Three Stones The Cross and the Circle

Three Stones: The Cross and the Circle is an astonishing story of discovery set among the mysterious carved stones in the townland of Knappagh, south of Westport.

The patterns on the stones show a sight that is long gone and forgotten in this part of the world. It appears to be the constellation of the Southern Cross, last visible over Ireland 6,100 years ago. On the Boheh Stone, the southern cross and surrounding constellations are marked in circles. On the others, the cross appears as a cross within a circle. The Cross Man describes the direction to the southern celestial pole.

Do these stones hold a key to understanding our ancestors - and their knowledge of the universe? Did our ancestors mark the precession of the equinoxes, thousands of years before the Greek philosopher Hipparchus claimed its discovery?

The official position from the Office of Public Works and state archaoelogists is that the Boheh stone markings are simply rock art. We show that this is untrue, and tells us much about how we regard our own abilities in relation to our ancestors.

Photographed by Karen Cox, with artwork by Freya Bartels and story by Rónán Lynch, Three Stones is an independent production by Irieland, an art and culture house based in the West of Ireland.

Further details are available at Irieland and on the Irieland Music Youtube channel.