Howth Demesne

Also known as:
Aedeen's Grave and Howth Castle
Nearest town:
Mallahide (9km NW)
OS reference:
O276383
OS sheet:
50
Latitude:
53° 22' 46.07 N
Longitude:
6° 4' 56.17 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

The capstone rears up above the collapsed chamber stones, resting on the falling portal.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Nov 4, 2021
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

Standing on the capstone which rests on the leaning portal to the left.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Nov 4, 2021
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

The heavy end of the now collapsed capstone rests solely on the eastern portal stone. The doorstone and the western portal stone stand pretty much as they would have before the collapse. The eastern portal is tilted way to the east, pushed backwards by the capstone but not in its way so much that it snapped.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Oct 26, 2019
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

Some have said that they doubt that the 80 ton capstone was ever raised onto the chamber. It’s such a monster stone that they might have a point, the portal stones are over two metres tall, the technology didn’t exist – but oh ye of little faith, we have seen far greater constructions, and even though it would have been an immense undertaking, this snapped stone shows the power of the collapse, imho.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Oct 26, 2019
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

The ever majestic, if collapsed, Howth Demesne dolmen.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Oct 26, 2019
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

The worked/flattened plane of the front part of the capstone is well illustrated here.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 19, 2013
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

Plenty of vegetation around the tomb at this time of year.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 19, 2013
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

Paulie G adds some scale to this beast of a tomb.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 19, 2013
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

A fallen sidestone in the foreground with the doorstone and a portal (right).

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 19, 2013
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

The point at which the capstone touches the leaning portal stone.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 19, 2013
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by postman

The tomb entrance faces the rocky cliff face of the small sacred hill.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Dec 3, 2010
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by ryaner

My mug is in this one to show some scale. Another impressive Dublin capstone!

Image credit: peter
ryaner
ryaner Jul 16, 2006
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by CianMcLiam

Taken from the rear of the tomb, the portals and doorstone are to the right of the capstone which sits on the remains of the chamber.

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam May 20, 2006
Image of Howth Demesne (Portal Tomb) by CianMcLiam

The huge form of the tomb as you first see it, approaching along the trackway just above a small stream.

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam May 20, 2006

Articles

Howth Demesne

ryaner
ryaner Jun 23, 2013

Howth Demesne, with its monstrous capstone, has to be one of the unsung greats of Irish tombs (maybe it’s not all that unsung, but it feels that way). This was my second visit here and I was once again stunned by the absolute madness of it. I struggled to explain to my companion how it was possible to construct it.

If the capstone did come from Muck Rock cliff (and from where else could it?) and was rolled here, they’d have had to have come past the front of the tomb and rolled it up from the back end as the front of the tomb does point directly at the cliff-face (that is if that’s the way portal tombs are constructed). The capstone has been flattened on its underside and at its front, and it’s entirely possible that the stone was rolled from Muck Rock, up a platform/ramp at the front of the tomb, which was then removed once the capstone rested on the portals, doorstone, sidestones and backstone, to reveal it in all its majesty.

You can’t help but wonder when the capstone fell (if a capstone falls and nobody hears it etc...) and also admire the builders who undertook this project all those years ago. The over 2 metres tall portal stones were a job to erect in themselves. Much of the other structural stones seem to have almost exploded under the weight of the collapsing and collapsed capstone. There’s a tiny ‘Dolmen’ signpost at the back of the golf-course that points the way down the path to the tomb – quiet, understated, and completely the opposite of what it leads to. I love this place.

Howth Demesne

postman
postman Dec 3, 2010

With only hours to go before the plane for Blighty took off, there was just enough time to track down this collapsed but still magnificent portal tomb.
Or so I thought, no help would be coming from one of Julians books, which meant it was time to break out the fourwinds. I tried to follow his directions, with only a road map to aid us, but it took ages to find the right golf course, I think it may have changed its name, either way its the golf club that is off the R105, through the big impressive gateway, past the castle and into the club carpark. From there on his instructions were spot on. Skirt round the right hand side of the Golf shop and follow the path. I’ll just add turn right at the NO FLOWER PICKING sign.
I had no idea the path through the woods at the bottom of Muck rock would be so pretty, even at the end of autumn, but it was very nice, old twisted Yew trees, giant ferns and Rhodadenrons with the tinkling sound of a small stream, then the giant capstone looms up as you turn a corner, I didn’t expect it to be soooo big.
The tomb is wrecked, the capstone fallen or slid backwards away from the portal stones, these three stones are all that is left of a similar tomb in N. Wales, when I first saw them I couldnt work out how it would have looked, I found out long ago, but this is the first time I could see them with my own eyes, hmmmm and ohhhh.
For reasons known only to its builders the tomb faces not to any sunrise or sunset, nor was the moon involved either (S’far as I know)it was aimed right at the rocky cliffs of Muck rock. I had the pleasure of looking down on the whole peninsula as we flew into Dublin airport, the place is an ancient magnet, a big sticky out bit with a big rocky central hill, an obvious place for the local people to attach legend to.
But it had taken too long get here, and my visit was cut unceramoniously short by the missus on the old textaroo, is there any more painful way to leave a site.
No.

Topics

New paths at Howth 2
FourWinds
FourWinds
May 2006

Sites within 20km of Howth Demesne

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