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Carn Greine, also known as Grania's Grave or Granny's Grave, is a wedge tomb situated in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. This Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument consists of a stone-built burial chamber constructed within a cairn, characteristic of the wedge tomb tradition widespread across Ireland during the later Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods. The monument sits upon bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, comprising ancient mafic lava and tuff formations that underlie this region of north-east Ulster. The tough volcanic geology would have presented considerable challenges to the monument's builders, who quarried and shaped stone from these resistant deposits.
The local landscape of Newtownabbey contains several similar megalithic monuments, reflecting sustained Neolithic settlement and burial practices across the area. Wedge tombs typically comprise a rectangular or tapering burial chamber covered by a cairn, often sited on slopes or elevated ground as here. The monument's multiple local names—Carn Greine (Sunny Cairn), Grania's Grave and Granny's Grave—reflect centuries of folklore association and oral tradition.
The site is protected under the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland (monument reference 3660), recognising its archaeological significance and surviving structural integrity as a rare example of Neolithic funerary architecture.
Carn greine, grania's grave, granny's grave. wedge tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3660. View the official record →
Carn Greine, also known as Grania's Grave or Granny's Grave, is a wedge tomb situated in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3660.
Carn greine, grania's grave, granny's grave. wedge tomb dates from the neo/b.a. period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Carn greine, grania's grave, granny's grave. wedge 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 3660.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Trivallate rath (7.5 km), Raised rath (7.9 km), Standing stone (8.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Carn greine, grania's grave, granny's grave. wedge 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.
Carn greine, grania's grave, granny's grave. wedge tomb stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.