Stone circles

On the summit of Knocknarae Mountain, located 35m S of a large passage tomb, known as Maeve’s Cairn (MA014-076003-), and 7m to SW of a mound (MA014-076004-). ‘Stone circles (site of)’ is marked at roughly this location on the OS 6-inch map. There are scant remains of this possible passage tomb. An arc of eleven low gneiss stones (H 0.1-0.3m) appears to define the S perimeter of a stone circle (diam. c. 12m) (Bergh 1995, 240), or possibly a kerb (Ó Nuallain 1989), although no trace of a cairn is evident. To N of the arc, a single set boulder may be the in situ back stone of a chamber that opened to the SE. Three displaced boulders lie to E of it. It is likely that this is one of the monuments on Knocknarae, which were disturbed in the early 1800’s by Richard Chamber Walker, a local landowner and antiquarian. (Bergh 1995, 240, site 5). This is a national monument (No. 153) in state care. SL014-056005-_01.pdf See linked document with details from Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume V. County Sligo. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1989) Attached image: SL014-076005-_01.JPG Viewed from S Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 6 April 2020

Stone circles; likely dating to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age. The site is associated with significant ritual landscape features, including a large passage tomb, indicating its potential role in ceremonial or funerary practices.