Back to Map
Ireland

Meehambee Dolmen

Time Periods

Paleolithic

Paleolithic

Mesolithic

Mesolithic

Neolithic

Neolithic

Chalcolithic

Chalcolithic

Bronze Age

Bronze Age

Iron Age

Iron Age

Classical Period

Classical Period

Post-Classical Period

Post-Classical Period

Early Modern Period

Early Modern Period

Industrial Period

Industrial Period

Contemporary Period

Contemporary Period

Location

About

The Meehambee Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb dating from about 3500 BC located in County Roscommon, Ireland. Two local schoolchildren unearthed two stone axes in the 1960s. Initially supported on six upright portals, 2.3 metres high, the capstone is estimated to weigh twenty-four tonnes. The portal stone supporting the back of the capstone has collapsed, allowing the capstone to slide backward out of position and causing the doorstone to collapse. As a result, the capstone now rests at a 45-degree angle. It is thought that these tombs, of which over 1,200 have been identified in Ireland, were either the burial place of a single important king or chieftain or perhaps the tombs of several tribe members who inhabited the area in the Neolithic era. It was known locally as Leabaidh Éirn in the 1930s.

Plan Your Visit

Details

Country
Ireland
Source
Wikipedia