There's not much I can say about Kealkil that hasn't already been said before, because quite rightly this is one of the best megalithic sites there is in Ireland, if not anywhere. It is a very compact multiple monument site which contains a complete five-stone circle, a radial cairn and a pair of huge standing stones.
The radial cairn is a flat area of stones with a kerb, but the stones forming the kerb are set so that they point into the centre rather than being in line with the circumference of the cairn.
The pair of stones are enormous. The shorter of the two is 2.5m tall and the tall one is over 4m tall. They are set in a northeast to southwest alignment which runs parallel to the axis of the circle. The shorter stone is at the NE end.
There is something odd about the circle and it took me quite a while to spot what it was. The axial stone is the tallest stone of the five. The others decrease in height with the entrance stones being the shortest. Also the axial stone is situated at the northest side of the circle rather than the southwest. The circle is just 3m in diameter.
The grouping seems to have been carefully planned. The slope formed by the tops of the two massive standing stones is opposite to the slope formed by the tops of the circle stones, creating an interesting contrast.
My visit here was ruined somewhat by the fact that the hill side near to where you have to park was on fire and the walk from the gate is along enormous tractor wheel tracks in the muddy approach. These tracks run just metres from the stones and make it very difficult to enjoy this beautifully chosen location, which looks out to the north over a valley that runs east to west.
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_All Sites Visited On 20th April 2003 « Previous Site Next Site »
When I was last here the weather was a little overcast, but the weather today was superb. There was still a bit of mist around, but that just added to the ambience of the site. This is a great place to sit and look across the valley below.
There were two things I noticed today. Firstly the axis of both the circle and the row is aligned on a notch in the hills opposite. The second is how spectacular the views to Bantry Bay are and in particular Whiddy Island.
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_All Sites Visited On 5th September 2004 « Previous Site Next Site »
No matter what you see during the rest of the day a trip to Kealkil means it a good day, especially when it’s the first time you’ve seen it (which was the case for Uta, my partner) and when the weather is so stunningly hot. Today the good weather made sure that every vista was open to us – I’ve never seen it so clear here.
I’m still concerned about the large bush in the centre of the ring cairn. It’s getting larger and I wonder how long it will be before it hides the stones beneath it completely.
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_| Philip Powell from ATHY |  |
| Uwe H. from Leinfelden-Echterdingen (Germany) | |
| Marianne from Clare | |
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Coumaraglin SE (Co. Waterford) |  Cashelkeelty 2 (Co. Kerry) |  Oughtihery (W) (Co. Cork) |
 Ballyward (Co. Wicklow) |  Keadeen (Co. Wicklow) |  Cong 4 (Co. Mayo) |
