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This is a huge stone, it must be 4m high. It is located past Castlegregory in a tiny hamlet called Candiha. An area that is beautiful on a calm day but on the day I was there it was windy and desolate.
The stone is only one small field from the road and so access it relatively easy.

This rock art is on a huge outlier of an impressive stone row.
The inventory mentions that it has “a cup and 2 circles centrally positioned on the face; below this are 2 cup and circles and grouped together at the base of the stone are 2 cup and circles with radial lines and a cup and incomplete cirlce. In addition there are 7 plain cup-marks and a series of linear grooves”.
I visited this rock art at 12 noon when this side of the stone was in shadow and so could not get a great picture of the art. Even inspecting visually I could only make out the main cup and ring that I pointed out. I would think that someone with better photography skills would be able to make much more out of this panel.

This stone row is marked as 2 Gallains on the OS map. The row is situated within 1km of Lispole and once you negogiate a maze of roads access is pretty reasonable. There is a track on the map that actually exists and its a short walk along this track from the road.
The row is very impressive with amazing views all around. The inventory says that the stone heights are 3m, 2.2 and 1.65m high.
What is very interesting is that it says “The alignment is oriented on the setting sun at the Winter Solstice (Lynch 1981b, 26)” so this may make a very nice spot for watching the sun go down on the Winter Solstice.
There is a huge outlier 2.9m high to the north east of the main row. What makes this outlier particulary special is that there are cup and rings on it.

In the archaeological inventory for the area published in 1986 there is no mention of this piece of rock-art being in a museum. It does however say that is in possession of Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhe.
It is described as thus “These 2 stones found in close proximity to one another on the SE slope of Knocknakilton, overlooking the Emlagh river valley. The smaller stone has been removed from the field fence and is now in the possession of Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhe.
(1) The measures 1.2m x .8m x .07m to .15m thick. The markings are dominated by a large cup and 3 circles with a radial line running from the central cup through a gap in the inner circle and across the outer circles. A possible cup mark; badly eroded lies between the 2 outer circles. The remainder of the motifs comprise at least 6 cup-marks which, though gapped, may once have been complete as the surface of the stone is spalled where the gap occures”
It appears a cup marked slab still lies at the OS coordinates listed.

Here is a link to some info about the museum in Ballyferriter where it can now be viewed.

kerrytourist.com/details/corca_dhuibhne_regional_museum.shtml

This fine standing stone is over 2.85m high and went looking at it when I was trying to find the rock art in this townland which I have since discovered is on the other side of the road!

This site is just off the road on the Slea Head drive. When we visited in September 2009 there was a charge of €2.50 to see it. You also get a photocopied information sheet
Its a nice site but not worth that kind of cover charge.
The audio-visual experience is extra, we didnt go for this however.

This rock art panel is only a few kms from the village of Lispole, in Co, Kerry. A OS map would be needed.
Its shown on the map as being right next to a T junction. This T junction has a little townland sign for Aghacaribbe (I think), however the rock it is located on is about one field up from this and can be accessed over a gate.
Access to it isnt far from gate, you can see it easily from the gate it is pretty much in the middle of a field with a path going right by it.
Seemingly a field boundary once cut the stone into two parts but this boundary seems to be long gone.
As a newcomer to rock-art I really loved this panel.

This is a great bullaun stone in the really great town of Dingle in Co. Kerry. I spent a week down there not too long along and had a wonderful time.
This bullaun stone is know locally as “the holy stone” and is situated in a parking space at the top of Goat Street in the town of Dingle.
There is not a lot made of it in the tourist brochures but its not every night you can come home from a few pints and eat your curry chips sitting on a bullaun stone.
Also the name “holy stone” can only get you thinking of Father Teds “Holy Stone of Clonrichert”.

This amazing panel is on the road up to Staigue Fort. Looking at Cians pics its unreal how much of the art isnt visible normally.
It is now much easier to access after the river leading to it has been bridged over as part of some drainage works.

