Standing stone, Lyremountain, Co. Waterford

Co. Waterford |

Stone Monuments

Standing stone, Lyremountain, Co. Waterford

On a gentle north-facing slope in Lyremountain, County Waterford, a single block of conglomerate stone rises just 1.3 metres from the ground. It is not especially tall, not dramatically positioned on a hilltop or cliff edge, and yet it has been standing there long enough for the surrounding landscape to have arranged itself, almost incidentally, around it. Two streams run nearby, one roughly 150 metres to the west moving south to north, another about 160 metres to the north running east to west. The stone itself is oriented WNW to ESE, a alignment that may or may not be deliberate, though with standing stones it is often difficult to say with certainty.

Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock made up of rounded fragments cemented together over time, and it gives this particular stone a rougher, more composite texture than the smooth granite or sandstone more commonly associated with prehistoric monoliths. The stone measures 1.25 metres in length and between 0.2 and 0.5 metres in width, modest dimensions that nonetheless required considerable effort to erect. Standing stones of this kind were raised during the Bronze Age in Ireland, though their precise purposes remain debated. They have been associated with territorial markers, burial sites, astronomical alignments, and routeways, and in most cases the original intention has been absorbed entirely by time.

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, Lyremountain, Co. Waterford. 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