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An historic monument featuring ancient Irish writing has had the almighty crap beaten out of it by at least one mindless idiot at the Hill of Tara in Meath.

The Lia Fáil stone once served as the coronation place for the High Kings of Tara, but now lies in a much less regal state having been battered at least 11 time with a hammer.

"These monuments are a fundamental part of our shared heritage and history, and I condemn in the strongest terms the damage that has been caused to this monument," he told the Irish Times.

None of the four sides of the 5,500-year-old standing stone were spared and the granite face was severely damaged. The vandalism was discovered last weekend, but it's not known when the moronic act was committed.

Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan has predictably condemned the vandals, but there precious little he can do at this stage. It's not yet clear how serious the damage is, but a archaeologist from the National Monuments Service has examined it and removed fragments.

Gardaí now have the findings of the examination and will presumably use it as evidence if they can find the culprit/s.