Caldragh Cemetery – the two-faced stone

Overview

Two carved stone idols stand in a small graveyard on the shore of Lower Lough Erne, far older than any of the headstones around them. The larger one has a face on each side. If you only have time for one of the two, it’s this one – the Janus Figure, a squat sandstone block about 73cm tall with wide oval eyes, an open mouth on either side, and a worn hollow on the crown where people still leave coins. The site is on Boa Island, free to enter and open all year.

The two stone figures

Nobody is certain how old the figures are, or what they were for. Stylistic comparison and limited dating of associated material point to an Iron Age or early-1st-century origin rather than the early medieval date once suggested. Both are carved from local sandstone, and both have weathered well.

The Janus Figure (sometimes called the Dreenan Figure) carries crossed arms and a carved belt, which some read as fertility symbolism. Interpretations run from the Roman god Janus, to the war goddess Badb – from whom Boa Island takes its name – to a local chieftain-deity. Seamus Heaney came to see it and wrote the poem ‘January God’ about it. The coin hollow on top is a more recent habit than the carving by some two thousand years.

The smaller Lustymore Man is single-faced and roughly 2½ft high. It didn’t start here: it was found on nearby Lustymore Island and moved to Caldragh in 1939 by Lady Ernestine Hunt. Its single eye and pared-back carving have led some to link it to the Sheela-na-gig tradition, or to read it as a female figure.

Both stones were first recorded by the 19th-century painter and antiquarian George Victor Du Noyer, and brought to wider attention by archaeologist Dorothy Lowry-Corry in the 1930s. Caldragh is one of very few places where pre-Christian stone carving sits inside a Christian burial ground – the cemetery itself goes back to the early Christian period, roughly 400–800 AD, though the visible graves are 19th- and 20th-century.

What to see

Beyond the two figures, there isn’t a great deal here, and that’s part of the point – it’s a quiet, overgrown plot a short walk from the water. The Victorian headstones record the island’s farming families. The lake edge is close, with calm views across Lower Lough Erne. For photographs, the contrast of weathered stone against water works best in the low light of early morning or late afternoon. Local folklore calls Caldragh a ‘thin place’, and people do tend to linger longer than the size of the site would suggest.

Practical information

Accessibility – the ground is uneven and overgrown in places, with no formal paths, so the site is not wheelchair-friendly. Sensible footwear, not sandals.

Parking – a small lay-by on the farm road near the cemetery has limited spaces. It’s a working farm, so park tight to the edge and don’t block tractors.

Getting there – from Ballyshannon take the N3 to Magheraboy and Belleek, then follow the A47 (Boa Island Road) until the sign for Caldragh Cemetery. Turn right and continue to the end of the road for the car park. The A47 is in Northern Ireland, so distances are signed in miles: the site is about 16 miles from Enniskillen and 88 miles from Belfast.

Nearby

Worth combining with the rest of Boa Island and the lake:

• The cairn at Inishkeeragh Bridge, and the island’s several raths.
• A boat trip to Devenish Island, a 6th-century monastic site with a round tower and several churches.
• The Lusty Beg ferry linking the island to the mainland.
• The National Trust properties at Castle Coole, Crom Estate and Florence Court, all within a short drive.

Map links – OpenStreetMap view | Google Maps pin

Time a visit for the morning if you can, both for the light and because the figures are far more striking when you have the plot to yourself.