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Fairy mound is a mound of uncertain origin situated in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. The monument lies on bedrock of the Mercia Mudstone Group, a geological formation laid down during the Rhaetian period and comprising mudstone, sandstone and limestone. This underlying geology is typical of the coastal lowlands surrounding Belfast Lough in this region. The mound's precise age and purpose remain undetermined, though its local name reflects the folklore traditions common to such earthworks across Ireland and Britain.
The monument's classification as uncertain reflects the absence of definitive archaeological evidence establishing its date of construction or function. It may represent a burial mound, a settlement feature, or an entirely natural formation modified by human activity. Without excavation, such determinations cannot reliably be made. The mound survives as a discrete topographic feature within the Carrickfergus landscape, distinct enough to have warranted local naming and cultural significance.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under monument reference number 3953. This statutory designation acknowledges the mound's potential archaeological and heritage value, ensuring its preservation regardless of its ultimate origins or purpose. The monument contributes to the archaeological record of the Carrickfergus area and the broader understanding of settlement and land use patterns in medieval and early modern Ulster.
Fairy mound. mound is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3953. View the official record →
Fairy mound is a mound of uncertain origin situated in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3953.
Fairy mound. mound dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Fairy mound. mound 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 3953.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including White abbey, druin la croix, deulacressce. premonstratensian abbey (4.4 km), Rath (4.5 km), Round cairn (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Fairy mound. mound'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.
Fairy mound. mound stands on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.