Proleek : Portal Tomb
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Visit Notes
Sunday, 3rd February 2002
Everyone talks about Proleek Dolmen and it is clearly sign posted until you get near it. Then it's a pain to find without a good map and paying attention.
So many people must photograph this spectacular, rebuilt monument and it is easy to see why. The piles of stones that adorn it's capstone make it look like some giant warty toad on stilts.
The capstone is supported upon 3 mighty slabs some 2.2m tall ehich are in turn now cemented into the ground. I was shocked (but not surprised) to see that it now sits at the edge of a golf course.
This height of the top of the capstone must be some 4m+ in the air and it simply towers above. There is no way this place can fail to impress.
Saturday, 19th July 2003
Sitting here painting,
watching them golfing,
I know what I'd rather be doing!
Squatting beneath this behemoth, waiting to be hit any minute by a golf ball, I am still relaxed. 10 yards from the 5th green - am I out of bounds? I'm really surprised how easy it is to sit here, right next to the golf course and just sit. Ok, I'm painting too, but that still seems like 'doing nothing' in a way.
The sun keeps on coming in and out. Out while I'm alone & in when someone's putting - smiling on me and frowning at the golfers? Yeah! I'm doing the right thing.
Sunday, 5th February 2006
I had actually planned to stop off here in the hope of a nice sunset. Alas the cloud that stopped me seeing a good sunrise also stopped me getting witness a nice sunset. The visit wasn't wasted though. Driving out of the 'car park' area I noticed a wonderful peak through the trees - this turned out to The Round Mountain.
It's a real shame that the trees and hedges are so close to the tomb, because there are some very important views denied to the visitor.
Like this monument
Marked Sites
Old Images
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_Directions
From Dundalk take the N1 north and then the R173 east. After just over 2km you will come to a left turn, take this and continue for about 900m. You will be driving alongside a small river. Keep looking out for a bridge crossing it to the left. Turn in here and head left upto some gates and park. There is a little horse gate in the top left corner of this area, walk through here and through the next one. Both the wedge tomb and the dolmen are right in front of you.
Miscellanea
The capstone has always been covered in th small rocks. It is said that if a person throws a stone onto the top and it remains there then that person will be married within 12 months.
Source: www.beyond-the-pale.co.uk
This dolmen is also known as The Giant's Load. It is said that a Scottish giant, called Parrah Boug MacShagean, carried the capstone here. He is reportedly buried nearby (probably in the wedge tomb which are often called Giant's Graves).
Random Gazetteer
A Selection of Other Portal Tombs
External Links
Proleek before the golfcourse
A beautiful picture of Proleek with a field in the background instead of the golf course.Click here to visit this site
About Coordinates Displayed
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This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |
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