Mass-rock in Ballyshoneen (muskerry East By., Inishcarra Par.) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Carraig an Aifrinn is a roadside rock in Ballyshoneen that resembles a face in profile, giving the place its Mass-rock name. It is the kind of stone people point to rather than explain, as if the shape itself remembers the prayer it witnessed.

Roadside. Hartnett (1939, 226) recorded, from local information, that this curious natural formation, which resembles a face in profile, is traditionally known as 'Carraig an Aifrinn or "Mass Rock"' (ibid.). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

This mass-rock is associated with the tradition of clandestine Catholic worship during periods of religious persecution in Ireland. Such sites were used for saying Mass in secret, often in remote or concealed locations.

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