²Jones, Carleton. Temples of Stone: Exploring the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Cork: Collins, 2007. 81+.
Jones reports that 1,600 megalithic tombs are known in Ireland (p. 10). The author continues: on p. 84 "We can see, therefore, that not only do churches and megalithic tombs provide elaborate architectural settings for the performance of rituals, but both contain standardised elements that help to reinforce the fundamental beliefs of their respective religions. Orientation, attention-focusing devices, the division of space, specialised fittings and symbol-laden images all work together to present a complex but unified interpretation of the cosmos. The twentieth-century architect Le Corbusier once said that a house was 'a machine for living in' - similarly, both churches and megalithic tombs are 'machines for indoctrinating in' - both are designed to transform our concepts of space and time."
In his epilogue, Jones states, "Although they were not the final step towards understanding humanity's place in the cosmos, they were a phenomenally important early step. The megaliths allowed people to shape and transform the world in ways that were unheard of before their time and also to explore their place in the world in more nuanced and complex ways. The megaliths allowed people to consider their relationship with their ancestors, with death and with time." (p. 252).