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Court Tomb, Strabane is a Neolithic megalithic tomb constructed during the fourth millennium BC. This monument belongs to the court tomb tradition characteristic of Ulster and the wider Irish Neolithic, where a ceremonial forecourt provided access to a burial chamber. The site lies on bedrock of the Argyll Group, a complex of metamorphic rocks—psammite, semipelite and pelite—formed in the Neoproterozoic period, providing the local stone from which the monument was built.
The tomb's construction reflects the sophisticated communal building practices of Neolithic farming communities. Court tombs typically served as burial places for multiple individuals and functioned as territorial markers in the emerging agricultural landscape. The forecourt arrangement allowed ritual access and repeated use across many generations, suggesting these monuments were central to community identity.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division as a scheduled monument of national importance under reference 14133. Located at grid reference H4525391610 near Strabane in County Tyrone, this tomb survives as evidence of the earliest monumental architecture in Ireland and demonstrates the cultural achievements of settlers who introduced farming to the island over five thousand years ago.
Court tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14133. View the official record →
Court Tomb, Strabane is a Neolithic megalithic tomb constructed during the fourth millennium BC. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14133.
Court tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Court tomb is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 14133.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Corick abbey. franciscan friary & graveyard (3.4 km), Slievebeg, standing stones. four stone circles & alignment (5 km), Cloghogle. portal tomb (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Court tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Court tomb stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.