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Court tomb in Tonadooravaun

Court tomb

What is recorded here

On a gentle NW-facing slope at the west end of Tully Mountain in County Galway, a five-metre stone gallery still holds two chambers divided by jambs. Two portal stones mark the eastern entrance while displaced roof slabs lean against the walls like forgotten giants. The tomb has watched the mountain for centuries, keeping the quiet company of whoever built it and the living breath of everyone who has stood before it since.
On a gentle NW-facing slope at W end of Tully Mountain. This tomb comprises a gallery (L c. 5m, Wth c. 1.4m) aligned E-W and divided by jambs into two chambers. The entrance, at E, is marked by two portal stones. A displaced lintel lies immediately to W. Three large slabs, apparently displaced roofstones, rest against the gallery walls, (de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1972, 4-5) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Date of upload: 05 August 2010 See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume III. Counties Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Laoighis, Offaly, Kildare, Cavan. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1972).
Court tomb, dating to the Neolithic period (c. 4000–2500 BCE). Its E-W alignment and chambered gallery with portal stones reflect early megalithic funerary architecture significant in the development of ceremonial and burial practices in Ireland.

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What survives
Recorded monument

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