Tullyhogue Fort, also spelt TullaghogeDiscover Northern Ireland: Tullaghoge Fort
/ref> or Tullahoge (from

Middle Irish Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old Engli ...

''Tulach Óc'' meaning "hill of youth" or "mound of the young warriors"), is a large mound on the outskirts of

Tullyhogue Tullyhogue, also called Tullaghoge or Tullahoge (), is a small village and townlandPlacenames NI
i ...

village near

Cookstown, County Tyrone Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: �anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...

, Northern Ireland. It has a depressed centre and is surrounded by trees. It is an ancient ceremonial site where the

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

s of the Clan O'Neill of Tyrone were inaugurated. It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

Ballymully Glebe Ballymully Glebe is a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Dungannon Upper and the civil parish of Desertcreat and covers an area of 144 acres. The name derives from the Irish: ''Baile Mullaigh'' ...

, in the

Cookstown District Council Cookstown District Council ( ga, Comhairle Cheantar na Coirre Críochaí; Ulster Scots: ''Districk Cooncil o Cookestoun'') was a district council covering an area largely in County Tyrone and partly in County Londonderry. It merged with Dungann ...

area, at grid reference: H8250 7430. The inauguration site 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 '' ráth'' was originally associated with the

Uí Tuirtri Loughinsholin () is a barony in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ire ...

of Airgialla who were displaced by

branches of the Cenél nEógain A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

. The first to enter the area in the tenth-century were the who are described in their genealogies in the twelfth-century manuscript Rawlinson B 502 as of 'Tilcha Oc'. Over time they moved north into Glenconkeyne and

Loughinsholin Loughinsholin () is a barony in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its southeast borders the northwest shore of Lough Neagh, and itself is bordered by seven other baronies: Dungannon Upper to the south; Strabane Upper to the west; Keenaght ...

and were replaced by the Cenél Feargusa who included the O'Hagans, supporters of the

O'Neill dynasty The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...

interest. Before 1056 they took possession of the site as 'reachtaire' (steward or controller of the royal household) which they continued to occupy down to the 17th century.Connolly, S. J., ''Oxford Companion to Irish History'', page 584-5. Oxford University Press, 2007. At this time the Cenél nEógain had been largely bereft of effective leadership candidates and the branches in the Tulach Óc

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

made the unusual political decision to import an alien dynasty; Conchobar and his brother Cennétig, grandsons of Donnchadh mac Briain, bitter rivals to the main branch of the royal Munster O'Brien dynasty. They became successive 'Kings of Telach Óc' for a short period before 1084 with the support of the

Meic Lochlainn The Meic Lochlann, also spelt as Mic Lochlainn, and Mac Lochlainn, were a leading branch of the Cenél nEógain, who were in turn a segment of the Uí Néill. The Meic Lochlainn descended from Domnall Dabaill (died 915), son of Áed Findliath. Ano ...

who were happy to deprive potential internal rivals of a secure base of operation.Hogan, James, 'The Ua Briain kingship of Telach Oc' in John Ryan (ed), ''Feilsgribhinn Eoin Mhic Neill'', pages 406-44, At the Sign of the Three Candle, 1940. The Ua Briain branch was unable to establish itself permanently but the disruption allowed

Domnall Ua Lochlainn Domhnall Ua Lochlainn (old spelling: Domnall Ua Lochlainn) (1048 – 10 February 1121), also known as Domhnall Mac Lochlainn (old spelling: Domnall Mac Lochlainn), was king of the Cenél Eogain, over-king of Ailech, and alleged High King of ...

, son-in-law to Cennétig, to become

King of Ailech The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the Medieval Ireland, medieval Irish Provinces of Ireland, province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cloí ...

in 1083 and the threat of Ó Néill rivals disappeared for a number of generations. The O'Hagans continued to dwell at the site and became its hereditary guardians, with their burial place at Donaghrisk situated at the bottom of the hill. In the later medieval period it became the inauguration site of the O'Neill dynasty, where the title ''An Ó Néill'' ('The O'Neill') was bestowed upon each new lord. The inauguration was carried out by the heads of the O'Cahan and O'Hagan. O'Cahan, the O'Neill's principal sub-chief, would throw a golden sandal over the new lord's head to signify good fortune. O'Hagan, being the hereditary guardian of Tullyhogue, would place the shoe on the O'Neill's foot and present him with a rod of office. The 2nd Earl of Tyrone's inauguration in 1595 was the last such event for an O'Neill to take place at Tullyhogue.

Leac na Rí

The inauguration stone was a large boulder known as the ''Leac na

Rí Rí, or commonly ríg (genitive), 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 ...

'', which meant '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 The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

Lord Mountjoy The titles of Baron Mountjoy and Viscount Mountjoy have been created several times for members of various families, including the Blounts and their descendants and the Stewarts of Ramelton and their descendants. The first creation was for Walter ...

, in charge of the English forces at war with Lord Tyrone, smashed the inauguration stone to symbolically end the O'Neill's sovereignty. The ''Leac na Rí'' is stated as being the

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

counterpart to the Stone of Destiny, which is now kept at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

and is used as part of the Coronation Chair in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

during the

Coronation of the British monarch The coronation of the monarch of the United Kingdom is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which they are formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in ot ...

. The ''Leac na Rí'' is also stated as reputedly having been blessed by

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

History

Leac na Rí

See also

Notes

References

Further reading