Bullaun stone in Rusheens West

Set on a concrete plinth and partly incorporated into a field wall flanking the N side of a road. A boulder (c. 1.7m E−W; c. 1m N−S to wall; H c. 0.4m) with three roughly circular, bowl-shaped hollows in its upper surface. The hollows are in a close-set row and fill most of the available space on the stone’s surface. The central hollow (diam. 0.4m; D 0.15m) is the largest; the two flanking hollows (0.3m x 0.35m; D 0.10-0.11m) are slightly shallower and more oval in shape. MA073-042----_01.jpg: Photo, taken 20 February 2015, of the bullaun stone from the west. Uploaded courtesy of Martin A. Timoney. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 22 June 2021

Likely dating to the early medieval period, bullaun stones were traditionally used for grinding holy communion bread or as ritual sites associated with Christian saints. They often carry Christian or prehistoric associations, and local folklore may link them to holy wells or saintly figures.