Approximately 6 ogham stones have been relocated from Kerry to Adare Manor in Co. Limerick. They are hidden away next to the pet-cemetary within the beautiful grounds of this amazing hotel.
There is normally security on the gate leading into the hotel so if you want to get in to see them at least look a little bit presentable. The manor house itself is fabulous looking and would be worth a trip alone. Seeing these fine ogham stones is a great bonus.

For directions etc to the manor see the following link.
adaremanor.com/

The website has the following info on them

“were “imported” from Kerry by Edwin, the third Earl. Three of them came from the town land of Kilbonane, near Killarney, where two had been found inserted in a farmhouse wall. A group of five are close together.”

This shows up as a henge on www.Archaeology.ie , dont know much else about it except that. On inspecting it looks a lot more like a normal ring-fort. I couldnt see any sign of an internal ditch but in fairness it was very overgrown. Might be worth a look in winter when the grass has died back a bit. It is located about 4 kms north west of Listowel. You can easily park next to a graveyard which is right beside it.

Mullach Inneona was the inauguration site of the kings of An Deise Thuaiscirt from time immemorial until the coming of the Normans. According to legend, Aonghus Nad-fraoich, King of Cashel, granted the territory of Uibh Eoghain and Uibh Fhathaidh (Iffa and Offa E. & W.) to the Deise, as a reward for expelling the Osraige from the area. They gave their name, An Deise Thuaiscirt, to the newly acquired territory. It is related that St. Patrick came to Inneoin to fast against the king, Ledhan, because he had refused to accept baptism from St. Declan. Declan came to Inneoin to meet Patrick. They deposed Ledhan, appointed Feargal MacCormaic in his place, blessed him and proclaimed him chieftan. The Declan and Fergal gave a large area of land to Patrick in which there was a clear fountain, since known as St Patricks Well, which was to belong to Patrick’s successors forever. The last king of An Deisc Thuaiscirt was Maolsheachlainn Faolain. In 1159 he made a grant of land to the Cistercian Monastery of Inis Leamhnachta. With the coming of the Normans in 1160, he gradually lost power and his death in 1205 signalled the end of the Deise Kingdom. Thus ended the reign of Mullach Inneona as an inaugeration site, where for centuries was enacted one of the oldest rituals in Europe, the wedding of the lawful king to the goddess of the place.

When taking a short-cut around Clonmel I spotted this unusual sign. Not sure what it was I read it and called back when it was dryer to view the site. It appears to be a natural mound that was used for the inaugeration of the Deise kings.
What I found interesting was the info boards reference to the “wedding of the lawful king to the goddess of the place” and also the clear views from this area to Sliabh na mBan.

Ended up heading to this low boring mound by accident by mistake thinking it was the more impressive mound of Carn Mhic Tail.

Carleton Jones book on the burren believes that this is a medieval inaugeration site for the O’Connors and O’Loughlins. He says that “Carn Mhic Tail is named after Tailm the ancestor of both Conchobhar and Locklainn, and it was considered the burial place of Tail”. He does go on to say that many medieval inaugeration sites reused ancient burial mounds so as to legitimise their rule.
In this case I would think it would have to be a burial mound of some kind. It is a huge cairn, could be 10-12m high. No idea what diameter.
It is easy enough to get to, it is close to the little village of Kilshanny, dont try to cross the Derreen river to get to it, drive around to the opposite side by the road and it is only about two fields walk from the road in.

This was one of the most amazing barrows I have ever seen. Ive never seen one holding its water in such a tidy and aesthically pleasing way. Looking at the main ring-barrow here it does add to the argument that some barrow/monuments may have used water features to make them more dramatic. I think in this case you will agree it does look pretty impressive.
I presume that the water doesnt stay here year round. This barrow is located alongside a path that can be accessed by driving up the hill to the right coming from the ferry (towards Doonagore tower house). There is a warning sign for dangerous cliffs and this barrow are pretty close to the path/cliffs. You can get a view down to the axe factory from here.

The other two are about 300m farther to the east.

This standing stone is up on a hill beside what i believe is O’Connors pub (cant be sure of that).
As you can see from the picture a bullock was rearing its head behind so I didnt go all the way up to see it.
Carleton Jones book on the burren gives it only as a probable standing stone. His reasoning being that it can be clearly seen from Doolin House, the old MacNamara residence and that it may be a folly. In support of this is the fact that it is not marked on the OS Map as a standing stone. I suppose without excavation it will be impossible to know for sure.

