Re: Tipp Bullauns - Mr Bawn79! | Forum

County Tipperary 9

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Tipp Bullauns — Mr Bawn79!

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FourWinds Nov 7, 2007 13:02:41

Replying to fitzcoraldo

Only if you apply the same tag to all rock art that doesn't have a context to date it :-)

Some of the smaller, portable ones are probably early Christian, but the multiple & earthfast examples (most probably) aren't.

As StoneLifter commented below, many of the smaller portable ones do appear to be cut from a larger piece of rock. The common belief (mainly pushed by me I admit) is that the use of bullauns in church yards is a very good example of the early church in Ireland absorbing an older religion to fight it.

A great many of them have St. Brigit associations, which points to them (possibly/probably) being associated with the celtic Brigid beforehand.

fitzcoraldo Nov 7, 2007 14:48:48

Replying to FourWinds

"Only if you apply the same tag to all rock art that doesn't have a context to date it :-)"

I'll accept that if we apply the same criteria to every single monument posted on TMA ;-)

Of course there is massive amount of evidence to support the prehistoric provence of rock art, but unfortunately there is scant evidence to support the case for bullauns.

I accept that some of these stones may be prehistoric and I broadly agree with your age by association theory but I also feel that some may be a lot later and should therefore be flagged. I think that if we do not hightlight the stones with the dodgy provenance then we may be watering-down the case to support the provenance of others.
I think we all have trackways, stones, mounds wells and other stuff that we 'feel' is prehistoric but as many debates on the forum have shown, a feeling is not quite enough.

cheers
fitz