Townleyhall Passage Tomb
County Louth
Located in south County Louth and close to the border with Meath lies Townleyhall Passage Tomb.
It is an "undifferentiated" Passage Tomb.
Undifferentiated in this context just means that the tomb(s) inside lie at the rear of the passage and directly in line with it, not off to one side, nor "cruciform" (Cross shaped) like a lot of passage tombs.
It is a neolithic (Stone age) field monument of which there are many located in Ireland.
In all likelihood Townleyhall Passage Tomb was part of the larger Boyne burial and ritual site which includes Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth and various other unexcavated tombs in the area.
Unfortunately the passage tomb at Townleyhall is completely denuded of its original covering Cairn of stones while most of the passage lithics and orthostats are also absent.
Some of the kerbstones remain surrounding the small mound and although not large of presence the tomb is nonetheless important as an archaeological record on the landscape.
At certain times during the year I believe the tomb at Townleyhall, just like Newgrange, is aligned with the rising Sun.
Apparently people gather at the site on these occasions to celebrate together, a nice touch indeed.
Being at least 5000 years old it is deserving of a visit in its own right and access is free and across a roadside stile.
Take care and watch out for the traffic.
Keep the wheels turning.
Discoverboynevalley.ie/Townley-hall House and Tomb
