An ancient site
Unearthing the past, to inform today
An Overview
The archaeological heritage at Dowth represents the work of successive generations of farmers who shaped, created, and protected this landscape over millennia
The Devenish Lands at Dowth represent one of the largest land holdings within the core area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne, which is an internationally significant archaeological landscape, best known for its Neolithic monuments.
The estate itself dates back to the Anglo-Norman period and is home to numerous archaeological monuments and sites, ranging in date from the Neolithic up to the modern period. These sites include Neolithic passage tombs, Dowth Henge (the second largest example of this Late Neolithic monument type on the island of Ireland), a field system of possible prehistoric origin, early medieval ringforts, and a later medieval village.
In 2017, the remains of a large passage tomb (c.40m diameter), more than 5000 years old, was discovered under Dowth Hall itself.