CianMcLiam
The cross section of the mound, visitors cross a small metal bridge into a dug out chamber inside the mound beside what was the eastern entrance, where a small display area allows you to see how the mound was constructed, and destructed!
Image credit: Ken Williams - shadowsandstone.com
The Triple Spiral, well a copy actually. This exact replica is located in a life-size model of the passage and chamber in Newgrange which is part of the visitor centre audio-visual ‘experience’.
Image credit: Ken Williams - ShadowsandStone.com
Just in case you were wondering... The world famous triple-spiral carving is quite small as demonstrated here by the lovely Niamh.
Image credit: Ken Williams - shadowsandstone.com
This is a casting of the carvings in the passageway, part of a replica of the Newgrange passage and chamber in the visitor centre.
Image credit: Ken Williams - shadowsandstone.com
This is either site 9 or 11, Burl points out that in any other part of the country these would be recognised as typical stone circles and from this pic you would have to agree. There are more stones just right of the frame. It was so cold at dawn that two pairs of gloves still left my hands cold in the atlantic breeze.
As usual, Maeve looks on from on top of Knocknarea.
Image credit: Ken Williams - www.shadowsandstone.com
Knocknarea at night, Maeve’s Cairn is not visible from this angle along the south shoreline of the peninsula
Image credit: Ken Williams - www.shadowsandstone.com
Tomb 5
A long exposure at night, light pollution giving the sci-fi effect (not photoshopped!)
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Since winter creeps on slowly, I’ve been revisiting some summer sunset photos
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Tomb 4 with 5 on the background horizon and that ‘lovely’ red barn, telephone poles etc. etc.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Punchestown stone and the full moon, 14th January 2006. This was taken with a 300mm lens and is a single exposure.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Found this while looking for something else, its now been identified as tomb 26.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Every once in a while you have to end up with grass up your nose to get a pic without fences and wires!
This was inspired by a photo I’d seen of Trethevy Quoit, it looked just massive so with a bit of wide angle, neck creaking and cow dodging I tried to make the dimuntive Ballykeel into a monster.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Ballykeel in its present day enviornment, complete with barb-wire and fences (shot through the hedge, the out of focus bits). Most of the time I find myself trying to make the most of the situation the stones find themselves in, a new direction for 2006 is warts and all!
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Notice that the portal stone to the left has such a tiny point of contact with the capstone that the shadow is extremely thin, barely noticable as if the capstone were floating mid-air.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Grainy suits the atmosphere of this place on a cold, gloomy day.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Truly a massive row, goes without saying of course. Despite its massive size this wasn’t really a highlight site for me, I’m not sure why. Maybe it was the proximity to the house and road which was very unexpected, maybe it was the crappy weather or maybe, just maybe, it was the slight hangover.
The row is odd, the stones are not set with their aixs along the line of the row, they all angle slightly so overhead they would look like the profile of a mutli-blade razor or a giants cheese grater. The stone lying on the ground is an oddity in itself in that it is completely out of character from the rest of the stones and doesn’t seem to belong.
I will definitley visit again, hopefully I’ll feel different.
‘Looking for the circle I suppose... s’over there....’ The Reanascreena ‘stealing horse’.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
A few people have called this the best stone circle in Cork, if not Ireland and after being here I have to agree completely. You cant see this circle until you are very near it, but the circle itself has amazing views and what struck me most is that you can see a sliver of sea from here. I dont know why but I felt a sudden realisation that this was incredibly important to the site. I pictured in my head people gathering here and watching for boats returning or arriving and maybe lighting a fire as a beacon. Strange things this place does to you.
I stood leaning against the strangely pillow-like recumbent stone for almost an hour in the rain and it didn’t feel too bad at all. After two failed attempts at finding it, maybe it was a mix of triumph and delight that it was indeed worth it.
The swamp around it is foul, very foul. There is a lush growth of pond weed, its that bad. Luckily I spotted two stepping stones into the circle just to the right of the portals and was able to miss out on the delights of the horse dung polluted water.
After an hour or so the sun came out and I took dozens of photos, so exhilarated by the sunburst that I failed to notice one of the horses in the field had decided to steal what it could from my camera bag that I left open in the scramble to catch the sun. It took several Neanderthal-like screams before he dropped my 50mm lens from his teeth and settled for a lick of my telephoto. Not so much like the horse-whisperer, more like the horse-screecher.
I will now dispense possibly the easiest directions to this site... EVER! Travel on the N71 from Rosscarberry to Skibbereen until you come to a small tree enclosed place with a bridge called Connonagh (OS W244 388), take a right here (sign for Reanascreena half buried in the ditch) and take the next right. There is a large farm entrance with concrete walls on the left, go through the next field gate on the left and into the next field. Travel to the back of this field. Voilà!
Viewed from the slope on the way up to the stones from the car park.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Proleek Dolmen 30/12/05. Notice how the sun shines on the bottom of the capstone at this time of year.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Broadleas circle, frosty early morning 25th December 2005.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
Some of the most intriguing carvings in the right hand chamber
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
The right hand stone in the right hand chamber, Cairn T. The circle on the left is remarkably clock like.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
The stone immediately on your right when you enter the chamber.
Image credit: Ken Williams - [email protected]
