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St. Colmcille's Stone Wedge Tomb
 

County

Donegal

Coordinates

N 55° 00' 29.76"   W 007° 54' 58.56"

Nearest town

Letterkenny

Grid Ref.

C 05356 17857

Map No.

6

Elevation a.s.l. (m)

93

Date of visit

Saturday 1 June 2019

GPS Accuracy (m)

3
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The prehistoric tomb and the modern cross seen from the southwest.


What is regarded and known as the St. Colmcille's (or Columba's) birth place is a prehistoric tomb, most likely a wedge tomb, forming a low mound with a crown of orthostats all around.
To the southeast (150°) of the mound is a flat stone, one of the roof stones forming the tomb, and that has slipped to the ground. The top surface of this stone is rich with cupmarks in which the rain waters collects and where some visitors have left coins as an offer to the site.
This stone is also known with the name of Leac na Cumhnadh, meaning "the Stone of Sorrows".

According to the tradition, this is the stone upon which Eíthne gave birth to St. Colmcille in 521 AD.
In the last centuries, Irish emigrants to Australia and America would spend their last night before the departure, just like Colmcille, according to the tradition, spent his last night before exiling himself on the island of Iona, in Scotland.

North of the prehistoric tomb is a modern and ugly cross, erected September 1914 in honour of the saint and to the Glory of God.


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