Bullaun stone

The National Monuments Service's description

On raised ground at the base of a hill which rises to the S-SE, in rolling pasture overlooking a broad plain from NW-N. The high cross is on a hillock where there are a number of 18th and 19th century headstones. The land drops away steeply immediately S of this hillock to a small valley with St. Nicholas’s holy well (KK030-008007-) c. 10m to the S in this valley. The land rises again immediately S of this, on which rise there are the remains of a church (KK030-008003-). All these monuments are enclosed within the graveyard (KK030-008010-). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 311-2) a monastery here was founded by St. Gobán Fionn early in the 7th century whose feast day is celebrated on the 6th of December. In the Annals of the Four Masters the obit of an abbot, Domhnall son of Niall is given in 1004 (Edwards 1990, 41). Of the monastic site only a high cross (KK030-008004-), two cross-slabs (KK030-008005-; KK030-008011-),a stone cross (KK030-008013-), the remains of a church (KK030-008003-) and two bullaun stones (KK030-008006-; KK030-008008-) are currently visible at the location.
This bullaun stone, which was misidentified as a font by Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 315), is currently located 2m SW of the high cross. According to Carrigan (ibid.), the stone 'lies in Mrs. Carroll's field, about 250 yds (c. 228m), south of the graveyard; it is a large rough boulder, with a nicely chiselled circular bowl'. There is now no bullaun stone in this field, which is upslope from the graveyard. The bullaun stone appears to have been moved to within the graveyard. It is a free-standing boulder of old red sandstone (max. dims. 0.84m x 0.68m; T at E end 0.13m; T at W end 0.22m) with a roughly circular depression (diam. 0.33m x 0.36m; D 0.18m). Half of the upper surface of the stone has broken off, leaving the bowl shallower on that side.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 2 August 2017