Blocc and Bluigne - the standing stones of Tara

The two standing stones in the churchyard on the Hill of Tara – known as Blocc and Bluigne – pictured in wintertime. The stone on the right is the larger of the two, and is believed by archaeologists and historians to have once formed part of an old stone church at Tara. It has some very straight edges and certainly looks like it might have belonged to a stone door or window frame in an early church. Carved on its eastern face, in relief, is a figure of a woman, believed to be one of the 'Sheela-na-gig' monuments which are commonplace around Ireland. The mythological tradition of Blocc and Bluigne is that they were not far enough apart to allow a chariot to pass between them, but if a chariot containing the would-be king raced towards them, they would part or separate far enough to allow him to pass!