Megalithic tomb - court tomb, Shalwy, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Megalithic Tombs

Megalithic tomb – court tomb, Shalwy, Co. Donegal

Nestled in a rocky coastal valley in County Donegal, this court tomb stands as one of three excavated monuments of its type in the area, positioned on a low knoll between its two neighbours.

The site, first documented in detail during the 1950s, reveals a substantial long cairn stretching 37 metres in length, with a distinctive crescent-shaped façade at its front and a straight rear end. The cairn reaches its greatest width of 14.5 metres across the front of the court, narrowing to about 7 metres at the back, and rises to a maximum height of around 2 metres near the inner end of the gallery.

Excavations conducted between 1966 and 1969 uncovered a wealth of archaeological evidence spanning multiple periods. The pear-shaped court, measuring 8.5 metres long and nearly 8 metres at its widest point, yielded numerous Neolithic artefacts including flint scrapers, knives, and a leaf-shaped arrowhead. The gallery itself, approximately 6 metres long and divided into two chambers, revealed distinct occupation layers; whilst the front chamber produced Neolithic pottery fragments and flint implements, the rear chamber contained evidence of later Iron Age activity, including metalwork, pottery, a glass bead, and a bone comb. Animal bones were found throughout, along with an intriguing razor-clam shell discovered beneath the backstone's edge.

The monument's construction showcases sophisticated Neolithic building techniques, with dry-wall revetment along the cairn's sides and corbelling visible along both sides of the gallery. Two well-matched entrance jambs, standing about 1.5 metres high, frame the gallery entrance, supporting a doubled lintel arrangement that remains one of the tomb's most striking features. Though parts of the cairn had been robbed before excavation began, the surviving structure offers remarkable insights into both its original grandeur and its long history of reuse, having served communities from the Neolithic period through to the Iron Age.

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