Pobull Fhinn

Pobull Fhinn from the north with in the background Loch Langass.

Pobull Fhinn from the east. The second stone on the right is the highest one with a height of two meters.

Pobull Fhinn is a stone circle on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. The name is Gaelic. The first word has been variously spelt as "pobull", "poball", "pobul" or as plural "pobuill". The modern standard spelling would be "Poball Fhinn". The phrase can be translated as "Fionn's people,", "the white/fair people", or "Finn's tent." The plural form "Pobuill Fhinn" can be translated as "Fionn's peoples" and is unlikely to be correct.

The stones were probably named after the legendary Gaelic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill known in English as Finn or Fingal. The present title may constitute a modern rationalisation of a word now obsolete in colloquial Scottish Gaelic: "Pùball Fhinn" (Fionn's tent) was a common phrase in the ancient Fenian cycle of Gaelic lore and indicated his nomadic residence.

The stones are also known as "Sòrnach Coir' Fhinn," or "the fireplace of Fionn's cauldron" and locally as "Sòrnach a' Phobaill" (the fireplace of the People). The former name is similar to that of Sòrnaichean Coir' Fhinn (the fireplaces of Fionn's cauldron) near Kensaleyre in Skye and Suidhe Coire Fhionn (the site of Fionn's cauldron) in Arran. "Coire Fhinn" (Fionn's cauldron) was used to cook the deer that he and his fellow hunters had killed.

Of the several stone circles on the island, Pobull Fhinn is the most conspicuous. It is located on the south side of Ben Langass, and it possibly dates from the second millennium BC.^[1] It is technically an oval rather than a circle, measuring about 120 feet from east to west and 93 feet from north to south. Although situated on a natural plateau, the north side of the enclosed area has been excavated to about four feet. At least two dozen stones can be counted, some eight on the northern half and 16 on the southern half, but parts of the circle are devoid of stones. About four feet within the circle at the east side is a tall single stone, and there are two fallen slabs about seven feet beyond the western edge.

Pobull Fhinn is located at grid reference NF 8427 6502 57°33′52″N 7°16′57″W / 57.56444°N 7.28250°W / 57.56444; -7.28250. It can be reached from a footpath beginning near the Langass Lodge Hotel. Alternatively, it can be reached from the footpath to Barpa Langass that starts from the A867 about five miles southwest of Lochmaddy; Barpa Langass is a 0.75-mile walk up Ben Langass from Pobull Fhinn. The jagged shapes of the stones silhouetted against Loch Langass, Loch Eport, and Eaval make Pobull Fhinn one of the most visited and most photographed sites on North Uist.

Sources

Beveridge, Erskine (1911). North Uist. Edinburgh: William Brown & Co. pp. 259–60.
Thom, A. (1967). Megalithic Sites in Britain. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 131–33.

↑ "North Uist, Ben Langass, Pobull Fhinn". Retrieved 2008-04-28.

European megaliths

Armenia	Metsamor Zorats Karer

Azerbaijan	Gobustan Rocks

Bulgaria	Beglik Tash Garlo

England	Arbor Low Avebury Barbrook One Birkrigg Boscawen-Un Boskednan Brown Willy Cairns The Bull Ring Burnmoor stone circles Castlerigg Craddock Moor Devil's Arrows Doll Tor Drizzlecombe Duloe Fernacre Gardom's Edge Goodaver Grey Wethers Hoarstones Hordron Edge Hurlers Leper Stone Long Meg and Her Daughters Mên-an-Tol The Merry Maidens Mitchell's Fold Nine Ladies Nine Stones, Altarnun Pipers Rollright Rudston Monolith Scorhill Stannon Stanton Drew Stonehenge Stripple Swinside Trippet

France	Barnenez Tumulus of Bougon Caixa de Rotllan Carnac Menhir de Champ-Dolent Dolmen de Bagneux Broken Menhir of Er Grah Filitosa Gallardet Dolmen Gavrinis Harrespil Kerzerho Locmariaquer megaliths Mane Braz Paddaghju Peyre-Brune Tremeca Verziau of Gargantua

Germany	Altendorf Denghoog Fraubillen cross Harhoog Lancken-Granitz dolmens Lohra Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Niedertiefenbach Oldendorfer Totenstatt] Riesenstein Route of Megalithic Culture Sieben Steinhäuser Wotanstein Züschen

Ireland	Ardgroom Beltany stone circle Bohonagh Brownshill Dolmen Brú na Bóinne Carrigagulla Carrowmore Castlestrange stone Creevykeel Court Tomb Drombeg Gaulstown Portal Tomb Glantane East Grange stone circle High cross Knocknakilla Meehambee Dolmen Piper's Stones Poulnabrone dolmen Reask Templebryan Stone Circle Turoe stone Uragh Stone Circle

Jersey	Jersey Dolmens La Hougue Bie

Malta	Megalithic Temples (Borġ l-Imramma Borġ in-Nadur Buġibba Debdieba Ġgantija Ħaġar Qim Ħal-Ġinwi Kordin Mnajdra Qortin l-Imdawwar Santa Verna Skorba Ta' Ħaġrat Ta' Marżiena Ta' Raddiena Tal-Qadi Tarxien Tas-Silġ Xemxija Xrobb l-Għaġin) Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni Xagħra Stone Circle

Netherlands	Hunebed

Northern Ireland	Aughlish Ballynoe Beaghmore Corick Drumskinny Legananny Giant's Ring

Poland	Brąchnówko Grzybnica Odry Węsiory

Portugal	Almendres Cromlech Anta Grande do Zambujeiro Cunha Baixa Dolmen

Russia	Dolmens of North Caucasus Thunder Stone Megaliths in the Urals Russian Geoglyph

Scandinavia	Picture stones Runestones Stone circles Stone ships

Scotland	Balquhain Callanish I II III IV VIII X Carlin Cat Stane Clach an Trushal Colmeallie Drybridge Easter Aquhorthies Lochmaben Stone Pictish Ring of Brodgar Sheldon Stenness Steinacleit Strichen Yonder Bognie

Ukraine	Boundary stones

Wales	Barclodiad y Gawres Bedd Arthur Bedd Taliesin Bodowyr Bryn Cader Faner Bryn Celli Ddu Bryn Gwyn stones Capel Garmon Carreg Coetan Arthur Carreg Samson Coetan Arthur Foel Chwern Llanfechell Lligwy Burial Chamber Maen Llia Maen Madoc Meini Hirion Moel Tŷ Uchaf Parc Cwm long cairn Penrhos Feilw Pentre Ifan St Lythans burial chamber Trefignath Tinkinswood Tŷ Newydd Burial Chamber Whetstones

General articles	Standing stone Dolmen Henge Menhir Stone circle Stone row Concentric stone circle Recumbent stone circle Chambered cairn Harrespil Photographs of stone circles Middle Eastern megaliths

Prehistoric Western Isles

Callanish Sites	Callanish 1 Callanish II Callanish III Callanish IV Callanish VIII Callanish X

Other Neolithic Sites	Barpa Langass Carinish Clach an Trushal Eilean Dòmhnuill Fir Bhreige Pobull Fhinn Steinacleit St Kilda

Bronze and Iron Age Sites	Allasdale Cladh Hallan Dun an Sticir Dun Bharabhat Dun Carloway Dùn Èistean Dun Vulan

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