Megalithomania - Trip Blog

June 06, 2009: Up A Wicklow Peak With New Discoveries - 0 Sites

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

For some time now I've wanted to visit the non-cairn on top of Prince William's Seat above Enniskerry. Why a 'non-cairn'? Because there's a cairn marked on the OS map, but no signs of it now.

The walk from the Wicklow Way car park is a relatively easy one. The first section is a compacted hardcore track that goes through a cleared pine plantation. The Wicklow Way leaves this then and climbs the hill via what almost a staircase made of boulders. This section is one of the nicest bits of the Wicklow Way that I've been on and makes the climb up Prince William's Seat quite easy. Once at the top of this climb the Wicklow Way continues over to Glencullen and a path goes off to the left to the top of the mountain.

To the right at this point there is a path to Ravens Rock - two granite outcrops - which is where I discovered two standing stones that I haven't seen recorded anywhere. I didn't take the path up to the top of Prince William's Seat, but scrambled through the heather to check out some large rocks I could see. Several of these also appear to be standing stones. More interestingly several of them seem to be in a line that points firstly to Ravens Rock and then on to The Great Sugar Loaf Mountain! This could be an alignment worth checking out when I can work out the right time of year.

June 01, 2009: Achill Island and Mayo - Part 3 of 3 - 4 Sites

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Bank Holiday Monday and it's time to head home. I packed up the tent very early and set off to leave Achill and see a few sites close by before driving home around lunchtime.

The first sites I went to were megalithic tombs - a great court tomb and a portal tomb. After these I went to Kildun to see the cross pillar. On the way home I stopped at Turlough round tower again. The court tomb was on my list to see after the portal tomb, but I approached the portal from the wrong direction and a farmer sent me to the court tomb when I asked for directions. It seems that the court tomb is more widely known in the area. To reach the portal at Claggan you have to go through the grounds of Rock House (I thought a local said The Block House!) even though it is not on their land. The caretaker here is very friendly and many people seem to visit. They keep a lot of dogs, so approach with caution.

At this time of year the west coast of Mayo is a riot of pinky-purple, because there are rhododendrons everywhere! They are in almost plague proportions. With the easing off of farming in these areas they will soon overcome the whole of this area. Achill Island is also seemingly covered in them. These are all very pretty, but surely they are endangering the local species.

May 31, 2009: Achill Island and Mayo - Part 2 of 3 - 8 Sites

Sun, 31 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

If you look at the OS map covering Achill Island (sheet 30) you will see a megalithic tomb marked on the very north side of the island. You will also see that no roads go anywhere near it and that the only way to it is over a mountain. Guess where I wanted to go today!

First, however, I had some other monuments to look for. Two of these took me to Keem Beach at the extreme west of the island. What a beautiful, beautiful little cove. The drive to it is a bit hairy, mind, but the end of your journey is worth the effort. Up above the beach is the coastguard station and there are several monuments marked in the valley behind this. Sadly, many of them are gone. Only pieces of a mass rock remain now: at least one standing stone has been destroyed here.

To reach the tomb beyond the mountain I chose to walk from Lough Acorrymore, a glacial lake (a corry) that would drop easily into Snowdonia in Wales. This was the second beautiful spot I spent some time at today.

After talking to some people at the lough I left my GPS on the roof of my car and set off on my 5km walk. Yes, I really did leave my GPS on the roof of my car. Credit has to go to all the people who visited the lough while I was walking, and it's a busy place, because the GPS was still there when I returned! The heat of the sun was overpowering and the 2L of drink I had with me wasn't really enough for this tough walk.

Once over the other side of the hill I was at Lough Nakeeroge - the third beautiful place I spent some time today. This lough is located just yards from the coast and will one day disappear as the sea erodes the thin slither of rock that keeps the lough back.

As well as the portal tomb I wanted to visit I found a wedge tomb, a possible stone circle and a group of clochans - presumably an old booleying settlement as the land here is lush and fertile.

May 30, 2009: Achill Island and Mayo - Part 1 of 3 - 13 Sites

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

What a glorious weekend! The drive across to Achill Island was a sunny one, but Saturday's weather was a bit hazy on the island, seriously limiting the views from the sites I visited. It wasn't raining and t was very warm, though. Nothing to stop me revisiting sites and hunting out new ones.

