Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb is one of the most photographed megalithic monuments in Ireland, mainly due to its superb sculptured form and easy access from the road. During the summer months there is a constant trail of people going to and from the Dolmen. The day I took these pictures was quite wet, which kept many tourists away. The Site was excavated in 1986 and produced the human remains of 16 adults and children plus other artefacts, these dated the tomb to around 2,500 B C. The entrance faces north and is almost 2 metres high, The thin capstone is tilted at the usual angle and measures about 3 1/2 metres long and 2 metres wide. Poulnabrone means ' the hole of the sorrows' There are many other interesting sites near poulnabrone including the Wedge tombs at Gleninsheen and Baur South and the Stone Fort at Caherconnell.

 

Situated on Karst limestone, in a field East of the Ballyvaughan - Corrofin Road the Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Irelands more accessable megalithic structures.

Discovery Map 51: 236 004. Last visit August 2002

 

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