What is recorded here

No one knows which stone is Gallán because two descriptions point to opposite sides of the same village. That uncertainty is the shape of the place: a tall marker remembered through distance, bias and forgotten road work. The real Gallán may still be standing beneath bog, grass or rubble, waiting for the claim that first pointed to it.

In waste bogland on N side of Cloghnagashee river. No visible surface trace. May be stone mentioned by O'Donoghue (1914) in a glen S of village; 'Remarkable stone standing more than five feet high and nearly two feet thick'. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). 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 Early Christian or Bronze Age period, the stone may have had ritual or territorial significance. Local tradition or folklore is not clearly recorded, but its description suggests a possible link to ancient pathways or sacred sites in the glen.

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