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| 1840s Map of Rathurles Rath - The Fair of Munster (c) OSI |
Rathurles is a huge multi-vallette ring-fort near Nenagh in
Co. Tipperary. It is described in the Archaeological
Inventory of County Tipperary (Vol. 1 – North Tipperary) as a;
Ringfort - “Situated in undulating pastureland. A roughly
circular area (diam. 55m N-S) defined by an inner bank largely reduced to a
scarp, a fosse (Wth 6m), a berm or walkway and an outer fosse (Wth 6.5m; D c.
2.5m). The central bank was probably backfilled into the central fosse to
provide the walkway which has the stone foundations of a building at N. A
fifteenth-century church (TN021-012002) occupies the interior of the ringfort.
The outer bank is levelled in the NE quadrant.”
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| Aerial Photo of Rathurles (c) OSI |
There are 3 other features associated with it –
Church - Situated in the interior of a ringfort
(TN021-012001). A well-preserved fifteenth-century rectangular church (dims.
9.1m N-S; 17.4m E-W; wall T 0.85m) of roughly coursed limestone. The N and S
walls stand to a maximum height of 3m with coping stones in situ on both gables
and an external base-batter (H 1.4m; Wth 0.15-0.2m) is visible. At the W end of
the N wall there is a segmental arched doorway with its sides altered. A
central two-light ogee-headed window occupies the E gable while there are
single-light flat-headed windows near the E and W ends of the S wall, at the E
and W ends of the N wall and at first-floor level in the W gable. Beam-holes at
the W end of the N and S walls supported first-floor accommodation with attic
above. There is an aumbry in the E gable and a piscina in the S wall with basin
missing. In 1306-8 William Haket was chief tenant of the lands around Rathurles
and held the land of Theobald le Bottiller (PRI rep. DK 39, 24).
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| The Church inside the ringfort |
Redundant record - Listed in the SMR (1992) as a
souterrain possible, not included in the RMP (1998). This site is referred to
in the OS namebooks: 'There is a subterranean passage - leaves the fort in
direction of Rathurles Castle, with which it is supposed to communicate'
(O'Donovan, c.1840, Unpublished). There is no other evidence, documentary or
physical, to suggest this souterrain exists. Underground passages are
frequently attributed to sites without any factual basis.
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| 1840s map of the ringfort - note the "Entrance to Subterraneous Passage" in the top left of pic (c) OSI |
Gateway - Listed in the SMR (1992) and RMP (1998) as
piers. These gatepiers are located in the field NE of Rathurles ringfort
(TN021-012001). They consist of two large recumbent limestone blocks fomerly
used as gatepiers to mark the entrance to the ringfort and are likely to be of
nineteenth-century date.
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| View of Remarkable stone 1 from the North |
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| View of Remarkable Stone 2 from the North |
What these do not adequately describe is some of the
features that appear on the old 1840’s ordnance survey maps. The map shows what is now listed as the Redundant record was recorded as an “Entrance
to Subterraneous Passage” to the west of the ringfort and the 19th century gatepiers were recorded as “remarkable stones”
to the east of the ringfort.
The author first visited Rathurles in approximately 2007 and
was impressed by its size and how unusual it was for a church to be built
within a ringfort. Not much more was thought of it as there was very little
literature to read about. The author recalled from a documentary on RTE called Secret
Sights that Rathurles was known as the “fair of Munster” but other than that no
further notice was taken.
When it became easier to view the old 1840s OS maps online
and seeing the interesting features mentioned above the author decided that
another visit was more than warranted. At this time the author inspected the
“remarkable stones” which are actually located to the north of the site. The
stone closest to the ring-fort is 2.4m long x 1.1m wide x 0.23m deep and the
other is 2.2m long x 1.1m wide x 0.5m deep. Both stones have a “tenon” on the
North-eastern edge. On the stone that is furthest from the ring-fort, the tenon
is not the full depth of the stone. The author also noted an unusual feature to
the west of the ring-fort where the “Entrance to Subterraneous Passage” was
noted on the 1840s map – basically a deep round depression – approximately 1.5m
deep with a diameter of 8.5m. However this location does vary with the note in
the OS namebooks suggesting the passage is to the east.
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| View of Remarkable stone 1 looking east |
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| View of Remarkable stone 1 "Tenon" |
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| View of Remarkable stone 2 looking east |
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| View of the Remarkable stone 2 "Tenon" |
The author visited the local studies area of the library in Nenagh and
found a book that mentions Rathurles called “The History of the Ely O’Carroll
Territory or Ancient Ormond by Rev John Gleeson (1915)“.
