What is recorded here

O'Donovan recorded extraordinary human bones beneath the stone after removing its small supporting blocks. The limestone slab still stands on a south-facing slope in Friarstown North, watched over by a shallow mound and scattered revetment stones. Whatever lived there large enough to startle a surveyor, the pasture keeps the mystery intact.

Situated on a S-facing slope in rolling pasture with good views to S and E. Upright slab of limestone (Wth 1.9m; H 1.5-1.7m; long axis ESE-WNW) that has several weathering fissures. Supported at base by a small mound (Wth 2.7m NW-SE; 2m NE-SW, H 0.26m) and revetted by several smaller limestone blocks. O'Donovan (OSL) recorded that "on the lands of Friarstown N. is to be seen a large stone 7' [2.1m] high 5' [1.5m] broad and 1' [0.3m] which was found supported by small stones set on the edges, which being removed, human bones of an extraordinary size were found underneath the monument. O'Donovan does not give the exact location of the stone, but I take it that it is the same as the one here described. It is not marked on the O.S. map' (O'Kelly 1942-3, 227). Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 27 May 2013

Probably dates to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, given the typical form and material of such standing stones in Ireland. It may have had a ritual or territorial function, possibly associated with early farming communities; no specific folklore is recorded for this site.

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