The southwestern chamber orthostat was also straightened, previously it had broken in antiquity and was leaning inwards. Restoration works on the Dolmen were completed by adding a new orthostat on the western side of the chamber to help spread the load of the Capstone more evenly.
Dolmen ireland cracked#
The excavation work was prompted so as to allow repairs to be carried out to a cracked eastern portal stone which looked as if it was about to give way. These artefacts can be viewed by visiting Clare Museum, Ennis, Co. This included a stone axe, arrowheads, beads, a bone pendant, quartz crystals and several bits of pottery.
In combination with being afforded burial in the chamber, an honour afforded to very few, the researchers suggest this provides an indication of care and that visible difference was no barrier to prestige burial.Īlong with the human bones animal bones were found as well as a variety of artefacts. Isotope analyses of this child by Trinity College Dublin showed a dietary signature of breastfeeding. Results published during June 2020 from the genome survey led by Trinity College Dublin unearthed some unexpected results according to the National Monuments Service, with the discovery of the earliest yet diagnosed case of Down Syndrome in one of the male children buried there. Research has shown that most died before reaching 30 with only one living beyond 40.Īrthritis was in evidence and at least one may have died from being wounded as the tip of an arrowhead was found embedded in his hip bone. None showed evidence of cremation although there was scorch marks on some bones. This would imply the bodies had been ‘kept’ elsewhere and then moved to the dolmen for final burial. The remains were found 9.8 in (25 cms) below the surface placed in the grykes (crevices) in a disarticulated state. Poulnabrone Dolmenįurther excavations were carried out during 1988.ĭuring the excavations, the remains of up to 22 people were discovered, 16 adults and 6 children were found within the chamber area. The initial work mainly concentrated in the chamber of the tomb. Radiocarbon dating places its construction and use to between 3,800 and 3,200 BC during the Neolithic period.
Situated as it is on the high open plateau the monument may have been used to broadcast a message of territorial ownership to outsiders travelling through the area. This is likely as it was one of only three viable north-south routes through the area. Instead it is adjacent to a road that in the past may have been an ancient north-south route through the Burren. Interestingly, Poulnabrone Dolmen is not located, like many portal tombs, adjacent to a waterway. The entrance is known as the Portal and is often closed by a blocking stone, the “sill-stone”. This one measures approximately 12ft by 7ft (3.7m by 2.1m) with the chamber being approximately 8ft by 4ft (2.4m by 1.2m) in size. This usually weighs many tons and is inclined at an angle with the highest part over the entrance. The main characteristic feature of a Dolmen is the massive roof stone, known as the Capstone. Characteristics of the Poulnabrone Dolmen
Dolmen ireland mac#
Waterford and the northern part of the country.įrom Irish folklore they are often known as “Diarmuid and Gráinne’s Bed”, in Gaelic “Leaba Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne”, from the legend of the elopement of Diarmuid and Gráinne, the wife of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. In 1655 it was recorded as ‘the Slippery Foord’ in a civil survey, this is the earliest recording of the name to my knowledge.There are close on 200 Dolmen’s scattered around Ireland mainly in Co. It is hard to ascertain from where the name Slidderyford derives but from the ordnance survey review from 1827-35 it is recorded as Ath na gcloch beó ‘the ford of the living stones’.
An early 19 th century engraving shows another orthostat (support stone) and possible remains of a cairn but these are no longer visible. The largest of the support stones is unusual in that it almost appears sculpted to carry the capstone, these stones are known as ‘shoulder stones’ and they do seem to be particularly prevalent in the Mourne region. The granite capstone is 3 metres in length and 1 metre in depth, it rests on three support stones, the tallest of which is 1.8 metres. This beautiful tomb is framed with the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Donard as its backdrop. Slidderyford Dolmen, also known as Wateresk Portal Tomb, is situated just off the main route between Newcastle and Dundrum in County Down.
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