Standing stone, Coornagillagh, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Coornagillagh, Co. Kerry

On a south-facing slope in the middle of Ormond's Island, a single upright stone rises quietly from rough pasture.

It is not a large monument by any measure, standing just over 1.4 metres tall and roughly 75 centimetres wide, but its presence in the centre of this Kerry island gives it an air of deliberate, considered placement. Standing stones are among the most common yet least understood prehistoric monuments in Ireland, set upright in the landscape for reasons that remain genuinely unclear, with theories ranging from territorial markers to ceremonial or astronomical functions.

This particular stone is subrectangular in both plan and cross-section, meaning it has a roughly rectangular shape when viewed from above as well as from the side, and it is orientated along an east-north-east to west-south-west axis. Whether that alignment carries any significance is unknown, though orientation is sometimes noted in the study of standing stones as a possible clue to original intent. The location on Ormond's Island, within the Coornagillagh townland of south-west Kerry, places it in a landscape that would have looked very different to whoever erected it, likely during the Bronze Age, when the island's isolation and the stone's position on a sloping, south-facing pasture may have held meanings now entirely lost to us.

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, Coornagillagh, Co. Kerry. 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