It wasn't until I was about to head home that I looked into the Louth Survey and the OS map and saw that I'd driven right past where this stone was found. I couldn't resist driving back and seeing if it was still around, so I drove back.
After knocking at the farmhouse door and getting no answer I started walking back towards the car and saw the stone just yards from where I was. I couldn't resist taking some photos anyway. It now lies under a large pine tree close to a wall. It is lying down so that the carved face is sloping inwards, thus protecting it from the elements, but making it difficult to see properly.
The uneven lump of rock was found buried a few inches below the surface. The carved face appears to be the only flat surface, which would seem to indicate that it was part of a larger outcrop. I wonder if anyone looked for other pieces.
There are two well-preserved motifs, which are rather unusual. They are both cup-and-ring devices with multiple rings, but they each have a pair of lines across their diameter and 90 degres. Are these an original part of the design or were they added to destroy the pagan symbols by whoever buried the rock?
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
Meendoran (Co. Donegal) | Kealduff Upper (Co. Kerry) | Ballinkillin (Co. Carlow) |
Drummin III (Co. Wicklow) | Burren (Co. Cavan) | Loughcrew (Co. Meath) |