Dolmens are ancient portal stone burial sites found throughout Ireland, Britain, and Brittany and are places of archaeological and spiritual importance - but are they really places to have fun?
Jumping and bouncing on dolmens is not something we associate with these structures although that is just what Galwegians will be able to do with the Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen.
The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen, based on the famous dolmen in Co Clare, is a new public art project by Galway based artist Jim Ricks and part of the Galway County Council Percent for Art Scheme 2010.
The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen is a giant inflatable sculpture designed for members of the public, of all ages, to interact with and bounce on.
The public are invited to go along and enjoy the Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen on its debut appearance at Kylebrack Woods, Co Galway, outside the Hill Bar this Saturday from 4.30 to 6pm. People of all ages are invited to view, discuss, and bounce on the dolmen for the afternoon.
The dolmen will then tour the Aughty region in south Galway until the end of September.
Ricks’ work is a replica, at twice the scale, of the famous 6,000 year old megalithic portal tomb of the same name in the Burren.
Mr Ricks created the interactive soft sculpture with the intention of bringing a portal dolmen to Aughty, a region which has no dolmens, only wedge tombs.
The artist has combined an icon of ancient Ireland with an icon of contemporary Ireland, playfully re-presenting elements of Irish culture, often over-used commercially to attract tourism, in an accessible, witty, and visually arresting way.
