What is recorded here

Altar in Carragh stands in Bushy Hollow beside the Beagh River, a long drystone wedge still bearing a central cross and a hollowed stone marked by offered coins. It is not a abandoned ruin but a living edge of local faith, where worship has continued through penal times and ordinary days. Two trees growing through the structure suggest the altar has been both forgotten and remembered, shaped by people who kept returning without warning it.

In grassland close to the N bank of the Beagh River, in an area known locally as ‘Bushy Hollow’. This altar consists of a wedge-shaped drystone-built structure (L 12.7m; Wth 3.4m) facing NNW. Two trees are now growing out of it. A stone cross (GA123-027002-) is set upright in the centre of the altar and a bullaun stone (GA123-027001-) lies to the NNW; a number of coins are placed in its hollow. Mass was offered here in the early penal days (Glynn 1908, 193). The monument appears to be still regarded as a place of worship. Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 29 January 2020

Linked to Saint Cianan, this altar is associated with early Christian worship and may have been used for ritual or pilgrimage purposes. Local tradition suggests the site was a place of prayer and healing, though specific cures or folklore connected to it are not well documented.

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