Ballynoe Stone Circle is a site that was used over many years, spanning different times in history. It is thought to be about 5,000 years old, dating from the late Neolithic period (around 3000 BC) through the Early Bronze Age (2500 BC to 500 BC). The stone circle is located near the village of Ballynoe in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is one of about 1,300 stone circles that still exist today in Ireland, Britain, and Brittany.

History

Stone circles are circular groups of standing stones built during the late Neolithic period and the Early Bronze Age. These monuments were created between 3300 and 900 BCE. They are found in many places across Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. In Ireland, they are mostly located in County Cork, County Kerry, and central Ulster. Circular stone arrangements are not unique to prehistoric times; similar structures include henges, passage tombs, cairns, and exhumation sites such as the Giant's Ring in County Down and the cairn at Millin Bay near Portaferry, County Down. These sites all feature circular stone arrangements that can range in size from small boulders to large upright stones. In Ulster, typical stone circles are made of many small stones, usually about 0.3 meters tall, and are often found on higher ground. Stone circles are less common in County Down compared to other areas of Ulster. Today, more than 1,300 stone circles remain in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany.

Description

The Ballynoe stone circle is located near the village of Ballynoe in County Down, Northern Ireland. The circle has a diameter of about 35 meters (115 feet) and includes 50 or more small, upright stones. These stones are no taller than 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 inches). It is believed there were originally more stones, with Aubrey Burl estimating around 70. The full number of stones likely would have been placed closely together, similar to the Grange stone circle near Lough Gur and the Swinside stone circle in Cumbria, which is located on a similar latitude as Ballynoe.

The construction stages of the site are not fully understood. For example, the mound inside the circle was probably added during a later stage of building. A ditch may have originally surrounded the circle, and two stones outside the western edge may have marked an entrance. This entrance is aligned with the Spring Equinox, which occurs on March 21 each year. Inside the circle is a long, low mound that runs east to west and is partially surrounded by stones. This mound has features similar to those found at the Audleystown Court Tomb. Three pairs of stones are placed outside the circle, and four stones on the western edge form an entrance that is 2.1 meters (6 feet 11 inches) wide.

Excavation

The excavation took place from September 20 to 27, 1937, and from June 7 to 16, 1938. It was led by Professor Albert Giffen, a Dutch archaeologist, and Miss Mary McMurray Gaffikin, an archaeology expert from Newcastle, County Down. Although the investigation was detailed, Professor Giffen was unable to finish his work or publish his findings because of World War 2. Later, an illustrated report about the excavation was published by W. Groenman-van Waateringe, J. J. Butler, and B. K. S. Dijkstra.

The excavation revealed a partially curbed long cairn, 21 meters long and 9 meters wide, inside a stone circle. Cists, or small stone chambers, were found at both the east and west ends. The western end was later expanded with two additional chambers. Gabriel Cooney suggested the site may have originally been a long cairn in the court tomb tradition, similar to Audleystown, with a kerbed round mound in the passage tomb tradition added later. Waddell believed that the cup-marked stones and the presence of Carrowkeel Ware connected the site to passage tombs, like those at Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery. Water-smoothed sacred stones called baetyls were also found in the cists. These stones are similar to those discovered at Millin Bay, another site with an oval mound covering a long stone-built grave.

Inside the mound, there were originally two burial cists containing cremated human remains, one at each end. The bones, believed to belong to seven people, including a young child, were removed during the excavation. They were stored in the basement of the Groningen Institute of Archaeology and remained there for 90 years until 2023. At that time, Lisa White, a PhD researcher at Queen's University from Derryboye near Crossgar, contacted Dr. Anna Moles, an assistant professor of Human Osteoarchaeology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Lisa had been searching for the bones to include them in her thesis. Dr. Moles brought the bones to Queen's University, where they were received by Lisa and Professor Eileen Murphy at the Department of Archaeology and Palaeoecology.

Mythology

Tochmarc Étaíne "The Wooing of Étaín" is an Irish story from ancient mythology that describes the love between Étaín and Midir. The tale includes many changes in form, challenges, and a final reunion after obstacles caused by Midir’s first wife, Fúamnach.

Midir is part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of ancient Irish gods. He falls in love with Étaín, but Fúamnach becomes jealous and uses magic to change Étaín into water, then a worm, and finally a fly. Despite these changes, Midir remains loyal to Étaín, and their love story continues through many trials until they are reunited.

Ailill Angubae, the king of the Ulaid and brother of High King Eochaid Airem, falls deeply in love with Étaín. His unrequited love causes him to grow weak. Étaín agrees to meet him to help him recover, but Midir stops this by casting a spell that puts Ailill into a deep sleep. This action shows how strongly Midir is connected to Étaín. Ailill lived in an area called Mag nInis, which is now known as Lecale. This place is likely the same as Ballynoe.

Ballynoe is mentioned with other important places, such as Emain Macha (Navan Fort) and Tara (Hill of Tara). These references show that Ballynoe was significant in ancient Irish stories and connected to other famous sites.

Purpose

The original purpose of stone circles is unknown. However, many archaeologists think they may have been used for several purposes, such as burials, religious or ceremonial activities, and community meetings. Scientists disagree about whether these structures were temples connected to Druids or burial mounds. Some researchers also suggest that the stones were placed in positions related to the sun and moon.