the piper s stones

The notion that people could be turned into stone in punishment for some misdemeanour or other is a recurring theme in Gaelic folklore, and here at Athgreany in the stillness of the Wicklow hills is a strange troupe of dancers and a piper, all ossified on the spot for violating the Sabbath with their merrymaking. The circle stands on the crest of a low hill and consists of fourteen granite boulders and an outlier (representing the luckless piper) 40 yards to the north-east. The tallest circle-stones are on the east; one of these measures 6 feet 4 inches in height and has a girth of over 12 feet. An old thorn tree grew on the circumference of the ring until it was recently blown down, and it now lies decaying among the timeless stones. Townland names frequently hold clues about past associations between places and traditions. Athgreany translates as 'Field of the Sun', leading one to the conclusion that this was formerly a ceremonial site. Not many miles to the west in the adjoining county of Kildare, there is another Piper's Stones, a much-ruined monument enclosed by an earthen bank.