Drombeg Stone Circle
Drombeg Stone Circle
Drombeg stone circle (also know as the The Druid's Altar), is a stone circle located west of Rosscarbery near Glandore, Co. Cork. It consists of seventeen closely spaced stones spanning 9m (29ft) in diameter.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentDrombeg Stone Circle
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Drombeg Stone Circle
Drombeg stone circle (also know as the The Druid's Altar), is a stone circle located west of Rosscarbery near Glandore, Co. Cork. It consists of seventeen closely spaced stones spanning 9m (29ft) in diameter.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentDrombeg stone circle is located west of Roscarberry, near Glandore in County Cork. Locally, it is known as 'The Druid's Altar'. It is probably Ireland's most famous stone circle.
The circle has seventeen closely spaced pillar stones covering 9 metres in distance, of which 13 of the pillars remain. The area of the circle has been covered in gravel to protect it from the volume of visitors.
After excavations in 1958, a pot was found with the remains of a child. Research shows that this dates back to 945-830BC.
Also present on the site is a Fulacht Fiadh, which is a pit used for cooking. Hot stones from the fire would be dropped into the trough to help boil the water. Recent tests have shown that they could boil seventy gallons of water in fifteen minutes.
Labbacallee Wedge Tomb
Labbacallee wedge-shaped tomb
Labbacallee wedge tomb (Leaba Caillighe in Irish, meaning The Hag's Bed) is a large prehistoric burial monument, located 8km north of Fermoy in Co. Cork. Labbacallee is thought to have been built during the early Bronze Age, circa 1500 BC. The site is one of the largest Irish examples of a wedge tomb.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentLabbacallee wedge-shaped tomb
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Labbacallee wedge-shaped tomb
Labbacallee wedge tomb (Leaba Caillighe in Irish, meaning The Hag's Bed) is a large prehistoric burial monument, located 8km north of Fermoy in Co. Cork. Labbacallee is thought to have been built during the early Bronze Age, circa 1500 BC. The site is one of the largest Irish examples of a wedge tomb.
Image courtesy of Dept. of Environment, Heritage and Local GovernmentThe wedge tomb at Labbacallee is the largest of all the Irish wedge tombs. It is located 8kilometres north of Fermoy in County Cork and is thought to have been built during the early Bronze Age.
Wedge tombs were built in Ireland between 2000 and 1500BC. Today, there are roughly 500 wedge tombs still in existence in Ireland.
It is called a wedge tomb because the burial chamber narrows and shortens in height at one end. This leaves a wedge-shaped plan.
Local folklore links this site with the Celtic Hag Goddess - Cailleach Bheur. Leaba Caillighe in Irish means The Hag's Bed.
Ogham Stones
Ogham Alphabet
Ogam writing is an ancient form of script which was used in the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries.
Ogham Alphabet
Ogham Alphabet
Ogam writing is an ancient form of script which was used in the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries.
Ogham stones are largely found in Munster, in particular in the counties of Cork, Kerry and Waterford.
They date from the early centuries of Christianity and provide us with the earliest known form of the Irish language. It uses a series of lines and etches scratched into the corner of pillar stones to create an alphabet.
It was generally used to record the name of a male, his father and sometimes the tribe he came from.
Examples of Ogham Stones in County Cork can be found at Greenhill, Kilcullen South and Templebryan.