"Keohan has almost single-handedly revived the practice in Ireland and helped stir global interest. It's not just about strength. Every single lifting stone has an amazing story attached to it, said Keohan, 47. It's opened up a whole culture that was lost. To his fanbase Keohan is better known by his Instagram handle Indiana Stones. On there, he is a scholarly Hercules who parses myth, folklore and literature to locate boulders around Ireland that for centuries were used to test strength and bond communities."
"Some were lifted at funeral games to honour the dead, some to celebrate harvest festivals and some to mark a chieftain's ascension, said Keohan. One stone was almost like a job interview to become a stonemason you had to be strong enough to lift it. To lift a designated stone some weighed up to 170kg a few inches above the ground was known as getting the wind under it, said Keohan."
David Keohan revived traditional Irish stone-lifting by locating, documenting and reintroducing historic lifting boulders across County Waterford and beyond. He identifies oval limestone lifting stones, pries them loose, and lifts them on beaches and in communities while tracing their folklore and ritual contexts. Lifting stones were used at funeral games, harvest festivals and chieftains’ ascensions, and some served as stonemason tests. Designated stones weighed up to 170kg; lifting a few inches above ground was called getting the wind under it. Lifting to the knees marks champion status; lifting to the chest yields lasting renown. He has identified 53 lifting stones.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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