Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandDungannonStone circle & alignment
BRONZE AGE · STONE CIRCLE

Stone circle & alignment

Dungannon, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15662
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
STONE CIRCLE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15662
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H3804956085
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

The Dungannon stone circle is a Bronze Age monument situated in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, comprising stones arranged in a circular formation typical of ritual and ceremonial sites from the second millennium BC. The monument lies upon bedrock of the Kilskeery Group, a geological formation of Chesterian age composed of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate, which would have been exposed or near-surface in the Bronze Age landscape. This underlying geology influenced both the selection of the site and the availability of stone for the monument's construction.

Stone circles and alignments served various functions within Bronze Age societies, functioning as meeting places, astronomical markers, or focal points for burial and ritual activity. The arrangement of stones at Dungannon reflects the considerable effort invested by prehistoric communities in creating permanent monuments on the landscape, demonstrating social organisation and shared cultural practices across Ireland during the Bronze Age period.

The monument is recorded on the Historic Environment Division's register of protected monuments under reference 15662. This protection recognises its significance as archaeological evidence of prehistoric settlement, belief systems and land-use patterns in the Dungannon area. The site contributes to understanding Bronze Age cultural practices and landscape management in Northern Ireland.

Stone circle & alignment is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15662. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stone circle & alignment?

The Dungannon stone circle is a Bronze Age monument situated in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, comprising stones arranged in a circular formation typical of ritual and ceremonial sites from the second millennium BC. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15662.

What period does Stone circle & alignment date from?

Stone circle & alignment 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 Stone circle & alignment?

Stone circle & alignment 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 15662.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stone circle & alignment?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (0.8 km), Crockroe. large hilltop enclosure (1.5 km), Giant's grave. portal tomb (2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Stone circle & alignment

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone circle & alignment'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 Stone circle & alignment

Stone circle & alignment stands on Kilskeery Group, bedrock that formed in the Chesterian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.