Mass-rock in Derrylough

In rough hill pasture, on an E-facing slope. A section of outcropping rock forms a stepped arrangement of three tiers (2.7m N-S; 1.5m E-W; H 1.35m) which decrease in size from top to bottom. Another section of the outcropping rock abuts at W. According to local information, mass was celebrated on the uppermost step during Penal times. There is an adjacent footpath to the N. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011

A mass-rock used during the Penal Times for clandestine Catholic worship; such sites were often associated with local saints and secret religious traditions. The stepped arrangement suggests a deliberate construction for communal use, reflecting the persistence of faith under persecution.