Boheh Stone
Native name
Irish: Cathaoir Phádraig
St. Patrick's Chair
Boheh Stone is located in Ireland
Boheh Stone
Location of Boheh Stone in Ireland
TypeRock art
LocationBoheh, Aughagower,
County Mayo, Ireland
Coordinates53°44′52″N 9°33′14″W / 53.747672°N 9.553979°W / 53.747672; -9.553979
Area4 m2 (43 sq ft)
Elevation102 m (335 ft)
Height2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Built3800–2000 BC
OwnerMayo County Council
Official nameBoheh Rock Art
Reference no.296

The Boheh Stone, also called St. Patrick's Chair, is a piece of rock art a and National Monument located in County Mayo, Ireland.[1][2][3][4]

Location

The Boheh Stone lies 6.4 km (4 mi) SSW of Westport.[5][6]

History

The stone is believed to have been carved as early as 3800 BC.[7]

This stone was later Christianised and called St Patrick's Chair. It was made a waypoint on Tóchar Phádraig, a pilgrimage route; formerly this path led from Rathcroghan to Croagh Patrick.[8]

The "rolling sun" phenomenon was rediscovered in 1989–92 by Gerry Bracken. A new panel of carving was found in 2014 by Michael Gibbons.[9]

In the 2023 book and exhibition Three Stones: The Cross and the Circle, Rónán Lynch wrote that the carvings on the top stone appear to represent the constellations of Crux and Centaurus, last visible from Ireland around 4,100 BC. [10]

Description

The Boheh Stone is one of the finest examples of Neolithic rock art in Ireland, covered in many cup and ring marks and keyhole motifs; about 250 petroglyphs in total. It is a natural outcrop flecked with quartz.[11][12]

Rolling sun

Twice a year (18 April and 24 August by the Gregorian calendar), from the vantage point at the Boheh Stone, the sun can be seen to set at the summit of Croagh Patrick (7.1 km / 4.4 mi to the WNW) and appears to roll down its northern shoulder.[13]

References

  1. ^ "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship. Mayo" (PDF). National Monuments Service. 4 March 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ^ Map, The Megalithic Portal and Megalith. "Boheh". Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ^ Murtagh, Peter; Murtagh, Natasha (18 March 2011). Buen Camino! Walk the Camino de Santiago with a Father and Daughter: A Physical Journey that Became a Spiritual Transformation. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 9780717151738 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Darvill, Timothy; Fernandes, Antonio Pedro Batarda (20 June 2014). Open-Air Rock-Art Conservation and Management: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 9781135014735. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Ireland's first golden age" (PDF). Country Heritage. 4 February 2012. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021 – via archaeology.ie.
  6. ^ Domhnaill, Rónán Gearóid Ó (1 November 2013). Fadó: Tales of Lesser Known Irish History. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781783061976. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Coppens, Philip (15 September 2007). Land of the Gods: How a Scottish Landscape was Sanctified to Become Arthur's Camelot. BookBaby. ISBN 9781623092344 – via Google Books.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "The Boheh Stone in County Mayo - Information and History - Teach na Miasa". Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  9. ^ "5,800-year-old rock scribing found near Ireland's Croagh Patrick". 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  10. ^ https://returnofancient.substack.com/p/three-stones-the-cross-and-the-circle
  11. ^ Cockroach. "The Boheh Stone - St Patrick's Chair - Clew Bay Archaeological Trail - County Mayo". Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  12. ^ "1550 « Excavations". Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  13. ^ * "Croagh Patrick, then and now". Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
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