SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME: Charlie Hall investigates the Stone Circles of Northern Ireland

The Haunting Stone Circles of Beaghmore & Ballynoe

Photo: Dad on Ballynoe

Stone circles have always

fascinated me and as a child I envisaged them being magical places of conjuring, rituals, chanting and dancing. I found them exciting and a little unnerving and wished I could be a part of something in one of them someday, (just not as the sacrifice!!).

The exact purpose that they were constructed for is unknown, but historical research, artefacts and evidence suggests the main use was for worship, communal and ceremonial events and for the burial of important people. In ancient times of Ireland some thought stone circles to be delivery portals for mythical beings and said the stones awaken at night, so I decided to visit two of Northern Ireland’s greatest circle locations, Beaghmore and Ballynoe. Hidden away in a remote area outside of Cookstown, Beaghmore is one of the country’s most haunting mystical sites. On the edge of the Sperrin Mountains, this early bronze age setting of impressive megalithic formations, consists of 7 stone circles with 12 burial cairns, (mounds for the inhumed or cremated) and 10 stone alignments, all but one circle are paired and each with a cairn in between. Being the cornerstone of much folklore, the number 7 represents a connection to the universe, spiritually and philosophically as well as relating to lunar

By Charlie Hall, The Musical Medium

phases and astrology. It is a widely used number, 7 notes in a scale, 7 deadly sins, 7 days of the week, that most religions and cultures believe to be divine. Beaghmore began in a woodland environment of oak, birch, and hazel trees, reflected in the name which translates to ‘Place of birch trees’. The trees were cleared by Neolithic clans, who utilised it for cultivation and grazing livestock. Discovered in the late 1930’s by peat farmers who noticed the arrangements after revealing around 1300 stones and consulted experts.

“The investigations suggested that the circles and cairns were constructed approximately 2000 – 1200 BC and are one of the largest and most significant stone complexes of its kind, with much still hidden in the peat waiting to be unearthed.”

The construction of it represents substantial organisation and endeavour, indicating that it was a place of great importance to the folk that created it by providing a way of connecting death and burial to the land and sky and was quite possibly the meeting point for religious and social gatherings. Cremated bones, fragments of human skull and partially preserved pieces of spine and limbs proved that the cairns were used for burial purpose. Further excavations between 1945 and 1965 showed signs of ceremonial and ritual activity and saw items such as tools, pottery, and weapons being recovered.

Having gotten lost on route, it was definitely worth the wait, and I found myself in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. The panoramic landscape was spectacular, with no one around for miles and a silence so eerie that you could have heard a pin drop, I immediately felt a strong energy resonating from this truly sacred place. It is no surprise that Beaghmore attracts many curious mystics and ghost hunters due to its mysterious layouts and alignments.

The stone alignments radiate from the circles in a Northeast direction running to the cairns, three of the rows point to the solstice sunrise and the rest to the moonrise. Probably put up for ritual processions as well as calendrical indicators that could warn onlookers that winter solstice was close. Four of the cairns contained cremated human remains, three of which were placed in pits lined with stone known as cists. The biggest cairn held within an enclosed oak tree branch, whilst a porcellanite axe was located in a smaller one and a hearth with charcoal, flints, and Neolithic bowls in another.

