Bittersweet Glimpse Into Waning Days of Gaelic Ireland by Ryan ORourke The image below on the left is a detail from Richard Bartletts A.D. 1602 map of Ulster showing the inauguration of the ONeill chief/king at Tullyhogue, County Tyrone. Bartlett has been called, The Queens Last Map Maker. The man standing on the right holding up a shoe is the OCahan, ONeills principal sub-chief. According to tradition, this man threw a golden sandal over the new Lords head to signify good fortune in this single shoe ritual. OHagan, the hereditary guardian of Tullyhogue, would then place the shoe on the ONeills foot and present him with a rod of office. The throwing of the shoe may have been evolved from a tradition of throwing a shoe for good luck -- a custom which still exists in Ireland in small measure. This is a significant detail given the date (1602) and the political landscape in Ireland at that time. Gaelic Ireland and her nobility was on its last legs, and these inaugurations would have been few and far between at this stage. Its a bittersweet glimpse into these final days when the great Gaelic Chieftains days were numbered. The image on the right above shows a larger section of Bartletts 1602 map of Ulster. Below is a scan of Bartletts full map. Below that map is a modern photograph which shows the inner meeting area near Tullyhogue, County Tyrone where the ONeill Chieftains were inaugurated.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:31:01 +0000
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