IronMan
Bryn-yr-Hen-Bobl lies on private land owned by Lord Anglesey, according to the two biddys behind the counter in the Plas Newydd National Trust ticket office. Occasional ‘Archaeological tours’ are organised when this and the Plas Newydd site can be visited.
This well known site has long had a sinister reputation for human sacrifice. Excavations which took place in the late 1950s found offerings of human remains, suggesting this may well have been the case.
From Burl’s ‘Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany’:
“In September, 1935, Boyle Somerville returned to Drombeg with a psychic, Miss Geraldine Cummings. She did not like the place. She felt it was a centre of nature and sun worship conjoined with the moon, a place where animals, if not small children, were sacrificed at each winter solstice. She ‘saw’ a priest in blue and saffron robes standing at the altar of the recumbent about to kill his human offering.
There were weekly ceremonies but ‘the great Day of the Blood Sacrifice was near the end of December. Then horrible things were practised in the twilight. There were strange dances in which men and women stabbed each other in a frenzy. There was an abandonment in action and behaviour which I may not describe.’ Drombeg was cursed. It was ‘guarded by the spirits of darkness’.”
Anyone wishing to spend time visiting the stone circles of this area should try and pick up a copy of Jack Roberts’ excellent ‘Stone Circles of Cork and Kerry – an astronomical guide’, available from most of the tourist information centres (I picked up my copy from the shop in Bantry for 7 euro, which was roughly £4.30 sterling at the time of writing). The notes on the back of the book read:
There are over 100 stone circles in the Cork/Kerry region, the greatest concentration of Stone Circles to be found in Europe. They are of a unique type, the most distinct feature being their astronomical-calendrical orientation. At many of the circles the astronomical alignment is also harmonised with features of the sacred landscape.
Most of the entries include sketches of the site and/or a plan, with alignments illustrated. The notes include directions for getting to the sites, but be warned, these are not always entirely accurate!
Travelling north 1.6 miles on the road from Clonakilty to Dunmanway, Ballyvackey stone circle lies in a field to the right. The site was recommended to us by Julian when we bumped into him at Kealkil. It isn’t in Burl’s Guide (it is in the big book though), and just gets a brief mention by Jack Roberts in his wonderful guide ‘The Stone Circles of Cork and Kerry”.
The site is strange, lying near the end of a field, a tree growing by one of its stones. The surrounding scenery is quite unremarkable, compared to its neighbours. Its stones aren’t huge. It’s neither hidden, nor in a striking position. I can understand Burl overlooking it in his guide, there are much bigger, more famous sites very close by, but I would definitely recommend a visit here just for its obscurity.
The recumbent (!!!) with a prominent hill to the SSW in the background.
From my (rough) reading the midwinter sunset alignment of the tomb is set on this bump.
At the centre of this circle is a large block of quartz, ‘Cloch Greine’ or ‘Sun Stone’ and it is thought to have given Clonakilty or Clocha na Coilte its name.
High above the Borlin Valley this fine standing stone has a commanding view of fantastic scenery. Worth a look if you are visiting Derrynafinchin.
