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Tappatowsie is a Neolithic mound located near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period, creating a landscape of hard basaltic stone. This geological foundation would have presented particular challenges to Neolithic communities working the land, yet they chose to construct their mound here, suggesting the location held significance beyond mere practical consideration.
The mound belongs to a tradition of monumental earth-building that emerged across Ireland during the Neolithic period, roughly between 4000 and 2500 BCE. Such structures frequently served communal purposes, potentially functioning as ritual centres, burial places, or territorial markers for early farming settlements. The survival of Tappatowsie as an earthwork demonstrates the durability of Neolithic construction techniques, despite millennia of agricultural activity and landscape change in the region.
The monument is protected under Historic Environment Division reference 11784, recognising its archaeological and heritage significance. The mound remains an important witness to Neolithic settlement patterns in the north-east of Ireland, contributing to understanding of how early communities adapted to local geology and landscape in this part of the island.
Tappatowsie. mound is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11784. View the official record →
Tappatowsie is a Neolithic mound located near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11784.
Tappatowsie. mound dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tappatowsie. 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 11784.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Barrow (1.1 km), Agivey, agivey bawn, ironmongers' buildings. plantation village site, house, bawn & mill (2.8 km), Grey stone. portal tomb (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tappatowsie. 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.
Tappatowsie. mound stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.