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BRENANSTOWN County Dublin

Known as the Glen Druid Dolmen after the narrow secluded valley in which it stands, 8 miles south-east of Dublin, this remarkable granite megalith was visited and sketched by Walter Harris about 1740, and by Gabriel Beranger in 1775, whose watercolour is reproduced above. Like several portal tombs in the Dublin area it is a large example of the class, with a chamber measuring 10 feet in length and up to 7 feet in maximum width. The mighty capstone, a tilted squarish block 15 feet by 15 feet and weighing perhaps 40 tons, is borne on half a dozen uprights, the front pair forming a portal with a traverse slab set between them.

On the upper surface of the capstone two prominent grooves or channels are visible, diverging as they run down towards the back, one having twin ducts leading to the corner of the stone. They have evidently been artificially produced and appear to be drainage channels; but whether for carrying rainwater or, as proponents of druidism would have it, something more sanguinary, is anyone’s guess.

Other Ancient Stones in County Dublin:
Howth | Kiltiernan | Woodtown

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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