Stones

This record refers to a cluster of stones indicated on the 1836 and 1906 OS 6-inch maps; they are named ‘Stones’ on the 1836 edition and ‘Standing stones’ on the 1906 edition. On both maps they are shown to SW of an oblong feature, named ‘Giants Bed’, which excavation in 2011 confirm as a Neolithic cairn (DG086-002001-). The standing stones were not evident when this location was inspected in the 20th century (Lacy 1983, 92; Cody 2002, 63). It remains unclear as to what the ‘Standing stones’ represented. It is possible that they represented a monument, or an element of the cairn, that was destroyed in the past, perhaps in the 19th century when it is known that the cairn was partly robbed of stones. Alternatively, they may equate to a wedge tomb (DG086-002004-), which was discovered during excavation in 2011 immediately to SW of the cairn (Delaney 2013). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of revised upload: 12 January 2018

Likely dating to the Bronze Age, the stones at Croaghonagh may have functioned as a ritual or ceremonial site, possibly linked to early Christian pilgrimage traditions that later incorporated prehistoric features into their landscape. Local folklore may associate the stones with saintly or supernatural figures, as is common in similar sites across Ireland.