Discover Alone, back to main map

Gallaun

Standing stone

What is recorded here

Gallaun is a tall standing stone in Glanleam, County Kerry, trapped inside a much younger earthwork called Cromwell's Fort. The prehistoric upright predates the fort by millennia, creating a strange layer where ancient stone accepts a later boundary without explanation. It still stands upright beside a leaning slab, perhaps stabilized after Chatterton found it shaking in 1839, while the fort continues to claim space around it.
This stone stands 1.58m high and measures 1.15m x .35m at base; N-S. It is known as 'Gallán na Gealaighe' (Macalister 1899, 214). The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 123. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 4 August 2013
Likely dating to the early Christian period, the stone may be associated with a local saint or ecclesiastical site, given the name Cill Mhic An Domhnaigh, which suggests a church or holy place dedicated to a saintly figure. Such stones often marked burial sites, territorial boundaries, or had commemorative and ritual significance in prehistoric and early Christian communities.

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