I had identified over 30 potential sites on Achill alone to visit, but I knew that many of these would either be gone or unidentifiable in the peat bogs. Some of them are very remote, but these would wait until Sunday.

Today I set up the tent nice and early and then set off to scour the slopes of Slievemor for signs of up to 15 sites. Many of them are now not visible due to gorse or peat cover. I did find a couple of interesting ones, though.

I also revisited the famine village where the notice board mentions a large quartz block on the hillside that is known as 'The Star'. Lovely! This marks the start of the good booley-ing land and a bohereen runs from the village up the slopes towards it. Along this roadway there are many quartz blocks - three of which look like a stone row to me. The notice board also mentions a large boulder at the start of the road with 'Naturalistic carvings on its northeast face'. What on earth does that mean? I couldn't see any markings on it, but I did see a wheatear - a lovely bird.

May 04, 2009: Another Wicklow Bullaun Hunt - 16 Sites

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

I've recently been corresponding with David about bullaun stones. He has been studying them for his Ph.D. (which is a great subject to take on in my book!) and is one of the few people who has seen more bullaun stones than me. He was kind enough to send me some info on Wicklow bullaun stones and after going through it I saw that he had managed to find several that I haven't yet found. There was only one thing for it ... I would have to head out and try to find them again.

I did manage to locate two that had eluded me and I went back to see one that was guarded by a randy bull when I went to see it before. There were two stones that I didn't manage to locate - a small one at Castletimon and a six-bullaun one at Kilmacoo. The Castletimon one has almost certainly been taken by someone. The Kilmacoo stone, reportedly along with a few others at the site, is now under a thick sea of brambles.

Apart from the bullaun stones I did find, the highlight of the day was seeing a sparrowhawk not far from Kilmacoo.

May 03, 2009: A Nice Walk At The Lakes - 17 Sites

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

My mum came over to see her new great grandson and she likes a nice, gentle walk, so we went to Glendalough for the day. It was also a good excuse to try out my new lens on a variety of subjects: landscapes, monuments and general scenery.

We parked at the gatehouse and walked through the monastic centre and then up to the top lake and to Reefert Church. It was a bit overcast and quite windy in places along the path, but it was a lovely day and a chance to talk to my mum. Great scenery and a walk with your mum who you don't see enough of. What can be better?

April 19, 2009: Four Bullauns And A Pub (And Some More Bullauns) - 27 Sites

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Recently a friend, Andy Ryan, stopped at The Moone High Cross pub in Kildare and had a meal. Whilst sitting outside he noticed a large boulder by the door that was being used as an ashtray. Looking closer he realised that it was a bullaun stone. Then he noticed another stone over the road - surely it couldn't be. Oh yes ... another bullaun stone. Speaking to the landlady he learnt that there were two more in one of the beer gardens. Wow. Four, previously unrecorded, bullaun stones. Great spot Andy. Obviously, as soon as I heard about them I had to go and see them.

Speaking to the landlord myself I learnt that the two outside the front came from somewhere near Castledermot, while the other two were more local. Amazing. It could be that it was religious practice at these four stones that attracted early Christians to Moone and Castledermot.

As well as these four bullauns I went to see two others: one at a well and one in a great roadside position. On the way home I stopped at the Mullamast Longstone and rath and Old Kilcullen church yard to take advantage of the amazing light.

April 12, 2009: Boleycarrigeen Cleared At Last - 29 Sites

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

For many, many years we have waited for Boleycarrigeen stone circle in Wicklow to be released from the pine plantation that has surrounded it for so many years. Not too long ago this finally happened. I couldn't wait to get down there and check out the views. It was not a disappointment!

Take the time to visit the site now. I know it will take a while for the replanted plantation to block the views again, but the place is so wonderful now it's exposed. If you've been there before you will be amazed at how big the monument it. The overhanging trees made the circle feel so small, but it's not.

I hope they don't replant so close that the trees block the views from the circle again. This is a site that simply made to be sat at by people who want great views.

April 05, 2009: No Hangover, So I Can Visit Some Sites In Mayo - 37 Sites

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

I'd spent the night in a Sligo hotel after a get together with the crowd I'd visited Malta with in February. I was careful not to indulge too much as I'd made plans to visit Achill Island for the day. Although I had not taken too much alcohol I hadn't managed to retire early, so I decided that I was too tired for such a long drive. North Mayo was the simpler option.

