St. Declans Stone

Located on rock outcrop on the foreshore of Ardmore Bay. This is a large conglomerate boulder (dims. c. 1.5m x 1m x 0.85m) under which devotees crawled three times during the pattern of St Declan (Fitzgerald 1856-7, 43). (Power 1898b, 161-2; Power 1932c, 17-8) FitzGerald, E. (1856-7) Proceedings – “Jottings in archaeology”, JRSAI 4, 40-49, 287-91. Power, Rev. P. (1898b) Excursion guides – 2: Ardmore. WAJ 4, 147-63. Power, Rev. P. (1932c) Ardmore; its founder and early Christian monuments. Catholic Truth Society. Dublin The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 20 October 2011

St. Declan, a 5th-century Irish saint, is traditionally associated with the founding of monastic sites in County Waterford, and his feast day was historically marked by pilgrimages and rituals at locations such as St. Declan's Stone. The practice of crawling under the stone three times reflects a devotional act linked to healing or spiritual renewal, typical of early Christian holy sites in Ireland.