Standing stone, Drombrow, Co. Cork

Co. Cork |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Drombrow, Co. Cork

In the middle of a pasture field in the Mealagh River valley, a single upright stone has been standing for what is likely thousands of years.

It is not large, barely reaching a metre in height, and it does not dominate the landscape so much as quietly occupy it. What makes it worth pausing over is partly that quality of deliberate placement: not at the edge of a field, not against a boundary or a hedgerow, but at the centre, oriented along a NNE-SSW axis, as though positioned with some intention that has long since become illegible.

The stone is roughly rectangular in plan, measuring 0.8 metres by 0.5 metres at its base and rising to a height of 0.92 metres. It narrows slightly as it rises, a modest taper that is common among standing stones of prehistoric Ireland. These monuments, erected singly or in groups across the Irish landscape from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age, are among the most enduring and least understood features of early settlement. Their purposes remain a matter of debate, with theories ranging from territorial markers to astronomical alignments to memorials for the dead. The orientation of this particular stone, running roughly between north-northeast and south-southwest, may or may not be meaningful in that sense; the record does not say. It sits to the north of Drombrow Lake, in a valley that funnels the Mealagh River through a quiet corner of County Cork.

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, Drombrow, 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