Wednesday 28 September 2011

Stone Pair/Péire Gallán, Clogherane/An Clochrán, kerry




I have decided to do a string of illustrations of an archaeological feature in Ireland, called Stone Rows.

There are over 200 stone rows that have been recorded in the south of ireland. Divided into two types, Stone Rows, consisting of three to six stones and Stone Pairs, comprising two pairs of stones. The stones are megalithic in proportion, set in short lines. They exhibit a general south west/north east alignment.

Stone pairs in the south of ireland are mostly in Cork and Kerry. They mostly consist of a taller stone and a shorter stone, typically 2-4 m in height. The gap between orthostats of stone pairs is from .5m to 4m. Those with wider gaps than this are termed "anomalous pairs". There are over 100 stone pairs of standing stones identified in Cork and Kerry. Stone Pairs are found on hillsides, not on the crests, and have marked concentrations at head-waters of such rivers as the Lee, the Bandon and the Ilen.
Sources
O'Sullivan, M. & Downey, L , Archaeology Ireland Magazine, Know your Monuments series , Volume 25, No.2 , Summer 2011 issue,
O'Kelly, M. J. Early Ireland: An introduction to Irish Prehistory, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
O'Kelly, M. J. A new history of Ireland: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, Neolithic Ireland, Oxford University Press, 2008
Waddell , J. The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland, Wordwell Ltd, 2010

2 comments:

Richard Smythe said...

loving this man, your becoming great at landscapes!

JG O'Donoghue said...

Thanks man, something great about landscapes, loving doing them