Mass-rock in Ardrah (bantry By.) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Bantry Bay, Ardrah: a large boulder, shallow on top, sitting in pasture beneath a crab apple tree. Local memory treats it as a mass-rock, a place where worship continued when churches closed or danger grew. The rock does not claim much; it holds shape, shadow and repetition. A person can sit beside it, touch its edge and understand that faith often moves into landscape before it returns into building.

In pasture, on a S-facing slope, beneath a crab apple tree. According to Myler (1998, 57), local tradition suggests that this boulder (6m N-S; H 1.8m) may have been once used as a mass-rock. The upper surface of the boulder slopes down to the W. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

Linked to the tradition of clandestine Catholic worship during the Penal Times, mass-rocks like the one in Ardrah were used as outdoor altars for celebrating Mass when it was forbidden by law. Local folklore often associates such sites with Saint Patrick or other early saints, though specific saintly connections for this site are not recorded.

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