placenamesRathmore
An Ráth Mhór
At Forenaghts Great, a standing stone, burial evidence and a later church preserve several periods of activity.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- An Ráth Mhór · Irish · main form
- Rathmore · English · main form
Place & story
The standing stone and its enclosure
A granite pillar about 5.3 metres high stands within an earthen enclosure at Forenaghts Great. The archaeological record describes a socket cut into bedrock to hold it upright. Beside it, excavation in 1912 uncovered a stone-lined grave containing cremated remains, pottery fragments, a flint blade, a bone bead and an object described as a wrist bracer. The evidence does not identify the buried individuals by name. [2] [3]
A carved stone moved to the churchyard
A boulder decorated with concentric circles and cupmarks was found during ploughing in 1975, south of Furness church. It was subsequently moved into the graveyard. Its recorded location there therefore differs from its discovery place; the carving should not be mistaken for decoration made for the church itself. [4]
The church’s surviving masonry
Furness church retains a nave and chancel joined by a rounded arch, with tufa stone used around its openings. The archaeological record notes that the two parts were not bonded together, suggesting enlargement of an earlier building. The Office of Public Works stabilised the ruins in 1968. [5]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rathmore. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Forenaghts Great standing stone KD019-022002-,2011 record · Gearóid Conroy, National Monuments Service
- Forenaghts Great cist KD019-022003-, summarising Macalister/Praeger/Armstrong1912–14 · Gearóid Conroy, National Monuments Service
- Forenaghts Great rock art KD019-024003-,2011 record · Gearóid Conroy, National Monuments Service
- Furness church KD019-024001-,2011 record · Gearóid Conroy, National Monuments Service
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2014-05-28. How this page was prepared.