Carrowmore

So, on our way up to Strandhill for dinner, we first stopped at Carrowmore.  There are four Megalilthic sites in Ireland that are part of the Passage Tomb tradition.  The four main clusters are:  (1) The Boyne Valley (which includes Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth); (2) Loughcrew; (3) Carrowkeel,; and (4) Carrowmore.  We have not yet visited Carrowkeel but it is on the list os things to do while we are still here.

Carrowmore has about 30 tombs that are laid out in an oval pattern around the central tomb.  Many of the monuments around the Central Tomb are dolmens, and they are often surrounded by stone circles.  It covers a large expanse of land, and is quite a hike if you plan to visit each of the numbered areas on the map.  Our starting point was where you see the P for parking.  We just walked the small loop as we didn't have a whole lot of time before our dinner reservations.

That is Connor in front of the Central Tomb.

This is Connor and Steve openly laughing at me for some reason...

This path leads into the center of the tomb.  It would have been a lower path and the top would have been covered by stone 5000 years ago.  Apparently the excavations here were not performed with the same care as in Newgrange and Knowth.  Sometimes these tombs are really just stumbled upon...

This was a dolmen-like structure inside the tomb.  It has more rocks in it than a regular dolmen. It almost seems more like a table or altar.  Who knows?

That is the main tomb of Carrowkeel on the hill in the distance.

Often the stones, tombs, and dolmens are just in a pasture....

This gives you an idea of the expanse of land upon which Carrowmore sits.