Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, Ballymote, Ireland

Carrowkeel is a cluster of passage tombs in south County Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic era. Nearby are the Caves of Kesh and Heapstown Cairn. The Carrowkeel tombs are protected National Monuments and are considered one of the 'big four' passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Carrowmore, Brú na Bóinne and Loughcrew.

The bones curated in Cambridge at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies were researched by the Human Population Dynamics at Carrowkeel Project. The original excavation mistakenly dated the monuments as Bronze Age structures, but the new study has shown that the sites were in use between c. 3,500 and 2,500 Cal. BC. Of 22 stable isotope samples, the majority indicated that the dead had grown up in a carboniferous limestone region, probably close to Carrowkeel. The DNA genomes assembled from six individuals indicated ancestral origins in Anatolia, and greater affinity with the Mediterranean than the Danubian expansion of early farming in Europe.

References:

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Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Ireland

User Reviews

Renata Iw (13 months ago)
Stunnig place, soo peacufull. Great for walk with kids on a lazy Sunday. Amazing views. Great fun with echo between walls.

Chris Patton (2 years ago)
An excellent experience that is not dampened by even the foulest of December weather. The wind whips up the valleys but there are hollows in the track where it is almost silent and the hawthorns are laden with deep red haws. Lovely spot.

Sean G (2 years ago)
Very nice walk, Just seen 4 of the tombs on left side when you drive into parking area, Beautiful views of loch arrow from top, Ideal not too steep for younger kids or older folk , Hope to see a some more tombs at some point,

Mark McHugh (2 years ago)
Great place to see passage tombs in their original state. Narrow roads up, about a twenty minute walk from the parking area. Plenty of sheep so no dogs allowed.

Tauseef (2 years ago)
It was a great walk. It took us 30 minutes to reach the tomb. The wind at the top was quite powerful, and at some point, we even felt like it could push us down from those craters?

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Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery

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