Threecastles Castle, Co Wicklow, Ireland
The last remaining castle at Threecastles
Threecastles stands next to the Kilbride Rd (L4365) between Kilbride and Blessington
Entrance doorway
Threecastles Castle
Ray High Cross, Standing Stone, Bullaun Stone and Church
Ray High Cross
Ray High cross
Subcircular stone with perforation and two mill stones
Raymunterdoney (Ray) old church, Co Donegal, Ireland
Ray Standing Stone in the North East corner of the graveyard
Bullaun Stone in Ray Graveyard
Ray old church with bullaun stone forefront and standing stone background
Kill Christian Site
Kill old church, graveyard, famine graveyard, and Penal Mass station, Dunfanaghy, Donegal
Clondahorky Old Church, Kill,Dunfanaghy
Stone inscription in the church
Kill graveyard gate
Kill graveyard
Iron Crosses in kill famine grave yard marks graves of drowned … a few stones for the famine victims belies the number of interred… hundreds possibly in the thousands. More info here
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40901521/kill-dunfanaghy-county-donegal
Barnes Lower Stone Row – revisited
Barnes Lower Stone Row (Alignment), Co Donegal, Ireland
The three stone alignment with the third stone barely visible
The two larger stones with surface texture emphasised by oblique sunlight
The largest stone of the alignment again with surface texture emphasised by oblique sunlight
Barnes Lower alignment with Muckish mountain in the background
Barnes Lower stone row with Muckish Mountain
Barnes Lower view from car park with Lake Salt and Muckish Mountain. The stones are approx. 150 mtr from track to right as you enter car park
Killahoey Beach
Killahoey Beach aka Dunfanaghy Beach, Dunfanaghy, Donegal, Ireland
Leamaneh Castle – revisited
Leamaneh Castle, the Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
Gleninagh Medieval Church
Gleninagh Medieval Church, the Burren, Co Clare
The enclosure contains numerous ancient graves marked with simple stones
Creevagh Wedge Tomb
Creevagh Wedge Tomb, the Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
Creevagh Wedge Tomb, Black & White
Pinnacle Well
Pinnacle Well, the Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
A housing was built over the well around 1860 giving it the appearance of a small church
Parknabinnia wedge tomb – revisited
Parknabinnia wedge tomb, the Burren, Co Clare
Parknabinnia viewed from the road – with some local tourists
Parknabinnia Wedge Tomb in BW
Doonagore Castle – revisited
Doonagore Castle, Doolin, Co Clare, Ireland. Mid 16th century Castle restored in the 1970s
Carron Church – the Burren
Carron/Carran Church on the Burren, Co Clare, Ireland
The ruins of the 13th century Carron Church
Carved head on the north wall of Carron Church ruin
Ballylig Standing Stone
Ballylig Standing Stone, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
The farmer was very friendly and accompanied me into the field as there were some cows I was a bit wary of
Tober-bile Standing Stone
Tober-bile Standing Stone, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
With Knocklayd Mountain in the background this is one of several standing stones that ring it
Gleniff Horseshoe 2022
Gleniff Horseshoe – waterfall, Co Sligo, ireland
One of two cottage ruins on the loop
The top of Gleniff Horseshoe
Fairy Bridges, Bundoran
Fairy Bridges, Tullan Strand, Bundoran, Co Donegal
It is said that locals thought the natural sea arches were haunted by the fairies
Shesknan, in search of a tomb
Shesknan tomb? Co Leitrim, Ireland
Shesknan Tomb? Co Leitrim, Ireland
Gortnahoula Court Tomb
Gortnahoula Court Tomb, Co Sligo, Ireland
Much of the site is buried under the peat with the other stones obscured by tall reeds
The two above images are from 2024
Moneylahan Cashel
Moneylahan Cashel, Co Sligo, Ireland
All that remains of the walled enclosure
Tawly Mass Rock
Tawly Mass Rock and Bullaun Stone, Leitrim, Ireland
The Mass rock has an incised cross and ‘IHS’ inscription just visible below
Tawly Bullaun Stone – both stones were found close by
Aghaderrard Court Tomb
Aghaderrard Court Tomb, County Leitrim, Ireland
The ruins and remnants of Aghaderrard Court Tomb
Traditional Jack O’ Lantern 2022
Halloween or Halowe’en comes from All Hallows Eve – The night before All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) which was the Christanisation of Samhain an ancient Celtic festival of celebration, feasting and connecting with ancestors at harvest time. Celebrated on October 31st, the half way point between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. Ancient Celtic tradition marked this as a time when the barriers between the spiritual and physical worlds came down which marked it as a time for Fairies (Shee/Sidhe) and other malevolent beings. From here we get many of the pagan practices that continue to today. Irish and Scottish migrants took their traditions with them to America and America, well Americanised it.
