What is recorded here

Cromoge holds a bullaun stone beside the holy well of St Fintan, where prayer and water still touch the living world. People once believed pebbles from that place could preserve a life against shipwreck or accidental death. The stone sits at the edge of the watercourse, not hidden in legend but set into the ordinary countryside. It is easy to imagine hands washing there, children running past, and travellers stopping to ask whether preservation meant avoiding danger or remembering what love had already risked.

Situated in undulating countryside. Cremogue church and graveyard (LA017-014001/002-) located 180m to the N of the holy well (LA017-013----) and bullaun stone. Holy well visited on St Fintan's feast day, the 17th of February. Pebbles from it are thought to act as preservatives against shipwreck or accidental death (Comerford 1886, vol. 3, 337). The bullaun stone is located beside the holy well on the edge of the watercourse running out of the well. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 04 May 2012

Likel associated with the early Christian period, the bullaun stone may have been used for ritual purification or as part of a holy site linked to St Fintan. Such stones often held spiritual significance and were integrated into local Christian traditions.

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