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Trefignath is a great site, spoilt by the view to the aluminium works. The site was built in three stages, and these are still clearly discernible, the latest stage being the large chamber, which it is possible to crawl inside. One of the two stones marking this entrance shows signs of quite a large fire being lit there recently, causing some damage to the stone - blackening from the fire and worse a chip out of it's surface.
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Worth visiting en-route to Trefignath. This standing stone is signposted from the road and can be clearly seen in it's field. The stone is surrounded by a series of wooden posts holding up a damaged wire fence. The purpose of the fence, it would seem, is to keep the sheep away from the stone - the fact that the fence is damaged makes it pointless and so just adds to the ugly intrusions all around.
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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.
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High above the Borlin Valley this fine standing stone has a commanding view of fantastic scenery. Worth a look if you are visiting Derrynafinchin.
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In the field right next to the great circle lies this much smaller, less impressive site. On a normal visit this would be great, but it is difficult to be objective about it when you know that Grange lies only a few feet away behind you. On the hill, above the circle is a huge standing stone.
To gain entrance to Lough Gur C there is a slight gap in the fence.
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The Lough Gur wedge tomb lies to the SSE of the great circle. The site is easy to find (it's right by the roadside), and is clearly signed from the circle. As with the other sites in this area, this one has a truly magickal feel to it.
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A fantastic place. The whole site is amazing, but the back stone of Cairn T has got to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We only made it to Carbane East, we'd been on the Newgrange experience in the morning, and were headed for Dublin the next day, so it was a case of getting what we could done before it was too late. I'd give the whole Loughcrew complex a day next time.
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Our visit to Newgrange came after Dowth and Knowth. The contrast between these three sites is incredible. The white facade, is as the tour guides themselves admit pure conjecture, and was most likely chosen because it was the prettiest use imaginable. The truth is it looks way too modern in style. Too angular, too twee. Looking beyond this the decorated stones are wonderful, as is the large circle.
Our guide for Newgrange was like a slightly toned down holiday rep. She insisted on cracking jokes about Neolithic people, and at one point started making drumming sounds in order to get people to move clockwise round the chamber. I felt completely ridiculous being a part of the whole sham. Once the bored and claustrophobic tourists had left, I asked the girl a few questions. She had told us when we entered that it was possible to see the light coming through the box at the entrance if you lay on the floor. I did just that, and it turned out she'd never actually tried it herself. She didn't try it this time either. She became impatient and kind of started moving us out. Along the passage way I stopped a couple of times to look at the carvings. She let out a sigh, and said something along the lines of "come on, there's more people to come through yet". Outrageous. We were probably the only people genuinely interested in the site, and yet we were treat with contempt. We were being processed and that's for sure. It's a real shame, because this place must once have been amazing.
One more thing - You cannot take photographs in the main chamber because, as our lovely guide said, some people still respect the dead you know. There are however a series of ten postcards for sale in the security hut/gift shop which have been taken within the chamber. Did a ghost perhaps take these shots?
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Knowth inhabits a kind of half way point between the mysterious beauty of Dowth and the rampant commercialism of Newgrange. The reconstruction steers away from the flagrant conjecture of Newgrange, but is ill-considered enough to be annoying. For me the worst part is a green metal bridgeway over a couple of the kerbstones, totally unsympathetic. The reason for the bridge? Because people feel it neccessary to stand inside the monument, even if it is in a brand new chamber. Add to this the concrete support over the kerbstones and you start to get an idea of the damage that has been done to the site in order to make it tourist friendly. Access to the top of the mound is at present restricted, so it was funny to be asked by an American family one evening, on the road near Dowth, the way to 'the mound you can stand on'. That is what people think about these sites. Stand on it. Stand in it. Run around it. Anything but feel it!
The site still retains an amount of dignity however, and is a must. The kerbstones alone make it worth the visit - the carvings are the best I've seen yet. At Knowth our guide (sorry I don't know your name) was pretty good. She obviously loved the site, and at one point, out of earshot of the camcordering yanks turned to me and said "this place is just fucking amazing, isn't it!" I'd have to agree, but it could have been so much better.
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Our first site visit in Ireland. We watched the evening roll in from the top of the mound. This site is what it's all about really - it is perfect, there can be no mistaking that. The carvings, though faded, and maybe not as intricate as their more famous Boyne relatives, have a delicate beauty which just cannot be described. The surrounding landscape has a melancholy air, enhanced by the ruined church in the next field.
