Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery

Dolmen

Carrowmore Tomb 4 with Ben Bulben in the background

Lynda Hart (with permission).

Dolmen
Lynda Hart (with permission).

Dolmen

Carrowmore Tomb 4 with Ben Bulben in the background

Lynda Hart (with permission).

Enlarge image

There are approximately 30 extant passage tombs at Carrowmore, which are among the earliest in the Irish passage tomb tradition, probably dating from 3800-3700bc.

The characteristic clustering of the monuments and the similarity of the artefacts contained within the chambers connects Carrowmore to the rest of Irish passage tomb tradition, i.e. Newgrange, Lough Crew, etc, Carrowmore is the focal point for the unparallelled Neolithic monumental heritage of county Sligo, coined the landscape of the Monuments.

The OPW visitor centre at Carrowmore acts as a de facto interpretative centre for such sites as Queen Maeve's cairn on Knocknarea, the Carrowkeel passage tomb complex, Creevykeel, Knocknashee, the Carrowkeel passage tomb complex, Creevykeel, Knocknashee, the Ballygawley Mountains and Deerpark.

The central tomb at Carrowmore, LIstoghil is partly reconstructed. It, like the Mound of the Hostages at Tara, is directed east south-east, towards the sunrise at the start and the end of winter.