Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandFermanaghThree stone alignments
PREHISTORIC · ALIGNMENT COMPLEX

Three stone alignments

Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 10272
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
ALIGNMENT COMPLEX
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 10272
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H2990044950
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Three Stone Alignments is a prehistoric alignment complex located in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The monument comprises three separate linear stone arrangements positioned on bedrock of the Kilskeery Group, a Chesterian-age formation of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate. This geological foundation would have provided stone-working communities with accessible raw materials during prehistory. The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 10272.

Stone alignments of this type represent some of Ireland's most enigmatic prehistoric monuments, typically constructed during the Bronze Age. These linear arrangements of standing or prostrate stones served purposes that remain contested among archaeologists, potentially relating to ritual practice, territorial marking or celestial observation. The specific topography and orientation of these three alignments at this Fermanagh location would have been deliberately chosen by their creators.

The monument survives within the broader landscape of prehistoric Fermanagh, an area rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age activity. The preservation of three distinct alignments at a single site is comparatively uncommon, making this complex of particular interest to understanding the ritual and ceremonial practices of prehistoric communities in the region. The site's location on stable Chesterian bedrock has aided its survival into the modern era.

Three stone alignments is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 10272. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Three stone alignments?

Three Stone Alignments is a prehistoric alignment complex located in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 10272.

What period does Three stone alignments date from?

Three stone alignments dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a alignment complex. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Three stone alignments?

Three stone 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 10272.

What other scheduled monuments are near Three stone alignments?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Platform rath (4.3 km), Stone circle, cloghcor stone circle. cairn kerb (4.4 km), Platform rath (5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Three stone alignments

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Three stone alignments'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Three stone alignments report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Three stone alignments

Three stone alignments stands on Kilskeery Group, bedrock that formed in the Chesterian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.