Standing stone, Cloontreem, Co. Cork

Co. Cork |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Cloontreem, Co. Cork

A modest slab of stone rising just over a metre from a rough pasture in West Cork is not, on the face of it, a remarkable sight.

What makes this particular stone worth a second look is the care, or at least the intention, that seems to have gone into its placement. Set on a northeast-southwest ridge near Cloontreem, it is oriented along the same axis as the ridge itself, and from that elevated position it looks out to the southwest across Castletownbere, Berehaven Harbour, and the Miskish Mountains. Whether that alignment or that view carried any significance for the people who erected it is one of those questions prehistory declines to answer.

Standing stones, sometimes called galláin in the Irish tradition, are among the most common and least understood prehistoric monuments in the country. They are found across Ireland in considerable numbers, dating in most cases to the Bronze Age, though firm dating of individual examples is rarely possible without associated finds or excavation. This example is roughly rectangular in plan, measures approximately 0.75 metres by 0.35 metres at its base, and stands 1.25 metres tall. It leans slightly to the southeast, a tilt that may reflect centuries of frost, grazing pressure, or simply the slow give of the earth beneath it. Whether it once marked a boundary, a burial, a routeway, or something else entirely remains unknown.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Standing stone, Cloontreem, Co. Cork. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement