WiNDLii — Megalithic Remains surrounding Lough Gur. 301 



You could not align a more difficult date than mid-winter sunrise : the move- 

 ment of the Sun in azimuth is so slow just then that its furthest south-rising 

 would not be easy to spot, even if you saiu the sunrise every day for a week 

 or so each side of the solstice, but (unless our climate has vastly changed since 

 prehistoric times — it may have) just think of the chances of getting sunrise 

 on any morning at that time of year ! Well, then, it is of great interest and 

 importance that circles 'J' and ' K' are so nearly in line with the outcrop 

 and Galtee. And, equally so, is the observing point of the gallaun deliberately 

 placed elsewhere than the centre of the circle. This may have two meanings. 

 One that the circle ' J ' was built a little wrong for the alignment, and so 

 they put up a gallaun to mark where the centre sJiould have been. The 

 other (more interesting still) that ' J ' in line with ' K ' (their centres) 

 was originally correct for the Galtee summit at winter solstice sunrise ; and 

 that the gallaun marks the necessary change due to precessional movement of 

 the Sun." Captain Somerville adds that there is no star to fit the declination 

 given, so that it must be the Sun if it is anything. He also informs me that 

 the alignment of the gallauns " I " and the bearings of circle " L " next 

 to be described with one of them do not appear to have any particular 

 significance. 



III. " L." 



Stone Cikcle. 



This is a stone circle on the east extremity of the hill overlooking the 

 partially drained land, once a portion of the lake. The first point to remark 

 about this circle is that a portion of it, slightly to the west of north, consists 

 of a natural outcrop of limestone, the lower piece of which forms a kind of 

 pathway beneath the stone. In all the circles which I have examined I have 

 never seen anything quite like this use of a large natural outcrop of rock, which 

 might fairly be described as a small cliff, as part of a circle. The remainder of 

 this circle has evidently been of the double circle type, and most of the stones 

 have either disappeared or become covered with moss and earth, except in the 

 north-east quadrant, where they are quite obvious. None of these stones is 

 higher than 3 feet. Unlike the other circles on this hill, the stones would 

 appear to have been almost continuous. From its fragmentary condition it is 

 difficult — indeed impossible— to give accurate measurements of the circle. On 

 the west side it assumes the appearance of a grass-covered wall, and more 

 resembles the mound of a small rath than a stone circle. In this part, in fact, 

 it somewhat resembles the circles in Group IV. But the appearances on the 

 north-east and east make it quite clear that it is a stone circle ; and further, 



