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Dermot and Gráinne's Bed is a portal tomb located near Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This Neolithic megalithic monument represents a distinctive class of passage grave constructed during the Neolithic period, typically comprising a simple burial chamber accessed through a portal formed by two upright stones. The site rests upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, ancient metamorphic rocks of psammite, semipelite and pelite formed during the Neoproterozoic era, providing a substantial geological foundation for the monument's massive stone construction.
Portal tombs such as this example served communal burial purposes for early farming communities, though their precise chronology and function remain subjects of archaeological inquiry. The monument's survival in the landscape near Strabane testifies to the enduring quality of Neolithic stone construction, which has permitted these structures to remain recognisable for over five millennia despite subsequent disturbance and environmental change.
The site is protected under reference 14157 by the Historic Environment Division, ensuring its preservation as an important element of Northern Ireland's Neolithic heritage. The monument's vernacular name, invoking the legendary Irish couple Dermot and Gráinne, reflects local tradition and the prominent place such ancient structures hold in regional folklore and cultural memory.
Dermot & grainnes' bed, dermot & granias' bed. portal tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14157. View the official record →
Dermot and Gráinne's Bed is a portal tomb located near Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14157.
Dermot & grainnes' bed, dermot & granias' bed. 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.
Dermot & grainnes' bed, dermot & granias' bed. 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 14157.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dermot & grainne's bed, dermot & grania's bed. megalithic tomb, possibly wedge tomb (0 km), Rath (2.6 km), Rath (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dermot & grainnes' bed, dermot & granias' bed. 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.
Dermot & grainnes' bed, dermot & granias' bed. portal tomb stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.