The Devil's Tooth, Ballinlough

I came across a great resource this week on the Tipperary Libraries website. They have begun to digitise a number of historical documents including surveys done by the Irish Tourism Association in the 1940s. This body was the first state body set up to promote tourism in Ireland. They went around the country checking facilities and antiquities that they could promote to a local and international audience.

http://tipperarystudies.ie/digitisation-project/

I was running through the Toomevara survey and found this interesting folklore relating to a standing stone I had visited in the past. I have often heard the legend of the Devil taking a bite out of the mountain range it was set in and spitting it out or dropping it where the Rock of Cashel was located. However I have never heard this variant to the story and hopefully people will find it interesting.

From the Toomevara Survey

"The "long stone" is a nine feet high standing stone at a cross-roads in the townland of Ballinlough about 2mls south of Nenagh. It is a noted landmark in the district. It is connected with the legend of the Devils Bit. The local people say the Devil broke a tooth in biting the mountain and it fell here and changed into stone. There is nothing to indicate whether it marks a burial or is merely an ancient landmark."

I'm afraid in reality I don't think it is actually one of the Devils teeth but I have always thought that the story of "The Devil's Bit" may have its origins in an earlier legend. Often in Irish folklore an earlier god or mythological figure is replaced by a later one. One example is Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo which is now dedicated to St. Patrick but probably was originally a Pagan pilgrimage to Lugh.

Unusually considering how it is linked to the legend of "The Devil's Bit", I don't think you can actually see the Devil's Bit (earlier Bearane Eile) from the standing stone.

The standing stone is described on archaeology.ie

"Situated on a NE-facing slope of rising ground in a mountainous region with nearby ring-barrow (TN028-0004001) to the SE. A tall irregular-shaped orthostat (H 2.3m; dims. 1m x 0.72m), orientated on a NE-SW axis, incorporated into a modern field boundary. Known locally as the 'Long Stone' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 197)."

Knockanora with its cairn on top (it is uncertain whether it is ancient or not) seems to be the most prominent landmark that can be seen from the stone.

Knockgraffon

When I lived down this way I used to visit the Motte at Knockgraffon regularly. So much so that like a lot of places close to home, I don't have that many photos of it.
I think it is accepted that a small percentage of Mottes built by the Normans may have been earlier monuments that were converted into Motte & Baileys. Why spend all that time building a large mound when there is an existing one there? Also it has the compound effect of saying to the native population that we have taken what is yours. I think it is very possible that Knockgraffon Motte is one of those.

There is evidence is that it may have been an inauguration mound of the Kings of Munster at one stage. See here for more information on that
http://www.theapplefarm.com/knockgraffon.htm

Also from
http://www.libraryireland.com/[...]yAncientIreland/III-XVI-17.php

"Knockgraffon.--Another noted Munster palace was Cnoc-Rafonn, now called Knockgraffon, three miles north of Caher in Tipperary, where the great mound, 60 or 70 feet high, still remains, with the ruins of an English castle beside it. Here resided, in the third century, Fiacha Muillethan [Feeha-Mullehan], king of Munster, who, when the great King Cormac mac Art invaded Munster in an attempt to levy tribute, defeated him at Knocklong and routed his army: an event which forms the subject of the historical tale called "The Siege of Knocklong."

The fort is not as noted for fairies as it was in times of old for royalty: and one of the best known modern fairy stories in connexion with it will be found in Crofton Croker's "Fairy Legends of Ireland" namely, "The Legend of Knockgrafton." This Irish legend has been turned into English verse, but with much interpolation, by Thomas Parnell in his ballad, "A Fairy Tale.""

(Joyce, 1913) seems to back up the ownership of the mound by Fiacha when he quotes a 7th century poem which says
"This great rath on which I stand
Wherein is a little well with a bright silver drinking cup
Sweet was the voice of the wood of blackbirds
Round this rath of Fiacha, son of Moinche"

If the identification of the rath as Knockgraffon is correct, then if mentioned in a 7th century poem there should be no question that it existed prior to the Normans invasion.

