Court tombs are considered the oldest of the Irish tombs. They date back to about 3500-4000bce (and perhaps earlier). However, the diminutive passage tombs of Carrowmore are throwing up C14 dates around 7000bce at the moment!!!

If you imagine a low West Kennett, but with a half circle or even a full circle in front of the tomb, then you have a court tomb. Burial right was cremation,with very little grave goods. I believe them to be more akin to a church than a burial chamber.

Their main concentration is in the north Sligo, Mayo, Donegal and right across NI. There are a few in the south, but they are more hybrids.

The portal tombs are said to be an offshoot of them.

They were set at one end of a trapezoidal cairn, similar to Wayland's & WK.

The builders could have been the first farmers as there is a concentration around north Mayo near to the Ceide Fields (a field system dated to 3500bce).

Court tombs are an insular Irish development that spread slightly into Scotland and Man - Cairn Holy and King Orry's Grave for example.

Later on I'll try to list a good bibliography on the Irish tombs.

The Mario Quadrilateral? At least at face value I'd not have thought of that. Is that the one you mean?

This page has the best pics I could quickly find on t'web, but (uncharacteristically for Megalithic Walks) they seem to have spelt the name wrong...seems to be MaRio rather than MaNio everywhere else (including my memory!)

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/celynog/Brittany/manio_quadrilateral.htm

The nearby menhir is known as the Giant of (or 'in') the Woods usually I think. Megalithic Walks calls it the Manio (sic) Giant. (Again I assume they mean Mario) http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/celynog/Brittany/geant_de_manio.htm

love

Moth