Folklore & legend

The Cow That Left Her Hoofprint at Kilnasaggart

Kilnasaggart pillar stone and graveyard, near Jonesborough

Traditional; undated

Near Kilnasaggart Bridge a tall pillar stone, about two metres high and inscribed with ogham, crosses and a Gaelic dedication, stands in a field beside an ancient graveyard. At its base lie some small stones with crosses, and one of these has an odd shape said to fit a cavity on top of the pillar.

According to the Wikipedia article on Jonesborough, a legend belongs to this stone. The whole area west of Slieve Gullion, including Dromintee, was known as Gleann na Samhaisce, the Glen of the Heifer. It is said that a famous cow lived there who gave milk in abundance to everyone who came, always filling their bucket. Then someone, through greed or malice, tried to milk her into a sieve. This angered the cow so much that she stamped her foot on this stone and fled the valley for ever. The shape of her hoof, the tale says, remains in the stone to this day.

The tale is a local form of the widespread story of the bountiful cow that departs after being abused.

Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Public footpath only
Location
54.074, -6.381 (Parish-level only, treat as an area)

Sources: Wikipedia, "Jonesborough, County Armagh" [other]

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