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The Small Cairn is a megalithic tomb located in County Down, Northern Ireland, within the Newry and Mourne district. Constructed during the prehistoric period, this monument represents one of the enduring stone structures built by early communities to commemorate and inter their dead. The cairn survives as a testament to the engineering knowledge and spiritual beliefs of these ancient peoples.
The monument sits upon bedrock formed from a Palaeogene igneous intrusion of felsic composition, a geological feature that shaped the landscape in which the builders worked. The underlying igneous rock would have influenced both the construction methods available to those who built the cairn and the selection of stone materials used in its assembly. This geological context contributes to understanding how prehistoric communities adapted their building practices to local conditions.
Today, the Small Cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 6059, ensuring its preservation for future study and public benefit. The site remains an important archaeological resource, documenting the funerary practices and settlement patterns of Northern Ireland's prehistoric inhabitants and the relationship between early communities and their natural environment.
The small cairn. megalithic tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6059. View the official record →
The Small Cairn is a megalithic tomb located in County Down, Northern Ireland, within the Newry and Mourne district. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6059.
The small cairn. megalithic tomb dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The small cairn. megalithic 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 6059.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Megalithic tomb (1.4 km), Motte (3.1 km), Mound - possibly barrow (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The small cairn. megalithic 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.
The small cairn. megalithic tomb stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is felsic-rock.