Deer Stone

Glendalough


At the junction with Green Rd as you cross the river just south of the Glendalough monastic site is the Deer Stone, set in the middle of a group of rocks. Legend claims that when St Kevin needed milk for two orphaned babies, a doe stood here waiting to be milked. The stone is actually a bullaun (a stone used as a mortar for grinding medicines or food).

Many such stones are thought to be prehistoric, and they were widely regarded as having supernatural properties: women who bathed their faces with water from the hollow were supposed to keep their looks forever. The early churchmen brought the stones into their monasteries, perhaps hoping to inherit some of their powers.

The Deer Stone was vandalized in 2023 and may not remain accessible to the public.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Glendalough attractions

1. St Kieran's Church

0.04 MILES

There are but scant remains of St Kieran's Church, the smallest at the Glendalough monastic site. It's to the east of St Mary's Church.

2. St Kevin's Kitchen

0.04 MILES

Glendalough's trademark is St Kevin's Kitchen or Church, at the southern edge of the monastic site. This compact structure, with a miniature round-tower…

3. Priest's House

0.07 MILES

At the centre of the graveyard at the Glendalough monastic site, to the southwest of the Cathedral of St Peter & St Paul, is the Priest's House. This odd…

4. Cathedral of St Peter & St Paul

0.09 MILES

The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, just southeast of the Round Tower at the Glendalough monastic site, has a 10th-century nave; the chancel and…

5. Glendalough Monastic Site

0.09 MILES

Nestled between two lakes, haunting Glendalough (Gleann dá Loch, meaning 'Valley of the Two Lakes') is one of the most significant monastic sites in…

6. Round Tower

0.11 MILES

The 10th-century Round Tower at the Glendalough monastic site is 33m tall and 16m in circumference at the base. The upper storeys and conical roof were…

7. St Mary's Church

0.11 MILES

The 10th-century St Mary's Church, to the southwest of the Round Tower, stands outside the walls of the Glendalough monastic site and belonged to local…

8. Monastery Gatehouse

0.13 MILES

The stone arch of the monastery gatehouse at the Glendalough monastic site is the only surviving example of a monastic entranceway in the country. Just…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "ireland/county-wicklow/glendalough/attractions/deer-stone/a/poi-sig/1081239/359794",
      "destination": "Glendalough",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Ireland",
      "region": "Glendalough",
      "position": "superzone"
    }