The Giant's Ring is a henge monument at Ballynahatty, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast, Northern Ireland preserved by Viscount Dungannon. It can be viewed plainly using Bing Maps [1] at 54 deg 32 min North and 5 deg 56 min West. The enclosure with passage tomb known as the Giant's Ring is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland of Ballynahatty, in Lisburn City Council area, at grid ref: J3272 6770.[2]
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The site consists of a circular enclosure, 180m in diameter and 2.8 hectares in area, surrounded by a circular earthwork bank 3.5m high. At least three of the five irregularly spaced gaps in the bank are intentional and possibly original. East of the centre of the enclosure is a small passage tomb with a vestigial passage facing west. There were reports of other tombs outside the enclosure, but there is no trace of these.[3]
In the 18th century the site was used for horse racing. [4] A ritual site adjacent to the henge was excavated in the 1990s by Barrie Hartwell of the Queen's University of Belfast. At the moment the site has ASAI status (Area of Significant Archaeological Interest). [5]
