Newgrange Great Circle Stone GC-2

Great Circle stone GC-2 is one of the surviving standing stones in the Great Circle at Newgrange. It stands to the east of the entrance to the mound. It is one of the four tall standing stones opposite the entrance to the Newgrange mound.

The standing stones

The Great Circle originally consisted of approximately 35 standing stones surrounding the mound, although only 12 survive today. The four tall standing stones opposite the entrance to the Newgrange mound rise between 2 and 2.5 metres above the original ground surface. They are GC3, GC1, GC-1 and GC-2. Many of the other surviving stones were broken in antiquity and now stand only a short distance above ground level.

Megalithic art

Megalithic art has been recorded on four Great Circle stones: GC3, GC17, GC-8 and GC-10. The markings are mainly scattered or closely grouped picking on the stone surfaces. GC-2 is not among the four decorated stones identified in Ken Williams's 2023 study. The circle has an average diameter of 103.6 metres (340 feet) and encloses an area of approximately two acres.

Dating the Great Circle

The date of the Great Circle remains debated. It has often been assigned to a later Beaker-period or Bronze Age phase, but Ken Williams's 2023 study argues, from the carvings and a reassessment of excavation records, that the stones were erected during the construction or use of the Neolithic passage tomb. The circle's precise construction date remains uncertain.

Newgrange – Archaeology, Art and Legend

Newgrange – Archaeology, Art and Legend by Professor Michael J. O'Kelly and Claire O'Kelly is the definitive archaeological study of Newgrange and one of the most important books ever published on an Irish prehistoric monument.

Based on Professor Michael J. O'Kelly's excavations between 1962 and 1975, the book explains the construction, chronology, megalithic art and winter solstice alignment of Newgrange. O'Kelly also describes the excavation, interpretation and restoration of the great passage tomb using detailed archaeological records and architectural analysis.

Richly illustrated throughout, the volume includes the important contribution of Claire O'Kelly, who collaborated closely in the excavation and recording of the site from its earliest seasons.

First published in 1982, with a paperback edition in 1988, the book remains an essential reference for anyone interested in the archaeology, megalithic art and wider significance of Newgrange and the Boyne Valley.

Purchase at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Newgrange | Brú na Bóinne

GC-2 stands on the eastern side of the monument, facing the passage entrance across the open ground of the Great Circle. Together with GC3, GC1 and GC-1, it forms part of the row of tall stones that once framed the approach to the tomb. Excavation showed that the Great Circle was laid out on a much larger scale than the kerb ring: about 103 metres across and enclosing roughly two acres, compared with the kerb diameter of about 80 metres. The centre of the circle does not coincide with the centre of the mound, so the standing stones and the passage tomb were planned as related but separate elements within a wider ceremonial enclosure.

Professor Michael J. O'Kelly's work between 1962 and 1975 established that Newgrange was built around 3200 BC, centuries before Stonehenge or the pyramids of Giza. The Great Circle may belong to the construction or use of the Neolithic tomb, but it has not been securely dated to the same building phase. Although most of the original circle stones have been lost or broken down over five millennia, the survivors, including GC-2, still mark the outer edge of one of the most ambitious prehistoric landscapes in Ireland. Today the stones can be viewed from the path around the mound, within the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site that also includes Knowth and Dowth.