I would never have heard of this except for the book by Carleton Jones “The Burren and the Aran Islands”
He gives a ref from the Journal of the Limerick Field Club 1905 “Flakes, hammer-stones and broken axes were lying about the place in a very instructive way. The axes were probably broken in the process of manufacture and through away as useless” and shows drawings of the artifacts found.
He thinks that it may have been a stone axe quarrying site during the Neolithic and possibly into the early Bronze Age.
He goes on to mention that a beach is a boundary area which the neolithic people may have seen as sacred, the boundary between the sea and the land. This place was doubly so because this sacred area also naturally produced axe heads.

It is easy to find over to the left from the aran islands ferry at doolin and makes a nice walk. The ferry area was a hive of activity but no one seems to walk over here at all. The sea rolled stones would seem to make natural axe heads.

I recently purchased “The Burren and the Aran Islands” by Carleton Jones and had been meaning to have a look at some of the sites around Doolin in West Clare.

Im not that familiar with court tombs but this one looks to be fairly ruined with only half of one of the kerbs of the court remaining. It is interesting though in that as Carleton Jones states in his books on court tombs that they seem to be monuments that are hidden away in the landscape. This court tomb follows this pattern and is reasonably difficult to pick out and doesnt seem to take in any obvious views.
To find it take a cul-de-sac down towards a camp site and stop at the sign for “Beware of Bull”.
There seems to be a good few beefy looking bullocks around so I would be careful what field you stubble into here.
I have give 10 digit GPS ref because it is difficult enough to spot with all the rock here and the bushes.
There seems to be a few large boulders strewn around it and you would wonder whether they had any bearing on its location?

The main cairn on top of Knockma is huge, easily up there in size with Queen Maeves Cairn on Knocknaree.
Its very difficult to see with the trees around it and does call into question how some hill-top cairns would have been visible if foliage began to encroach.
Its also a welcome change from having to climb over ditches and rivers as there is a path all the way up to the cairn. There is a parking area on the north side of the hill and the walk up to it seems to very well used.
Although funnily enough the cairns themselves arent easily viewed from the path. So either you need to go up here when the trees dont have leaves or else bring a GPS.
There are amazing views to the south and west with many interesting mountain ranges.

There is a second smaller cairn which seems to have been modified into a defensive structure.

While taking a spin in the Glen of Aherlow I found a sign to Rock an Tarbh, being curious to what it was I took a walk over and found this odd looking rock feature that looks a little like a bull.
Im not sure if this has any folklore attached to it or how new the name is but it would be interesting to find out whether it has an ancient pedigree.

Kilfinnane Motte is thought to originally date from the early medieval period where it was a seat of the Kings of Munster. To me where it is located suggests it may have a much earlier date and may have been reused a number of times.
The bronze age complex of Cush is only 3 kms away.
The mound itself is 10m high and situated within the town of Kilfinnane. The three ditches around it are an unusual feature.

This is a rather sorry looking standing stone that is marked on the OS Map. However Ive seen many others that arent marked that look more convincing than this one. It is about 500mm high and only a few metres from a ringfort.

I found this possible standing stone when I went back to photograph the stone at Skahard.
This stone is even more impressive and if genunine is a real corker.
Its over 2.5m and from one side looks like a thin slender standing stone and from the other more of a behemoth.
It is situated on a hill near the school of Bohermore just on the outskirts of Limerick City.
Both standing stones in the area are intervisible from a ring-fort as can be viewed in one of the pics.

For some reason this stone is named as a “stone circle”
The 25” 1840s map shows this as a Legaun with no mention of a circle.

I noticed this possible standing stone while trying to find a short-cut into Limerick during the snow back in March.
Not 100% that it is a standing stone but it is a big hunk of rock that is standing. Not too much of this kind of thing in what is prime farm land.
It is about 1.75m high and is behind an old and newly built house.
There are electrical lines running over it and I wonder is the damage to it something to do with that because it seems pretty recent.

