Mullinabreena

Among the oldest monuments in the Achonry-Mullinabreena

Introduction

Beneath the slopes of Knocknashee, and little more than a mile apart, lie two of the oldest surviving monuments in the Achonry–Mullinabreena landscape. The court tombs at Cloonaraher and Cloondrihara date to the Early Neolithic period, probably between 3700 and 3500 BC, and were constructed by some of the first farming communities to settle in this part of County Sligo. By the time the great cairns appeared on the summit of Knocknashee towards the later Neolithic period, the court tombs of Cloonaraher and Cloondrihara may already have been between 300 and 700 years old.

Together, the two monuments represent the earliest known phase of megalithic construction within the parish and provide an important surviving link to a prehistoric world more than five thousand years removed from the present. Built during a period of profound social change, when farming first became established in Ireland, these tombs formed part of an emerging ritual and agricultural landscape beneath the imposing presence of Knocknashee and the Ox Mountains.

Cloondrihara Court Tomb

The court tomb at Cloondrihara (SL032-005) lies in relatively flat pastureland beneath the slopes of Knocknashee Hill, whose distinctive outline dominates the surrounding landscape. The monument was first marked on the 1914 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map, where it was labelled “Giant’s Grave,” reflecting the persistence of local folklore surrounding ancient stone monuments in the area.

Although now heavily ruined, important structural features survive. The visible remains consist primarily of a short stone-built chamber aligned roughly southeast–northwest and opening toward the northwest. The chamber measures approximately 2.7 metres in length and narrows slightly toward the rear. Two upright jamb stones and an intervening sillstone define the entrance, while a large inward-leaning slab forms the backstone of the chamber. Additional orthostats survive along the sides, though several have collapsed or shifted from their original positions over time.

Beyond the chamber lies a broad scatter of displaced stones extending northwestwards. While much of this material appears disturbed, two leaning orthostats positioned roughly opposite one another approximately four metres from the chamber entrance may represent the remains of a former forecourt or façade. A low spread of mound material also survives in this area, suggesting the former presence of a cairn or covering structure. Seán Ó Nualláin noted that the arrangement likely extended further northwest, though the exact function of the surviving stones is now difficult to determine due to centuries of collapse and disturbance.

The traditional local designation of “Giant’s Grave” is also significant. Such names occur frequently in association with prehistoric monuments throughout Ireland and often represent the survival of folk memory long after the original purpose of these structures had been forgotten.

Cloonaraher Court Tomb

The court tomb at Cloonaraher (SL032-231) lies southeast of Cloondrihara within the same low-lying pastoral landscape and dates to the Early Neolithic period, probably between 3700 and 3500 BC. Unlike the nearby monument at Cloondrihara, Cloonaraher appears to have escaped notice in some earlier archaeological surveys and does not feature in Seán Ó Nualláin’s Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland: County Sligo (1989). It is also absent from the early six-inch Ordnance Survey maps. Its comparatively high Record of Monuments and Places number, SL032-231, may suggest that the monument was only formally recognised during later archaeological survey work.

The surviving remains consist of an SSE-facing gallery approximately eight metres in length. Several orthostats, or upright stones, remain visible along the sides of the structure, while a large rectangular slab near the entrance may represent a displaced lintel stone. An almost prostrate slab at the northern end of the gallery is thought to represent the original backstone of the chamber. Although no obvious forecourt survives, enough structural detail remains to support the identification of the monument as a court tomb.

Field inspection suggests that the surviving monument may lie slightly apart from the coordinates shown on some online mapping resources. The location recorded during the visit appears to correspond more closely with the physical remains and the published archaeological description. The monument survives within open pastureland and remains substantially intact as a recognisable megalithic structure beneath the slopes of Knocknashee.

Despite centuries of collapse, agricultural activity and weathering, the surviving arrangement of stones still preserves the form and character of one of the parish’s earliest surviving prehistoric monuments.

Conclusion

Together, the court tombs at Cloondrihara and Cloonaraher preserve evidence of the earliest known phase of monument building within the Achonry–Mullinabreena landscape. Constructed more than five thousand years ago, these monuments belonged to communities living through a period of profound change as farming, permanent settlement and new ritual traditions became established across Ireland.

By the time the great cairns were constructed on the summit of Knocknashee during the later Neolithic period, the court tombs at Cloondrihara and Cloonaraher may already have stood within the landscape for several centuries. Their survival therefore represents not only the earliest phase of monument construction in the parish, but also a continuity of ritual and ceremonial activity extending across thousands of years.Though now ruinous and easily overlooked within the modern countryside, the surviving stones remain important reminders of a prehistoric landscape that long predates the later cairns on Knocknashee and the Bronze Age monuments that would eventually appear across south Sligo. Their close proximity to one another also suggests that this area formed part of an organised and settled Neolithic landscape rather than an isolated ceremonial location.

The presence of other nearby megalithic monuments, including the unclassified tomb at Carrownaleck near the River Moy, further suggests that the wider Knocknashee–Moy valley region formed part of a broader ceremonial and settlement landscape during the Early Neolithic period.

Today both monuments survive quietly survives within open pastureland with views toward Knocknashee, weathered by time yet still preserving traces of some of the earliest farming communities ever to inhabit the parish.

References

Egan, Ursula, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman, Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy. Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo. Vol. I: South Sligo. Dublin: Stationery Office, 2005.

National Monuments Service Historic Environment Viewer:

• SL032-005—-, “Megalithic Tomb — Court Tomb: Cloondrihara”

• SL032-231—-, “Megalithic Tomb — Court Tomb: Cloonaraher”

• SL032-003—-, “Megalithic Tomb — Unclassified: Carrownaleck”

Ó Nualláin, Seán. Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume V: County Sligo. Dublin: Stationery Office, 1989.