This is a beautiful circle in a wonderful location. It didn't really stand out when I browsed through TME but when I looked up some pics on Megalithomania.com I knew this would be near the top of the list for the next tour of Cork/Kerry.
I took the words of those who were here previously seriously and left myself plenty of time to get here. It's not incredibly far in terms of distance but it is a bit of a hairy journey. I could find no trace of any of the signs and walkways mentioned in TME and ended up relying on the sometimes dodgy combination of GPS and 'as the crow flies' navigation. I'm pretty sure I picked the most difficult route to get here, when I got to the circle I passed one of the Beara Way markers but looking back it seemed this track would lead me past the herd of crazy eyed bulls that loitered around the gate to the lane that would make the most direct route.
After getting mugged for €2 at both Ballycrovane and Shronebirrane I would not have been one bit surprised if the cows wanted a feckin toll to cross as well.
After falling through two hedges and over and under countless barbed wire fences, slipping into drainage trenches and getting torn on thorns I finally spotted the portal stone framed under a lovely tree. The sun was really scorching the ground when I finally sat and caught my breath against one of the old stones.
This circle is far better than in the photos, although overgrown it is wonderfully complete and the stones are perfectly chosen. It's location is probably only second to Uragh, you can survey for miles withoug seeing a single bungalow and it takes no effort to cast your mind back to when these craggy charmers were dragged to this spot.
The only thing that detracted from this place was some clever person leaving a sheep skull and a slab of stone with a hand perfectly painted in sparkly pink nail varnish on the boulder burial...
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Every once in a while you come across a place that puts your head in a spin and in all the confusion you just want to laugh. This is a very odd place. Very, very odd. After seeing a handful of pics in a picture library of a stone circle with some unusual looking arrangements around it, there was nothing else to be done only track this strange place down and see it for myself.
First of all it was only discovered when the site was being cleared to lay down gardens after the land had been purchased for development into a park. It has since been cleaned up and restored to an unknown extent. It now forms part of a walking trail around Millstreet Country Park, situated below and in sight of Knocknakilla Hill and its more famous stone circles.
The park has a visitor centre, restaurant, gardens, water courses complete with jumping salmon, wandering deer and this magnificent Bronze Age site.
When you first see it after a 15 minute walk from the visitor centre, the first thing that springs to mind is how well preserved the medium sized circle with its sub-two foot stones is. Then you cant help wondering about the intriguing arrangements of stones surrounding it. Then you read the information board and find out that the 'circle' is in fact that curious arrangement of slabs that looks like it cant decide whether its a ruined portal or wedge tomb. When complete this must have looked more like a five stone rectangle. The portals are set radially and the remaining side stone, its cropped opposite partner and the axial form a neat box.
The stone still standing (barely) are over almost four foot tall and a pile of left overs lie to one side.
The radial circle is an almost perfect circle that could have been transplanted from Beaghmore in Tyrone, it is similar in size to the smaller circles there but obviously the radial setting of the stones make this pretty unique. Near the center is a fallen stone about three foot long. To the North West is a fallen three stone row, to the south west of this row are two more prostrate long stones. To the south east of the circle is a five foot outlier almost fallen into the circle itself. Other stones jut out of the grass aroundabout.
This is a fascinating place, full of oddities and mysteries (not least why its still almost unknown). The park can easily fill a full day on its own but you could spend most of it here at this strange complex.
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The familiar sight of Haroldstown sprouting up from lush green grass is no more... The field has been ploughed to within an inch of the dolmen, a bit of a shock to see it when coming around the bend. I really hope it will be a cereal crop and not vegetables, that would be a very ill-fitting setting for this magnificent sculpture. The whole field has been cleared right down to the river edge and all the interesting boulders spread around the bank are now piled unceremoniously in a heap. It looked as depressing as the weather.
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Although the trees around the circle have not yet been cleared, the circle itself is completly clear and very easy to make out now. The area in the middle has been flattened, seems like a large group of people have been here recently and I also saw a small pile of loose stones beside the circle. These apparently are being used to fill in the gaps and make the circle 'complete' for whatever purpose and shallow sockets can be seen in the gaps of the circle.
