Cloghanmore
Encyclopedia
Chamber tomb
A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interree than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could also serve as places for storage of the dead from one...
of the court tomb (or court cairn
Court cairn
The court cairn or court tomb is a megalithic type of chamber tomb and gallery grave, specifically a variant of the chambered cairn, found in western and northern Ireland, and in mostly southwest Scotland...
) type located about 8 km east from Carrick in Malin More, Glencolmcille
Glencolmcille
Gleann Cholm Cille is a coastal town in the southwest Gaeltacht of County Donegal, Ireland...
, in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Features
The tomb is oriented east to west, with the main entrance located on the eastern end. It is a large tomb, with parallel twin galleries to either side of the entrance. There are two western galleries each divided into two chambers by jamb stones. One of the two western galleries is topped with a large capstoneCapstone
Capstone may refer to:* Coping , one of the finishing or protective stones that form the top of an exterior masonry wall or building* Capstone , a US government project about cryptographic standards...
. The court space measures approximately 45 ft. This configuration, with two galleries located side-by-side across from the entrance and looking into a central full court is considered unusual.
A large stone lies in the centre of the court partially blocking the view of the gallery entrances. The court is marked partly by orthostats and partly by dry-walling, indicating an intermediary state between an open forecourt and a full-court. In front of the left-hand gallery is a gabled lintel-stone. To the left of the entrance, built into the fabric of the (restored) cairn is a subsidiary chamber, with its roofstone propped up against its front. To the right of the entrance is a second chamber with its roofstone almost in place. Next to each of these chambers is a stone with engravings in passage-tomb style - a unique occurrence at a court-tomb. At mid-day in midwinter the sun rides along a ridge of the mountains to the south and shines directly into the second chamber. Looking southeast from the tomb, the tip of Lergadaghtan protrudes just above the slope north of Slieve League
Slieve League
Slieve League, sometimes Slieve Leag or Slieve Liag , is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. At , it has Ireland's highest sea cliffs...
, giving a likely sunrise alignment at mid-winter solstice.