Legananny Portal Tomb
Legananny Dolmen · Liagán Áine
Middle Neolithic·Irish Portal Tomb tradition·🇬🇧 County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
About
About Legananny Portal Tomb
Iconic tripod portal tomb nine miles southeast of Banbridge and three miles north of Castlewellan, built c.3500 BCE on a drumlin. Three slender granite supports hold a massive 1.5 m thick capstone 3×2 m, set atop a ruined cairn. State Care Historic Monument in Legananny townland, it is Northern Ireland's most photographed dolmen and a classic example of the portal tomb class.
Why it mattersIconic tripod portal tomb nine miles southeast of Banbridge and three miles north of Castlewellan, built c.3500 BCE on a drumlin. Three slender granite supports hold a massive 1.5 m thick capstone 3×2 m, set atop a ruine
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Balance stability over millennia
Theories
- 01Hilltop skyline placement
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3500 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic
- Culture
- Irish Portal Tomb tradition
- Purpose
- Tripod portal tomb
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1049 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
54.3230° N · 6.0200° W · 220 m · 2 mapped features
Capstone and portals
portal tombCapstone 3×2×1.5 m on three slender portals 1.8 m high
54.3230° N · 6.0200° WRuined cairn base
cairn moundRemains of cairn and buried court around tomb
54.3230° N · 6.0201° W
Gallery