Anomalous stone group

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough hill pasture, on a terrace on a N-facing rocky slope overlooking Bantry Bay. Four separate stones, three of which are upright and one prostrate, are to the N of the face of an outcropping rock in a roughly rectangular formation (4.9m N-S; 3.3m E-W). The upright stone at W (H 0.9m; 1.45m x 0.35m) has its long axis N-S; the stone at N (H 0.65; 1.05m x 0.18m) has its long axis E-W; that at E (H 1.05m; 1.1m x 0.2m) has its long axis N-S. The fourth stone (L c. 0.7m) to S of the previous, lies prostrate in a NE-SW direction and is embedded in rubble with a quartz stone on top. The stones appear to have come from the face of the nearby outcropping rock. The three upright stones are well set and appear to be deliberately placed. It is not clear if the prostrate stone ever stood or was part of the formation. The purpose or function of the entire stone arrangement, which is obscured by ferns and heather, is unclear.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009).

Date of upload: 22 December 2009