Glebe Cairn — Cong
Early Neolithic (3700–3500 BCE)·Irish Court Tomb builders·🇮🇪 County Mayo, Ireland
About
About Glebe Cairn — Cong
Glebe court tomb near Cong on the Mayo-Galway border, a classic western Severn-Cotswold variant with semi-circular court leading to segmented gallery, set in drumlin pasture now partly overgrown.
Why it mattersWestern court tomb linking Connemara and Burren Neolithic distributions
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Court tomb orientation patterns
- 02Relationship to Lough Corrib lithic scatters
Theories
- 01Communal burial for dispersed Neolithic farmers
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. 3600 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (3700–3500 BCE)
- Culture
- Irish Court Tomb builders
- Purpose
- Court tomb with oval court and two-chamber gallery in drumlin landscape north of Lough Corrib
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3600 BCE
Court tomb construction
c. 1901 CE
Recorded by antiquarian
1989 CE
Ulster Museum survey
On the ground
Structures & features
53.5400° N · 9.2870° W · 45 m · 3 mapped features
Oval Court Forecourt
courtSemi-circular court 8 m with façade stones
53.5402° N · 9.2869° WTwo-Chamber Gallery
galleryTwin chambers 7 m total with sill stones
53.5404° N · 9.2871° WCairn Envelope
cairnTrapezoidal cairn 16 m long with kerb
53.5397° N · 9.2868° W