Overview
Aghanaglack is one of the rare dual-court tombs – two Neolithic burial galleries built back to back, sharing a single backstone – and for part of its long life it was pressed into service as a pigsty. It dates to somewhere between 4,000 and 2,000 BC and sits in a forest clearing deep in Ballintempo Forest, in the Boho area of County Fermanagh (Irish: achadh na glaice, ‘field of the hollow’), inside the Cuilcagh Lakelands Global Geopark. The catch is the getting there: the tomb is the payoff at the end of an 11 km woodland loop, not a lay-by you can pull into. It is free, open every day, and a long way from any crowd.
The dual-court tomb
Professor Oliver Davies first recorded the site properly in 1938, having taken the grassy mound at first for a plain cairn. Excavation showed a dual-court structure built across a south-east-facing slope, 222 m (728 ft) up. In its original form it was roofed with massive stone slabs and covered in earth and stone, a landmark on open ground before the 20th-century forestry went in.
There are two burial galleries aligned east–west, sharing a common backstone:
- The south-west court is roughly semicircular and opens into two chambers built from huge limestone slabs.
- The north-east court is half-oval, with chambers built from smaller, carefully set stones.
The site had been knocked about over the centuries by earlier digging, stone reuse and that spell as a pigsty, but Davies still found the cairn kerb and other structural detail. The finds included decorated Neolithic bowls, flint tools, a stone bead and two barbed-and-tanged arrowheads pointing to early Bronze Age use, plus burned bone, some of it from children and a youth. Several pieces are now in the Enniskillen museum. Today the tomb is managed by the NI Environment Agency (grid reference H0974043560), with interpretive panels alongside it.
Walking the trail
The way to see it is the Ballintempo Forest: Aghanaglack Walk, a circular route graded moderate. The official geopark and Discover Northern Ireland both give it as 7 miles (11 km); a couple of listings put it nearer 7.8 miles, so budget for the longer figure if you’re tight on daylight. It starts at the forestry car park (around 54.346, -7.796) and follows forest tracks through working woodland. Ballintempo, with its neighbouring forests, makes up the largest continuous tract of woodland in Northern Ireland – over 8,500 hectares.
Along the way:
- Brimstone Rock – a pale sandstone outcrop with a bench and a view towards Cuilcagh Mountain. Local tradition says it served as a Mass Rock in the penal era.
- Blanket bog and fen meadows – raised bog and species-rich fen, the legacy of long turf-cutting.
- Lough Blockent – a reedy shore, good for quiet birdwatching and rare wetland plants.
- Interpretation panels – scattered along the route, explaining the karst geology, peat and old land use.
It is a real walk, not a stroll: uneven ground, exposed roots and a few narrow gates. Wear sturdy waterproof footwear. It is well signposted, but a map or GPS is worth carrying.
Geology, flora and fauna
Aghanaglack sits in one of Ireland’s most significant karst landscapes, where rainwater dissolves the limestone into underground rivers, potholes and dry valleys, and that geology supports unusual biodiversity for Northern Ireland. The protected plants include Irish eyebright, blue-eyed grass (an American element in the Irish flora), bee orchids and yellow bird’s-nest. The woods and heath hold red squirrels and pine martens, and the uplands merlins and hen harriers. Daubenton’s bats have been recorded in the nearby cave systems.
Visiting tips
- Getting there. From Enniskillen, take the A46 to Belleek, the B81 towards Derrygonnelly, then signs for Boho. Turn left at the crossroads towards Belcoo, then right at the Aghanaglack Court Tomb sign for the car park.
- Opening and admission. Open daily, all year. Free.
- Dogs. Welcome on the trail but on a lead, to protect ground-nesting birds and small mammals.
- Facilities. There’s a car park at the trailhead and interpretation panels on the route, but nothing else – no toilets, no café. The nearest are in Boho village or Belcoo, a short drive off.
- Weather. The bog underfoot can be wet and slippery, and Fermanagh weather turns fast; pack layers, waterproofs and something to eat, and keep to the marked paths.
- Accessibility. Uneven tracks, steps and narrow gates make it unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Nearby
- Boho – a small village with a 10th-century high cross, the Sacred Heart Church and the thatched Linnet Inn.
- Marble Arch Caves – Ireland’s best-known show cave, with guided tours through the limestone chambers.
- Cuilcagh Mountain Park – home of the Cuilcagh boardwalk, where the River Erin drops into underground fissures.
- Enniskillen – the county town, with a 17th-century castle and good heritage museums.
If you only have an afternoon and want a sure thing rather than a long walk, the Marble Arch Caves tour is the safer bet; Aghanaglack rewards the people who actually want the 11 km.