’, from its position near the small lough of the same name nearby. Another, more fanciful, story gives the name in Irish as Cill a’ Lacha, ‘the church of the duck’. This legend tells how the holy man began to build his church on a site near Killelagh Lough but that a duck started to carry the mortar away in its beak to another location; St. Ciarán took this as a sign of God’s will and built the church where it now stands. No features are visible within the ruins of the church, two bullaun stones (used as mortars or holy water fonts) and a holy well are located in the vicinity of the ruins. Two other buildings formerly stood near the church, suggesting that this was possibly a site of some importance in medieval times. According to the 19th century writer John O’Donovan, two other structures once stood nearby. The holy well is evidence of the site’s pre-Christian religious importance as it was no doubt a place of pagan worship. Muireach Ó Cofaigh, a twelfth century bishop of Maghera, is the patron saint of Killelagh. Following the defeat of the Irish lords at Kinsale in 1601, the English commander Mountjoy burnt many of the Catholic churches of Ulster. The maps of 1609 show Killelagh church without a roof, indicating that it suffered the same fate. During the subsequent plantation of Ulster with English and Scottish settlers, Catholic church buildings and lands were confiscated and became the property of the state authorities. In this way the church came to be used by the local Protestant congregation for around 200 years after the plantation of Ulster until their church in Gortinure townland was completed. It was at this time that the adjoining graveyard which was entered via two stone pillars to the rear of the church was destroyed. The human remains were re-interred in St. Lurach’s churchyard in Maghera. Tullyheron Ring Fort access by owner’s permission This site consists of a fine example of rath or earthen-built ringfort, situated on a hilltop 500 yards west of Killelagh church with commanding views of south Derry. The double ring of earthen banks and an intervening ditch, 18 feet in depth, suggests that the people who lived in this defended farmstead were important members of their society. The banks were topped by a defensive palisade of wooden posts. It was not necessarily a fort in the military sense but more likely a secure dwelling place where a number of timber framed structures accommodated a powerful family and their possessions. These forts were occupied from around the 6th to the 12th centuries AD, although this fort has a later history, having been used for a time as a flax dam, located in a section of the water-filled ditch. The fort and townland take their name from the Irish word for a rowan tree ‘caorthann’. This tree has strong associations with the supernatural. A branch kept in the house or byre, for example, was believed to be a protection against fairies and the tree was also used by the druids in their rituals. It is a common element in Irish placenames. The close proximity of Tullyheron Ring Fort, Tirnoney Dolmen and the nearby souterrain, Killelagh Church and Holy Well implies that this small area was of importance since man first arrived in Ireland, following the retreat of the ice fields 9,000 years ago, up to the present day. Tirkane Sweat House open to the public This unusual dry-stone structure was used to cure fevers and pains up until the end of the last century. It is impossible to date but was probably constructed no earlier than medieval times, certainly many similar sites around the country were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. These sites are known in Germany as Irish baths which would suggest that sweat houses were introduced to that country by Irish missionaries who travelled to Europe during the Dark Ages. A fire of turf or wood was lit inside the structure and the entrance closed, so that heat built up and the stone walls became very hot. Then some rushes were spread on the floor and water thrown on the stones to produce steam. The patient then sat in the sweat house for as long as they could before emerging to bathe in the small spring nearby. It is one of only five such monuments in the country. Knockoneill Court Tomb open to the public A second type of megalithic tomb, dating to the Neolithic or New Stone Age (2000-4000 BC), is found in Knockoneill. It gets its name from the semi-circular forecourt of upright stones which lead to a gallery. In most cases the dead would have been cremated and their remains placed in the gallery together with some belongings and food for their journey to the after-life. This gallery consists of two chambers. It is known locally as the ‘Giant’s Grave’, a common name applied to such monuments. This court tomb is unusual in that it has a subsidiary chamber at the back of the gallery which is entered via a passage in the side of the tomb. More unusual is the fact that the backstone of the main gallery is used as a side stone of the subsidiary chamber. The tomb was used in the Bronze Age (approximately 2000-250 BC) for burial. Excavations at the site in 1948, 1977 and more recently in 1984 produced charred bones and an urn dating to the Bronze Age located to the south of the tomb and in the forecourt