The Return of Historic Stone Lifting as a Modern Strength Sport
By Kelan Ern Last updated: 02/06/2026
It’s not the ‘January joiners’ flooding the box gyms.
Or “Dinosaur Time”
(the trend of devouring large handfuls of spinach, kale or lettuce at the start of your meal)
It’s an old “fitness tradition” from rural Ireland (and other European countries) that’s being brought back from the dead.
I came across it while reading an NPR Interview of sports history author Conor Heffernan who shared how his own fitness journey evolved from disciplined-to-expressive:
“I went from natural bodybuilding shows and Olympic weightlifting and quite restricted, disciplined ideas about how my body should look and move, to more expressive. I lift historic lifting stones. I lift sandbags. I enjoy what I eat. I enjoy how my body moves. So I think none of us can escape having a body.”
The interviewer couldn’t help but ask:
“Did you say historic stones”?
My mind went to atlas stones, the 300+ pound concrete balls famous in World’s Strongest Man competitions, where athletes carry them up to 30 feet before heaving them onto a platform.
But that’s not it.
He’s referring to the centuries old tradition of lifting historic stones scattered across the country - including countrysides, coasts, and graveyards. Each stone is uniquely shaped and has a long history of inspiring the strongest locals to budge them.
And over the last several years, a small group of lifters has resurrected the tradition using National Folklore Collection, antique maps and local history as their ‘treasure map’ for famous stones.
Here are a few historic stones in Ireland:
Historic Stone Lifting in Ireland
In Cahersiveen is the Wharton stone, which weighs 375 pounds and was traditionally lifted by local farmers.
Tucked in a graveyard in Tipperary is the Lonergan stone (391 lbs), named after Thomas Lonergan, the strongest man in town. According to local lore, after Sunday mass people would try to lift it.
In Derry is the Seefin Stone (known as the Fingerstone) which is the heaviest lifting stone in the country clocking in at 566 lbs! According to legend, leaders lifted it as a rite of passage.
Maybe it’s the Irish in me – but I love the idea.
(And have already Googled historic stones in Iowa… with no luck so far…)
Stone lifting is not for everyone – especially if you have zero experience lifting, have the hip mobility of a rock, or can’t sit in a deep squat.
But there’s something about the concept that can be applied to all levels of fitness.
First, the challenge is blue sky clear:
Can you lift the Blarney stone or not?
Stone lifting is measured by if you can lift it to your chest, waist, knee or even budge it at all. Apparently, Connor once tried to lift a stone in a graveyard and couldn’t do it. A friend placed a hand on his shoulder and told him:
“The stone's not ready for you to lift it yet.”
Many fitness goes are murky and don’t have clear milestones of progress along the way. It’s tough to take a goal seriously without a clear vision of what you’re moving towards (not just moving away from).
Second, it takes lifting from an activity you do strictly in the gym to an expanding capacity that travels with you – and that you can use in new ways.
Sometimes in my coaching programs I give ‘vacation homework’ where the person finds a hiking trail near their hotel, cabin or Airbnb. I can remember one couple stopping half-way through their road trip to hike a remote area they wouldn’t otherwise (which ended up being a highlight of the trip).
These “side quests” make your traveling much more fulfilling, gives you the chance to move your body (which usually doesn’t feel like exercise at all), and something interesting happens the moment you schedule it…
It instantly gives you a clear vision for what your workouts and training are leading to.