BRONZE AGE · STONE CIRCLE

Five stone circles

Strabane, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 13901
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
STONE CIRCLE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 13901
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H4925094800
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Five Stone Circles is a Bronze Age stone circle located near Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The monument comprises five upright stones arranged in a circular formation, typical of ritual and ceremonial sites constructed across the British Isles during the Bronze Age, roughly 2300–800 BCE. Such circles served various functions, from astronomical alignment to communal gathering places and burial monuments.

The site rests upon bedrock of mafic igneous rock, part of an unnamed Neoproterozoic intrusion formed over 540 million years ago. This ancient igneous foundation would have provided a stable base for the monument's construction, whilst the local geology likely supplied suitable stone for the circle's uprights. The surrounding landscape of County Tyrone, with its upland terrain and stone-rich soils, made this location suitable for such monumental construction.

Five Stone Circles is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 13901, recognising its significance as a rare surviving Bronze Age ceremonial site in Northern Ireland. The monument remains an important example of prehistoric ritual architecture in the province, offering insight into the religious and social practices of Bronze Age communities.

Five stone circles is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13901. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Five stone circles?

Five Stone Circles is a Bronze Age stone circle located near Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13901.

What period does Five stone circles date from?

Five stone circles dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a stone circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Five stone circles?

Five stone circles 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 13901.

What other scheduled monuments are near Five stone circles?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two stone circles, cairn with cist & two alignments (3.8 km), Portal tomb (3.9 km), Rath (4.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Five stone circles

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Five stone circles's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Five stone circles

Five stone circles stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.