The only restored portal tomb in the North
Ballykeel is the one portal tomb in Northern Ireland to have been put back together. Its three-metre granite capstone had fallen at some point over the previous few thousand years, and archaeologists re-erected it during a 1963 excavation – which is why the slab now sits cleanly on the tips of its three uprights rather than in a heap. The capstone carries a notch much like the one on Legananny Dolmen in Down, and that profile, with the stone tilted back like a seat, gave the monument its local name: the Hag’s Chair.
The tomb stands at the south end of a long cairn on the western flank of Slieve Gullion, inside the Ring of Gullion. It is signposted off the B30 Newry–Crossmaglen road near Mullaghbawn, a short walk from the roadside, and it’s free and open all year. If you only have twenty minutes here, walk a slow circle of the stones to see how the uprights take the weight, then look north along the two parallel lines of low stones – they mark the edges of the original cairn, roughly 30 by 10 metres, and give you the true scale of the thing before centuries of field clearance whittled it down.
What the 1963 dig found
The tomb dates to the Neolithic, somewhere between 4000 and 2500 BC – older sources that pin it to a single year are guessing. The 1963 excavation cut into a stone-lined cist at the northern end of the cairn and pulled out several hundred sherds of Neolithic pottery, a flint javelin head, and three flint flakes. High phosphate readings in the chamber floor point to burials, though no bone survived the acidic soil. It is a State Care Historic Monument, looked after by the Department for Communities.
The notch in the capstone is the detail worth lingering on. The same feature turns up at Legananny, which suggests the builders weren’t working at random – there was a shared idea of what one of these tombs should look like.
Nearby
This corner of Armagh is thick with prehistory. Ballymacdermott Court Tomb and Clonlum Cairn are both within a short drive, so a half-day can take in three monuments rather than one. Further afield:
- Camlough – a ribbon lake under the hills, good for a short lakeside walk or a picnic.
- Dromintee – the village gateway to the Ring of Gullion, with information on the area’s trails.
- Cailleach a Bhearas House – a tomb and small lake high on Slieve Gullion, with the best views on the mountain.
Practical information
One honest caveat: the roadside parking is limited to a handful of spaces, so on a fine summer weekend you may have to wait or come back. Early morning or evening is quieter, and the low light over the slopes is better for photographs anyway. The site is fenced off from livestock; keep dogs on a lead and outside the enclosure.
| Service | Details |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Open all year, every day |
| Admission | Free |
| Parking | Limited roadside parking, signposted off the B30 Newry–Crossmaglen road |
| Getting there – by car | From Newry, take the B30 towards Crossmaglen, then turn onto Ballykeel Road near Mullaghbawn. The dolmen is visible from the road and signposted. |
| Public transport | Nearest bus stop is in Mullaghbawn, about a 10-minute walk |
| Accessibility | Level ground at the tomb, though the low protective fence limits close access for wheelchairs |
| Website | Discover Northern Ireland – Ballykeel Portal Tomb |
The slopes are exposed, so bring a jacket whatever the forecast. The walk in from the road is short and suits most fitness levels.