Scheduled MonumentsScotlandHall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of
Cairns

Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of

Scotland
HES SM1248
Site type
Cairns
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Hall of Ireland is a cairn located in Orkney, Scotland, on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of Devonian age. The monument is situated approximately 320 metres north-west of the Hall of Ireland settlement and forms part of a wider cairn complex in the area. It is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under designation SM1248.

The cairn lies within the distinctive sandstone geology of Orkney, where Devonian sedimentary rocks underlie much of the landscape. This geology has shaped both the local building materials and the topography that characterised Orcadian settlement patterns across different periods. The location within a cairn cluster suggests this area held significance for prehistoric communities.

Cairns of this type in Orkney typically served as burial monuments or territorial markers during the prehistoric period. The preservation of multiple cairns in proximity indicates concentrated activity and use of the landscape over time. The monument's survival and designation reflect its importance as part of Orkney's archaeological heritage and the region's rich record of early human settlement and ritual practice.

Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1248. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of?

Hall of Ireland is a cairn located in Orkney, Scotland, on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of Devonian age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1248.

Who is responsible for protecting Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of?

Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM1248.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Upper Sower, coastal battery N of, Clestrain (3.7 km), Houton Head, battery 325m W of Sunnybraes (6.5 km), Houton, chapel 60m E of Sunnybraes (6.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of'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 Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
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 Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of

Hall of Ireland, cairns 320m NW of stands on Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.