Hill forts · Northern Ireland
Giant's Ring
Also known as: Cylch y Cawr
Giant's Ring — Neolithic henge monument.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Balmoral · 3.4 km
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
About
Giant's Ring is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "Neolithic henge monument". Coordinates: 54.5403°, -5.9500°.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
The Giant's Ring is a henge monument at Ballynahatty, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The site is a State Care Historic Monument and also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 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. A wall to protect the site was constructed under the supervision of local landowner Arthur Hill-Trevor, 3rd Viscount Dungannon in 1837. An inscribed stone tablet on the wall surrounding the site, which details Viscount Dungannon's interest, was carved by Belfast stone-carver Charles A Thompson c. 1919.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The Giant's Ring dates from the Neolithic period and was built around 2700 BC, before the Egyptian pyramids. The site has had some sort of public use throughout its history. It is near the Shaw's Bridge crossing of the River Lagan, a point which has been used as a crossing of the river since at least the Stone Age. It is generally assumed that the tomb structure in the centre is earlier than the ring and that the earthwork enclosure was created afterwards, perhaps as a function of activities that took place there. Substantial effort over many years would have been needed to construct this earthworks. The original purpose of the monument is unknown but it has often been hypothesised that it…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.5403, -5.9500
- District
- Lisburn and Castlereagh
- Postcode
- BT8 8JT
- Parliamentary constituency
- Belfast South and Mid Down
- Nearest railway station
- Balmoral — 3.4 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q822992 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Giant's Ring (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Giants Ring.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Giant's Ring?
- Giant's Ring is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (postcode BT8 8JT).
- Is Giant's Ring free to visit?
- Yes, Giant's Ring is free to enter.
- How do I get to Giant's Ring?
- The nearest railway station is Balmoral, about 3.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BT8 8JT.