Why this matters
Passage tomb; Neolithic period (c. 3700–2500 BCE). Fourknocks is one of the largest and most significant passage tombs in the Boyne Valley, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and reflects the complex funerary and ritual practices of early farming communities in Ireland.
What is recorded here
The following description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload/revision: 10 July 2007
Excavated in 1950-2, the mound, 19m in diam. and delimited by a low dry-walled kerb, contained a curciform passage-tomb opening to NNE. Three recesses open off the large pear-shaped central chamber, 6.5m by 7.5m, now covered by a shell-concrete dome. Twelve structural stones bear megalithic art. Cemetery mound (ME033-028002-) and cists and pits (ME033-028004-) related to megalithic tomb. (Herity 1974, 253-4; Shee 1981, 220-2)
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.