respectively. Laurence Flanagan, one of the excavators, suggests the possibility that a cairn was superimposed on the site at the time, the line of the perimeter of the possible cairn surviving outside the forecourt of the tomb to the north and north-west, however others argue that this feature is the remains of a wall which enclosed a much later childrens’ burial ground. The majority of court tombs are found in the north of the island of Ireland with the majority of those with subsidiary chambers found in mid Ulster and north Connacht. Seven court tombs are located in County Derry. Ireland was a much different place during the Neolithic period. There was very heavy forest cover and no sign of the fields and hedges that we see today. Most settlement was on the fairly high ground between the lowlands and the mountains where the soil was lighter and there were fewer trees These early farmers cleared the trees and grew primitive kinds of cereals and kept livestock. The uplands were different to today because the bogs had not begun to grow and the climate was slightly warmer Granaghan Old Chapel, Mass Rock and St. Patrick’s Well access by owner’s permission This now ruined church was the first Catholic chapel to be built in the district after the relaxation of the penal laws, during which time the Catholic religion was banned in the 1770’s. It consisted of a long narrow thatched building with a dry stone altar placed along a side wall. Doiminic Ó Brollacháin, 1673-1746, ‘An Bráthair Bán’ or ‘the Friar Ban’, is closely associated with this site. His epithet Ban denotes fair hair and many stories were told of his exploits during these dark times. It is said that eleven priests were ordained by a Bishop Bradley during the penal times, at a location 200 metres up the small glen to the rear of the chapel, on Sun Dial Hill. Here, at the base of a small cliff, there is an impressive altar made from a single slab of rock supported by two dry stone pillars. Mass was said here before the construction of Granaghan chapel and it continued to be used even after this because of the poor condition of the chapel. Five hundred metres north of the chapel, at the foot of a rocky outcrop, is located a small spring known as St. Patrick’s Well. Above it stands a rag tree and immediately beside it there is a bullaun stone in which coins are placed as offerings by those seeking cures. The spring water is said to be especially effective as a remedy for poor eyesight. Killelagh Church, Gortinure access by owner’s permission Built in 1815 and in use for about fifty years, this ruined church for a time housed the small Church of Ireland congregation of Killelagh parish. The building was very well finished and had an impressive window in its north gable. It is likely that this was a result of a grant of money from The First Fruits Board. There are a small number of graves in the churchyard. The local Protestant population continued to shrink through the first half of the 19th century and so by the mid 1850’s the congregation was relocated to a new church in Swatragh, built in 1854-55. Timbers and glass from the church in Gortinure were used in the new church which still serves the Church of Ireland population of Killelagh parish. Slaughtneil access by owner’s permission On Crockmore, a rocky, heather-clad hill which overlooks the area, there are a number of sites of interest. The path up to Crockmore goes through Hugh Cassidy’s place. Hugh was a strong believer in the power of the fairies or gentle folk. If a twig were to fall from the fairy thorn in the field above the house it would have to stay there out of respect for them. Hired as a farm labourer by a childless couple called McEldowney while still a boy, the farm was left to him after their death and he spent the rest of his life working these fields. He died on the hillside in 1982 in his mid-seventies. Fairy lore is thought to be a re-interpretation of the gods of pre-Christian Ireland, known in the mythology as the Tuatha Dé Danann, the followers of Aine, a personification of the land goddess who is remembered in the placename Lios Aine (Lissan near Cookstown). Pre-Christian religions are also evidenced locally in the name Lough Neagh, Loch nEachach, Eochaidh being the horse god of the Irish Celts. Two hundred metres further up the path is the remains of a lime kiln used for producing lime to reduce the acidity of the soil. At the top of the hill the first monument we reach is another ‘Giant’s Grave’, a wedge tomb once covered by a cairn of stones. This monument was robbed, as were many others in the nineteenth century, in the belief that they contained treasure. These tombs are so-called because of their shape. They number 13 in County Derry. Two cairns of possible archaeological significance are located seventy metres to the west and four hundred metres to the north of the wedge tomb respectively. A standing stone is also located one hundred metres to the south-east. Any one of these three sites could be the elusive Sleacht Néill, the monument to Niall from which the townland is named. The Niall in question was probably Niall Glúndubh Ó Néill who was killed fighting the Vikings near Dublin in the 10th century, although an alternative tradition states that this Niall