Today we’re joined (for the second time!) by Dr. Conor Heffernan, an historian and educator regarding the history of strength and physical culture. He’s also a frequent BarBend contributor! Dr. Heffernan joins us to talk about the history of stone lifting in cultures around the globe, with a particular emphasis on Irish stone lifting. Dozens of historic Irish lifting stones have been uncovered in the past few years, and one intrepid explorer/lifter has even been called “Indiana Stones” because of his rare finds. How exactly are researchers finding these historic stones? And is anyone lifting them today?
In this episode of the BarBend Podcast, host David Thomas Tao talks to Dr. Conor Heffernan about:
- Conor’s background and passion for strength culture (1:35)
- Where you can see a 2,000 year-old lifting stone (5:10)
- Did historians exaggerate ancient lifting accomplishments? (8:30)
- Irish stone lifting and new discoveries (13:00)
- The diversity of Irish lifting stones (and the story of a man called “Indiana Stones“!) (15:30)
- What does an Irish government initiative from the 1920s have to do with stone lifting? (19:20)
- The culture of uncovering lifting stones (22:50)
- Rediscovering the Dinnie Stones (27:00)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Follow Conor on Twitter
- Follow David Thomas Tao on Instagram and Twitter
