Knockmany Passage Tomb (Annia's Cove)
Knockmany cairn · Anya's Chamber
Late Neolithic·Boyne / Loughcrew tradition (western outlier)·🇬🇧 County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
About
About Knockmany Passage Tomb (Annia's Cove)
Isolated hilltop passage tomb at summit of Knockmany Hill near Augher, Co. Tyrone: 2 m high × 15 m diameter cairn concealing cruciform chamber with three decorated stones bearing spiral, lozenge and herringbone art comparable to Loughcrew and Boyne styles. Built c.3100 BCE, westernmost decorated passage tomb outlier in Ulster. Legend associates with Queen Anya. Excavated 19th century yielding no finds due to robbing. Art is among finest in Northern Ireland, with pick-dressed cup-and-rings.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why isolated far from Loughcrew core — donor marriage or colony?
Theories
- 01Prestige outlier establishing lineage on frontier hill visible to Clogher
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3100 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic
- Culture
- Boyne / Loughcrew tradition (western outlier)
- Purpose
- Decorated passage tomb on conspicuous hilltop
- Abandoned
- Bronze Age
- Rediscovered
- Described 18th century; surveyed 1900
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3100 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1206 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
54.4710° N · 7.0980° W · 210 m · 1 mapped feature
Decorated orthostats (3)
decorated stoneThree chamber stones with spirals, lozenges and herringbone
54.4710° N · 7.0980° W