What Is A Dolmen?

February 3, 2018 by Irish American Mom 20 Comments

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Dolmens are megalithic monuments found dotted around the Irish landscape. But what is a dolmen?

Standing for millennia, they perch majestically on grassy hillsides, on craggy cliffs, on winding roadsides, and even right between modern day homes.

In today's post let's explore the historical timeline, particularly unique properties, and secrets of these passage graves.

A large dolmen with three standing stones and a large capstone, with a mountain in the background — Legananny Dolmen Mourne Mountains County Down

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What countries have dolmens?
What is a Dolmen?
How Many Portal Tombs Are Found in Ireland?
What Were Dolmen's Used for?
Meaning of the Term Dolmen
Dolmen with the Largest Capstone
Megalithic Legends
How Old Are Ireland's Dolmens?
Dolmens Used As Mass Rocks

What countries have dolmens?

I think of dolmens as symbols of Ireland. When I was a little girl we would always be on the lookout for dolmens when driving around the Irish countryside.

Now, dolmens are not unique to the Emerald Isle, but are found throughout the British Isles and other parts of Europe and Asia. In fact they're found in many parts of the world.

Dolmens are found in Spain, Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula, in Italy and France (especially in Brittany and southern France), in Britain and all over the Korean Peninsula. There are over 35,000 dolmens on the Korean Peninsula.

Ireland may not have as many dolmens as South Korea, but there still are plenty to be seen.

Many dolmens have survived in Ireland, because Irish people over the centuries were afraid to destroy them.

The Irish are a superstitious race. Many believed that damaging dolmen sites could stir the wrath of the fairies or our Celtic ancestors.

A large flat topped dolmen in a rocky landscape — Poulnabrone Dolmen found in The Burren County Clare

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What is a Dolmen?

Dolmens are single-chamber megalithic tombs. Vertical stones usually support a massive flat capstone making the structure resemble a table.

These stone uprights hold the upper stone or capstone, which can weigh many tonnes.

When first built dolmens were typically covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus. Over the centuries these earthen coverings have weathered away, revealing their spectacular stone "skeletons."

Dolmen structures were built as burial tombs. You may also have heard the term cairn, which is a dry stone encasement or surrounding that covers one or more burial chambers. A cairn could cover a dolmen. Another name for this covering is a barrow.

The most famous cairn may be that of Queen Maeve of Connacht on top of Knocknarea in County Sligo.

A portal dolmen is one where two stone form an entrance to the tomb. Another name for a dolmen is a cromlech which comes from the Irish word cromleac meaning dolmen.

A menhir, by contrast, is a single standing stone. They are often referred to as ogham stones in Ireland. Some have a hole in the center and are thought to have been used in marriage ceremonies, with the bride and groom standing on either side of the stone, while joining hands through the hole in the center.

A cromlech is another term worth noting. It refers to a stone circle. One Irish example is Drombeg Stone Circle, in West Cork in Ireland.

A rock structure beside a flat mountain — Dolmen at Carrowmore County Sligo

How Many Portal Tombs Are Found in Ireland?

Ireland is home to over 150 of these ancient portal tombs, and so I think it is fair to consider these historic monuments as symbols of our ancient past.

And so today, I hope you'll join me as we take a little tour of Ireland's wondrous dolmens, both great and small.

A dolmen with a massive capstone beneath and blue and cloudy sky — Dolmen at Portnoo County Donegal

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What Were Dolmen's Used for?

Archaeologists believe that these ancient monuments were erected to remember the dead.

Bones have been found beneath some dolmens confirming that they were in fact burial chambers.

They were constructed as burial markers for important leaders in ancient societies.

They may also have been spiritual sites used as places to host ceremonies and commemorations.

On the hill of Howth in County Dublin, you’ll find a large collapsed dolmen known as Aideen's Grave. From this point on the east coast a mythical line traverses the country passing through Tara and Loughcrew. Many ancient dolmens and megalithic sites are found along this way, finally ending on the west coast at Queen Maeve's cairn on Knocknarea in Co Sligo.

