Bullaun stone in Kelshamore

One of three bullaun stones in a rocky area at the foot of a marked E-facing slope. A large roughly rectangular earthfast boulder with three circular basins in the upper surface ((a) diam. 0.4m; D 0.25m; (b) and (c) diam. 0.33m; D 0.23m).; a second boulder (4m to the SE) may be another part of this stone and is upside-down. A bullaun stone (WI021-019001-) lies c. 40m to the SE and another bullaun (WI021-019002-) lies c. 40 to the NNE. The grass-covered remains of a rectangular building (WI021-020----) indicated on the OS 6-inch map as the site of a convent lie c. 10m to the SE. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Mary Tunney Date of revision: 21 November 2012

Likely dating to the early Christian or Iron Age period, bullaun stones were often used for ritual purposes, such as the preparation of holy water or as sites for religious or communal gatherings. Local folklore may associate them with saintly figures or protective charms.