Megalithic tombs are among the oldest surviving human constructions in Ireland, built during the Neolithic period, broadly between 4000 and 2000 BC, and typically used as collective burial sites. They take several forms across the island, from the long, horned cairns of court tombs to the simpler portal tombs and the more elaborate passage tombs, and their distribution across Mayo suggests a settled, farming population with organised rituals around death and commemoration. The presence of one near Keel places that coastline within a much older story of habitation than its more recent history might suggest.