Newgrange Great Circle Stone GC17
Great Circle stone GC17 is one of the surviving standing stones in the Great Circle at Newgrange. It stands to the west of the entrance to the mound.
Newgrange Great Circle stone GC17.
The standing stones
Twelve Great Circle stones survive today. If the ring was ever complete, it may have contained between 35 and 38 stones; whether a full circle was erected remains uncertain. 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 on GC17
On GC17 the picking sits close to the base, on the eastern side and at an angle that would have made it almost impossible to carry out after the stone was in position. Williams argues that this work was done before the stone was erected.
GC17 stands on the western arc of the circle. It is a large rounded greywacke boulder, one of five Great Circle stones of that rock type, sourced in the same way as the slabs of the passage tomb.
Source: Ken Williams (2023), Megalithic art on the Great Circle at Newgrange and the implications for chronology, The Journal of Irish Archaeology 32, 1-22.
Dating the Great Circle
The date of the Great Circle remains debated. Williams argues from the carvings, excavation records and comparisons with other monuments that it was erected during the construction or use of the Neolithic passage tomb. Its precise construction date remains uncertain.
Plan of Newgrange Mound adapted from Newgrange - Archaeology, Art and Legend.
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
GC17 is a large, rounded greywacke boulder on the western arc of the Great Circle. Its low profile should not be taken as evidence that it is a broken stump. The picking near its base contributes to Williams's argument that the standing stones were part of the Neolithic monument.
The Great Circle was recorded during the twentieth-century excavations at Newgrange. Its relationship to the construction of the Neolithic passage tomb remains a subject of archaeological research. Newgrange forms the centrepiece of Brú na Bóinne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the great mounds at Knowth and Dowth and dozens of related monuments in the Boyne Valley. The Office of Public Works manages the site; passage access is by guided tour from the visitor centre, and GC17 can be viewed from the path that circuits the mound.