On our tour around Northern Ireland I re-visited the Legananny Dolmen, a Neolithic structure hidden away in the County Down countryside.
On Location: 25th October 2022
Parking: There is a small parking area close to the dolmen at GR: J 2891 4329 What Three words ///twig.negotiators.cornering. This is a quiet location so parking which is free should be easy to do.
Refreshments: The dolmen is right in the open countryside. There are no refreshments or public toilets on site. The nearest towns will be Castlewellan to the south east, Ballynahinch to the north east and Banbridge to the west. Food and accommodation can be found in any of these towns.
Access to the dolmen: There is unrestricted 24 hour access to the dolmen. From the car park it is just a short walk up a farm track to the site. Don’t expect too much though, the dolmen is all there is here. A couple of information boards give explanations of how this stone structure came into being over 4,000 years ago. It is photogenic though, especially if you are able to visit early morning or late evening. The sunrise or sunset can add atmosphere to the scene.
The dolmen or cromlech is sited just off a small back lane, a couple of hundred metres from the car park.
Three huge stones act as legs or orthostats to support the upper stone.
The capstone measures 3m x 1.8 and dolmen such as this would have been portal tombs for the disposal of the dead in Neolithic times.
Early records mention ‘urns’ having been found in the dolmen, but it has not been archaeologically excavated.
The site is in classic County Down farmland, rolling green hills and grazing cattle. There are also great views of the Mourne Mountains.
There isn’t really much potential hereabouts for longer walks. A short way along the track gives this view of a derelict farmhouse. Quite a rarity in the province these days. Many old buildings such as this have been demolished and modern dwellings have been built on the same site. On mainland UK this would have most likely been restored.
Black and white gives the strong stones more texture and drama.
And that’s all there is too it. I loved my re-visit, it brought back some great memories. Back in the early 1990’s I produced a painting of this subject and added in a few hooded crows. I entered the work into the Society of Wildlife Artists Exhibition and luckily it was excepted.
It may have only been about 9″x9″ but I was honoured to have been part of the Annual Society Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London for that year. I think it is the only time that I have submitted work to such an event. Happy memories of Legananny Dolmen for me.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading this short blog. Thank you for reading.
