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Ballymena Dual Court Tomb is a Neolithic megalithic monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Dating to the fourth millennium BC, it represents one of the distinctive megalithic traditions that flourished across the Irish landscape during the early farming period. The tomb's dual court design reflects the architectural sophistication of its builders, featuring two separate forecourt areas that would have served ceremonial and funerary functions for the local Neolithic community.
The monument rests upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—ancient mafic lavas and tuffs formed during volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. This geological foundation, whilst unsuitable for quarrying suitable building stone, would have presented the tomb's constructors with the surrounding landscape's natural resources. The choice of location may have been influenced by proximity to usable stone and visibility within the local terrain.
The dual court tomb is protected as a scheduled monument under the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland (reference 2618), recognising its archaeological significance. The survival of this Neolithic structure contributes to understanding regional settlement patterns, burial practices and megalithic traditions in north-eastern Ireland during the early prehistoric period.
Dual court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2618. View the official record →
Ballymena Dual Court Tomb is a Neolithic megalithic monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2618.
Dual court 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.
Dual court 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 2618.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath and souterrain (2.6 km), Counterscarp rath and souterrain (4.1 km), Kells abbey, de diserto forte conneri, deserto corie, templemoyle, desert of connor, abbey of kellis, ecclesia beatae mariae de desarto. augustinian abbey (4.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dual court 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.
Dual court tomb stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.