Castlestrange Stone

{{Short description|Iron Age carved stone in Ireland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Use Irish English|date=January 2020}}

File:IMG CastlestrangeStone2771.jpg

File:Castlestrange Stone - 3D model by roscommon3d - Sketchfab.stl

The Castlestrange stone is located in the grounds of "Castlestrange House" near Athleague in County Roscommon, Ireland.{{Cite journal |last=Waddell |first=John |date=2017 |title=On Turoe and Castlestrange |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26788427 |journal=Ulster Journal of Archaeology |volume=74 |pages=20–25 |jstor=26788427 |issn=0082-7355}} It is a granite boulder decorated with flowing spirals in the La Tène style, dating from the Iron Age period between 300 BC and 100 AD.{{Cite book |last=Macalister |first=R. A. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xEcBQAAQBAJ&dq=Castlestrange+stone+la+tene&pg=PA289 |title=Ancient Ireland: A Study in the Lessons of Archaeology and History |date=2014-10-24 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-60259-0 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Harding |first=D. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDV-AgAAQBAJ&dq=Castlestrange+stone+la+tene&pg=PA181 |title=The Archaeology of Celtic Art |date=2007-06-11 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-26464-3 |language=en}}

Only three other stones of this type have been found in Ireland, the Turoe Stone in County Galway, the Killycluggin Stone in County Cavan and the Derrykeighan Stone in County Antrim.{{Cite journal |last1=Foster |first1=Jennifer |last2=Batten |first2=Magdalen |date=December 2022 |title=The Face on the Turoe Stone |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-prehistoric-society/article/abs/face-on-the-turoe-stone/6FFEFB3F8E0F502AD504A80EE4B32A92 |journal=Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society |language=en |volume=88 |pages=221–225 |doi=10.1017/ppr.2022.5 |issn=0079-497X|url-access=subscription }} All four stones lie on roughly the same line connecting them on a map of Ireland. The use of the stones is not known but it is assumed they served some religious or ritual purpose.

The stone is a protected National Monument.