axial stone circle An axial stone circle is a megalithic ring of stones of a particular design found in County Cork and County Kerry in southwest Ireland. Archaeologists have found it convenient to consider the axial five-stone circle and axial multiple-stone circ ...

is a particular type of

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

ic ring of stones of which many are found in southwest

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Archaeologists have found it convenient to consider axial five-stone circles and axial multiple-stone circles separately – this list is of multiple-stone circles, those with seven stones or more. They have an approximate

axis of symmetry Axial symmetry is symmetry around an axis; an object is axially symmetric if its appearance is unchanged if rotated around an axis.

aligned in a generally northeast–southwest direction – the stone at the southwest side of the circle, rather than being an upright

orthostat This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic (Stone Age) structures. Forecourt In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. Forecourts ...

like all the rest, rests on the ground with its long axis horizontal. Because it marks the axis it is called the axial stone. It is usually quite thin and it lies with its long thin edge along the circumference of the ring. Dating from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, axial stone circles when constructed had an odd number of stones with two stones (

portal stones This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic ( Stone Age) structures. Forecourt In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. Forecourts ...

) placed on either side of where the axis crosses the northeast side of the ring. They are found in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

and County Kerry. Early in the 20th century they were called

recumbent stone circle A recumbent stone circle is a type of stone circle that incorporates a large monolith, known as a ''recumbent'', lying on its side. They are found in only two regions: in Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland and in the far south-west of Irel ...

s by analogy with similar examples in Scotland but when it became clear there were substantial differences the term "Cork–Kerry stone circle" was adopted. The term "axial stone circle" has since become frequently used leaving it unclear whether both types or only the multiple type is meant. has published a comprehensive catalogue of stone circles in the two counties and Burl followed with two books, and , covering a much broader area but still including this type of circle. Ireland's National Monuments Service, part of the

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a department of the Government of Ireland. The mission of the department is to promote a ...

, operates a database of archaeology sites and the list in this article covers the sites classified as "stone circle – multiple-stone". The NMS definition is: Included are 41 sites in

, 15 in County Kerry and a single one in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

List of axial multiple-stone circles

The map shows the locations of the 56 sites in counties Cork and Kerry (an additional site in County Clare is off the map). All the locations can be displayed dynamically via the OpenStreetMap viewer.

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General references