Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Phono Museum features decades of different sound technology.
Phono Museum Paris
“Sleeping Figure” stretches 150 feet end to end.
‘Sleeping Figure’
The Barnard’s Inn building, home to Gresham College.
Gresham College
The Hell’s Gate Airtram gondola and footbridge.
Hell’s Gate, British Columbia
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
about 8 hours ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
1 day ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
3 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Ireland Glenslane The Hole of the Sorrows

The Hole of the Sorrows

This singular Irish dolmen is more Frank Lloyd Wright than upright stonehenge.

Glenslane, Ireland

Added By
Aidan Ryan
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Hole of the Sorrows   Tracey Adams on Flickr
The Hole of the Sorrows   Tracey Adams on Flickr
The Hole of the Sorrows   aidanryan / Atlas Obscura User
The Hole of the Sorrows   aidanryan / Atlas Obscura User
The Hole of the Sorrows   aidanryan / Atlas Obscura User
Recent excavations revealed over twenty bodies buried beneath this megalithic dolmen, or portal tomb, in the Burren National Park.   aidanryan / Atlas Obscura User
  caradav66 / Atlas Obscura User
June 2017   AntiArielle / Atlas Obscura User
June 2017 - Poll na mBrón means hole of the quern stones   AntiArielle / Atlas Obscura User
The Hole of the Sorrows   mysticman57 / Atlas Obscura User
The Hole of the Sorrows   Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
June 2018   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Some call it an Irish Stonehenge. Locals in County Clare, Ireland look on the Poulnabrone dolmen as just another part of the landscape - no different from the low stone ahistorical fences which have boxed up the low rolling land for as long as anyone cares to remember.

The meaning of the word "Poulnabrone," is up for debate - some say it means "the hole of the quern stones," but the more popular translation of the original Irish is "The Hole of the Sorrows." The structure - called a "dolmen," or portal tomb - consists of three portal stones supporting a slightly angled capstone, pointing down to a thicker block like a giant's welcome mat. Poulnabrone is the only standing structure in sight set against the stark backdrop of the Burren, a massive region covered in fossil-filled Karst limestone formed some 350 million years ago when much of Ireland was covered by a tropical sea. The area is now a national park.

The limestone landscape is so vast and barren that it prompted one Cromwellian officer to remark that "it is a country where there is not water enough to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury them." Though it made crop-based agriculture virtually impossible, the limestone is nutrient-rich, and encourages tufts of hardy grass growing up between its cracks - this, as the officer also remarked, kept the cows fat even while their owners starved.

Authorities excavated the dolmen between 1985 and 1986 and discovered the remains of at least 16 and possibly over 20 individuals, some adults and some children along with stone tools, jewelry of quartz and bone, and pottery. Though Neolithic inhabitants likely built the dolmen between 4200 and 2900 BCE, some archaeological evidence suggests the area was used as a grave site into the Bronze Age, and likely held ritual or territorial significance well into the Celtic period.

Remarkably similar structures - most classified as dolmens - remain standing throughout the world, from India and the Koreas to Africa, Spain, and the British Isles, all dating from the Neolithic. Poulnabrone remains one of the most accessible - almost visible from the Corrofin Road - as well as one of the most impressive, its solidity against the otherwise blank landscape seeming to magnify it, and the angle of its capstone suggesting the work of Frank Lloyd Wright more than Stonehenge.

The site remains largely unblemished by tourist-traps or excessive protection: a few signposts detail the site's history and a low rope rings the dolmen itself. However, given the site's remote location and the absence of light pollution, the nearby gravel carpark has made Poulnabrone a favorite haunt of stargazers - not unlike, perhaps, the portal tomb's neolithic architects.

Related Tags

Standing Stones Dolmen

Know Before You Go

The Poulnabrone dolmen, though remote, is easily accessible off R480.

Community Contributors

Added By

aidanryan

Edited By

michelle, Martin, mysticman57, AntiArielle...

  • michelle
  • Martin
  • mysticman57
  • AntiArielle
  • uteking
  • EricGrundhauser
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • shaunk82
  • caradav66

Published

February 11, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.burrennationalpark.ie/history.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulnabrone_dolmen
  • http://www.burrennationalpark.ie/geology.html
  • http://www.megalithicireland.com/Poulnabrone.htm
The Hole of the Sorrows
Glenslane
Ireland
53.048671, -9.140032

Nearby Places

The Burren

Corofin, Ireland

miles away

Doolin Cave

Clare, Ireland

miles away

Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement

Galway, Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ireland

Ireland

Europe

Places 201
Stories 37

Nearby Places

The Burren

Corofin, Ireland

miles away

Doolin Cave

Clare, Ireland

miles away

Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement

Galway, Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ireland

Ireland

Europe

Places 201
Stories 37

Related Places

  • Dolmen of Guadalperal.

    Peraleda de la Mata, Spain

    Dolmen of Guadalperal

    This 7,000-year-old megalithic wonder covered by a Franco-era reservoir emerges in times of drought.

  • Kit’s Coty with backdrop of storm clouds gathering.

    Blue Bell Hill, England

    Kit's Coty House

    The Neolithic megalith was one of the first archaeological ruins protected by the British government.

  • The menhir is particularly impressive at night.

    Blieskastel, Germany

    Gollenstein

    After Nazi forces smashed this 4,000-year-old Neolithic standing stone, locals banded together to restore it.

  • Stane Alane Standing Stone

    Lochgilphead, Scotland

    Stane Alane Standing Stone

    A mysterious solitary standing stone from the Neolithic period.

  • The Cuckoo Stone

    Wiltshire, England

    The Cuckoo Stone

    This neolithic stone was once used for ceremonial practices similar to its neighbor Stonehenge.

  • One of the Twelve Stone faces.

    Torrig, Denmark

    Dodekalitten

    An air of mystery pervades this modern-day singing Stonehenge.

  • Carn Goedog

    Eglwyswrw, Wales

    Carn Goedog

    This rocky outcrop served as a quarry for some of the bluestones that sit at the center of Stonehenge.

  • Strichen stone circle

    Strichen, Scotland

    Strichen Stone Circle

    This ancient monument has been dissembled and put back together at least twice.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.