Summary: Ceremonies
Key dates:
The crowning or inauguration of kings in Ireland took place in the open air at the traditional place for the ceremony. The O’Neill clan were crowned at Tullyhoge near Cookstown. The chiefs, lords and bishops were present and one lord proclaimed the king to be elected. All the lords got valuable presents from the new king and poets wrote verses for the occasion. This ceremony lasted from pagan times through the entire middle ages. The last ceremony of this kind took place in 1592 when Red Hugh O’Donnell was crowned at the Rock of Doon near Kilmacrenan in Co Donegal.
|