This group of three boulder-burials is c.10m south-west of Uragh multiple stone circle.
Left of them are two other stones, the more south-westerly of which has been recorded as a standing stone. Any standing stone here would probably have been set by a later group of people than the ones who set the boulders.
There are also the possible remains of a fulacht fia, numbered KE101-025004. This cooking tub / hot bath is now only visible as a wide but low mound between the boulder-burials and the circle, behind the bank behind the axial stone of the circle. It consists of burnt stones but is covered by vegetation and could be the work of any of the monument builders or someone else altogether.
My take on this local group of monuments is as follows:
- The boulder-burial people would have come to the area after the multiple stone circle had been built.
First they would have put their own boulder monument inside the circle.
Then, as they established themselves they built this group of three as their own variant / enhancement of the pre-existing sacred place.
Later, having expanded their territory and cleared more ground they built another two across the valley at Cooryeen
to make a new sacred place that was uniquely their own.
- A third group of people came along later and put a standing stone (or two) beside this group of three boulder-burials and
another one beside the two at Cooryeen.
Then, having expanded their territory and cleared more ground they erected a large standing stone between the other two sites to make a new sacred place that was uniquely their own.
- A fourth group came even later and built Uragh five stone circle beside the large standing stone, sharing its position. Then, having expanded their territory and cleared more ground they built another five stone circle to make a new sacred place that was uniquely their own.
A triangular grouping of three (much larger) boulder-burials may also be seen at Knocks, Co. Cork.
References
- Archaeological Survey of Ireland, record details. www.archaeology.ie/archaeological-survey-ireland
- BYRNE, ELIZABETH et al. 2009 Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry, Volume I: South-West Kerry. Dublin: Stationary Office. p25, no.102; p26, no.103; p26, no.104; p55, no.356; p93, no.668.
- TWOHIG, ELIZABETH 1987 Two stone circles at Uragh, Co. Kerry. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological & Historical Society 20:111-118.