placenames.ie
Population centre

Clonfinlough

Cluain Fionnlocha

Clonfinlough’s archaeological landscape includes a much-discussed carved boulder and a Bronze Age settlement preserved in wet ground.

Watercolour and fine ink illustration of Clonfinlough Stone.
Illustration, Clonfinlough Stone
Recorded locationClonfinlough53.32026° N · 7.92496° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Approximate recorded location · Logainm.ie

The name

cluainmeadow, pasturelochlake; inlet

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

  • Cluain Fionnlocha · Irish · main form · validated name
  • Clonfinlough · English · main form
  • Clonfanlough · English · main form · local name

Place & story

The carved stone

The Clonfinlough Stone is a glacial boulder with marks interpreted as including a footprint. In his study of Offaly assembly sites, John Dolan records that James Graves proposed an inauguration function in the nineteenth century. This remains a suggestion, rather than an established use. Dolan also records the names Fairy’s Stone and Horseman’s Stone. [2]

Homes preserved in the bog

Archaeologist Ellen O’Carroll identifies Clonfinlough as a Bronze Age enclosed settlement partly excavated in 1991. Fen bog preserved the site in an area later drained for industrial peat extraction. Its survival illustrates why wetland archaeology can reveal traces of settlement that are easily lost on dry ground. [3]

Geographic information

Place type
Population centre
County
Offaly
Civil parish
Clonmacnoise
Coordinates
53.32026, -7.92496 (approximate)
Logainm ID
1414291 ↗

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Clonfinlough. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. Gaelic Assembly and Inaugurations Sites in County Offaly · John Dolan; Offaly History
  3. What Lies Within the Peat: our vast and unique archaeological heritage · Ellen O’Carroll; University College Cork
  4. Clonfinlough Stone illustration: based on a Carved stone at Clonfinlough by Eric Jones. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2016-11-10. How this page was prepared.