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Anciently sacred because horizon shape & cyclical celestial patterns are in useful harmony at this place.

Orange lines mark the annual solar round. Lunistice positions over the 18.6 year lunar nodal cycle are blue. More about the Solar CalendarMore about the Lunar Calendar

mega-what / ancient sacred places / Ireland, West Cork, Skibbereen

Bawngare: Boulder-Burial CO141-096

NGR 10433/03126 (IW 04330 ITM 31249 / 51.52635, -9.37921) [Googlemap]

Trajectories 1200BCE. Tap/Click pics for big ones.
Panoramic view with luni-solar trajectories from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. Bawngare Boulder-Burial is between Ballydehob and Skibbereen, on the peninsula that forms the eastern side of Roaringwater bay. Only 770m away to the west is Lisheen Boulder-Burial but these two monuments are seemingly not quite intervisible.

South is on a headland, close to the land/sea intersect [Pic].

North is on distant high ground but perhaps not quite on the top [Pic].

SW from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. South-westwards, the major end of the lunisticeLunistices are the most northerly and southerly moons of the month. The lunar equivalent of solstices - more. cycle is marked by Clear Island and the minor end by nearby high ground. Between the two is sea horizon but the landscape profile is obscured by hedgerows. A small island provides a marker for the quarter-month north of the winter cross-quarter but further detail in this area is once again obscured by vegetation. The capstone is long and points to the south-west, the support stones are large and may be used as steps. This last would appear to be a deliberate design feature as the top of the monument gives a much better south-western view than ground-level.

W from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. Across the bay, the sea/land intersect is a half-month north of the winter cross-quarters.

The half-month south of the summer cross-quarters is on the summit of Mt. Gabriel and equinoctial sunset is in the dip at its southern foot.

NW from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. Northwestwards, the lunistice cycle is well marked by a mix of distant and very distant (Beara Peninsula) hills.

Mt. Corrin is prominent, with the lunar mid­point & summer solstice at its northern foot and its western summit marking the halfway point between solstice and cross-quarters. This hilltop is crowned by Cairn CO130-015.

NE from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. To the north-east, the top of Knockonna marks the lunar extreme northerly rising position and the mid­point of the cycle falls at the hill's south base. The minor end of the cycle is marked by distant hills then the next two hilltops mark the summer cross-quarters and a quarter-month to their south.

E from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. The eastern horizon is undramatic but remarkably useful. At the southern end, the prominent hill of Knockomagh begins a good sequence. The winter cross-quarters are at a break on its ridge with quarter-month brackets either side, on the hilltop and at a notch towards the ridge end.

SE from Bawngare Boulder-Burial, Cork, Ireland. The very end of Knockomagh ridge marks the minor end of the lunistice range. Further south-eastwards a nice run of hills continues the sequence from the lunar sixteenth at the foot of Knockomagh to the lunar mid­point. the lunar minor eighth is marked by a hilltop, or more accurately, by a level area just east of the top. The major end of the lunistice range is marked by Ballymacrown Standing Stone, which is a wide slab set so that its profile is maximised when viewed from this direction. The eighth and sixteenth in the wide dip east of this stone do not have good natural markers and perhaps they once had built ones too.

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