Ballynakill Radial Stone Cairn

At first glance one could be forgiven for mistaking the antiquity at Ballynakill for some type of small bronze age Stone Circle of which it is indeed not.

The location of the monument here is also known as Cartron South. This delightful feature is in the Irish context, a rare, Radial Stone Cairn.

Numbering no more than 26 nationwide most are found in counties Cork and Kerry. As far as I can ascertain this is the only known example of a Radial Stone Cairn in Galway.

The term is derived from the alignment of the stones in the circle. Looking directly at any stone in the group you can see it is elongated and lined up to point in and out from the center of the circle.

The fourth photograph of the group shown beneath probably explains this best.

Their function is uncertain and they are believed to date to some time in the bronze age but why this is so I don't know.

I have not read nor seen anything definitive about these enigmatic stone alignments though I stand to be corrected.

Radial Stone Cairns are often found in conjunction with or close to other megalithic monuments in the Irish landscape and indeed this particular area is "littered with various Wedge Tombs, Portal Dolmens, anomalous stone groupings and unclassified cairns.

There was an enormous amount of prehistoric funerary activity occurring both close to this site and throughout the nearby Marble Hill area as well.

Somewhat enchantingly a lone Ash tree has sprouted from the circle. From a purely mythological standpoint Ash is one of the Sacred Irish trees and it is also the source material for the Hurley used in Gaelic games. Take from that what you will.