Stone Circles

Aspects of Ireland’s logo represents an Irish stone circle. Stone circles are simply rings of standing stones. In nearly all cases there is a pair of Entrance Stones opposite an Alignment Stone. This alignment points at a particular astronomical event, such as the Winter Solstice sunset at Drombeg stone circle. The world's best known stone circle is Stonehenge, but there are almost 1,000 other stone circles in the British Isles.

Irish stone circles tend to be smaller and composed of smaller stones. 234 stone circles are located on the island of Ireland, they are found most often in the North of Ireland, especially in county Tyrone, and in the Cork-Kerry region.
The prehistoric remains of standing stone circles date back to the period 3,000 BC to 1,500 BC. The reason for their construction, and the role they played in the society of the time are now unknown. However, most were apparently used for ritual purposes or are believed to have astronomical associations.

Below you will find some excellent examples of standing stone circles in Ireland

Ardgroom Stone Circle

Location: Accessible off the R571 from Kenmare, Ardgroom stone circle is located at the foot of Coomaeloghane Mountain.
Its picturesque position commands panoramic views over the north of Beara Peninsula and the Kenmare estuary, making it a delightful place to visit. The circle consists of nine particularly attractive and tall upright stones, one prostrate stone and a gap for an eleventh. Six metres to the east of the circle stands the 2.5m high outlier, which is aligned with the southern side of the circle.

Drombeg Stone Circle

Location: Drombeg stone circle is also located in County Cork 16kms west of Clonakilty on the R591 to Glandore.
This stone circle dates back to 150 BC, it comprises of 17 standing stones with a diameter of 9m. The rays of the setting sun fall on the flat altar stone which faces the entrance at the Winter solstice.
It is locally known as the ‘Druids Alter’. A Stone Age cooking pit can also be found nearby, next to a stream.

 

 

Breaghmore Stone Circles

Location: Breaghmore Stone Circles are located just west of Cookstown in the Gortin Glenn Forest Park, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
These date back to 2000 BC (the bronze age). Breaghmore comprises of seven stone circles and ten stone rows. The stone circles are small, but there are large numbers of them. This archaeological site was buried under peat until 1945, when it was first excavated. Although uncertain what these circles and rows represent most believe that they have to do with astrological events.

 

Lough Gur Great Stone Circle

Location: 16kms South of Limerick City on the Limerick-Killmanock road R512 is Lough Gur.
The Stone Age settlement at Lough Gur dates back some 4,000 years. The area is surrounded by standing stones, burial mounds and megalithic tombs. The grange stone circle is the largest in Ireland with 113 stones with an internal diameter of 46 metres.