Annaghmare Court Tomb, also known as The Black Castle,[3] is a chamber tomb located near to the town of Crossmaglen in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.[2][4] It is one of many megalithic tombs on the island of Ireland.

Annaghmare Court Tomb
Native name
Achadh na Marbh[1] (Irish)
The Black Castle
Typecourt cairn
LocationAnnaghmare, Crossmaglen, Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, BT35 9BJ[2]
Coordinates54°06′06″N 6°37′02″W / 54.10179°N 6.61723°W / 54.10179; -6.61723
Height1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Annaghmare Court Tomb is located in Northern Ireland
Annaghmare Court Tomb
Location of Annaghmare Court Tomb in Northern Ireland

Location

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Visitors car parking available at the tomb

Annaghmare Court Tomb is situated 1.73 miles (2.78 km) north-west of the town of Crossmaglen.

History

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Information panel onsite

The site was excavated in 1963–4, with many of its features preserved in situ.[2] It is thus regarded as "one of the best preserved examples of its type",[2] as other court tombs in Ireland were damaged during the course of their excavations.

Description

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The forecourt of the tomb is horse-shoe shapes and features several large stones up to 1.9m high.[2] The spaces between were filled with dry stone walling.[2]

The tourist information website visitmournemountains.co.uk notes that the "most unusual feature of the forecourt, however, is a small standing stone to the south-east of the centre".[2]

There is an information board onsite.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Achadh an Marbh/Annaghmare Court Tomb. Annaghmare TD, Crossmaglen". geograph.ie. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Annaghmare Court Tomb". visitmournemountains.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Monitoring Report No. 15. ANNAGHMARE COURT TOMB (THE BLACK CASTLE). ANNAGHMARE. COUNTY ARMAGH. AE/04/144. NICHOLAS BEER" (PDF). qub.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Annaghmare Court Tomb". discovernorthernireland.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.