Newgrange Great Circle Stone GC1

Great Circle stone GC1 is one of the surviving standing stones in the Great Circle at Newgrange. It stands opposite the entrance to the mound and is one of the four tall standing stones there.

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. GC1 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.

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Newgrange | Brú na Bóinne

GC1 stands opposite the passage mouth, one of four tall stones that rise between 2 and 2.5 metres on the entrance side of the Great Circle. With GC3, GC-1 and GC-2, it defined the formal approach to the tomb across an enclosure of roughly two acres. The circle originally held about thirty-five stones; twelve survive, and the four tallest still dominate the view from the path as visitors walk towards the quartz façade and the entrance stone (K1).

Newgrange is managed by the Office of Public Works. Entry to the passage and chamber is by guided tour from Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, while the Great Circle stones can be viewed at any time from the outer circuit of the mound. The tomb forms part of a World Heritage landscape inscribed in 1993, together with the great mounds at Knowth and Dowth and the many smaller monuments that make the Boyne Valley one of the richest Neolithic complexes in Europe.