I went to Tullaherin, in Kilkenny, to see if it really was the burial place of Ciaran, known as ‘the first-born of the Irish saints’ and found something unexpected.
The name, Tulach Chiarain, (Tumulus of Ciaran) suggests Ciaran was buried there but he is usually linked with Saigir in Offaly.
Possessing a saint’s remains was a serious matter. The site would become a centre of pilgrimage and Ciaran (d 530) was no minor personality. In Tullaherin his remains are said to lie a short distance from the 11th century Round Tower. The site was the hub of a diocese until 1118, indicating it had been connected to a very important person.
The Annals for 1121 reported, ‘The tower in Tullaherin in Ossory was split by a thunderbolt and a stone flew from it which killed a student in the church’.
A pilgrimage was held there every year on St Ciaran's Day (March 5th) until around 1820. Records state that there were at least 75 tents and stalls erected in 1800 to cater to the crowds.
However all that remains today are what is left of the Round Tower and ruins of a church dating from the 12th century. They were no assistance in proving whether Ciaran was buried there or at Saigir.
I was about to leave when I remember reading something about ogham stones on the site. I went looking but the stone shafts I came across were very ordinary looking. To be sure I took photos of the more likely contenders and later, checking on the internet, found I had ‘captured’ two.
This led to more research. Ogham was developed in Ireland between the 4th and 7th centuries and over 400 stones have survived here and in the Irish-speaking areas of Scotland and Wales. They are considered ‘unusual among world writing systems’ and ‘the first intellectual creation of Irish-speaking people.’
This ‘native’ writing system is based on strokes etched on the edge of stone pillars. To read them you start at the bottom left-hand edge and work upwards. However the form of Irish they present is no longer in use though thanks to it we at least know how our ancestors sounded.
Disappointingly, when they are translated they do not reveal any secrets. They mainly list names and ancestry, with descriptions such as ‘fair-haired’, ’strong of vigour’ and ‘alive like fire’. So they were markers of ancestral land rather than social messaging.
The ogham stones at Tullaherin might come from Ciaran’s time but neither of them mention him. One, with its corner sliced, had even been brought from elsewhere.
I still don’t know where Ciaran was buried but thanks to him I now know a little more about our ogham heritage.
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