Holy macaroon bars! That looks and sounds like a monster! Definitely looks like a further link on the chain between circles and passage tombs.
Its interesting then that Burl never mentions the Cumbrian tradition when dicussing Beltany Tops, instead saying it has 'clear affinities' with Carrowmore boulder circles and raised internal platforms, possibly making Beltany the first open ring circle. What that would seem to me to suggest would be a beginning in Carrowmore, with a split of traditions moving East across Ireland, passage tomb builders moving east from Carrowkeel, Loughcrew, the south of Fermanagh (Sess Kilgreen and the rest) towards the Boyne valley, while circle builders avoided the midlands mostly and crossed the northern part of the country. Maybe then crossing the channel??? And perhaps avoiding their enemies in the midlands and instead opting for the south of the country when later generations returned (because we all know Guinness doesn't travel well..) Newgrange and its circle, and Ballynoe with its passage tombs then seem like a clash or maybe even a gelling of the two traditions. Dolmen and Court builders stayed out of it and voted for the greens.
Or that could be a day dream!
 Reply | with quote | Posted by CianMcLiam
9th January 2006ce
23:47 |
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Head To Head 
Re: You're Tops! (FourWinds)