Standing stone in Clonakenny

Situated in reclaimed pasture , on the gentle S slope of a hillock (just below the summit), in flat terrian punctuated by low hills. The standing stone is not marked on the 1st (1840) or 2nd (1904) ed. OS 6-inch maps but is mentioned by Stout (1984, 46). Situated in a roughly circular hollow (diam. 3.7-4m; D 0.26m) which has been created by cattle erosion. The stone is aligned N-S and is composed of sandstone with some quartz visible. The W face is split though not completely level while the E face is fairly flat with much natural scoring on its surface. The stone is splitting down the middle from the top. It is rectangular in plan (H 1.2m; 0.24 x 0.88m) with a round head and straight sides giving a 'headstone' profile. No packing-stones evident. The Schools Manuscripts record 'a great warrior was buried under this stone' (Stout 1984, 46), however, according to the landowner the stone was erected some generations ago as a scratching post for cattle. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008