French
DeutschAideen's Grave
 Front view in 2018 | |
 | |
| Location | Howth, Dublin, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°22′46″N 6°04′56″W / 53.3795°N 6.0822°W |
| Type | Portal tomb |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Founded | c. 2500 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic |
Aideen's Grave is a collapsed megalithic dolmen (or cromlech)[1] located in the grounds of Howth Castle in County Dublin, Ireland.[2]
History
[edit]The tomb is thought to date to around 2500 BC, and is located on the lower slopes of the Hill of Howth, overlooked by cliffs named Muck Rock, and faces south-east. It is likely the large cap-stone was brought from the quartzite cliff nearby.[3][4]
Description
[edit]The tomb consists of two portal stones, an entrance stone and a collapsed colossal roof stone, which weighs an estimated 75 tonnes. The capstone is the second largest in Ireland after the one at Brownshill dolmen in County Carlow. The tomb has a single chamber.[5]
Aideen
[edit]Aideen is said to be the daughter of Aengus,[6] the ruler of Howth (Irish: Binn Éadair, meaning 'Éadar's peak') in the 3rd century. She was also the wife of Oscar, the son of Oisín and it is said that Aideen died of grief after the death of Oscar at the Cath Gabhra.[7][8][9]
Alternatively, the name Aideen is said to refer to Étaín, a figure in Irish mythology.[citation needed]
Preservation and protection
[edit]In 2024, calls were made by politicians Cian O'Callaghan, TD and Councillor Joan Hopkins (Fingal County Council) to make the tomb and surrounding area a national monument.[10]
Poem
[edit]The dolmen is the subject of a poem by Samuel Ferguson named Aideen's Grave.[11][12]
They heaved the stone; they heap'd the cairn:
Said Ossian "In a queenly grave
We leave her, 'mong her fields of fern
Between the cliff and wave.
"The cliff behind stands clear and bare,
And bare, above, the heathery steep
Scales the clear heaven's expanse, to where
The Danaan Druids sleep.
References
[edit]
- ^ Joyce, Weston St. John (1921). The Neighbourhood of Dublin: Its Topography, Antiquities And Historical Associations (Second ed.). Dublin and Waterford: M. H. Gill and Son. p. 332.
- ^ "Howth Dolmen". www.megalithicireland.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Howth Dolmen". Voices from the Dawn. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Charles Philip Kains- (1880). Our Ancient Monuments and the Land Around Them. E. Stock. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "DU015-032---- : Megalithic tomb - portal tomb : HOWTH DEMESNE". heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Aideen's Grave". howthcastle.ie. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Howth Portal Tomb". www.megalithicireland.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Aideen's Grave". Sacred Sites of Ireland - 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Scally, Brendan (1982). "Aideen's Grave, Deerpark, Howth, Dublin". catalogue.nli.ie. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Barrett, Rose (28 May 2024). "Minister urged to declare Aideen's Grave a national monument". Dublin Gazette Newspapers - Dublin News, Sport and Lifestyle. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Poem: Aideen's Grave by Sir Samuel Ferguson". www.poetrynook.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Ferguson, Samuel. Aideen's grave /. Talbot Press. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "Aideen's Grave". Corpus of Electronic Texts, School of History, University College Cork. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
