Gaulstown Portal Tomb

52.2056°N 7.2112°W / 52.2056; -7.2112

Gaulstown Portal Tomb
Tuama Tairseach Ghaulstown
Gaulstown Dolmen
Gaulstown Portal Tomb is located in Ireland
Gaulstown Portal Tomb
Shown within Ireland
LocationGaulstown, Butlerstown, County Waterford
RegionMunster
Coordinates52.2056°N 7.2112°W / 52.2056; -7.2112
TypePortal tomb
History
BuilderUnknown
PeriodsNeolithic
CulturesCeltic/Viking
Site notes
Public accessYes
Official nameGaulstown
Reference no.398[1]

The Gaulstown Portal Tomb or Gaulstown Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb situated in Gaulstown, Butlerstown in County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. It lies about 7 km south west of Waterford City.[2]

Location

The tomb is named for the townsland in which it situated, Gaulstown, and sits at the foot of "Cnoc an Chaillighe" or "The Hill of the Hag".[3]

Features

The portal tomb most likely dates from around 3500 BC, and is considered one of the finest examples of portal tombs in the region,[2] and was first recorded by George Victor Du Noyer in 1864.[4] The tomb faces south east into the hillside, and consists of two east-facing portal stones which are 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) high, with a door stone between and a chamber consisting of three other upright stones. All of these support a rectangular capstone, which is 4.2 metres (14 ft) in length, and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) deep. The tomb has been undergone maintenance in the past, with a concrete support added inside the chamber. There is evidence that some of the upright stones may have moved over time, as the shape of the chamber has been impacted.[3] It is likely that the structure was once enclosed by a mound or cairn, which has since been removed or eroded away.[5]

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaulstown Dolmen.

References
  1. "National Monuments in County Waterford" (PDF). National Monuments Service. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  2. Jackman, Neil (9 August 2014). "Heritage Ireland: The lonely Kilkenny cave that witnessed a massacre of 1,000 people". The Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  3. "Gaulstown Portal Tomb". Prehistoric Waterford. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  4. "Ancient Ireland - Exploring Irish Historic Monuments". Old Moore's Almanac. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  5. "Gaulstown Portal Tomb". Megalithic Monuments of Ireland. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
Look up dolmen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.