By Philip Thompson
The Kilternan dolmen is a national monument. It dates from the late stone age, about 2500BC. It is a single chamber megalithic tomb. The capstone which is over 6m long, weighs over 40 tons. This is the second largest dolmen capstone in Ireland. The dolmen at Browne’s Hill outside Carlow being the biggest. Hidden in the bushes in front of the dolmen is a line of stones which seem to form one side of a court area. It was originally supported by 7 orthostats. In relatively recent historic times the capstone has slipped off some of these and is now partially supported by a concrete pillar inserted by the Board of Works in 1956. While laying the foundations for this pillar they found some neolithic pottery fragments, two flint arrow heads and four other flint tools. Most dolmens have an east-west solar orientation. The one at Kilternan is an exception to this rule. It may possibly be orientated towards the peak of the Little Sugar Loaf visible through the valley of the Scalp. In ancient times the Sugarloaf was a holy place. The remains of a round pre-christian cell are still visible on one of the shoulders of the Big Sugarloaf. They are encircled by other holy places, such as Killegar, from which they are clearly visible.
The term ‘dolmen’ comes from the Breton term for a stone table. They are also known as cromlechs (from the welsh) or portal tombs. Their original purpose is lost in the mists of time. They pre-date the arrival of the Celts and their druidic religion by about 2000 years. Uncremated human remains were found by archaelogists in the chamber of the dolmen at Poulnabrone in the Burren. These were naturally defleshed before burial. Many dolmens are associated in folklore with ancient heroes. The one at Howth is known as the burial place of Oscar son of Ossian. The Kilternan dolmen is also known as ‘The Giant’s Grave’. They tend to be located on the sides of valleys. The capstone usually lies at an angle of about 30 degrees. As a result the top of the capstone can be easily seen. These monuments were obviously very important as they would have taken a lot of effort to build. A possible purpose for them was as a place where a fallen hero could lie in state before being buried inside. There are many other theories, such as focal points for the earth’s magnetic field, portals to the otherworld etc… my daughter says that dragons live in them. I guess that means our dog isn’t afraid of dragons! Which isn’t suprising as Princess is a Jack Russel cross - and Jack Russels aren’t afraid of anything.
My first visit to the dolmen was in 1991 having seen the right of way to it described in a small booklet called South-East Dublin Countryside Rambles. Unfortunately this public right-of-way from the old church on Bishop’s Lane to the dolmen was challenged by the landowner in the courts earlier last year and overturned. This was possible because people had changed to using a different route to access the Dolmen, along a farm track the landowner had constructed. To find this farm track, from Kilternan take the turn by the blue church towards Glencullen. A short way along here the road turns sharply to the left, but a small laneway, Bishop’s Lane continues straight on. Going along Bishop’s Lane you come to a ruined church. Turn left here down the hill and across the bridge. The road continues around a sharp right bend followed by a sharp left. Just around the second bend there is a gateway on the right, from which a track leads up towards the dolmen. The dolmen is up the hill to the right of this track just past a water cistern. Access is now only possible across private land. It is hoped that the council will use their powers to compulsorily purchase an access route if this cannot be established as a public right of way.
Want to know more email: philipthompson@remax.net
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