Rockmarshall Court Tomb

Rockmarshall Court Tomb
Native name Tuama Cúirte Charraig an Mharascalaigh (Irish)
Location of Rockmarshall Court Tomb in Ireland
Type	court cairn
Location	Annaloughan, Jenkinstown, County Louth, Ireland
Coordinates	54.009185°N 6.284757°W / 54.009185; -6.284757
Area	Cooley Peninsula
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Built	c. 3500 BC
National monument of Ireland
Official name	Rockmarshall
Reference no.	562

Rockmarshall Court Tomb is a court cairn and National Monument located on the Cooley Peninsula, Ireland.^[1][2][3]

Location

Rockmarshall Court Tomb is located immediately southwest of Rockmarshall House, on the southern slopes of Annaloughan Mountain.^[4]

History

Rockmarshall has been settled since the Mesolithic (c. 5700 BC on); excavation of a midden shows late tools, oysters and periwinkles.^[5]

The Carlingford Lough/Cooley Peninsula region was low in Mesolithic activity in comparison to Strangford Lough and Belfast Lough, due to the low quality flint.^{[citation needed]}

Carlingford and the Mournes could also have provided berries and nuts in season, and wild boar. A local population survived at Rockmarshall into the Neolithic, and the court cairn was built c. 3500 BC.^[6]

Description

The gallery is 15 m (49 ft) long and at the northeast end is a broad court, its arc formed by six stones. The stones used are very low and some have fallen over. There are five chambers with each chamber narrower than the first. There is a lot of cairn material scattered around the gallery.^{[7][8][9][10]}

References

1. Pearson, Michael Parker (1993). English Heritage book of Bronze Age Britain. B.T. Batsford. ISBN 978-0713468014 – via Google Books.
2. "Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland". Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 1998 – via Google Books.
3. O'Sullivan, Harold (1997). Dundalk and North Louth: Paintings and Stories from Cuchulainn's Country. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1900935067 – via Google Books.
4. Killanin, Baron Michael Morris; Duignan, Michael V. (1989). The Shell guide to Ireland. Gill and Macmillan. ISBN 978-0717115952 – via Google Books.
5. Armit, Ian (2003). Neolithic Settlement in Ireland and Western Britain. London & Belfast: Prehistoric Society (Queen's University) – Oxbow Books. ISBN 978-1842170915 – via Google Books.
6. "Archeology of the Carlingford Lough Region – Newry Journal". 29 April 2021.
7. PIP. "Rockmarshall Court Tomb/Megalithic Monuments". Ireland.com.
8. "megalithomania.com".
9. Weir, Anthony. "County Louth – selected monuments".
10. "Rockmarshall Court Tomb".