Megalithic tomb - court tomb, Cointe Cró, Co. Donegal

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Megalithic Tombs

Megalithic tomb – court tomb, Cointe Cró, Co. Donegal

Tucked away on the north side of Glencolumkille valley in County Donegal, the remnants of an ancient court tomb emerge from reclaimed marshy land about 155 metres north of the Murlin River.

This megalithic structure, known locally as Cointe Cró, remained hidden beneath overgrown land until 2011, when reclamation work exposed it once again to view. The tomb sits in a low-lying position with limited views to the north, east and south, though the valley opens westward towards the sea on the horizon, partially obscured by rising ground and a thick growth of furze bushes.

What remains of this Neolithic monument consists of three standing stones; a jamb-stone, an adjoining sidestone and a backstone; set within a weathered circular mound measuring roughly 11 metres east to west and 10 metres north to south. The mound rises only 20 to 30 centimetres in height, testament to millennia of erosion and neglect. The gallery chamber was originally oriented west-north-west to east-south-east, with the backstone marking its eastern end. This backstone, standing just 35 centimetres high, features the distinctive gently curving, gable-shaped top characteristic of court tombs. The surviving jambstone, which has split into two pieces over time, would have originally supported a corbel roof, whilst its top slopes northward in typical fashion for such structures.

Despite the fragmentary nature of what survives, archaeologists can confidently identify this as a court tomb, a type of megalithic monument common to this part of Donegal. The surviving structure suggests the original gallery contained two chambers, typical for tombs in this region. Court tombs, dating from around 3500 to 2500 BCE, were communal burial sites where communities would have gathered for rituals and ceremonies, their forecourts serving as spaces for the living to interact with their ancestors. This particular example, though modest in its current state, represents an important piece of Ireland's Neolithic heritage, offering a tangible connection to the farming communities who first settled these valleys over 5,000 years ago.

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