Labyrinths are found in many sizes and shapes. Some are created in sand, flour, painted on canvas, cut into turf, formed by mounds of earth or many other natural materials, some are permanent structures. The labyrinth of Shrule is permanent, built from stone.
Over a period of five months the project was completed, made possible by the many people of the area using their individual talents. Each stone of the labyrinth was cut to fit the distinctive design.
The outer circle has a diameter of 13m (42ft). the path is of Lacken sandstone quarried beside the sea in North Mayo. The other stone used in the labyrinth is limestone, the stone native to this area.
The sandstone path is 40cm (15ins) wide, the limestone barrier is 5cm (2ins). You walk the sandstone path and you do not step across the limestone sections. The walking path in 275 metres (300yds), so to walk the labyrinth in and out is 550m (one third of a mile). You enter the labyrinth from the west side, marked by a black Kilkenny limestone from the old Dalgan House (a nearby cache).
The center is a single stone, a sandstone of diameter 1.5m (5ft). It is surrounded by six petals traditionally said to symbolise mineral, vegetable, aniaml, human, angelic and devine, six stages of planetary evolution. The entire central design is a circle of diameter 9ft.
After the twists and turns of the walk the center should be a place of space and peace where one pauses for some moments before one meanders back and forth again on the return journey.
Lunations are the outer ring of triangles that completes the outside circle of the labyrinth. There area total of 113 triangles-one absent in the design at the entrance-these mark 28 points per quadrant on the outer ring. Some believe the labyrinth served as a calendar and this offered a method of keeping track of the lunar months of 28 days.