The entrance is oriented to the north where a ‘sill stone’ (also called a threshold stone) forms part of the entryway. This dolmen would once have been covered with earth and topped with a cairn and would have been visible for miles.
Guarding the entrance of the megalith chamber are two portal stones, each about 6 foot (3m) high. The capstone slopes to the west, which is unusual. This structure consists of standing stones topped by a capstone which is 6 feet (2m) long and 10 feet (3.2 m) wide. Poulnabrone is the second largest Irish portal tomb, built on what appears to have been an artificial mound. The megalith is justly famous, in part because of its remarkable location as it is set on a plateau that offers an amazing view of the karst-limestone plain known as the Burren. The Changeling (Artwork by Shelly Wan ) Remains of the Second Largest Portal Tomb in Ireland Irish country people would never refer to them by name, instead calling them ‘the good people’. These tiny supernatural beings, who are said to have lived in the dolmens, would kidnap children and leave a changeling in their place. As the dolmens were said to be built by fairies and therefore regarded with superstitious dread, it helped to preserve the structures. Popular culture often depicts fairies as benevolent winged creatures, but according to Irish folklore, they are a great deal more malicious. This monument has been the source of controversy in the past and archaeologists claim that the site and its environment is under threat from over-tourism. The monument is protected by the Irish government and in the 1980s the dolmen had to be restored after the capstone cracked. By building it on higher ground, it marked the boundary of the tribe who inhabited the locality. Scholars have argued that the structure was not only a memorial monument but also a territorial marker. This location was also likley used for burials in the early Celtic period.
This is based on the discovery of the skeleton of an infant interred here in around 1500 BC. It appears that the dolmen was a ritual site and was still regarded as a sacred place in the Bronze Age. Location of Poulnabrone dolmen in the Burren National Park, southwest of Ireland ( Vincent / Adobe Stock) Hy-Brasil: The Legendary Phantom Island of Ireland.Atlantis as Ireland - The Emerald Enigma.
Examinations of the remains show that few lived beyond 40 years and many had arthritis at an early age. Archaeologists believe that the bodies may have been ritually purified by fire and their bones then deposited in the burial area. Excavations in the 1980s revealed the remains of over 30 individuals that date to about 3200 BC. The remoteness of the location means that it was hard to access, but the dolmen was probably used to bury members of the local elites for many centuries. Poulnabrone can be translated to ‘hole in the quern stone’. The mysterious megalith is set in the spectacular landscape, in a remote area in the County of Clare, and is thought to date between 39 BC, the late Neolithic period. The History and Mysteries of Poulnabrone Dolmen Located in the west of the island, this portal tomb is one of the best known of the 200 found in Ireland. All have a story to tell and one site that provides fascinating insight into the Stone Age society is the Poulnabrone dolmen. Incredible monuments dating back to various ages are found throughout Ireland, including the Giant’s Causeway, the Blarney Stone, and Fort Newgrange, which is older than the pyramids.
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