Carrowkeel

The lower Cairns C and D

Carrowkeel ( Irish An Cheathrú Chaol "the thin quarter" ) is a sprawling Neolithic complex between 4000 and 2500 BC. Passage Tombs and some stone boxes in County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland were built in the Neolithic Age . Carrowkeel is one of the 5 great "Passage tomb cemeterys" in Ireland.

location

Carrowkeel is located on the limestone plateau of the Bricklieve Mountains above Lough Arrow , near the N4 road (Sligo-Carrick-on-Shannon) not far from the Cairns of Heapstown and Castlebaldwin. The white cairns (called The Pinnacle ) can be seen from afar. Easily accessible (car park) are hills C - F.

Carrowkeel
Cairn G with the so-called sun letter box
Cairn H.

Construction of the plants

The 14 large stone graves (marked with A – P) belong to the Newgrange or Knowth type systems . Except for the Cairn E, its hills are round. Cairn E has a drawn-in facade at one end, a forecourt, similar to that of Court tombs , but here without access to the chamber. The dolmens with side chambers have three (Cairn G), five or seven side or head niches. However, some don't have any. Cairn G and K have roughly cross-shaped chambers, Cairn H has a kinking chamber as it occurs in Knowth. The walls were made of megaliths . Cairn F has a menhir in the chamber. The ceilings of all systems have cantilever vaults . The facilities were excavated in 1912. Nearby are the remains of around 50 beehive huts .

Carrowkeel goods

Carrowkeel is the eponymous site for a coarse, rough Neolithic type of ceramic that is usually associated with the Irish passage graves. The shapes essentially include open sumps and hemispherical shells. The widely used decor is often all over the outer surface of the container and over the rim and is typically embossed.

Others

Carrowkeel ( Irish: An Cheathrú Chaol ) is also the name of a village in Ireland. It is located in County Galway and has around 250 residents. There is also a place called Carrowkeel on Inishowen .

literature

Peter Harbison : Pre-Christian Ireland From the first Settlers to the early Celts . Thames and Hudson London 1988 ISBN 0-500-27809-1
Seán Ó Nualláin: Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland. Volume V: County Sligo 1989 ISBN 0-7076-0080-4