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Druid's Altar, also known as Gigmagog's Grave, is a wedge tomb of Neolithic and Bronze Age date situated near Coleraine in County Londonderry. This megalithic monument represents a distinctive type of passage grave that developed in Ireland during the later prehistoric period. The tomb sits upon bedrock comprising Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during intense volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period—geology that has shaped the landscape of this corner of Northern Ireland for over 56 million years.
Wedge tombs characteristically feature a wedge-shaped chamber tapering from a high entrance to a lower rear, typically oriented towards the south-west. Such monuments served as communal burial places for Neolithic and Bronze Age communities, their monumental construction reflecting the labour and social organization of prehistoric societies. The monument's dual traditional names—Druid's Altar and Gigmagog's Grave—reflect centuries of local folklore and memory surrounding the site.
The tomb is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 434, ensuring its preservation for future study. Its survival at Coleraine provides an important record of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary practice in north-east Ireland and contributes to understanding the distribution and development of megalithic burial traditions across the island.
Druid's altar, gigmagog's grave. wedge tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 434. View the official record →
Druid's Altar, also known as Gigmagog's Grave, is a wedge tomb of Neolithic and Bronze Age date situated near Coleraine in County Londonderry. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 434.
Druid's altar, gigmagog'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.
Druid's altar, gigmagog'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 434.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Derrykeighan church, darkehan, old church, derrykeighan old church. derrykeighan church - post medieval ruins on site of medieval parish church & pre-norman site. also la tene decorated stone (6.6 km), Rath (7.5 km), Mount sandel. mesolithic settlement site (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Druid's altar, gigmagog'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.
Druid's altar, gigmagog'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.