Standing stone - pair

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough pasture, at the edge of a conifer plantation, 335m E of an archaeological complex (LI048-034001-/043-). Annotated ‘Geata báin (Pillar Stones)' on the Cassini ed. OSi 6-inch map. Ó Ríordáin (1940, 88-9) described the site as follows; ‘About 1100 feet [335m OD] east of this group [LI048-034001/043-] there are marked on the map under the title Geata Báin (Pillar Stones) two pillar stones “like a gate leading into nothing”.’ On examination these were found to stand on the side of what was evidently an old road which is now a water-worn channel. channel. Along the lower side of this road ran a fence formed in large part of stones on end, giving it an appearance which might be described as megalithic, those known as the Geata Bain being merely more conspicuous examples. At first I felt inclined to think that this road was an ancient one but I learned-locally that it was in use about ninety years ago as a passage for drawing turf from the mountain-top and had evidently been constructed about that time. If it had been made much earlier it would then have been almost as water-worn as now and would not have been passable as a road. Similar paths lead to the mountain top from other sides of Slieve Reagh’. According to Westropp (1918, 119); 'On the mount up the hill was "Dodera's grave, not far from the peak," possibly at the two stones of Gatabaun'. Possible stone pair listed by Grogan (1989, Vol. 2, 269) as 'Cush 1'. No visible remains on Google Earth orthoimages.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages.

Compiled by: Fiona Rooney

Date of upload: 7 September 2021

References

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. 1940 Excavations at Cush, Co. Limerick (1934 and 1935). Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 45, 83-181.

Westropp, T.J. 1918 Temair Erann, an Ancient Cemetery of the Ernai on Slievereagh, County Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquities of Ireland, 111-20.

Grogan, E. 1989 The Early Prehistory of the Lough Gur Region: Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement patterns in North Munster, south of the River Shannon, 3 Vols. Doctoral PhD Thesis submitted to the Dept. of Archaeology, University College Dublin.