The famous Clonfinlough Stone near the Early Christian monastic site of Clonmacnoise contains a variety of motifs from both the Bronze Age as well many attributed to a later Christian era. The large glacial limestone boulder, which lies flat on the ground in the middle of a field, is about 3 metres by 2.5 metres in size. Much mythology surrounds the stones, originally called the Fairy’s Stone or the Horseman’s Stone, and a “horseman gallops round it at certain times” (James Graves).
The motifs extend over the entire top surface of the stone, comprising of a range of crosses, eleven “phi figures” which are unusual (more on this below), a numbe of possible cupmarks and what may (or may not) be a footprint.
The greatest number of motifs are cupmarks, dating the Clonfinlough Stone to the Bronze Age (2500 BC to 500BC) – these are the upper half of the stone. Professional geologists have attributed the cupmarks and related hollows – and some of the straight lines – as being created by natural weathering, but “possibly retouched artificially”. However, there is no consensus on this.
What differentiates the Clonfinlough Stone from other sites is a “distinctive motif, consisting of a straight line intersecting with an oval, like a Greek letter Φ, and thus they have become known as phi figures… The carvings on the Clonfinlough stone thus contrast with the general form of rock art in Ireland, which is characterised mainly by cup and ring markings.” (Context and Chronology of the carved stone at Clonfinlough, County Offal).
A number of scenarios were suggested by Elizabeth Shee Twohig for these figures:
- the crosses may have been carved in prehistoric times, and transformed into phi figures later with the addition of the lower part of oval/Ds (which are often shallower than the upper part of the oval/D)
- they may be prehistoric figures
- they are not prehistoric but were carved done in the historic times as marks of Christian pilgrims, associated with the route to Clonmacnoise or to one of its boundaries (13th–14th century.
The very deep “footprint” has been described as “an adventitious combination of hollows rather than a footprint representation”.
Getting to the Clonfinlough Stone
Although a little off the beaten track, it’s not difficult to reach this rock art site, which is accessed from next to St Cieran’s Catholic Church on the L7012 Clonfinlough road (off the R444). A partly-hidden sign points to a gate along the road.
Follow the path for about 250m, until it reaches a large field which has the Clonfinlough Stone.
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