Gaulstown Portal Tomb
| Gaulstown Portal Tomb | |
|---|---|
| Tuama ursanach Chnoc an Ghallaigh | |
 The portal tomb in 2026 | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| 52°12′20″N 7°12′40″W / 52.2056°N 7.2112°W | |
| Type | Portal tomb |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Cultures | Celtic |
| Location | Gaulstown, County Waterford, Ireland |
| History | |
| Built | c. 3500 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes |
Official name | Gaulstown |
| Reference no. | 398[1][2] |
The Gaulstown Portal Tomb or Gaulstown Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb situated in Gaulstown, Butlerstown in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies about 7 km (4.3 mi) south west of Waterford City.[3]
Location
[edit]
The tomb is named for the townland in which it situated, Gaulstown, and sits at the foot of "Cnoc an Chaillighe" or "The Hill of the Hag".[4] Gaulstown townland lies in the civil parish of Lisnakill, in the barony of Middlethird.[5] In 1866, the geologist George Du Noyer described the tomb as standing on the northern flank of Carrick-a-roirk Hill, a name he translated as "the Rock of the Prospect".[6]
Features
[edit]The portal tomb most likely dates from around 3500 BC, and is considered one of the finest examples of portal tombs in the region,[3][7] and was first recorded by George Du Noyer who sketched the tomb in July 1863,[8][9] and published a description, plan and view of it, which he termed a "cromleac", in 1866.[6]
The tomb faces south east into the hillside, and consists of two east-facing portal stones which are 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) high, with a door stone between and a chamber consisting of three other upright stones.[6] All of these support a rectangular capstone, which is 4.2 metres (14 ft) in length, and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) deep. Du Noyer recorded the capstone as 12 by 7 feet (3.7 by 2.1 m), with an average thickness of 1 foot (0.30 m) and an estimated weight of about three tons. He recorded the inner chamber as 7 feet (2.1 m) long, 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) at its widest and 7 feet (2.1 m) high, and noted that the stones had been taken from the local trappean rock.[6]
The archaeologist T. G. E. Powell classified Gaulstown as a portal chamber, noting the large size of its portal stones, which project forward on either side of the closing slab. He counted it among the most important tombs in east Waterford.[7] The tomb has been undergone maintenance in the past, with a concrete support added inside the chamber. There is evidence that some of the upright stones may have moved over time, as the shape of the chamber has been impacted.[4]
It is likely that the structure was once enclosed by a mound or cairn, which has since been removed or eroded away.[10] Du Noyer also recorded a cist 31 feet (9.4 m) north-west of the tomb, built into the ground and measuring about 16 to 17 feet (4.9 to 5.2 m) long. One of its three covering slabs remained in place.[6]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ "National Monuments in County Waterford" (PDF). National Monuments Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "WA017-027---- Gaulstown: Portal tomb". Historic Environment Viewer. National Monuments Service. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- 1 2 Jackman, Neil (9 August 2014). "Heritage Ireland: The lonely Kilkenny cave that witnessed a massacre of 1,000 people". The Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Gaulstown Portal Tomb". Prehistoric Waterford. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Gaulstown Townland, Co. Waterford". townlands.ie. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Du Noyer, George V. (1866). "On Cromleacs near Tramore in the County of Waterford; with Remarks on the Classification of Ancient Irish Earthen and Megalithic Structures". The Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society. New Series. 5: 474–482. JSTOR 25502679.
- 1 2 Powell, T. G. E. (1941). "Megalithic Tombs in South-Eastern Ireland". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 71: 9–23.
- ↑ "Ancient Ireland - Exploring Irish Historic Monuments". Old Moore's Almanac. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Volume 7". George Victor Du Noyer Volumes. Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ "Gaulstown Portal Tomb". Megalithic Monuments of Ireland. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
External links
[edit]- Discover Ireland Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Gaulstown Dolmen via Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark
- Gaulstown Dolmen via Tuatha (Abarta Heritage)
