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

Corrower

Standing Stone / Menhir

Folklore

There are a few old stones around this place. They are standing up straight. They are long. One of the stones is in Tommy Gilmartins field. There is another stone in Currower. It is in Martin Mullen's land. There is another one in Carracrum. It is in John Crean's land.
There is writing on the one in Martin Mullen's field. Nobody around here can read it. It is a kind of writing that was in it long ago. It is called "Ogham". People say that there is music in it. It rattles when it is struck.

The stone that is in Tommy Gilmartin's field is ten feet long, two feet wide and one foot ten inches thick. I wasn't at the other two at all. There is another one in Carralavin. The old people have a name for those old stones. They call them "spílés".

You would think that these old stones come from Foxford and go down towards Sligo. People say that there were giants long ago who were building a big castle for the king. Before they landed at the place they heard the king was dead. They dropped the stones down at the spot they were at and they are standing there since.

Others say that these stones were set up as pagan gods. The pagans used to adore them.
There is another stone in Johnny Igoe's field. It is not very big. About six feet away from it there is another small one. They say that there was a giant buried there.

These old stones are not in the best land. The stone that is in Tommy Gilmartin's field is in the worst of his land. The others are in bad land too.
I'm guessing this is the stone on Tommy Gilmartin's land, as it's near an ogham stone. I love that people say the Ogham has music in it. And that a tentative connection is made between the stones and poor land (though I'd imagine that's actually because poor land is less likely to get ploughed up). Stories from the 1930s School Collection, now being digitised at duchas.ie.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
5th April 2016ce
Edited 9th April 2016ce

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