Dolmen

In pasture, near summit of low hill. Site overlooks five-stone circle (CO083-117----) c. 250m to WSW. Two entrance stones and S side stone erect; N sidestone prostrate and axial stone shattered. Orthostats are 0.9m to 1.5m L,0.4m to 0.6m T and 0.8m to 1.2m H. Estimated internal measurement alongmain axis, aligned E-W, is c. 3m. (O Nualláin 1984a, 38, no. 73) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Dolmen, Bellmount Upper is likely from the Neolithic or early Bronze Age, given the typical date range for such megalithic tombs in Britain and Ireland. These structures were often used as collective burial sites and may have had ritual or ceremonial significance in addition to their funerary function.