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HOLESTONE

This remarkable stone stands on a rock outcrop near Doagh in County Antrim. It overlooks the entire Six Mile Valley and is one of only a few holed stones in the Brtish Isles. Its age and origin are still a mystery but it has probably stood here since the Bronze Age.

 It is about five feet high with the four inch diameter hole three feet from the base. On a nearby hill at Browndod is a court cairn tomb and other evidence of early settlement.

 In recent centuries it has been a trysting place where young couples came to pledge their love. The hole will only allow the hand of a girl to pass through and that was then clasped by the man as they made their vows.

The area has never been excavated but as our recent finds have shown there are several souterrains all around.

 

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