Discover Alone, back to main map

Gallan

Standing stone

What is recorded here

Gallan is a two-metre standing stone in the garden of Burgatia House, Rosscarbery, leaning slightly northeast beneath fifty-six cup-marks and two cup-and-circle designs. It is not a distant myth but a marked stone beside a lived house, where people may have gathered, remembered or marked time. Tradition also tells of human remains unearthed north of it, hinting that the garden held both life and death.
In garden of Burgatia House to SE of Rosscarbery. Stone (H 2m; 1.8m x 0.8m) leans slightly to NE. Finlay (1973, 114) records 56 cup-marks on the N face including 'two cup-and-circles near the top'. Tradition of human remains unearthed to N of stone (Webster 1930, 97). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). 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 stone's cup-marks and cup-and-circles suggest ritual or symbolic use, possibly linked to water or fertility practices. Local tradition hints at a human-related story, though specific folklore is not recorded.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

Places near here

Add to this placeAdd a picture Comment or add a tip

Explore 1,118,481 places