The Gaulstown Portal Tomb or Gaulstown Dolmen is a
megalithic
portal tomb situated in
Gaulstown,
Butlerstown 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 ...
in the
Republic of Ireland. It lies about 7 km south west of
Waterford City.
Location
The tomb is named for the townsland in which it situated, Gaulstown, and sits at the foot of "Cnoc an Chaillighe" or "The Hill of the Hag".
Features
The portal tomb most likely dates from around 3500 BC, and is considered one of the finest examples of portal tombs in the region,
and was first recorded by
George Victor Du Noyer
George Victor Du Noyer MRIA (1817 – 3 January 1869) was an Irish painter, geologist and antiquary of Huguenot descent. As an artist, his favourite medium was watercolour, but a large number of sketches by him in pencil and other mediums also s ...
in 1864.
The tomb faces south east into the hillside, and consists of two east-facing portal stones which are high, with a door stone between and a chamber consisting of three other upright stones. All of these support a rectangular capstone, which is in length, and deep. 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.
It is likely that the structure was once enclosed by a mound or cairn, which has since been removed or eroded away.
See also
*
List of largest monoliths in the world
This is a list of monoliths organized according to the size of the largest block of stone on the site. A monolith is a large stone which has been used to build a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. In this list at l ...
References
External links
Discover Ireland
{{European Standing Stones
Archaeological sites in County Waterford
Buildings and structures in County Waterford
Dolmens in Ireland
National Monuments in County Waterford
Tombs in the Republic of Ireland