Just outside the town of Pallasgreen on the left hand side travelling towards Limerick is this possible standing stone. It is not marked on the local OS map.
The fact that their is a blackthorn bush growing on it would suggest some fairy folklore to the local populace.
It is situated on the low slopes of Cnoc Greine.

This stone is now situated in the town of Birr, next to the Birr Heritage Centre or also known as Johns Hall.

The information board has this to say about it.

Referred to by Geraldus Cambrensis in the 12th Century as ‘Umbilicus Hiberniae’ (“The Navel of Ireland”).
Probably part of a megalithic monument located at Seffin, the exact site of which now unknown.
Reputted by oral tradition to have marked a meeting place of the Fianna. Taken from Birr in 1828 by Thomas Steele to his residence Cullaun House, Co. Clare, to honour Daniel O’Connell and used as a Mass rock at that site.
Returned to Birr Urban Council in June 1974 by the Department of Lands. The stone is a block of limestone of lower carboniferous age around 250 million years old and is of local origin.

This is a great and unusual ‘wedge tomb’. This is the desciption in the inventory but it does cover this by saying “Structure is similar to wedge tomb but large covering mound is not typical of such monuments and could be a secondary feature”.
It was opened in 1838, the cairn was then 6m high. The chamber is aligned E-W and approx 1.7m high. Although the floor is low enough that you can stand up comfortably in it.
The inventory says that the finds found within it arent reliable but include bones.
This tomb isnt far from New Twopothouse. From the OS map the access looks restricted, however this ‘track’ is actually a road into more houses and there is room to park comfortably near the tomb. I spoke to the lady in the house at the entrance to the road / track and she said it was no problem visiting and that they get a lot of people coming to look at the tomb.

This seems to be related to the Moneen complex and is on the other side of the road to it.
I couldnt get a good look at it because there were was a herd of cattle in the field they were in.
It is described as a multiple cist cairn in the inventory. Access to it from the new farmyard / cattle crush and into the field to your left.

This is a very cool looking mushroom like cist. It looks almost dolmen like and about 0.6m high.
According to the Archaeological Inventory there is local tradition of this being used as a mass-rock.

You can easily see this from the field next to the Moneen cairn.

It was one of the those times when you wanted someone else to be with you so they could take a picture of you on what looks like a like fairy mushroom.

This site was excavated by O’Kelly in 1948 and was originally dated as Neolithic. However it has recently been reclassified as from the Beaker period. Radiocarbon dating from the primary inhumation in central cist of (2260-2140 cal. BC) and from charcol found beneath the ‘old turf’ layer (2560-2390 cal. BC).
There are three phases suggested, first the ring barrow was constructed, then the mutiple cist cairn was placed on this barrow and then the food vessel burial and urn burial outside of the fosse.
I parked at a new farmyard gate a little up from the site on the opposite side of the road. No direct access into the field it is situated in (which is directly adjacent to road). There is a gate in the field next to it and used this to work way around to the cairn which is hidden in the corner of the field.
There is also an unusal stone in the southern corner which hasnt been mentioned before that looks like it has been smoothed out somehow.

This site is marked as a holy well on the map and the reason for me visiting is because this link doonbleisce.com/ancient_and_holy_wells.htm mentions a bullaun stone at the spot.
The stream nearby was very flooded when I visited and so there was no sign of a well or a bullaun stone. However there was this standing stone within what looks like an enclosure.
I will drop back this way when the waters have retreated to make sure there is no bullaun stone but from from inspection I couldnt find one.

Not marked on the OS map but is described in the Tipperary Historical Journal of 2006.
The stone is about 1.2m high and its most interesting feature is the line of quartz on one side (and half ways round one other side) that gives it a phallic look.
It is located less than a 1km outside of Cashel Town.

This is called up on the OS Map as a “Burial Mound” and also on Archaeology.ie.

It is in about 3 fields from the road in fields that often have horses in them.
The mound itself is quiet large, maybe 3 metres high but is covered in scrub so it is difficult to figure out its true shape.
There is a river shown on the map beside it but it seems to have been blocked at some point because it is no longer flowing.

