Baltray standing stones discovered with winter solstice alignment to Rockabill Island in 1999

March 30, 2026Archaeoastronomy

Source: Anthony Murphy | In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers | Megalithomania 2007 | AUDIO by MegalithomaniaUK

Site mentioned

📍 Baltray

Standing stones at Baltray, Ireland discovered in 1999 align with winter solstice sunrise toward Rockabill Island - same orientation as Newgrange! 🪨☀️

Key facts:

- Standing stones at Baltray near Boyne estuary discovered in summer 1999 by Michael Byrne

- Stone axes winter solstice sunrise toward Rockabill Island, confirmed in December 1999

- Alignment shares same winter solstice sunrise orientation as Newgrange

- Larger southernmost stone measures 2.9 meters high

- Irish archaeologists typically date standing stones to Bronze Age but presenter argues they date to Neolithic in this case

Key facts

Standing stones at Baltray near Boyne estuary discovered in 1999
Stone axes winter solstice sunrise toward Rockabill Island, confirmed by Richard Moore and Michael Burn in December 1999
Alignment shares same winter solstice sunrise orientation as Newgrange
Largest standing stone at nearby Barnasrahilly measures 2.5-3 meters high
Irish archaeologists typically date standing stones to Bronze Age but presenter argues they date to Neolithic in this case
Folkloric legend of Balor (sun deity) and the magic cow may reference Baltray, with moon as cow and Venus as calf