Slieve Gullion Passage Tombs
Slieve Gullion Summit Cairns · South Cairn and North Cairn Slieve Gullion
Middle Neolithic to Bronze Age·Irish Passage Tomb / Bronze Age·🇬🇧 County Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
About
About Slieve Gullion Passage Tombs
Two cairns crowning the summit and northern ridge of Slieve Gullion, South Armagh's highest peak (573 m), built c.3500–3000 BCE. The South Cairn is a passage tomb 26 m diameter with cruciform chamber and later Bronze Age kerb insertion; the North Cairn 900 m north (345°) is a smaller cairn by Callaigh Berra Lough, a mountain lake between them. Myths associate the hill with the Cailleach Béarra. Penannular kerb and quartz finds link them to Boyne passage tomb traditions.
Why it mattersTwo cairns crowning the summit and northern ridge of Slieve Gullion, South Armagh's highest peak (573 m), built c.3500–3000 BCE. The South Cairn is a passage tomb 26 m diameter with cruciform chamber and later Bronze Age
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Mountain-top siting versus valley tombs
Theories
- 01Cailleach myth and lake ritual
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. 3500–2000 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic to Bronze Age
- Culture
- Irish Passage Tomb / Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Mountain-top passage tombs with kerbs
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3500–2000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1063 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
Gallery