Ritual site - holy/saint's stone

The National Monuments Service's description

A large sandstone boulder (H c. 0.7m; L c. 1m; Wth c. 0.75m) is known locally as St Patrick's stone. The boulder has a chair-like appearance with projecting 'wings'. An inscription on it reading 'St Pater' probably dates from the 18th to the early 20th century and is lightly inscribed. According to one local tradition St Patrick left the impression of his knees on the stone while another records that the saint actually sat on it. A smaller sandstone slab lies just to the W of the boulder. Most of the latter is embedded in the ground but a series of shallow depressions are evident on it and they may be associated with the tradition relating to the imprint of the saint's knees. A small sandstone pillar stone (H c. 0.5m) visible 2.65m to the S of boulder may also be associated with it (Cunniffe 2014, 6-7).

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 26 February 2014

References

Cunniffe, C. 2014 St Patrick's Chair, Looscaun. South East Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Newsletter 14, 6-7.