Mass-rock in Caheraphuca

A mass-rock was recorded in this townland (pers. comm. T. Coffey, SMR file) and listed as ‘Mass rock, possible’ in the RMP (1996). A much overgrown block of limestone outcrop (max. H 2.4m; L 5.2m; Wth 3m). A link road to a roundabout just W of Crusheen during the development of the N18 Gort to Crusheen roadway in 2010 appears to have cut through this area of rock outcrop. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 8 October 2014

A mass-rock used during the Penal Times for clandestine Catholic worship; such sites were often associated with local saints and secret religious practices. No specific saint or cure is recorded for this site, but mass-rocks are part of a broader tradition of resistance and devotion in Ireland’s Catholic communities.