Boa Island

Largest island in Lough Erne, whose Caldragh graveyard holds two carved Iron Age stone figures

Boa Island is the largest island in Lough Erne, about 8 kilometres long and narrow, joined to the north shore by bridges at each end and crossed by the A47. The reason to stop is the old Caldragh graveyard in Dreenan townland, where two carved stone figures stand among the graves. They are the Dreenan figure, found here, and the two-sided Lustymore figure, moved from the neighbouring island of Lustymore in 1939. Both are thought to date from around the 1st century AD and are generally taken to represent pagan gods.

Both were badly damaged when found, and they now stand on unrelated pillars in the graveyard, which dates from the early Christian period. The weathering only adds to their strangeness: few places in Ireland bring you this close to its pre-Christian gods.

things to do sight archaeology