Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy tree/bush
Kells, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Kells
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Skaghabanoo (1916)
- Coordinates
- 52.95725, -9.02379
- SMR number
- CL017-088001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Named ‘Skaghavanoo’ on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) - which appears to show its location at the junction of two later field boundaries c. 9m to the NW of a rath (CL017-088002-) - and similarly recorded on the Cassini edition (1916) of the OS 6-inch map. A holy bush noted by Westropp (1900-2, 139; No. 44) who recorded that, ‘ … the head of a bossed Celtic cross (CL017-088003-) and the holy bush which gives the place its name, remain near a large rath [CL017-088002-], with a souterrain [CL017-088004-] …’ MacNamara (1900, 31-2) suggested that the fort’s name, ‘Skaghavanoo’ could be translated as ‘Sceach an bheannuighte’, or The Whitethorn of the Blessing’. It is unclear if the tree described by Westropp still survives, but Houlihan (2016, 43) noted ‘a number of aged whitethorns’ at the site, one of which he suggested may be the “sceach”.
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Eve Campbell
Date of upload: 21-10-2025
References
Houlihan, M. 2016 The sacred trees of county Clare. Privately published.
Westropp, T.J. 1913 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in the Corofin district, Co. Clare (no. 11). Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 43, 232-60.
Westropp, T.J. 1900-02 The churches of Co. Clare and the origin of the ecclesiastical divisions in that county. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Series 3, vol. 6, 100-180.
MacNamara, G. 1900 The ancient stone crosses of Ui Fearmaic, Co. Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 30, 22-33.
Nearby in the register
- Cross - High crossunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.