Stone circle

This small monument, not marked on the OS maps, is located on the NW side of the valley of the Cummeragh river, in rough pastureland that overlooks Lough Currane to SW. It consists of an oval arrangement of five stones with its longer axis lying NE-SW. It may have originally consisted of seven stones. Its interior features an infill of field debris, .5m high. The largest stone of the circle is at W; it stands 2m high and measures 1.6m x .4m at base. At SW is a squat, block-like boulder measuring .83m x .9m x .5m. The orthostat at S is 1.8m high, 1.1m wide and .5m thick. The limits of the E side of the circle are defined only by field debris. The stone at NE inclines markedly outwards and stands .8m high, 1.1m wide and .4m thick. A prostrate boulder-like slab occurs adjacent to this at N, and measures 1.9m x 1.2m x .4m. Neither the portals nor the axial stone of the monument can be identified (Ó Nualláin 1984a, 26). The 'bronze staff from the stone row and cairn in this townland (KE089-035----) was mistakenly associated by Ó Nualláin with this site. An outlying monolith (KE089-053001-), 6.65m NW of the possible stone circle, is incorporated into a field wall. It stands 1.3m high and measures .6m x .5m at base. It is of regular elevation. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 381. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, this stone circle may have been used for ceremonial or ritual purposes. No specific folklore is recorded, but such sites are often associated with ancient beliefs in the landscape.