A passage tomb is exactly what the name suggests: a burial chamber reached by a stone-lined corridor, the whole structure typically covered by a mound of earth or cairn. What makes Carrowmore unusual as a complex is the sheer density of monuments gathered in a relatively small lowland area, quite unlike the hilltop placement associated with sites such as Newgrange or the tombs of the Loughcrew ridge.

The site is catalogued in Seán Ó Nualláin's Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume V, covering County Sligo, published by the Stationery Office in Dublin in 1989. Ó Nualláin's systematic county-by-county survey remains a foundational reference for understanding the distribution and character of Ireland's megalithic monuments, and the Carrowmore tombs feature prominently given their number and their significance to debates about the chronology of passage tomb building in prehistoric Ireland. The designation as National Monument No. 153, held in State care, reflects the degree to which the site is formally protected within the Irish heritage framework.