Standing stone, Baile An Bhaoithín, Co. Kerry

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Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Baile An Bhaoithín, Co. Kerry

On the eastern slopes of Croaghmarhin, above the curve of low-lying land that fringes Smerwick Harbour on the Dingle Peninsula, a single upright stone has been standing in this spot for a very long time.

It rises 2.38 metres from the ground, its base measuring 1.4 metres across and just 0.44 metres deep, giving it a broad, flat-faced profile. The shape is roughly rectangular, both when viewed from the front and in cross-section, though the top narrows to a rounded point rather than finishing square. Its orientation runs NNE to SSW, an alignment that may or may not be deliberate, though such orientations in Irish standing stones have long prompted speculation about astronomical or ceremonial intent.

Standing stones of this kind are scattered across the Irish landscape, most dating from the Bronze Age, though precise dating for individual examples is rarely possible without excavation. They are among the most enigmatic of prehistoric monument types: clearly intentional, often carefully shaped, sometimes placed in relation to the terrain around them, but largely silent about their original purpose. This one, known from the townland of Baile An Bhaoithín, was recorded in the 1986 Corca Dhuibhne archaeological survey compiled by J. Cuppage, a landmark survey of the Dingle Peninsula that documented the remarkable concentration of prehistoric and early medieval remains found throughout this part of west Kerry. The stone's position, looking out over Smerwick Harbour, places it within a landscape that has been significant to human settlement across many different periods.

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