The ‘Fear Breaga’ of Coshlea
Young Billy O’Brien might be the region’s youngest historian, making a valuable contribution to the permanent record of Ireland’s archaeological heritage. The young historian, who will turn 10 in May, has a keen eye for spotting standing stones from his dad James’ van. James, a member of Kilfinane Coshlea Historical Society, says his son is responsible for recognising 12 of the 20 standing stones identified by the society in just two years.
One Friday recently, TheAvondh u met the pair with Caimin O’Brien of the National Monuments Service in a field just a mile outside Galbally. They are joined by historical society member Finbarr Connolly from Ardpatrick, and Caimin comes to the area roughly twice a year when the boys have a ‘ shopping list’ of suspected artefacts. Today, they are looking at a pair of standing stones, about six metres apart.
The ‘Fear Breaga’ (standing stones), Caimin explains, can be translated as ‘ the speckled man’, a reference to the quartz running through the standing stones. The effect for our ancestors (and today’s observers) would be of a ‘sparkling’ as the stone catches the light.
Billy, who’s enjoying the day off school for a real-life history lesson, tells TheAvondhuwhat he’s looking out for when he’s scanning the landscape, and his theory as to what they might signify.
“If you see a stone with a slope on top of it, that would be a sign. But if it’s straight or very smooth, it might be a sign it’s just a pier or a gatepost. My father brought me to see one, and after that I started looking out for them. If there was a battle, it might mark where someone died.”
Caimin does some analysis of the site at Galbally on the day and logs any standing stones identified as such on the National Monuments’ database - the information is accessible to anyone online. He says what is remarkable is that, even though ‘ no one knows about this pair except Billy!’, in the thousands of years of landowners and landlords no one has removed or levelled the stones.
CATTLE SCRATCHING POSTS
The group are visiting several sites during Caimin’s visit, hitting spots in Garryspillane and outside Kilbehenny as well.
“Several generations have respected these stones, and while we don’t know what their original function may have been, with time they become cattle scratching posts. The log of stones is used by researchers, universities or tourism boards. They are taken into consideration if there’s development on the land.”
James, who contacts landowners in advance of any visit for permission, says that they are frequently very interested in the findings the group have.
The Kilfinane Coshlea Historical Society are actively researching and collating information on the occupiers and dwelling houses of 53 local townlands around the barony of Coshlea. The committee meets the second Tuesday of every month, and anyone interested in joining their ranks is asked to contact James O’Brien on 087 9255692.