Megalithic tomb, Tromaty, Co. Donegal

Megalithic tomb, Tromaty, Co. Donegal

About 2 kilometres west of Quigley's Point, where the western shore of Lough Foyle meets level pasture fields, the ruined remains of an ancient megalithic tomb lie incorporated into an earthen field fence near Tromaty.

Megalithic tomb, Tromaty, Co. Donegal

The monument sits in gently sloping countryside, with the land falling away eastward towards the lough and rising steadily westward to Crockglass summit. What survives today is a shadow of its former self; two standing stones aligned north-northeast to south-southwest protrude from the northern face of the fence, spaced 1.4 metres apart, with the eastern stone reaching 1.1 metres high whilst its western companion stands at just 0.6 metres.

The tomb has suffered considerable damage over the centuries, though historical records provide glimpses of its original form. When surveyed in 1848 for the Ordnance Survey Revision Name Book, the structure measured approximately 3.65 metres long and 1.2 metres wide internally, composed of upright stones; three on the western side and four on the eastern. The surveyors noted that a covering flagstone had been recently removed, and by 1943, further destruction was recorded including the loss of a roofstone. Local memory recalls that stones were taken from each side of the northern end within living memory, and in 1982, archaeologists documented additional displaced stones, including a large slab measuring 1.8 by 0.6 metres lying against the fence.



Whilst the exact type of megalithic tomb remains unclassified due to its ruined state, these weathered stones mark an important prehistoric burial site that once served the communities who farmed these lands thousands of years ago. The partially concealed stones that still rise above the earthen bank, along with an upright stone on the southern side of the fence that may or may not be in its original position, hint at the monument’s former grandeur and the care with which our ancestors marked their sacred places in the landscape.

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Tromaty, Co. Donegal
55.12678026, -7.22911622
55.12678026,-7.22911622
Tromaty 
Megalithic Tombs 

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