Stone Circle

On low knoll at W end of Cousane gap, near head of Owngar river. Circle complete; stones are 1.1m to 2.7m L, 0.35m to 0.7m T and 0.4m to 0.7m H. Internal measurement along main axis, aligned E-W, is 3.15m. Standing stones (CO092-050---) once stood 160m to SW. (Ó Nualláin 1984, 40, no. 79; Roberts 1988, Ch. 5, no. 37) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Likely dating to the Neolithic or early Bronze Age, the stone circle at Cousane may have been used for ceremonial or astronomical purposes, given its east-west alignment. No specific folklore is recorded, but such circles often held communal or ritual significance in prehistoric societies.