ballywholan portal tomb and court tomb

The extensive townland of Ballywholan (locally pronounced Ballyhullion), which stretches a few miles north of the Tyrone/Monaghan border, contains two chambered tombs of differing types, both close to side-roads leading westwards off the B 83 about 3 miles south-east of Clogher. Carnfadraig, just to the north of the more northerly of the two side-roads, is apparently a portal-tomb, with chambers built of large stones at each end of an 86 foot long cairn. 'Excavations' in 1897 uncovered some human bones and flint implements as well as undecorated pottery sherds. The name of the monument ('Patrick's Cairn') derives from St. Patrick's Traditional use of the valley to visit his friend St. Mac Chairmen, patron of the diocese of Clogher. Carnagat ('Cat's cairn'), just to the south of the more southerly by-road, is a fine example of a dual court-tomb with two separate units of a roughly semicircular forecourt leading to a long burial gallery of two chambers, each placed back to back in a long cairn and sharing a common back-stone.<