I had made a list of sites that I'd either half-visited or had never managed to visit and set off. On my list were two ruined portal tombs and a selection of court tombs. One of these court tombs is one of only two or three with its layout and another of them is buried in a peat bog. I didn't hold out much hope of finding the latter, as these are very difficult to find. However, I did find it!

While I was looking to find one site a farmer told me of Polladarky , a natural wonder that I just had to go and see for myself (it can be seen on OS map 23 at G 068 410). This is a large 'pot' some 40m deep and at least 75m across into which the sea rushes through a small archway. Obviously, this was at one time a cave whose roof fell in. To stand near to the (but not too near) and watch the sea churn through the opening is a sight I'll not forget. This has to be one of Ireland's best kept natural secrets!

April 04, 2009: Finally - I Manage To Get Out And About - 41 Sites

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

March 2009 was the first month in 8 years that I did not manage to go out and see a site. This was due to work pressures and (much more importantly) becoming a grandfather!!!! Welcome to this crazy, mixed up world Aaron. I hope it sorts itself out before you know what's going on.

I was lucky enough to go on a trip to Malta in February with a group from Sligo IT. We had a great time there - something it's not hard to do if you're interested in Neolithic remains. Watch out for a few pages on this trip in my Beyond These Shores section soon. I say 'soon', but I still have a trip to Spain to write up and that's from a very long time ago. I will endeavor to get these written up ASAP.

Today's trip took me to Sligo. The excuse was to meet up with the group that I went to Malta with and have a few pints. It was great to see them all again. I also met (or re-met in some cases) some Dublin-based archaeologists.

For many years I've looked at Kesh Mountain and wanted to climb it. The cairn on the top looks massive from afar and there's the caves on the slopes below, too. On one of the adjacent hillocks there is also a cruciform passage tomb that I've always wanted to get to. So, today I had no excuse. I'll not be going up Kesh again! It's a steep old walk. Apparently, I went the hard way, which is up from the caves.

The cairn has tremendous views. While I was on top of this hill Ken Williams was in Carrowkeel across the valley looking at Cairn B and forgetting his tripod. Myself and Ken met up later for a bite to eat and then went off to see a very, very strange court tomb overshadowed by Benbulben and overlooking Sligo Bay.

The evening went well with much drinking of pints and talk of old stones. I had an early night, because the morning after I was heading for County Mayo. Yes, work on the next book, [b][i]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Mayo[/i][/b] has begun in earnest.

February 01, 2009: Sometimes It's Nice To Follow Others - 50 Sites

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Although by far the vast majority of sites I go to have been visited by other people, many of them haven't been visited for many a year, so it's nice to have the chance of going to 'new' sites that someone else has gone to recently. Much of the time I don't know what to expect from a site and sometimes it is good to break that mould.

Today's trip was mainly visiting sites recently visited by Derek, Ken. One of the sites appears in Julian Cope's book [i]The Megalithic European[/i]. I had planned on going to a couple of other sites, but I chose the wrong route at some point during the day and by-passed two of them. I finished the day at a monument that I don't think has been visited and reported upon on the internet yet.

The day involved a holy well, a cashel, some cross-slabs, a trio of tombs, a stone row and a stone circle/kerb circle. I do like days that have a bit of variety!

January 01, 2009: A Great Start To The New Year - 58 Sites

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I love going out on the 1st January. Everything seems so fresh and it makes me believe that I might just see a lot of stuff this year: start as you mean to go on!

Today I decided to head north to Louth, in particular around Carlingford. There are a few court tombs up there that I haven't been to yet and I wanted to revisit a couple of sites. My route also took me past Clontygora (County Armagh) and I couldn't resist stopping. I attempted to revisit Clermont Cairn (County Louth), but the montain top was shrouded in freezing cloud and the road near to the transmitter was covered in ice! I did manage to go back to the two monuments at Aghnaskeagh (County Louth). I can't believe it's been almost 7 years since I was there.

The two court tombs were very different. The one is just a nice little gallery with no court stones, while the other is just the remnants of the court with possibly the most massive entrance stones I've ever seen.

I finished off the day at the fence-embedded passage tomb at Faughart Lower before heading home to make sure I saw Wallace And Grommit on TV tonight (I missed it on Christmas Day.)

I will be trying to concentrate on Mayo in the main part for my next book. As usual I will head to other areas and I intend to give Tipperary and Limerick a bit more attention as well as some of the midland counties.

