A Tipperary graveyard is on the list of places you will find Ancient Irish lifting and testing stones.
Over the last week there has been a surge in interest around historic stones spurred on by Waterford native David Keohan or Indiana Stones.
Last week the first tour of sites that are home to these stones took place last week during which Former Highland Games athlete lifted the 177.5kg Thomas Lonergan stone which is in Shanrahan Graveyard to his chest.
David told Tipp FM that Thomas Lonergan was considered to be the strongest man in Tipperary and strongmen and women from across the world come to try and lift it:
“ it is a story about a man called Thomas Lonergan who lived in Clogheen this story was written back in 1937 but Thomas Lonergan he was dead ten years by the time they wrote this story but he was so famous somebody told this child to write the story about him. He was the strongest man in the parish people used to come on the Sundays after mass to see could they lift this stone that Thomas could lift, but nobody could lift this stone that Thomas could lift he was that strongest man in Tipperary. So people used to come and try their luck there could be up to 200 people.”
“So the story is awesome and I went down and I found that stone it is just inside the wall of the Graveyard, in Shanrahan Graveyard in Clogheen, I got a couple of lifts on it there recently , I had a couple Strongmen come down, I had Davy jones one of Ireland’s Strongest men come down I have had some strongmen from all over the world to see if they can come and lift that stone up and it is not easy you are talking about some extremely strong men and they are struggling to pick that thing up so it is a great test, you know Thomas Lonergan back in the 1900’s late 1800’s was one strong man to be able to lift that up.”