The most interesting evidence regarding the Motte having a pre-Norman origin is the following from Journal of the Waterford and South East of Ireland Archaeological Society Volume III 1897  Pg 92 - Earliest Monuments in Cashel and Emly
by Rev R H Long, Rector, Templemore

"What a pity it is that a society is not formed now, e'er it is too late, to make a thorough photographic examination of those that remain, and deposit in our museum whatever articles may be found in them of historic value.
The fairies of our times are growing too merciful to mankind to be trusted any longer with those relics, and when they allow Paddy to get hold of them he does not care anything about them unless they are either gold or silver. However, it is probable that but few of these earth-works are sepulchral; those with a central mound are, I suppose, the only ones that may be.
The remains at New Grange, near Drogheda, are considered to be tombs, and the similar mounds in the diocese of Cashel and Emly may be also. The most notable of these are two in Rathcool parish-one at Ardmayle, and one at Knockgraffon. There is no doubt that these mounds are hollow, and there is but little doubt that some day they will be destroyed. One of them had in recent years a narrow escape from a passing railway. I have been informed on good authority that some fifty years age certain workmen, while tilling the field about this latter, came on a subter-ranean passage in which they found what they described as two old swords and an old bucket, which, of course, they treated as rubbish."

The IFC also recorded the legend that there was treasure to be found in the mound "It is said that there are gold and ornaments in the moat."
 http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922229/4862714

So at Knockgraffon there was evidence of a "subter-ranean passage" in which "two old swords and an old bucket" were found. He also mentions that the mound is "hollow". As far as I know the Normans didn't generally build passages into or around their Mottes so there is every possibly that it was a reused monument - perhaps a souterrain or even a passage tomb. Only time and perhaps technology such as geophysics will tell.

Lastly there also many legends that seem to identify it with Fairy music. Now this might seem fairly flimsy but I don't think the native Irish would attachd folklore surrouding the fairies to a Norman site.

The book Secret Sights by Rob Vance has this to say about it "renowned as a place of otherwordly music. It was widely reputed in the 19th Century to be a place where ceolsidhe, the music of enchantment, could be heard.".

Similarly the IFC recorded a reference to fairy music at the mound. "It is said that there are fairies in the Moate and that certain people can see them at a late hour of the night, The fairies come out and beging to sing on the top of the Moate."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922229/4862715

Looking out from the top of the mound toward the Galtees and Glen of Aherlow.

With a person to give an idea of the scale of the Motte.

The Capstone of the King of Leinster

It has taken me quite a few attempts to find this enigmatic site. Known by a variety of names, the Tomb Stone or Capstone of the King of Leinster is a large boulder by the roadside in the Arra Mountains looking down into North Tipperary, Galway & parts of Offaly.


In my blog piece about the Graves of the Leinstermen, TJ Westropp mentions his Uncle's gamekeeper telling him about this monument and as luck would have it the great grand-daughter of this man (Paddy Hourigan) contacted me via facebook to tell me that what I thought was the capstone was actually incorrect. She also recommended contacting a relative of hers who lives in the area. Over the weekend with his help I was finally able to find it.


The picture below will give you an indication why it was hard to find!

In my mind as I had passed here so many times and not seen it, I thought it must be on the inside of the ditch but it actually right beside the road. I trampled some of the briars in front of the stone to get some idea of the size of it and its location.

Now why you may ask I am interested in an old stone stuck in a ditch? Well initially it was due to the amount of folklore surrounding it and how it relates to the story of the Graves of the Leinstermen. I came across a few versions of this folklore on duchas.ie.


The first I shall call the Chess Match version


"When Brian Boru was encamped in Kincora, the King of Leinster came to visit him. A quarrel arose between the sons of Brian who were playing chess.
Murrough said something that insulted him, and he left the place immediately. Brian sent a messenger after him, and he overtook him but the king killed him. Brian and his troops followed over to Portroe to a hill called Lougtea. A great number of the Leinster were slain and were buried there. It is known as The Graveyard of the Leinster men."


http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5162111/5155180/5170255


The other version is mainly due to some scheming by Brian Boru's Viking wife Gormlaith and there is a version of that one here


Most versions end with the "King of Leinster" being executed or buried within sight of Leinster at this stone. The picture below gives an idea of the view into Leinster from the stone.

