Altar

Not shown on 1842 OS 6-inch map. Marked 'Altar' on 1904 OS 6-inch map. Large flat stone (L 1.8m; 1.4m x 0.5m) leaning aginst field fence on N side of road. According to local information, cup marks on concealed side. Stone originally lay flat on roadside. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the Ardaneneen Altar may have been used for ritual or ceremonial purposes, as suggested by the reported cup marks. Such stones are often associated with offerings or spiritual practices in prehistoric traditions.