stones historical ireland

Visit the love stone with your true love. It is a tapered dolerite slab about 5 feet high by 21 feet, 2 inches wide with a circular hole, of some 3 to 4 inches cut into it. Evidence of tree planting nearby from 1791. In the last century the 'Holestone' Lovestone was used by trothplighting couples to solemnise their marriage....

What's New - * Egyptian Pyramid Stones - The best known hieroglyphs tell of the Gods and History of Ancient Egypt. e.g. Ankh, Scarab, Eye of Horus etc.

* Celtic Empire Bowls Isu Pots, makers of the now famous Celtic Ogham Stones, are developing a range of low fired, smokey pottery.
The style and decoration is based on Celtic, Iron Age La Tene style decoration. We call them Celtic Empire Bowls....

While standing stones are among the commonest field monuments in Ireland, stones that are holed in this fashion are quite rare. In the Tain Bo Cuailnge a story is told of Cethern , half out of his wits with pain. His enemies dressed the standing stone with King Ailill's golden shawl, and Cethern, believing it to be the king, rushed at it and drove his sword through it with such ferocity that the sword's pommel and Cethern's fist also went through the stone. The hole is significant in that in...

Majestically towering over the Laois countryside is the Rock of Dunamaise - the remains of a celtic fortification. This is one of Ireland's most famous landmarks and has a long and diverse history attached to it. Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster received it as a part of her dowry on her marriage to Strongbow. The fort was also part of the O'Moore territory. It is a gathering point for the O'Lalor Clan Rally which takes place in October....

A large flat stone, now leaning though originally upright, with a hole 6 inches wide at one end. It may have been a so-called 'port-hole' stone which closed the chamber of a megalithic tomb. However, the traditional explanation - as usual, much more romantic and appealing - is that it was a stone used at the dawn of history by Niall of the Nine Hostages to tie up Eochaidh, son of Enna Eochaidh broke the chain and took his revenge by killing the nine men whom Niall had sent to kill him. Up til...