Holed stone in Newross

Situated on the NW slope of a low hillock in an upland area. Kilnarath Church (TN031-063----) listed in the ecclesiastical taxation of the Diocese of Cashel in 1302 (Cal. doc. Ire, 5, 281). A rectangular apse-ended nineteenth-century C of I church stands in a large square-shaped graveyard (TN031-063002-) containing eighteenth- and nineteenth-century headstones. In the graveyard there is an upright holed stone (TN031-063003-) possibly re-used as a grave-marker which could be a medieval threshold stone or socket stone for a timber pivot of the doorway belonging to the medieval church (pers. comm. Derek Ryan). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details kindly provided by Derek Ryan. Date of upload: 19 October 2017

Dated to the early medieval period, likely between the 7th and 10th centuries, the holed stone may have had a ritual or ceremonial function, possibly related to passage or marking significant routes. Its association with the nearby Kilnarath Church suggests a possible Christian reuse or adaptation of an earlier prehistoric site.