Re: Books of possible interest | Forum

Branwen Sep 17, 2009 12:21:06

Replying to tjj

tjj wrote:

gjrk wrote:

Ah. The Irish Times has an emerging theory; a professional who may have gathered some parts...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0914/1224254476530.html

;)

I met an Irish cousin for the first time earlier this year. I asked him what he did for a living, expecting him to say he worked in a bank or something like that. He was in fact a peat-cutter in West Meath (as well as running the family farm). Curtesy stopped me quizzing him too much but I did get the impression that 'finds' turn up from time to time - I wonder why someone would want to keep a foot. No accounting for taste.

I think Anne Ross and others quizzed irish peat cutters, as far as they were able, and were told basically that it happens more frequently than anyone knows but what you find in the peat stays in the peat, or at least, such used to be the case. Saw a programme about a couple of irish bog bodies from a couple of years ago that was really interesting, they used all sorts of methods to get information about who they were.

I often get asked about the real stone of destiny on tours, when we talk about the fake one. The feet carved in stones usually comes up at that point, with regards to the celtic kings coronation rituals.

StoneGloves Sep 17, 2009 14:49:28

Replying to Branwen

I was behind a guy in Nettos this morning, he had two bags of peat compost and a tray of hybrid African violets - all on offer - I squeezed his bags to check it was peat and remembered the peatcutters. There is peat still cut in North Cumbria, near Brampton, and I know the other side of that seam. All I've found in it is bog oak - plenty of it, mind - in a seam. All the bits have the marks of stone axes - I'd love for someone to dendrochronologise it. VEBA, probably.

One foot in the grave?

gjrk Sep 18, 2009 01:08:15

Replying to Branwen

It's a curious one. Do you know of any traditons of a footprint on stone where, if you were to look at it, it would seem to be just a natural scoop or depression?

Near here there's a standing stone in the townland of Tullig, described in the inventory as having a "depression on top (of stone) locally said to be footprint." An ovoid groove (or uamh, you might say (ha, ha)) , on examination.

This other, in Maulatanvally, is slightly more foot-shaped but would have been on the flat (vertical) face of the stone, when it was standing. Interesting, to hark back to the white cow thread, that it's accompanied by three quartz (standing? well two are anyway) stones.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/img_fullsize/65344.jpg