The Tipperary Antiquarian

The Battle of Roscrea St Peter and Pauls or the 29th of June was when a great fair was held in Roscrea. In 942 folklore records that a huge hoard of Vikings attacked the fair in the hopes of making off with the wealth there. However they hadn't bet on just how hardy Tipp and particularly Roscrea people are! "The Danes, under their commander, Olfinn, attracted by the great wealth, which was gathered together at the Aenach, marched on the town, and were annihilated. A description of this battle is found in O'Halloran's "History of Ireland," which is so vivid, it is here quoted in full :--- A great annual fair was held at Roscrea on the festival of Saints Peter and Paul - June 29th - but which continued during fourteen days. As this was nearly in the centre of the kingdom merchants resorted to it, not only from different parts of Ireland, but from foreign countries, to dispose of their wares ; for the country was even then called by the mercantile world ......

  Is there an effigy of the great mythological figure Oisin somewhere at the Rock of Cashel ? Or perhaps an imprint where the bull in this story ran into? I wonder does it have anything to do with the Sheela na Gig on the walls of the Rock? (See comments for a picture). "When St. Patrick was building the great church on the Rock of Cashel, the workmen used to be terribly annoyed, for whatever they put up by day was always found knocked down next morning. So one man watched and another man watched, but about one o'clock in the night every watcher fell asleep as sure as the hearth-money. At last St. Patrick himself sat up, and just as the clock struck one, what did he see but a terrible bull, with fire flashing from his nostrils, charging full drive up the hill, and pucking down every stone, stick, and bit of mortar that was put together the day before. "Oh, ho ! " says the Saint, "Til soon find one that will settle you, my brave bull" Now, who was th...

Is the remains of the famous rapparee Galloping Hogan's house? (Original photo is in the link). The folklore (below) suggests that it is in the townland of Johnstown near Puckane in North Tipp. There is another map associated with the same school and it gives it in an eastern area of Johnstown near the road. I took a look around that area recently but there was no sign of it. Luckily I met with a local man while there, he doesn't recall any folklore linking Galloping Hogan to the area. He recalls his father telling him a story that when Hogan was being executed, that Hogan asked the crowd, "was there anyone there from Hogan's Pass?". However he didn't recall any stories in the local area about Hogan. This is a story that I have seen mentioned before in relation to rapparee's or highwaymen and generally the idea is that he wanted to tell someone where his treasure was buried. There is another story in the School's Manuscripts that records this event...

Known as St Kevin's Well in the Schools Manuscripts, it is actually a bullaun stone rather than a spring well. I visited this years ago and only just happened upon this folklore related to it recently. "Rath-Caoimhighin, which means Rathkevin or the Fort of Kevin is situated about four miles from Clonmel and six miles from Cahir and is reached by a field from the main road. It is a thickly wooded fort surrounded by a white thorn hedge. It was supposed to have been the abode of the Danes in olden times and was protected from enemies by a Moat, and inside the Moat was a wall. A drawbridge was placed over the moat and on the side fo the moat was an iron gong and beneath it a stout club. When people came to it they struck the gong with the club and the people inside heard it and looked out to see whether it was a friend or an enemy. If a friend they raised the portcullis and let fall the bridge. There was a saint named Kevin living there, hence the name Rath-Caoimhighin. T...

 The Devil's Track near Kilcommon, North Tipp. "At Knocknabansha just on the roadside about half mile east of the village is the Devil's Track. It is a large stone embedded in the soil. On it is a large track resembling a horses's hoof. It is deep at the toe about 2 1/2" and shallower towards the back. The devil put it there by stepping on the stone on his way to Cashel from Barnane." https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922168/4857932 This stone supposedly near the village of Kilcommon in the Slieve Felims isn't recorded on any maps. I did a little searching for it recently and asked around in the local area if anyone knew its location. Unfortunately no one that I met had even heard of it. Besides it having wonderful folklore linking it with the story of the Devil's Bit near Templemore, I had also wondered whether it had the potential to be unrecorded rock-art. If anyone knows someone from the area, they might pass on the info and see if anybody l...

Lough Thuile near Kilcommon in North Tipp. A Mountainy Lake Monster? "On top of a Hill in townland of Garrycummer is a lake called Loughthuile. It has no outlet. An attempt was made to drain it hundreds of years ago but when they looked back as they were just letting go the water all the houses in the valley below were on fire and so the lake was left as it is. .... Like all mountain tarns a monster guards the lake. A Huge Eel appears there occasionally and when a death is about to take place a light crosses it. It is said that no man could swim it that the monster would suck him down in the middle. It is frequented by plover, wild duck and wild geese but contains no fish of any kind." https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922168/4857884/5018877 There is similar folklore about the draining of Lough Muskry in the Glen of Aherlow, when they tried to drain it, there houses ended up on fire back at home. Also similar to Lough Muskry - there is a story of a lake monster.