Standing stone, Glentane, Co. Cork
Co. Cork |
Stone Monuments
At the top of a hill in Glentane, set into pasture and tilting gently westward, a single upright stone has been standing for what is likely several thousand years.
Just under two metres tall, sub-rectangular in shape though irregular in outline, it is the kind of object that rewards a second look. The bedding stones exposed at its base hint at deliberate placement, evidence that whoever erected it took care to anchor it firmly into the hillside.
Standing stones are among the most common and least understood prehistoric monument types in Ireland. They appear across the landscape singly or in small groupings, and while some are associated with burials or territorial boundaries, others resist easy interpretation. This particular stone measures 1.93 metres in height with a base roughly 1.9 metres by 0.7 metres, its long axis oriented north to south. That orientation may be significant or incidental; without excavation or associated finds it is difficult to say. What the exposed bedding stones do confirm is that this is not a naturally occurring feature. Someone chose this hilltop, prepared the ground, and raised the stone upright, likely during the Bronze Age, though precise dating without further investigation remains impossible.