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Kilmakee stone circle is a prehistoric cairn located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, principally mafic lava and mafic tuff formed during the early Tertiary period. This volcanic geology is characteristic of the Antrim plateau and would have presented particular challenges to the monument's builders, who constructed the cairn using stones gathered from the surrounding landscape.
The cairn consists of a circular arrangement of stones typical of prehistoric ritual and burial monuments erected during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. Such structures served multiple functions, including funerary deposits, territorial markers, and gathering places for communities. The site's prominence within its local terrain would have rendered it visible across the surrounding country.
Kilmakee stone circle is protected as a scheduled monument under the Historic Environment Division, reference number 3504. This designation recognises its significance as an archaeological resource and ensures the preservation of the site for future study and public heritage benefit. The monument remains an important record of prehistoric settlement and ceremonial practice in the region.
Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle') is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3504. View the official record →
Kilmakee stone circle is a prehistoric cairn located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3504.
Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle') dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle') 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 3504.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (8.1 km), Conjoined raths (8.3 km), Trivallate rath (8.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle')'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.
Kilmakee stone circle. cairn ('stone circle') stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.