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Ballyrenan chambered grave, Cloghogle is a portal tomb constructed during the Neolithic period. This megalithic monument stands on quartzite bedrock of the Argyll Group, formed during the Neoproterozoic era, which outcrops across the Strabane landscape. The hard, crystalline quartzite would have presented considerable challenges to the tomb's builders, who selected and transported large stone slabs to create this distinctive monument type.
Portal tombs are among the most recognisable megalithic structures in Ireland and Britain, characterised by two large uprights flanking the entrance to a burial chamber. At Ballyrenan, as at comparable sites, these portal stones frame access to an inner chamber where Neolithic communities would have placed their dead, often in multiple burials over an extended period. The monument's position within the local geology and landscape reflects the careful site selection practised by these early farming communities.
The grave is now protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 14290, ensuring its preservation as an important archaeological and landscape feature. Ballyrenan remains a tangible reminder of Neolithic burial practices and monumental construction in the Strabane area, offering insight into the social and spiritual lives of communities active in north-western Ireland several millennia ago.
Ballyrenan chambered grave, cloghogle. portal tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14290. View the official record →
Ballyrenan chambered grave, Cloghogle is a portal tomb constructed during the Neolithic period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14290.
Ballyrenan chambered grave, cloghogle. portal tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ballyrenan chambered grave, cloghogle. portal tomb is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 14290.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Derrywoone castle. fortified house (0.7 km), Island machugh. neolithic & bronze age settlement site, early christian crannog & plantation castle (1.1 km), Standing stone complex - several stone rows, over 63 stones (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ballyrenan chambered grave, cloghogle. portal tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ballyrenan chambered grave, cloghogle. portal tomb stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is quartzite.