What is recorded here

Two gallans still stand eighteen inches apart in a Kerry field, the east stone taller and the west stone shorter, marking a boundary or a memory no one now names. They may have watched herds, waited for weddings, or simply survived the plough because they were too heavy to move. Michael Cronin owned the land when they were measured, but the stones belonged to everyone who paused beside them.

In 1943, two 'gallans' were recorded 'on the lands of Mr Michael Cronin, Cloghaneanua' (ITA). 'They stand in the centre of the field and the East stone measures 3ft by 1ft by 9ins [0.91m x 0.3m x 0.22m], and the West stone, 18 inches [c. 0.45m] away measures 11/2ft by 1ft [0.45m x 0.3m] (ibid.). The exact location of this possible standing stone-pair is not known. A standing stone (KE097-047001-) and another possible standing stone-pair (KE097-047002-) were also recorded on Michael Cronin's land (ITA), two fields to the NW of this pair and they also remain unlocated. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011

Probably dating to the Bronze Age, the pair of standing stones may have had ritual or territorial significance. Local tradition sometimes associates such stones with fairy folklore or ancient judicial sites.

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