Meaning of the Term Dolmen

The term dolmen means stone table. The word dolmen is derived from two Breton words, with "dual" meaning table, and "maen" meaning stone.

The most amazing thing about some of these dolmens is their massive capstones.

A large dolmen or megalith in a field — Slidderyford Dolmen near Newcastle County Down

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At a time when there was no power assisted hoist or crane, our ancestors figured out how to raise, prop, position and balance these gigantic table tops upon three or four supporting stones.

How these ancient builders raised these capstones on top of three upright stones is truly amazing.

Archaeologists have not been able to solve this puzzle about how humans moved these massive stone slabs.

Large dolmen with a woman standing beside it — Brownshill Dolmen Co Carlow

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Dolmen with the Largest Capstone

Brownshill, the largest dolmen in Ireland and Europe is found in County Carlow.

That massive capstone weighs over 150 tons (tonnes in English spelling), which is a staggering 330,693 pounds.

Our Celtic forefathers were no weaklings, that's for sure

A megalithic tomb in a green field — Ballykeel Dolmen County Armagh

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Whenever I lay eyes on a dolmen I can't help but ask the inevitable question - how on earth did early Irish men and women, manipulate these gargantuan stones into place?

And the truth is, nobody truly knows how they did it.

Large stone mounument in a field — Proleek Dolmen County Louth

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Megalithic Legends

Irish legends claim it was early Irish giants who tossed these monuments together using their mythical strength and prowess to mark the landscape with these enduring memorials.

A troupe of mere mortals surrounding these stones could never generate enough manpower to heave and hoist these megaliths into position.

A portal tomb in a snowy landscape — Dolmen at Gaulstown County Waterford

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And so it's safe to say, some form of ancient engineering marvel was utilized by our ancestors, to create these rocky shrines.

For me, dolmens are lasting proof of the genius of our forebears, testament to their skill and determination to mark the landscape of their homeland.

A dolmen with two capstones in a green field — Aughnacliff Dolmen County Longford

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How Old Are Ireland's Dolmens?

Dolmens date from between 4,000 BC to 2,000 BC and tend to have a large concentration along Ireland's coastline, especially in the east.

Ancient remains have been found near some of these monuments, and so it is thought they may have been used to commemorate the dead.

Ireland's ancient dolmens were primarily used as burial chambers for important people within a community. Weapons, pottery, pots, knives and other tools have been found when some dolmens were excavated.

Or perhaps they were places for holding ceremonies and celebrations.

A flat topped dolmen or portal tomb beneath a purple and orange sky — Poulnabrone at sunset County Clare

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Poulnabrone Dolmen in County Clare is the oldest known dolmen in Ireland. It was built sometime between 5,200 and 5,800 years ago.

When excavated the remains of 22 people from the Neolithic Age were found.

Their burial site beneath the monument included personal items like pottery and stone axes.

A dolmen shaped like an altar beside the ocean — Altar Wedge Tomb near Schull County Cork

Dolmens Used As Mass Rocks

The dolmen pictured above is found on the Mizen Peninsula in County Cork, a few miles west of the town of Schull. It's called the Altar Wedge tomb. Perhaps it was used by the druids as an altar, but the Irish used it as an altar far more recently.

At the time of the Penal Laws in Ireland (17th century), when attending Mass was illegal, this dolmen in Cork was used as an altar by a priest-in-hiding, who would gather his flock to covertly say Mass.

Locals would surround the area with lookouts for English soldiers, as the Irish prayed at their mass rock.

A stone portal tomb surrounded by stone walls — Dolmen inside the stone fort at Carrowmore County Sligo

With more than 100 dolmens scattered throughout Ireland, we know for certain our forebears attributed some special significance to building these monuments.

They built these structures to last, and they have stood the tests of time. Some are over 5000 years old and are found in various states of repair and disrepair throughout Ireland.