Guide by Category
Stone Circles 15 Bronze Age monuments, from Cork to Tyrone
Ireland's stone circles were mostly built between 2500 and 500 BC, in the heart of the Bronze Age, for a purpose that combined ritual, ceremony, and — judging by the orientation of several of them — astronomical observation of the solstices and equinoxes. The densest concentration is in the southwest, in Cork and Kerry, where a design almost unique to the region developed: the axial stone circle, with two portal stones marking the entrance and a recumbent stone directly opposite, aligned with each other. Drombeg, Bohonagh, Reanascreena, Ardgroom, Cashelkeelty, Uragh, and Kenmare all belong to this tradition.
Further north and east, the tradition shifts: Beaghmore, in Tyrone, is part of a unique complex of stone circles and rows in Ulster, while Castleruddery, in Wicklow, is actually a henge — a much rarer type of monument — with its famous white quartz portal stones. The Piper's Stones of Athgreany and the Broadleas circle, a few kilometers apart on the Wicklow-Kildare border, confusingly share the same local nickname, "Piper's Stones," but they're two distinct monuments, each with its own legend. Newgrange and Grange Stone Circle, alongside Lough Gur, round out the picture: here the stone circle sits alongside the passage tomb, a reminder that both types of monument belong to the same prehistoric ritual tradition.
Each location's full page is currently only available in Spanish. Use "View on map" to explore in English, or "Read more" for the complete Spanish-language write-up.
Explore the 15 Circles
Ardgroom Stone Circle
Cork
A coastal stone circle on the Beara Peninsula with sweeping views over the Kenmare River.
Beaghmore Stone Circles
Tyrone
A remarkable Bronze Age complex of seven stone circles, stone rows, and cairns in the Sperrins.
Beltany Stone Circle
Donegal
One of Ireland's largest stone circles, 64 stones crowning a hilltop in Donegal.
Bohonagh Stone Circle
Cork
A recumbent stone circle in West Cork, part of the region's distinctive axial-circle tradition.
Broadleas Stone Circle
Kildare
A Bronze Age stone circle whose stones, local legend says, can never be counted the same way twice.
Cashelkeelty
Cork
A Bronze Age stone circle and standing stone pair on the Beara Peninsula.
Castleruddery Stone Circle
Wicklow
Recumbent stone circle with notched stones, a National Monument.
Drombeg Stone Circle
Cork
One of Ireland's best-known recumbent stone circles, aligned with the winter solstice sunset.
Kenmare Stone Circle
Kerry
One of the largest circles in the southwest, with a central boulder burial.
Newgrange
Meath
A 5,000-year-old passage tomb older than Stonehenge, famous for its winter solstice sunrise alignment.
Piper's Stones (Athgreany)
Wicklow
According to legend, a piper and his dancers turned to stone.
Reanascreena Stone Circle
Cork
A well-preserved recumbent stone circle in the West Cork megalithic tradition.
Uragh Stone Circle
Kerry
One of Ireland's most spectacular circles, between lakes and mountains.