I recently found this account on duchas.ie and it made me redouble my efforts to find the actual stone.

"About two miles from my home at the west side of Tonn-Teine Hill, there is a very old mould and seven tombstones standing straight upright to mark the resting places of the King of Leinster's soldiers, who it is said were killed during a battle. Half a mile further on the King himself is buried, as he made a last wish to get a view of his native place before they slew him. They took him up on this hill and rolled this large stone over his grave, with the crude inscription "The King of Leinster 1012". There are other marks on this big stone such as deep hollows cut out here and there. This big stone is not so peculiar as the seven upright ones belonging to the soldiers. These attract many visitors every year, they are on the direct road midway between Ballina and the Slate Quarries at the west side of Tonn-Teine."


http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5177603/5172779/5187486


So what were these deep hollows cut into the stone? Could they be possible rock-art? Is there really an inscription on it? Also the mention of a mould relating to the Graves of the Leinstermen is unusual also.
Due to all the growth around the stone I was unable to confirm or rule out whether any of these exist. They probably don't but it is strange that they are mentioned. Hopefully in late winter the foliage around the stone will have died back and I might be able to get a better look.


Archaeology.ie has this to say about the stone "Situated on a NE-facing slope of rising ground in a mountainous area. A large natural boulder protruding at an angle from the surface of the ground known locally as the 'Tomb Stone of the King of Leinster'(Westropp 1911-12, 186-212)."


Dr Siobhan Geraghty (former heritage office for North Tipperary) also has this to say about it "A large boulder further down slope has the name of ‘Knockaunrilaghin’ (RM19 36 ‘possible cairn’ the small hill of the King of Leinster. This points to the area having a long political significance. The Araide, the original early medieval inhabitants of the Arra mountain region, were considered to be a Leinster tribe, though by the 12th century they were described in a law text as being subject to Cashel."

TJ Westropp in his account on the Graves of the Leinstermen also mentions the finding of "big bones & rusty iron weapons beside this rock and may show the site to have been a cairn-type burial place".

In the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Acadamy (1911-1912) Westropp says  "When a quarry was opened in Townlough and some cottages built, I am told that "they dug behind the Knockaun and found big bones." My uncle's gamekeeper at Townlough also told me some five years since that "a big heap of stones behind the rock was removed the time the bones were found." In 1892, Mr. Eobert White, of Kincora, gave me a more definite account. His grandfather had told him that, when the mound was quarried into, a large skeleton and several rusted iron weapons were found. The latter were " kept as curiosities " by a Mr. Molloy, but I could not learn their ultimate fate ; they were probably thrown out " (as such objects usually are in Co. Clare) as rubbish."

From the OS Namebooks

"Knockane-ree-Lyon
Cnocán Rig Laigen, the King of Leinsters hillock.

Knockaunreelyon - J.O'D.
Knockane-ree-lyon - Fr Michl. Roche
Knockane-ree-lyon - Fr. Wm. Hogan

"Knockane-ree-lyon" or the "King of Leinster's hill". it has nothing remarkable in appearance except some rubbish of stones and earth, and is a place where a King of Leinster was buried as pointed out by the above named authorities.
Brien Boromhe King of Munster was married to a sister of the King of Leinster the latter was subject to the former so much that he was compelled to take a number of his servants with a large Maypole on their shoulders, to Brien ever May Eve. He had been coming over this mountain at a time (it was the public road at this time from Killaloe to Nenagh) and his men having this Maypole on their shoulders; one of the men got fatique from the journing, the king went to take his part of the pole and by doing so lost a silver button from his coat. when they reached Killaloe the King asked of his sister a needle to sow on the button when she saw her brother was so fatigued and torn by her husbands tyranny she persuaded him to declare war against her husband and be longer a subject to him so accordingly he left a challenge for Brien (he was not at home this night) and proceeded on his way home, he had not gone long when Brien came and finding his brother-in-law gone without paying him the usual respect and also the challenge, he was so enraged at this, that he swore that he would be revenged of him, so he took all his host and pursued him, when he overtook him and all his men about 3 chains to the S. of "Knockane-ree-lyon" where he put all the men to death byt the Leinster King begged to be allowed to proceed on his way until he would be in sight of his own Country (Leinster) which is only the above named distance, this being granted he was put to death and buried at this place. This is the Traditional Storey and was not credited by many until 1827 when the Mining Company was building houses here for different purposes. They had a man named Star in the work, he went to this place and took some stones off the surface of the supposed tomb and discovered a large stone covering two flags and under them was found the bones of this King with his head faced towards the North. Then a man named McCormick, a Shopkeeper in Killaloe took the bones to his own place where he partly made an exhibition of them and shortly after McCormic died. Michael Star likewise died immediately after and it is said by the inhabitants here that this was the cause.

