Standing stone

The National Monuments Service's description

National monument No. 247. Situated on top of Killalough Hill with E shoreline of Lough Gur 280m to WNW. Standing stone (LI032-032----) 50m to NNW. Standing stone clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photograph. Monument described in 1912 as following; 'On the brow of the hill above the Giants' Graves [LI032-029----/030----) are two large blocks of stone [LI032-032----/034----], unmarked and unnamed on the Ordnance map. Both of these are of conglomerate, whereas all the outcrops on the hill are of limestone. I have no doubt whatever that one of these, which is bedded in the ground, is a gallaun, and feel pretty confident that the other also comes under this description. The larger and more southern of these two [LI032-034----], which is embedded in the earth, and clearly a gallaun, is 4 feet 6 inches [1.4m] in height and 7 feet [2.1m] in length, and inclines at an angle of 60° to the lower slope of the hill. The compass-bearing from one gallaun to another is 210°; and the compass bearing at right angles to the line between the two stones is 320°' (Windle 1912, 297). O'Kelly was doubtful about the antiquity of these two stones which he described as low boulders that looked more like glacial erratics rather than prehistoric standing stones (O'Kelly 1944, 29).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 23 May 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.

Windle, B. 1912 Megalithic remains surrounding
Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy 30C, 283–306.

Harbison, P. 1970 (Reprint 1992) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.