Ballylumford Dolmen is situated on Islandmagee

Islandmagee

Islandmagee is a peninsula on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Carrickfergus. It is part of the Larne Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural community with a long history since the mesolithic period.As part of an...

, County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, near the north-west tip of the Islandmagee peninsula and near Ballylumford power station

Ballylumford power station

Ballylumford power station is a natural gas-fired power station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. With its main plant generating 600 megawatts of electricity, it is Northern Ireland's largest power station and provides half of the country's power. Overall the station produces 1316MW...

. It is known locally as the "Druid's Altar", and could be 4000 years old, or the remains of an even earlier passage grave. The dolmen

Dolmen

A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...

 consists of four upright stones, with a heavy capstone and a fallenstone within the structure. This may have been put there to block the entrance to the tomb. The dolmen is in the front garden of a house. Historical artifacts have been recovered from under the dolmen by archaeologists and it would appear to have stood over a burial chamber from ancient times. It is situated on the B90 road between Mill Bay and Ballylumford. A wall plaque at the site describes the dolmen as a single chambered grave erected about 2000-1600 BC. Local finds indicate occupation of the neighbourhood during the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

.

Ballylumford Dolmen is a portal tomb and a State Care Historic Monument in the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Ballylumford, in Larne Borough Council

Larne Borough Council

Larne Borough Council is a Local Council in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters is in the town of Larne and the population of the area is nearly 31,000...

area at grid ref: D4304 0160.