Turoe Stone
The Turoe stone is a granite stone decorated in a Celtic style located in the village of Bullaun, County Galway, Ireland, 6 km north of Loughrea off the R350 regional road.[1] The stone is now positioned on the lawn in front of Turoe House, set in a concrete base and metal cattle grill.[2]
Features
The top half of the stone is covered with a continuous abstract La Tène style design similar to that on the Castlestrange stone in County Roscommon.[1] Concentric spirals are carved in low relief to the depth of about 3 cm. Some claim that the carvings on the stone, were they spread out on a flat surface, would equate to a primitive globe map.[citation needed] Alternatively it is seen as a phallus, the band below the glans representing the rolled foreskin, and the spirals possibly semen.[3] The stone is 3 ft tall and somewhat phallic in shape.
History
It was for centuries a curiosity at a lios, or fairy fort, some 3 km from Bullaun, but was moved to the present location at Turoe Farm, in the late 19th century. It was probably saved from vandalism or worse, but the historic provenance has been destroyed. Many historians believe that the stone was carved in France, brought to Ireland in Celtic times and ultimately, like some family heirloom, moved further west, far from the prying eyes of the invaders.[citation needed] The religious or ceremonial purposes of the stone are lost in time.
George Coffey, in his 1904 paper for the Royal Irish Academy on the subject of La Tène art, said that the stone had been moved in the 1850s from the rath of Feerwore site.[2]
In 2007, a proposal to remove the Turoe Stone from its location near Loughrea due to concerns that the stone is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the elements, met fierce local opposition.[4] Karl Nolan
Excavations
The stone was originally outside the rath of Feerwore, in Bullaun townland. Excavation yielded much material suggesting that an open site dating to the late centuries BC had been later enclosed.[1][3]
See also
The Castlestrange stone near Athleague, County Roscommon.
References
- ^ a b c Weir, A (1980). Early Ireland. A Field Guide. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. p. 151.
- ^ a b "Turoe Stone, County Galway". Mythical Ireland. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ a b "Turoe, County Galway: phallic stone". Irish Megaliths. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ "Loughrea opposes Turoe Stone move". Galway Independent (17 October 2007). Retrieved 2008-06-14.
External links
- Megalith Ireland - Photographs and sketch of design on Turoe Stone
- Ancient Ireland - Photographs of the Turoe Stone