W. Wilkinson Esq
Lt. R. R
6th July 1841

So its a very interesting area - there is an anomalous stone group known as "The Graves of the Leinstermen" - the most interesting speculation I have heard is that it may be the remains of a court tomb. To the north-east of this is the hill of Laghtea which has the remains of a Hill-fort on it and then to the east / south-east of both is "The Capstone of the King of Leinster". There is also a story linking the hill behind it (Tonntinne) with a story about Fintan who is supposed to have survived the Biblical flood by sleeping in cave on the hill. Sometimes the story mentions a cave and other times it is at the Graves of the Leinsterman itself that he sleeps. However to date the remains of no monuments have been found on this large peaty hill-side. Could there be more to be found underneath the peat?


Why was this boulder thought to be of importance? Could it be the remains of a cairn as suggested by Siobhan Hegarty? My own theory is could it possibly be a boulder burial? Many of these have rock-art on them or grooves etc. They are associated with burials (which this one is) and are of similar size to the stone here. I will probably have to wait till the foliage around it dies off in winter to find out.

Lough Derg & The Vikings

I posted a photo of a map from Rev Gleeson's "The History of Ely O'Carroll Territory" on my facebook page a few weeks back that I happened to come across.

If you look at Lough Derg (left of map) and examine its eastern side you will see the name "Danes". Now every other name on the map is of a significant family that was a minor lord of that area. Why was Danes put there? Pretty much every other name on the map is either an O or a Mac and there are no variants of the name Dane prominent in that particular area of Tipperary today that I know of.


This got me thinking about the Vikings and Lough Derg. You would imagine that as the Vikings were mariners and used to that lifestyle that perhaps a site at Lough Derg might have appealed to them to settle at some stage? I did a small bit of research online and came across this very interesting paper which looks at this very idea.


http://www.vikingage.mic.ul.ie/pdfs/lecture_vikings_on_the_river_shannon.pdf


Two of its conclusions are
"Shannon was the key waterway leading into interior of Ireland and was used extensively by Viking shipping"
"Evidence for scattered Viking communities in and around the Shannon estuary in
- historical documentation
- archaeology
- placenames"


So if there is evidence for Viking communities in the estuary to the west of Limerick city then why not to the east within Lough Derg?


I had a look over some of the folklore on duchas.ie relating to "the Danes" in the schools on the shores of Lough Derg and came across one that I found interesting. Now I know "the Danes" have been groundlessly attributed with building countless ringforts and even Newgrange at one stage.
However in Terryglass there are a few interesting references;


The first says "When the Danes had well established themselves in Ireland they kept a large fleet of boats on Lough Derg. As they had settled in Connaught they joined the men of this province in their battles against the men of Ormond. The battles were fought between Terryglass and Carrigahorig, a distance of two miles. The latter place - Carraig a Comairc - the rock of the conflict received its name from the many fights it experienced.
Terryglass was a favourite landing place of the Connaught Danes when they intended carrying out raids in North Tipperary. When Danish raids were carried out on the famous Roscrea fairs the plunderers landed from their boards near Terryglass Castle. The people used light large bonfires to warn the unsuspecting fair people and through such help the attackers were beaten off and defeated.
At the present day the field can be pointed out showing the direction the plunderers took after leaving their boats. This field lies between the townsland of Oldcourt and Slevoyre.
In one of their plundering visits the Danes burnt to ashes Terryglass monastery. They found the abbot praying at the altar steps when they entered the little church and without delay they murdered him."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922122/4854156


So in this it says that "the Danes" kept a large fleet of boats on Lough Derg, if they had boats there then they probably needed a settlement beside them for domestic / military purposes.


