Ballymacdermot Court Tomb, Armagh, Ireland
A fantastic court tomb with spectacular views.
For more information see:
Clontygora Court Tomb, Armagh, Ireland
This is an amazing court tomb is easily accessible, even if it is off the beaten track.
for more information see:
Hidden History - The kings ring - Chluainte Gabhra
About 2500 B. C. men with new ideas came to Ireland to start a new life. These men were Neolithic or New Stone Age men. They were, in fact, Ireland's first farmers – they tilled the soil and grew their own crops – the start of Ireland as we know it. When one of these men died, they were always buried with the highest of respect in the family vault or tomb known as a megalith – which means made of large stones.
The two main types of grave these men built were the court cairn like this one or Ballymacdermot Court Cairn and the Passage grave; like Newgrange in Boyne Valley, except here you get the time to enjoy the location at your own pace, no entry fee, no waiting for buses, access 24/7, the way it should be.
Clontigora cairn, one of the best examples of the 200 Irish cairns / tombs that I am aware of, has withstood the ravages of time, and has not been excavated since 1937, when small pieces of bones and fossils were unearthed. There is two cairns to be visited here, the other smaller one is in the field beside. Records claim that at least one cremation had taken place at the Kings Ring cairn. Three chambers built from massive slabs and the central burial gallery was originally covered, stones forming a cavin. The area around this tomb is reasonably well-kept, however, no parking is available with the exception of a gate to a field up the road. Known locally as the ‘King’s Ring’, this court tomb has a prominent position in the southeast part of the rugged Slieve Gullion ring-dyke. It was built for collective burial by an early farming community who cultivated the land as long ago as 3500 BC. Despite damage to the structure it is a most impressive monument and more extensive than it first appears.
An impressive façade of tall stones, some over 2.7 metres tall, defines the deep U-shaped forecourt (hence the name, court tomb) where funeral rites were performed before the ashes or bones of the deceased were taken through the entrance, marked by two massive portal stones, to be placed inside the burial gallery. This forecourt may have been used for other ceremonies as well as for burial ritual. Roof slabs and a large capstone over the first of three chambers are supported on enormous split granite boulders. Court tombs usually face east, however, this one faces north, towards a stream 100 meters away.
The excavation in 1937 showed that the tomb was originally covered by a small elongated cairn flaring out around the forecourt. Finds from the excavation include cremated bone, flint artifacts and pottery, stone axe, flint arrow heads and quartz.
Remarkably enough, all traces of this cavin or stone mound have been removed and apparently were used in the building of Newry Canal.
The number of cairns in our area, is particularly high, as it is relatively near the sea, therefore, convenient for those coming from Europe. The cairns show evidence of people settling from Portugal and Sardinia, e.g. potsherds found in Clontigora Cairn are of the same type found in Portugal. All the cairns are situated above 300 feet, as the water level at that time was much higher and dense forests and swamps were often found on mountains, making habitation impossible.