Legananny Dolmen

About

The Dolmen at Legananny is probably the most famous and most photographed megalithic monument in Northern Ireland.

Legananny Dolmen is located three miles north of Castlewellan, in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the slopes of Slieve Croob.  It is nestled between a farmer's stone wall and a rural road. The Dolmen is a State Care Historic Monument, It has a large flat capstone, gracefully balanced on three unusually tall supporting stones often likened to a coffin on stilts. 

This tripod dolmen has a capstone over 3m long and 1.8m from the ground. It dates back to the Neolithic period, making the monument approximately 5,000 years old. These portal tombs were memorial sites for the disposal of the dead in Neolithic society. The heavy stones would have been dragged some distance before being set in place. The three supporting stones are unusually long and there are slight traces of a cairn which must have been far more extensive. Some urns were found underneath the dolmen but it has not been archaeologically excavated.  Views from Legananny Dolmen are beautiful, stretching across to the Mountains of Mourne.

The name Legananny is derived from Irish Liagán Áine 'Áine's standing stone' 

The monument is free to visit and has parking close by.