8th January, 1918. 



THE GIANT'S RING. 

 By Mr. H. C. Lawlor, M.K.I.A. 



The Giant's Ring, situated in the townland of Ballyuahiitty 

 and adjoining those of Edenderry and Ballylesson, some four 

 miles south-west from Belfast, may well be classed among the 

 most remarkable earthworks in Ireland. It is somewhat smaller 

 than Tara or Enimania, covering some ten acres, but it is dis- 

 tinguished by containing a very fine Cromlech almost in the 

 centre, a feature which makes it, I think, almost unique in 

 monuments of the sort. Mr. Borlase states that another example 

 of a Vallum or Rath surrounding a Dolmen is that of Leacht an 

 Scail in County Kilkenny, but ni this case the ring has been 

 levelled. 



Another individual peculiarity of the Giant's Ring is that 

 whereas in all other cases that have come to my knowledge the 

 mounds or walls of ring forts or raths have always been formed 

 by heaping up the soil dug from a surrounding trench ; in this 

 instance there is no foss round the Vallum, and no sign that 

 there ever was one. The question naturally arises, where then 

 was the vast quantity of material necessary to build the mound 

 got from 1 I shall refer to this interesting question later. 



Unlike Tara, Emmania or Newgrange, the Giant's Ring is 

 completely without a vestige of written history. The complete 

 removal from the whole district of all trace of the old inhabitants, 

 through English and Scottish plantations, has also removed any 

 oral traditions that might have been handed down concerning it. 

 The names of the townlands in which it lies or which it touches, 

 Ballynahatty, Edenderry and Ballylesson, convey no hint. True, 

 Dr. O'Donovan suggested that Ballynahatty might resolve itself 

 into Bally n'ait tigh or the "Townland of the site of the House," 



