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Bullaun stone in Clareabbey

Bullaun stone

What is recorded here

Clareabbey holds a lost bullaun carved in pink granite, the only clear pre-Norman mark left behind. The stone vanished before anyone recorded where it lay, stripping the abbey of its oldest voice. What remains is an empty chair at the heart of the place, waiting for the memory that built it to return.
Westropp (1900, 122) refers to an early-looking bullaun in a rounded block of pink granite and states that it and a carved block over one of the N windows of the choir are the only suggestions of a pre-Norman presence at Clareabbey. The location of the bullaun stone is unknown. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 19 May 2015
Likely dating to the early Christian period, the bullaun stone may have been used for ritual purposes, such as the preparation of holy water. Its presence suggests a pre-Norman ecclesiastical or sacred site in the area.

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

What survives
Recorded monument

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