Ritual site - holy/saint's stone

The National Monuments Service's description

In the NE quadrant of a graveyard (SL021-011002-). Set into the upper surface of a thin stone slab (D c. 0.05m; 0.75m x 0.8m), now broken and sod-covered, are two round (diam. c. 0.25m) and five oval (c. 0.15m x c. 03m) stones known as the 'Curing Stones' (Walsh 1999-2000, 8). Amongst these is a smaller angular stone. Adjacent to this arrangement is a rectangular stone (L c. 0.3m) to which is tied a piece of string, known as the 'straining thread'. The string or thread is reputed to cure strains, pains, and aches. These are part of a curative ritual (see O'Rorke [1889], 319-20; Wood-Martin 1892, 364-5; Crawford 1913a, 267-8). The tradition is associated with St Patrick and according to the caretaker in 1913, there was 'a spring of good water under the slab' (Crawford 1913a, 267). Another 'straining stone' (SL021-025004-) is located 3.5km to NE. (Weir 1980, 209-10)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008