Shadows & Stones: Ancient Irish Monuments

Kilclooney More Dolmen, Co. Donegal

On a fine summer evening I finally made it to one of the finest portal tombs on these islands. The perfection of the monuments matched the sunset sky and I could have stayed here for hours on end. There are actually two portal tombs but the smaller one normally gets a token mention for the honour of sharing a cairn with the larger, more imposing monument.

Poulnabrone Dolmen,
Co. Clare

The tomb is box shaped with a steeply angled slab like capstone which is trapezodial in shape. Although the rear of the chamber has collapsed and a possible second capstone lies to the rear of the tomb, the structure is still very dramatic. The tomb was excavated in 1986 and the remains of 22 individuals were found in a disarticulated sate, bones pushed into the natural grykes of the burren bedrock.

Shadows & Stones - Photographs by Ken Williams

This site contains a selection of my photographic detours around Ireland, with a heavy emphasis on ancient Irish monuments. Some are well known icons of Irish heritage that feature regularly on calendars and postcards, others are un-sung treasures or have been simply forgotten and neglected. All of them offer fascinating insights into the culture of the late Stone Age and early Bronze Age people of Ireland who constructed these sculptures in stone as early as 7,000 years ago. These core photographic records of Irelands oldest building work and artwork are complemented by landscapes of Ireland and beyond as well as a selection of the many faces of the animal kingdom.