Its still extremely difficult to photograph!
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This stone row was marked on my Ireland Road Map and since I was in Cavan town I decided to investigate. After following the map I came to a parking area with a half buried sign for 'Finn McCool's Fingers' which sounded like it could be what I was looking for or else Birdseye had dumped good ole' Captain Birdseye and rebranded. Luckily my first guess was correct.
The steep track up the hill must be treacherous in bad weather but it was well trampled, this site seems popular with someone. The forest marked on the map has been mostly cleared save for a few fallen trees blocking the track at the top of the hill but once you get to the site the views are very expansive.
The stones themselves are not massively tall (highest is just short of six foot) but are quite bulky and its easy to see why they were given the nickname. Four standing stones form a row with a low fallen/natural stone at the rear and a few metres in front of the row is what looks like a natural outcrop which is around a foot high but very wide and quite flat. In all the arrangement does resemble five fingers and a thumb (the outcrop) sticking out from the hill below.
There was evidence of recent fires and other alcohol fuelled activity here but the stones are untouched and the rest of the plateau is untouched. A nice place to sit in the mid-day sun but maybe not as hospitable on a rainy/windy day.
To get here follow the R188 from Cavan to Cootehill under the new bypass bridge, take the next right turn to the very small crossroads, turn left and keep going over the hill for about 2km until you see a small sign (Finn McCools fingers) on the right in the hedge in a small parking area. Park here and hike up the hillside track and turn left over the stiles, the track brings you straight to the stones.
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If you haven't been to Kilmogue dolmen before, or even if you have, now is the best time to go. The hedges and overgrowth have been cleared to the great credit of the landowner or whoever took the time to clear the site up a bit and its possible to see the dolmen much better than previous visits here where I failed to get a single decent photo. The far side of the dolmen on the other side of the field wall is possibly now the best looking side though both views are impressive. Maybe its just the surprise at being able to see so much more than usual. Look at the photos and plan your journey now!
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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.
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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!
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This site is featured in The Megalithic European as 'Monkey's Bridge' though I asked a local from the village and they had not heard the name before.
The reason I was asking a local is because the directions in the book are great, if you are travelling in the right direction. However the book doesn't specify which direction so if you enter Bweeng from the south there is no way in hell you will see either the shrine mentioned or the sign for Nad. Even on the way back they are hard to spot. Take the first turn left once you come to the village if you are coming from the south, take the last right turn if coming from the north. Keep going until you pass over the bridge then park at the next gate on the left.
The taller stone is huge, the smaller one is still quite a large stone, my photo above does not give a proper perspective so the smaller looks a lot more squat than it is.
I was here for one of the most gorgeous sunsets of the year so far, very pink with high scattered clouds and a huge almost full moon looming up behind the stones. Unfortunately my battery ran out so I couldn't get any moon pics.
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What a dissapointment! I was expecting massive stones jutting out of the horizon magnificently, instead I saw tinchy little stones cowering up to a pine plantation.
Luckily that was just the view from the road. Up close these stones are fantastic! My first large stone row and what an introduction. This is a great site, if the plantation and large clump of trees behind it were gone it would be spectacular. I spent a long time here taking in every angle and marvelling at the stones as the light changed, the row was pointing directly at the setting sun. The fallen stone is a shame but it does show how some things are not set in stone as it would seem and should be taken care of no matter how invincible it looks.
Over one hundred photos later I made my way back to the car with that warm feeling that today I really saw something.
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The mysterious circle at last. It really is a magical place, I wish I had been able to climb up the hillside among the dense trees to find this clearing. The circle and its low ditch is like a sacred sanctum, if you look at the photos the surrounding tree branches look like hands reaching down towards the stones...
