What is recorded here

Gallaun is a tall standing stone on the south side of Meelin ridge in County Kerry, rising 2.95 metres through poorly drained land. It tapers evenly from a base of 0.8 metres by 0.4 metres, marking a place where human hands may have shaped stone long before modern tools arrived. Nearby drainage work in the early twentieth century removed a large flag supported by four corner stones, erasing a feature that may have marked a boulder burial. The stone still stands while the chamber or shrine beside it has vanished, leaving only the ridge and memory behind.

This tall standing stone is located in poorly drained land on the S side of Meelin ridge, which is a W spur of Been Hill. Regular in elevation, it tapers evenly as it rises to a height of 2.95m. It measures .8m x .4m at base; N-S. In the early part of the twentieth century land drainage operations, close to the standing stone, resulted in the removal of 'a large flag supported by a stone at each of its four corners' (Ua Riain 1927). No trace remains of this feature, which may have been a boulder-burial. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 138. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013

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