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Tievebulliagh is a Neolithic porcellanite axe factory in Moyle, County Antrim. The site exploits a distinctive geological resource: outcrops of fine-grained porcellanite formed from ancient mafic lava and tuff of Palaeogene age that underlie this portion of the Antrim Plateau. This volcanic stone, harder and more durable than flint, was highly valued in Neolithic communities across Ireland, western Britain and beyond, making Tievebulliagh one of Ireland's most important centres of axe production and distribution.
Working sites at such factory locations are typically revealed through concentrations of manufacturing debris—tool fragments, flakes and cores—scattered across the ground where prehistoric craftspeople extracted and shaped the raw stone. The quarried porcellanite was fashioned into polished axes of characteristic form and weight, then traded extensively throughout the Irish Sea zone and further afield, testament to their reputation and desirability among Neolithic farmers.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 1482, recognising its archaeological importance as evidence of specialised production, trade networks and technological expertise during the Neolithic period, roughly 4000 to 2500 BCE.
Tievebulliagh. neolithic porcellanite axe factory is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1482. View the official record →
Tievebulliagh is a Neolithic porcellanite axe factory in Moyle, County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1482.
Tievebulliagh. neolithic porcellanite axe factory dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a axe factory. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tievebulliagh. neolithic porcellanite axe factory 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 1482.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round cairn (0.1 km), Lurigethan. multivallate promontory fort (3.6 km), Mound, possibly barrow (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tievebulliagh. neolithic porcellanite axe factory'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.
Tievebulliagh. neolithic porcellanite axe factory stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.