Ballynageeragh Portal Tomb is a

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

situated in

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

The tomb is located in pastureland 1 km (⅔ mile) northwest of Dunhill, near the headwaters of the

Annestown River Annestown () is a coastal village in County Waterford, Ireland on the Copper Coast between Dungarvan and Tramore made up of around 25 cottages and houses built on a steep hill. Sports It is a destination for surfers Surfing is a surface ...

History

Dolmens were constructed in Ireland in the

4th millennium BC The 4th millennium BC spanned the years 4000 BC to 3001 BC. Some of the major changes in human culture during this time included the beginning of the Bronze Age and the invention of writing, which played a major role in starting recorded history. ...

. Investigations in the late 1930s revealed

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

bone,

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

and

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

in the chamber. The tomb was (clumsily) reconstructed in 1940.

Description

The

has an oval capstone, 4 × 2.65 × 0.7 m, weighing 6¾ tons. The tomb faces southwest (toward the setting sun) but the portal-stones are missing. The capstone rests on a doorstone and a cushion stone on top of the back stone. There are several side stones.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in County Waterford Buildings and structures in County Waterford National Monuments in County Waterford Dolmens in Ireland