Cliacabhaigh

Standing Stone / Menhir
NB213338

Also known as:

Callanish XVI

Nearest town:

Stornoway (21km ENE)

OS reference:

NB213338

OS sheets:

8, 13

Latitude:

58° 12' 17.54 N

Longitude:

6° 44' 41.99 W

Added to TMA by

Kammer

Images (4)
Fieldnotes (2)
Miscellaneous (1)

Images

Image of Cliacabhaigh (Standing Stone / Menhir) by Kammer

Taken 2nd August 2004: The stone as viewed from the lane. The trailer has been placed in a way that obscures it from view from slightly further south.

Image credit: Simon Marshall

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Taken 2nd August 2004: The stone from the north east. In the field behind (on private property) lies another stone, now fallen.

Image credit: Simon Marshall

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Taken 2nd August 2004: The stone from the south, showing recent vandalism (presumably perpetrated by children based on the size of the hand prints).

Image credit: Simon Marshall

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Taken 2nd August 2004: The stone viewed from the north. The red arrow indicates the location of the Calanais stones.

Image credit: Simon Marshall

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Articles

Cliacabhaigh

Standing Stone / Menhir

CARL Jul 2, 2012

Visited 30.5.12

The good news is the yellow pain has now gone.
The bad news is the rusting farm machinery is still laying all around the stone.

I had no problem visiting the stone from the local crofter – although it was 10.30pm!!

Cliacabhaigh

Standing Stone / Menhir

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Visited 2nd August 2004: Cliacabhaigh is on the grass verge to the east of the lane, usually obscured by farm machinery. I understand that this is not private land, but the local crofter is not at all keen on visitors.

When I visited I found the stone had been vandalised with yellow paint. Hand prints on the south size indicated that children had been involved. Unfortunately the farm machinery that has accumulated around the stone means that it would be easy to paint the stone without being seen from the lane. Having said that, the nearest croft is relatively nearby, and overlooks the stone.

Lining up the stone with the main Calanais site is interesting. There is certainly a relatively straight route between the two, marked by the modern lane. The only advantage of the yellow paint is that you can now just about make out Cliacabhaigh from the main site.

Cliacabhaigh

Standing Stone / Menhir

Kammer Apr 3, 2005

Despite being an obvious suspect, Cliacabhaigh was first recorded relatively recently in a 1976 edition of Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. It is not yet scheduled.

In the excellent book The Stones Around Callanish (ISBN: 0 903960 67 2) by the Pontings is a description of the stone and a pe-vanadlism photo. Margaret Curtis (née Ponting) interprets it as part of the complex, possibly serving a processional function:

...it is 800 metres from he central stone at the main site; at an azimuth of just 1 degree, it is very close to due north and is in direct line with the central megalith and the central row. As seen from this stone, the moon would have transited low over the horizon when at its southernmost extreme.

Margaret has identified two other stones nearby which may have once been standing. One is in the field wall, and the other lies on private land nearby, almost entirely covered in peat.