Megalithic tomb - court tomb, Málainn Mhóir, Co. Donegal

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Megalithic Tombs

Megalithic tomb – court tomb, Málainn Mhóir, Co. Donegal

On the north side of the valley that opens onto Malin Bay in County Donegal, amid outcropping rocks, stand the enigmatic remains of what appears to be a court tomb.

This National Monument (no. 139) consists of a partially surviving front chamber from what was likely once a larger gallery structure, with an intriguing arc of three stones at its ENE end that may represent the remnants of a court's northern arm. The monument first caught scholarly attention in 1872 when Norman Moore noted a 'chamber cromlech of small dimensions' whilst describing a nearby portal tomb, though his measurements suggest some uncertainty about whether he was referring to these specific remains.

The surviving chamber measures 1.8m long by 1.45m wide internally, formed by single orthostats on each side, with the southern stone standing 0.9m high and leaning slightly inward. Two jambs mark the chamber's entrance; the northern one set longitudinally and the southern transversely, with a displaced slab now awkwardly spanning the gap between them. What makes this site particularly interesting is the presence of what might be segmenting jambs against the inner faces of the sidestones, suggesting the original gallery was divided into compartments, a characteristic feature of court tombs. Between the chamber and the arc of stones, two small set stones hint at the possible existence of an antechamber, though their precise function remains uncertain.

The arc of three stones, possibly representing the court's curve, increases in height from 0.2m at the outermost stone to 0.4m at the innermost, with gaps of 0.6m to 0.8m between them. Several displaced stones scatter the site, including two substantial blocks in front of the chamber; local knowledge suggests one was detached from nearby outcropping rock in recent decades. While time and disturbance have left only fragments of the original structure, the combination of the surviving court elements and the segmented gallery chamber strongly suggests this was once a court tomb, a type of Neolithic burial monument typically dating from around 3800 to 3200 BCE.

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