Killycluggin Stone facts for kids
The Killycluggin Stone is a decorated stone, found near the town of Killycluggin, County Cavan, in Ireland. Roughly cone-shaped and covered in Iron Age La Tène designs, it was discovered broken in several pieces, partly buried close to a Bronze Age stone circle, inside which it probably once stood. The stone is now housed in the Cavan County Museum, while an imperfect replica stands near the road about 300 metres from the original site.
Although now much damaged, the stone can be reconstructed from the different surviving pieces. It was at least 6 feet high. At the base of the stone there were four rectangular adjoining panels measuring 90 cm each in width giving a circumference of 3 m 60 cm when it was first carved. The height of each panel was about 75 cm.
Find site and associations
The stone was found in 1921 at Killycluggin, County Cavan. The site has several associations with St. Patrick. Nearby is Tobar Padraig (St. Patrick's Well), and Kilnavert Church, which is said to have been founded by Patrick. The current town of Kilnavert was originally called Fossa Slécht or Rath Slécht, from which the wider area called Magh Slécht was named.
The 14th century Book of McGovern, written in Magh Slécht, contains a poem which states that Crom was situated at Kilnavert beside the road and that the local women used to tremble in fear as they passed by. There is still a local tradition in the area that the Killycluggin stone is the Crom stone.