Happy New Year to you all!

December 30, 2008: A Hazy Day In Sligo - 65 Sites

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

After seeing some recent photos of Magheraghanrush (County Sligo) with the tress around it felled I had to head up there and see it for myself. I prepared myself for the usual post-nuclear-holocaust-landscape that you always get when pine plantations are cleared and I wasn't disappointed! The hillside is a mess, but the open views from the tomb and the ability to see it from a distance do make up for that. I also visited the nearby cashel & souterain and wedge tomb while I was there.

On my way to Magheraghanrush I stopped to see the ruined passage tomb at Ardloy. I suppose this could be described as a very remote outlier of the Kesh/Carrowkeel group. The two hills clearly dominate the western and southwestern skyline from the site.

After Magheraghanrush I had planned to head for the cairn and tomb on Slieve Dargan. In the end I had to decide which one of the two I would visit as the terrain is almost impassable and it was getting dark. In the end I plumped for the tomb (obviously). What an amazing gem this is! You may remember how gobsmacked I was when I visited the tomb at Croaghaun Mountain (County Sligo). Well, this is so much better! I wish I could have spent a lot more time up here, but I'd left it too late and it got very windy at the top.

Sadly, the whole day was hampered by very hazy weather, which meant that the views to Maeve's Cairn (County Sligo) were very limited. I could see it, but for photographic purposes it was quite frustrating.

All-in-all it was a wonderful day out. The open views from Magheraghanrush alone were enough to make it a great day but the Slieve Dargan passage tomb really made it special. I think this monument is the highlight of my year travelling around Ireland.

I am now planning my New Year's Day trip - I always like to try and start the year off with a trip. I might not get to anything utterly mind-blowing, but I will go to see something; I just have to be moderate on New Year's Eve!

December 27, 2008: Above The Glen Of Aherlow - 70 Sites

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

At last! I managed to get out and about today and I finally did my little trip down to The Glen of Aherlow to visit a few tombs on the hills above and in the neighbourhood.

Firstly I visited a standing stone in a Zimmer Frame! Really, I did. Why this standing stone was put inside an odd little frame is beyond me. The horrible concrete slab is bad enough. After that I fought my way to the wedge tomb on Cromwell Hill. Reaching this was a real chore, as the southwest end of the ridge it stands on ends in a 20 foot cliff - guess which direction I approached from!

Once those sites were done and dusted I headed south to the Glen of Aherlow where I managed to find Corderry wedge tomb and Shrough passage tomb. The latter is quite straight forward as it's right on top of the hill. The wedge tomb is a bit more difficult as it is hidden amongst some thick gorse with only cow tracks through it to allow movement. Both of these are tremendous monuments. The passage tomb because of its location and views in all directions, and the wedge tomb for its state of preservation and the views to the south.

While I was in the area I popped back to Gortahover (County Tipperary). Sadly, no one seems to be paying any attention to it. The area around it was a mess and someone had left some plastic bottles in the bullauns.

A couple of bits of info/news about megalithomania.com:

1) I have improved the random site RSS feed to include a bit more information about the site. I will make some more adjustments to it soon.

2) I am thinking about allowing registered guests to add small comments to the sites I've visited to give other perspectives on a site/monument. I'm not sure about this just yet, though.

3) I have a new camera and I love it!

4) I am also thinking about adding a forum to the site, but, again, I'm not too sure about this. Experience elsewhere has shown me that forums take up a lot of time and are often more trouble than they're worth.

5) I have finally found someone to screenprint my t-shirts! I am hoping to have the first of these available in February. I will have a limited number of shirts with one design on it - a drawing from Borlase's [i]Dolmens of Ireland[/i] - as a market tester. I will try and keep the price as low as possible. If this works out ok then I'll do other designs featuring drawings from Borlase and other rare 19th Century books.

December 21, 2008: No Solstice For Me And Other Bits - 70 Sites

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Firstly I would like to ask Jacinta O'Sullivan to get in touch with me through my contact page. I'm really interested in what you have to say about Derrynablahah! I love that place and I'll keep returning to it again and again!

I was planning to do a lot during December, but as you'll have noticed I haven't quite managed it. Since my return from Scotland I've been very ill. I've nearly recovered now, but today my daughter is running a temperature, so I'm staying in to keep an eye on her. There's loads I have to pass on, though: I have had an email to tell me that Carrickgollogan (County Dublin) is now totally overgrown and can no longer be seen. This is not a fantastic site, but the loss of anywhere to visit around Dublin is sad. Also, the back route to Glendruid (County Dublin) is currently inaccessible due to the Luas works. Let's see what access is like when the line is operational.

