Inscribed stone

The National Monuments Service's description

In Balla village, located adjacent to a stone altar (MA090-024011-) in a graveyard (MA090-024005-).
This rectangular sandstone slab (H 0.41m; Wth 0.32m; T; 0.14m) is built into a roughly coursed wall of mortared sandstone blocks, which forms a facing on the E side of the limestone altar. The stone is located at the S end of the wall in the uppermost surviving course. Filling one face of the stone is an inscribed design which resembles an eye, and is known locally as the ‘evil eye’. The carving is executed in simple outline, consisting of a central circular indentation (diam. 0.03-0.040m), above and beneath which there is an arc representing the outer curve of the eye (H 0.16m; L c. 0.22m). Each arc is formed by two close-set parallel grooves. The arcs do not meet at either end. Rynne (1998, 181) recorded the carving, but could find no parallel for the design.

Attached image: MA090-024012-_01.JPG viewed from S

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 25 June 2018

References

Rynne, E. 1998 The round tower, ‘evil eye', and holy well at Balla, Co. Mayo. In. C. Manning (ed.) Dublin and beyond the Pale. Studies in honour of Patrick Healy. Wordwell Ltd., Bray.