Dowth I

Nearest town:
Duleek (6km SE)
OS reference:
O0232073787
OS sheet:
43
Latitude:
53° 42' 13.39 N
Longitude:
6° 27' 1.56 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Southern kerbstones, some with carvings, at Dowth mound, mid-June.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 13, 2021
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Dowth mound, taken from the medieval church of St. David.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 27, 2020
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The pile of cairn rubble in the foreground seems to have been gathered from a hole that’s out of shot here, or from the collapsing rim of the crater. It looks like someone is saving them for use in a misguided circle construction.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 27, 2020
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

On the southern arc of the cairn looking north over the gouge that opens to the west. The northern arc looks to be collapsing, mainly caused by, seemingly, erosion from sheep.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 27, 2020
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The south-eastern arc of Dowth mound. The southern chamber entrance is just out of shot to the left. A contiguous row of kerbstones is visible to the right.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner May 24, 2020
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Kerbstones, including the Sundial stone, on the eastern edge of Dowth mound.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner May 24, 2020
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The south side of the mound with iphone filter. Paulie gives an idea of scale.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner May 20, 2018
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Looking north across the gouge with modern concentric rings.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 8, 2014
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Looking south across the gouge taken out of the mound.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 8, 2014
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The southern most ‘sundial’. These carvings continue to erode.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Oct 11, 2013
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by GLADMAN

Looking through the locked grille. But then what do you expect? Nevertheless it’s akin to having a painting by one of the masters stashed in a safety deposit box.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 9, 2010
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Exploring the southern chamber of Dowth on Winter Solstice 2008.

Children unknown, any info please contact me via www.shadowsandstone.com

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com 2008
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Dec 22, 2008
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Last light of solstice on the floor of the chamber of Dowth South 21/12/07 (the beam is broken and split by some high trees in front of the entrance). Happy solstice 2007!

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com 2007
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Dec 21, 2007
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Looking in an easterly direction in the moonlight

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com 2007
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Feb 7, 2007
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

The entrance to Dowth’s southern chamber.

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Jan 4, 2007
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Watching the sun setting on the winter solstice eve 2006, on top of Dowth.

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com 2006
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Dec 21, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Front-side of the entrance stone of the northern passage at Dowth. Behind the trees is the passage entrance.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 13, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Dowth now boasts a funky new information board which is actually quite good, very much along the same lines as Poulnabrone. This is the diagram of the chambers.

Image credit: OPW
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Apr 1, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Not sure if you can see the line of sheep crossing the top of the mound but then I didn’t until I got back the enlarged print!

Image credit: Ken Williams/ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Mar 24, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

The kerbstone of the ‘Seven Suns’, featuring all seven suns and other carvings.

Image credit: Ken Williams - ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Feb 11, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Three of the ‘suns’ carved on to the kerbstone opposite the south entrance

Image credit: Ken Williams - ShadowsandStone.com
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Feb 10, 2006
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

Almost a full view of the stone in the recess at Dowth South, this stone is illuminated by the reflection off the rear main chamber at sunset on Winter Solstice.

Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Dec 21, 2005
Image of Dowth I (Passage Grave) by CianMcLiam

The massive crater created by the botched and incompetent excavation attempt in the last century.

Image credit: Ken Williams
CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Feb 20, 2005

Articles

Dowth Megalithic Tomb, Bru na Boinne, Ireland

Survey work by David Strange-Walker of Trent & Peak Archaeology and Marcus Abbott of ArcHeritage. Thanks to Dr Steve Davis of University College Dublin, and the Office of Public Works, Ireland, for funding this project.

ryaner
ryaner Jan 14, 2019

Dowth I

ryaner
ryaner Jul 11, 2014

We were camping on a farm just outside Slane and had to head into Drogheda for supplies. There is no way that I could be this close to Dowth and not pay it a visit. I’ve been here many times, probably more than at any other site. Dowth offers the antiquarian explorer many delights, and not a few frustrations. There is a peace here, something that pulls you that’s beyond thought. But don’t be eager to get into its passages – you won’t be able, Joe Public’s not trusted to mind his own heritage (and with good reason).

The mound itself is getting more eroded where the gouge is, where worhshippers, visitors, hippies, whatever, have built concentric rings from the rubble of the tomb. Their play is not going to effect either of the passages or chambers, but the cairn has been exposed in a couple of places and, like sore teeth, will only get worse unless remedial work is carried out.

The height of Dowth is always impressive, especially when viewed from on top of its eastern arc, or from down where the sundial stone is, easily 15 metres from the base of the kerbstones to the rim of the crater, and would have been higher as both Beranger’s and Wakeman’s old drawings show a round-topped mound.

The tomb is in a pasture field, colonised by loud, hungry sheep. Summer vegetation is covering most of the carved kerbstones – neglect being the lot of Dowth, the poor relative of Brú na Bóinne. But sure what do you want? Another Newgrange or Knowth? Hardly, but a bit of respect wouldn’t go amiss. Dowth, Dubhach, the dark place, best left alone (not really).

Dowth I

C
CARL Jun 6, 2011

Visited 23.5.11
I asked for directions to Dowth at the visitor centre and the lady at the desk kindly gave me a typed slip of paper with details. We headed off into the countryside and were soon there.
The Tomb is large but looking rather sorry for itself, with a huge crater dug into it. I know that this site has not been ‘tarted up’ like Knowth and Newgrange but a little TLC wouldn’t go amiss.
The site itself is easy to access with a lay by to park in. There was no one else there when I visited.
Due to I guess safety reasons? The entrances to the Tomb were fenced off which was a pity. I settled to peer inside and once your eyes adjust you can make out quite a bit of detail. Whilst I was doing this I could here a bird chirping away. It had built a nest in the drystone walling of the entrance so I made a quick exit not to disturb it.
I then climbed to the top of the Tomb and was nearly swept off my feet by the wind. As the day went on the wind was getting stronger. From the top I spotted a Hare who appeared to call Dowth ‘home’. Good for him – or her.
Not as much to see as Knowth or Newgrange but you do get the place to yourself.

Dowth I

IronMan
IronMan Apr 18, 2002

Our first site visit in Ireland. We watched the evening roll in from the top of the mound. This site is what it’s all about really – it is perfect, there can be no mistaking that. The carvings, though faded, and maybe not as intricate as their more famous Boyne relatives, have a delicate beauty which just cannot be described. The surrounding landscape has a melancholy air, enhanced by the ruined church in the next field.

Whilst hanging out here, recovering from our journey, a few American tourists turned up, fresh from the Newgrange experience. They didn’t stay long, five minutes at the most. This is the beauty of Dowth, it doesn’t give itself up to the casual, slightly interested tourist, hungry for something they can understand. Mystery lives on here.

Our lodgings for the next couple of nights were in the Glebe House B&B, literally just over the wall from the site. We were lucky to get the nearest room to the mound, so I found myself waking in the night, and looking out through the curtains, just to check it was still there! I would reccommend staying nearby (especially at Glebe House) to anyone visiting the Boyne sites, this gives you the opportunity to spend some real time here. Just hang around and soak it in. This is probably one of the best sites you’ll ever see – and it could well be in danger of becoming another part of the Disneyland Newgrange experience. That would be a very sad day indeed.

Sites within 20km of Dowth I

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