kilclooney dolmen

An exceptionally fine portal-tome or dolmen, prominent on the skyline 1/4 mile to the east of the main road, 4 miles north-north-west of Ardara. It well displays the classic features from which this type of monument derives its name. The matched portal stones and gracefully uptilted capstone (nearly 20 feet long and one of the largest in Ireland) oversailing the chamber entrance convey a sense of architectural awareness on the part of the builders and its streamlined profile has inspired numerous analogies; a bird, a fish, Concord, etc. depending on the imagination of the observer.

The tomb is substantially complete. A low sill-stone set between the 6 feet high portals closes off the chamber entrance. The lower end of the capstone does not rest directly on the back-stone as is usually the case, but is supported instead by a small intermediate stone whose function may have been to give increased height to the chamber. Fragments of undecorated Neolithic pottery were the only recorded finds.

A short distance west of this tomb is another similar construction but on a very much smaller scale.