Bohonagh

51°34′48″N 8°59′56″W / 51.580102°N 8.998987°W / 51.580102; -8.998987 Bohonagh is an axial stone circle located 2.4 km east of Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland. The circle is thought to date from the Bronze Age. A boulder burial is sited nearby[1] (grid ref: 308 368).[2]

Features

The stone circle comprised 13 stones set in a circle with a diameter of 30 ft. Four out of the 13 stones are missing and three were re-erected after excavation. Two portal stones are set radially on an east–west axis to the recumbent stones and are 240 cm high. At just under 8 ft, these stone are among the tallest of any Irish stone circle. The axis from these stones to the large axial-stone on the west side, points to sunset at the equinoxes.[1] Many of the stones have quartz inclusions and many small pieces of quartz are associated with the circle.[3]

A boulder burial is sited 20m east of the circle, and its large capstone (weighing almost 20 tons[3]) has seven or more small cup-marks on the upper surface. Two of the three small supporting stones are of quartz and a fourth has been uprooted. A nearby loose slab also features cup-marks. The complex, which included a wooden house (which had been excavated) is of Bronze Age date.[1]

Excavations

In 1959 the site was excavated and a central pit containing charcoal and cremated bone was found.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Weir, A (1980). Early Ireland. A Field Guide. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. p. 113.
  2. ^ "Bohonagh". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
  3. ^ a b c "Bohonagh Recumbent Stone Circle - Co. Cork". Megalithics.com. Retrieved 11 June 2008.

Sources

  • McNally, Kenneth (2006). "Ireland's Ancient Stones" (Belfast: Appletree Press). ISBN 0-86281-996-2


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