was a prince of the Mac Lochlainns, who died in the battle of Cáiméirge in the year 1214 AD fighting against the Ó Néills, as these two powerful branches of the Uí Néill vied for control of the dynasty. Our confusion about this Niall is most likely the result of propaganda put about by the victorious Ó Néills seeking to secure their title to the chieftancy. The picture is further complicated by discovery in the early 19th century of an iron sword in a stone lined grave discovered under another cairn some seventy metres from the wedge tomb. Perhaps this burial is the most likely candidate as a monument to a Gaelic chieftain. Kearney’s Glen access by owner’s permission Kearney’s Glen is an idyllic, secluded glen in the townland of Granaghan one kilometre south-west of Swatragh. Its wooded slopes shelter a mass rock beside a small stream on the valley floor. These mass rocks, which are a common feature throughout Ireland, date from Penal Times of the 17th and 18th centuries when laws were enacted by the British authorities to outlaw the Catholic religion and Gaelic language and deny Catholics their rights to education, property and land. Rather than give up their religion, the people erected simple stone alters and held mass in the open air in isolated places. Tradition states that in winter the people walked barefoot through the stream to avoid leaving footprints in the snow. Other mass rocks in the area are at Creag na hAltóra (cliff of the altar) in Halfgayne townland and at Granaghan Old Chapel. Wooden crosses have been placed around the glen by the local community to mark the stations and a wooden altar erected beside the mass rock where mass is said annually on the first Sunday of August. A stone monument at the top of the path into the glen commemorates Maol Íosa Ó Brollacháin, a famous bardic poet of the 11th century. The Ó Brollacháin clan, now anglicised Bradley, were hereditary poets to the Ó Néills and have close associations with the area around Maghera. Seefinn and Ballyknock access by owner’s permission A standing stone on the top of Seefinn (Suí Finn - seat of Fionn Mac Cumhail) was said to have been thrown by the giant from the summit of Slieve Gallion, and was known as ‘Méar Finn’ or the finger stone. In the nineteenth century it was reported that the stone, which was then lying flat on the hilltop, was used in weightlifting contests in the community games which were held annually on Seefin. A local legend has it that, while sitting on this hill, Fionn was able to converse with his comrade Goll Mac Morna who sat on the hill named Suí Goill in the parish of Ballinascreen nine miles away. In Irish mythology, Fionn was the leader of a band of warriors known as ‘The Fianna’, and many stories were told of their exploits. One such story tells how Fionn, while hunting one day with his great hounds Bran and Sceolán, pursued a magical deer. After a long chase the deer disappeared underground and Bran began to paw furiously at the ground in a vain attempt to follow it, thus creating Lough Bran between the townlands of Tirkane and Carrowmenagh. The huge popularity of the Fionn lore or ‘Fiannaíocht’ in Ireland and Scotland led to Fionn being regarded in later times as a giant who created the Giant’s Causeway, Lough Neagh and the Isle of Man. It would appear, however, that his character and lore are derived from the cult of Find, an ancient personification of wisdom. Among the Celtic tribes on the Continent, this god was known as Vindos and his name is remembered in numerous place names such as Vienna, Austria. On the eastern side of Seefinn there are two small mounds about thirty metres apart said to be the dwelling places of two rival bands of fairies. These two opposing factions were wont to do battle on the meadow between them. On one of the mounds there is a flat-topped stone with a number of small holes grouped together on its surface. It is said to be used by the fairies for making shoes. A spring well in a nearby field has curative powers and was in earlier times much used by local people. Carntogher open to the public At the top of Carntogher mountain (Carn Tóchair in Irish), there are three distinct archaeological sites. At the side of the track, at its highest point, there is a cairn of small stones; emigrants travelling to the port of Derry by this ancient road would leave a small stone at this spot which gave them their last view of home before leaving for the new world. To the left of the track at this point there are four stone markers known as ‘Shane’s Leaps’ which commemorate three extraordinary jumps made by the famous 18th century raparee Seán Crossach Ó Maoláin when escaping from his redcoat captors. On the mountain top itself, about 500 metres north of the track, there is a large bronze-age burial cairn partially covered by heather and coarse grasses. It is from this cairn that the mountain receives the first element of its name. The second element, tóchar, refers to a type of roadway made of oak planks and used for crossing areas of wet ground, perhaps the bit immediately to the west of the emigrants’ cairn. One and a half kilometres to the east of the summit, on the mountain track leading from Slaughtneil, a well preserved cist grave dating from the Bronze Age can be seen.