A mound marked to the east of Cashel near Manserghshill where there are the remains of a fine castle.
Called up in archaeology.ie as a Burial Mound. The remains themselves arent much to look at, with no real discernible form within a thicket of scrub.
Picture quality is poor as the sun was low on the day I took the photos. There is an unmarked lane down past it from the road in the off chance that anyone would like to view this sometime. Personally I wouldnt recommend it.

This mound is marked as a barrow on the OS map and is included in Archaeology.ie as a “burial mound”.
It isnt very impressive maybe only 100mm high under all the scrub that is has grown up on it.

There is an interesing part of Irelands history located next door to it. The “Warhouse Famine Memorial”.
It doesnt open during the winter months. I cant see it being too busy anyway.

ballingarry.net/warhouse/guide.html

This standing stone isnt marked on the OS map. It is about 1.2 m high and is located to the east of the town of Killenaule in Tipp.
There is a holy well to the east in the same townland which I didnt investigate at the time.

This mound is located in a lovely little village just outside of Cashel.
It is an interesting place, there are the remains of two castles, a church dedicated to St John the Baptist and a very defensive looking Motte to the north of this site all in the vicinity.
When I travelled to Ardmayle after reading the Waterford Arch journal (which mentions there is a possible passage tomb at Ardmayle) I assumed it was the motte marked to the north that would be the burial mound. So I passed this mound thinking that it looks very interesting.
However after seeing the motte it was pretty obvious that it wasnt a reused mound. So I went back to investigate the first mound I had seen.
The mound itself seemed to be much tampered with, a wall has been built into with a stone arch feature at one side (north-east?).
It is classified as a burial mound according to archaeology.ie.

I was surprised that this bullaun still existed. It is in the third field in from the road. This field is very boggy/marshy and even during a spell of dry weather was still very wet.
The bullaun is lower than the level of the rushes in the field so I would say in summer when they are probably higher it would be even harder to find. It is situated (when looking north) in the middle and left quadrant of the field.
To the north of the stone is an unusual looking double mound with a stream running through it (It may be natural Im not sure).
The bullaun itself has two cups, one that holds water and the other doesnt / broken.

If you read the link about the site, it is a very interesting multi phase site. The cairn being bronze age, the hill-fort Iron Age and being reused as a site for votice offering in the late Iron Age.
Its a pleasant walk although Im not sure about access. There doesnt seem to be any public paths or access. I walked up the hill from the north side of the hill near where a holy-well is marked on the map. This follows the natural contours of the hill. There were a few horses on the hill so keep so be aware of this.
The remains of the cairn on top of the hill are very low with most of it removed. However what is left looks almost like what you would imagine the plan of the cairn to be.
The ditch around the cairn is a later Iron Age enclosure. The hill-fort enclosure is much larger.
The link mentions that this may have been an area of dispute between two fiefdoms in early christain times and that ogham inscriptions on the churches at Clara and Gowran attest to this.

This is a fairly unique stone as far as I know, it contains both ogham and runic writing.
Although it is a bit recent in terms of megalithic interest I still think it is a very interesting stone.
Seemingly it was discovered in 1916 within the grounds of Killaloe Catheral.
The inscription in Scandanavian runic reads “Thorgrimr carved this cross” and in Ogham “A blessing on Thorgrimr”.
It is now located with in the Protestant Catheral in the town along with a few other great Medieval artifacts.
A high cross, a romanesque door way and a beautiful holy water font.
Im not sure of the opening times of the Catherdal but I would think the best time to find it open is on sundays before and after service which is on at 11.30am.

This stone circle is meant to right beside the road.
I couldnt see anything with the furze etc.
Just did a search of the web and megalithic.co.uk has it as a destroyed stone circle.
Mentioning that a farmer in the area told the contributor this.
All that I could find (same as megalithic.co.uk) was a large stone lying horizontally.

Was passing this way on a cold day on the way to Glantane East. It looked like an easy one to photo as it is right beside the road.
Didnt spend much time on it as I presumed it had been put on the net before.
Not much to say about it really, I noticed only 3 stones remaining in a semi-circular pattern.
None of them above 300mm high.
Nice views to the south, the north was obscured by a rising hill behind it.

