Page 62 - my-people-abbie-harris-beck

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Crowning Stone

Near Derry City boundary task, for tl\e stone weights might come; and was then, Chieftain of Inishowen is
limits is the large residence of found under the date 1413,
some seven tons. It was the with wild acclamations, hailed
Belmont, in the gardens of where we read: ‘Connor
‘Crowning Strone1 of the as their chief by the
which is located ‘The Kinel-Owen (Tribe of Owen), assembled clan. O’Doherty, Chief of
Crowning Stone’ of the and upon it once stood the Ardmiodhair and Lord of Inis
At the time of Ireland’s —
O’Dohertys. Some records famous chieftains of the great Eoghain, a man full of
conversion to Christianity by
refer to it as St. Coiumb’s O’Neill clan, while being generosity and general
St. Patrick, that holy man
Stone, though this name is a inaugurated. They reigned in hospitality to the poor and
visited the Grianan (about AD
misnomer, and may well have Aileach for many centuries. needy, died'. Connor
433), where ‘the Crowning
been used incorrectly to O’Doherty was doubtless a
Stone’ had been used for
distort, or obscure, its T ributary Lord, and
traditional and historic CHIEFTAIN’S centuries before; Owen was henceforth the O’Dohertys
significance. Its symbolism CORONATION then King; he was converted held Inishowen holding this
and 'magic' could well have from ’Paganism’ to the new status, sometimes under the
been feared by those who At his installation, as faith and baptised by Patrick. O’Neills, but usually under
seized the lands of the supreme head of his Clan, the At the same time this O’Donnell chiefs, 'till the
O’Dohertys by force and newly chosen Chief was crowning stone of the Kinel- lands were confiscated in the
stealth, at a time when the placed upon this stone, his Owen was blessed. The year 608.the lands were
Penal law s robbed the native bare feet in the foot-marks; a ancient fort was destroyed by confiscated in the year 1608.
Irish of their rights in regard peeled willow wand was put the O’Briens in 1101 as part of It is recorded in one
to land, language, religion, the into his hand, as an emblem of their conflict with the local original manuscript that the
professions, public the pure and gentle sway he clans. The long line of the
representation and even should exercise over his tribe; O’Neill tanistry was annual rent for Inishowen
educational opportunity. an oath was administered to terminated by the flight of extracted by the O’Neill was
him by the chief ecclesiastic in 60 milch cows every May Day.
The stone is a great block of Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, to In the time of Red Hugh
gneiss, about six foot square the neighbourhood, that he Rome in 1607, after much O'Donnell the chief rent for
at the top, marked with the should preserve inviolable the mixed fortunes on the Inishowen was increased to 60
sculptured prints of two feet - ancient customs of his country battlefield in a bid to halt beeves three times a year, or
left and right - each about ten and, deliver the succession English colonial expansion. 180 annually. The O’Dohertys
inches long. It is almost peacefully to his tanist were also bound to send 60
absolutely certain that it was (successor); after which, LORDSHIPS’
taken from its original descending from the stone, he horsemen and 120 foot soldiers
location at the ancient turned himself thrice RENTS to the field and entertain
Grianan of Aileach after that backwards and thrice O’Donnell’s bonnaughts, or
hired auxiliaries, however
royal palace was destroyed, forwards, to signify that he The first mention in the
was ready to meet all foes, annals of the Four Masters of numerous, for the space of
but has since been re-built. Its an O’Dochartaigh as Lord or nine nights.
removal was indeed a major from whatever quarter they
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S t. C o iu m b ’s S to n e (C h ie fta in ’s I n s ta lla tio n S to n e)

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