Stone Circles, Hachured — Loughgur

National monument No. 247. Monument depicted as a two circular-shaped setting of stones on current ed. OS 25 inch map and shown standing 20m NNW of a small burial mound (LI032-059----) on the Hill of Knockroe. Described in 1833 as one of three stone circles (LI032-058----/59----) standing on the Hill of Knockroe (Croker 1833, 109). Croker listed this site as 'N1' and recorded the following about the monument; 'Of these No. 1 was the most perfect. It measured in circumference one hundred and ninety-two yards, and had two or perhaps three circles of stones within the outward one. The centre of these circles measured fourteen yards in diameter' (ibid.). In 1912 this monument was listed as 'Stone Circle O' and described as following; 'The greater or northern circle is locally-called the Lisheen. As the figures 16 and 17 show, it has been disfigured by the fact that an earthen wall has been run right through from east to west and slightly to the north of the middle line, and that the eastern side has also been much broken up walls. As the section (fig. 19) shows, this circle consists of (1) a circular bank with (a) a circle of stones surrounding and standing up from its outer border, and (b) a stone wall of slabs lining the upper bank directed towards the centre of the circle. (2) A central bank surrounded by a series of stones along its outer edge. It would appear therefore that the bank supporting the inner circle, and possibly also that of the outer circle, had been heaped up from earth in the interior of the space, and this will therefore account for the fact that the floor between the two circles is at a lower level than the circumjacent field. The outer circle, as already stated, is very much broken up ; and it is impossible to say of how many stones it may originally have consisted, or even with any approach to certainty how many of the stones now existing belong to the ancient structure. There are thirty-three stones in the central circle (see fig. 17), most of them being placed very close to one another. They are of tabular limestone, and the highest is 4 feet [1.2m]. This inner circle for a short distance on the eastern side is doubled - that is to say, there is a pathway between two rows of the stones. Fifteen feet east of this double-ranked portion is a straight bank co-extensive in length with the double-ranked part, and bordered by four smaller-sized stones. There is no other sign of double ranking in this circle. The double-ranked part is 11 feet wide where it exists, and 30 feet [10m] in length. The bank with the four stones is therefore also 30 feet [10m] ' (Windle 1912, 302-03). This monument was described by O'Kelly (1944, 26) as following; 'This circle, called locally "The Lisheen" has been excavated. It consists of an earthen bank with a facing of stone on each side. Inside this, excavation showed that there was a fosse. In the centre is a small circle of free standing stones concentric with the outer stone faced bank. The diameter of the outer circle is 184' [56m] and that of the inner small one is 49' [15m]. No dating evidence was discovered'. In 1978 the monument was described as following; 'It is 56m in overall diam. and consists of an earthen bank faced on both sides with standing slabs of stone. The position of the original entrance is not known. Excavation showed that there was a ditch inside the bank and beyond the ditch there was an annular space surround a central circle of contiguous stones. The inner circle was 15m in overall diam. In the NE quadrant of the circle a pile of boulders was revealed which ahd been thrown together without any apparent arrangement. there were no finds and hence the date is unknown. Because of the finding of a ditch inside the bank, the site is considered to have been a ritual one' (O'Kelly and O'Kelly 1978, 24-5). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 25 May 2018