Description
Kilclooney, Narin, Portnoo, Donegal, Ireland
The first settlers to Ireland arrived somewhere between seven and eight thousand years ago right after our last ice age. Some say they crossed a frozen land bridge from Scotland. Others believe they arrived on primitive rafts or boats. Regardless of how they arrived they certainly left their mark on the Irish landscape for us all to wonder at for all eternity!
The ancient Kilclooney Dolmen tomb dates to 3500 BC. It is an excellent example of a dolmen or portal tomb and is thought to be one of the best in all Ireland. (A dolmen, also called a portal tomb megalithic burial chamber) This dolmen is almost completely intact and measures approximately 13 feet long by 20 feet across and stands over 6 feet high making it one of the largest in Ireland. Slightly to the left you will notice a smaller dolmen although it has partially collapsed through time.
To this very day nobody knows why these tombs are built in this manner, yet all over Ireland you will find portal tomb capstones tilted at angles of 15 degrees or so. Whether caused by the puzzling position of the capstone or the overall appearance and the surroundings the tomb is appealing to the eye, no matter from which angle you look at it. Many modern architects can still take inspiration from this tomb, almost 5000 years after its construction.
