Bullaun Stones, Ullard, Co. Kilkenny

Bullaun Stones are one of Ireland's more enigmatic features. They date to the Early Medieval Period and they are mostly found on monastic sites. There is little to no mention of them in texts from the period so we rely heavily on folklore and superstition to explain their function. These interpretations have included mortars for grinding grain, holding holy water or cursing stones. The holy water belief has led many of them to be termed wart wells as they were often believed to heal such ailments. Recent work has thrown open a new suggestion that they may have been used for medieval mining practices. Little is known about medival mining and no sites have yet been recognised. We do know that copper and iron were mined. Before these metals could be smelted they had to be crushed sorted and sometimes roasted. Another interpretation of bullauns is that they were used for crusing ore. This video looks at the bullaun stones in Ullard County Kilkenny.
Sources used in this video were Paul Mulligan's A Short Guide to Irish Antiquities (1995) and Brian Dolan (2009) "Bedrocks and Bullauns: More than One Use for a Mortar?" Archaeology Ireland Volume 23 Issue 1 Spring 2009, pp 16-19.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bullaun stones
• folklore
• archaeology
• mining
• metal working
• monastery
• medieval
• Ireland
• history

[DepthOfMind]

thanks i really enjoyed this !