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Wee Collin is a Bronze Age round cairn located near Larne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument sits on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and tuff formed during volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. This geological foundation reflects the dramatic geological history of the region, where ancient volcanic activity shaped the landscape long before the cairn was constructed during the Bronze Age.
Round cairns of this type were built as burial monuments, typically consisting of stone heaps raised over cremated remains or inhumations. The Wee Collin cairn represents this widespread Bronze Age funerary tradition across Ireland and Britain, where such structures served as enduring markers of the dead within the community's landscape. Their prominent positions ensured they remained visible landmarks for generations.
The monument is recorded under Historic Environment Division reference 2697 and remains protected as an important archaeological asset. Cairns of this period provide valuable evidence for understanding Bronze Age burial practices, social organisation and territorial use of the land. The Wee Collin cairn contributes to the archaeological record of the Larne area, where Bronze Age activity is represented across the local landscape.
Wee collin. round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2697. View the official record →
Wee Collin is a Bronze Age round cairn located near Larne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2697.
Wee collin. round cairn dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Wee collin. round 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 2697.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Adam corry, ballycor. medieval church & graveyard (4.8 km), Motte (6.9 km), Barrow (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Wee collin. round 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.
Wee collin. round cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.