9 Tombs to Explore in Ireland

Checkout places to visit in Ireland

Ireland

A country in the north-western Europe. Ireland, or Republic of Ireland shares its only border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is surrounded by the ocean in all it's other sides. About 40% of the countries 5 million population lives in the greater city area of Dublin.

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Tombs to Explore in Ireland

Audleystown Court Tomb

Audleystown Court Tomb is an Neolithic dual court tomb located in Ballyculter parish, near the southern shore of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. The tomb was built during the period 3900–3500 BCE. It was first excavated by archaeologist, A.E. Collins in 1952. The Audleystown court tomb has a double courtyard-double burial chamber layout, which is uniqute to Ireland.

Ballynageeragh Portal Tomb

Ballynageeragh Portal Tomb is a dolmen and National Monument situated in County Waterford, Ireland. Its oval capstone measures 4 metres in length and 2.65 in width, it rests on the door-stone, and a cushion stone is situated between the capstone and the backstone. There are around ten portal tombs within a radius of twenty kilometres from here with the finest examples at Gaulstown and Knockeen plus many standing stones and a few passage tombs all very accessible.

Dowth Passage Tomb

A 5,500-year-old passage tomb uncovered at Dowth Hall in the heart of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage site in Co Meath is “the most significant megalithic find in Ireland in the last 50 years”, archaeologists believe. It is less developed as a tourist attraction than its neighbours, partly because the chamber is much lower, and partly because the decoration is less visible.

Duntryleague Passage Tomb

This tomb is situated near the peak of a small but steep hill outside the village of Galbally in County Limerick, overlooking the River Loobagh valley to the north. It is an unusual structure as passage tombs of this size are rare in that part of the country another curious aspect is its three roof stones which are rested on top of one another, a style very common in Brittany. According to legend, it was the burial place of Ailill Aulom , a King of Munster.

Four Knocks Tomb

Four Knocks is a Passage Chamber Tomb built about 5000 years ago. It is located 10 miles southeast of Newgrange between Ardcath in County Meath and the Naul in County Dublin. It has a short passage leading into a wide pear shaped chamber with three smaller offset chambers. The original roof was probably a wooden structure supported by a central pole. The name Fourknocks may be from the Irish Fuair Cnocs meaning Cold Hills.

Knockroe Passage Tomb

This majestic neolithic tomb was approximately 5000 years old. Known locally as ‘The Caiseal’, it has only been excavated since 1990. There are two chambers on the site: the larger western chamber is aligned so that sunlight at sunset at the winter solstice shines along the passageway. It is National Monument no. 655, managed by the Office of Public Works on behalf of the state.

Labbacallee Wedge Tomb

This is the Ireland’s largest monument of this type. This was the first megalithic tomb in the country to be described by an antiquarian writer, in John Aubrey’s manuscript of 1693. The gallery is covered by three massive capstones, the largest weighs around ten tonnes and the tomb has three large buttress stones at the rear.

Poulnabrone Dolmen

Poulnabrone Dolmen is Ireland’s oldest megalithic monument and an epic portal tomb made up of massive stones. It is the best known and most often photographed of the almost 200 dolmens in Ireland because of its near perfect symmetry. Excavations at the site in the 1980's CE uncovered human remains and grave goods, establishing the site as an ancient tomb, but it may have served other purposes as well.

Seefin Passage Tomb

Seefin Passage Tomb is a passage grave and National Monument located atop Seefin Hill, County Wicklow, Ireland. The tomb was built circa 3,300 BC. It was excavated by R. A. Stewart Macalister in 1931, but no artefacts or human remains were found, suggesting that no-one was ever buried there, or that the remains were later removed. There are large kerb stones around the base of the tomb and the tomb has a passageway 7 mlong which opens into a chamber with five compartments.

Map of Tombs to explore in Ireland