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 Mythical Ireland - Photo of the Month |
DECEMBER 2008 - LOOKING TOWARDS SLIEVE GULLION FROM IRELAND'S STONEHENGE |
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This is the view of Slieve Gullion, rising up between Tievecrom and Carrickbroad, as viewed from the site of the destroyed monument at Carnbeg known as "Ireland's Stonehenge". Today, the site of this amazing monument originally consisting of four concentric rings of stones forms part of the second fairway at Carnbeg Golf Club. The Stonehenge was drawn by draughtsman and astronomer Thomas Wright of Durham in 1746 and published in his book Louthiana in 1748. It was thought to have completely vanished from the face of the earth in 1907, when local historian Henry Morris tried to find it in 1907. No clue was given as to what might have happened to its giant stones, but it is probable at least some of the stones were used as foundation material for the road to Markethill which was built in the early 1750s. By the late 19th century all traces of the monument seemed to have disappeared, and there were even some reports that it was destroyed during the making of the Dublin-Belfast railway which runs nearby. However, this was disputed by Morris. In 1988, archaeologist Victor Buckley rediscovered the site when he saw its "footprint" or "crop mark" on a Cambridge University aerial photo which had been taken in 1970. Interestingly, the site of Ireland's Stonehenge lies exactly between Castletown Mount in Dundalk, the mythical home of the warrior Cúchulainn, and Faughart graveyard, the site of St. Brigid's Well and the celebrated hill and place of her birth. |
PREVIOUS PHOTOS OF THE MONTH NOVEMBER 2008: Triple conjunction - Venus, Jupiter and the Moon meet in the evening sky. SEPTEMBER 2008: Cairn T, Loughcrew, in the mist at the Autumn Equinox. AUGUST 2008: Roadside motte near Oldcastle, County Meath. JULY 2008: Bocan Stone Circle, Co. Donegal . JUNE 2008: Croagh Patrick - Cruachan Aigle - sacred mountain in County Mayo associated with Saint Patrick. MAY 2008: Passage stones at Cairn S, Loughcrew, Co. Meath. APRIL 2008: Newgrange under stars: iconic photograph by astrophotographer Declan McCormack showing the entrance of Newgrange under a starlit night. MARCH 2008: Offerings for St. Brigid, at her shrine in Faughart, Co. Louth, which claims to be the birthplace of this uniquely Irish saint. FEBRUARY 2008: Can you guess what this mystery photo shows? JANUARY 2008: Solstice moongazers at Dowth at the time of Winter Solstice. DECEMBER 2007: The intricately decorated kerbstone 13, Knowth, Co. Meath. JULY 2007: The view from Slieve Gullion, Co. Armagh. JUNE 2007: Moon and Venus over Turlough Round Tower, Co. Mayo. MAY 2007: The Holy Thorn, Wearyall Hill, Glastonbury, UK. This is the place where St. Joseph of Arimathea brought Christianity to Britain. APRIL 2007: The moat of king Slaine sits on the summit of the Hill of Slane, famous as the place where St. Patrick lit the first Paschal Fire in Ireland, but which lies at the centre of an ancient alignment system. MARCH 2007: On a bright March evening, the new lambs of 2007 graze atop the megalithic cairn at Dowth, under the watchful eye of mother, who is aware of the presence of the photographer. In the distance is Newgrange. If you want to send a contribution for Photo of the Month, send me an e-mail to mythicalireland AT eircom DOT net |
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