© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Ring Cairn is a prehistoric cairn located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 10524. The monument sits above bedrock of the Tyrone Group, geological strata formed during the Visean period that comprise limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone with subordinate deposits of chert, coal and conglomerate. This varied stone availability would have shaped the construction materials available to the prehistoric communities who built the cairn.
Ring cairns are characterised by a distinctive circular arrangement of stones surrounding an open or sparsely filled central area, distinguishing them from the solid construction of other cairn types. These monuments typically date to the Bronze Age and are thought to have served ceremonial or burial functions within their communities. The open central space may have accommodated ritual activity or interment practices now lost to time.
The Fermanagh landscape, underlain by these Visean deposits, is part of the distinctive northwest carboniferous formations of Northern Ireland. Ring cairns remain important archaeological resources for understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and ritual practices across the region, offering insights into the monumental expressions of Bronze Age societies.
Ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 10524. View the official record →
Ring Cairn is a prehistoric cairn located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 10524.
Ring cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ring cairn 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 10524.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St. lasser's cell. souterrain (6.7 km), Rath (6.8 km), Dual court tomb (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ring cairn'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.
Ring cairn stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.