Poulnabrone Dolmen
The Burren is a large karst formation in Ireland and it is one of the major tourist attractions in the country. When I saw photos of the place, I wondered why would this place be interesting. Turns out there are a lot of archeological sites scattered all over the place. I guess this place used to be far busier than it is now. The landscape is dominated by limestone. Think of it as a smooth hill made of limestone. It is different from the bizarre karst formations I have seen elsewhere. One of the more interesting places here at the Burren is the Poulnabrone Dolmen.
The Table Structure of the Poulnabrone Dolmen
A dolmen is a portal tomb usually made of large rocks. It seems there is still uncertainty about the purpose of these structures. It is not always the case that there is someone buried there. These dolmens tend to follow a table pattern, where a large flat slab of rock is laid on top of the “legs” forming a table shaped structure. I must say that this is quite impressive. The last time I saw something like this was probably the one at Newgrange, but that one was on a totally different level. The Poulnabrone Dolmen is much humbler. There is a fence around the structure so that no one would accidentally topple the structure. It is estimated that the dolmen was erected between the years 4200 BC and 2900 BC. The dates seem to be quite far apart, but one thing is for sure. It more than four thousand years old. It is mind blowing to think that this structure has been standing that long.
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