Described in the North Cork Inventory as below

Cupmarked stone: In S side of ringfort. Flat slab embedded in ground with 3 cupmarks (diam. c. 0.05m) on surface. Four additional shall depression may be natural. May be same as stone (H 6ft; Girth 3ft) recorded by Broker (1937, 32) in recumbent position, 6 feet out from fort.

Tried to find this stone, found the ringfort it was meant to be in but a combination of a low sun with poor visibility and the ringfort being used to store cattle meant I couldnt find it.
Said Id post just to at least say that the ring-fort is still there, however the stone doesnt jump out at you.

The North Cork Archaeological Inventory gives the following description.

Cupmarked standing stone: Not shown on 1842 and 1904 OS maps. In level pasture, overlooking Blackwater valley to W. Stone (H 1.63m: 1.48m x 0.87m) is subrectangular in plan, long axis N-S. About 15 cupmarks on W face (average diam. 0.07mm)

The standing stone is just to the rear of a farm-building. Best to mark in the village of Knocknagree (Cnoc na Graí) (Hill of the Sun?) and walk down. It can be spotted over the ditch after an old lane just past the farm-house.
Cup-marks aren’t that deep really and if I hadn’t read they were there would not have noticed them as being such.

This holy well and bullaun stone is located just south of Loughrea and can be accessed from the side of the road.
It is dedicated to St. Dympna and its waters can be used to help with nervous disorders etc.

The bullaun stone is about 400mm long by about 200mm high. The cup itself is maybe 200mm in diameter.

This would be a nice site to take in on a journey to Galway. It is just south of the town of Loughrea and there seems to be public access to the site.
It seems to be a cross between a barrow or mound and a stone circle.

Tricky to see some of the remains at ground level but Westropp gives what I think sounds like a bit of a far fetched account of Clogher Hill and its surrounding assembly area / barrow cemetery.
There are barrows marked on the OS map however they are not that large and would require a complete fieldwalk of the area to record them all.
Here is Westropps account of the Clogher Hill assembly area below, it is very confusing.

Oenach Culi Mna Nechtain or Clochair – The traveller who passes from Dublin to Cork, if he watches the beautiful changing views of the great Galtees and the Ballyhoura mountains in southern County Limerick, can also see two salient points of the the legendary battlefield of the High King, Cormac Mac Airt, and Fiacha Muillethan, King of Thomond. The long ridge, with the rugged peel tower of the O’Hurleys, near Knocklong Station and the great beech-clad mound of Aghadoon, on a slope beside the Morning Star River, the ancient Saimer, once an imposing river, now a small and shrunken stream. The ridge is the “Druim Damhgaire” (oxen ridge) and the mote the “Raithin an Imaraigh” where the opposing druids fought, with all the “high explosives of up-to-date magic”.

Driving from Knocklong, not by the direct road, to the south east but by the road south of the ridge to the “Cross of the Tree” we pass, on the edge of a plateau, a little green tumulus, called Clogherbeg Mote. The name, with that of Clogher Hill, is all that the chief cemetery and assembly of the Dergthene, the tribe sprung from “Nia Segamain of the Siabra” or god race, from the great gods Lug Long Hand and Nuada Silver Hand, afterwards froming the branch (so famous in Irish history) of the Eoghanacht of Cashel and the Dal Cais, the tribes ruled by Brian Boroimhe.