Photo: Ballynoe Circle and Mound

Photo: Mountains of Mourne

Photo: Offerings Photo: Burial Cairn

Approaching the second set of circles, a female spirit appeared with long hair, shawl and a brown dress, I smiled and said hello, she looked over inquisitively but remained silent so I continued to the neighbouring section where there was a much more distinguished circle, that I now know to be called The Dragons Teeth. Named after a mythological tale about dragon’s teeth being planted and grown into soldiers, the unusual circle stands alone with taller enclosing rocks than the others and is filled with over 800 smaller adjacent stones. I started to hear a child quietly singing, then to my surprise I saw three seemingly happy spirit children playing in and around it but got a very odd and uneasy feeling that I could not explain. I later found out upon researching the site that remains of buried children were allegedly uncovered within this circle and visitors have reported sounds of children’s weeping and laughter. Others claimed having physical sensations especially on their hands, seeing lights near the circle entrance and hearing voices. Several people pendulum dowsing there noted anticlockwise spinning, (feminine energy), at the dragon’s teeth and clockwise spinning, (male energy), opposite where there are three large boulders supposedly placed in a certain configuration forming a doorway, that according to local legend acts as a portal to another world. People have commented on seeing strange, charred patches on the surrounding grass by these stones but with no valid explanation. My druid dad Clive (Culbertson), once told me that his Old Gaelic Order teacher Ben MacBrady, said that people needed to learn to be walking standing stones as they bring energy from the earth, give it to the sky and the sky gives it back down to the earth, thus believing in some form of untapped energy or magic within these stones. Being a renowned dark sky area, it is a perfect spot for viewing stars and was a featured location for BBC’s Stargazing live. Astronomers theorised that the layout could symbolise comets due to the natives yearning to link with the sky above. Some say that the circles could also map out particular constellations and may have acted as an observatory for solar, lunar, and celestial events. In recent times someone documented experiencing a time lapse when sky watching and found a fairy tree nearby, whilst a student on a field trip described feeling drawn into the nearby woods and seeing legs in the trees like a person was standing up above and immediately ran off petrified.

“Walking towards the last pair of circles I heard someone chanting, as we got nearer, I saw a dark haired, older male spirit by the cairn, in a robe with a shoulder drape. I stopped out of respect as I somehow felt that he was of importance, a chief or leader perhaps, he turned his head slowly, looking at me whilst chanting, then acknowledged me with a nod and faded away.”

The right-hand circle had two larger stone entrance pillars and a very powerful energy that myself and my dad could see radiating from the stones. Considering this and the chieftain’s presence he felt it a great place to do a Druidic rite. Dad chanted in English and Gaelic, giving thanks to the sun god, asking for their blessings and to send light and power to illuminate and awaken us. We inhaled the sun’s rays and sent peace to the four directions (NSEW). Upon closing our ceremony there was a deep sense of peace and belonging to this mesmerising place, even though so much of it is still unknown. Ballynoe is just as spectacular on a smaller scale, with a large circle and mound that can hold at least 150 people. Situated in Downpatrick it dates from the late Neolithic period and has a magnificent view of the pyramid looking Mountains of Mourne, which are known as the real-life Narnia, due to author CS Lewis basing his land of Narnia there. The plot has a beautiful entrance path, with a stunning surrounding tunnel of trees and foliage. Once known as the cow trail leading from the road to the circle field, now an enchanting passage of offerings baring all sorts of gifts for the gods, including decorated pebbles, toys, fairy doors, shells, runes, wind chimes and ribbons. It is a very peaceful and humbling feeling walking through and has an immense spiritual energy that envelops you. The circle entrance has Northwest calendrical and cardinal alignments, specifically to the sun set at the vernal equinox. It is a huge space made of many local stones and huge boulders in ordovician granite and silurian grit. Some of the stones have puzzling round, cupmark depressions ground into them which have been theorised to symbolise the breasts of the mother goddess/sun god, in religious and magical ceremonies.

Photo: Portal

In 1937 excavations revealed remains of several cremations and some stone tools in the cists, during which cremated bones of a young male and possibly two females were recovered in a segmented chamber. In a bronze age mound inside the circle two rectangular graves were found and some wondered if the surrounding stones may be the grave of a dead giant. Near the mound cairn sacred meteoric rocks, (baetyls), were found that are said to give access to the gods. A cairn with a passage tomb also contained burial remnants and a decorated Carrowkeel ware rimsherd of pottery.

The amazing mountain view there is other worldly and the sun casts some astounding shadows across the stones. As I wandered around taking pictures, dad climbed the circle mound to be nearer the sky and chanted to the gods. The atmosphere became heavy and electrically charged and a beautiful cloud mass expanded above him, was quite a surreal occurrence. I love hearing of the exciting discoveries at these places, so much exhilarating history and customary knowledge to be learned, it’s so gratifying. I respect and admire our ritualistic ancestors of the past, with their beliefs in greater things and the importance of connection with each other, spirit and the universe, attributes that we seem to have lost but will instinctively find again one day. I will return to these wonderful places in the future to further investigate and hope to catch a glimpse of some cosmic dark sky phenomenon.