Standing stone, Duncummin, Co. Tipperary

Co. Tipperary |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Duncummin, Co. Tipperary

A sandstone block rising just one metre from the ground might not immediately announce itself as something ancient and deliberate, yet the standing stone at Duncummin occupies a position that makes its placement feel anything but accidental.

Set on the summit of the external bank of a bowl-barrow, a type of prehistoric burial mound defined by a central mound sitting within a circular depression, it commands a broad, gently sloping rise in undulating pasture, with views opening out in every direction. The stone leans slightly to the south-west, and packing stones remain visible at its base on that same side, the original builders' solution to keeping it upright in the ground.

The stone itself is rectangular in plan, measuring 0.85 metres by 0.35 metres and orientated on a north-west to south-east axis. That orientation may or may not be meaningful; standing stones across Ireland are sometimes aligned with solar or lunar events, though without further investigation it would be unwise to read too much into it here. What is clear is that whoever erected it chose this spot with care. Placing it on the outer bank of an already locally prominent burial monument would have given it a commanding presence in the landscape, visible from the surrounding countryside and, in turn, offering a wide prospect to anyone standing beside it. The sandstone surface is now heavily weathered, which is unsurprising given the centuries it has spent exposed on an open hilltop.

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