CONCERNS have been raised about the future of prehistoric sites in Fermanagh if they are not protected properly and people are not educated on their importance in the county.

Mountdrum archaeological site, outside Lisbellaw, has seen the dumping of litter and animal carcasses, while ponies have also been grazing on the site.

At nearby Topped Mountain, stones from the burial cairn have been removed and dumped on the site.

A concerned resident who wished to remain anonymous, but who lives close to the site, has called on the Council to take responsibility to ensure the megalithic site is preserved.

“It’s in a bad state and the Council should be doing something about it. They should be looking after [Mountdrum] that it is not being grazed,” they said.

“They need to take responsibility, but they are not doing anything. It is disappointing.”

They said there is a great opportunity for archaeological studies to be carried out on the site if it was utilised properly, and the resident claimed that local community groups in the area had expressed an interest in helping to maintain the site, but this was ignored by the Council.

“All we can do is highlight the neglect and ask why animals are grazing on it in the Winter time when it’s supposed to be a protected site.”

A member of Lesser Spotted Anorak, a Facebook group which was set up to acknowledge, promote and develop an understanding of ancient history in Fermanagh, also raised concerns about the current state of the sites.

“I would have concerns about the way sites are treated; the way they are poorly promoted, the way there is very little education on these sites,” they said.

“There’s no strategy in a county which would benefit from tourism. I think there is an element of people look at these things and you can’t [apply] charges into them, so there is no money in them.

“But [the Council] don’t see the bigger picture.”

And they believe the very existence of these sites is being threatened: “You can hardly see the stones because of mud and gorse and bushes.

“You can’t even hardly walk into it, and there is litter up there as well.

‘Carcasses of sheep’

“Mountdrum has dead carcasses of sheep lying on it, and two horses running about the site.

“People don’t understand that something like Topped Mountain Cairn is a burial site. Would you go into a church graveyard and remove stones from it?” they added.

When contacted by this newspaper, a Council spokesperson responded: “The two sites, Mountdrum and Topped Mountain, are unique and are protected as Scheduled Monuments.

“All works, including maintenance, are undertaken with approval from the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities.

“While Topped Mountain is in private ownership, [we] currently manage and maintain both sites. The work includes regular inspections, litter clearance, vegetation and fence/gate maintenance and repairs where resources permit.

“[We] received complaints with regard to litter and condition of fences and a report was also received of use of Mountdrum by grazing ponies. It was also made aware of dead animal carcases being present at the Mountdrum sight, although a subsequent inspection of the site did not reveal any remains.

“Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is currently reviewing and developing management plans for the sites to be delivered within current resources.”