The Tipperary Antiquarian

We nearly all know the story about the Fourcourts being burned down during the Civil War in 1922 and the priceless loss of records. However in Tipperary we are extremely fortunate in that in 1911 Dr. Thomas Laffan made a copy of one such record that was destroyed in 1922 - known now as the Hearth Money Records - 1665-6-7. It records a tax that was imposed on every fireplace in the country and was "payable by practically all the householders in the country. The exemptions, applicable only to the poorest of the people, were granted too freely which led to amending the Act of 1665. Copies of the rolls have been wholly or partially preserved for eleven counties in the north and east of the country and for Co. Sligo, but for the rest of Ireland there are none extant except those for Co. Tipperary". ( MacLysaght, North Munster Studies, 533). Out of interest I have combed the Hearth Money Rolls to see which Ryans had more than one Hearth or fireplace and therefore were in theory...

By the author A recent post about a stone chair in Co. Limerick made be recall a visit to Fiddlers Rock at Glenafelly in Co. Offaly. I first read about this rock in John Feehan's book - The Landscape of Slieve Bloom.  https://www.offalyhistory.com/shop/books/the-landscape-of-slieve-bloom There isn't a whole pile of folklore that I am aware of regarding it other than than its association with a fiddler.  It is marked on coillte's map for the Glenafelly loop walk.   https://www.coillte.ie/site/glenafelly/ Stone chairs like this can often be linked to Gaelic inauguration practices, some are natural stones that are used, some have been worked by man to become more chair-like.   By the author It is described on archaeology.ie as follows  "Large conglomerate glacial erratic almost rectangular in plan (H 1.3m; 1.7m x 0.6m) aligned NE/SW. Doubtful standing stone due to its location and shape and not marked on any editions of the OS 6-inch maps. According to Fe...