Links to past Jack O’ Lanterns 2017 here https://www.tonyoneill.org/2017/10/25/traditional-jack-o-lantern-2017/ and 2016 here https://www.tonyoneill.org/2016/10/27/irish-jack-o-lantern/
Aughlish (Auglish) Stone circles
Auglish/Aughlish Stone Circles, Derry, Northern Ireland
A series of 5 small stone circles and alignments in the foothills of the Sperrins
One of the alignments
Alignment stone
Showing the alignment
The largest of the circle stones
Same stone as above
Dungiven Standing Stone revisited
Dungiven Standing Stone, Co Derry, Northern Ireland
Donaghmore Round Tower and Church
Donaghmore Round Tower and Church, Co Meath, Ireland
Donaghmore 10th century Round Tower and 15th Century Church ruin
Donaghmore Round Tower stands 26 meters tall
The ruin of Donaghmore Church
Donaghmore Round Tower just off the N51 Navan to Slane Road
An original monastery here dates to St. Patrick who gave his disciple, St. Cassanus (Cassan) stewardship
Coolbeg Wedge Tomb revisited
Coolbeg Wedge Tomb, Drumcliff, Co Sligo, Ireland
Culfeightrin Standing Stones revisited
aka Ballynagloch Standing Stones
Culfeightrin Standing Stones, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
The larger standing stone in the graveyard at Culfeightrin Church
The smaller Standing Stone to the East of the larger stone
Behy Cliffs
Behy Cliffs, Co Mayo, Ireland (Opposite the Céide Fields Visitors Centre)
Beaghmore Stone Circles revisited
Beaghmore stone circles, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
The Beagmore Stone Circle Complex comprises of a mixture of small stone circles, cairns, and alignments
Alignment of some of the larger stones at the Beagmore Megalithic Complex
Two of the circles and below from the top circle
O’Dowd’s Castle
O’Dowd’s Castle, Easkey, Co Sligo, Ireland
Dating from 1207
Belmullet Standing Stone
Belmullet Standing Stone, Mullet Peninsula, Co Mayo, Ireland
The standing stone is great… location not quite
Navan Fort – Emain Macha
Navan Fort – Emain Macha, Armagh, Northern Ireland
The ancient ceremonial site of Emain Macha (Eamhain Mhacha) – the seat of the kings of Ulaid
St Tassach’s Church
St Tassach’s Church, Raholp, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The original church was founded by St. Patrick and his disciple St. Tassach was put in charge. The ruin here dates from the 10th or 11th century
Boats – Blacksod, Belmullet
Blacksod, Belmullet peninsula, Co Mayo, ireland
Struell Wells revisited
Struell Wells, Downpatrick, Co Down, Northern Ireland
The church ruin
Inside the church
The Drinking Well beside the church ruin
The Men’s and Women’s Bath Houses
The Women’s Bath House in the foreground with the Men’s Bath House behind
The Eye Well at Struell Wells
Cliff Baths
The old Cliff Baths, Enniscrone, Co Sligo, Ireland
Built in 1850 by the Orme family
Carrownacaw Standing Stone
Carrownacaw Standing Stone aka the Long Stone, Co Down, Northern Ireland
It leans slightly and is tied to a tree with steel wire.
The standing stone is 3m tall of Silurian rock
The ‘mortuary house’ at Saul
The ‘mortuary house’ at Saul, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
A belief it was a 12th century shrine, for relics of St Patrick, St Brigid and St Columba seems unlikely as…
A Queen’s University archaeological investigation dates it as more likely late 16th century
Loughmoney Dolmen
Loughmoney Dolmen, Co Down, Northern Ireland
A ring of stones encircle Loughmoney Portal Tomb
Ballylumford Dolmen – revisited
Ballylumford Dolmen (Portal Tomb) aka The Druid’s Altar
Ballylumford Dolmen, Islandmagee, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
