Sites visited include the visionary tomb of Newgrange in the Boyne Valley, the Rock of Cashel, the Stone Circle of Dun Beacon, and the surreal landscape of the Clare Burren. Historical events are remembered as the author weaves the threads of Irish fact and folklore together.

Lines of standing stones have until now been the neglected wonders of prehistoric Europe. From the multitude of great pillars at Carnac to the elegance of the avenue that leads to the stone circle of Callanish in the Hebrides, visitors have stared in awe but departed in ignorance. There has been nothing to inform them. From Carnac to Callanish, the first book on the subject, describes the types, which range from pairs of isolated stones in the far...