05 Nov Tullow , County Carlow
The picturesque market town of Tullow has a rich history and is worth a visit on your tours of Ireland. Its a bit of a hidden gem !!
It was once the setting for a Butler castle which commanded the river crossing , and the garrison of a subsequent Castle fell to Cromwell’s forces in 1650 , and were put to the sword.
Richard II’s hirelings took the surrender of the King of Leinster , Art MacMurrough in 1395 in a meadow near Tullow. By this submission , Art and his followers left the province of Leinster. In the market square is a splendid statue of Father John Murphy , the insurgent leader of the 1798 Rebellion who was hanged in the town.
Some four miles East of the town is the traditional burial place of the Kings of Leinster , the ancient four ring stone hill fort of Rathgall. It is 1000ft in diameter and covers 18 acres. The central fort is 150ft in diameter with an 18ft thick rampart.
At Aghade , a few miles South of Tullow is the Cloch and Phoill , the Holed Stone , a large , flat leaning stone with a hole half a foot wide at one end. In mythology it is the stone to which Niall of the Nine Hostages tied Eochaidh , son of Enna Cinnselach by a chain. He snapped the chain and slew all nine of the men Niall had sent to kill him. This area has a number of grooved standing stones , pre-historic graves and portal dolmens and Bronze Age cemeteries.
Why not take a trip to Tullow on your Ireland tours.
