Brownshill Dolmen


Brownshill Dolmen

Location: Kernanstown, Co. Carlow

Classification: Portal Tomb

SMR Code: CW007-010----

Rating:


Located on Hacketstown Road and surrounded by quiet meadows, The Brownshill portal tomb or dolmen is an unmistakable monument to the east of Carlow town. Sometimes called the Kernanstown Dolmen, it has a granite capstone weighing over 100 tonnes, making it the largest of its kind in Ireland. The massive capstone rests on two portal stones which flank a door stone and slopes downwards to the west where it rests on a low boulder.

Description

Located on Hacketstown Road and surrounded by quiet meadows, The Brownshill portal tomb or dolmen is an unmistakable monument to the east of Carlow town. Sometimes called the Kernanstown Dolmen, it has a granite capstone weighing over 100 tonnes, making it the largest of its kind in Ireland. The massive capstone rests on two portal stones which flank a door stone and slopes downwards to the west where it rests on a low boulder.

History

Portal Tombs, Dolmens or Cromlechs as they are sometimes known, mark burial places in a very distinctive way, with huge capstones elevated at an angle and held up by large upright stones creating a chamber below. This chamber is accessed through the two front uprights known as Portal Stones. The monuments we see now would have originally been covered in earthen mounds or cairns, although little evidence for this survives. There are more than 100 dolmens scattered throughout Ireland, in various states of repair.

Folklore

Local lore attributes the origin of the Dolmen to the joint efforts of a giant and a poor woman. The giant, out walking in the countryside, stumbles over a massive stone which he picks up and throws out of his way. The stone lands on Browne's Hill and lays unnoticed until a poor woman and her children pass by on a stormy night. In her desperation to find shelter for her children, the woman lifts the huge stone and props it up on the other boulders so they can rest there for the night.

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Accessibility Rating: Easy

Take the R726 from Carlow and follow the signs to "Brownshill Dolmen". There is a dedicated parking area by the side of the road. To access the dolmen, follow the path around the edge of the field.


Accessibility

Accessibility Class: Easy

Take the R726 from Carlow and follow the signs to "Brownshill Dolmen". There is a dedicated parking area by the side of the road. To access the dolmen, follow the path around the edge of the field.


Facilities

There are no facilities at this monument

Map


Directions

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Weather

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Sunrise/Sunset

Sunrise: 08:23

Sunset: 16:13


Directions

Directionssq

Weather

Weathersq

Sunrise/Sunset


Sunrise: 08:23

Sunset: 16:13


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