Court tomb in Shanballyedmond

The tomb, excavated and partly restored in 1958 (O'Kelly 1958), stands on an E-facing slope at the NE foot of Cullaun Mountain. It stands in a kerbed cairn of U-shaped outline measuring some 12.5m long and 9.5m in maximum width. A court at the NE, 3.8m long and 3.1m in maximum width, opens into a two-chambered gallery the entrance to which is formed by two transversely set jambs. The front chamber of the gallery is 2.1m long and 2m wide. The division between this and the second chamber is formed by a tall jamb crossing half the width of the gallery and a low sill which fills the gap between the jamb and the more northerly side of the gallery. The inner chamber is 3m long and 2.2m wide. At either side of the back of the gallery, which is closed by three stones, there are two stones that have been interpreted as non-functional jambs. Excavation revealed a setting of thirty-four post-holes about 2m outside the sides and back of the kerb. At the front this setting turned inwards to meet the ends of the court. About 1m beyond the front of the monument and at right angles to its long axis there was a gapped line, 8m long, of three low stones and the socket of a fourth. Six separate lots of human bone were recovered at the site, only one of which, from a pit in the inner chamber, was in an undisturbed position. Finds comprised stone implements, notably a number of flint arrowheads, and a small amount of poorly preserved pottery, all of Neolithic date. (De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 86-9, No.7) To see a 3D model of this monument, visit: https://skfb.ly/os88x The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 22 September 2008 See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume IV. Counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1982)

Court tomb, dating to the Neolithic period (c. 3500–2500 BCE). This type of tomb is significant as an early form of megalithic funerary architecture in Ireland, often associated with ritual and communal burial practices.