Sacred Stones and the Cult of Sun Worship

Description

Take a guided tour of Ballycommane Gardens and learn about the links between sacred stones and the cult of sun worship

To the modern eye, Ballycommane is the home of a welcoming B&B set in beautiful gardens. But it is also part of a longer story.

At this beautiful spot, close to the West Cork village of Durrus, you’ll also find a boulder-burial site and a pair of standing stones. The impressive stone monument at Ballycommane dates back to the Bronze Age. And like other ritual monuments in the ‘stone circle complex’ in south-west Ireland, these ancient stones give testimony to a great religious cult of sun worship.

An Open-Air Talk by William O’Brien, Professor of Archaeology at UCC

As the West Cork Stone Symposium 2019, Professor William O’Brien will give an open-air talk at the site which was excavated by University College Cork in 1989. At this ancient monument, take in the surrounding landscape and listen to an expert explain its story and its place in Irish history.

We’ll then proceed to the new Ballycommane visitor centre, where Professor O’Brien will discuss the information panels he has written and continue his talk on Bronze Age monuments in Cork and their religious and cultural significance. The event will be followed by tea & coffee and a chance to explore the B&B’s beautiful gardens.

Date and Time:

3pm, Sunday 24 March 2019

Price:

€10; €8 concessions

Venue:

Ballycommane House & Garden, Ballycommane, Durrus, Co. Cork P75 A020