The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Dranagh (now in St. Mullins)

Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art

Fieldnotes

Now this is interesting. The stone is kept in a heritage museum in the former Church of Ireland at St. Mullins (the ruined abbey and high cross are in the same place) and I was told the National Musuem has the original and the heritage centre a copy.

Either Ireland is home to a master stone carver who lovingly spent years carving and applying very convincing weathering and wear on this stone or both the National Museum and the Heritage Centre have gotten themselves into a mixup. I'm 95% sure this is the original stone taken from the top of a field wall on Dranagh Mountain, and the carvings match a sketch taken from the piece in the National Museum. The Heritage Centre have original pics of the stone from not long after it was found and every contour of the stone matches yet not a single modern tool mark is visible. Remarkable!

It is a lovely stone with an unusual design, could be a sibling of the stone at Tinnacarrig in that the design seems to have been planned around the shape of the piece. And here, like at Spahill, we see a lip/groove carved around the edge of the stone and curling back into the space to the right of the cup and ring. A beauty, and either the best fake in the world or a little stone lost...
CianMcLiam Posted by CianMcLiam
16th December 2009ce
Edited 16th December 2009ce

Comments (2)

Cool stuff. I'd say it must be the original. I met the father of the man who found the stone. He lives in Glynn, up the road from st. Mullins. He said the stone was in the national museum. Great 'find'. ryaner Posted by ryaner
17th December 2009ce
This is a great example of why all repros should be dated or at least have some distinguishing mark upon them.
Great stone btw. ; )
megadread Posted by megadread
17th December 2009ce
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