Menhir of Punchestown
The menhir of Punchestown (also called Craddockstown West) in the townland of Punchestown ( Irish Baile Phúinse ) in County Kildare is the highest menhir in Ireland with about 7.0 meters . It stands near Woolpack Road, a medieval road between Dublin and Kilkenny , three miles southeast of Naas , in a field near the racecourse.
The granite stone , which is square at the bottom and pointed at the top, weighs over nine tons. It fell over in 1931 and was later raised again. An empty stone box was found at his foot . The stone is a national monument.
The stone first appeared in 1183 in a historical report by the chronicler Gerald of Wales (1146-1223).
literature
- Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .
- Peter Harbison : Guide to the National Monuments in the Republic of Ireland . Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1992, ISBN 0-7171-1956-4 , p. 126.
Web links
- Description Engl. + Picture (last accessed on December 10, 2012)
- Description Engl. + Image (last accessed January 4, 2017)
Coordinates: 53 ° 11 ′ 27.8 " N , 6 ° 37 ′ 40.5" W.