Standing stone, Crosstown, Co. Kerry

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Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Crosstown, Co. Kerry

A single upright stone in a Kerry pasture might seem unremarkable at first glance, but this one at Crosstown rewards a little attention.

Standing 2.7 metres tall and measuring 1.2 metres by 0.7 metres at its base, it is irregular in plan and tapers as it rises towards its western side. That westward narrowing is not incidental: the stone is oriented along an east-west axis, a characteristic shared by many prehistoric standing stones across Ireland, where alignment with the rising or setting sun appears to have held deliberate significance.

The stone sits on an east-west ridge, and from that elevated position the view opens south-east towards the Paps of Dana, two rounded twin summits in the Derrynasaggart Mountains whose profile has long been associated with the goddess Anu or Danu, a figure from early Irish mythology. It is difficult to say with certainty whether that sightline was intentional when the stone was erected, but the consistency of its orientation and its placement on high ground suggest it was positioned with some care. Standing stones of this kind are generally assigned to the Bronze Age, though they are notoriously difficult to date precisely without associated finds or excavation evidence.

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