What is recorded here

Seven shallow cups are carved into a large boulder at Kilmalkedar, marking one of the Keelers stones beside an Early Christian church. The uneven depressions hold rainwater or breath, inviting repeated touch rather than a single sacred act. A second cupped stone emerged during road works in 1984 and now stands against the wall, as if the hill had kept one keeper hidden until the ground was opened.

National Monument No. 221. The Early Christian and Medieval ecclesiastical complex at Kilmalkedar (KE042-026----) lies at the foot of the W slopes of Reenconnell hill, overlooking Smerwick Harbour. The Reenconnell ridge peaks at 907 feet/276m to NE of the site and the area around Kilmalkedar is sheltered on its N and S sides by spurs of this hill. (7) (KE042-026007-) The Keelers/na Beistí: A multiple bullaun stone consisting of a large irregularly-shaped boulder, 2.41m x 2.54m x at least .34m high, with 7 depressions in its upper surface. These latter are irregular, oval or circular in shape and vary in size from .42m in diameter x .25m in depth to .22m in diameter x .04m in depth. A 2nd bullaun stone was unearthed during road widening in 1984 and has now been set standing against the new wall on the W side of the roadway. It is a large stone, 1.8m x 1.2m x .2m thick, with a large circular depression, .38m in diameter and .08m deep, on one face. A longer depression beside this latter may be natural. See attached photograph courtesy of Amanda Clarke The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 855. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013

Dated to the Early Christian period, the bullaun stone was likely used for ritual purposes, possibly as a holy water basin in a religious or ecclesiastical context. Such stones are often associated with saintly traditions and local folklore, reflecting the spiritual landscape of early Irish Christianity.

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