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The
Story of Cloch a Phoill
It is strange how a question, asked in relation to a different
matter completely, can set the mind thinking along a line
of thought far removed from an answer to the original question.
It was a question I was asked recently by a good friend
concerning warts on the hand of another person that set
me thinking about the Cloch a Phoill, or as it’s more
commonly known, The Holed Stone. This particular stone is
situated about two miles south of Tullow, in the parish
of Aghade. It is a huge piece of granite so singular in
appearance. When I was asked the question about the cure
for warts I first recommended a stone in a field near Huntington
castle in Clonegal which has been known as the “Wart
Stone” for ages. It is actually a Bullawn stone, a
relic of pre Christian Ireland. It is rounded granite stone
with a cup shaped hollow in the top. It is in the water
in this hollow that the person wishing to be cured of warts
put their hands and after a couple of visits the warts are
supposed to disappear. It was shortly after this that another
person reminded me that there was also great curing powers
in Cloch a Phoill, the ‘Holed Stone’ in Aghade.
Cloch a Phoill has a lot more to it than just being a stone
with a hole in it. In fact it has a great historical story
all its own. Whereas most of the old parishes of Ireland
have an ecclesiastical origin, the old parish of Ahade had
none. The name in Irish was Ath Fada or Ath Fadath, “
The Long Ford’. This referred to a shallow stretch
of the river Slaney which was just that, a place where the
river could be crossed. It is from the Book of Ballymote
that we take our next piece of information concerning the
Cloch a Phoill.
Eochaidh, the son of Enna Kilsellach, has been a hostage
from his father in the hand of Niale of the Nine Hostages.
Having served his allotted time with Niale he was preparing
to go back south to his own country and he went to the house
of the poet of Niale to ask for victuals for his journey,
which was the order of the day at the time. This was to
the house of Laidginn, son of Baircead, who was Niale’s
poet. To his great surprise he was refused entertainment
in the poet’s house. Furious at this insult he returned
after a short spell in the south and burned the poet’s
house and killed his only son. The poet, for a full year
after that, continued to satirise the Lagenians and bring
fatalities on them, so that neither corn, grass nor foliage
grew onto them to the end of the year. Niale made an expedition
to the Lagenians and vowed to them that he would not depart
from them until Eochaid should be given up to him as a hostage.
This they were compelled to do. Eochaidh was carried to
Athfadat (Ahade) in Fothartaibh Fea ( a district in Carlow)
on the bank of the river Slaney where he was led after them
with a chain round his neck and the end of the chain was
a perforated rock (Cloch a Phoill) with an iron bar on the
end of the chain so that it could not be pulled through
the hole in the stone. After a short time there came to
him champions of the champions of Niale for the purpose
of killing him. Eochaidh summed up the situation and said
to himself, “Bad indeed things look for me now”.
At this stage the nine men of Niale were only a few feet
away for him and he knew that unless he did something quick
his life was about to end. So gathering all the strength
he had he gave a mighty heave and broke the chain about
his neck. He then took up the iron bar and faced them.
Mad with rage and the hurt from breaking the chain he had
the strength of ten men and so well did he use the bar that
he killed the nine of Niale’s champions. He now commenced
to attack the other members of Niale’s men who had
come to see him being killed.They began to retreat towards
Tulach (Tullow) and the Lagenians pressed after them slaughtering
hundreds of them on the way.
It is of interest to read some later domentation on this
piece of ancient Irish history. It is stated the hundreds
of years later workmen were diggings for the purpose of
raising rubble limestone directly between the perforated
rock and the Ath Fada or Longford on the Slaney. When they
came across a number of curiously formed graves containing
urns with burned and unburned bones. At least two of the
urns were preserved and sent to Dublin. The graves were
well made of round limestone, they were about four feet
long, one foot wide and about fourteen inches deep. Other
graves were covered with flag stones. Human bones and skeletons
have been dug up at various times and depths all the way
from Aghade to Tullow. The number of bones and other articles
such as pieces of swords and other military insignia that
have been found on this line have made it sure that some
bloody conflict took place here at a very remote period,
almost certainly before Christianity came to our shores
or at least before the end of Paganism.
The stone is now thrown from the perpendicular and it was
a practice in the old days to bring sick children to the
stone. Strange it is that one of the first men to preach
the Christian word from the northwestern slopes of the Blackstairs
was Palladius who came before St. Patrick. He was ordered
to leave the district by Enna Cennsealach when he was told
that he was preaching about the coming of another King.
(Remember that another King had the Holy Innocents slaughtered
for the same reason). It is also interesting to note that
the first Bishop of Ahade was Iserninus, who we are told
was St. Patrick’s nephew. It is truly amazing what
a simple question can set the mind looking for.
By Willie White
Courtesy of the Carlow Nationalist
6th May 2005
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