Tullyhogue Fort
Encyclopedia
Tullyhogue Fort, also spelt Tullaghoge or Tullahoge (from Middle Irish Tulach Óc meaning "hill of youth" or "mound of the young warriors"), is large mound on the outskirts of Tullyhogue
village near Cookstown
, County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. It has a depressed centre and is surrounded by trees. It is an ancient ceremonial site where chieftains of the O'Neill dynasty of Tyrone were inaugurated
.
It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland
of Ballymully Glebe, in the Cookstown District Council
area, at grid reference: H8250 7430. The inauguration site
is a Scheduled Historic Monument at grid ref: H8251 7428.
Tullyhogue rath was originally associated with the Uí Tuirtre of Airgialla
, and then the O'Hagans between the 11th and 17th centuries. The O'Hagans would dwell at the site and become its hereditary guardians, with their burial place at Donaghrisk situated at the bottom of the hill. In the later medieval period it would become the inauguration site of the O'Neill dynasty, where the title "the O'Neill", was bestowed upon the new lord. The inauguration was carried out by the head's of the O'Cahan and O'Hagan. O'Cahan, the O'Neill's principal sub-chief, threw a golden sandal over the new lords head to signify good luck. O'Hagan, being the hereditary guardians of Tullyhogue, would place the shoe on O'Neills foot and present them with a rod of office.
Hugh O'Neill's inauguration in 1593 was the last of the O'Neills to take place at Tullyhogue. The last coronation that is claimed to have taken place at Tullyhogue was that of Sir Phelim O'Neill
in 1641, however it was later rejected.
which mean "the flagstone of the kings". It stood outside Tullyhogue fort, where by the 16th century it had become incorporated into a ceremonial stone chair where three large slabs had been placed around it.
In 1602 during the Nine Years War, Lord Mountjoy, in charge of the English forces at war with Hugh O'Neill, smashed the inauguration stone to symbolically end the O'Neill's sovereignty.
The Leac na Rí is stated as being the Ulster counterpart to the Stone of Destiny
, which is now part of the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey
. The Leac na Rí is also stated as reputedly been blessed by St. Patrick.
have initiated a tourism plan for visitors and Tullyhogue Fort has become part of its marketing agenda due to its history. During the summer it is a popular tourist destination. In 1998, Don Carlos O'Neill, a Spanish descendant of Hugh O'Neill, started an annual event that takes place in August each year whereby he and his family commemorate the inauguration ceremony of the O'Neills on the spot were his predecessors were crowned.
In February 2007 Cookstown District Council confirmed that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
(DARD) had agreed to sell the land required to develop Tullyhogue Fort to Council for £90,000.
Tullyhogue
Tullyhogue, also called Tullaghoge or Tullahoge , is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is within the civil parish of Desertcreat and is about three kilometres south of Cookstown....
village near Cookstown
Cookstown, County Tyrone
Cookstown is a town and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of nearly 11,000 people in the 2001 Census. It is one of the main towns in the area known as Mid-Ulster. It was founded around 1620 when the townlands in the area...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It has a depressed centre and is surrounded by trees. It is an ancient ceremonial site where chieftains of the O'Neill dynasty of Tyrone were inaugurated
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
.
It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
of Ballymully Glebe, in the Cookstown District Council
Cookstown District Council
Cookstown District Council is a district council covering an area largely in County Tyrone and partly in County Londonderry. Council headquarters are in Cookstown. Small towns in the council area include Pomeroy, Moneymore, Coagh and Stewartstown and in the east the area is bounded by Lough Neagh...
area, at grid reference: H8250 7430. The inauguration site
Royal sites of Ireland
The royal sites of Ireland served as the seats for the Gaelic kings of Ireland. Historical sources associate these sites with various medieval Irish kingdoms while archaeological investigations show that many royal sites were culturally significant thousands of years before recorded history...
is a Scheduled Historic Monument at grid ref: H8251 7428.
History
The date of the construction of Tullyhogue fort is not known, however it is believed to have held great significance from early times, possessing a form of ritual importance long before the O'Neills became associated with the site.Tullyhogue rath was originally associated with the Uí Tuirtre of Airgialla
Airgíalla
Airgíalla or Airgialla was the name of an Irish federation and Irish kingdom which first formed around the 7th century...
