The Navel of Ireland

So where was the centre of Ireland? Not far North of Tipperary according to Geraldus Cambrensis in the 12th Century.
The stone which was probably originally located in the townland of Seefin just on the edge of Birr is reputed by oral tradition to have marked a meeting place of the Fianna. It was taken from Birr in 1828 by Thomas Steele to his residence Cullaun House, Co. Clare, to honour Daniel O'Connell and used as a Mass rock at that site.
It was returned to Birr Urban Council in June 1974 by the Department of Lands. The stone itself of local origin. It was probably part of a megalithic monument located at Seffin, the exact site of which now unknown.
It is reputed to have various markings on it including the cross that you can clearly see in the photo. In the IFC it states "This stone was a huge mass of limestone, marked with a number of incisions in the shape of fantastic crosses and other curious symbols. The people accounted for the number and shape of these cavities; by saying they were the impressions of the thumb and four fingers of Finn MacCoul".
Fionn McCool is literally all over the landscape in this area - In the book, Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland by Elizabeth Fitzgerald, it is quoted that “A well formed, man sized, single shod footprint known locally known as ‘Finn McCools’ Footprint, (is) carved into the rock beside Killeen motte and bailey, two miles west of Birr".
Elizabeth Fitzgerald has since looked at the importance of Seefin placenames in the landscape and that is a fascinating study.
I attempted to model it in 3d to bring out any other markings but unfortunately was not successful with the model. There are a lot of tentative connections in the area that may suggest that although it wasn't the geographical centre of Ireland, it may have been a ritual centre during the Bronze Age.

http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5044654/5029269

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The Tipperary Antiquarian

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