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Ground panorama_697E2F80_7A22_B239_41B0_0B724B5FD56C.label = Beltany Overhead panorama_6CA288D5_7CAD_F6DE_41C0_9AA93235DF2F.label = Castle Exterior panorama_6F99DCB3_7CB4_AD5A_41D7_19184E3F268B.label = Castle Interior panorama_6E0D3020_7A26_AE79_41D4_F4702E3A4993.label = Castle Overhead panorama_6F3C589B_7CBC_F54A_41D5_63CF9934D5BD.label = Diamond_1 photo_77FA6DB5_782D_74CE_41DB_FA9A1BEDE63D.label = Hololens photo_77FC172C_782D_75DE_41DC_A0639B254DDB.label = Hololens 2 panorama_69B43EB5_7A23_725B_41DA_F1D77F5FFF6C.label = Raphoe Overhead panorama_699A0015_7A27_6E5B_41DD_A00BDB4CD871.label = Sky View Overhead photo_6CF7B8A3_7EEF_6A1A_41B5_2010A4AAB2E7.label = beltany2 photo_676D1092_7F38_FA35_41D2_F7251139FE87.label = castle-bw photo_6FD19415_7EE9_1A3E_41D0_586FF72263EF.label = castle-c photo_652A0A9F_7F2F_2E2A_41B9_278378F3FB3A.label = cathedral doors photo_6BBC654D_7F1B_7A2E_41B7_265627433DF1.label = cupstone3 photo_69F4CA01_7F17_6E16_41D0_B341E40E0D14.label = gatehouse photo_650CF333_7F29_1E7A_41C9_12F19E1F7733.label = market house 2 photo_66110416_7F2B_1A3A_41D2_8F3189CEDD75.label = volt house photo_77FAF9A3_782D_3CCA_41C5_F7589194D898.label = vr ### Video videolevel_68EDAFD9_7F21_ACCB_41D2_E6261E803DB8.url = media/video_6FEE3DFE_7EF7_25EA_41BF_D67F4C158A20_en.mp4 videolevel_68EDAFD9_7F21_ACCB_41D2_E6261E803DB8.posterURL = media/video_6FEE3DFE_7EF7_25EA_41BF_D67F4C158A20_poster_en.jpg ## Popup ### Body htmlText_6E269657_7877_744A_41D5_8F4668334554.html =
Beltany is a Bronze Age stone circle just south of Raphoe. It dates from circa 2100-700 BC.
It is larger than most circles with 64 stones (and originally more than 80) and a circumference of 137m. It sits atop the prominent Tops Hill at an elevation of 170m.
Unlike most stone circles, in the centre of it are the remains of a cairn.
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Nearby features of the building include Ice Houses, a gatehouse and a gatehouse lodge.
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Raphoe Castle, also known as the Bishop's Palace, is a ruined early 17th-century castle on the edge of Raphoe.
Built in the 1630s for Reverend John Leslie, Church of Ireland Lord Bishop of Raphoe.
The initial building was buit from stone from a ruined round tower close to the site.
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Several stones in the circle are cupmarked. This stone in particular is decorated with circular incisions or cup marks visible to naked eye.
Other stones have what appears to be replicated star constellations.
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St. Colmcille founded a monastic settlement on this site in the sixth century which was further developed by St. Eunan (627-704), the patron saint of Raphoe.
The oldest part of the present-day building is the southeast corner which dates back to the twelfth century. The ancient carved stone in the porch is one of two sections of a door lintel dating to the ninth century.
The Cathedral is unique in possessing a Consistory Court, dating from 1740, in which the Bishop as Chief Magistrate could dispense justice. It is now used as a baptistry.
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The 'Diamond' in Raphoe and other market towns does not refer to the shape of the marketplace. It can follow any plan, although all occur at road intersections.
The Diamond features many fine Georgian buildings in its vicinity especially on the west side.
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The Cathedral tower was built in 1738 by Bishop Forster.
The carved doors of the west porch are the work of Mrs. McQuaide, wife of a former Rector of Raphoe, Canon J.W. McQuaide (1905-1914)
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The Market House was built in 1874, with the purpose of collecting tolls from farmers on fair days.
It once stood in the centre of The Diamond but it was demolished in the late 1970s.
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The Palace was destroyed in 1838, not by a further siege but rather; fire.
The ruins have overlooked Raphoe ever since.
The castle has degraded further in recent years, and over time further walls and structures may give way losing this important building to history.
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The castle sits atop raised ground viewing the town of Raphoe. While it was a clerical building, it was built with defence in mind, featuring turret like towers.
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The castle was besieged on multiple occassions.
Not long after it was it was initially built it was besieged during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, until it was relieved by the Laggan Army.
Once again during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, with the castle surrendering in 1650.
It was damaged by supporters of King James II & VII in 1689 during the Williamite War.
In 1798, the castle was attacked again, this time by the United Irishmen during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
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The name Beltany closely links the site to the Celtic festival of fertility known as 'Bealtaine'. This site may have been a ritual site associated with marking the agricultural Celtic year – the summer and winter Solstices and Equinox.
The Celtic Ritual Year was in 4 parts – Beltaine (May), Samhain (November), Imbolg (February) and Lughnasa (August).
Beltany may be linked to marking both sunrise and sunset at these important ritual and ceremonial events in the year.
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The name Beltany closely resembles la Bealtaine; the Celtic festival.
The word "Bealtaine" is translated as "bright or goodly fire," and traditionally the festival was celebrated with the lighting of bonfires on hilltops and the movement of livestock to their summer pastures.
These rituals may have been a means of guaranteeing protection and success of the new year's harvest, but it may also have had practical applications such as helping to burn ticks and other parasites off livestock.
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The raised mound can be seen here, likely the remants of a cairn.
The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1836 noted that local lore understood that there was formerly a "vast heap" of stones in the circle's interior, but they had been removed for building fieldwalls and other constructions.
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The three-storey, granite-faced Volt House was built in 1732 by Bishop Nicholas Forster, Church of Ireland Bishop of Raphoe (1716-1743), for widows of deceased clergymen.
The Ordnance Survey Memoirs (1835-1836) report that local folklore suggests the 'Vault' House received its name from the burial of friars in vaults where it stands.
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This church was built in 1860 for a second Presbyterian congregation and continued as a separate church until 1923 when the two congregations merged.
It was used as a place of worship until 1949 when it was converted to a recreation hall and also used for monthly sittings of the District Court.
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This outlier stone, some 21m to the southeast, which is nearly 2 metres tall may have an alignment with the winter solstice (21st December).
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