Craigs Dolmen facts for kids
Craigs Dolmen, also known as the Broad Stone, is an ancient monument in Northern Ireland. You can find it about three miles north of Rasharkin in County Antrim. It sits high up on the Long Mountain, around 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level. This special site is a State Care Historic Monument. It's located in a place called Craigs, within the Borough of Ballymoney.
Discovering Craigs Dolmen
This impressive monument features a very large capstone, which is like a giant roof stone. This capstone rests on seven tall upright stones. Many people think it's a dolmen, but it's actually a type of ancient burial place called a passage tomb.
In 1976, the huge capstone was damaged by lightning. It was carefully repaired in 1985. During the repair work, archaeologists dug around the site. They discovered that the chamber was indeed the remains of a passage tomb. Experts believe it was probably built before 2000 BC, which is over 4,000 years ago! Later, during the Bronze Age, it was used again for burials.
The tomb has three chambers. The large capstone covers the entrance and the first chamber. It was put back into place using an upright stone at the back. This stone was probably not part of the original design. The front of the tomb has an almost semicircular shape and faces south-east. The Broad Stone was also a popular spot for meetings and gatherings long ago.
Nearby Ancient Site
Just across the road, about 800 meters (half a mile) to the south-west, there's another smaller passage tomb. This one has seven tall stones standing close together. They support a flat capstone that measures about 210 by 160 centimeters (about 7 by 5 feet). On its south-west side, two fallen stones might be what's left of a short entrance passage. There is no longer any mound of stones (called a cairn) around this smaller tomb.