May I be so far personal as to take my own case as an illustration of the merits of field survey? I was absolutely in ignorance when I recorded the remains at Slieveragh and Clogherbeg that I had at last found the Temair Erann, and was about to identify independently Oenach Culi. Mr P.J. Lynch had placed the latter correctly at Clogherbeg, but only on literary grounds, for he gave no note of the remains, and I had not recalled his brief paragraph. I unfortunately held (with O’Donovan, like Mr Orpen and Father Hogan) that Oenach Culi was at Monasteranenagh. The remains clearly marked a spot of the first importance; if so, what was this Clogher Hill and Clogherbeg? The ridge of Knockainey lies away to the north, the blue Galtees and purple Slievereagh to the south, in full view of Clogher Hill. The Mesca Ulad tells how Cu Chulaind, after he had gone up Knockainey to look round and identify the landmarks, led the Ulstermen southward, toward Cenn Febrat, coming to the Oenach Sen Clochair. The Agallamh tells how St Patrick coming from Cullen to Ardpatrick “skirted the Oenach of Nechtan’s wife Cuil, not called the heifer-carrying Oenach Sen Clochair, past Cenn Febrat of Sliabh Caoin. These two lines as described cross each other at Clogherbeg. The charter of Prince John to Monasteranenagh Abbey, in about 1186, places Enaculi at Corbali, and the townland of Corbally adjoins the townlands in which the earthworks remain. Few ancient sites are better
identified.

Now the Senchas na Relec tells us in its account of “the chief cemeteries of Erin before the Faith” that Temair Erann was where “the Clann Deda – ie the race of Conaire and the Ernai (buried), at Temair Erann; the men of Mumhan i.e, the Derghene at Oenach Chuli and Oenach Colmain”. Every outstanding name of note (hero or heroine, save Curoi, who was buried on Slieve Mish) appears in the list of graves on Cenn Febrat in MacCraith’s poem (circa A.D. 900-1014). The question arises what princes of the Dergthene lay at Oenach Culi?

Legends give the following as buried elsewhere – Mog Neid, in a sod grave on Magh Tualaing in Ely O’Carroll, King’s County, Eogan Mog Nuadat and his brother in law under two tumulit at Oeanach Colmain Elo (wherever it tlay) perhaps near Tullamore, in the same county, near Magh Leana. Oilioll Aulom was buried on the summit of Claire (on Slievereagh, probably in the curved wall, above his fort of Dun Claire), his seven sons near Magh Mucrimhe and Cormac Cass, in Duntryileague. Then we have no further account, so perhaps Oenach Culi was founded, or adopted, about A.D. 250 by Fiacha Muillethan. There, possibly, the Dal Cais princes, Mog Corb, Fer Corb, Aengus Tireach, Lugaid Meann, and Connel Eachluath, are laid, but there is not even legend. It has been asserted on the cited authority of the Dind Senchas that Lugaid was buried under a cairn a Ludden, further north, but (when we verify the statement) he made the cairn there to keep a tally of his men before his invasion of the present County Clare. His ordinary residence is there said to have been on Magh Femen.

Turning down from the “Cross of the Tree” towards Ballylanders to Galbally, we cross a stream and find a number of curious earthworks to the west of the road in the townland of Raheenamadra, on to the border of Mitchellstown-Down, Raheenamaddra, is a platform fort, a low mote, such as abound in this district; we have, at least fifteen, Rathbane or Bulgadin, Ligadoon, Aghadoon, Atheneasy, four in Knocklong, three in Cushand Ballinvreena at the foot of Slievereagh, Glenbrochain or Ballingarry Down; Rahanna and Raheenamaddra; “the dog’s little fort.“. Their number precludes the idea that they are inauguration mounds, or feudal castles, and scattered across such an extent they clearly belong to no one cemetery, they are most probably residential, and Glenbroghaun Mote, at the foot of Sliab Claire is more than probably the Rath of Broccan near Claire in the Tripartite Life.

In the first field on the S. E. plateau we find a long hollow, running N. and S., probably the boundary of the Oenach, the track of an old road runs E. and W. beside a low platform, hardly a yard high, with a shallow fosse, 6 feet to 9 feet wide, round it. The eastern angles are rounded, and it measures about 63 feet by 93 feet.
Another double track runs to two shallow hollows, evidently like the ponds at Tailltiu, a low mound stands between them. Another hollow way runs from them at right angles and toward the S.W. We cross the valley and stream in that direction, and climb the farther slope to the summit of the S.W. plateau called Knockaunataffiff, “the Bull’s mount” which commands a beautiful view of the mountain. It is quite possible that it is a casual name, like “Stagpark” and “Bullpark” elsewhere, but when we consider the it is the principal height of this great Oenach, and the connection of supernatural animals with such sites, the name is worth reflection. The “Prison of (the holy horse) Liath Macha” remained in the Brugh and the fort of it and its companion steed, Dub Sainglenn at Raith na h echraide, lay between Dundalk and the sea. There was a horse oracle at Dunbin, W. from Dundalk, and weird creatures, the Luchduin, perhaps a giant fox, wolf, or even mouse the many-legged carapaced Mata and not a few others as we noted.

