Carrowkeel
Megalithic Tombs
near Boyle County Roscommon
The
Carrowkeel/Keshcorran Megalith complex is located
west of Lough Arrow just outside the little
town of Castlebaldwin and is the sight of the
largest concentration of passage tombs in Ireland.
These passage tombs (fourteen in all) are sunken
burial chambers made of large limestone slabs,
topped with huge piles (cairns) of rocks.
These
tombs are most usually located high upon hills
and mountains and dot the landscape around Sligo
County, forming a larger network of ancient sites
whose mysterious origin is still largely debated.
The Carrowkeel complex, believed to have been
constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC, remained
in use until 1500 BC. The cairns, built of limestone
with interior chambers roofed with large limestone
slabs, range in size from 25 to 100 feet in diameter.
The site was used in Christian times as a burial
place for unbaptised children.
Carrowkeel
was rapidly and very poorly excavated in 1911,
often with the use of dynamite, and each of the
cairns was assigned an identification letter.
Access is from Castlebaldwin village on the N4
and is free of charge. The last half mile is best
undertaken on foot and good walking shoes are
recommended. It can take a good hour to climb
to the mountain top passage graves, where you
will be rewarded excellent views in all directions.
