Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

-,iS Old Irish Rclio-ions.
the stone. The circular iron handles, for lifting it, are
fixed to a staple. A crack may be observed. The stone
is 25 in. long, \6\ broad. \o\ high.
Returning to its Scotch history, Skene discovers not a
single example of a Pictish sovereign being crowned thereon
;
and, supposing an instance were known, he wonders why
the Scots, as racial foes of Picts, should have used it for the
purpose. Robertson, the historian, traced Columba's relics
to Dundalk, not Scone.
A work pubHshed about i6S6 describes the stone as
22 in. long, 13 broad, and 11 deep; and says, "whereof
history relates that it is the stone whereon Jacob is said to
have lain his head in the Plain of Luga ; and that it was
brought to Brigantia (Corunna) in the Kingdom of Spain,
in which place Gathol, King of Scots, sat on it as his
throne. Thence it was brought into Ireland by Simon
Brec, first King of Scots, about 700 years before Christ's
time, and from thence into Scotland about 300 years before
Christ, and in A.D. S50 was placed in the Abbey Scone."
Will. Rishanger mentions ^lilo. King of the Spanish Scots,
giving it to his son Simon Brek.
Dr. O'Connor cites an Irish ^IS. which records the removal
of Lia Fail from Tara to the Connaught Kings at
Cruachan, and so it lost its sounding property till Con's
day, second century ; that it was sent by Murtagh Mac
Earca to his brother Fergus ^lac Earca of Dalriada in
Argyle. O'Flaherty, confounding its asserted removal
from lona to Scone in the ninth centur}-, affirmed it was
sent then by Aodh Finliath to his father-in-law, Kenneth
]\Iac Alpin. Another version is, that Simon Brek (speckled
sun) brought it up with his anchor off the west coast of
Ireland.
Pennant narrates— " The stone which had first ser\-ed
Jacob for his pillow, was afterwards transported into Spain.