Castleruddery

Nearest town:
Baltinglass (8km SW)
OS reference:
S916943
OS sheet:
55
Latitude:
52° 59' 29.93 N
Longitude:
6° 38' 8.61 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Sun stone on a scorching day at Castleruddery.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jul 1, 2018
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by costaexpress

An attempt to show the henge as well as the stone circle, great site, well cared for, didn’t have the appearance of an overly visited site. Some interesting markings in two of the stones scattered around the site

costaexpress
costaexpress May 18, 2017
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Castleruddery embanked stone circle, mid-summer 2015

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 23, 2015
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

The circle from the north in late evening sunshine, Sept. ‘14.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Sep 8, 2014
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Stitched view of a well-tended-to Castleruddery, 4/9/13.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Sep 5, 2013
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by postman

Two of the best stones in stone circlery.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Dec 1, 2010
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by postman

Six stones lie flat in the circles centre, any theories ? a circle within a circle ? doubt it but it would be cool.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Dec 1, 2010
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Castleruddery need the services of a few good sheep at this time of year.

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 30, 2009
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Over the entrance stones with Spinnan’s Hill in the distance

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 30, 2009
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Looking east across the backstone towards the entrance stones

Image credit: ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 21, 2006
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

Sprout turns away from the glare of the setting sun

Image credit: Ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 6, 2006
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by ryaner

So ancient and weather-beaten you almost want to hug it… almost.

Image credit: Ryaner
ryaner
ryaner Jun 6, 2006
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by bawn79

One of the stones that have been split, if you look carefully at the end of the stone u can see where the holes where drilled and where it cracked, possibly due to expansion of frozen water

Image credit: Bawn79
bawn79
bawn79 May 10, 2006
Image of Castleruddery (Stone Circle) by bawn79

I read in Archaeology Irelands pull out on this circle that some people think the entrance stones profile reflects the shape of the mountains in the background

Image credit: Bawn79
bawn79
bawn79 May 10, 2006

Articles

Castleruddery

ryaner
ryaner Sep 9, 2013

Castleruddery never looked better than today. The farmer really looks after the site and the grass was newly mown, leaving the circle a tad sterile, but I’ve imagined it as a ceremonial meeting place that would have had days like this in the bronze age, done up in all its finery, awaiting the guests for whatever ritual was to be performed.

The circle of stones is really quite wrecked, with the remains of smashed stones in the centre of the lot, and others strewn near the entrance. The bank of the henge rises quite steeply in the north-east arc, well over a metre, almost obliterating the exterior view of some of the orthostats.

Like at Boleycarrigeen later on this day, 4/9/13, we lolled about in the sun, drinking in the atmosphere, admiring the huge quartz entrance stones and hugging up the energy of the place.

Castleruddery

C
CARL Jun 16, 2011

Visited 25.5.11
Just down the road from Athgreany and equally worth a visit.
You can park next to the field where the stone circle is and it is only a short, flat walk.
(The circle is visible from the road)
As with nearly every site I have visited in Ireland I had the place to myself (Newgrange excepted of course!)
There is an information board, brand new wooden stile and fencing which takes you to the circle.
The grass was knee high and there were lots of bluebells about which helped compensate for the wind and rain.
The bank around the circle is about 0.5 metres high and the tallest stone about 2 metres high.
The stone which (to me anyway) was the most interesting was the one with 5 grooves cut into it. I assume this was to split the stone as there is another stone just outside the circle with 7 grooves cut into it which has clearly split that stone. The cut forms an arc in the stone.
There as a jumble of 5 large fallen stones in the centre of the circle.

Castleruddery

postman
postman Dec 1, 2010

Another stone circle we left out of our last Irish trip, and boy do I regret it, we only saw Athgreaney last time and missed out on this little wonder, it is a gem of a site.
Really easy to find, and intimate parking for one, with a short sheep stared stroll to the stone “henge” circle. The two big quartz stones that guard the entance are extremely pretty, and have since topped my list of stone circle stones ( dont mean it Callanish ), theyre the best stones in stone circlery, the rest of it is good too.
In the middle of the circle lye six stones, which I half fancied as an interior six stone circle a bit like at Lissy vigeen, (is that the right name) but it was only a fancy.
After going to King Arthurs hall a couple of months previously they both seemed very similar, in feel anyway, obviously ones round and ones rectangular, but still similar.
If I could change some things though, I’d get rid of the farm and the overhead cables and pylons, or move the whole magical site somewhere more remote, which evers easiest, seeing as its a nice place the farm will have to go.

Castleruddery

Vicster
Vicster Aug 16, 2006

This was our next stop after Athgreany circle and was just as spectacular. Again, it is signed from the main road and there is a wee parking space by the gateway.

I loved the 2 great hulking quartz stones, surrounded by smaller granite ones (my knowledge of geology isn’t great, so feel free to correct me at any time) but had to wonder at the discarded stones behind a tree; one had been drilled so accurately across that it had broken in two.

Again, this is quite a small and very round circle, set amidst the most stunning of locations. Some of the stones were incredibley weathered, where others have survived the last 4 milleniums quite well.

Castleruddery

A
Abbie Apr 15, 2002

The thing that struck me most at this site was some of the work that had been put into shaping a few of the stones. They have been worked considerably and without the help of masonary equipment. Some of the cup marks on one of the stones are more than an inch deep and a good inch and a half long.

I know this is the case at many sites but this place really got me thinking. When you get up close and see how much effort was put into the fine detail of a site like this you can’t help but get an over powering sense of its importance. It’s a feeling you would expect to get at somewhere like Avebury but these smaller sites hold huge importance as well.

Folklore

Castleruddery
Stone Circle
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Oct 19, 2018

This is the field on the opposite side of the road from the ‘Druidical Circle’ in Castleruddery Lower.

There is supposed to be a big crock of gold hidden in Tutty’s Terrace field. The name of the man that put it there is Pat Kenny.

One time there were three men who went to dig up the gold. The names of those men were Tom Cullen, Peter Condron and Jim Toole. But when they dug down they met a big stone, and then a goat with three legs came running across the field. The men paid no heed to the goat. But when they went to raise the stone, the goat leaped in on them and killed one of the men. The other two jumped out and filled in the hole and no one made any more attempt to dig for the gold.

And another strange thing about that same place is that there is a light seen at three special times of the year. The light goes all around the place for about a quarter of an hour and then it disappears again.

Larry Daly recounting his father’s stories in the 1930s, for the Schools Folklore Collection. Digitised at dúchas.ie

Topics

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Hob
Hob
Dec 2006
Bungalow blitz - site in danger 8
bawn79
bawn79
Apr 2006
Wanna buy a stone circle? 4
FourWinds
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Dec 2005

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