The Tipperary Antiquarian

"Here Lyeth The Body of Calib Minnit Who was Barbously Murdered By John Chery, Ann Parker, James McDowel and others, at Crannagh Duff in Dowharra, the 2nd day of April, Ano Domini 1707." From Knigh Graveyard in North Tipp. A heck of a message to leave in stone when it is still being discussed 313 years later. According to Daniel Grace's book on the area (Portrait of a Parish - Monsea & Killodiernan) - Calib Minnitt was a philanderer and may have gotten Miss Ann Parker pregnant and refused to marry her. She was probably a relative of Captain John Parker. She set up to meet him again at Crannagh Duff and gave him one last chance to agree to marry her. When he refused, she dropped her handkerchief and some of her father's tenants appeared and murdered him! It finishs by saying that the murderers were never prosecuted as Miss Parker had been dishonoured but the Minnits carved their names on his headstone for posterity. It also mentions that Minnit may have been char...

  The O'Meara Inscription on Toomevara Priory. I've made an attempt at highlighting it as best as I could in the picture attached. I've done it purely from the photo so there may be some errors. Rev. John Gleeson in 1915 pg 469 gives the following which he says "A returned America, Mr. Michael O'Meara, late of Bawn, took a cast of the inscription, and submitted it to an expert, as follows :- "Clara Meara dum Tamulo Jacet haec progago, Cui aether Precibus Paude, Viator Iter Gulielmo -Undecipherable- Helene Burc Paude Cruoris iter-illa via me Ritis stravit sedes Terra er Apcit marmor eu haec lec Tor sit Tibi testis Or, 1664, Educet Malo" I can make out a lot of it but the 1664 line at the end seems to be missing now? From archaeology.ie, it is thought to translate as "While the renowned offspring of O'Meara reposes in this tomb. To whom O Traveller happily open Heaven by thy prayer. To William. To Ellen Bourke open heaven. By the...

  Recorded as being a tomb of the MacEgan clan (on archaeology.ie) of the nearby Aghnameadle Castle and thought to date to the 18th / 19th C. The MacEgans were hereditary Brehons of the O'Kennedys and had a great place of learning here. There is no evidence of burials such as graveslabs within. The doorway is likely to have been built from a reused doorway from the nearby church ruins. It is recorded in Toomevara, an Unbroken Chain pg 10 "The Mac Egan had a school there which was similar to a modern day university. The remains of their castle still stands as a monument to their greatness. They are buried in a stone vault in Aghnameadle graveyard. Lady Margaret Mac Egan who is reputed to have had her horse shod with silver shoes is buried here". On pg 49 of the above it states "The MacEgans were hereditary Brehons to the O'Kennedys of Ormond. They lived in Aghnameadle Court up until 1738 As when Howard MacEgan.,the owner at the time died. After that it pas...

Is Metal Detecting for archaeological objects legal in the Irish Republic?  " Summary of Key Points The unregulated and inappropriate use of detection devices causes serious damage to Ireland’s archaeological heritage and is subject to severe penalties under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 It is illegal to be in possession of a detection device at monuments and sites protected under the National Monuments Acts to use a detection device to search for archaeological objects anywhere within the State or its territorial seas; without the prior written consent of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Archaeological objects are broadly defined in the National Monuments Acts and objects may come within the terms of the definition regardless of their age or degree of antiquity, e.g. 20th century material It is illegal to promote the sale or use of detection devices for the purposes of searching for archaeological objects It is illegal to dig or excava...

Its hard to believe that this site not far from Birr / Kinnity in Offaly was once on the border between the Province of Meath and Munster. The nearby River Camcor acts as the boundary between Ely O'Carroll and Fir Cell. It was originally a monastery founded by St. Barrind. In 1184 there was a meeting here between the Kings of Meath and Thomond. At this meeting Art O'Maelsechlainn was treacherously slain by Diarmuid O'Briain during what were supposed to be peace talks. When the Normans arrived a Motte and Bailey was built (possibly by Hugh De Lacy) which again shows its strategic importance of this boundary between two kingdoms. Unfortunately the Bailey here was bull-dozed in the 1970s.

Copyright Andrew Dunn - www.andrewdunnphoto.com In the Arra area there are not one but two Gallows Hills marked on the old OS maps. Both known as Knocknacrohy or Cnoc na Croiche. Both I believe are attributed to the Mac I Briens who are thought to have ruled the area with an iron fist. The first is at Pallas more. I don't have a lot of details on it. The old OS maps show two possible locations for it. Copyright OSI / NMS This one seems to show it on the east of the road and likely at the highest point (694). Copyright OSI / NMS This one doesn't give a clear location for the hill. Personally I always equated the mounds in the field marked on the map above with the red arrow as being the location of the Gallows. I could be wrong though, that is why I've put together this post.  Copyright Google Street view Ive marked the various mounds with red arrows on Google Streetview. So if anyone knows the definite location of Gallows Hill at Pallas, I'd be d...

Copright OSI I first came across some folklore on duchas.ie relating to a well where Brian Boru is meant to have washed his wounds following the Battle of Soloheadbeg in 968. "The Danes came to the hill of Brogue in the year 968. Brian Boru was going to Solohead to fight a battle with them. Brian won the battle. So after the battle Brian washed his wounds beside a well near Solohead and since then the district around it is called King's Well. At that time there was no town in Tipperary. The town was at Greenane about a mile outside the present town of Tipperary." https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922296/4867865/5055948 I posted about it over on my facebook page, asking if anyone can came across this well or the placename. Thanks to the magic of facebook and people helping each other on it, Barbara Daly Ledwidge gave me a lead that the northern edge of Tipperary Town is known as Kings Well on google maps. A check on archaeology.ie was able to reveal the locati...