Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier
Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE)·Irish Neolithic·🇮🇪 County Sligo, Ireland
About
About Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier
Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier in County Sligo, Ireland is a Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE) megalithic attributed to Irish Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 9 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 54.0592N -8.3692E controls access to County Sligo resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for County Sligo, illustrating Irish Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3500 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Irish Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 3500 BCE
Initial construction of Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier main structure
c. 1023 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
54.0592° N · 8.3692° W · 308 m · 3 mapped features
Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier — Main Megalithic Feature
templePrimary temple at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
54.0583° N · 8.3691° WCarrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier — Secondary Enclosure
chamberAncillary chamber at Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
54.0611° N · 8.3677° WCarrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier — Outlier Rock Art Panel
cairnOutlier cairn panel linked to Carrowkeel Passage Tomb Cluster K — Eastern Outlier ceremonial landscape
54.0587° N · 8.3690° W