The Giant's Ring is a henge monument at Ballynahatty, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was originally preserved by Viscount Dungannon.
The site is a State Care Historic Monument[1] and has ASAI (Area of Significant Archaeological Interest) status.[2]
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Overview [edit]
The site consists of a circular enclosure, 180 m (590 ft) in diameter and 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) in area, surrounded by a circular earthwork bank 3.5 m (11 ft) high. At least three of the five irregularly spaced gaps in the bank are intentional and possibly original. East of the centre of the enclosure is a small passage tomb with a vestigial passage facing west. There were reports of other tombs outside the enclosure, but there is no trace of these.[3]
In the 18th century the site was used for horse racing.[4] A ritual site adjacent to the henge was excavated in the early 1990s by Barrie Hartwell of the Queen's University of Belfast.[5]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "State Care Historic Monuments" (PDF). http://www.ehsni.gov.uk. Environment and Heritage Service. 31 March 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ "Part 4, District Proposals: Lisburn Countryside Urban Environment". Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 (draft). Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland). November 2004. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Weir, A (1980). Early Ireland. A Field Guide. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. p. 133.
- ^ Giants Ring : Visit Lisburn : Lisburn Tourism Guide Lisburn City Guide Lisburn City Council Information Centre Northern Ireland
- ^ Hartwell, Barrie (1995). "The Prehistory of the Giant's Ring and Ballynahatty Townland". Lisburn Historical Society Journal 9. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
Further reading [edit]
- Hartwell, Barrie (1995). "The Prehistory of the Giant's Ring and Ballynahatty Townland". Lisburn Historical Society Journal 9. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- Borlase, William C. (1897). "In the barony of Castlereagh upper". The Dolmens of Ireland 1. London: Chapman & Hall. pp. 275–281. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Giant's Ring |
- Photos of the Giant's Ring
- Aerial photograph of the Giant's Ring taken in 1984
- Virtual-reality exploration of the site
Coordinates: 54°32′25″N 5°57′0″W / 54.54028°N 5.95000°W
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