A picture-perfect dolmen

The Poulnabrone Dolmen is located in a dramatic and sparsely populated area known as ‘The Burren’. This is a classic example of a portal tomb with the taller portal stones flanking the entrance to a rectangular stone chamber and would originally have been surrounded by a small cairn of stones. Its name ‘Poulnabrone’ translates to mean ‘rocky place’. This area is covered in giant slabs of limestone that have been eroded and dissolved by rainwater creating what is described as a ‘karst’ landscape that looks like a moonscape. Remains of at least 31 infants, children, and adults were excavated in 1986 along with personal possessions including polish stone axes, decorated stone beads, quartz crystals, pottery, chert, and flint weapons. Radiocarbon dating also shows that a newborn child was buried in the front section nearly 2000 years after the tomb was built. Its timeless simplicity has made it one of the most photographed landmarks in Ireland.