Tomb — chest tomb in Castletown (castletownarra Par.)

Medieval parish church ruins (TN019-002001-) of Castletown Arra stands on low-lying ground with a river to the N and the E shoreline of Lough Derg 70m to W. The castle (TN019-001001-) of Castletown stands 90m to N and a medieval mill (TN019-003----) stood to the E as shown on the 1654-5 Down Survey map of Castletown parish (NLI, Ms 721). A second castle site (TN019-004----) depicted on the 1840 ed. OS map where it is shown standing 220m to SSE. Church ruins described in 1951 as follows; 'The old church (TN019-002001-) was situate by the lake shore in Mr. Parker's demense but such remains of it as are now left are of comparatively modern post Reformation construction. It contains a tomb (TN019-002003-) of the Ui Briain Aradh with an inscription. Here are buried some of the Clann Brian Ruadh and Brian Ban chieftains, including Bishop Moriertagh Mac Ui Briain who was educated at Oxford and was first Protestant Bishop of Killaloe. The tomb of his son, Sir Tirlagh Mac Ui Briain and of the latter's wife, the Lady Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Earl Walter, the 11th Earl of Ormond (Walter of the Rosaries) may be seen in Iniscaltra, where he was buried 'in a Friars habit in a superstitious island in the Shannon according to the contemporary State Papers' (Gleeson 1951-2, 97). The stone lid or grave cover of a possible chest tomb of 17th century date belonging to the O'Brien family of Arra lies recumbent against the external face of the N wall of the present church ruins at Castletown Arra. Stone tomb cover recorded and drawn in 1868 when the following details about this tomb were described; 'Morine, or Matilda Carroll, wife of Terence Mac I Brien of Arra. A tombstone in the old churchyard of Castletown Arra, county of Tipperary, bears the following curious inscription, which the present writer, accompanied by a few friends, discovered, and, as far as legible, copied for the first time in the summer of 1868: 'EGO. TEREN. BRIEN. HOC. IN. MEO. ET. IN. MEE UXORIS. MORIN. CARYL. NOIE. FIERI. FECI. OC. MONUMENTU. SECUDNU. SUI. ETIMOLOGIAM. MEMORIE. CAUSA. FIT. PER' . The letters here are effaced. The date here is also effaced' (Lenihan 1871, 139). See attached drawing of tombstone taken from Lenihan 1867, 139. To see a 3D model of the tombstone visit, https://skfb.ly/owJUQ Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 August 2022