Not a possible inauguration mound of the O'Carrolls of Ely O'Carroll country

UPDATE:

Additional information has come to light regarding this mound and it is in fact probably just an Anglo-Norman Motte - for more on this see here.


This moate in the townland of Moatquarter is described as the following on archaeology.ie

"Situated near S end of a roughly N-S ridge, overlooking a valley, in pasture. The land rises steadily E of the site, though the slope is still overlooked by a motte. A church (OF047-009----) and graveyard (OF047-009001-), rectangular enclosure (OF047-008----) and sunken ways are visible on the opposing ridge to the S-SW. The site consists of a steep-sided, flat-topped mound (max. diam. NE-SW 11m; 8.5m N-S; 9.6m E-W: H 9m) of classic pudding-bowl profile. Enclosed from E to S to NW by a fosse (Wth 1.6m; D 2m) which has been dug into the ridge. The enclosing bank (Wth 1.3m) on the SE side appears to be the remains of the original ridge and is actually a false bank or counterscarp. No bailey visible. A National Monuments Preservation Order no. 4 was placed on this monument in 2008."

Fosse around the mound (with the M7 construction works in the background)

As mentioned there is no visible trace of a bailey (of course this may be traceable via other surveying methods). There is also a church and graveyard site nearby at Drumroe with a bullaun stone.

A closer look

I first found mention of this in relation to being an inauguration mound in Elizabeth Fitzpatrick's wonderful book "Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c.1100–1600: a Cultural Landscape Study"

It states on pg 94

"Ceathramhain an Mhóta or Moatquarter 'motte', situated in the barony of Ikerrin north Tipperary, has been described in conflicting terms as 'the best known Anglo-Norman earthwork in Ely O'Carroll' and 'the old inauguration site of the kings of Éile'. The opinion that the mound at Ceathramhain an Mhóta was the inauguration place of Ó Cearbhaill derives solely from a local 'tradition' documented in 1929'.

Fitzpatrick also calls into question its proximity to an Anglo-Norman caput at Dunkerrin less than two miles away and the fact that the above mentioned Drumroe is on the other side of a river and in a different parish / county (Often they would go hand and hand together and would stay within the same boundary). She also wonders about the profile of the mound for defense and compares it to another inauguration mound at Coggins Hill, Co. Sligo.

The local 'tradition' she references comes from Gwynn & Gleeson's "History of the Diocese of Killaloe" - it states "Hereabouts was certainly the centre of the Ua Cerbaill rule, and also of the Norman lordship". 

However it is right on the border between two baronies - Clonlisk & Ikerrin. It is actually in Ikerrin and in later times Ikerrin is referred to as O'Meagher country during the reign of Henry VIII. Could it also have been an inauguration mound for the O'Meaghers in later times?

I honestly don't know; the lands controlled and clans in control probably ebbed and flowed with different families in control of different lands at different times. Therefore there could be a multitude of different inauguration sites across Tipperary. However this does not seem likely as records of any of them are so scant.