Whilst hanging out here, recovering from our journey, a few American tourists turned up, fresh from the Newgrange experience. They didn't stay long, five minutes at the most. This is the beauty of Dowth, it doesn't give itself up to the casual, slightly interested tourist, hungry for something they can understand. Mystery lives on here.
Our lodgings for the next couple of nights were in the Glebe House B&B, literally just over the wall from the site. We were lucky to get the nearest room to the mound, so I found myself waking in the night, and looking out through the curtains, just to check it was still there! I would reccommend staying nearby (especially at Glebe House) to anyone visiting the Boyne sites, this gives you the opportunity to spend some real time here. Just hang around and soak it in. This is probably one of the best sites you'll ever see - and it could well be in danger of becoming another part of the Disneyland Newgrange experience. That would be a very sad day indeed.
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This strangely shaped stone sits proudly, across the road from the circle. While the Rollright stones and the Whispering Knights are partly hidden this stone commands a much broader view from the land below.
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Trapped within a fence, but still with a clear view to the rollrights nearby, these stones really grabbed me. The trees and hedges around hinder the view of the whole complex but I found I was able to imagine the psychology behind this place.
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Visited en-route from London to Holyhead. This site has been on my list of sites I yearned to visit for a long time now, and arriving here I wan't at all dissapointed. The landscape surrounding is peaceful - not exactly awe inspiring, but calm and reflective. We waited here till it got dark then continued on to Anglesey.
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I drove down from London with three friends and spent the afternoon here. The sites position is particularly well chosen. Approaching from the west, the site is on the edge of a very gently sloping plateau, from the East however it is a totally different picture. Here the site is in full view from the lower ground below.
On our visit the stones had been left marked with chalked pentacles. I was sorry to have to leave them that way, but having no way of removing them, and realising that chalk can make a mess, I resigned myself to the fact that someone from the National Trust would eventually sort this out.
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On the way from Lancashire down to London, we decided to break up the journey by paying a visit to the Rollrights. Although the sun beamed down and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the air was freezing. The limestone circle is oddly reminscent of the stones at Arbor Low, so gnarled and worn. The site is set, with portal stones, in a similar alignment to the big Cumbrian circles of Sunkenkirk & Castlerigg.
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The huge circle at Grange stands in a fantastic neolithic complex. A further two circles, standing stones, wedge-tombs and crannógs make up this wonderful landscape. We made our visit en-route to Cork, so managed the main circle, one other circle and a wedge tomb, but I'm sure a few days could be spent exploring this landscape.
The henge circle itself is fascinating.
Walking through the stone lined entrance passage, the view stretches across to a large V shaped notch at the far end of the circle, aligned on the Samain sunset (Burl) and/or the moon's minimum midsummer setting in 2500BC (Weir).
From the centre of the circle, to the NE lies a huge 20 ton stone, known as Rounach Croim Dubh, 'the prominent black stone' (Burl) or my prefered translation Huge Black Stooper (Weir). This stone is aligned on the midsummer sunrise. The psychology of this site is second to none. I found it easier than ever to contemplate the effect of these events on the minds of the Neolithic people.
We spent a good portion of the afternoon lazing about here, the sun was beating down, and I had a bit of a hangover from the Cope gig in Dublin. I couldn't think of a better place to hang out.
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Ardgroom has the most varied scenery I've yet seen for a stone circle. Huge mountains, small green hills, crags, the sea and running streams are all around. The circle is an RSC, yet the recumbent is a lozenge shaped, pointed stone - a strange choice perhaps, but for the fact that it seems to echo a craggy conical hill to the SSW. On the approach to the circle we drove round this hill, commenting that it had to be an important, sacred feature here.
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This RSC lies near the end of the Beara peninsula, just outside the village of Castletownbere. According to Burl this is 'almost a classic recumbent circle', with an unusual orientation. It is set almost due W, at 273°, but the surrounding hills are high and the 'declination is an un-equinoctial 5°'.
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High up on a hillside, on the east coast of the Beara peninsula, this little tomb has a great view out to sea over Bantry bay and the surrounding mountains. My rough reading put this site on a midwinter sunset alignment, aligned on a lump (cairn?) on a distant mountain.
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This multiple stone circle stands in the Borlin valley and is very easy to find. It is literally on the side of the road. The location is great - making this a worthwhile visit, but the site is a little confusing in it's orientation. According to Jack Roberts it is set on the Feb/Nov cross quarter. The Borlin Valley Standing Stone, further along the higher road, is also worth visiting, being so close.
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