The inauguration site of the O'Meaghers of Ikerrin at Sean Ross Abbey near Roscrea, Co. Tipperary

The O'Meaghers were another of the Gaelic Clans of North Tipperary.

King Henry the VIII includes them as one of  "Chief Irish regions and countries of Thomond and Chief Captains of the same" (See History of O'Dwyers for reference).

I first came across a reference to the location of  the inauguration site in "O'Meachair - The Story of a Clan" by Gabrielle Ní Mheachair. On pg 89 it states "Ó Meachair was inaugurated as the king of his clan with a mighty ceremony at the ancient monastery of Sean Ross near the ancient town of Roscrea". However it gave no reference as to where this came from.

I did a bit of research but could find nothing about it online. I then checked "The History of Ely O'Carroll Territory" by Rev. John Gleeson and that seems to be where the original reference comes from.

Gleeson on pg 411 / 412 says "The O'Meagher, as Lord of Ikerrin, was instituted into the chieftaincy of the tuath (thooa) or barony by the abbot of the local monastery; such was the Irish custom. In this case the successor of St. Cronan, who was called in Irish Comarba, who performed the ceremony of institution. This ceremony used to be performed on the summit of one of those artificial green mounds called moats, one of which is found in the parish of Dunkerrin, similar to the green moat of Lorrha, where the O'Kennedy was installed. In the pedigree of the O'Meaghers, given by Cuconry O'Clery, one of the Four Masters, the following reference to this ceremony is found - "The steed and battledress of every Lord of them belong to the Comarba of Cronan and of Inchnamber, and these must go thrice round him, when proclaiming him Lord; and the comarba should be at his shoulder ; and he should rise before the comarba ; and that Machair (O'Meagher) was king of Ely". In the above extract, the word king is used to express the fourth class Irish King, who governed a small territory."

With that I made a visit to Sean Ross itself and they have a nice information board there. The Abbey itself was undergoing renovation / stablisation works at the time of visit.

It says "Tradition asserts that here, too, was the inauguration place of the O'Meachair, chieftains of Ikerrin, who also held the position of prior of Monaincha throughout the middle ages."

I have been researching these places with a view to seeing if there is any pattern to their location / siting in Tipperary & surrounds. It is difficult to know at this remove whether the fact Rev John Gleeson was a clergy-man led to any bias regarding his location of the site at a religious place. Many other inauguration sites had no such connection.

It is interesting to note that there is a small mound to one side of the Abbey.