We passed a terrace, possibly natural, and find on the summit twin tumuli suggesting “the two breasts of the Morrigu” at Brugh – is it too daring to fancy these may have been called “the two breasts of Cuil, Nechtan’s wife”? Being on a slope, they are from 10 feet to 13 feet higt to the eastm and 5 feet to 6 feet high to the west. A fence has been made between them, and the northern is in the long “screen” or plantation on the border of Mitchellstown Down. The southern mound is best preserved, a very shallow fosse delimits its base, and it rises in three stages, 5 feet, 5 feet, and 3 feet, in all 13 feet high, to the S., 10 feet to the N. end. The whole work is about 90 feet long, the summits were flat, 13 feet and 15 feet across. These command a view northward to Clogherbeg Mote. To the S.E, near the summit of the rise, is a small platform, 5 feet high, 6 feet across, with a fosse 12 feet wide, and a trace of an outer ring to the S.E. The long slope northward forms a natural amphitheatre commanding a view of any ceremonies performed at the conjoined mounds. A large shallow pond liews at the foot whence traces of two old roads run eastward. The conjoined mounds are very characteristic. They are 4 feet to 5 1/2 fett high, somewhat D-shaped, about 61 feet by 30 feet, and 78 feet by 81 feet, the first dimension being east and west. The western was walled with a drystone revetment of large slabs. It is not improbable that the mounds were dedicated to Nechtan and Cuil. The fosse is nearly obliterated in many parts; it is 9 feet wide, and had an outer ring, 6 feet thick, to the south of which the old road runs. About 200 feet awat is another circular platform of the same height, about 81 feet to 88 feet across, with a fosse. At 56 feet to the S.W. is a regular shallow, oval hollow, 3 feet feep and 18 feet to 25 feet across. Near it is a great block of stone, 3 feet 8 inches by 3 feet by 3 feet 6 inches. Another nearly buried block is to the N.E of the conjoined works.

Ogham Stone

This Ogham Stone was seemingly found on Knockfierna in 1837.
homepage.eircom.net/~asduchasdochas/homeweb2/map/info/knockfierna.html
Im not sure how it found its way to Ballingarry house.
The stone is in a paddock just to the left of a newer bungalow house.
The day I viewed there was no one to ask permission of. However i would recommend asking because access its obtained via the main drive into the house.

The stone itself has an unusual texture on one side. Its is about 1.75 metres tall.

The is mention of it in
Westropp, T.J. 1907. The “Knockfierna” ogham stone, County Limerick. J. Roy. Soc. Antiq. Ireland 37, 242–245.

I have not read this article, if anyone has could they please let me know what it says.

This is a conjoined Rath or ringfort. Unusually there is a stream running through the middle of the two ringforts.
To the east are the remains of a cairn with a cist.

RSAI 1919 – The Ancient Places of Assembly in the Counties Limerick and Clare

“The conjoined rings of Baunteen, with a cairn near them, lying below the great “Harps” formed by coombs and parallel watercourses on the flanks of the Galtees, the ancient Crotta Cliach, may be connected with the divine harper, Cliu, who played on two harps and gave the mountain its name. The cairn had a cist.”

The OS map clearly shows a cairn at this site.
However there is no sign of remains of it at ground level. Westropp below states that the cairn had a cist in it.

To the west is a conjoined Rath or ringfort. Unusually there is a stream running through the middle of the two ringforts.

RSAI 1919 – The Ancient Places of Assembly in the Counties Limerick and Clare

“The conjoined rings of Baunteen, with a cairn near them, lying below the great “Harps” formed by coombs and parallel watercourses on the flanks of the Galtees, the ancient Crotta Cliach, may be connected with the divine harper, Cliu, who played on two harps and gave the mountain its name. The cairn had a cist.”