I met up with the legendary Tom FourWinds in Baltinglass and on we drove down a trackway with pot holes you could bury a horse in. Turns out we share quite a few interests; old stones, photography, fishkeeping, getting the hell out of mountain forests before its pitch dark etc etc. It was great to visit a site (especially one like this) with someone who you dont have to keep convincing that the muddy, trackless trek up to some old stones is worth the time and effort, and it was a pleasure. Sometimes it seems more productive to think out loud and have your thoughts bounced back.
But to the circle... Someone had stood some buried stones upright, little runts that at first made the circle look more complete, then made it look totally off-balance. Without careful observation it seemed that the builders were hedging their bets with the axis alignment here, its definitley close to the mid-winter sunset but which stone is the axial? Hard to tell but all might be revealed (literally) if the trees to the west were removed.
This is a place you could spend many hours at, just listening to the sounds overhead and in the trees, and not feel like civilisation was observing you.
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This stone is really great, its also much taller than I remembered from my last visit. The grooves are very deep and perhaps are enhanced natural features of the stone. Its almost three metres tall and is clearly visible from the road from Tullow to the N80.
While I was taking some sunset photos I heard a very menacing snorting noise very close behind me. While the field seemed empty when I climbed over the gate, I was now face to face with a massive bull who was very unhappy to have visitors. I very slowly gathered up my stuff and paced back to the gate, with the bull and four others walking about three metres behind every step of the way. I could hear the snorting getting faster and faster and about 6 metres from the gate I made a run for it, throwing my tripod over the gate, the bull charged at his point and stopped just short of the gate, stamping and making very nasty noises and I was still not over the top but luckily he seemed satisfied I had left for good so he then turned and charged at another bull.
This is probably the closest I've been to serious injury out taking pictures so please, check every corner of the field you are in and adjoining fields if the gates are open, this could have ended up very seriously. I know a guy who lost a kidney and was lucky to be alive after a bull attackd so its so important to be aware of your surroundings even if you are distracted by some amazing stones.
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A full moon brought me back to Clontygora, hoping to get a better picture of the moon between the superbly shaped court stones than last year (http://cianmcliam.smugmug.com/gallery/345408/1/13728798/Large) but I only confirmed what I thought already, its impossible to get a nice detailed moon shot by time its moved into the right position because the rest of the image is black, needs to be done during the late evening when the sky is still fairly bright.
Another dissapointment was the discovery that a HUGE new barn/workshop type thing has been built right across the road and is impossible to ignore while here.
Nevertheless, Clontygora is still a great place to be and hats off to whoever keeps the grass so neat. Of all the sites I've been to though, this place has the highest concentration of dog-dirt I've ever come across, even in the chamber. Be careful where you tread!
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Poulnabrone may be another victim of the 'pop megalithic' syndrome wherby its immense popularity, ease of access, enormity of photographs and visitors means that it is so often belittled and dismissed. Probably the same phenomenon that causes an underground band to become instantly unpopular as soon as they get mainstream attention. Poulnabrone is a masterpiece of its kind, the design and engineering are superlative and if it were not for the rope surrounding it would be perfect. If this was discovered today or even if it were located miles from the nearest track it would get the proper respect and admiration it deserves. Get here very early or very late to avoid the embarrasingly uninformed tour guides and uninterested tour guests.
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S**t! Uuughhhhh...... crap. F**K!!... B****X .......ARRRGGHHH slime!!!!.... ugh, at last.. Wwwwwwwwwwwoooow, maaan!!!
This is the sound of a person visiting Uragh for the first time, even the second or third time. The donation box now politely demands an 'entry fee' of one euro but if they are going to charge the least they can do is lay even a third-rate causeway or stepping stone path towards the hill. This weekend the ground was atrocious and I had to encourage an Australian couple to keep going after they turned back. They weren't convinced. If you could only see the circle you would know it was worth every slip and slime.
Now I'm back again and its before dawn, not quite pitch black but there is not even a breath of wind and it is so quiet it feels unreal. This circle is like a painted back drop for a film, you simply couldn't dream up a location like this.
