Aghavrin Mass Rock is located in Aghavrin townland, 4.8 km (3.0 mi) north-west of Coachford village. Following the religious strife of the seventeenth century and the passing of penal laws in 1695, celebrating Catholic mass in Ireland became a dangerous practice for priest and congregation. Isolated and secluded sites were selected for worship, and natural rocks and boulders often came to be used as an altar or Mass rock. It is often through local knowledge that their locations are still identifiable. The practice of celebrating mass in such fashion was in decline by the middle of the eighteenth century, when many Catholics worshipped in thatched 'mass-houses'.