While driving along a small country road, we came to a lot of cars parked in the road. And there standing in a rocky field,without a visitor center, parking lot, or walkway was The Poulnabrone Dolman. The Poulnabrone Dolman is one of the finest remaining dolmans in Ireland. It is also one of the most visited, so unless you arrive early in the morning there are likely to be a lot of people around.

Poulnabrone means "hole of the sorrows" and in 1986, when the area around the dolman was excavated, the remains of 16 adults and children were found to have been buried there, over a period of about 500 years. Alongside them were many artefacts, including arrowheads and axes, stone beads and broken pottery, some of which are now on display in the in Dublin. These have allowed archaeologists to date the dolman with some confidence to about 2,500 BC.

The region where the dolman stands - the Burren - is a treasure trove of stone age remains, with some 70 tombs and about 500 circular stone structures or forts. Keep your eyes peeled as you drive around, get out of the car occasionally and take a walk around - the echoes of our ancient ancestors are never very far away.