Forenaughts Standing Stone and Henge. Co Kildare.

This site can be found on     http://www.megalithomania.net/show/site/1316/longstone_rath_henge.htm

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of visiting Forenaughts in Co Kildare and what a great site it is for ambiance,atmosphere and of course history. This completes my visits to the longstones of Co Kildare and it was definitely a case of saving the best wine till last. The word Forenaughts comes from the Gaelige  " Fornachta" = bare,bald or naked (hill).

Click on images to enlarge.


                                         OS Map 50. Grid Ref N 937 206.

I had tried to gain access to this site three times before with no luck. Heres a picture looking at the Longstone in the distance from the wrong way to access it, all I could do till yesterday was look at it longingly from this vantage point.

As near as I could get to it till now.



Approaching the stone by the East entrance in the henge. My first proper sight of it.



Need anything be said !



In all its glory in its magnificent setting with the henge all around it and the early evening sun in the West.

The next four pictures are different aspects of the stone........



As can be seen different from all four sides.

Now for a completely unexpected and very welcome added pleasure......




Can you see what I think I see,or do my eyes deceive me?



To me thats a spiral.....

I hadn't read of this spiral on the stone before my visit, and I'd bet my last euro that Tom Four Winds would not miss something like that, which leads me to believe that this is relatively recent....someone has probably etched it into the lichen on the stone.

Now to the henge and enclosure. The enclosure is a rough circle approx 50 / 60 metres in diameter with the stone at its center. The banks of the henge are about 3 / 4 metres high from the flat inside. From the top of the banks forming the henge to the bottom of the ditch surrounding it outside would be around 5 / 6 metres high. There are two entrances / exits one facing East and the other West. The pictures will help to explain better.




East entrance.



West entrance.



Inside bank of henge.



Bank and ditch outside.



Bank and ditch outside.



And again.



Heres a video....

I just like this shot !

Here are the other longstones in Co Kildare.




Punchestown.




Craddockstown



Baltracey.



Longstone. townland name...but sadly not standing.




Kilgowan.




Mullaghmast.



Visit to Counties Louth, Armagh and Down.

All of the following sites can be found on   http://www.megalithomania.net/

This weekend I visited the following sites:-

1/   Proleek wedge tomb, Co Louth.
2/   Proleek portal tomb, Co Louth.
3/   Aghnaskeagh portal tomb, Co Louth.
4/   Aghnaskeagh (long) chambered cairn, Co Louth.
5/   Clontygora "modern" stone circle, not a genuine megalith, Co Armagh.
6/   Clontygora court tomb, Co Armagh.
7/   Clontygora wedge tomb, Co Armagh. 
8/   Clonlum cairn / portal tomb, Co Armagh.
9/   Ballymacdermot court tomb, Co Armagh.
10/   Burren court tomb, Co Down.

Click on images to enlarge.

1/  Proleek Wedge tomb.  OS map no 29. Grid Ref J 083 110



From the side

 

Looking lengthwise towards the rear.



Looking into the gallery with the one remaining capstone.



Looking lengthwise from the rear.

 This is a really impressive wedge tomb and well worth a visit not least because you can kill two birds with one stone, about 100 metres away from it is this beauty.......

2/  Proleek portal tomb.  OS Map no 29. Grid Ref J 083 110



Side on with repaired orthostat.



From the front



This is one BIG capstone.



I love the shape of this capstone.....its got character.



Small stones on top of capstone.

There is a heap of small stones on top of the capstone which people throw up there.....don't know why... do you get a wish or something if the stone you throw stays up there ?

3/  Aghnaskeagh portal tomb. OS map no 29. Grid Ref J 076 137

With protective wall running around tomb.

Orthostats with cairn rubble surrounding them.

Kerb stones.

 with orthostats and cairn.

4/  Aghnaskeagh chambered cairn. OS Map no 29. Grid Ref J 076 137.

This is a really difficult site to try and explain and photograph. When I first looked at it I was totally confused. It just looked like a mass of rocks with a square or three among them...agh but on study of it what unfolds is really magnificent.....  To me the complex is best described as a triangle with two  slightly convex sides... somewhat like an "A"  on its side.....

Looking over the "A" complex the straight side is to the left.



Looking back over complex to point where previous photo was taken.

There are several burial chambers in the complex. I'm going to start with the four most obvious......

  1/   This reminds me of a boulder burial or a very mini portal tomb.

2/  This I think must be one of two of the original burial chambers.

3/   This must be the second of the two original burial chambers.

4/   This is the last of the very obvious chambers, I don't think this was an original burial but added at a later time. Ive no reason for this just a feeling, really wish I had someone knowledgeable to discuss this site with.


I'm afraid after the four above burials I'm at a bit of a loss, I can definitely identify the following picture as another chamber (kist burial)


I had read on the "Megalithomania" site before my visit that there are 6 - 7 chambers on this site but try as I might I could only identify 5 of them. Perhaps one or two of them are double chambers. Anyway this is a site I'll definitely be visiting again as I don't feel I understand it yet. I would thoroughly recommend it to all "Megalithomaniacs" as a must see site.

5/   Clontygora "Modern" stone circle....

I must admit it had me fooled for all of 30 seconds before I remembered reading about it......  Notice the "standing stone" in the wall in front of the house to the left of the "circle"....   Just 100 metres down the road from it is the absolutely 100% genuine.....

6/   Clontygora court tomb. OS Map no 29. Grid Ref  J 099 194.



Imagined reconstruction on information board at site.



Court and tomb from front.



I love the two stones on the right.



Entrance to tomb with capstones.



Taken from left of front.



Looking from behind.



These are BIG stones! Taken from side. 

 7/   Clontygora wedge tomb.  os map no 29



Sadly theres really nothing much left here.

8/  Clonlum cairn / portal tomb. OS map no 29. J 046 207.

I don't know what to make of this site..... as T4W says its hard to classify. Its a Linkardstown portal dolmen cairn tomb kist.....think that just about covers it all...lol.

9/  Ballymacdermot court tomb. OS Map no 29. Grid Ref J065 239.



The court.



The court looking direct at entrance to chambers.



From front looking into all three chambers.



First chamber.



Middle chamber.



Rear chamber looking back towards front.



Center chamber from side.



Putting it in its positional perspective from the left.



Wow can I see things in this stone,favourite one.


10/   Burren court tomb.  OS map no 29. Grid Ref J 135 225.



Yep thats someones front garden!




 This was my last site of the day, and what a dinky wee thing it was as they'd say in this part of the world. I met the owner of the house, (a really nice gentleman) while I was there. He told me when his father was building the house the relevant authorities came round while it was being built and stopped the building until they assessed the situation. They then came back and told him he would be allowed to proceed providing he didn't interfere with the tomb or the level of it. He kept his word and the house owners really do look after it.

For previous blogs look down and click on older posts.