Corracloona Court Tomb, commonly called Prince Connell's Grave, is a chamber tomb and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

located in the north of County Leitrim in the West of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

Sign for Prince Connell's Grave - geograph

Corracloona Court Tomb is located on a slope overlooking the northern tip of

Lough MacNean Lough MacNean () is a large freshwater lake on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is in two parts. Lower Lough MacNean (or Lough Nilly),The English Cyclopedia 1867 Page 498 " ... and is connected by a short st ...

, 3.3 km (2 miles) southeast of Kiltyclogher.

History

Corracloona Court Tomb was built c. 2000–1500 BC, in the early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

. It is locally known as Prince Connell's Grave (Irish: ''Feart Chonaill Flaith''). There are several nobles of this name in Irish legend; the most likely candidate is Conall Gulban, 5th-century founder of the Cenél Conaill. However, another legend places Conall Gulban's grave at the dolmen at Fenagh. In any case, both Corracloona and Fenagh monuments are thousands of years older than Conall Gulban. It was first excavated in 1953.

Description

Prince Connell's Grave is usually described as a

court tomb The court cairn or court tomb is a megalithic type of chambered cairn or gallery grave. During the period, 3900–3500 BCE, more than 390 court cairns were built in Ireland and over 100 in southwest Scotland. The Neolithic (New Stone Age ...

(court cairn), although some see it as a

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

(portal tomb) or Wedge-shaped gallery grave (wedge tomb). It has a small forecourt (1.5 m wide) and only one burial chamber (2 × 3.5 m), with a large slab separating the two. This slab has a large hole in the bottom, called a "kennel-hole"; this is similar to some tombs in southern France, and may have been used to add additional burials, speak to the dead or leave offerings. However, the hole could be an accidental break.

References

{{Reflist National Monuments in County Leitrim Archaeological sites in County Leitrim