Holed stone in Rathcoole

A holed stone located 6m NE of the granite cross (DU021-030004-) within the graveyard (DU021-030002-) at Rathcoole. The stone is embedded in a sloping ground surface to the SE of the church (DU021-030001-), There are with extensive views to the S and W but views to the N and E restricted by adjacent houses. It comprises a thin slab just 0.1m in depth, roughly shaped along its long edges but somewhat rounded at the top, measuring 0.73m in height, and 0.62m wide with a central sub-circular perforation (Wth 0.24m x H 0.2m). To see a 3D model of this stone visit https://skfb.ly/oI6M6 Compiled by: Margaret Keane Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 9 June 2023

Likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, the holed stone may have had ritual or ceremonial significance, possibly used as a cairn marker, ritual object, or astronomical feature. Such stones are sometimes associated with burial or passage tomb complexes, though its specific use in this churchyard context remains unclear.