Templebryan Stone Circle

Templebryan Stone Circle (also known as The Druid's Temple) is a stone circle, located 2.5km (4 miles) north of Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland. Grid ref: W386 438. Close by lies an Early Christian site.cite book | last=Weir, A| year=1980 |title=Early Ireland. A Field Guide | publisher=Blackstaff Press | location=Belfast | pages=p120] (Grid Ref: 38900 43713, Latitude: 51.643162N Longitude: 8.883359W [cite web | title=Templebryan Stone Circle | work= The Megalithic Portal | url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=161 | accessdate=2008-06-14] )

Features

The stone circle is a 9.5m wide axial circle. It consisted of nine large flat topped standing stones, of which five still survive. These include the axial-stone and one of the portal stones which is 210cm high. A large block of quartz lying in the circle centre is known locally as "Cloich Griene" ("sunstone"). All four remaining standing stones (a fifth is almost down) are in the eastern half of the circle, including one that may be a portal stone. It is not known how many stones originally made up the circle, but in 1743 nine stones were still standing, although by 1837 only the five stones seen today remained.cite web | title=Templebryan Stone Circle | work=Megalithic Ireland | url=http://www.megalithicireland.com/Templebryan%20Circle.htm | accessdate=2008-06-14]

Other site elements

About 300m north-west is an enclosure containing graves, a square ruined oratory, a souterrain, a well (Tobernakilla), a bullaun, and a monolith 3.3m high with faint Ogham inscriptions. These were carved on the existing standing stone and may have had some connection with the stone circle. There is also a small cross pattee inscribed on the western side of this Bronze Age megalith. The single bullaun is known locally as the 'wart well' as it was believed to be a cure for warts.

ee also

* List of megalithic monuments in Cork

References

External links

* [http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/tempbryn/tempmain.htm Megalithics - Templebryan Recumbent Stone Circle - Co. Cork]
* [http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/573/Templebryan.htm Megalithomania - Templebryan Stone Circle]