Giants Ring, Belfast
Encyclopedia
The Giant's Ring is a henge
monument at Ballynahatty
, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
, Northern Ireland
preserved by Viscount Dungannon. It can be viewed plainly using Bing Maps at 54 deg 32 min North and 5 deg 56 min West. The enclosure with passage tomb known as the Giant's Ring is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland
of Ballynahatty, in Lisburn City Council
area, at grid ref: J3272 6770.
In the 18th century the site was used for horse racing. A ritual site adjacent to the henge was excavated in the 1990s by Barrie Hartwell of the Queen's University of Belfast
. At the moment the site has ASAI status (Area of Significant Archaeological Interest).
Henge
There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork which are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three types is that they feature a ring bank and ditch but with the ditch inside the bank rather than outside...
monument at Ballynahatty
Ballynahatty, County Down
Ballynahatty is small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern edge of Belfast. It contains the Giants Ring, a henge monument, consisting of a circular enclosure, 200m in diameter, surrounded with a 4m high earthwork bank with five entrances, and a small...
, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
preserved by Viscount Dungannon. It can be viewed plainly using Bing Maps at 54 deg 32 min North and 5 deg 56 min West. The enclosure with passage tomb known as the Giant's Ring is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
of Ballynahatty, in Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council is a district council covering an area partly in County Antrim and partly in County Down in Northern Ireland. The council is the second largest in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Council headquarters are in the city of Lisburn, upon which was conferred city status in May 2002 as...
area, at grid ref: J3272 6770.
Features
The site consists of a circular enclosure, 180m in diameter and 2.8 hectares in area, surrounded by a circular earthwork bank 3.5m high. At least three of the five irregularly spaced gaps in the bank are intentional and possibly original. East of the centre of the enclosure is a small passage tomb with a vestigial passage facing west. There were reports of other tombs outside the enclosure, but there is no trace of these.In the 18th century the site was used for horse racing. A ritual site adjacent to the henge was excavated in the 1990s by Barrie Hartwell of the Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
. At the moment the site has ASAI status (Area of Significant Archaeological Interest).
