Meehambee Dolmen

The Meehambee Dolmen, also known as the Mihanboy Portal Tomb, is a Neolithic portal tomb located in the townland of Mihanboy, near Athlone in County Roscommon [1]. The monument is dated to around 3500 BC and is listed as a Recorded Monument under the National Monuments Acts [1]. Two stone axes were discovered near the tomb in the 1960s by local schoolchildren [1]. Meehambee is a characteristic Irish portal tomb consisting of tall portal stones, side stones and a doorstone supporting a large capstone [1]. The surviving portal stone stands 2.3 meters high [1]. The sandstone capstone, measuring approximately 4 × 2.5 meters, is estimated to weigh around 24 tonnes [1]. The rear support stone collapsed sometime after the medieval period, causing the capstone to slide backwards into its present 45-degree angle [1]. Meehambee Dolmen has not been excavated, but its form and setting closely match the wider pattern of portal tombs concentrated in the Burren, Sligo–Leitrim uplands and the Midlands [1].