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Beaghmore Stone Circles is a prehistoric stone circle complex comprising five distinct rings and associated stone alignments, located near Limavady in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits on Argyll Group bedrock of Neoproterozoic age, composed of marble and meta-limestone that would have presented Bronze Age and Neolithic communities with locally available stone for construction. The complex demonstrates sophisticated ritual and ceremonial organisation across multiple phases of prehistoric activity.
The five circles vary in diameter and preservation, with aligned stone rows extending from and between certain rings in patterns suggesting calendrical or ceremonial significance. Such multi-ring complexes are characteristic of later Neolithic and Bronze Age monument building in northern Britain and Ireland, where stone circles served communal gathering and ritual functions. The alignments may relate to seasonal astronomical observations, a common feature of contemporary monument complexes.
The site remains under protection by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 12593, ensuring preservation of this important prehistoric landscape. Archaeological investigation and landscape survey have established the monument's regional significance within the distribution of Irish stone circle traditions. The complex contributes substantially to understanding prehistoric settlement, belief systems and land use patterns in this region of Ulster.
Five stone circles & alignments is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12593. View the official record →
Beaghmore Stone Circles is a prehistoric stone circle complex comprising five distinct rings and associated stone alignments, located near Limavady in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12593.
Five stone circles & alignments dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone circle complex. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Five stone circles & alignments is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 12593.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone circle/ remains of megalith (1.1 km), Standing stone (1.8 km), Standing stone (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Five stone circles & alignments's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Five stone circles & alignments stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is marble, meta-limestone.