Penitential station

The National Monuments Service's description

Monument located beside the crossroads of Laragh, overlooking Kilmacnevan Church (WM011-115----) and graveyard (WM011-115001-) 550m to the W. Situated on the Hill of Laragh with commanding views in all directions. Penitential station located beside road with access for public via steps built into the roadside wall at SSE. Roughly rectangular-shaped flat-topped grass-covered mound of earth and stones with stone revetment or facing clearly visible on SE side. Stone chair (dims. 0.45m x 0.5m x 0.4m) built into SE face of mound known locally as 'St Patrick's Chair' (ASI Field Report). Statue of St. Patrick standing inside concrete shelter located 8m to SE. Earthworks in field to E appear to be the result of post-1700 quarrying. According to the Estate Records of William Meade Smythe there was a local tradition that, 'St. Patrick when on his journey to Usnagh crossed this hill, and when he reached the top or highest summit he rested. There is a resemblance of a rude chair, where he seated himself. I have heard it stated that people used to visit this chair and seat themselves in it to obtain a cure for pain or hurted back. I was told by a man now long dead that there was a cross erected here just beside the chair he told me he saw portion of the cross' (http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/westmeath/land/legends.txt).
Surveyed in 2013 and described by McGuinness (2014, 66) as following: 'Roughly pointed-oval or eye-shaped mound (10m x 5.5m), its long axis running ENE-WSW, revetted by slabs of stone and dry-walling up to 1m in height, possibly ancient, with a roughly constructed stone chair at edge on SE side. Central part of mound rises slightly above revetment. A small modern statue of St. Patrick in a concrete shelter stands a short distance to SSE. Stone chair is named after St. Patrick and resembles a rough stone chair constructed beside a mass-rock in Rathduff townland about 1km to S. Mound lies at cross-roads and road clearly curves around it on N side, indicating its presence here when the infrastructure was developed. Although this mound cannot be classified as a prehistoric barrow on the basis of its current appearance, and has clearly functioned in and been shaped by recent pilgrimage tradition, it is nonetheless located near the summit of the prominent Hill of Laragh 1km to NW of a genuine mound-barrow or cairn (WM018-004---) and conceivably represents an altered or reused burial mound'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness.

Date of upload: 23 February 2015

References

McGuinness, D. 2014 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monuments of County Westmeath. Part II - Monuments in central Westmeath (Barony of Rathconrath and parts of baronies of Moygoish, Moycashel, and Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.