Cromlechs and portal tombs

Cromlech Fields, Ballybrack.

The terms cromlech and dolmen are used interchangeably. This cromlech is located in the middle of a housing estate on the Ballybrack-Shanganagh Road on the right hand side. This image is a good example of the development that often occurs around these monuments. The surroundings are now vastly different, the lands having belonged to the Domville estate. At its highest the dolmen stands at 2.75 metres. Not as impressive as the larger monuments, but interesting nonetheless

Cromlech Fields, Ballybrack.

The terms cromlech and dolmen are used interchangeably. This cromlech is located in the middle of a housing estate on the Ballybrack-Shanganagh Road on the right hand side. This image is a good example of the development that often occurs around these monuments. The surroundings are now vastly different, the lands having belonged to the Domville estate. At its highest the dolmen stands at 2.75 metres. Not as impressive as the larger monuments, but interesting nonetheless

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Similar monuments were being erected at the time called cromlechs. The two terms (dolmen and cromlech) tend to be used interchangeably. One of these is Ballybrack or Shanganagh cromlech, situated in a field on the Ballybrack-Shanganagh Road, on the right hand side. The tablestone weighs about twelve tons and the cromlech is made entirely of granite. Underneath the tablestone the chamber measures six feet seven inches by two and a half feet and goes in an east-west direction.

Brehons Chair, Taylor

This monument does not really resemble a chair, unlike the one in Killiney. It consists of three granite pillars standing in a circular arrangement. Gabriel Beranger refers to the monument in 1776 as the Seat of Judgement for the Arch Druid. His sketches indicate there was originally a capstone on the monument but that no longer remains. There has been much debate about the authenticity of this ‘chair’ also and it seems the stones have been disturbed over the years. It is located in the grounds of a house dating from 1709 and built by the Southwell family.

Brehons Chair, Taylor

This monument does not really resemble a chair, unlike the one in Killiney. It consists of three granite pillars standing in a circular arrangement. Gabriel Beranger refers to the monument in 1776 as the Seat of Judgement for the Arch Druid. His sketches indicate there was originally a capstone on the monument but that no longer remains. There has been much debate about the authenticity of this ‘chair’ also and it seems the stones have been disturbed over the years. It is located in the grounds of a house dating from 1709 and built by the Southwell family.

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Portal tombs were also constructed during the Neolithic period and one of these is the Druid's Chair (also known as the Brehon's Chair). There are in fact two 'Druid's Chairs in the area, the other one is located at Glensouthwell, Taylor's Grange.

Druid

This is an example of a portal tomb and was constructed during the Neolithic period. The name suggests a close link with druidism in the area. Much debate has raged over the authenticity of the monument. Charles Vallencey Pratt (noted antiquarian) believes it to be genuine, whilst William F. Wakeman (historian) believes it is a fake. Either way the chair is one of the oldest monuments in the Dún Laoghare-Rathdown area.

Druid

This is an example of a portal tomb and was constructed during the Neolithic period. The name suggests a close link with druidism in the area. Much debate has raged over the authenticity of the monument. Charles Vallencey Pratt (noted antiquarian) believes it to be genuine, whilst William F. Wakeman (historian) believes it is a fake. Either way the chair is one of the oldest monuments in the Dún Laoghare-Rathdown area.

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Interestingly with regard to the one in Killiney, there has been some debate as to whether the monument is genuine. William F. Wakeman, historian, declared it to be a fake, however the antiquarian Charles Vallencey Pratt believed it was genuine.

It is one of the oldest monuments in the area. The Ordnance Survey maps describe it as a cromlech. The monument probably marked the site of a dolmen surrounded by a stone circle. It has close associations with the druids in this area.

Unfortunately the 'chair' in Killiney was subject to the destructive forces of nature. The area around it has become overgrown with bushes and briars. During 1972 an effort was made by the local history group of the Ballybrack Guild of the ICA to clean up around the monument and have it officially recognised.

The surrounding pathways have indeed been cleared of debris, however the area around the chair remains overgrown. Indeed it is difficult to locate, and sadly, many people pass by it regularly during their daily lives, never realising the significance of the monument. Another example of how the past can be forgotten or neglected as the present remains at the forefront of peoples' thoughts.

The monument at Taylor's Grange, referred to by the noted artist Gabriel Beranger in 1776, as the Seat of Judgement for the Arch Druid. This monument looks less like a chair, consisting of three upright granite pillars almost in a circle.

There is no capstone remaining, however there was one originally, according to the sketch by Beranger. Also there is no stone positioned to form a seat, leading many to believe that this monument could also be a fake.

Both chairs have probably had their stones altered over the course of their history. However they do provide an interesting clue about the prevalence of druidism in the area when added to the evidence that the Brennanstown dolmen was also supposed to have been a druid's altar.