Court TombsWhere Court Tombs were also used to bury the death, they are more rectilinear in design.
Where they have an unroofed court at one end or in the middle of the monument, the court was used to access to one or more roofed burial chambers. The Court Cairn of Creevykeel is the first court cairn to be excavated in Ireland by students from Harvard University back in 1935 |
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Creevykeel
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Creevykeel is among the finest examples of a full court tomb in Ireland. It dates back to the Neolithic period, 4000 - 2500 B.C..
During the excavation, flint arrow heads, stone axes and other artifacts were discovered. The cairn is about 50 meters in lenght and the front of the cairn is approx. twenty meters across. The entrance into the court is at the east, and consists of a narrow passage-way lined with upright stones. The court is among the largest of its type in Ireland, measuring 15 m long by 9 m wide. From the court is the entrance to the burial gallery which is divided by upright stones into two chambers and was originally covered by a roof. Within the court are the remains of kiln which was added in Early christian times by iron smelters. |
Deerpark Court Tomb
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Deerpark Court Tomb is a large and imposing monument considered by many to be the finest example of a central court tomb in Ireland.
Deerpark Court Tomb is built with rough, limestone slabs, few of which exceed 1m in height. It consists of an oval shaped court, 15m in length, with a pair of twin galleries at the east end and a single gallery opposite these at the west end, which give a total length of 30m. An entrance passage links the court to the edge of the remaining kerb stones and is located on the south side of the monument. Each gallery is divided into two chambers. |
