Ritual site - holy tree/bush

The National Monuments Service's description

Part of the monastic complex at Kilmacduagh. Described by O’Donovan in the OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 2, 168-9) as an ash tree which was held in great veneration; people carried small pieces of it about as 'preservatives against accidents'. Its precise location is unclear. O’Donovan (ibid.) states it was located ‘a short distance to the north west of the Cathedral’ (GA128-034004-) and that it was ‘built up in a stone, Cloidhe, ditch’. It is depicted at this location on his site plan (ibid., facing p. 65, no. 9). Fahey (1893, 111), who referred to it as a yew tree, believed that it was to the W of the cathedral. However, on the OS 6-inch maps it is located c. 65m to the SW of this building. No visible surface trace survives.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 24 October 2016

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 3/2009).
The monument was taken into Ownership under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 51.

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1927 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.

Fahey, J.A. 1893 (Reprint 1986) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Kilmacduagh. Galway. Kenny Gallery.