232 Gray — Irish Cromlechs. 



Near Coagh, County Derry, or about five miles east of 

 Cookstown, there is a very fine cromlech, locally known as 

 " The Tamlacht Stone" — i.e., the plague stone. Here we have 

 the ancient Irish name " leacht" popularly applied to a genuine 

 cromlech. We may, therefore, reasonably accept the term 

 "Cromlech" as a qualification of the generic Irish term 

 " Leacht" — and expressive of their usual leaning or bending 

 character, due probably in many cases to the fact that their 

 original constructers were not able to obtain suitable supporters 

 and in other cases, where such supports gave way with time. 

 The qualification " crom" is, therefore, indicative of a bending 

 with age, and is very significant. 



What we require is a specific term applicable to the particular 

 group of monuments we wish to describe, and expressive of 

 their present structural condition, without involving any theory 

 as to their original condition or object, and the term " Crom- 

 lech" meets these requirements fully. 



The majority of our sepulchral monuments are more or less 

 chambered, but they are separable into groups, each being very 

 distinct in character. Our chambered tumuli are quite distinct 

 from our kistvaens, and both differ so widely from our crom- 

 lechs that they could not be grouped under one head. 



We have a capital example of the chambered tumulus crown- 

 ing the hill of Carnanmore, East Torr, in the parish of Cul- 

 feightrin, County Antrim. This is the subject of our first 

 illustration, which shows a distinct chamber formed of blocks of 

 stones, roofed by large flags, and all closed or covered over by a 

 great heap of small stones. There is scarcely a feature common 

 to it and a Cromlech. See Sketch No. 1. 



Farther south in the same county, on the high ground three 

 and a half miles from Carnlough, on the road to Ballymena, we 

 have the subject of our second illustration — Doonan Fort — an 

 example of a tumulus and kistvaen totally unlike what is 

 understood as a cromlech, and which could not be grouped 

 under that head. See Sketch No. 2. 



Certain chambers of kistvaens may occasionally be found that 



