Inauguration stone in Carns

When a portion was broken off the inauguration stone of the O'Conor kings at Carnfree (RO028-69001-) it was moved to the avenue of Cargin House near Tulsk c. 1840 by Daniel Kelly to prevent further damage by quarrying at the original site (Jones 1922-3). It has since been moved to the grounds of Clonalis House in the 1970s, although its authenticity is doubtful (FitzPatrick 2004, 113-5). It is a roughly rectangular limestone block (dims of base 0.8m x 0.4m; H 0.45-0.55m) with a subrectangular upper surface (dims 0.9m x 0.35-0.6m) which has an oval hollow (dims 0.3 x 0.1m; D 0.7m) divided in two by a ridge at the base to represent a footprint. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010

This stone is likely from the early medieval period and was originally associated with the inauguration rituals of the O'Conor kings, reflecting the political and spiritual traditions of the region. It was later moved in the 19th century to protect it from destruction.