This trip was undoubtedly one of my favourite experiences in strength. Five friends—colleagues, brothers in stone—embarking on a journey to conquer mighty rocks and embrace living history. Myself, Charlie, Morgan, Oli and Shaun.

We had always talked about doing a stone tour, and Ireland caught our eye: the landscape, the culture, the Guinness. We’re all avid followers of the great work done by David Keohan (@indianastones)—not just for reviving the nearly lost tradition of Irish stone lifting, or for documenting so many stones of significance, but also because he is able to actually lift them. I reached out to him for advice, and he graciously provided a list of stones along the west coast, starting from Galway. Please do check him out - without him, I don’t think our love of stone lifting would be as profound and his advice has been invaluable.

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Arrival & First Lift – Faha Graveyard Stones

We arrived at Shannon Airport, barely making our flight from London due to train cancellations. First stop: a local pub for lunch and a pint of Guinness, where we plotted our route to Galway. On the way, we noticed a short detour to the Faha Graveyard Stones. Fresh off the flight, we were eager to get cracking.

What we didn’t expect to be such a huge part of the trip was actually finding the stones. [Liftingstones.org](https://liftingstones.org) is a fantastic resource, offering a simple map—but many stones are tucked away in fields, invisible from roads or footpaths. In Faha, we found ourselves winding through tiny roads with no clear path to the red dot on the map. So, we knocked on a door.

A car pulled out of the driveway.

“Excuse me, do you know where the cemetery is?”

“You don’t look like men in need of a cemetery!”

Our first taste of Irish wit—and as luck would have it, we’d asked Mr. Conlon, whose back garden was the cemetery. His daughter, Grainne, led us to the stones in the far corner.

FAHA GRAVEYARD STONES

Weights: 162 kg (357 lb) and 112 kg (247 lb)

We usually lift at The Commando Temple, where the rubber floor is even and dry. This was different. Though the weather was fair (the best it would be all weekend), the ground was wet, and the stones muddy. Footing was tough. The smaller stone flew up with no issue. The heavier stone was more difficult—breaking ground was fine, but getting a clean lockout was challenging. I personally had to change my technique and adopt a style Im not well practiced in. Still, I got a confident lift—and so did the rest of the crew.

We were buzzing. We drove up to Galway, checked into our accommodation, and devoured a massive meal of ribs and wings at Scotty’s in Galway—highly recommended!

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Day Two – Along the Coast

The next morning, we set off for more historical stones, happy that none of the drives were too long. Our first target: the Furbo Anchor Stone

We stopped in Furbo as the wind started to pick up. Armed with a picture, a video of David lifting the stone on Instagram, and another red dot on a simplified map, we scoured the coastline. The wild scenery was breathtaking, but despite picking up a few promising stones, we couldn’t find it.

We relocated up the coast, down a long path to a horseshoe-shaped beach filled with thousands of stones—it felt right. What followed was like a game of ‘Where’s Wally’, except we were soaked and covered in sea spray. Just as we were about to call it a loss, Oli shouted out—he’d found it.

FURBO ANCHOR STONE

Weight: 102 kg

Likely used as an anchor for traditional currach boats, this stone speaks to the maritime strength and heritage of Galway’s coast. It has a unique groove—probably for tying rope. It was a perfect warm-up: relatively light with decent grip, though the footing and weather were worsening fast.

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Martin Tim Stone

As the rain began, we headed toward the Martin Tim Stone, supposedly near a front door. We knew we’d need permission, so Morgan asked some roadside workers for help. By sheer luck, one of them was Martin Tim’s son, who happily brought us to the house and the stone.

MARTIN TIM STONE

Weight: 169 kg

Named after Máirtín Tim, who famously lifted it at 16, this stone is a local strength test, passed down through tradition. The stone is long, smooth, and tough. My usual coffin stone technique failed—I switched to a standard pick and got a good stand. Sadly, cameraman Charlie didn’t press record, but the moment was unforgettable.

We were very conscious of not damaging the stone, the garden path, or the beautiful house. Lifting in someone’s front yard is nerve-wracking!

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Cloch Chaladh an Uisce

Now the weather was truly wild—heavy wind and rain. But honestly, it only added to the experience. We located this one more easily using the red dot and photos.

CLOCH CHALADH AN UISCE

Weight: 175 kg

Meaning: "Stone of the Water Quay”

Located near an old harbor where fishermen once gathered, this stone probably served as a community test of strength. The footing was slippy, and the stone was soaked. Chalk was useless. Just getting wind under it was an achievement—and we did.

Back to the car, soaked and battered. We grabbed food and motion sickness tablets before the ferry to Inishmore

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The Worst Boat Ride of My Life

We stopped at the last pub before the ferry and watched sideways rain hammer the windows. I get seasick, and this was already shaping up to be hell.

It was worse than expected. The 40-minute ferry was pure chaos—massive swells, people screaming, sick bags everywhere. Charlie filled three. While I didn’t throw up (thanks to the tablet), I was green and drained by the time we landed. Terrifying!

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Cloch Bhéal an Dúin – The Stone of Inishmore

Weight: 171 kg

Featured in Liam O’Flaherty’s 1937 story *"The Stone"*—an old strongman kisses it three times and dies on top, cementing his legend.

We planned to cycle, but the weather was too brutal. The bike hire company refunded us, and we headed to the pub to regroup. Some locals arranged for a friend to give us a lift to the stone.

No signal. Just a screenshot of a map. We searched a rock-covered landscape in near-horizontal rain—dramatic and unforgettable. I picked up a jagged shard of stone that bruised my fingertips.

Just as we were about to give up, I checked one final path—and there it was, sitting perfectly in a small circle. We all tried, but wet stone on wet mud with wet hands wasn’t promising. Still, I refused to leave without a lift.

I gave it everything—and got wind under it. My favourite lift ever.

Wettest! The camera was soaked so no high quality image.

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The Final Day – Freestyle & Farewell

The weather cleared up, so we headed back to a beach near Furbo for some freestyling. We lifted various stones: overhead, to shoulder, to chest. Highlights included:

“The Temple Stone” — a monster named in honour of The Commando Temple
A dense black slab perfect for chesting

We lifted all morning, then celebrated with Guinness and live music at O’Connor’s pub in Galway, washed down with a Supermacs. Truly unforgettable.

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Homebound

The next day, we flew home—bruised, scarred, battered—and absolutely beaming. Our love of stone lifting elevated and a genuine perspective change on strength, history and culture. Elements we want to bring home to London and nurture this pursuit at our home.

The best of times.

THE STONE TOUR - IRELAND 2025