Ballylumford Dolmen
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Ballylumford Dolmen is a
dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...
in
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. It is near the north-west tip of the
Islandmagee Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rur ...
peninsula by Ballylumford power station. Known locally as the "Druid's Altar", it could be 4000 years old, or the remains of an even earlier passage grave. The
dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...
consists of four upright stones, with a heavy capstone and a fallenstone within the structure. This may have been put there to block the entrance to the tomb. The dolmen is in the front garden of a house. A wall plaque at the site describes the dolmen as a single chambered grave erected about 2000-1600 BC. Local finds indicate occupation of the neighbourhood during the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. Ballylumford Dolmen is a portal tomb and a State Care Historic Monument in the
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Ballylumford, in
Larne Borough Council Larne Borough Council was a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It merged with Ballymena Borough Council and Carrickfergus Borough Council in May 2015 under the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland to become Mid a ...
area at grid ref: D4304 0160.


See also

*
List of archaeological sites in County Antrim List of archaeological sites in County Antrim, Northern Ireland: __NOTOC__ A *Aghalee, Church and graveyard, grid ref: J1275 6548 *Aghalislone, Ringfort, Rath, grid ref: J2599 6792 *Aghalislone, Tumulus, Barrow, grid ref: J2549 6825 *Aldfreck, ...


References

{{Authority control Archaeological sites in County Antrim Dolmens in Northern Ireland State Care Monuments of Northern Ireland