Visit this place now, you have to see dawn breaking above the hills and waterfalls before you shuffle off this planet.
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This circle is easy to find and also easy to reach. If you are on a hanglider with a pair of binoculars taped to your face that is...
This was my second time looking for this place, I gave up the first time and I have quite good eyesight. I actually 'saw' it and was glad to see the farmer was tending his sheep, until he pointed out a different spot, much further away! 'You have a pair a tough boots with ya, dont ya?' 'Um no... but um, these walking shoes are watertight..' Cut to farmer laughing, sort of nervously at first then building up to a hearty belly laugh bordering on the evil. Great start.
They should use this place to train the SAS, its murder getting across the bog after rain the few days beforehand. Barbed wire, super-slippy rocks, swamp holes disguised as tufts of grass, those rocks placed and balanced carefully so that when you stand on them they fart out water and muck onto your other shoe...
When you are there, you dont even think about your trousers being knee deep in crap, this spot is like a 3D postcard, spectacular doesn't do it justice.
The stones are all high and have a craggy pointed-ness that makes them human like in stature similar to Ardgroom Outward up the road, they must be good to hold your attention up here but they were chosen very well. I didn't want to leave here, and that wasn't just because of the dastardly trek back to the car.
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Ballyrenan Portal Tombs, 16th October 2005.
Very sad to see this place completly overgrown again, only the capstone poking out of the undergrowth is visible as you pass. The side opposite from the road is better, slightly. I did find however that a camera monopod makes a good swiping implement for claring vegetaion, after 15 minutes you could see the whole of one side again but I was too tired then to even make a start at the more overgrown side where you cant even walk.
I really liked it here, the morning was still bright and the tombs still retain a lot of presence despite their state and overgrown surroundings next to a barn.
The capstone-less tomb would have been very nice in its original state, I think I would have liked it better than its larger mate. The larger tomb gives the impression that it was a 'throw it up and see if it sticks' affair, still very nice and a little eccentric.
Maybe a discrete word in someones ear might bring some sunshine back into these tombs existence.
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Drumskinny, 16th October 2005.
After a spectacular sunrise at Beltany Tops, the morning took a more gloomy and dank feel by the time I got to Drumskinny. It was 10.30am on a Sunday yet I wasn't the first here, a couple were leaving just as I arrived.
The circle is really nice, 'nice' is a good word because it does feel 'nice' but not quite 'right'. It can be hard to ignore the newness of the place though the stones are quite charming, it feels like it could be one of those modern public artworks you see in pretentious 'Business Parks'. Its even been signed by the heritage people! (The missing stones have been carved to indicate they are not original). I didnt notice from other photos that its on such a slope, maybe this adds to the unrealness of the place, maybe the weather was affecting my mood...
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Beaghmore Complex, 15 October 2005.
Fourwinds and A. Weir have some superb shots of this site with sunlight raking over the stones and grass and this is what I hoped to see before sunset today. Unfortunately I wasn't counting on Saturday rush hour traffic in Armagh and Dungannon and missed the best light.
Arriving on a very windy evening I was not dissapointed for long, this place is incredible. You can almost feel the frenzy of activity here, the fervour with which the rows were scattered around the rings as if the world was about to end. Some theories consider this could well have been the scenario the builders thought they were facing as the peat bog swallowed up the workable land.
Trying to understand this place is like trying to square the circle using an abacus. Excuse the pun!
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Beltany at dawn, 16th October 2005.
After the mind boggling Beaghmore at sunset the evening before, Beltany feels a wilder, more foreboding place than the almost amusingly scattered Tyrone complex. Maybe this was due to the fact that I arrived here while it was still dark and the tree lined laneway up to the circle was much longer and spookier than I had anticipated.
There are lots of curiously shaped stones, the two largest stones are extraordinary. This site was once a true masterpeice, now in its slightly ruined state it still hits the psychological nerve ends.
Even after dawn there was not enough light to find all the marked stones but I did find the large stone with dozens of cup marks on its inner face and attempted to get a good photo of them.
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