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Anciently sacred because horizon shape & cyclical celestial patterns are in useful harmony at this place.

Orange lines mark the annual solar round. Lunistice positions over the 18.6 year lunar nodal cycle are blue. More about the Solar CalendarMore about the Lunar Calendar

mega-what / ancient sacred places / Ireland, West Cork, Kealkill

Breeny More: Multiple Stone Circle & Boulder-Burials CO106-005001..5

NGR 10508/05526 (IV 05072 ITM 55253 / 51.74215, -9.37504) [Googlemap]

Trajectories 1200BCE. Tap/Click pics for big ones.
Breeny More Stone Circle and its four internal Boulder-Burials are about 1km south of Kealkill. The site is a National Monument (no.450) and owned by the state but has no official access or parking.

NE from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. The circle is ruinous but fortun­ately the axial stone and both portals remain in position to define a rather extreme axis. In the centre of the circle is a rectangular array of four boulder-burials. The long axes of the boulders and of their whole arrangement are all the same as each other, and similar to that of the circle but not quite as extreme [Pic].

North-eastwards, the axes of the monuments indicate declinations in the high thirties and no particularly notable landmarks. The circle axis splits the difference between the N/S axis and the NE major standstill of the moon.

Panoramic view with luni-solar trajectories from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. South is in a saddle [Pic]. Both south lunistice Lunistices are the most northerly and southerly moons of the month. The lunar equivalent of solstices - more. ranges run across distant hills that are behind nearer ground.

Eastwards the luni-solar sequence runs up to a top and down into a dip. Westwards it runs down through a dip and up towards a high hilltop.

North is on a top that is framed by higher, more distant mountains [Pic].

NE from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. South of the NE axis, the major end of the lunistice cycle is in a distant dip with the major eighth on the following hilltop. The solstice is also in a dip, but on a slight rise at the terminal end of local horizon. Lunar minor eighth is on the following local hilltop and cross-quarters are at that hill's south basal step.

E from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. The eastern skyline is not very distant but it is sufficiently bumpy to provide any required markers.

SE from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. To the south-east, a more distant hill is framed by nearer ground. The intersect notches at either end mark the lunar limits and the whole profile fits very nicely. The axis of the boulder arrangement indicates the cross-quarters.

SW from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. The SW axis of the Circle [Pic] and the axes of the Boulder-Burials [Pic] all point well south of the lunar extreme. North of these axes, the skyline marks out the lunistice cycle and winter sunsets in the same way as from Kealkill Five Stone Circle only 450m to the north-east.

W from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. Winter cross-quarter sunsets fall in the middle of Bantry Bay, then the quarter-month begins a very good sequence. The equinox is on a distant mountain top. Both its quarter-month brackets are on slopes but both the half-month brackets are in dips. The equinox / cross-quarter mid­points are both at breaks in slopes as well.

NW from Breeny More Stone Circle, Cork, Ireland. Summer cross-quarters are in a dip with the solstice on a hilltop. The lunistice zone also fits quite well with the breaks in the slopes. The axis of the boulders is more to the minor standstill than the cross-quarters.

Breeny More Stone Circle would appear to be another example of extreme monument axes being used to draw observer attention to the south-east / north-west, over and above the usual south-west / north-east.

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Most archaeological monuments are on private property and where not otherwise indicated those wishing to visit a site should seek permission from the landowner.

© Michael Wilson.