Mass-rock

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on elevated rocky land with commanding views from E-S-W, higher ground to N. Good view of S shoreline of Lough Gur 300m to WNW. New Church (LI032-024001-) and graveyard (LI032-024002-) located 280m to the WNW with Ballynagallagh Nunnery (LI032-043002-) visible 690m to SW.
Large rock outcrop depicted on 1st ed. OS 6-inch map as a circular shaped enclosure annotated as 'Carriggalla Fort'. On the revised 1927 ed. OS 6-inch the name of the rock has been changed from 'Carrigalla Fort' to 'Carriganaffrin' meaning the 'Mass Rock'. Probably the remains of a stone fort or cashel that was reused as a mass rock by local people in penal times. Monument described by O'Kelly (1944, 28) as a 'high limestone rock knoll called Carriganaffrin on the OS map. It is said locally the Mass as celebrated in a crevice in its west side during Penal times'. In 1826 the following account was given; 'On the S. side of Lough Gur, is a very large and high rock full of chasms and hollows, called in Irish, the Mass Rock; which name it received from the circumstance of Mass being said in a hollow of this rock, during the Civil Wars of the 17th century, when its public celebration was prohibited by the English parliament' (Fitzgerald and McGregor 1826, 315). The top of the rock outcrop is covered in scrub vegetation and is not accessible, there is a small cave like recess on the SW face of the rock which may have served as a shelter for the altar.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 5 July 2018

References

O'Kelly, M.J. 1944 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 4, 16-53.

Fitzgerald, P. and McGregor, J.J. 1826 The history, topography and antiquities of the county and city of Limerick. Dublin.