stones historical ireland

Less than 200m from Kilree Church is Glun Brighde (St. Brigid's Knee) a stone with the imprint of St. Brigid's knees, while a little further north is the inevitable blessed well dedicated to her....

A large flat stone, now leaning though originally upright, with a hole 6 inches wide at one end. It may have been a so-called 'port-hole' stone which closed the chamber of a megalithic tomb. However, the traditional explanation - as usual, much more romantic and appealing - is that it was a stone used at the dawn of history by Niall of the Nine Hostages to tie up Eochaidh, son of Enna Eochaidh broke the chain and took his revenge by killing the nine men whom Niall had sent to kill him. Up til...

Birthplace of the National Flag. A large stone marks the location of the first raising of the familiar green, white and gold tricolour in 1848. A local Committee continue the tradition of raising the flag in the village each morning....

An inscription on the south-east face records that Ternohc son of Ceran Bic put the place under the protection of St. Peter the Apostle. As Ternohc's death is recorded in 714 or 716, the inscription could make this the earliest historically datable stone monument in Ireland. Above the inscription is a Latin cross and, beneath it, a decorative equal armed cross in a circle.

The north-western face bears other forms of crosses, both with and without enclosing circle. The pillar stood at...

What's New - * Egyptian Pyramid Stones - The best known hieroglyphs tell of the Gods and History of Ancient Egypt. e.g. Ankh, Scarab, Eye of Horus etc.

* Celtic Empire Bowls Isu Pots, makers of the now famous Celtic Ogham Stones, are developing a range of low fired, smokey pottery.
The style and decoration is based on Celtic, Iron Age La Tene style decoration. We call them Celtic Empire Bowls....

This gigantic monolith is the tallest and most remarkable of several 'long stones' in Co. Kildare. Now standing 19 feet high, it was re-erected in 1934, having toppled from its tilted position three years earlier. Its overall length measured on the ground was 23 feet and its weight was calculated at 9.22 tons. A Bronze Age cist was uncovered at the foot of the monument. Many such pillarstones are thought to mark burials, but few have been excavated....

This tall granite stone tapering to a height of 23 feet is one of the finest examples of its type in the country. When it fell and was re-erected in 1930, it was found to have a Bronze Age burial at its base....

Though ignored by some guide books, this is a very fine megalith which unfortunately loses much of its impressiveness on account of the roadside hedge which threatens to envelop it. It has long been neglected and abused; a photograph taken in 1914 shows it defaced with auctioneers; posters; latterly it has become a target for religious graffiti. The bulky granite capstone is 8 feet long and up to 5 feet thick and rests, somewhat precariously it would appear, on four of the six basalt uprig...

An Ogham stone, placed in a niche beside the road, bearing the inscription NETA-CARI NEGA CAGI...