Craigs Upper : Standing Stone

A stone (usually erect) with Ogham script carved on it. They are usually monuments dating from the Iron Age with the inscription being a dedication to somebody, probably a memorial. They often simply state a persons name and pedigree in the form of Fred Son Of Roger Son Of Herbert.

Quite often these are re-used Bronze Age (or earlier) standing stones. As they are often associated with ecclesiastical sites and that the writing seems to be dated from the period starting around 300 CE, many think that it was in fact brought to Ireland by the first Christian missionaries, while other still refer to it as the writing of Druids.

Standing stones, also called menhirs or monoliths, are the most simple of megalithic monuments. They are exactly what they say, a stone that stands with one end set into the ground. Being simple in form does not make them simple to understand, for they have served several purposes over time. Some were placed to mark burials, others were probably erected to mark boundaries or travel routes, the purpose of others is uncertain, but it may well have been ritual.

Standing stones can vary enormously in size from a under 1m tall to over 4m. Some have been purposely shaped (see Stone Of Destiny (County Meath)) and some must have been chosen purely for their shape (see Ballyvatheen (County Kilkenny)). Most standing stones are dated to be from the Bronze Age, but some are clearly older, especially those associated with passage tombs such as at Knowth (County Meath) and Loughcrew - Corstown (County Meath).

Others have been re-used in later times (see Kilnasaggart (County Armagh) and Breastagh (County Mayo)), perhaps to try and capture some of the powers of the old gods or to legitamise a claim to land.