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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Standing stone

Rathlihen, County Offaly, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Standing stone, Rathlihen, County Offaly, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Rathlihen
County
Offaly
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
NULL
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.19480, -7.64458
SMR number
OF024-040002-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

No evidence of any standing stone beside the holy well (OF024-040001-) (Shaw Rev. 1971, 71-2). Described by Rev. Shaw as 'At the entrance to the well is a standing stone with a hole in it, known as a 'swearing stone'. In ancient times, contracts were made binding by the two people concerned joining hands through the hole and thereby invoking a curse on themselves it they broke their word - a custom which is said to be of pagan origin. This stone came originally from Luganiska' (Shaw Rev. 1971, 72).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Standing stone in Offaly All County Offaly records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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