Ep. 217 - The Rich History of Irish Lifting

Dr. Conor Heffernan is back to discuss our recent trip to Ireland where he introduced us to Ireland’s reigning strongest woman Ayshea Ullah, David Keohan a kettlebell sport world champion dubbed “Indiana Stones”, and the many members of Europe’s oldest continually open gym Hercules Club, in Dublin. On our trip we learned about the only recently uncovered history of Irish stone lifting that goes back centuries, and got to watch as the current physical culturists of modern Ireland physically connected with the past pioneers of strength, and we also sat down with the old and new members of Herc’s in Dublin to learn just how special their community is. Join us in this episode as we reflect on these incredible experiences. 00:00 The fellowship of the stone is back (with a limerick) SBD Road to Sheffield 2023 Series YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85JoAo_KTFuKlOWLRY_-gHj362gYTBOm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbdapparel/reels/ 13:33 The history of the stones that we lifted in Ireland 30:04 The historical and cultural significance of lifting the natural stones 45:22 The origin of Hercules gym and its importance 57:22 Eric and Conor’s experiences of training at Hercules gym 1:26:01 Closing out with the unofficial third member of the Iron Culture establishment