Ballyglass

Nearest town:
Ballycastle (1km E)
OS reference:
G096382
OS sheet:
23
Latitude:
54° 17' 4.19 N
Longitude:
9° 23' 17.59 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Ballyglass (Court Tomb) by bogman

Little to see a week or two ago due to being completely overgrown

Image credit: Charles Coughlan
bogman
bogman Jun 27, 2011

Articles

Ballyglass

ryaner
ryaner Jul 26, 2023

Visited 25/7/23

The tomb is now completely inundated with vegetation to the point where it is hidden from the world. Truly shocking neglect of an important heritage site.

Ballyglass

greywether
greywether Dec 29, 2003

I visited this site 10 years ago and agree it is a wonderful monument and it is a pity that it has been so neglected.

I’ve posted some images to show what it would look like if the vegetation were cleared again.

Folklore

Ballyglass
Court Tomb
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Dec 22, 2016

Within 20 perches of where I live in Ballyglass is a Druidical circle formed of a big pile of stones each about 10 cwt. To the North of this circle is something like a rude altar composed of stones and also to the South end of the altar is another one.

Antiquarians who visit this place describe it as where the Druids offered up their sacrifice to their Gods in pre Christian times. Outside the Northern end of the circle are huge stones sunk in the earth and separated from each other. Antiquarians describe them as graves which are marked by these huge stones. Notwithstanding that it is of Druidical Origin the local people hold it very sacred and wouldn’t interfere with it for their untold lives.

An old man who once lived in the vicinity of the Druidical Circle found himself on a Sunday morning without a razor to shave himself to go to Mass. It been on a fine Summer’s day instead of going to Mass he entered the Druidical Circle and knelt down on a cromlech which is supposed to be the grave of some chief and said his prayers as he could not attend Mass. When he had his prayers said he lay down on the cromlech and fell asleep. When he awoke he found a razor by his side. It was so good that it would shave all the people in Mayo without an edge.

For about a hundred years it was an heirloom of the family until some young man stole it some years ago.

Collected by Thomas Pryal from Andrew Pryal in the 1930s, for the Schools Collection (now being transcribed at Duchas.ie.

Sites within 20km of Ballyglass

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.