MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS
OF IRELAND.COM
OF IRELAND.COM
| KEALKILL STONE CIRCLE |
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| This Stone Circle site in the town-land of Kealkill, (*An Chaolchoill meaning 'the narrow wood), marked as 'Gallauns' on all editions of the OS maps, is located on a level platform of pasture, on a NW facing slope at the western end of the Maughanaclea Hills, (*Mhacha na Cléibhe, meaning 'field or plateau of the hurdles'), c.120m NW of a small side-road, NE of the town of Ballylicky (*Béal Átha Leice, meaning 'town of the flagstone'), with excellent views SW of the Muntervary or Sheep's Head (*Rinn Mhuintir Bháire) peninsula and Bantry Bay (Bá Bheanntraí). The site, excavated in 1938 by Séan P. Ó'Ríordáin, consists of a five-stone circle, stone pair and a radial-stone cairn. The stone circle (CO106-006001), which is a complete five-stone circle, consists of five stones 0.65m to 1.2m in height, 0.7m to 1.65m in length & 0.25m to 0.45m in depth. The internal measurement of the along main axis, aligned NE-SW, is 2.8m. The excavation showed that ‘the stones were not deeply sunk in the ground, but were packed at base with small stones. Two shallow trenches intersecting at right angles, filled with dark humified soil, were found within circle, and interpreted as trenches for crossed wooden sleepers which may have held an upright. No finds were recovered from the circle’ (Ó'Ríordáin, p41). These are a distinctive form of Stone Circle found only in counties Cork and Kerry. They comprise of a ring of five free-standing stones, symmetrically arranged so that one stone, the axial stone, is set directly opposite two stones, the portal stones, usually the tallest, marking the entrance to the circle. Characteristically, the axial stone is set in the south- western part of the circle and they are thought to have a ritual function and are dated to the early Bronze Age, 2,400-500 BC. The standing stone-pair lies 5m NE and the radial-stone cairn lies 5m east. The Standing stone – pair (CO106-006002), lies 5m NE of the five-stone circle. The stones, aligned NE-SW, stand 1.6m apart. The SW stone measures 1.5m in length and 0.4m in depth. It had been broken at ground level and would have stood 5.3m in height. Ó'Ríordáin removed stump and erected fallen piece in the socket. The NE stone measures 2.65m in height, 1.85m in width and 0.5m in depth. (Ó Nualláin p.246). The Radial-stone cairn (CO106-006003), lies 5m east of the five- stone circle and c. 2m SE of standing stone-pair. Excavation revealed a ring of eighteen radially-set stones and sockets (diam. c. 6m), under the remains of the cairn and spreads 1m beyond the stones. Three large, round closely-set sockets, in a trench, aligned NE-SW, were found on the NW perimeter of the cairn. Lying on the surface beneath the cairn towards west, were two large stones with an arc of smaller stones between them. There was no trace of any burials or ritual pits and no date was obtained. The only finds were three small fragments of oyster shell found 0.3m below the cairn surface. There was no trace of any burials or ritual pits and no date was obtained (Ó'Nualláin, p.75). Most notably was the cairn had 18 radially set stones - 18 being the number of whole years in the lunar cycle. There was also a small arc of stones set under it. The multiple-stone circle of Breeny More (CO106-005001), (*Na Bruíne Móra/Bruighne mór, meaning 'big fairy forts'), lies 500m SW of the site. Sources: Barber, John. ‘The Orientation of the recumbent-stone circles of the South-West of Ireland’ (KHAS, 1973) Ó'Nualláin, Séan. ‘Grouped Standing Stones, Radial-Stone Cairns and Enclosures in the South of Ireland’ (JRSAI, 1984) Ó'Nualláin, Séan. ‘Stone Rows in the South of Ireland’ (PRIA, 1988) Ó'Ríordáin, Séan P. ‘Excavation of a Stone Circle and Cairn at Kealkil, Co. Cork’ (JCHAS, 1939) * Placenames Database of Ireland 2016 |
| CO-ORDINATES 51 45' 3.635"N...8 43' 9.015"W |
