Stone Circles

Stone circle (134)

An approximately circular or oval setting of spaced, upright stones with their broad sides facing inwards, towards the centre. The Cork/Kerry series (see also Stone circle – five-stone and Stone circle – multiple-stone) is characterised by an uneven number of non-contiguous orthostats which decrease in height from the entrance stones to the recumbent stone opposite the entrance. By contrast the Ulster series is defined by low orthostats rarely exceeding 0.5m in height, which often occur in groups and are associated with long stone rows. There are indications that stone circles have their origin in the Neolithic (c. 4000-2400 BC) though they are primarily a Bronze Age ritual monument (c. 2400-500 BC), constructed within a sepulchral tradition.

Stone circle – embanked (9)

A stone circle whose stones are positioned around the inner edge of a bank. These are dated to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC)

Stone circle – five-stone (56)

A distinctive form of stone circle found only in counties Cork and Kerry. It comprises a ring of five free-standing stones, symmetrically arranged so that one stone, the axial stone, is set directly opposite two stones, usually the tallest, marking the entrance to the circle. Characteristically, the stones reduce in height to the axial stone, which is set consistently in the south-western part of the circle. These circles are thought to have a ritual function and are dated to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC). See also Stone circle and Stone circle – multiple-stone.

Stone circle – multiple-stone (57)

A distinctive form of stone circle found only in counties Cork and Kerry. It comprises a ring of free-standing stones, uneven in number (between 7 and 19) and symmetrically arranged so that one stone, the axial stone, is set directly opposite two stones, usually the tallest, marking the entrance to the circle. Characteristically, the stones reduce in height to the axial stone, which is set consistently in the south-western part of the circle. The diameters of these circles rarely exceed 10m. These circles form part of the funerary/ritual tradition of the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC). See also Stone circle and Stone circle – five-stone.

These are the four types of stone circle found in Ireland. There are four recorded stone circles in Co Sligo (although I know of one more that I am in the process of reporting to the National Monuments Service). One of the circles is situated very near to Ballinlig (remember the Cistercian Abbey?). I was doing a little more digging into the course of the river that I believe flowed into the Ballinlig Inlet and started to recreate the landscape as it would have been in the past.

I have outlined, in blue, the probable original courses of the rivers. Ballinlig Inlet is at the top of the photo, and it leads down through the Cistercian Abbey lands and branches East into a mill pond, gone now. The main channel curves around a low hill, meeting up with the channel that fed the mill pond, creating an ‘island’. On this island stands the stone circle.

SL019-115—-

Class: Stone circle

Townland: CARROWKEEL (Tireragh By.)

Description: Situated in gently undulating pasture. Not marked on the 1837 edition of the OS 6-inch map. Roughly circular, raised level area (diam. 25m) defined by a low scarp (H 0.5m). Six large boulders set at irregular intervals form a kerb at E and S. At W and N the scarp has been incorporated into linear field boundaries. In the basal course of the N side of the wall at W are up to 18 closely-set large stones which are probably displaced kerb stones.

https://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/

The main channel from the Ballinlig Inlet has the remains of approximately 23 burnt mounds and fuluchtai fia (a horseshoe-shaped or kidney-shaped mound consisting of fire-cracked stone and charcoal-enriched soil built up around a sunken trough located near or adjacent to a water supply, such as a stream or spring, or in wet marshy areas. The first recorded use of the Irish term ‘fulacht fiadh/fia’ (cooking pit of the deer or of the wild) as relating to ancient cooking sites was in the 17th century. These are generally interpreted to have been associated with cooking and date primarily to the Bronze Age (c. 2400-500 BC).) This was a busy place back then! There is a barrow 500m to the North, inside the river boundaries, and within 2000m there are four middens, three megalithic tombs, three standing stones, the remains of another three barrows and a possible Neolithic house. These other sites are situated on similar ‘islands’.

All of this in an area 3000m x 2500m.