Tullyskeherny
The megalithic complexes of Tullyskeherny ( Irish Tulaigh Sceithearnaí ) not far from Manorhamilton in County Leitrim in Ireland are regarded as two court tombs that are only five meters apart and are therefore unusually close together. They are dated to the Stone Age (3000-2500 BC). Court Tombs are among the megalithic chamber tombs ( English chambered tombs ) of the British Isles . With around 400 specimens, they are found almost exclusively in Ulster in the north of Ireland or in Northern Ireland .
In addition to the confusion of the monuments, the removal of the entire west side (to make way for a street) makes interpretation difficult. Without an excavation, it is almost impossible to determine the original shape. There are two separate north-east-south-west oriented cairns. The total length of the monument is about 50 m. All chambers are built from slabs of limestone , many of which have natural perforations.
The investigation has shown that the southern complex has a gallery made up of two chambers, which opens into a courtyard to the south-west. There is a small side chamber at the northwest end of the cairn. In the north cairn there is a three-chamber gallery leading to a north-east courtyard and six lateral chambers within the cairn.
The South Cairn
In the south of Cairn there is a gallery that contains two large chambers. At the south end of the cairn there is a stone structure that has formed the courtyard. The south tomb is an oval, about 24.0 m long and 18.0 m wide cairn. The courtyard and chamber are buried deep in cairn material and are difficult to make out. The gallery has two chambers, both 2.5 m wide. The front is about three and the rear about two meters long. The front chamber is complete and the rear chamber is largely filled with cairn material. At the rear of the cairn, a lateral chamber protrudes from the pile of stones. The entrance to this chamber was probably on the west side.
The Nordcairn
About five meters to the north is a 39 m long and formerly 15 m wide cairn. It contains a gallery with an anteroom and three rectangular chambers separated by posts and six lateral chambers. The front chamber is about 1.7 m long. The rear one is about 2.5 m long. At the north end there are stone structures that represent a courtyard over eight meters long and five meters deep.
The lateral chambers
Some of the bilateral lateral chambers are more or less intact apart from the missing capstones, while others are fragmentary or covered by mound material. With at least six laterally arranged chambers, Tullyskeherny Nordtomb has the most minor chambers in Ireland.
The middle of the three western chambers is best preserved. It has internal dimensions of 1.9 × 1.7 m. There is a large stone on the back wall, two side panels, two post stones set within the side stones, and a locking plate between the posts. The plate on the south side of the chamber has a large perforation in the middle of which it is unclear whether it is a natural or an artificial recess. The southwest chamber is 2.2 m long and 0.8 m wide, and of a similar structure to the central chamber. The fronts of the western chambers are three meters from the outer edge of the cairn. So it is likely that there was some kind of transition structure (antechamber, etc.), but it left no trace.
The middle of the eastern chambers is another box-shaped structure about eight feet long and one meter wide. There are traces of an original cantilever vault on the northern side.
Shasgar's Court Tomb is nearby .
See also
literature
- James Fergusson: Rude Stone Monuments. In all countries their age and uses. Murray, London 1872.
Web links
- Brief description engl. and pictures
- Description Engl. and picture
- Description Engl. and pictures - south + north
Coordinates: 54 ° 16 ′ 53 " N , 8 ° 9 ′ 19.5" W.