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HAROLDSTOWN County Carlow

A well-preserved portal tomb beside the Derreen river 4 miles north-east of Tullow. It is in a field below Accuan bridge, which affords a good elevated view of the megalith, also known as the Tobinstown dolmen. The spacious chamber is relatively intact, lacking only one or possibly two sidestones, and measures 13 feet in length. It is covered by two large granite capstones, one of which is artificially grooved in the manner of several standing stones peculiar to the district. The chamber entrance is closed with a 6-feet high doorstone. The presence of an inquisitive horse in the photograph

is a reminder that many such monuments were utilised as animal shelters in the past. More remarkable is the fact that this tomb was home to human occupants in the nineteenth century. Borlase states that ‘a family at one time lived in this dolmen, which has a singularly house-like appearance, and in order to keep the cold out, plastered up the interstices with cob’.

Other Ancient Stones in County Carlow: Browne's Hill

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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