Legananny Dolmen

Legananny Dolmen in County Down is the exposed stone chamber of a prehistoric burial monument. Its large capstone rests on three tall uprights, creating the distinctive tripod-like outline now associated with the site. These stones were originally part of a more extensive funerary structure, rather than an isolated open shelter. Small traces of a cairn survive around the chamber, while nineteenth-century photographs show additional stones described as part of a court. Later loss has therefore changed the arrangement visible today. An early account reported the discovery of an urn, but that observation should not be treated as a modern excavation record or as a securely dated burial assemblage. The monument belongs to the Neolithic portal-tomb tradition. Its surviving architecture provides the principal evidence for its original funerary character, while the details of its burial history remain incompletely documented. Period: Neolithic Grid reference: J2887043390 Protection: State Care Source: Department for Communities NI Sites and Monuments Record, https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/NISMR-PUBLIC/Default.aspx (Open Government Licence). Contains Department for Communities Historic Environment Division data licensed under the Open Government Licence. Banner photo: "The Legananny Dolmen - geograph.org.uk - 5422076" by Eric Jones, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.