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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, Bantry

Cullomane East: Standing Stone CO118-073002

NGR 10368/04542 (IW 03678 ITM 45427 / 51.65363, -9.39250) [Googlemap]

Trajectories 1200BCE. Tap/Click pics for big ones.
Cullomane East Standing Stone from NNW. This Standing Stone at Cullomane (Colomane) East is between Bantry and Drimoleague, 2km or so west of Dromore. It is only 50m or so away from Five Stone Circle CO118-07301 and possibly an outlier for it but perhaps a separate entity. It has now fallen northwards so the few old pictures I have of it standing are included here.

Panoramic view with luni-solar trajectories from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. South is on the eastern slope of a dip [Pic]. North is in a dip [Pic]. To both sides the luni-solar sequence runs down through a dip and up again to the high ground where, at the major standstillLunistice positions vary cyclically over an 18.6 year period but are fairly static for more than a year at either end of the range, lunisticesLunistices are the most northerly and southerly moons of the month. The lunar equivalent of solstices - more. rise from a hilltop and set into a dip.

NE from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. More of the further landscape is visible from here than from the circle but the short walk between the two monuments has not made any significant difference to the values of those more distant points that are visible from both. In fact the line between them could be used as a baseline for observations, enabling greater precision. A useful set of solar markers as well as the lunar mid­point are additionally visible from here.

The Standing Stone was set so that its long axis points towards Inchybegga Hill and the quarter-month south of the summer cross-quarter.

E from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. The eastern skyline is fairly useful with both the equinox and the quarter-month to its south on hilltops. The mid­point between the equinox and the summer cross-quarters are in the centre of a wide dip as, though less obviously, is the one between the equinox and the winter cross-quarter.

SE from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. To the south-east, the bottom of the dip at the base of the long slope marks the solstice / cross-quarter mid­point. Above the dip, the winter solstice occur at an obvious step/break. On the other side of the dip, the hill has the minor standstillLunistice positions vary cyclically over an 18.6 year period but are fairly static for more than a year at either end of the range on its top and the winter cross-quarter at its northern foot.

SW from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. The fit of this very useful south-western horizon is very similar to that from the stone circle. The lunar major standstillLunistice positions vary cyclically over an 18.6 year period but are fairly static for more than a year at either end of the range is in a dip in the top of Derryvahalla Hill. Two breaks/dips in the slope mark the eighth and a sixteenth the a hilltop marks the winter solstice. The next hilltop is another lunar sixteenth while the western basal step is half-way between solstice and cross-quarter which itself occurs at the notch between the end of the ridge and its terminal hill.

SW from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. In this direction the axis of the Standing Stone was more towards the cross-quarter.

This picture also shows that part of the Muintirvara (Sheep's Head) peninsula should be visible and that the half-month to the north of the winter cross-quarters are marked by one of its hills.

from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. To the west, views down the valley are obscured. Above that the slope is relatively smooth alt="W though some undulations do occur and were made use of. The first obviously good mark is the quarter-month to the south of the cross-quarter.

NW from Cullomane East Standing Stone, Cork, Ireland. The north-western sequence begins on a hilltop, with the quarter-month south of the cross-quarter, then the cross-quarter itself at a break in the slope. The lunar minor eighth is at the south basal step of a hump that has a lunar sixteenth on its top and the summer solstice in its north basal dip. There follows a nice undulating section which gives good markers for the remainder of the lunisticeLunistices are the most northerly and southerly moons of the month. The lunar equivalent of solstices - more. range.

This is one of a local group of monuments that utilise these same horizons in slightly different ways from positions about 200m apart.

The nearest (other than the adjacent Stone Circle) are:

A further variant usage of Glanatnaw Hill to the north-east may be seen from Inchybegga which is 1.3km closer to it.

A Stone Axe was found, not far from here, in 2005, See Details

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© Michael Wilson.