, and then the O'Hagans between the 11th and 17th centuries. The O'Hagans would dwell at the site and become its hereditary guardians, with their burial place at Donaghrisk situated at the bottom of the hill. In the later medieval period it would become the inauguration site of the O'Neill dynasty, where the title "the O'Neill", was bestowed upon the new lord. The inauguration was carried out by the head's of the O'Cahan and O'Hagan. O'Cahan, the O'Neill's principal sub-chief, threw a golden sandal over the new lords head to signify good luck. O'Hagan, being the hereditary guardians of Tullyhogue, would place the shoe on O'Neills foot and present them with a rod of office.
Hugh O'Neill's inauguration in 1593 was the last of the O'Neills to take place at Tullyhogue. The last coronation that is claimed to have taken place at Tullyhogue was that of Sir Phelim O'Neill
Felim O'Neill of Kinard
Sir Felim O'Neill of Kinard , also called Phelim MacShane O'Neill or Féilim Ó Néill , was an Irish nobleman who led the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Ulster which began on 22 October 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, where he fought under...
in 1641, however it was later rejected.
Leac na Rí
The inauguration stone was a large boulder known as the Leac na RíRí
Rí, or very commonly ríg , is an ancient Gaelic word meaning "King". It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings and those of similar rank. While the modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottish it is Rìgh, apparently derived from the genitive. The word...
which mean "the flagstone of the kings". It stood outside Tullyhogue fort, where by the 16th century it had become incorporated into a ceremonial stone chair where three large slabs had been placed around it.
In 1602 during the Nine Years War, Lord Mountjoy, in charge of the English forces at war with Hugh O'Neill, smashed the inauguration stone to symbolically end the O'Neill's sovereignty.
The Leac na Rí is stated as being the Ulster counterpart to the Stone of Destiny
Stone of Destiny
Stone of Destiny may refer to:*Stone of Scone, the coronation stone of Scottish monarchs**Stone of Destiny , a 2008 film directed by Charles Martin Smith...
, which is now part of the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. The Leac na Rí is also stated as reputedly been blessed by St. Patrick.
Features
The initial impression of Tullyhogue fort is that it resembled an early Christian bivallate rath which was an enclosed homestead surrounded by two banks and ditches. Tullyhogue matches this description in that it has an enclosure 105 ft in diameter that is encircled by two banks. Entry to it was by a causeway in the inner bank. What makes it clear that it was not an enclosed homestead is that the two dithces were built wide apart with a flat area in between, with no outer defensive ditch. The layout of the fort itself shows that it was not built or designed as a defensive structure, but as an area of ceremonial importance.Today
Cookstown District CouncilCookstown District Council
Cookstown District Council is a district council covering an area largely in County Tyrone and partly in County Londonderry. Council headquarters are in Cookstown. Small towns in the council area include Pomeroy, Moneymore, Coagh and Stewartstown and in the east the area is bounded by Lough Neagh...
have initiated a tourism plan for visitors and Tullyhogue Fort has become part of its marketing agenda due to its history. During the summer it is a popular tourist destination. In 1998, Don Carlos O'Neill, a Spanish descendant of Hugh O'Neill, started an annual event that takes place in August each year whereby he and his family commemorate the inauguration ceremony of the O'Neills on the spot were his predecessors were crowned.
In February 2007 Cookstown District Council confirmed that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
(DARD) had agreed to sell the land required to develop Tullyhogue Fort to Council for £90,000.
Further reading
- Dillon, MylesMyles DillonMyles Dillon was an Irish historian, philologist and celticist.Myles Dillon was born in Dublin; he was one of six children of John Dillon and his wife Elizabeth Mathew; James Matthew Dillon, the leader of Fine Gael, was his younger brother.Myles Dillon graduated from University College Dublin,...
, "The consecration of Irish kings", in CelticaCelticaCeltica: Journal of the School of Celtic Studies is an academic journal devoted to Celtic studies, with particular emphasis on Irish literature, linguistics and placenames. It was founded in 1946 and has since been published by the School of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute for Advanced...
10 (1973): 1–8. - FitzPatrick, Elizabeth, "An Tulach Tinóil"
- FitzPatrick, Elizabeth, Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c. 1100–1600: A Cultural Landscape Study. Boydell Press. 2004.
- Mitchel, John, The Life and Times of Aodh O'Neill, Prince of Ulster. New York: Excelsior Catholic Publishing House. 1879.
- Nicholls, K. W.Kenneth NichollsKenneth W. Nicholls Irish academic and historian is one of the most widely respected Irish historians of the twentieth century. He came to national and international prominence as the author of the seminal Gaelic and Gaelicised Ireland in the Middle Ages, first published in 1972, and reprinted 2003...
, Gaelic and Gaelicized Ireland in the Middle Ages. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2nd edition, 2003.