One thing I find fascinating about Irish folkloric practices is the way one tradition often overlaps another. Sometimes a belief and custom amalgamates with, perhaps, an exaggeration, becoming a unique tradition of its own.
Other times, a practice evolves based on hearsay and interpretation.
And, of course, there are the older, authentic customs which travel through communities, families and ‘those who know.’
The Baltinglass cursing stone is a story which in its own tangle of customs has connections to all these concepts.
Discovering the Baltinglass Cursing Stone
I heard of this stone a few years ago and I made an initial post about it but it’s worth telling and what has happened since.
I had been hill-walking around Boleycarrigeen and Baltinglass Hill and met an elderly gentleman who, apart from putting me to shame with his hiking skills, directed me towards a few possible sights I might find interesting.
He grew up in Wicklow and knew stories and anecdotes that I hadn’t heard before and have since documented, a couple of which involved the patterns relating to a stone which he described as a ballaun.
Bullaun stones are ancient Irish artifacts often linked to folklore of healing and cursing.
Finding the Site on Baltinglass Hill
I headed over to where he told me and found the stone where the gentleman had indicated easily enough.
I could tell immediately by the smaller stones placed exactly at each of the ‘ballauns’ that the site was still very much in use in a cursing and curing sense.
Simply put, the process enacted with cursing/ curing stones is that you turn the small stone as you make your wish for good or ill then place it next to one of the indentations. For many magical practitioners the water which collects in the depressions also contains healing properties.
Not Quite a Traditional Bullaun Stone
The indentations on the main stone, though, were not quite what I would associate with a ballaun. They reminded me more of the marks found upon the stones at the nearby Castleruddery and Athgreany stone circles. These particular marks were made by those cutting the stones in ancient times and, according to some archaeologists, also by people trying to destroy them in later centuries.
My thoughts then were that even if it wasn’t a ballaun stone, might it be a remnant of another ancient monument? The fact that the site was in use for generations meant that this was an exciting possibility.
Connections to Mass Paths and Holy Wells
Asking around further, I was told that the stone was part of a ‘mass path’ years ago. This was another very interesting development. Although often mixed-up with fairy paths and ley-lines, these tracks are more recent. Basically, they are walkways found in rural areas connecting places of worship and sometimes funeral routes over fields and mountains, as in the case of another local site, Kilranelagh.
I found mention of ‘a’ mass path in the Duchas archives, although it was from the perspective of someone travelling in the opposite direction.
But, I had a definite hit on a mass path crossing Baltinglass Hilll so that was something, at least.
The mass paths also incorporate local Holy Wells so I wasn’t short of candidates there either when looking at possible further extensions of the trail.
Dúchas folklore archives reveal rich stories of mass paths in Wicklow.
Seeking Expert Opinions on the Cursing Stone
The next step was to post pictures online and see what my archaeology and folklore contacts thought. The initial response was what I expected: the stone didn’t look like it was a ballaun.
Some felt that the indentations were natural and others that they were man-made but the cursing aspect and the placement of the smaller stones next to each hole was fascinating.
One helpful archaeologist encouraged me to contact the National Monuments Service and find out what they thought either way.
Location Near Ancient Megaliths
The site itself is on one of the sloping faces of Baltinglass Hill, not too far from the pinnacle and 5’000 year old megalithic monument.
However, this would be an obscure place to try and direct someone to if they were not familiar with the mountain, especially in the wet and windy conditions you inevitably have to endure when hiking in Ireland.
Official Assessment and Enduring Folklore
When the monuments service got back they confirmed what I had suspected, the stone didn’t seem to be a ballaun and the depressions in the main stone, in the opinion of the investigator, were made by weathering.
Obviously the folkloric cursing aspect was something apart from the age of the stone itself.
On my most recent hike to the site I noticed that a small plastic crucifix had been placed near one of the cursing/ wishing stones. The only person I have seen at the site over the past year is the gentleman who told me about it and we exchange the odd bit of hiking talk to do with where a bull might be or where the ground is particularly boggy.
He still calls the site the ballaun stone and, somehow, it doesn’t feel right to tell him otherwise.
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