Now for something unusual, I found this little gem lying on the side of the N7 slip road from Johnstown heading towards Dublin, whilst I was lucky in finding it so easily, im sure that it could easily be missed. I have marked it on my interactive Ruins map which is accurate to Google street view. It was quite nice to find such an unusual and old stone literally lying on the side of a busy motorway. It would seem that this was one of the original milestones from Irelands first Turnpike (toll road) which was established back in 1728 and ran between Dublin and Kilcullen.
The stone, which is made of granite, shows distance in the old “Irish” mileage which applied before the Act of Union in 1800 after which ‘English’ measurements were enforced as standard in Ireland. The distance would have been measured starting from the gates of Dublin Castle. One side is inscribed with “Dub 13” (miles) and the other side with “NAAS 2”. Unfortunately the inscriptions are exposed to the elements and have suffered some erosion as a result. Although it is great to make finds like this, perhaps it might be better to preserve such items in a museum. These stones would have been erected every mile along the road for the guidance of those travelling. This is the only stone of its kind left in the area and is well worth a visit.