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Mayo - 39
Murrisk Demesne

Site/Artefact Standing Stone Type Stone Row Alignment Site Number SMR Mayo 087 00056 National Grid Reference 091820 East 282450 North Map ( 1:50000) Ordnance Survey Ireland, Discovery Series No 31 List of Sites and Artefacts Click Here Interactive Map Click Here

Description
Standing stones are among the most numerous of the monuments in the area of Croagh Patrick. Generally considered to date from as early as the Bronze Age it is not known when the practice of erecting stones discontinued. Standing stones have a suggested wide range of functions such as burial markers, ritual or ceremonial function, astronomical significance, as in stone rows or alignments, or used as ancient boundary markers. Any or all of these might well be the reason why people erected such monuments.

In the early Historic period standing stones were used in some of the rites associated with the inauguration of a king. They were looked upon as phallic symbols and the king who was a quasi-divine underwent a symbolic mating with an earth goddess in order that the land would be fertile.

Near the N base of Croagh Patrick close to the shore of Clew Bay there is a three stone row alignment. The stone row is aligned ENE-WSW. The particular stone (56) that is featured here is the most easterly positioned of the three. It stands 1.35m in height and is 0.28m thick with a width at the base of 0.7m expanding to 1.5m further up.

Excavation Details
N/A

Access/Ownership
Private

References

• Morahan, L. 2001, Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, archaeology, landscape and people, Westport

Check out the following sections of the website for related information:

• Kiladangan

Mayo Sites and Artefacts

1. Mayo Abbey 2. Balla 3. Ballintubber Abbey 4. Tóchar Phadraig 5. Aghagower 6. Lankhill 7. Boheh 8. Croagh Patrick Summit 9. Carrownalurgan 10. Ardoley 11. Kiladangan 12. Glaspatrick 13. Shrawee 14. Clare Island - Strake 15. Clare Island - Lecarrow 16. Caher Island 17. Durless

18. Carrowmore 19. Knappaghmanagh 20. Cushalogurt 21. Carrowkeel Ecclesiastical Remains 22. Thornhill 23. Carrowkeel Murrisk 24. Carrowkeel Cahernaran 25. Carrowmacloughlin Cairn-1 26. Carrowmacloughlin Cairn-2 27. Carrowmacloughlin Cairn-3 28. Carrowmacloughlin/ Glencally/ Teevenacroaghy 29. Carrowmacloughlin Sweathouses 30. Glaspatrick Holy Well

31. Glaspatrick Rath-1 32. Glaspatrick Early Ecclesiastical Remains 33. Glaspatrick Ringfort 34. Glaspatrick Rath-2 35. Glaspatrick Ecclesiatical Remains 36. Glaspatrick Altar 38. Glaspatrick Graveyard 39. Murrisk Demesne Standing Stone-1 40. Murrisk Demesne Standing Stone-2 41. Murrisk Demesne Standing Stone-3 42. Teevenacroaghy

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