Kilclooney More Portal Tombs

Ask anyone with an interest in portal tombs to name their top five favorite sites and I would be very surprised if the magnificent Kilclooney More Portal Tomb was not in that top five list - maybe even No 1.

The weather on the day of my visit was not great, but the walk to the tomb knowing I was going to get to see a site at the top of my wish list soon made me forget all about the showers and very soft going under foot.

This tomb like so many others changes so much as you walk around it and yet Kilclooney still has that little bit more.
The capstone is over 4 meters in length and is close to 4 in width the tomb rises to height of just under 2 meters, this all comes together with its shape and angle to make this site so special.

Just a handful of meters away (as you can see in some of the images and small image at the bottom) is a much smaller tomb.
It is claimed the small tombs capstone only became dislodged as recent as the early part of the 1900s. 

The two tombs are thought to have once been part of the same cairn, to be very honest I am glad there is little left of the cairn as this makes the tombs really standout on the landscape.

Access if you park at the Dolmen Centre (make sure you call in and try their home made scones, that will be the second highlight of your day) located just off the R261, from there you are left with a 15 to 20 minute walk to the tomb which is visible from the road.   









  

Dunhill Portal Tomb

This is one of the lesser known tombs to be found on the Waterford megalithic map.
The capstone which is about four meters by three rests on one portal stone with the other end on a pile of various small rocks.
This tomb is by far in the worst shape compared to other sites in the area.

It is very easy to find.  The tomb is located in a field beside a large farm (their may be a Bull in the field but I could not see him ).

Gaulstown Portal Tomb

Gaulstown Portal Tomb is one of Waterford's superb portal tombs that is a must see along with the others named below.

The capstone on this tomb is close to five meters in length and is about one metre thick. It rests on six upright stones and will give you many different images when viewed from all sides.

The fourth image is thought to be all that remains of a cist, the stone is very impressive itself
( I am a  little bit worried that I did not notice it on my first visit ).

If your in Waterford and close to Tramore the tombs of Gaulstown, Knockeen, Ballynageeragh and Dunhill are all worth checking out.