Kilnaruane Cross Slab — any info?

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FourWinds F
FourWinds Jan 15, 2007 07:27:35
Replying to CianMcLiam

Don't suppose you saw if the bullaun stone is still there?

There is a similar stone to the ones you mention at Caheravart eclesiastic enclosure. These groups of four stones are oddities - there are two sets at Ashtown near Roundwood. I think they're more agricultural than anything else. There's also one at the back of a ruined farm building near Boleycariggeen, but these are all close-set stones about 1.5m apart.

Kilnaraune is built on a little hillock-type-thing and so could easily be the site of an earlier monument. However, the archeos reckon that the four stones may have ' formed the hinge-stones/corner stones in some form of structure no longer in existence.' Hourihane & Hourihane 1979.

C CianMcLiam
CianMcLiam Jan 15, 2007 10:37:43
Replying to FourWinds

You know, I saw that stone and thought 'ohh, a bullaun!' but then went 'naahh'. Its just outside the fence at the north east corner of the enclosed area. Its not a very impressive bullaun, I only noticed it because there was a rectangular stone sitting in it, it was full of water and muck. I'd say its about 12" x 10" in size and about 3-4" deep but the sides are fairly gently sloping. The stone its in is almost a perfect semi-circle at the top and the bottom is flattened I think (its sunk into the mud here).

Those oddly carved stones could well be the base of timber or metal posts, maybe the carved slab was covered by some kind of roofing at one point. The link I gave did say there were grooves in the top of the slab itself that probably had something slot into them as well. I'll stick some pics into the next weblog.