<< Our Photo Pages >> Ballynoe - Stone Circle in Ireland (Northern) in Co. Down
Submitted by jeffrep on Wednesday, 22 August 2018 Page Views:
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: BallynoeCountry: Ireland (Northern) County: Co. Down Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Downpatrick Nearest Village: Ballynoe
Map Ref: J4812740378
Discoverer Map Number: D21
Latitude: 54.290732N Longitude: 5.725888W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
DrewParsons radrad dohagan would like to visit
sba_dk visited on 20th Jul 2022 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 3
Stone Free visited on 11th May 2014 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3
jeffrep visited on 20th Apr 2009 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.33 Ambience: 4.33 Access: 3
In the E half of the circle is a long low mound which contained large kists at the E and W ends. This mound obliterated two shortlived cairns built after the circle was constructed, in what Aubrey Burl describes as "prehistoric bigotry and vandalism [which] ruined this magnificent monument."
Three pairs of stones stand outside the circle at varying distances, the nearest pair at the W side forming a kind of entrance 2.1 metres wide. Many of the stones in this circle were originally shoulder to shoulder, as at Lough Gur, at Swinside in Cumbria and La Menec in Brittany. A portalled entrance is aligned on the setting sun half-way between midwinter and midsummer (around March 21st), and the setting sun at winter solstice seems to slide down between the Mountains of Mourne which form a fine backdrop to the circle.
~ 7 km NNE is the unexposed megalithic tomb at Slievenagriddle.
Text by Anthony Weir
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
4.2km N 6° Down County Museum* Museum
4.2km N 7° Mound of Down* Misc. Earthwork
6.8km NE 45° Slievenagriddle* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (J528453)
7.6km NW 319° Annadorn Dolmen (Loughinisland)* Chambered Tomb (NW52870072)
8.3km NE 46° Loughmoney* Portal Tomb (NW63890021)
8.6km NE 48° Carrownacaw Long Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir)
9.7km NE 49° Castle Mahon* Stone Circle (J552470)
10.6km WSW 237° Wateresk Dolmen* Portal Tomb (J3936234386)
10.8km WSW 237° Ballyloughin Standing Stones (J392342)
10.9km WSW 237° Wateresk Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir)
12.8km NE 41° Audleystown Court Tomb* Court Tomb (J562503)
12.9km NE 44° Castleward Standing Stones (J569499)
14.5km SW 232° Newcastle Stone Circle Stone Circle (J370310)
17.2km ENE 60° Millin Bay* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (J628495)
17.6km SW 226° Slieve Donard* Passage Grave (J3580427689)
17.8km W 280° Legananny Cross Stone* Ancient Cross (J304428)
18.1km WSW 251° Drumena* Stone Fort or Dun (J3111034018)
18.4km WSW 244° King's Grave in Tollymore Forest* Cairn (J318317)
18.7km NE 52° Ballyrusley* Stone Row / Alignment (J6262052280)
19.4km W 281° Legananny* Portal Tomb (J2886743397)
22.6km N 9° Ballymartin Rock Art Rock Art (J50766285)
22.7km W 271° Moneyslane* Standing Stones
24.1km SSW 214° The Longstone (Co. Down)* Standing Stone (Menhir)
25.4km WSW 250° Goward* Portal Tomb (J244310)
26.8km N 0° Ballygraffan Portal Tomb* Portal Tomb
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