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Met Name

Met Type

Thin Sections

  H5

TKW 2.27 kg. Observed fall 12 August 1865, Munster, Ireland.


 

Finbarr writes:

Photo 1 copyright: virtualmicroscope.org and Natural History Museum

Photos 2 and 3 are of a Dundrum replica that is in the National Museum of Ireland.

Links to additional information:

An image rotation

Circumstances of the Fall

The witness quoted in the above account is variously referred to as Johnson or Johnston; however Johnston is the correct version. He is listed in the 1901 Census of Ireland

He died on 14th August 1916.

The reason the Fall is named Dundrum is because the specimen was handed over to the local landlord in that town; however there is good reason for believing that the actual impact site was in the townland of Gortnagranna, 5.5km to the north, and where John Johnston was still residing in 1901.

In the witness statement Johnston refers to himself as being 'of the parish of Clonoulty', which includes the townland of Gortnagranna, and in an important 1937 newspaper article there is reference to 'the meteorite which fell in Gortnagranna seventy years ago', which goes on to state that Henry Johnston, son of John Johnston, was then owner of the farm. He died in 1944 and there are still Johnstons in the neighbourhood to this day.

Therefore it could be reasoned that 'Gortnagranna' (townland), 'Clounoulty' (parish) or 'Ballagh' (village in the parish) are all more accurate names for the meteorite than 'Dundrum'. Indeed in 1997 the local school is reported to have launched a Heritage trail which included the 'Ballagh meteorite' as one of the featured landmarks.

The Dundrum main mass was stolen from the Geological department of Trinity College Dublin in February 2012 but was recovered soon after. I believe the College no longer has its meteorite collection on public display.