Faerie Lore and Legends

URAGH STONE CIRCLE
GPS: 51.81157, -9.69532
Coordinates: 51°48′42.23″N 9°41′37.74″W
Map Ref: V8311763439
Discovery Map Number: D84
Latitude: 51.811550N Longitude: 9.695514W
near Gleninchaquin Park, Beara Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland

While driving the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, I spied on the maps a stone circle known as Uragh, so I decided to give it a gander. After a twisty country lane drive into the hills and farmlands, following signs to the off-the-map destination, I came to the gate—opened it up—and drove on in. Crossing a raging river with scenic overlooks of lakes and an astounding waterfall in the distance, the site was nothing more than enchanting.

The stone circle is atop a plateau above the valley overlooking Loch Inchiquinn, the other side of Cloonee Upper, and is surrounded by a ring of mountains. The 8′ diameter circle consists of approximately five low small megalith locally sourced sandstone stones (1.2-1.8 meters high) with a significant 3 meter high (approx. 10′) monolithic outlier standing stone. Two of the rocks are portal stones (one leaning outwards). The standing stone aligns the circle on a NE-SW axis. Center of the circle has been dug out potentially by looters, when it was looted is unknown. A low earthen bank surrounds the circle. The Irish Office of Public Works manages the site, which is open year-round, free of charge.

The circle dates to the Bronze Age. It is estimated to have been built between 3300-900 B.C.E. It is connected to a larger typology of stone circles commonly found in Brittany, Britain, and Ireland. These are often constructed of standing stones arranged in a circle. Many believe this was used for burials, religious or ceremonial purposes, and/or community gatherings. In Irish regional stone circles, this particular circle is representative of D-shaped stone circles found in this region, with the axial stone forming the line of the “D”. This specific circle is aligned with the Winter Solstice sunset.

Down the road and up a slippery slope is a famine cottage built into the hillside. It’s crazy to think how the poor during the Irish Famine had to live in such miserable conditions. I can’t even imagine the folkways and lore that surrounded these houses. This one evoked a feeling of somberness and solitude, and the ruins echoed that feeling.

References:

• Ancient Ireland 2024 Uragh Stone Circle And Lake Of Gleninchaquin. Ancient Ireland Tourism. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.ancientirelandtourism.com/uragh-stone-circle-and-lake-of-gleninchaquin/
• Bretgaunt 2021 Dancing stones and peeing giants: the folklore of ancient sites in Derbyshire. BUXTON MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://buxtonmuseumandartgallery.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/dancing-stones-and-peeing-giants-the-folklore-of-ancient-sites-in-derbyshire/#:~:text=Stone%20circles%20and%20standing%20stones%20were%20often%20the%20haunt%20of,otherworld%20and%20the%20fairy%20kingdom.
• Burgoyne, Mindie 2023 Drawn to the Mystery of Ireland’s Stone Circles. Website referenced 3/28/2024 at https://travelhag.com/stone-circles/
• 2011 Uragh Stone Circle on the Beara Peninsula – Enchanting. Thin Places Mystical Tours. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://thinplacestour.com/uragh-stone-circle/
• Byron, Susan 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Ireland’s Hidden Gems. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/uragh-stone-circle.html
• Clarice 2021 Uragh Stone Circle: Magical Ireland. Nourishing Ireland. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://nourishingireland.com/uragh-stone-circle-magical-ireland/
• Hannon, Ed 2020 Uragh Stone Circle, Kerry, Ireland. Visions of the Past. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://visionsofthepastblog.com/2020/07/22/uragh-stone-circle-kerry-ireland/
• Irish Archaeology 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://irisharchaeology.org/uragh-stone-circle/
• Megalithic 2024 Uragh NE – Stone Circle in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Kerry. The Megalithic Portal. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=3528
• Larson, Celeste 2022 Reflections from Uragh Stone Circle, Ireland. Mage by Moonlight. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://magebymoonlight.com/uragh-stone-circle/
• Tripadvisor 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Trip Advisor. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g4045372-d8787688-Reviews-Uragh_Stone_Circle-Tuosist_County_Kerry.html
• Unknown 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Megalithic Ireland. Website referenced 3/28/24 at http://www.megalithicireland.com/Uragh%20Stone%20Circle.html
• Wikipedia 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Wikipedia. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uragh_Stone_Circle

Ballycrovane Ogham Stone or Beara Ogham Stone
(Béal A’Chorraigh Bháin)
Co. Cork, Southern Ireland
Irish grid ref: V 6569 5291

At this point in my journey, I was bouncing between West Cork and County Kerry, so I apologize for any content stating that this standing stone is in Kerry – it’s in West Cork. As I spied on the map, an Ogham Stone was outside of the Ballycrovane quay, so I took a gander. It is in the backyard of a private cottage with very few parking places without blocking the residents. They have an iron gate with a 2 Euro donation box to wander up to see the stone firsthand. It is a massive pointed granite monolith atop a hillock overlooking the Ballycrovane Harbour, standing approximately 17 feet tall. The Ogham inscription purports to say, “Son of Deich descendant of Torainn” (MAQUI DECCEDDAS AVI TURANIAS). There is also a modern national monument declaration plaque below.

The monument is a carved thin pillar-stone tall granite standing stone with an estimated age of over 2,000 years before the present. It is across the Ballycrovane Quay / Kenmare Bay from the Hag of Beara along the Ring of Beara on the Beara Peninsula. It is a few hundred yards southeast of the “Faunkill and the Woods” road and the coastguard station. This has been stated to be the tallest Ogham stone in Ireland and possibly Europe at 17 feet (5.3 meters), with another approximately several feet below the ground. The Ogham inscription is at the eastern edge, which is hard to see due to weathering.

The language Ogham was known as the only written language of the early Celts, a mnemonic device with an alphabetic interpretation that existed pre-Roman times until approximately the 5th century C.E. The script consists of a series of short notches or strokes carved vertically and slanting on the edges in other instances. A Latin translation of Ogham is believed to have allowed scholars to read the Ogham script alphabet. It is 30 letters of straight lines and notches carved on the edge of a piece of stone or wood, divided into four categories of five sounds. These symbols are found mainly on standing stones, though examples on wood and above lintels also exist. Most Ogham is found in Ireland (heavy in southern Ireland), but others are found in Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Scotland, and Wales.

Sources:

Ancient Stones 2012 Hags, Cats, and Stones on the Beara Peninsula. Website http://ancientstones.blogspot.com/2012/02/drumlave-stones-with-hungry-hill-in.html referenced 5/13/24.

Iles, Susanne 2007 The Ring of Beara Blog: Ballycrovane Ogham Stone. Website referenced https://ringofbeara.wordpress.com/2007/11/03/ballycrovane-ogham-stone/ on 5/13/24.

Journal of Antiquities. Website referenced https://thejournalofantiquities.com/2014/09/07/ballycrovane-ogham-stone-co-cork-southern-ireland/ on 5/13/24.

Oxford Press 1998 Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford University Press, New York, 1998.

Readers Digest 1992 Illustrated Guide to Ireland. The Reader’s Digest Association Limited, London.

Roaring Water 2014 Ballycrovane Ogham Stone. Website https://roaringwaterjournal.com/tag/ballycrovane-ogham-stone/ referenced on 5/13/24.

Scherman, Katherine 1981 The Flowering Of Ireland, Victor Gollancz Ltd., London.