What is recorded here

Bullaun stones are not mysterious. They are baptismal fonts, water basins for washing babies in holy water. This one is a boulder with a hollow cut or worn into the top. It sat near Rathmichael church, probably on a pedestal, before breaking or being moved low to the ground. The holy water is no longer the point. The shape remains: a stone made into a cup for new life.

There is an earth fast boulder c. 60m NE of Rathmichael church (DU026-050001-) containing a bullaun at ground level. The OS Letters describe a baptismal font, which stood on a pedestal near the church. This is probably the same font later described as broken and sunk near the gate (Westropp 1894, 180-181). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 15 April 2018.

Likely dating to the early Christian period, the bullaun stone may have been used for baptisms or as a holy water font. Such stones often held religious or ritual significance in both Christian and pre-Christian traditions.

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