Magheraghanrush

Magheraghanrush or Deerpark Court tomb as it is also known, stands on a ridge surrounded by forest plantation. The tomb has a 15 metre long oval court with a single gallery at the west end and two double chamber galleries at the east end. At the entrance to two of these chambers the lintels have fallen, one lintel remains but as you can see from the picture top left, this one has split. This particular court tomb has a passage entrance on the south side.
The total length of this neolithic construction is around 30 metres. Court tombs were more than just tombs, they were more like temples, rituals would have taken place in the court. Almost all court tombs are found in the Northern half of Ireland, Magheraghanrush, Creevykeel and Moytirra East are in County Sligo, Clontygora and Ballymacdermot are in County Armagh and Rathlackan and Carbad More are in Mayo to name just a few.

Situation: From Sligo take the R286 for Dromahair, immediately after the Manorhamilton turn, there is a fork in the Road, take a left and about three miles down this road you will see e sign for Deerpark. There are two Car Parks here , but it is not always possible to get to the second one. From the first car park you have about a 10 minute walk through the woods, just follow the sign.

Click on Pics for higher resolution image. Photos: Jim Dempsey.

 

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