Rathcormac N.S.

Sixth class field trip to Carrowmore.

One of the first field trips of the new school year was to Carrowmore Co Sligo.Carrowmore is the largest Megalithic Burial Ground in Ireland.There are about 40 monuments visible today with about another 20 lie buried .Some of the tombs date back to 3000BC which makes them approximately 500 years older than the pyramids.Our guide showed us the passage tombs .These tombs have a passage which leads into a chamber where human remains were interred.The entire carrowmore complex is laid out in a spiral pattern with all the sites except the two at the entrance pointing to a giant Dolmen or Portal tomb in the centre.Signs of ancient bonfires have been found by the archaeologists which evoke images of primeval religious ceremonies.
Once back at the school we set about constructing our own model Dolmens,Court Tombs and passage tombs.

Sligo Abbey.

Sixth class also visited the Convent of the Holy Cross, a Dominician Friary the only survivnig megalithic structure in Sligo commonly known as Sligo Abbey.Our guide informed us that the abbey was built around 1252-1253 by Maurice Fitzgerald a Norman Baron. The friars were in residence until 1760 when they moved to the nearby Holy Cross Friary in High Street.
We entered the nave area of the church and we saw the O'Crean Altar tomb, the Belfry Tower and partially reconstructed Rood Screen(Rood being the saxon word for cross) a rare survivor in an Irish Church.Just beyond the tower is the Choir where the celebration of mass took place.Throughout the abbey we noticed a large number of headstones.Our guide told us the abbey was the official catholic burial ground for Sligo town dating back as far as the 14th century.
We enjoyed our visit to the abbey and would like to thank our teacher Mrs O' Boyle for organising it.