A while back I had some good news about Howth. In my book, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Dublin[/b][/i], I comment that there are no sign-posted sites in the county. I'm happy to say that this seems to no longer be the case, because the local history society have put up signs around Howth! Well done to them.

I would like to thank all the people who have bought my latest book, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/b][/i], so far. It's been quite popular, but as I'd suspected it hasn't sold as quickly as the Dublin book did initially. I am now working on my next title, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Mayo[/b][/i], which will be thicker. Mayo is a huge county with lots and lots of amazing monuments.

I will definitely make the effort to get out there over the holidays and see some great stuff. I have a good list of things to go and see in some of the counties that I've not visited all that often, such as Limerick and Tipperary.

Have a great holiday period everyone!

November 19, 2008: That's It For November Posts - 70 Sites

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

There won't be any more Posts in November, because I am off to Scotland for a bit of a break. I haven't taken any holiday this year, so I have decided to pack myself off for a bit of [i]me time[/i] to Kilmartin and Arran. This area is rich in prehistoric monuments, especially Kilmartin, which is a ritual landscape almost without rival! This trip also gives me chance to go to the tip of the Mull of Kintyre and look back on County Antrim. I stood at the northeast tip of Antrim on many occasions while researching my latest book, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/b][/i] (available from my shop!), so I am looking forward to reversing the view.

I have shipped all orders received so far fro my latest book, but will not be processing any for 10 days or so. Don't worry, though, anything ordered while I am away will still get to people for Christmas. Amny thanks to all those that have ordered it already. I hope you enjoy reading and using it as much as I did writing it.

November 02, 2008: Highrise In Sligo And A New Book - 74 Sites

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

[b][i]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/i][/b] is now available from the shop - just click on the link at the top of the page and go to page 2. I think it looks great (I would, wouldn't I). So, come on, help support this site and buy a copy. Remember, I offer free postage in Ireland and only ask 1 euro towards the postage for the rest of the world. I also sign every copy ordered direct.

Now, this trip to Sligo was all about one place - the passage tomb on top of Crohaughn Mountain. I have heard so much about this place and have always wanted to visit it. Today I finally made the trek to the top of of wonderful conical peak in the Ox Mountains. The views from up there are totally awe inspiring with Knocknarea to the north, Carrowkeel and Kesh to the southeast and Knocknashee to the southwest.

Before making this climb I visited a beautiful 7-basin bullaun stone. What a great, unsung bullaun this one is.

After two hours at the top of the mountain waiting for cloud to clear Knocknarea (it never did) and just soaking up and enjoying the views in general, I drove down towards Kesh with the intention of visiting the cairn on its summit, but my legs couldn't take another climb. I settled for visiting one of the cairns between Kesh and Carrowkeel, which gave me a great view of the larger cairns at Carrowkeel.

Sligo really does have some great scenery and the lesser known monuments in the Ox Mountains deserve much more recognition. I should have gone back to Magheraghanrush (County Sligo), because the trees around it have finally been felled and you can now enjoy the view all the way to Knocknarea. I only found out about the clearance the day after this trip.

October 27, 2008: Loughcrew At Sunrise Surprise - 83 Sites

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000

First off - some news. My new book is now back from the printers and I'll shortly have [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/b][/i] available in my shop. It looks great and I'm very happy with it.

As I mentioned before, Ken Williams wanted to go up to Loughcrew to check out one of Martin Brennan's alignment predictions for Cairn H. This is an unusual alignment with a late October sunrise that possibly doesn't mean anything, but it has been suggested that it may have served as an early warning for the forthcoming winter solstice.

Cairn H, like many of the other cairns, has no roof, so Ken suggested taking a groundsheet up and covering the passage to recreate the effect. This worked fantastically well and we witnessed a very moving effect. I think we may have actually have been a few days late, but we did see the sun hit the rear wall and then light up the nicely carved threshhold stone to the north chamber. The heavily carved orthostat in the passage was also nicely lit.

After mooching around the hill and revisiting some of the other cairns we headed over to the other hill to see some recently rediscovered rock art.

