<< Our Photo Pages >> Dowth Passage Grave - Passage Grave in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Meath
Submitted by Anthony_Weir on Saturday, 08 March 2014 Page Views: 23949
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Dowth Passage GraveCountry: Ireland (Republic of) County: Co. Meath Type: Passage Grave
Nearest Town: Drogheda Nearest Village: Slane
Map Ref: O02377377
Discovery Map Number: D43
Latitude: 53.703751N Longitude: 6.450629W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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sirius_b KieKa rrmoser would like to visit
SimonBlackmore visited on 27th Apr 2017 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5
bat400 visited on 1st May 2011 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 4
jeffrep visited on 16th Apr 2009 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4
X-Ice visited on 2nd Aug 1982 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 4
61271 neolithique02 DrewParsons davidmorgan mark_a have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4 Ambience: 4.75 Access: 4.25
It was partly excavated in 1847 though it had been pillaged (by Vikings and earlier looters) long before that. The cairn or tumulus is about 90 metres in diameter and 15 metres high. Three stone-lined passages lead into the mound from the W : one to a cruciform passage-tomb chamber, one to a circular passage-tomb chamber, and the third to a much later souterrain or refuge. When I was last there, the cruciform tomb was reached by climbing down a ladder in an iron cage, and crawling about over loose stones. The long passage is crossed by 3 sill-stones.
This tomb is – in all senses - less developed than the neighbouring and preceding tourist-attractions of Newgrange and Knowth, partly because the chamber is much lower, and partly because the decoration is much poorer. The chamber is lintelled rather than corbelled, and on the floor stands a single stone basin – somewhat the worse for wear after 5,000 years. The right-hand arm of the chamber leads into another long rectangular chamber with 2 subsidiaries: an L-shaped extension entered over a low sill. This may be the earliest part of the tomb, later brought within the design of the cruciform tomb.
It is floored with a 2.4 metre long flagstone containing an oval bullaun (artificial depression). Several of the orthostats of passage and chamber are decorated with spirals, chevrons, lozenges and rayed circles. Rayed circles or suns can also be seen on one of the decorated kerbstones of the tumulus.
A kerbstone with cup-marks, a spiral and a flower-like design marks the entrance to the second, smaller tomb – with modern concrete roof. Quartz was found fallen outside the kerbing, showing that the entrance to this tomb was surrounding by glittering white, as at Newgrange. This tomb has a few decorated stones, and a single, massive right-hand recess.
At the entrance to the passage of the cruciform tomb is an early mediæval souterrain.
Note: This article is by Anthony Weir and includes his personal views.
Note: CGI flythrough of Dowth from Laser Scans, see comment on our page
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