Stone circle, Tonaleeaun, Co. Mayo
Co. Mayo |
Stone Monuments
What makes Tonaleeaun quietly arresting is not any single stone but the sheer concentration of prehistory in the surrounding pasture.
This incomplete circle sits to the east of three further stone circles in the same general area, meaning that a modest stretch of level Mayo farmland contains at least four such monuments within close proximity of one another. The circle itself is formed by ten upright stones arranged on a low mound, with a further six stones now lying flat, whether toppled by time, weather, or human interference is unclear. The internal space measures roughly 14.6 metres north to south and nearly 20 metres east to west, making it a substantial enclosure, even in its reduced state.
The individual stones are relatively modest in scale, ranging from under half a metre to a metre in length, and from 25 centimetres to a metre in height where they remain standing. Stone circles of this kind are broadly understood as ceremonial or ritual monuments, likely erected during the Bronze Age, though the precise function of any individual example remains a matter of archaeological debate. What is less ambiguous is the significance attached to this one in more recent times: it is designated a national monument, number 146, and is held in state ownership. The survey compiled by D. Lavelle for the Lough Mask and Lough Carra Tourist Development Association in 1994 provides the foundational record for the site, placing it within a broader archaeological landscape around Ballinrobe and the two loughs to the west.
The setting in level pasture means the monument is not obscured by woodland or dramatic topography, and the low mound on which the stones sit would be visible to anyone walking the field. The proximity of the other three circles in the area suggests that a visitor with an interest in prehistoric landscapes might find the entire cluster worth exploring as a group rather than treating any one circle in isolation.