Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquitiesWakeman, W. F. (William Frederick)
History
Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities
Wakeman, W. F. (William Frederick)
Ireland -- Antiquities
A singular pile of stones, usually called the ‘Druid’s Judgment Seat,’
furnishes a good instance of a popular error. This structure stands
near the village of Killiney, not far from the Martello Tower, upon the
opposite side of the road. It was formerly enclosed within a circle
of great stones and a ditch. The circle has been destroyed, and the
ditch so altered that little of its original character remains. ‘The
Seat’ is composed of large, rough granite blocks, and if really of
the period to which tradition refers it, an unusual degree of care
must have been exercised for its preservation. The stones bear many
indications of their having been at least re-arranged at no very
distant time. Small wedges have been introduced as props between the
greater stones. The right arm is detached from the other part, to which
it fits but clumsily. The whole, indeed, bears the appearance of a
modern antique, composed of stones which once formed a portion of some
ancient monument. One great evidence of its being a forgery consists in
the position which it occupies near the eastern side of the enclosure,
while the back of the seat is turned towards the west and towards
the centre of the space originally enclosed by the stone circle. The
following are its dimensions: breadth at the base, 11½ feet; depth of
the seat, 1 foot 9 inches; extreme height, 7 feet. Of several detached
stones remaining in the enclosure one is remarkable, as the engraving
on this page shows, for the form into which it has been cut. It is a
work probably coeval with the original stone circle, and it has been
suggested to be symbolical of the sun and moon.
A ‘Brehon’s Chair,’ so called by Beranger, an artist and archæologist
who during the latter half of the eighteenth century paid much
attention to the subject of Irish antiquities, may be seen on the lands
of Glensouthwell, near Hollypark, about three miles and a half from
Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin. This monument has been most absurdly misnamed.
It is in fact a very remarkable example of the cromlech, or dolmen,
and bears no resemblance to a chair of any description. The table, or
covering, which had fallen, until a few years ago lay on the ground
beside it. This, unfortunately, no longer exists, the stone having been
wantonly broken to pieces and used for building purposes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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