Stone Lifting: Unearthing a Lost Tradition

Date 3 November 2026 19:00 - 20:30

Location Online talk

Speaker David Keohan

In the last few years, David Keohan, a multiple national European and world champion in kettlebell sport, has been (literally) unearthing a lesser-known form of Irish traditional culture.

Whilst well recorded in other parts of Europe (particularly Scotland and Iceland), the tradition of stone lifting is little known of in Ireland.

In this talk, David will show how his research has taken him across Ireland, and how by examining archive collections and through conversations with locals in different parts of the country, he has not only brought to light the customs and contexts of Irish stone lifting but even identified actual stones lifted in the past.

David Keehan Is an avid musician, with a degree in Fine Art and a world championship title in kettlebell sport. He has used this unique mix of creativity and single-minded focus to unearth and reanimate an entire lost culture in Ireland. His book 'The Wind Beneath the Stone: My Quest to Unearth a Piece of Ireland's Folklore' was published in May 2026.