Beltany Stone Circle

The Magical Beltany Stones

The Old Ways are Alive and Well

What can I say about the Beltany Stone circle that hasn’t already been said? I could tell you that it is a stone circle located in Donegal, one of Ireland’s most northernly counties which comprises of 64 standing stones, and at one point was made up of 80 stones. That the site is 300 feet above sea level, and has a diameter of 45 metres, making it one of Ireland’s largest stone circles. And how some speculate it may have been a passage tomb at one point, as unusual artifacts including a stone sculpted human head were found in its centre, and that the stones from the origninal cairn were pillaged long ago. But these are all things which have been said about the site in some form or another.

Myths & Legends

The old Irish sun god, Lugh Lamhfada (Lugh of the Long Arm) made an appearance that day to reach out from the very soil. Here he is connecting with his namesake through the great stone

What about its myths? Well, local legends tell how this ring of stone was once a circle of people later turned to stone. Other stories speak of the Irish sun god and his connection to the place, and I’m sure with a little digging, you will find more characters from Ireland’s four mythology cycles also associated with the site. It is also said to overlook battle ground of Magh Itha, the first battle in Irish mythology.

The Old Ways, A Walk Amongst Stone

Still, these are tales which have been told many times before, so instead I will share my own experience of visiting this enigmatic site and the unusual practices of the visitors that day. Practices strange enough, that when I mentioned them to a friend, they assumed I was pulling their leg.

So, my visit to Beltany stone circle went something like this. After a short drive from Letterkenny with my family, much of it on back roads, and with the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, we eventually saw a national heritage sign for the site on our left and turned into what could loosely be described as a parking area. From there we ascended a steep grassy laneway for a few hundred metres before arriving at the entrance on our right to a field at the top of the hill with the stones only a few dozen metres from us.

At first, we were the only ones there, but not for long. An older man passed us on his way to the far side of the circle from where we were. And then I noticed another, younger man standing about a quarter of the way around the circle, or 3 O’clock from our position. By this stage a pair of women had also entered the scene, one young, possible in her early twenties, the other older, maybe 50 plus, perhaps a mother and daughter duo. What I heard next made my ears prick up as things really began to get interesting.

Moving forward to reach the stones, the older woman asked the younger one, “Have you said the prayer?” The younger one replied she had, and the pair began to circumnavigate the arrangement in a counterclockwise direction. The older man who appeared to be grinding his back against the largest stone opposite us as he watched them pass, then followed suit at his own pace, while the young man stood in front of another of the great stones with his hands aloft soon fell inline. As the women first passed us, we heard them discuss healing. I began moving between the stones myself, taking photos and just soaking up the vibe, while my eldest disappeared to the other side of the largest stone where the older man had been, to try his reach and climbing grip. Once I was satisfied with the images I’d captured, I rejoined the rest of my family where they stood at the entrance side of the circle.

By now the male individuals had stopped and were scrutinising various stones at their leisure, and after three circuits, the women also came to a halt, not far from us, and I overheard the older one tell the young one to rest her head here (against one of the stones) and say these words …

Clearly, they were performing a healing ritual of some sort, based on local lore, likely an iteration of an ancient pagan practice. Despite their unexpected actions, (at least in my mind), and contrary to what many folk-horror themed movies would have us believe, there was nothing sinister in any of this. If anything, the atmosphere was tranquil, and everything just felt natural and in balance, as it should be.

This will forever be my takeaway memory of these mystical stones. Now, I’m not saying I believe that just walking around the Beltany Stones can heal, but if ever there was a place that could, then maybe, just maybe this is it.

If nothing else, this phallic outlier stone makes a great scratching post for the sheep