dowth passage tomb

Together with Knowth and Newgrange, this mound forms part of the great Passage-tomb cemetery beside the lower stretches of the Boyne. The mound has a diameter of 280 feet and is 50 feet high. A number of the stones surrounding the bottom of the mound can still be seen, some of them bearing ornamentation. There are two prehistoric tombs in the western part of the mound, dating from about 3000 B.C. One of these is reached by climbing down a ladder in an iron cage; it has a long passage, with some transverse stones on the floor. This leads to a round chamber with a large ritual basin stone in the middle, and there are tomb niches at the back and on two sides of the burial chamber. A further burial chamber is annexed to the right-hand tomb niche. At the entrance to the passage is an Early Christian souterrain which emerges to the north-east of the iron cage. Further to the south of the first Passage-tomb is a second one. This is approached by a short passage which leads to a round burial chamber (with modern roof), with one recess off to the right.