Another interesting reference says "A Danish chief who had taken up his abode at Slevoyre" - so could this townland have been the location of a Viking base? http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922122/4854155


Slevoir as it is now called is basically Terryglass harbour which is today still used for mooring boats. I wondered about the name Slevoir and checking  http://www.logainm.ie/ga/46098 I found an earlier form of it as Sleiwyre. I thought that the first part probably meant road but the second part looked foreign to me. However it turns out thanks to some help from https://www.facebook.com/groups/102550331629/ that is actually comes from the gaelic for a sandy area near water. So unfortunately "the smoking gun" of a Norse placename that I thought I had was wrong.
The other thing about Terryglass is that it was home to a monastic settlement that was continually sacked by the Vikings so it is unlikely that the two would live side by side without it having being recorded in the annals of the monastery.


I didn't come across any other references in my quick search of the folklore of the schools around the lake but perhaps there is more to be found yet.


So if the Vikings did have a settlement or a base on Lough Derg we don't know where yet. There are many fine rivers and harbours that could have been of use of both the Clare/Galway & Tipperary sides of the lake. One problem is that from a morphological perspective a Viking settlement might not stand out that much in the landscape. It is likely that earth and timber would have been some of the main materials used. Particularly if it was a temporary settlement. Another issue is that the level of the lake has increased due to damming for Ardnacrusha HEP plant and therefore any stone jetties etc might be under water now. A re-examination of artefacts found near the lake may help in identifying a previously unknown site.


Edit:

Danelaw in Tipperary?

"The tribe land of O'Sextons lay along the coast of Lough Derg in the Shannon between Dromineer and Castlelough; it was contiguous to the tribe land of the O'Glissane (Gleeson), whose land lay between Castlelough and Killaloe on the Tipperary side of the lake. The Danes settled in the neighbourhood of the O'Sextons, which may explain the fact that the name is now extinct in North Tipperary, but is found in West Clare".
From "The history of Ely O'Carroll Territory" by Rev. John Gleeson. Pg 52 / 53.
I finally found the reference that backs up the unusual map that Rev. John Gleesson includes in his book showing "Danes" on the east side of Lough Derg around the areas between Castlelough & Dromineer. Rev. John unfortunately referenced very little of his work but as far as I know his father was one of the surveyors with the 1840s Ordnance Survey that travelled around Ireland. I've heard folklore as well that he had many primary manuscripts which he referred to that have since disappeared. He did of course make mistakes and perhaps this is one of them but I do think it justifies looking at this area with a different pair of eyes.

One interesting thing that I have read is that the Vikings may simply have occupied existing settlements so there time here would not be very apparent. For example at Terryglass they may have just occupied the monastery there for a time.

Lough Derg

How Lough Derg got its name....

"Long ago in the time of the Fianna a huge monster lived in Lough Derg. He had caused great havoc in in the neighbourhood and no one could approach the lake except when he was asleep. He had also eaten about thirty people.
When Fionn heard this he made up his mind to kill the monster. He then got the Fianna ready and set out in the direction of Lough Derg.
When they arrived the monster began to splash the water until they were all drenched.
They then waited until he was asleep and they went to the Lough again. They made no noise this time. They were not there when be began to yawn. This gave Fionn an idea. He got his spear ready and waited until he began to yawn again and with one mighty leap he jumped into the monsters mouth. He stuck his spear down the monsters neck and before he could close his mouth he was standing on the shore.
The monster beld to death and his blood reddned the lake. After this it was know as Lough Dearg which changed to Lough Derg after a while."

http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922347/4872500/5073405

Lough Derg from the summit of Tonntinna.