After that we went down to the stone circle in the valley below. I've looked down on this from the hilltops many times, but never managed to get down to it. We stumbled around for a while looking for the rock art panel next to the circle. Some had said that it was moved to the National Museum while others said it's by the circle. Eventually we found it - inside the stone circle! And it's beautiful.

All in all, this was a great day.

October 26, 2008: Some Success In County Carlow - 87 Sites

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Myself and Ken Williams were planning a trip to Loughcrew for the sunrise, but today's weather wasn't good enough, so I headed down to Carlow to revisit a couple of sites, look for two that I'd failed to find previously.

The revisit was to Crannagh (County Carlow) and the neighbouring panel that I discovered in December 2007. I have recently bought some new flash equipment and I wanted to test it out and try to get used to it. Unfortunately, the sun came out and shone brightly onto the panels, making it very difficult for the flash to make any difference.

After visiting these panels I headed for the standing stone also in Crannagh townland that stands inside a circular enclosure. When I found it I couldn't believe how close I'd previously been to it.

The fourth and last site of the day was the garden-based rock art panel in Knockmore townland. The owner of the house brought it into her garden and placed it opposite her back door after it was dug up in a nearby field. Mid afternoon is not the time to visit this one as the carved surface faces south and the sun wipes out the carvings.

October 19, 2008: Very, Very Wet In Kerry - 96 Sites

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

I have finally gotten around to putting up the pictures from my last outing just in time to start adding the details of this trip. I set off for Kerry at around 5am to hunt down some rock art and to meet Ken Williams later in the day to visit an area that is simply packed with rock art. The weather forecast was horrible, but did hint at clearing up later in the day. No one told the weather that it was supposed to clear up, though!

I first visited a townland called Derreeny, which is on the opposite side of the valley to the masses of rock art in Derrynablaha 11 (County Kerry). I had some good coordinates and managed to find two panels. Considering the weather I think I did rather well. I had to change my clothes after getting soaked looking for these.

After these panels I set off to meet Ken at Kealduff Upper, where there are around 20 panels. We managed to see seven or so. Sadly, it was raining so much that many of my pictures are useless: my lens kept getting covered with splashes. Oh well, I'll just have to go back! Such a hardship!

Look out for my next book, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/b][/i], which should be available very shortly. We are currently waiting for it to return from the printers. I will, of course, add details to my shop pages as soon as it is ready to be shipped.

September 21, 2008: Off To Clare For Some Great Tombs - 106 Sites

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0100

After my last trip to see some stone circles for the first time in a while, I decided to head west to Clare to see some tombs. I started in the south near to O'Brien's Bridge and ended up with a lovely, ankle-breaking walk in the Burren. I managed to get to Cappaghkennedy after being inspired by messages on my contact page and similarly inspired went and hunted out Parknabinnia court tomb - which I was beginning to think was mythical!

Before I go into the details of my day out I have a few things to mention. Firstly, I have recently started to use some free contour maps of Ireland on my GPS. After following instructions I managed to get them working with the Garmin maps, but with a few issues. When I have these ironed out I'll give out a link. Secondly, [i][b]Monu-Mental About Prehistoric Antrim[/b][/i] has no gone to print. I'll post an update as soon as I know when it will be available.

Back to my day. I got tantalizingly close to the first two lovely wedge tombs I went to see. The first sits on a hill summit behind a farm with many dogs and there was no one in when I arrived there. The second is located in a paddock next to a nicely renovated farm complex. The owners here were also out. I'll have to go back to both of these sites, because they look amazing.

Then I headed to the Burren to make the epic pilgrimage to Cappaghkennedy, a wonderful Burren wedge tomb that is very isolated. I chose one of the longest approaches to reach it. This involved a 2 mile walk across typical Burren limestone pavements, some of which are grass covered. These bits can be the most difficult, because you stop concentrating. Good boots are a must!!! After the tomb and cairns at Cappaghkennedy I headed for Parknabinnia, where I've already seen a handful of tombs. This time I was after the court tomb - one of only two in Clare. I can understand why the writer in my guestbook was so pleased to have found this: it's quite special. Thanks to them for the inspiration to get back over to the Burren.

August 31, 2008: Stone Circles - It's Been A While - 115 Sites

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

It has been a very long time since I've been off looking at stone circles. My books have been about areas without them (or many of them at least), so it was great to take the time to go out and see something special ... and that I did!

