At 32, hungover, he went into a sports shop<\/a> and bought a pair of trainers<\/a>. \u201cI remember the young fella working there laughing and going, \u2018Are you sure, man?\u2019\u201d says Keohan, laughing. <\/p>\n Within six months, he had run a marathon. In the next few years, he became a world champion in kettlebell sport. Then, when Covid lockdowns struck, he started lifting stones. Heavy, heavy stones. <\/p>\n \u201cI got bitten by the bug of feeling good,\u201d Keohan continues. \u201cBefore, I never knew what feeling good felt like. But once you start to feel good, it\u2019s amazing, and you realise how bad you felt for the last 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Reviving the ancient culture of Irish stone lifting <\/p>\n When Covid lockdowns hit in 2020 and gyms were closed, most people used burpees in their bedroom to stay in shape. But Keohan, a father-of-three, had other ideas. <\/p>\n \u201cI met my wife in art college and she carved stones,\u201d Keohan says. \u201cThe stone I started lifting in the backyard was one of hers that weighed 60kg. I use strength training<\/a> to keep me on an even keel anyway, so I think this helped keep me mentally sane throughout those years.\u201d<\/p>\n A friend, who was building a wall at the time, saw what Keohan was doing and duly dropped 70kg and 90kg stones at his house. He has been without a gym<\/a> membership ever since, instead performing lifts such as squats, rows and presses with gigantic stones \u2013 often with kettlebells balanced precariously on top of them. <\/p>\n Come along to one of these stones. If you can get the wind under it, great, but it doesn\u2019t matter. The most important part is that you get to be a part of the continuation of its story and culture<\/p>\n This approach isn\u2019t for everyone, sure. But it goes to show how fitness<\/a> plans are far from one-size-fits-all. <\/p>\n \u201cI sometimes go to the beach, name stones and lift them,\u201d Keohan says. \u201cIt\u2019s a free gym, you\u2019re there by yourself, you get to hear the seabirds \u2013 why wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n \u201cThen I found out there was a whole culture attached to stone lifting \u2013 it was more than just \u2018man picks up rock\u2019, so I started researching it.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: How to start running when you\u2019re a walker, according to an exercise physiologist<\/a> <\/p>\n Scotland has strong ties to lifting stones, with the Dinnie stones in Aberdeenshire being the best-known example. Other areas in Iceland and the Basque region also have a rich history in the practice. <\/p>\n \u201cThey were like a job interview in some cases,\u201d Keohan says. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t be a stonemason or a fisherman unless you could lift a certain stone. Or they were used as a rite of passage as you progressed from child to adult to warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland<\/a> has a strong culture of stone lifting, too. But this was wiped away centuries ago, largely through British colonisation and the famine, leaving little trace. <\/p>\n Learning of the Fianna stone in Scotland \u2013 named after bands of medieval Irish warriors \u2013 gave Keohan the hint he needed that lifting stones existed in Ireland. He then made it his mission to unearth any stones that remained west of the Irish sea. <\/p>\n Read more: I tried the Royal Navy\u2019s new fitness test \u2013 and it wasn\u2019t what I expected<\/a><\/p>\n The stone of Inishmore \u2013 the first of many <\/p>\n He found his first on the Atlantic island of Inishmore in 2023. The breadcrumb trail that led him there included a mention in a short story called The Stone by Irish author Liam O\u2019Flaherty, a tip-off from a Reddit post by O\u2019Flaherty\u2019s ancestor, and a collection of folktales from locals. <\/p>\n \u201cMe and my friends went off in a camper van, headed over on the ferry then cycled to get to the right area,\u201d Keohan says. \u201cBut once you get to Inishmore, you realise it\u2019s just an island made of stone, covered in stones. And the stone we were looking for was located in a field of boulders.\u201d <\/p>\n Fortunately, it stood out immediately \u2013 a rounded 171.2kg rump of granite with a uniquely pinkish hue, sitting in the middle of a small clearing. This isn\u2019t 171.2kg of weight plates loaded on a knurled, ergonomic barbell either. It\u2019s wet, it\u2019s unwieldy, and it won\u2019t be picked up without a fight. <\/p>\n Keohan went away and dedicated his free time to becoming strong enough to lift the stone: lifting progressively heavier stones in his training, eating more and packing on 20kg of body weight. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Months later, he returned to Inishmore and prised the stone from the floor. He lifted it to his lap, then lips, before planting three kisses on its cold surface \u2013 just as the protagonist in O\u2019Flaherty\u2019s short story had done. And with that, the culture of Irish lifting stones was continued. <\/p>\n From this point on, Keohan doubled down on his goal of tracking down more stones through myths, stories and word of mouth. Continuing the hunt at weekends, around his job at a construction depot in Waterford, he has since found more than 50.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s given me a whole new purpose and a lease of life in my forties,\u201d he says. \u201cFinding this culture and sharing it with people has been amazing. It\u2019s bringing back strength and pride, and there\u2019s a whole national identity attached to it, too. \u201d<\/p>\n People now travel from all over the world to lift stones that Keohan has rediscovered. His Instagram account, Indiana Stones<\/a>, has a loyal five-figure following. He recently released a book about his discoveries called The Wind Beneath the Stone<\/a>. Irish stone lifting is back. <\/p>\n Read more: Scientists followed women through midlife for 15 years \u2013 this activity was linked to longer, better lives<\/a><\/p>\n Keep rolling: the life of a lifting stone<\/p>\n Historically, lifting stones served many purposes. Some started life as jostle stones outside pubs, stopping horse-drawn carts from cutting corners and damaging the pub\u2019s walls. Some were placed at crossroads or along mass paths as entertainment. \u201cPeople have always wanted to pick stuff up,\u201d Keohan explains. <\/p>\n Other stones were used as a tangible measure of strength to decide if you were well-suited to a certain job. In Iceland, a set of four called the Dritv\u00edk stones were used to determine how much of that day\u2019s fishing haul each sailor took home, Keohan tells me. They weighed 23kg, 54kg, 100kg and 154kg \u2013 the stone you lifted onto a natural plinth dictated your role in the boat and what share of the catch you kept. <\/p>\n \u201cThey had the same thing in the west of Ireland, I\u2019ve found,\u201d he adds. \u201cThey were all in the same boat, quite literally, and whoever could lift the stone the highest on their body would get the share of the catch they wanted. It was a cut-and-dry way of thinking, which I really enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n This, he says, is \u201cthe opposite of toxic masculinity\u201d \u2013 a buzzword describing an antiquated environment of hierarchical masculinity, often based on subjective measures. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Bybon.jpg\")
The Bybon stone, named after the sixth-century athlete who lifted it over his head \u2013 or so its inscription says (Wikipedia)<\/p>\n![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/For-years-Irish-stone-lifting-was-forgotten-but-David-Keohan-has-been-rediscovering-old-stones-and-t.jpeg\")
For years, this type of lifting was forgotten, but David Keohan has been rediscovering old stones and their stories (David Keohan)<\/p>\n
![\"There](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1232713420...jpeg\")
There is also a culture of stone lifting in Scotland, Iceland, the Basque region and beyond (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n