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Magherafelt Three Stone Circles is a prehistoric stone circle complex in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The site comprises three distinct circles and an associated cist, standing on bedrock formed from ancient Neoproterozoic sediments of the Argyll Group. These metamorphic rocks—psammites, semipelites and pelites—underlie the surrounding landscape, their hard geology having weathered to create the natural environment in which these Bronze Age monuments were constructed.
Stone circles of this period typically served ritual, ceremonial or burial functions within prehistoric communities. The presence of a cist at Magherafelt suggests funerary or votive practice, whilst the grouping of three circles indicates a site of particular significance or intensive use across generations. Such multi-circle complexes are uncommon across the island, marking this site as locally distinctive.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 12806, reflecting its archaeological importance. The circles remain visible features within the Magherafelt landscape, preserving evidence of Bronze Age ceremonial practice and landscape use in this region of Ulster.
Three stone circles & cist is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12806. View the official record →
Magherafelt Three Stone Circles is a prehistoric stone circle complex in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12806.
Three stone circles & cist dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone circle complex. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Three stone circles & cist 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 12806.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including White fort. platform rath (4.6 km), Counterscarp rath (4.7 km), Killelagh church. church, graveyard, & 2 bullauns (5.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Three stone circles & cist'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.
Three stone circles & cist stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.