previously posted on aroundireland.wordpress.com

This is probably one of the more surprisingly under-visited sites in Ireland. A portal tomb or dolmen dating back to between 4,000 and 3,000 B.C., it has what is believed to be the largest capstone in Europe weighing over one hundred tonnes. Even though it’s as old as Stonehenge, there aren’t the crowds visiting it that throng to Stonehenge- and at Brownshill, you can actually walk over and touch the stones. It’s likely that religious rites and possibly a burial occurred at the Brownshill Dolmen, but as it’s never been excavated little information exists about the history and usage of the site. Situated on a small hill about 3km outside Carlow town on the Hacketstown Road (technically the R726, though no one will know it by the number) on the right-hand side if travelling from Carlow town, it’s well worth a visit.