Poulnabrone dolmen facts for kids
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Poll na Brón
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Poulnabrone
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 Location in Ireland
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| Location | parish of Kilcorney, the Burren |
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| Region | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°02′55″N 9°08′24″W / 53.0486903°N 9.1400214°W |
| Type | Portal tomb |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1986, 1988 |
| Condition | Good |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
| Reference no. | 632 |
The Poulnabrone dolmen (called Poll na Brón in Irish) is a very large stone tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. It sits on a high, quiet spot. This ancient tomb has three tall standing stones that hold up a huge flat capstone. It was built a long, long time ago, during the Neolithic period (also known as the New Stone Age), probably between 4200 BC and 2900 BC. It's the most famous and most photographed of about 172 similar stone tombs in Ireland.
The area around it is made of limestone rock, formed about 350 million years ago. Neolithic farmers built this dolmen. They might have used it for special ceremonies, as a way to mark their land, or as a place to bury people. What we see today is just the "stone skeleton" of the original monument. It would have been covered with soil and stones, forming a cairn.
When archaeologists dug here in 1986 and 1988, they found the remains of about 33 people. These included adults and children. They also found the remains of a baby from the later Bronze Age. Along with the bones, they found stone and bone objects. These items were likely placed with the people when they were buried. Both the human remains and the objects date from 3800 BC to 3200 BC.
Contents
What does Poulnabrone mean?
Poulnabrone is how the Irish name Poll na Brón sounds in English. The word Brón comes from the Irish word bró. This means a quernstone, which is a stone used for grinding grain. So, the name means "Hole (or Pool) of the Quernstone." Sometimes people wrongly translate it as "Hole of Sorrows."
Where is Poulnabrone located?
The Poulnabrone dolmen is in a rocky field in a remote, high area called Poulnabrone. This is in Kilcorney, near the R480 road. It is about 8 km south of Ballyvaughan. Some people think it's inside the Burren National Park, but it's actually outside its borders.
When it was built, it would have been hard to reach. It was probably used for special ceremonies even into the Bronze Age. There is also evidence it was used in the early medieval Celtic era. It might have also marked the edge of a territory in the Neolithic landscape. It was easy to see from far away. It was also close to an important route from Ballyvaughan Bay south to the area where Kilnaboy is now. People from settlements near Kilnaboy might have built it to show the northern border of their land. It was also used for burials.
How was Poulnabrone built?
Poulnabrone is the largest portal tomb in Ireland after Brownshill Dolmen in County Carlow. It sits on what's left of a small mound. It has a large, flat capstone that is about 4 meters (13 feet) long. This capstone is 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) wide and 30 cm (1 foot) thick.
Unlike other dolmens of this type, the capstone slopes towards the west. This huge capstone forms the "roof" of the chamber. It is held up by two sets of thin, upright stones called portal stones and orthostats. These stones are about 2 meters (5 to 7 feet) tall. They mark the entrance and support the capstone from the ground. This creates a chamber that gets narrower towards the east. The mound of stones around it, called a cairn, extends about 3 meters from the chamber.
The upright stones keep the chamber steady. They are placed directly on the limestone rock. This means they were not any taller during the Neolithic period. The entrance faces north. A low sill stone crosses the entrance. It sits on a crack in the rock that runs east to west. Three stones just before the sill stone form a small area called an antechamber. This area was filled with earth and stones.
Scientists used Radiocarbon dating to find out when the tomb was used. They believe it was a burial site between 3,800 and 3,200 BC. The items found during the digs are now at the Clare Museum in Ennis. They are on loan from the National Museum of Ireland.
Excavations and discoveries
In 1985, a crack was found on the eastern portal stone. People worried this crack might make the tomb unstable. So, two projects were done to fix and protect it. Dr. Ann Lynch, a Senior Irish Government Archaeologist, led both projects. The dolmen was taken apart, and the cracked stone was replaced. This work happened during excavations in 1986 and 1988.
Human remains found
During these digs, the remains of about 33 people were found buried under the monument. Most of the adults were under 30 years old. They lived between 3800 and 3200 BC. Because the site was not used for burials for thousands of years, these people were likely part of a special group.
Personal items buried with them included a polished stone axe. There was also jewelry like bone pendants and quartz crystals. Weapons and pottery were found too. None of the skeletons were complete. This suggests the site was not a place where bodies were buried one after another. Instead, the bones were mixed together. It was often hard to tell one person's remains from another, or even to know if they were male or female. Only one adult seemed to have lived past the age of 40.
Many bones showed signs of arthritis in the upper body. The children's teeth showed signs of illness and not enough food. In general, the bones showed that these people had hard lives. They often died before age 30, even though they might have been important people. Two bodies showed signs of serious injuries. One skull and rib cage had broken bones that had healed before death. An adult male hip bone had been pierced by a stone spear tip. This injury had not healed, meaning it happened close to the time of death.
The bodies were likely left somewhere else to decompose first. This place must have been protected, as no animal teeth marks were found on the bones. Only the bare bones were then brought to Poulnabrone and placed there. Some bones had burn marks. This might mean they were ritually cleaned by fire before being buried.
Much later, during the Bronze Age (around 1750 to 1420 BC), a newborn baby was buried just outside the entrance.
Visiting Poulnabrone
The site is still in good condition, even though many tourists visit it. A rope barrier helps keep visitors from getting too close to the dolmen. This helps protect the ancient stones. Visitors are asked not to go past this barrier or touch the dolmen.
A large car park was opened in 2007 by the Clare County Council. This was to help with traffic problems. In 2005, it was estimated that 200,000 people visited the site each year. In 2007, Dr. Ann Lynch, the archaeologist who led the digs, asked for fewer visitor facilities. She wanted to protect the "spiritual quality of the landscape" around the tomb.
See also
In Spanish: Poulnabrone para niños