This book gives some information on the founding of the town
of Nenagh. The name Nenagh comes from the Irish for Aenach which according to
Gleeson was a week-long “fair”. In Gleeson’s book he states that “The first
beginning of Nenagh, in the Pagan days, before Christ, was the erection of an
Irish rath or fort; the second origin of the town was the establishment of the
Aenach in the year 130AD; as explained”. He then goes on to say “This
rath seems to have been the great circular mound at Rathurles; this word means a
strong fort – durlas means strong”. Unfortunately Rev. Gleeson does not
reference any of this so it has not been possible to confirm where he sourced
this information from. He then goes on to describe for 4 pages about ring-forts
in general and the social order of those who lived in ringforts but none of it
seems to refer specifically to Rathurles.
Next he returns to Rathurles to say “The
number of circular mounds that surround the rath of Rathurles and the size of
this fort prove that it was the residence of an Irish lord or prince. In
ancient times it was surrounded by the smaller raths of the followers and
tenants of the chieftain. In the time before the coming of the Butlers to
Nenagh, Rathurles was the only town which existed : it was the cradle of the
modern town.“
Later he goes on to say “Rathurles is said to be a
rath-cave, having underground chambers”.
He also suggests that St Patrick would have visited during the Aenach on
his journey around Ireland in 470AD (on his way to Lorrha).
Gleeson goes on to describe generally what an Aenach is and
tells us that this description is taken from Joyce's Social History. Finally he
takes a direct reference from the same book “The memory of one important
fair is preserved in the name of Nenagh in Tipperary. The yearly fair held here
is called Aenach Urmhumhan (Enagh Uroon), meaning
the Fair of Ormond at East Munster: the old people have quite forgotten the
meaning of ‘Uroon’”.
Much of what Rev. Gleeson writes about would now be taken as
inaccurate such as describing raths as being inhabited from the time of the Fir
Bolg but some of it is broadly correct such as his description of the
stratified nature of society in early Ireland.
An Aenach or as it is translated "Fair" wouldn't be an accurate reflection of what went on there.
It was more of an assembly and wikipedia gives the following description
"An Aonach or Óenach was an ancient Irish public national assembly called upon the death of a king, queen, notable sage or warrior as part of ancestor worship practices.[1] As well as the entertainment, the óenach was an occasion on which kings and notables met under truce and where laws were pronounced and confirmed.
The Aonach had three functions; honoring the dead, proclaiming laws, and funeral games and festivities to entertain. The first function took between one and three days depending on the importance of the deceased, guests would sing mourning chants called the Guba after which druids would improvise songs in memory of the dead called a Cepóg. The dead would then be burnt on a funeral pyre. The second function would then be carried out by the Ollamh Érenn, giving out laws to the people via bards and druids and culminating in the igniting of another massive fire. The custom of rejoicing after a funeral was then enshrined in the Cuiteach Fuait, games of mental and physical ability accompanied by a large market for traders."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aonach
The author found another interesting book in the local
studies section of Nenagh library called “Nenagh & It’s Neighbourhood” by
EH Sheehan. In it the following quotation was found “At Rathurles Cross is
one of the great monuments of Irish antiquity. This is the great triple-ringed
earth fort of Rathurles, uninhabited-now at least-since the 12th century. In
Ormond only the" meadow fort" of Kilteelagh, near Dromineer,
approaches it in area. Finely sited on an eminence, its whole appearance, even
now, proclaims that it was once the great wattled dun of the early Chieftains
of Ormond long before even Nenagh was heard of.
On the northern side of it will be found near the ancient entrance two
“Remarkable Stones" as they are shown on the Ordnance Sheets of 1840. That
they were the gate piers of the fort has been confirmed recently on inspection
by the highest modern authority-inspection of them will show on each a short
projecting tenon to engage with the lintel.
The authority referred to writes:-" I judge them to be the
jamb-stones of a very monumental doorway, almost megalithic." There
are no historical documents relating to Rathurles.” This book looks to have
been originally published in 1949 and so may have used Rev Gleeson’s book as a
source.
The author decided then to go to where
the local Irish Folklore Commission microfilm was kept in Thurles library to
see if there were any other references in local folklore to the ring-fort.
There was very little about it with only a couple of mentions. In one there is
a description of "lights" in the fort and in another a "white
woman" haunts the fort. Another describes it as having being built by
"the Danes". For such a large
and impressive monument there seems to be very little about it.
