The Tipperary Antiquarian

By the author A recent post about a stone chair in Co. Limerick made be recall a visit to Fiddlers Rock at Glenafelly in Co. Offaly. I first read about this rock in John Feehan's book - The Landscape of Slieve Bloom.  https://www.offalyhistory.com/shop/books/the-landscape-of-slieve-bloom There isn't a whole pile of folklore that I am aware of regarding it other than than its association with a fiddler.  It is marked on coillte's map for the Glenafelly loop walk.   https://www.coillte.ie/site/glenafelly/ Stone chairs like this can often be linked to Gaelic inauguration practices, some are natural stones that are used, some have been worked by man to become more chair-like.   By the author It is described on archaeology.ie as follows  "Large conglomerate glacial erratic almost rectangular in plan (H 1.3m; 1.7m x 0.6m) aligned NE/SW. Doubtful standing stone due to its location and shape and not marked on any editions of the OS 6-inch maps. According to Fe...

I started off this article with the idea to review the various Books of Survey and Distribution to see if there were any "stray" Ryan landowners out there.  From the Book of Survey and Distribution for Kilkenny - dated to circa 1680 These records show who owned the land in a particular area circa the mid 1600s and who was to receive the same lands after they had been confiscated by Cromwell.  I had a look at the Carlow version of this document but there were no Ryans included in it which was unusual considering this was supposed to be the original home of the Ryans, however it appears that the Gaelic Kavanaghs and Anglo-Normans such as the Bagnals had taken much of their land prior to the 1600s.  I then went on to review the Kilkenny Books here - not expecting to find much in those either.  Books of Survey and Distribution: County Kilkenny: Gowran Barony - Virtual Treasury I had reviewed all the books up to the last one - Gowran Barony.  There I found a large nu...

  By Derek Ryan I took this photo without knowing anything about who General Sir Richard Bourke was. Amazingly now biographies of historical figures such as this guy are now very easy to find. Although from two Tipperary / Limerick families in the Bourkes and his mother was a Ryan, Richard was brought up a Protestant. His father was John Bourke of Drumsally near Murroe and his mother Anne Ryan a daughter of Edmund Ryan of Boscable? Tipperary.  He joined the British Army in 1798 and served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. A severe facial wound early in his career left him physically marked, but it did not hinder his advancement. After the wars, he returned to his Limerick estate, where he served as a magistrate and landowner, gaining firsthand experience of rural governance and social inequality in Ireland. His administrative abilities led to colonial appointments, first at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and then, most importantly, as Gov...

  By Derek Ryan I'm sure many of ye have passed this monument near the Castleconnell exit off of the M7 at Limerick (Junction 27). I have passed it many times and finally got a chance to spot and have a look at it. It has been moved to make way for the nearby motorway and re-erected here.  Some might say that the monument could have removed altogether as the Fitzgibbons record as landlords were mixed to say the least.  They had the title of Earls of Clare, the 1st Earl John Fitzgibbon was anti-Catholic and pro the Act of Union.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-FitzGibbon-1st-earl-of-Clare It was the great grandson of the 1st Earl that is commemorated here.  From the roadside information board "Lady Louisa Fitzgibbon and her first husband, Gerald Dillon, had this arch erected in 1875 in memory of their eldest son, Charles Richard George (1849-70), who died of blood poisoning aged 20. It was positioned over a road side pump originally installed by Louisa...

Ned of the Hill's Cave near Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary. By Derek Ryan Bawn Who was Ned of the Hill? Ned or Eamonn O'Riain an Chnoic was an Irish Rapparee or Highwayman from near Upperchurch in Co. Tipperary. In folklore he developed a reputation as a kind of Irish Robin Hood, taking from the rich to give to the poor. It is said that he went to France to train to be a priest but on a trip home to Ireland he got into some trouble and became an outlaw. He fought during the Williamite War when many Rapparee's fought on the side of King James's forces. Local folklore records that he led Patrick Sarsfield and his soldiers through the secret passes of the Slieve Felims on their way to blow up the Williamite Siege train at Ballyneety in Co. Limerick in 1690. https://thetipperaryantiquarian.blogspot.com/.../sarsfiel... In the mountain area between Cappawhite and Hollyford is the reputed gravesite of Ned of the Hill. https://www.facebook.com/Thetipperaryantiquarian...