Stone cairn

A cairn (carn in Irish, carnedd in Welsh) is an artificial pile of stones, often in a conical form. They are usually found in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops or near waterways.

The Duan Eireanach, an ancient Irish poem, describes the erection of a family cairn; and the Senchus Mor, a collection of early Irish laws, prescribes a fine of three three-year-old heifers for "not erecting the tomb of thy chief."

Meetings of the tribes were held at them, and the inauguration of a new chief took place on the cairn of one of his predecessors. It is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters that, in 1225, the O'Connor was inaugurated on the cairn of Fraech, the son of Fiodhach of the red hair. In medieval times cairns are often referred to as boundary marks, though probably not originally raised for that purpose.