Gray— Irish Cromlechs. 24.1 



16. DRUMAGORGON CROMLECH. 



Within about three miles from Antrim to the N.E., in the 

 townland of Drumagorgon, there are the remains of a cromlech, 

 locally known as " the giant's grave." The cap stone, about 

 six feet long, has been overturned, and the monument otherwise 

 dismantled, but not beyond the possibility of restoration. 

 Tradition says that the adjoining hill to the east, known as 

 " The Standard," was the scene of a great contest between two 

 rival chiefs, and that one was killed and buried in this cromlech, 

 together with his weapons of war. An enquiring antiquarian, 

 early in this century, wishing to test the accuracy of this story, 

 dug below the cromlech, and discovered such remains as satisfied 

 him that a burial did take place here — a conclusion that was 

 come to at the expense of the cromlech. 



CROMLECHS IN COUNTY DOWN. 



1. GIANT'S RING CROMLECH, DRUMBO. 

 Sketch No. i. Plate XVI. 



One of the most remarkable of the ancient monuments in 

 the County Down is the well-known Giant's Ring at Drumbo, 

 about three and a half miles to the west of Belfast. It consists 

 of a circular rampart of earth, enclosing a space of about six 

 hundred feet in diameter, or an area of eight acres. The 

 earthwork is in a very fair state of preservation, owing to the 

 judicious care of the owner, who had the rampart surrounded 

 by a masonry wall, and otherwise well protected. 



The height of the earthen rampart is sufficient to shut off a 

 view of the surrounding landscape. In section it has a good 

 broad base of about eighty feet, and slopes equally at both sides. 

 The top, at present, is somewhat fiat, a form which is apparently 

 due more to weathering than to the original construction. 



The cromlech stands almost in the centre of the enclosure ; 

 all the stones forming the chamber are in situ, but others are 

 more or less disturbed, and seem to indicate that there was 



