Ballykeel, County Armagh
The majestic profile of this 'tripod dolmen', to the east of Ballykeel road 4 1/2 miles south-west of Camlough, recalls the classic lines of Legananny in Co. Down, and like it belongs to the late Neolithic period of tomb building, around 2500 BC. It is set in the south end of a cairn 94 feet in length and still 2 to 3 feet high, with its entrance facing south. To the east rises the cairn-crowned mass of Slieve Gullion, 'Ireland's most mysterious mountain', steeped in folklore and legends of the mighty Cúchulainn.
The sturdy portal stones taper gracefully to a height of nearly 7 feet and have a doorstone set between them blocking the entrance to half its height. There is no formal chamber however and the sides of the tomb may never have been fully enclosed. The great 9-feet long capstone had collapsed behind the portal when the rear support gave way sometime in the distant past, but was restored to its original position following excavation in 1963. A considerable amount of Neolithic pottery was recovered including 'Ballyalton bowls' (a type of decorated vessel with a distinctive shouldered rim, first recorded from a site in Co. Down). The north end of the cairn harboured a megalithic burial chamber or cist, the scant finds from which included a flint javelin.
Other Ancient Stones in County Armagh:
Aghmakane | Annacloghmullin | Annaghmare | Ballymacdermot | Clonlum | Clontygora | Kilnasaggart | Slieve Gullion
Click here to buy the Appletree Press book from Amazon.co.uk. For more information click on: Ireland's Ancient Stones - A Megalithic Heritage by Kenneth McNally, published by Appletree Press.
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