28 Mr. H. C. Laivlor on The Giant'^ Ring 



Like Stonehenge, the tomb sanctuary became the centre of 

 a bronze Age cemetery, the graves of Avhich were scattered 

 around, but not inside the Ring. 



The nearest analogy to the Giant's Ring burial that I can 

 quote, in Ireland, is the Bronze Age Sepulchre excavated a few 

 years ago at Longstone Fort, Furuess, near Naas, County Kildare.* 

 There was at this place an earthen ring similar to that surround- 

 ing the Giant's Ring Dolmen ; at its centre Avas a subterranean 

 cist burial, marked by a tall standing stone. Traces of extensive 

 burning were found around the cist : these the explorers 

 interpreted as the marks of a peat fire, probably lit for a beacon 

 to summon the clans to the burial of the chieftain. 



The excavation has thus proved that the Giant's Ring was 

 a tabooed grave sanctuary, into which intruders were not 

 admitted (except perhaps on the occasion of games or other 

 religious celebrations) ; sacred to the spirit of some great chief, 

 medicine-man, or other notable functionary, of the end of the 

 Stone or begiiniing of the Bronze Age (say very roughly, about 

 2,000 B.C.). The gigantic nature of the structure makes it 

 certain that the deceased was a personage of outstanding im- 

 portance ; and suggests the probability that the work was 

 carried out to his own plans and during his lifetime, though this 

 again is naturally conjecture only. But it is not unlikely that 

 he might compel his followers to erect the structure under his 

 OAvn superintendence in order the more to impress his own 

 importance upon them. 



* Proceedings Royal Irish Academy, vol. xxx sec. C. p. 351. 



