Standing stone — pair in Knockmore

On the break of a gentle S-facing slope, in generally undulating upland terrain. The possible stone pair is on level ground, among lush grass. View impeded to the N by the rising slope, good to the E, of mountains in the distance, dominated by Silvermines Mountains to the S, and fair to the W, of lower hills belonging to the Arra Mountains.  A possible stone pair aligned NE-SW, composed of grey Silurian sandstone. The stone to the S is upright, while the stone to the N is recumbent; there are examples of boulder burials being found in close association with standing stones, such as at Ardgroom Outward, Co. Cork (CO102-040001- and CO102-040002-) which is very similar to the Knockmore arrangement, though in the case of the latter the stone appears to be lying directly on the ground with no visible pad stones, and may have originally been upright. The upright stone is of a substantial size, very broad and wide (H 1.64m; max L 1.10m), and tilting to the NE. Its long axis is oriented NE-SW, and it is roughly rectangular in plan, but its base appears as a pentagon with rounded angles (L NW 1m; SE 0.94m; Wth NE 0.85m; SW 0.45m; S 0.31m). There is a vertical crack on the NE side of the stone, with a portion of the stone splitting off, likely due to the sedimentary nature of the stone. The NW and SE sides are both fairly straight and flat. The top of the stone rises to a peak in the centre. The recumbent stone lies 0.96m to the NW of the upright stone. Its long axis is oriented N-S. It is also composed of grey Silurian sandstone, but with quartz pebble inclusions. The stone is roughly oval in shape (H 0.76m; L on top 1.30m; max Wth 1.15m), though its base is more irregularly shaped, bulging at the SE and NE corners while recessing along the E side, so that the flat top of the stone overhangs the base on that side.   Compiled by: Anne-Julie Lafaye