While there the author spoke with Mary Guinan Darmody and
she was kind enough to take out the OS letters books by O'Donovan referring to
Rathurles. In the OS letters the ringfort was also referred to locally as
having being built by the Danes and that a great battle took place at
"Barnaderg" in the vicinity. Barnaderg is noted on the 1840s OS map
and is likely to translate as the "red gap". It looks to have been a crossing
point on the nearby Olatrim River (less than 500m away). The name may be a
reference to the blood-shed. It also mentions that a great number of bones were
found within the fort and again makes reference to a battle. Later research
found in The Annals of the Four Masters that Brian Boru suffered a defeat by
Maelseachlainn at Rathurles with the fort being burned during raids in 994 and
1056. This could be a reference to these battles.
What is unusual is that no mention is made to the "fair
of Munster" in any of the Irish Folklore Commission micro-film above.
A few other snippets were found - one by former North Tipp
heritage officer (Siobhan Geraghty) who produced a gazetteer of North Tipp
Heritage and wrote a piece on Rathurles describing it as “Rathurles ‘ring
fort’ probably a ritual inauguration or assembly site either iron age or pseudo
Iron age (12th century?). Rathurles fort and church. (Fort only, described as
‘Prehistoric Trivallate Rath’).” This document was
available on the County Council website but is no longer available.
Another snippet I found is on http://tinyurl.com/p8ukp2w which states that “There is a very remarkable fort called
Rath-Durlais, in the parish of Cill-Ruadhain (Kilruane) barony of Lower Ormond
and County of Tipperary, which may be the one here referred to.”
In the Royal Society of Antiquaries of
Ireland 1906 there is a reference - “perhaps
to Nenagh, originally Aenach Thete, but later Aenach Urmhumhan, the assembly
place of Ormond” giving an older name for the Aenach.
The
author also found another link to Aenach Thete, this time in a paper by local man and archaeologist Patrick
Gleeson titled “Kingdoms, Communities, and Óenaig: Irish Assembly Practices in
their Northwest European Context” linking Aenach Thete or Téite with a mound
approx. 5km away to the south west of Rathurles at Tullaheady. Tullaheady comes
from the Irish Tullach Teite with Tullach meaning mound or hillock and Téite
being a mythical female that was buried there. Gleeson also states that Aenach
sites can have many different focus points within a broad landscape.
We now look in more detail at the evidence that the dating
of Rathurles needs to be reconsidered:
Firstly Rathurles is a trivallette ringfort – it is
suggested that trivallette ringforts were the residences of higher status
individuals during the Iron Age. To the north-west in the townland of Rathurles
Commons is a crannog of which again little research has been done on. Crannogs
are often associated with higher status sites and as such its location within
the vicinity strengthens the argument that this ring-fort is possibly an early
Iron-Age royal site. In terms of size, the actual diameter of the fort from
google maps is 160m rather than 55m (which is the internal diameter given in
the Archaeological Inventory). To give you an idea of the diameter of some
other royal sites in Ireland - Knockaulin in Co. Kildare is 462m, Tara (although
not circular) is 308m, Navan Fort is 268m and the one that is nearest in terms
of distance, Rathnadrinna outside Cashel, is 140m in diameter. Rathnadrinna is
also the closest in terms of size.
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| 1840s OS Map of Rathurles Crannog (c) OSI |
The author considers that from the research in the various
literature reviewed above that it can be argued that Rathurles is much older
and more important than considered today. The other features at the site are
also worth examining. The “remarkable stones” are also an enigma – the author has not been able to
find any back-up as to why they have been dated as 19th century in
date. At a minimum it has been shown that other ring-forts had stone entrances
and if so they must be dated much older than the 19th century. These
stones do not seem to follow any old field patterns and so their current
location is unusual. Why would they have been dragged from any possible
entrance of the ring-fort to their current location of approximately 10m to the
north of the fort. Could they be a pair of fallen standing stones?
Recent excavations at Rathnadrinna ring-fort near Cashel in South Tipp have pointed towards evidence of a bronze-age date for the founding of that
site. The morphologies of the two forts are similar with both being
multi-valette ring-forts of similar size. It is also suggested the site of
Rathnadrinna was a “royal” site for the inauguration of the kings of Munster at
various times (http://tinyurl.com/ne2oply). This suggests that further research is needed to ascertain Rathurles's true age and
significance.
What is also interesting to consider is that the Normans did not choose this site at Rathurles as their location for the town of Nenagh but they did choose to build close to it. Rathurles can be seen from the top of Nenagh Castle today.
