Tullyhogue - The O'Hagan Legacy

The O'Hagans at Tullyhogue

Tullyhogue Fort (Tulach Óg, meaning "Hill of Youth" in Irish) became the settlement of the O'Hagans from the 11th century onward. This ancient ceremonial site would become the center of their power and the stage for their most important role in Irish history.

Description and Significance

Tullyhogue Fort is a double-banked circular ráth, located on a commanding height. Archaeological evidence suggests it was originally built as an ancient ceremonial site without true defensive features. The site is situated approximately 16 minutes' drive north of the Hill of The O'Neill at Dungannon.

With the rise of the medieval O'Neill dynasty, the O'Hagan became hereditary seneschal (reachtaire) and the senior of O'Neill's household families, the so-called "loughtee," or lucht tighe. As custodian of the inauguration site, O'Hagan presented and read the law at O'Neill's inauguration.

Tullyhogue was in a similar vein to the ancient ráthanna occupied by the O'Byrnes in the Wicklow mountains, or the many crannóga utilized by native lords in northern Connacht and southwest Ulster—an ancient part of the cultural landscape whose cachet was utilized by later generations to invoke authority in a lineage-based society with deep respect for the past.

The Inauguration Ceremony

The inauguration ceremony at Tullyhogue was a solemn and symbolic event that confirmed the authority of the O'Neill kings. The ceremony took place at the coronation chair on the O'Hagan lands at Tullyhogue Fort.

In the 16th century, the 'Leac na Rí' (Stone of the Kings) inauguration stone, said to be blessed by Saint Patrick, was embedded in the coronation chair. The chair was destroyed around 1602-1603 at the orders of Lord Mountjoy before the surrender of Hugh O'Neill.

On the day of inauguration, O'Hagan presided while O'Cahan—chief sub-king or uirrí to O'Neill—threw the single shoe over the new chief's head, echoing the ancient Indo-European concept of monosandalism.

The ceremony also involved the presentation of the white hazel 'rod of kingship' (slat na righe), which by Tudor times was termed 'rod of lordship' (slat tigiornais). The assembly concluded with each important official and churchman shouting the name in turn; the gairm anma, or proclaiming of the name.

Archaeological Discoveries

Recent archaeological investigations have revealed fascinating details about the O'Hagan settlement at Tullyhogue:

The Grand Hall

In 2015, the foundations of a Grand Hall dating to the late 15th-early 16th century were excavated. The hall was identified by a shallow trench, known as a drip-gully, used to catch rainwater that fell from the roof. The structure was built using jointed arched timbers, known as crucks, and was probably used as a gathering place for the social life of the day.

Interior Features

Inside the hall was a large open space around 12x6m with a central fire hearth. There was no chimney; instead, smoke would have made its way out through the thatch or through a smoke-hole in the roof. Around the room, the walls would have been decorated with hunting scenes. This is where the chief O'Hagan conducted official business, including legal proceedings.

Residential Structures

Two oval areas measuring 5x3m and 7x3m were found near the hall, the remains of two small houses dated 1170-1200. These would have had thatched roofs and walls of wicker plastered and lime-washed, likely the homes of farmers who cultivated crops for the elite who lived higher up the hill.

Historical Documentation

A contemporary image of Tullyhogue became well-known after the maps of Richard Barthelet (drawn c. 1602) were discovered and published by G. A. Hayes-McCoy in 1964 (in "Ulster and Other Maps"). Barthelet was on staff with Lord Deputy Mountjoy as 'the Lord Deputy's Cornet,' serving in fact as official cartographer.

"Within the ring-fort is a green lawn with paths running through it from the gates in the rampart. On the lawns are shown two houses, one of them a small building with much rounded hip-roof, very similar to many other small houses on the maps, and the other a much larger house, apparently two-storied, with a thatched hip-roof. No chimney is shown in either, and one wonders how the smoke escaped from the larger house if indeed it has an upper storey."

Near the base of the hill, the stone of kingship or Leac na Rí was located. This inauguration stone had been turned into a rough outdoor throne by the Tudor era with the addition of three flat stone slabs for a back and two arm rests. A reproduction is located at the approximate spot indicated by Barthelet, since the original was broken by Mountjoy in 1602 to symbolize the destruction of the O'Neill dynasty's sovereignty.

The Last Inauguration

The last Gaelic inauguration of a chief in Ireland was Hugh O'Neill's in 1595, performed by an O'Hagan at Tullyhogue. This event marked the culmination of the O'Hagans' ceremonial role, which had been a central part of their identity and status for centuries.

It was said of Shane O'Neill that "he has evermore had a thirsty desire to be called O'Neill—a name more in price to him than to be called Ceasar." Indeed, the Act of Attainder against Shane in 1569 stated: "The name of O'Neill, in the judgements of the uncivil people of the realm, doth carry in itself so great a sovereignty as they suppose that all the lords and people of Ulster should rather live in servitude to that name than in subjection to the crown of England."

In May 1595, "Tyrone created himself O'Neill . . . whilst he sat in his stone chair upon the hill." This event, presided over by the O'Hagans, represented the last gasp of the ancient Gaelic order before its final destruction in the early 17th century.