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Eyre (Standing Stones)

Legend has it that these two stones (and another now missing) formed a tripod that was used to support a giant cooking pot that provided feasts for heroes.

Lia Fail (Standing Stone / Menhir)

As far as I'm aware, legend says, that the Stone of Destiny a.k.a The Stone of Scone, Jacob's Pillow was brought to Ireland by the Gaels from Galicia having been previously acquired by the Gaels in their travels through Egypt.

This Stone was subsequently taken by the rulers of Tara, the Kings of Ireland (the sons of Niall) to their new power base in Scotland.

And so on via Edward I (boo hiss etc)... but it now resides in Edinburgh Castle with a caveat from the present monarchy that it should be returned to Westminster Abbey for the royal arse to be sat on for any subsequent coronation ceremonies.

So if the Stone of Destiny is in Edinburgh Castle what is the Lia Fail?

This is also a Stone of Destiny - for it's clear that throughout the ages this stone has had almost divine attributes for both the people and their rulers - so when clan Niall claimed that they took their Stone with them to Scotland it would only be expected that the Irish kings would put in a counter claim that the original Stone was still in Ireland-

Just as the Scots did when Edward I (boo hiss) took the stone from Scone to Westminster. Who's right? Who knows!

If anyone has any other info on these two stones, such as their geological/geographical origins I'd love to hear about it.

Addendum

Above 'muirchertach' states that the name Scotland comes from the celtic word for incomer or raider. Personally, I prefer the legend that the name Scotland comes from the name of an Egyptian Pharoah's daughter... Scota... yes, the one who found Moses and married Niall....yes, he who was the legendary founder of the clan Niall. And if you want to stretch the legend even further the man who shares his name with the vast river that flows through Egypt.

And this brings us back to where the Stone of Destiny was acquired in the first place.

British Camp (Hillfort)

The British Camp in The Malvern Hills is another one of our stunning 'world hills'. The view from the top is absolutely awesome. I remember once having scrambled to the top with the kids in a blue sky, crisp, clear, autumn day and looking down onto Jet Fighters as they boomed over the fields below.
What would our ancestors have thought of that?

Anyway, not only Elgar tramped this hillside, but also JRR Tolkien. The following is an extract from the cover notes of a recording of Tolkien, written by George Sayer.
'He and I tramped the Malvern Hills which he had often seen during his boyhood in Birmingham or from his brother's house on the other side of the Severn River Valley. He lived the book as we walked, for instance, sometimes comparing parts of the hills with the White Mountains of Gondor'.

I wonder if they ever bumbed into each other, Elgar whistling away and Tolkien deep in his elvish thoughts.

Doon Hill (Sacred Hill)

There is enough folklore here to fill many pages or make a Hollywood movie.
A seventh son of a seventh son.
Clandestine meetings with sprites and fairies.
A 'man of the cloth' communing with nature spirits.
Murder, mystery and possible elfin abduction.

And a true life tale of 'publish and be damned'? Literally.

The past and present, fact and fable all combine to make Doon Hill a very, very special place.

If you are interested, do a search on
Doon Hill - Aberfoyle - Reverend Robert Kirk - The Secret Commonwealth -

....that should kill a few hours!

The Witching Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir)

The Witching Stone was pointed out to me by an elderly relative on the occassion of scattering the ashes of my mother in law over her favourite childhood beach.
He told me that as children playing nearby they would always take a wide berth to avoid this stone as it had a sinister and frightening aspect.
I can find no listing of this stone in my OS disc nor of the name of the adjoing beach known by him as Curragh Beach, therefore the OS location given is only a questimate.

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