Ritual site - holy/saint's stone

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on elevated pasture overlooking rock outcrop with the village of Emly 3.3km to the NNE. A recumbent stone barely visible protruding above the surface of the ground overlooking a cliff-face may be the monument marked 'Lackelly Rock' on all editions of the OS 6-inch map. In 1920 (Lynch, 100-01).the following details were recorded about Lackelly Rock; 'Lackelly was the name given to the stone or rock mentioned in the legend of the birth of St. Ailbhe, patron saint of the Diocese of Emly. It derived its name Lackelly / Leac Ailbhe from a large flag stone which lay on the top of the cliff. The cliff must have been much higher when the legend was composed, as the level of the ground at the base has raised in time. When I first made inquiries about Lackelly I was informed by Mr. Healy, of Corbally, that the stone was there. He described it as about seven or eight feet [2.1/2.4m] long and four feet [1.2m] wide, and he believed it had some markings on it; but when I visited the place with him we found there was no stone. The local tradition is that St. Ailbhe was born at this rock, or under this stone it is not very clear; but old people were in the habit of visiting the rock and reciting prayers on the 12th of September, the feast of St. Ailbhe, up to forty years ago, and the water which lay in some natural cavities of the rock, was used as a cure'.
The legend of St. Ailbhe's birth recorded the following; 'He is said to have come from a portion of this district in which a chieftain named Cronan ruled. His father was Olcnais, and his mother was Sanclit, both of the chief's household. Sanclit bore a son to Olcnais, and Cronan was so displeased that Olcnais fled from his presence, and the chief ordered the child to be killed. The child was removed from the house and left under a rock, where he was nourished by a she-wolf. Here the infant was found by a good man, Lochan Mac Lugir, who carried him to his house. He was afterwards given to some men from Britain, who were slaves in the eastern part of Cliach. He was reared by them, and named Ailbhe, because he was found living under a rock' (ibid.).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 20 June 2019

References

Lynch, P.J. 1920 Topographical notes on the barony of Coshlea, Co. Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 50, 99-127, 342-6.