THE CLAN ARCHIVE · FOLK MONUMENTS

Folk Monuments

Cuimhne sa Chloch

“Scholar’s chairs, split rocks, mermaid stones — small monuments carrying the bone-memory of Tír Fhiachrach.”

Scholar’s chairs, split rocks, mermaid stones, hoof-prints and the other marks left on the landscape of Tír Fhiachrach.

Scattered across the old O’Dubhda country — along the coast road, on hilltop pastures, in forgotten field corners — are small monuments that barely register on tourist maps but carry the bone-memory of this place. Some are formal commemorations. Others are glacial boulders that local tradition has given a story. We are gathering them here, one at a time, with clear directions, photographs, and what is actually known about each.

If you know one we have missed, or have a better photograph than ours, please get in touch.

Skreen, Co. Sligo

The MacFirbis Memorial

A stone chair to Dubhaltach Mac Fhir Bhisigh — the last great Gaelic genealogist, murdered here in 1671.

Bonniconlon, Co. Mayo

The James O’Dowda Monument

A village stone to Col. Baron James Vippler O’Dowda — the last O’Dubhda chief at Bonniconlon, hanged at Ballinamuck in 1798.

In the pipeline

More monument pages are being researched. Next up:

Split Rock of Easky — the great glacial boulder cleft in two, roadside on the R297
Baron Vigors’ tomb, Ardnaree
The Horse Hoof stone
The Black Pig — trackway and legend

For the Mermaid Rocks — the stones at Thady Rua’s headland that are said to weep when an O’Dubhda dies — see the Scurmore page under Ancient & Sacred Sites.

A Note from the Clan

This section is built piece by piece as we visit, photograph, and research each site. Many of these monuments have little or no presence online — if you have local knowledge, an old photograph, or a story passed down, please share it.

Get in touch with corrections or contributions.