Poulnabrone Dolmen Photos
Recommended Reviews - Poulnabrone Dolmen
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I saw a picture of this type of rock on the cover of my lonely planner Ireland tour book. So I started to look into those rocks and realized the site is all over the Ireland. It's a quick, self-guided 10 minutes walk. You can stop here after visiting the Cliff Moher and before Galway. The landscape is very unusual. The mountain is covered by rocks. I don't believe I saw anything like this in my Ireland trip. The rock is full of calcium. So u heard the cow milk is excellent in this area. There is no admission fee for this place. It's not a hot tourist spot, so only few people there. It's a cool style tomb and looks magnificent no matter which angel you take picture from. The glacier rocks makes the whole place looks more mysterious. This is a high-light of my Ireland trip because I've always wanted to see it. If you have about 30 minutes on your trip, I'll definitely suggest to have a quick stop by and check it out.
Along the way from the Cliffs of Moher to Londonderry, we stopped at Poulnabrone dolmen, a portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period. A dolmen is a type of stone monument made of two or more upright stones with a single stone lying across them, and this is one of the best-known of all Irish dolmens. An excavation in 1985 revealed that there were the remains of over two dozen humans buried under the stones. It is situated on the karstic limestone pavement of the Burren, which was a really interesting landscape.
This ancient tomb is the crowning glory in the Burren's barren, otherworldly landscape. Somewhere around 5,000 years old, it is an imposing monument to the spirituality of Ireland's earliest peoples. (You try shifting an 8 ton slab of stone in the rain without a crane. You'd have to really want to do it...) The Dolmen has a big car park and gets hammered by tour buses during the peak season. I would wait till winter, and view it in the misty miserable drizzle. You will get the excellent chatty, friendly, informative OPW guide all to yourself (and you will learn a lot), as well as a real appreciation for how hard life must have been on this bare limestone plateau. The tomb is visible from the R480 and the car park is signposted.
By far our favorite Neolithic structure seen during our drive through Ireland. The path from parking lot was gravel but to get close we had to walk over some weathered and rutted limestone. Tread carefully. The enigmatic portal has been standing for many thousands of years. Maybe a marker, a tomb or something else. A must see for those driving through the Burren. read more
Some 22 years, I first encountered Poulnabrone Dolmen, prior to the Cliff of Moher. I was very eager to revisit. The Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren, County Clare, is surely one of the most photogenic ancient sites in Ireland, with its thin limestone slabs lying elegantly atop one another. It's also the OLDEST dated megalithic monument on the island, dating back 5,800 years! But the accolades don't stop there. After the Cliffs of Moher, it's the second most visited site in the Burren. read more
9 years ago
The Poulnabrone Dolmen contends for my favorite place we saw during our trip around Ireland. It seems to be very prevalent on tour book covers and seemed too iconic to miss. It was pouring rain as we drove to it but when we arrived, the clouds started to clear and we were able to spend a fair amount of time enjoying the area. Thanks to the unpredictable weather, there were only a couple other groups there. The portal tomb itself is striking but almost equally impressive is the landscape. This seemed to be the perfect example of the limestone terrain that the Burren is known for. The tomb has a roped off perimeter around it that keeps it a safe distance from the prying tourists and thankfully everyone there at the same time as us was being very respectful. The car park had ample space (could easily fit several tour buses in addition to the cars) and is well marked. It is absolutely worth the detour if you are traveling between Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. 5 stars. read more
I saw a picture of this type of rock on the cover of my lonely planner Ireland tour book. So I started to look into those rocks and realized the site is all over the Ireland. It's a quick, self-guided 10 minutes walk. You can stop here after visiting the Cliff Moher and before Galway. The landscape is very unusual. The mountain is covered by rocks. I don't believe I saw anything like this in my Ireland trip. The rock is full of calcium. So u heard the cow milk is excellent in this area. There is no admission fee for this place. It's not a hot tourist spot, so only few people there. It's a cool style tomb and looks magnificent no matter which angel you take picture from. The glacier rocks makes the whole place looks more mysterious. This is a high-light of my Ireland trip because I've always wanted to see it. If you have about 30 minutes on your trip, I'll definitely suggest to have a quick stop by and check it out. read more
10 years ago
Along the way from the Cliffs of Moher to Londonderry, we stopped at Poulnabrone dolmen, a portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period. A dolmen is a type of stone monument made of two or more upright stones with a single stone lying across them, and this is one of the best-known of all Irish dolmens. An excavation in 1985 revealed that there were the remains of over two dozen humans buried under the stones. It is situated on the karstic limestone pavement of the Burren, which was a really interesting landscape. read more
15 years ago
This place is interesting for all the things mentioned by James A., BUT it's sort of disappointing that it is so small and in the middle of nowhere! If you have time, don't miss it. If you don't, skip it. read more
17 years ago
This ancient tomb is the crowning glory in the Burren's barren, otherworldly landscape. Somewhere around 5,000 years old, it is an imposing monument to the spirituality of Ireland's earliest peoples. (You try shifting an 8 ton slab of stone in the rain without a crane. You'd have to really want to do it...) The Dolmen has a big car park and gets hammered by tour buses during the peak season. I would wait till winter, and view it in the misty miserable drizzle. You will get the excellent chatty, friendly, informative OPW guide all to yourself (and you will learn a lot), as well as a real appreciation for how hard life must have been on this bare limestone plateau. The tomb is visible from the R480 and the car park is signposted. read more
12 years ago
I was expecting something much bigger especially as in photos it really seems quite large so I was quite taken aback when it was rather small! Nevertheless, it was still worth the visit and was quite incredible to see. We arrived just before 10 am and were the only ones there which was quite special! There is a lot of information about the tomb around the place and the terrain is really quite intriguing. I'd love to see a time lapse of the area over the last 10,000 years to see all the changes it's gone through! I'd definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area. read more
8 years ago
9 years ago
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