Megalithic tomb - court tomb, Claggan, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
About a kilometre southeast of the previously described monument, on the lower southern slopes of Crocknabuckan Hill near the northern end of the Horn Head peninsula, lies the remains of an ancient court tomb.
Megalithic tomb - court tomb, Claggan, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
The site occupies a level patch of ground with views across to Pollaguill Bay, whilst the distinctive peaks of Muckish and Errigal mountains dominate the southern horizon. According to records from the 1840s, this monument had lain hidden beneath soil and heather within living memory until rabbit hunters inadvertently exposed it, unfortunately damaging many of the burial chambers in the process.
The monument consists of a court at the north-northwest end, measuring roughly 4.5 metres wide and at least 5 metres long, which leads into a ruined gallery that extends 8.5 metres in length. The gallery is divided into an antechamber and two main chambers, though evidence suggests at least one additional chamber once existed at the southern end. The eastern arm of the court retains four standing stones, with heights ranging from 0.65 to 1.05 metres, whilst a fifth stone has fallen. The entrance to the gallery features transversely set jambs standing 0.8 metres apart, leading into chambers separated by distinctive sillstone and jamb arrangements; the front chamber measures 3.2 metres long and 2.3 metres wide, whilst the second chamber extends for approximately 3 metres.
Unfortunately, much of the original cairn material has been dispersed or incorporated into a later field wall that now crosses through the court area. What remains is visible as a low, grass-covered spread of stones extending 20 metres north to south and up to 8 metres westward from the gallery’s western side. Two stones positioned 2 metres beyond the eastern arm of the court, running parallel to it, may represent original kerbstones, standing 0.4 and 0.2 metres high respectively. Despite the damage inflicted by the Victorian rabbit hunters and subsequent agricultural activity, the monument still provides valuable insights into Neolithic burial practices in this remote corner of Donegal.