The first stop was at the Bonane Heritage Trail - a four euro attraction that is nearly good. The stone circle is a fantastic example and so is the nearby ringfort. It is a shame that the trail doesn't take in the nearby wedge tombs. One of these can be seen across a large stream, and it looks fantastic. The bullaun stone on the trail simply isn't a bullaun stone - it's a straw to clutch at! That said, places like this need to exist. They're a great way to get people to see something they might not otherwise go to. However, while I was in the car park at least three cars drove up, saw the 4 euro fee and drove off.

After this I went to a nearby stone circle, which is possibly the finest I've been to. It's very, very difficult to get to and wondefully peaceful as a consequence. It is a multiple stone circle with an inner circle and a boulder burial.

A quick walk around a heritage trail in Milleens followed before I started to head back home. On the way I stopped by a lovely little four-poster stone circle.

Great sites. Great weather. You can't buy daus like this!

August 17, 2008: A Day of Numbers and Surprises - 125 Sites

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

At last I managed to get out and see some sites. The weather forecast for Donegal was (relatively) good and I had a list of excellent stuff to see. The early items on the list were rock art, including the incredible stone at Duncarbit and the monster panel at Mevagh. I also popped in to Mevagh church yard to try and find the panel there.

The rock art didn't end at the planned rock art panels. At two other sites I went two I also came across cup marks on the roofstones of two tombs. A bonus site was the remains of the monastery founded near to the supposed location of St. Comcille's birth. The actual place that is said to be his birthplace is actually a megalithic kist, and this one of the sites that had masses of cup marks on its displaced capstone.

The two panels at Mevagh were a pleasure to see. The one in the churchyard was a lovely surprise, because this looks as if it was reused as a gravestone at some time. The main Mevagh panel, although quite worn and overgrown, is amazing. There are so many motifs on so many faces of the outcrop.

It was great to get out, especially as this trip took me to site 2000. I drove over 1000km to see these sites: the roads between the sites kept taking me back through Letterkenny! The 'mileometer' on my car passed 50,000km as I approached site 2000. A day of big numbers and great sites. One of the best I've had for a long time.

July 19, 2008: A Long Hard Climb - Glad We Found Something - 127 Sites

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Todat Ken Williams and I climbed up Baltinglass Hill. The last time I went I swore it would be the last time. I'd looked for the carvings up there and found nothing, so I had no reason whatsoever to climb up there again. Then, Ken rings me and says that he'd been told that several of the kerb stones have carvings on them too - do I fancy going up. Oh no ... here we go again.

After my lungs nearly collapsed at several points on the climb (I really must give up smoking!) we reached the top and once again I was at this magnificent monument. The climb up is getting harder, because the band of gorse bushes on the west slopes is now of fairy tale thickness proportions. Anyone would think that there is a princess sleeping in a tower up there! Sadly we didn't find the carvings on the kerbstones even with a printout of Walshes plan in hand.

However, we did manage to get some photographs of the spirals on the orthostats of the one tomb. These are not visible to the naked eye, but can be seen with side flash. The problem with this is that you need to know which orthostats the carvings are on. Luckily for us the plan had these stones marked.

Ken was very impressed with the site, and rightly so. It's a great place and one of the county's real gems. This said, I still don't think I'll be back up there again in a hurry.

July 06, 2008: The Road to 2000 - 133 Sites

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The weather was terrible today - so unpredictable. One moment it was raining heavily and the next it was sunny. Driving around doesn't help because sometimes you can be moving with or into the rain. On days like this I find it's best to plan visits to roadside monuments - it's not much fun being stuck on top of a hill when the rain comes down.

As I've mentioned quite often recently, I have tended to go to the big counties over the years and I need to spend some time in the 'lesser' counties megalithically speaking. Today it was Offaly's turn.

There aren't a lot of places in Offaly with the dramatic impact of a portal tomb, but it does have a lot barrows and, and this is where I get really interested, bullaun stones. I am now approaching 2000 monuments on megalithomania. I've been to more than that over the last 7+ years, but combining some of them into one site in the early days means that number-wise there are less than 2000.

I had planned my route today to take me to a bullaun stone for site 2000, but I think the rain stopped me one short: I'll see when I look at my notes later. I may have unwittingly made it to 2000 sites on megalithomania. If I have done so, then the 2000 site is a pretty uninspiring bullaun stone. If I haven't made it to 2000 I will target something really special for my first site on the next trip.