School: Cnoc na Biolaraighe

Location:
Watergrasshill, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Dll. Mac Carrthaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0382, Page 134

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0382, Page 134

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  1. XML School: Cnoc na Biolaraighe
  2. XML Page 134
  3. XML “The Stone Circle of Condonstown”

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  1. Perhaps the oldest object of interest in this country is the stone circle. Those Circles were a number of large stones in a circle with one very large one practically in the centre, commonly called the Altar. This was their place of worship. Generally those Altars were nearly always situated in a place facing the rising sun, and it was at this time of the day that people used assemble at the circles. The Condonstown Circle was situated in the eastern side of the townland in a field at present owned by Tim Murphy. This field is called Park a mhainnín. At the end of this field sloping towards the stream is the exact spot where the Circle existed. Some of the old people remembered to see part of this circle. According to tradation someone of the Barrymore family removed most of the Circle. David Riordan often told me when he was a ploughman at Mahoneys farm in Condonstown that assisted in breaking and removing the Altar. It was he said, a very large stone weighing several tons. When broken it was used for repairing the fences of that field.
    This man David Riordan is now dead nearly 30 years. When speaking about the destruction of the circle he used to say "about 30 or 40 years ago" so it would be probably between 70 and 80 years since it ceased to exist.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. objects
      1. man-made structures
        1. historical and commemorative structures (~6,794)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Peggy Sarsfield
    Gender
    Female
    Informant
    Patrick O Connor
    Gender
    Male