Aideen's Grave is a collapsed megalithic dolmen located in the grounds of Howth Castle in north County Dublin, Ireland. [1]
Aideen's Grave is a collapsed megalithic dolmen located in the grounds of Howth Castle in north County Dublin, Ireland. [1]
The tomb is thought to date to around 2,500 BC, and is located on the lower slopes of the Hill of Howth, overlooked by cliffs named Muck Rock, and faces south-east. It is likely the large cap-stone was brough from the quartzite cliff nearby. [2] [3] The tomb is consists of two portal stones, an entrance stone and a collapsed colossal roof stone, which weighs an estimated 75 tonnes. The capstone is the second largest in Ireland after the one at Brownshill dolmen in County Carlow. The tomb has a single chamber. [4] The name Aideen is said to refer to Étaín, a figure in Irish mythology. [5] She is alternatively mentioned as the daughter or wife of Aengus. [6]
In 2024, calls were made by various politicians to make the tomb and surrounding area a national monument. [7]
The dolmen is the subject of a poem by Samuel Ferguson from 1858 named Aideen's Grave. [8] [9] [10] It is said that the poem came about through Ferguson's connection with Howth as well as his connection with the illustrator and antiquarian Margaret Stokes, who also lived nearby.
A dolmen or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus. Small pad-stones may be wedged between the cap and supporting stones to achieve a level appearance. In many instances, the covering has eroded away, leaving only the stone "skeleton".
A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or stone and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age and are found largely in Western Europe. When covered in earth, a passage grave is a type of burial mound which are found in various forms all over the world. When a passage grave is covered in stone, it is a type of cairn.
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 structures or arrangements in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
Sir Samuel Ferguson was an Irish poet, barrister, antiquarian, artist and public servant. He was an acclaimed 19th-century Irish poet, and his interest in Irish mythology and early Irish history can be seen as a forerunner of William Butler Yeats and the other poets of the Irish Literary Revival.
Megalithic art refers to art either painted or carved onto megaliths in prehistoric Europe. Elizabeth Shee Twohig has coined the term Megalithic art in her study of 'The Megalithic Art of Western Europe'. Her original definition of Megalithic art focused on paintings or carvings found on the structural elements, like the kerbstones, orthostats, or capstones of megalithic tombs, but recent investigations have included decorations on stelae and menhirs.
Howth is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the island of Ireland's Eye, which holds multiple natural protection designations.
Carrowmore is a large group of megalithic monuments on the Coolera Peninsula to the west of Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic. There are thirty surviving tombs, making Carrowmore one of the largest clusters of megalithic tombs in Ireland, and one of the 'big four' along with Carrowkeel, Loughcrew and Brú na Bóinne. Carrowmore is the heart of an ancient ritual landscape which is dominated by the mountain of Knocknarea to the west. It is a protected National Monument.
Mount Venus is a sacred megalithic site in Edmondstown, County Dublin, Ireland on the Mount Venus Road. It is a national heritage site.
Howth Castle is a historic dwelling, originally of Norman origin, that lies by the village of Howth, County Dublin, Ireland; it is sited within a substantial estate. The castle was the ancestral home of the St Lawrence family that had held the area since the Norman Invasion of 1180, and the head of which held the title of Lord Howth, a feudal barony, until circa 1425, Baron Howth to 1767, then Earl of Howth until 1909. The castle and estate were held by distaff heirs, the Gaisford-St Lawrence family, from 1909 to 2019, when they were sold to Tetrarch Capital.
Poulnabrone dolmen is a large dolmen located in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. Situated on one of the region's most desolate and highest points, it comprises three standing portal stones supporting a heavy horizontal capstone and dates to the early Neolithic period, with estimates from 4200 BC to 2900 BC. Although not the largest, it is the best known of the approximately 172 dolmens in Ireland.
Brownshill Dolmen is a very large megalithic portal tomb situated 3 km east of Carlow, in County Carlow, Ireland. Its capstone weighs an estimated 150 metric tons, and is reputed to be the heaviest in Europe. The tomb is listed as a National Monument. Known as the Kernanstown Cromlech, sometimes spelled as Browneshill Dolmen, it is sited on the former estate house of the Browne family from which it takes its name.
The Meehambee Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb dating from about 3500 BC located in County Roscommon, Ireland.
Megalithic monuments in Ireland typically represent one of several types of megalithic tombs: court cairns, passage tombs, portal tombs and wedge tombs. The remains of over 1,000 such megalithic tombs have been recorded around Ireland.
Kilclooney More is a townland in the northwest of Ireland in coastal County Donegal. It is situated halfway between Narin and Ardara at the R261 on the Loughrea Peninsula.
The Knockeen Portal Tomb is a megalith in Knockeen, County Waterford, Ireland. It is the largest dolmen in County Waterford exhibiting a double capstone configuration, though it is not the tallest standing stone structure. It is one of the finest examples of a dolmen in Ireland.
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.
Brennanstown Portal Tomb, also called Glendruid Dolmen or Cabinteely Dolmen, is a dolmen constructed in Prehistoric Ireland and located in County Dublin. It is a National Monument.
Kiltiernan Tomb, also called Kiltiernan Portal Tomb or Kiltiernan Dolmen, is a dolmen located in County Dublin, Ireland. It is a National Monument.
Kilmogue Portal Tomb, also called Leac an Scail, is a dolmen and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
Knockmaree Dolmen, or Knockmaree Cist, is a prehistoric site of the Neolithic period, in Phoenix Park just north of Chapelizod, near Dublin, Ireland. Other forms of the name are Knockmary or Knockmaroon Dolmen, or Cnoc-Maraidhe.
