Cohaw

Cohaw is a Neolithic double court tomb located 4 kilometres south-east of Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland. The tomb lies on a ridge overlooking a small tributary of the Annagh river.

Cohaw
Cohaw Court Tomb
LocationCootehill, Cavan
Coordinates54°06′N 7°03′W
Reference no.456[1]
Location of Cohaw in Ireland

History

Court-tombs are among the earliest megalithic monuments to be built in Ireland. There are more than three hundred court tombs in Ireland today, primarily located in northern Ireland. Identifying features of a court tomb are a ceremonial courtyard, which is set in front of a burial vault which is divided into two or more burial chambers. The courtyard can be on the eastern end of a long stone cairn, or it can be placed at both ends. Courts were built in a variety of shapes, with oval or circular forms predominating.[2]

County Cavan has a large number of megalithic tombs, including eighteen court tombs. Cohaw was excavated by archaeologist, Howard Kilbride-Jones, in 1949. The excavation finds consisted of teeth, skull fragments, and the cremated remains of a child. A carinated, round-bottomed Neolithic bowl was also uncovered. An unusual feature to the site at the time of excavation was a bow-shaped bank across the entrance to the north court. The tomb lies on a ridge overlooking a small tributary of the Annagh river.[3]

Description

Cohaw is a neolithic double court tomb located 4 kilometres south-east of Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland and is visible from the R192 road between Shercock and Cootehill. The tomb is known locally as the "Giant's Grave" and was originally built as two single tombs. Each tomb consists of a court at each end, connected by a long, five chambered burial gallery. The south court is two thirds of a circle in shape, while the north court is u-shaped. The northern court contains two post holes that would have held large pillar-stones. The tomb stands in a 82 ft (25m) long rectangular cairn.[4][5]

  • Cohaw tomb entrance
  • Cohaw, inside chamber
  • Cohaw tomb, chamber view
  • Cohaw south court
  • Cohaw at sunset
  • Cohaw, aerial view

References
  1. "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship" (PDF). National Monuments Service. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  2. O' Nuallain, Sean. "The Megalithic Tombs of Ireland". Penn Museum. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. Halpin, Andrew; Newman, Connor (2006). Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600. New York: Oxford University.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2011-03-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - goIreland.com, Cohaw Court Cairn
  5. "Cohaw Court Tomb". Megalithic Ireland. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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