Bullaun stone in Crehelp

Described in 1931, this bullaun has since been removed. A granite block (dims. 0.86m x 0.43m; D 0.43m) with a circular basin (diam. 0.25m; D 0.08-0.19m) close to one edge of the stone. The bullaun apparently lay on a small irregular platform in the 'Churchyard Field'; this feature is not visible at ground level. (Walshe 1931, 135-6) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 December 2008

Likely dating to the early medieval period, bullauns like this were traditionally associated with Christian holy sites and may have been used for ritual purposes such as anointing or as holy water basins. Some also incorporate or adapt earlier prehistoric sacred sites or stones into their function.