explore Ireland

The Proleek Dolmen

Proleek Dolmen, near Dundalk In part 1, I took you around the Proleek Wedge tomb and told of the Irish legend that surrounds it.

A short walk away on the same golf course is what is quite possibly Ireland’s most photographed dolmen. A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or “table” in a “tripod” type style. This one is named the Proleek Dolmen. Irish linguists suggest that Proleek means “the Death Stones,” or the “Dinner Stones.

You may wonder why there are so many small stones on top of this monument. Well, an interesting bit of folklore here says that if you are successful in tossing three consecutive pebbles up to the top of the capstone, without any rolling off, you will get a wish. Another version of the legend states that whoever manages the feat will be married within the year.

@phoenixrosedsgn part 2 #Megalithic #monuments Proleek #Dolmen near #Dundalk #Ireland #Legend #History #tomb #discoverIreland #exploreIreland #travel #tourism #irl ♬ Fantastic sad music background music(842811) – COLOR MUSICA
The Proleek Dolmen is a north-west facing structure which dates from c. 3000 BCE stands at around 3.5 metres (over 13 feet tall), this huge megalith has a capstone 3.8 metres (12.5 feet) in length and weighing at least 40 tons! That’s one impressive balancing act!

The dolmen has been aligned so that it’s opening points toward the peak at Sleive Guillon so it can take advantage of the setting sun of the summer solstice. (Of course, it’s January and almost sunset so the sun is on the wrong side…but it’s stunning nonetheless).

P.S. I want to rename it the 3 sisters who hold up the moon… what do you think? Proleek Dolmen, near Dundalk
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Proleek Wedge Tomb

Proleek Wedge Tomb, near Dundalk (Scroll to the bottom for the video) Accessed via a path from hotel grounds, or via a short muddy path from a dirt road, the Proleek wedge tomb, Locally known as the Giant’s grave is Located 4km NE of Dundalk, on the next to the 6th hole of the of the Ballymascanlon House Hotel golf course.

This Megalithic monument was built in the bronze age, and is a wedge tomb with a 6m (20 foot) long Gallery that has 8 large stones on each side. It goes from approximately 1m (3 foot) wide to 1.5 m (5 feet) wide at the far end where the septal or roof-cap stone delicately balances on razor thin edges of the bottom stones.

Proleek Wedge Tomb, near Dundalk
@phoenixrosedsgn #Proleek Wedge tomb #megalithic #Ireland #discoverireland #irishtiktok #exploreireland #history #legend #giant #celtic #January #sunshine ♬ Guitar instrument pop – Margarita
Irish legend tells us that this wedge tomb is the burial place of the Scottish Giant Parrah Boug MacShagean; “Great Yellow Para, son of (Shadin)Seoidín” who came to challenge the local Irish Giant named Fionn Mac Cool to combat. Upon meeting Fionn’s wife, Parrah asked her where and what Fin normally ate. Fin’s wife pointed out a bull and said that Fin normally killed a cow, roasted and ate it. Immediately, Parrah went and did the same. Once Parrah had eaten his fill, he was thirsty and went to the nearby river to slake his thurst while still waiting on Fin to return home. Little did Parrah know, Fin had seen Parrah and had poisoned the nearby river, resulting in Parrah’s death.

A short walk away is the Proleek Dolmen, or portal tomb which I’ll tell you about in part 2, tomorrow.
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Emo Court House

Emo Court, located near the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland is a grand home built in the Georgian period. It and the grounds are currently run and managed by the OPW and have free entry. There’s a lovely little cafe on site (we stopped here for lunch) and a little stroll while on the way back from visiting County Cork.

Emo Court, Co. Laois

The same designer of the Customs House in Dublin, Emo Court house was designed by the architect James Gandon in 1790 for John Dawson, the first Earl of Portarlington. Started in the 1790’s, construction on the home was paused when the first Earl died. From there, due to money issues, construction was started and stopped several times before the building was completed in the 1860s. The house was in it’s prime between 1860 – 1900, but when World War I started in in 1914, and in 1918 the Easter Rising and subsequent War of Irish Independence, the Earls of Portarlington vacated the premises to return to England.

The house remained closed up and unoccupied until it was sold in 1920 to the Irish Land Commission. At the time the estate (home and grounds) which extended over nearly 20 square miles, had the land parceled out to to local farmers but the house remained empty. Finally in the 1930’s, the Jesuits bought the house, a portion of the land and opened a religious training school on the site, which lasted until 1969. Major Cholmeley Harrison then bought the property in 1969, restored the house and lived in it as his private residence before turning it over to the Irish Office of Public Works (OPW) in 1994. The home and grounds continue to be managed by the OPW today, and entry is free.

@phoenixrosedsgn Emo Court House and grounds,Co. Laois. #grandhome #georgian #Ireland #tourism #staycation #explore #opw #free ♬ I Wanna Be Rich – Chereh Sputswe

New Life goals: Having a house (and maid?) on fantastic manicured lands like this….Ha!

Emo Court, Co. Laois

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