Ballykeel

Portal Tomb

Situated in Ballykeel, Co Armagh is this wonderful example of a tripod dolmen. This capstone is the only one ever to be re-erected both it and the door-slab were replaced during excavations in 1965. The capstone is some 3 metres long has a notable notch in it , see image top left, the two portal stones are around 2 metres high.

The dolmen stands at the southern end of a 90 ft long cairn pictured below.

There are two lines of stones running parrallel with the cairn and at the northern end of the cairn was apparently a burial cist (no longer visible).

Situated: From Dundalk take the R177 north heading for Forkhill from here keep heading north for Camlough on the B134 after 3 1/2 kilometres take a left turn sign-posted Ballykeel dolmen after approx 2 kilometres you cme to a right turn the dolmen is about 200 yards up this road on your right hand side.

Discovery Map 36: H 955 213. Last visit February 2004.

Click on pic for higher resolution image. Photos: Jim Dempsey