Caltragh (A Pagan Cemetery)

In rolling fertile pasture with good views. This is a National Monument in State ownership (no. 153). It is named ‘Caltragh (A pagan Cemetery)’ on the OS 6-inch maps, and was recorded by Petrie (1837, 182-3, No. 60) as follows: ‘Originally surrounded by a circle of large stones, most of which have been removed in land clearance and those remaining nearly covered with earth. Whole of it filled with bones. No interment within living memory and no tradition of a church here.' It is evident now as a subcircular raised and sloping area (int. dims. 71m N-S; 69m E-W) defined by a bank with a crude stone facing at NW, and enclosed by a wide external fosse which can be seen at E. An external stone wall encloses the site, closely at W and N, but extending out to a greater distance at S, at E its line is continued by an earth and stone bank, creating a heart-shaped outer enclosure. The entrance to the internal enclosure is a causeway at E with two lengths of ruined stone wall at either side. A stone wall in the S end of the interior enclosure enclosed a D-shaped area (int. dims. 13m N-S; 16m E-W). There is no trace of possible hut sites (SL014-267002-) which were noted in aerial photographs. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 30 September 2019

Neolithic passage tomb; dates to the 4th millennium BCE. Part of the Carrowmore megalithic complex, one of the earliest and most important Neolithic ceremonial sites in Ireland.