Circles, swastikas & labyrinths: enigmas on the Iveragh

The first well expedition of the year set off at a cracking pace as we, in the company of the Roaringwaters, set off for the Iveragh Peninsula in Kerry, rock art and holy wells on our minds. After a damp, mild and very wet Christmas the second week in January was cold, crisp and sunny – we decided to chance a spot of fieldwork and how lucky we were for the conditions were ideal if perishing!

Derrynablaha

Our first destination was Derrynablaha, a truly wild and remote area near the Ballaghbeam Gap, choc a bloc with astonishing rock art. Fortunately we were in the company of an expert for Finola had recorded all known rock art in this area, and others, as part of her Masters – a few years ago it is true but her thesis remains one of the leading pieces of research on this enigmatic and mysterious subject.

We parked at the dilapidated but scenic ruins of the only remaining farmstead in the valley. It was still inhabited when Finola first visited.

Now sheep wander unhindered.

We climbed up onto the mountain. The going was challenging – the bog crisp in the frost, the footings treacherous and the slopes aerobic! We oohed and aahed at solitary cup marks, admired single concentric circles and …

… nearly missed the truly fabulous earthfast rock literally covered with motifs.

Other marvels included this wonderful chunky rock covered in fat concentric circles.

All examples we found seemed to be gazing down the valley but what they meant or why they were fashioned remains a mystery. They date from the Bronze Age, around 4000 years old. Staggering. Finola’s account of the day can be read here.

Shronahiree Bullaun Stone & Shrine

We dined on cheese and biscuits in Shronahiree More graveyard – admiring the large bullaun stone full of rusting votive coins.

I imagine it regularly fills with water and suggest it might be regarded as a holy well/font in its own right. The bullaun rests on the slight remains of an ancient church, its walls now a shrine full of little figurines and offerings.

Some cross slabs and a strange collection of broken bottles completed what felt like an ancient place still much revered, surrounded by an essentially modern graveyard. The mighty Carrauntoohil (seen in the distance with a smattering of snow) seemed to gaze down at us wherever we were.

Ecclesiastical settlement, Pillar Stones & Cilleen

We continued onwards towards Cloon West in search of a cilleen, (burial place for the unbaptised) pillar stones and a holy well dedicated to St Colman. The countryside remained incredibly wild and scenic as we bounced along the pot-holed road skirting Cloon Lake.

We were welcomed by the landowners at Cloon West and directed towards the cilleen, warned at how wet and potentially inaccessible everywhere was. We walked up the boreen, turned right at the second gate as instructed and gazed down on an expanse of bog below us. There’s nothing there, remarked Himself. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean its not there, I replied. I had in fact seen something promising – two seemingly random trees amongst amongst the flat squelchiness. You have to look hard to see them!

And I was proved right. Nestling amongst the spongy sphagnum moss and bog myrtle lay a wonderful secret enclosure, announced by a rusty Fogra sign. We ventured in and found a leacht ( a rectangular cairn probably marking a burial), a large bullaun stone and two pillar stones, much smaller than I was expecting from their descriptions in the Archaeological Survey for South Kerry.

The leacht was a typical mound of large white stones, mysterious and timeless – note one of the pillar stones to the left and the other is hidden in the rushes top right under the tree.

The bullaun lay nearby and was covered by a hefty stone (also seen top right in the above image).

Himself lifted it up (apologies for the wellies) to reveal a smooth basin containing two battery operated candles. Another bullaun is reported as being on the leacht but we couldn’t find it.

The stars of the show were what are described as cross-inscribed pillar stones, both less than a metre tall and liberally covered in motifs including swastikas, crosses and what look like labyrinths but seem to be technically known as a fret patterns – exceptionally hard to examine and photograph in the bright enclosed space. The Archaeological Survey of South Kerry fortunately describes both stones and provides drawings. Pillar stone 1(a) contains carvings described as:

… an equal-armed cross contained within a circular fret pattern that is formed with interlocking T-shapes, This roundel surmounts a single-line shaft which rises from a square base enclosing a large swastika. Beneath this is a tetraskelion in a curvilinear frame. The opposite face bears a Latin cross. … beneath this is a large tetraskelion.

The Iveragh Peninsula, An Archaeological Survey of South Kerry

A swastika is an ancient symbol, probably derived from Sanskrit, denoting good health and can be found at many ancient sites, including Troy. A tetraskelion is another four-armed motif, in this example with curved arms.

