Kilmogue Portal Tomb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kilmogue Portal Tomb |
|
|---|---|
| Native name Irish: Leac an Scail Cill Mhóg |
|
| Kilmogue Dolmen Harristown Dolmen Cromlech of Kilmogue |
|
 |
|
| Type | dolmen |
| Location | Kilmogue/Harristown, Mullinavat, County Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Area | Nore Valley |
| Elevation | 165 m (541 ft) |
| Height | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Built | c. 4000–3000 BC |
| Official name: Kilmogue (Leacán Scoil) | |
| Reference no. | 324 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Kilmogue Portal Tomb, also known as Leac an Scail, is a very old stone structure in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It's a type of ancient tomb called a dolmen, which is a special kind of portal tomb. Today, it's protected as a National Monument of Ireland.
Contents
Where is the Kilmogue Portal Tomb?
The Kilmogue Portal Tomb is found on the eastern side of Brown Mountain. It is about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) northeast of a town called Mullinavat.
History of the Ancient Tomb
Most dolmens were built around 3000 BC. This was during a time called the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age. We don't know for sure what their exact purpose was. They might not have been only graves.
What Does the Name "Kilmogue" Mean?
The name "Kilmogue" comes from the Irish words Cill Mhóg. This means "Mog's church." Mog was a Celtic god linked to mountains. His name is similar to the word "might."
However, people built dolmens long before Celtic culture arrived in Ireland. Celtic settlers came to Ireland between 800 and 400 BC. This might mean that the Celtic people used these old monuments for their own gods.
What Does "Leac an Scail" Mean?
Another name for the tomb is Leac an Scail. This means "the hero's stone." The word scal means "burst." For example, scal ghréine means "sunburst." This word was used to describe the Fianna, who were famous mythological warriors.
It could also be Leac an Scáil, which means "the phantom's stone."
What Does the Dolmen Look Like?
The Kilmogue dolmen is made from granite stone. It has shiny quartz veins running through it. It has a very large capstone (top stone) that rests on two big portal stones. There is also a pillow stone that sits on a backstone.
The entrance of the tomb faces northeast. This means it faces towards where the sun rises during the summer solstice. There is also a special door-stone at the entrance.
