Kilnaruane Pillar Stone

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Kilnaruane Pillar Stone
Native name
Irish: Cill na Rómhán
Bantry Pillar Stone, St. Brendan's Stone
Kilnaruane Shaft NW Face 2009 09 11.jpg
View of northwest face
Type high cross remnant
LocationKilnaruane, Bantry,
County Cork, Ireland
Coordinates 51°40′17″N9°28′05″W / 51.671382°N 9.468068°W / 51.671382; -9.468068 Coordinates: 51°40′17″N9°28′05″W / 51.671382°N 9.468068°W / 51.671382; -9.468068
Height2.13 m (7 ft)
Built8th century AD
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Kilnaruane Pillar Stone in Ireland
Official nameKilnaruane/Bantry Pillar Stone
Reference no.436 [1]

The Kilnaruane Pillar Stone is a carved monolith and National Monument located in County Cork, Ireland. [2]

Contents

Location

Kilnaruane Pillar Stone is located about 1.6 km (1 mile) southwest of Bantry, atop a drumlin, in a square enclosure in a field. [3]

History

A monastery may have been founded here by Brendan in the 6th century AD. [4]

The pillar was erected in the 8th or 9th century AD. The name may refer to "Church of the Romans", and a community which accepted the Roman dating of Easter, a major controversy in the early Middle Ages. [5] [6]

The monastic settlement on the site may have been destroyed by a Viking attack. [7]

Description

The stone is a thin schist pillar 2.1 m tall. [8]

On the northeast face:

Skin-boat carved on the SW face. Kilnaruane Pillar Stone SE3 Drawing.svg
Skin-boat carved on the SW face.

On the southwest face

Mortises on either side of the pillar were probably for attaching arms of the cross. [10] Nearby are stone fragments, possibly a bullaun or the arms of the high cross. [11] [12]

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References

  1. "National Monuments of County Cork in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. Day, Catharina (1 January 2007). Southwest Ireland. New Holland Publishers. ISBN   9781860113628.
  3. Johnstone, Paul (12 November 2013). The Sea-Craft of Prehistory. Routledge. ISBN   9781317762225.
  4. The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map. "St Brendan's Stone (Kilnaruane)". megalithic.co.uk.
  5. "The Kilnaruane Pillar Stone, Bantry, Ireland - BMD Notices".
  6. "Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society". The Society. 1 January 1978 via Google Books.
  7. "Kilnaruane Stone - Museums and attractions - Bantry". ireland.com.
  8. "Some Spared Stones of Ireland". irishmegaliths.org.uk.
  9. McLaughlin, Barney. "Cork Cross - Irish High Crosses". irishhighcrosses.com.
  10. McNally, Kenneth (2006). Ireland's Ancient Stones - A Megalithic Heritage. Appleby Press. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  11. "Kilnaruane stone - Sheep's Head Places". sheepsheadplaces.net.
  12. "Kilnaruane Carved Pillar". irishantiquities.bravehost.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.