Pillar stone 2 (b) contains carvings described as follows:

…The greater portion of one face is occupied by a single Latin cross with expanded terminals. This surmounts an outline roundel that contains a fret pattern formed with interlocking T-shapes. At the centre of the design is a small ringed depression. Above the cross is a debased triquetra-knot. On the opposite face is a simple Latin linear cross …

The Iveragh Peninsula, An Archaeological Survey of South Kerry

It appears that Pillar stone 1 (a) is not all it seems. By the 1940s it had been broken into at least five pieces and in the 1960s was removed by the OPW. This convincing replica was positioned in here in 1989, also by the OPW.

Pillar stone 2 was also removed from its original position in 1989 and placed closer to the leacht.

Having just sorted that out (I hope) an intriguing entry in the Irish Tourist Association Topological & General Survey collected in 1942 provides more food for thought and gives priority to Pillar Stone 1, referring to it as The Cloon Stone:

The Cloon Stone

What is regarded by antiquaries as the most important and interesting discovery in the county is the Cloon Stone, which lies about 3/4 mile beyond the SE corner of Cloon Lake, on the land of Mr John Coffey, Cloon. It is reached by the path running along the S shore of the lake , passing by Coffey’s house and taking 3 fields to the S and then traversing 100 yards of bog to the SE. The Stone is about midway between two trees and on a spot which seems to have been a crannog, which is small and circular being 88ft in diameter.

Some time ago the Stone was broken into pieces, five of which remain and are gathered about two fine Bullauns, which were no doubt used as fonts. The stone is a thin slab of grit, about 3” thick. One piece is 1 1/2 ‘ tall, another is 2′ and the other three about 1 1/2’. One of the later pieces has a very plain SWASTIKA CROSS carved upon it, and there are less clear SWASTIKA CROSSES carved on three other pieces. There is also a plain cross carved on one piece, and some markings on the edges of two pieces.

The crosses are assigned to the later half of the 9th century, or the early part of the 10th century, and the stone is the only one in the county with this marking on …

The explanation advanced for the placing of the Stone here is the desire by the early Christians in the country to Christianise all places and objects of pagan superstition and, in this case, the Stone and the Bullauns are regarded as the Christianising symbols for the fairy ring supposed to have been here.

Strangely enough the Stone is not in the charge of the Office of Public Works, and it may be seen at any time, free of charge. There is no right of way over Mr Coffey’s lands but visitors are welcomed.

Irish Tourism Association Topographical & General Survey (ITA) for County Kerry. To be found in the entry for Glenbeigh.

Marvellously, some photographs were taken at the same time as the ITA and still survive. This one shows the broken state of pillar stone 1.

Another very attractive photo shows a young man holding up one fragment of the pillar stone 1 which seems to be upside down.

The ITA survey extract and photos present a bit of a conundrum. Only one stone is referred to and it seems odd that the second pillar stone, equally ornate, was not mentioned. The size of the fragments also look large compared with what remains today. If anyone has any extra information I would be pleased to receive it.

Some other points of interest in the ITA survey include the reference to the original site as being possible crannog – a house built on an artificial island in a lake. It seems to be a long way from the lake edge so not very likely. The description of a fairy ring is also intriguing but I can find nothing else about this. Described as a circular enclosure in the Archaeological Inventory the site had continued use as a cilleen, or burial place for the unbaptised, demonstrating its continued importance and relevance.

An otherworldly sort of place. We stood a while and pondered.

St Colman’s Well, Tober Colmáin, Tobercolman, Cloon West

The holy well, surely associated with the site, lay about 600m away up the mountain and was exceptionally hard to access, the terrain seriously rough and boggy. I followed the GPS and it led me, struggling, to this spot.

A spring gushed flamboyantly out of the already sodden land – was this St Colman’s Well? I could not be sure but it was as close as I was getting. Local folklore tells of a pink fish appearing at the well but little else seems to be know about it. The stream flowed exuberantly down towards a small river.

As we went back down towards the farm, one of the farmers appeared and we asked him about the well. He reckoned no one had been up there for many years but could remember when a few pilgrimages were made by hardy folk up onto the mountain. We walked down the steep boreen, marvelling at it all.

The location of the wells, pillar stones and bullauns can be found in the Gazetteer.

With thanks to Peter Clarke for his photographs and to the National Library of Ireland for permission to use photos from the National Photographic Collection.