County Antrim, Tuesday, 14th June 2022…
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There are twenty-seven stones, or sockets for stones,
supporting the ‘burial mound’.
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The ‘rubble’ in the outer court shown above
on an old photograph from the nineteen-forty excavation,
would have been deposited when the site was closed,
and may have comprised some of the kerbstones
used as ‘packing’ for the mound.
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At which point the thresholds
to the chambers within the mound
were also sealed by dry-stone walling.
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Along with the magical act
of leaving highly polished
axe-heads in the walls.
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This magical sealing
can still be felt today
long after the walls have been dismantled
and the axe-heads removed for safe-keeping.
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The cremated bones of five adults
were recovered from the mound
and the pit-holes for the cremation platform
are still evident.
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The court-cairn was constructed
five-hundred years
after the last of the cremations.
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Which procedure, to my mind, smacks of
an even more potent magic!
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Polished Tievbulliagh ‘axe-heads’ of the type found in the sealing.
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France & Vincent 
2 thoughts on “Ballymacaldrack…”