Rockmarshall Court Tomb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rockmarshall Court Tomb |
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| Native name Irish: Tuama Cúirte Charraig an Mharascalaigh |
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| Type | court cairn |
| Location | Annaloughan, Jenkinstown, County Louth, Ireland |
| Area | Cooley Peninsula |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Built | c. 3500 BC |
| Official name: Rockmarshall | |
| Reference no. | 562 |
The Rockmarshall Court Tomb is a very old stone structure. It is a type of ancient burial place called a court cairn. This important site is also a National Monument in Ireland. You can find it on the beautiful Cooley Peninsula.
Where to Find Rockmarshall Tomb
The Rockmarshall Court Tomb is located in a scenic spot. It sits on the southern slopes of Annaloughan Mountain. You can find it just southwest of a building called Rockmarshall House.
History of Rockmarshall Area
People have lived in the Rockmarshall area for a very long time. Evidence shows they were here during the Mesolithic period. This was around 5700 BC. Archeologists found old tools and shells from oysters and periwinkles. These items were in a special pile of ancient waste called a midden.
The area around Carlingford Lough and the Cooley Peninsula was not as busy in Mesolithic times. Other places like Strangford Lough had more activity. This might be because the local flint, a type of stone, was not very good for making tools.
However, the Carlingford and Mournes areas offered other things. People could find berries, nuts, and wild boar there. A group of people continued to live at Rockmarshall into the Neolithic period. This is when the court cairn was built, around 3500 BC.
What the Tomb Looks Like
The Rockmarshall Court Tomb has a long main passage, or gallery. It is about 15 meters (almost 50 feet) long. At one end, there is a wide, open area called a court. Six stones form the curved shape of this court.
Many of the stones used in the tomb are quite low. Some of them have even fallen over through time. Inside the gallery, there are five smaller rooms or chambers. Each chamber gets a bit narrower as you go further in. You can also see a lot of scattered stone material around the gallery. This material is part of what once made up the cairn, or mound, over the tomb.
