Ritual site - holy/saint's stone

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the broad summit of a hill with St. Moling's church site (WX016-021001-) c. 1.3km to the S. There is a local tradition that St Patrick was stung by nettles on his bare feet while travelling to meet St. Moling. He jumped onto this stone and cursed the hill, from which it is known as Clogh na Mallacht - the cursing stone (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 227). St. Moling removed the curse afterwards but the stone remains showing the imprint of the saint's feet. Another version relates that Patrick slept on the rock and when he awoke he found that his shoes had been stolen by a local landlord, Mountnorris. Being forced to walk over briars in bare feet, he cursed the landlord (Pers. com. Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich). This flat stone (dims 1.2m x 0.6m; T 0.3m) has a number of dimples on its upper surface. It is now lying on the E side of a N-S field bank.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 21 May, 2012
Amended: 16 July, 2014

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1933 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of County Wexford, collected during progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. Typescript in 2 vols. Bray.