Children of the Stones? Beltany stone circle, Easter Saturday, 2002.

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Beltany Tops, Co Donegal A large stone circle situated on a hill by the River Deel in east Donegal. Beltany overlooks the Croghaun and Kilmonaster megalithic complex to the south, and is probably a part of that complex. The circle is about 30 meters in diameter at a guess, and is made of continously set stones, almost like kerbstones. These range from quite small to the largest, some 2.7 meters tall (below). Some of the stones have chunks of quartz growing in them. Two axes, one of which was from Tievebulliagh, and a carved stone head, thought to be Iron Age, were found in the circle. It has been suggested that Beltany is a ruined chambered cairn, and that there was a chamber within the much disturbed interior. The second largest stone has ring-and-cup marks on it's outer face, and Burl mentions another stone on the opposite side with engravings on it's inner face. There is a wide and clear view to the other hills nearby with the remains of cairns, and the cairn on Croghaun Hill is about 6 Km away.

A portion of the circle.