Mass-rock in Coolmountain

This is '…what is known as "The Mass Altar"' (Anon. 1994, 6) and comprises a flat slab of rock (c. 3m x 1.2m; T 0.4m) which lies level with the SSE-sloping ground. The upper surface of the slab is level but there is a drop on its S side where it is supported towards either end by two orthostatic blocks. There is a chamber-like area (D 0.6m) dug out from under the slab between the supports. 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 celebration of Catholic Mass during the Penal Days, this mass-rock in Coolmountain was used in secret by priests and worshippers to practice their faith when it was outlawed. Such sites were often associated with local saints or traditions of resistance and spiritual endurance.