Megalithic tomb - passage tomb

A round mound, usually surrounded by a kerb of large stones, enclosing a burial chamber, usually with a corbelled roof, which is entered by a passage, usually lintelled. Many tombs have side and end recesses opening off a central chamber, resulting in a cruciform plan. Cremation was the predominant burial rite in passage tombs which primarily date from 3300 to 2900 BC though some simpler tombs in Carrowmore, Co. Sligo have produced radiocarbon dates suggesting use even earlier in the Neolithic, c. 4000 BC.