The Ó Dubhda (O’Dowda) were one of the principal dynasties of north Connacht, descending from the Uí Fiachrach lineage. Their inauguration rites are unusually well documented compared to other Gaelic families, owing to the preservation of records by the learned Mac Fhirbhisigh family. These sources, combined with topographical evidence, allow us to reconstruct the distinctive elements of Ó Dubhda inaugurations, the locations used, and the historical trajectory of the practice.

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Custodians of the Rite

The hereditary ollamhs of the Ó Dubhda were the Mac Fhirbhisigh, a family of historians and lawyers based in Lecán, Co. Sligo. They compiled the Great Book of Lecan and other genealogical works. The Mac Fhirbhisigh were responsible for:

• Proclaiming the genealogy of the new chief.
• Preserving and interpreting customary law.
• Ensuring the inauguration followed precedent.

This role gave the ceremony both legitimacy and continuity. The presence of a Mac Fhirbhisigh was central to an Ó Dubhda inauguration.

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Inauguration Places

Two inauguration sites are associated with the Ó Dubhda:

Carn Amhalgaidh (Carrownacreevy, Co. Mayo)

• Ancient mound linked to Amhalgaidh, eponym of Tír Amhalgaidh.
• Served as an inauguration place for Uí Fiachrach rulers and later Ó Dubhda chiefs.
• Archaeological and documentary references note a cairn with deep historical associations.

Carn Inghine Briain (Co. Sligo)

• The second inauguration place of the Ó Dubhda, located near Kilrusheighter/Aughris.
• Tradition describes it as a cairn with commanding views of Knocknarea and Queen Medb’s cairn.
• Likely used when Ó Dubhda power shifted east of the River Moy.

The existence of two sites reflects the clan’s territorial divisions and may signal alternating inaugurations between different branches of the family.

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The Footprint Stone

Clan tradition, preserved in learned texts, records the presence of a stone bearing two carved footprints, said to represent the feet of the progenitor Fiachra Ealgach. During inauguration:

• The new Ó Dubhda placed his feet in the stone impressions.
• This physical act symbolized the chief’s literal “standing in” the land and assuming sovereignty.

Comparable footprint stones survive at other Gaelic inauguration sites, underlining the authenticity of this tradition.

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Symbolic Elements of the Ceremony

The Ó Dubhda inauguration combined widely attested Gaelic motifs with clan-specific traditions:

• Genealogical Recital: Performed by the Mac Fhirbhisigh, linking the chief to the Uí Fiachrach and enumerating ancestors.
• White Rod of Justice (Slat na Ríghe): Presented to the new chief as a sign of lawful and fair governance.
• Standing in the Footprints: Enacted the claim to territory.
• Oath of Rule: Commitment to govern with justice, witnessed by the assembly.
• Public Acclamation: Collective recognition by the people.
• Feast and Music: As with other Gaelic inaugurations, communal celebration reinforced social bonds.

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Historical Continuity and Decline

The Ó Dubhda maintained their inauguration practices into the late medieval and early modern period. According to later clan histories:

• The last election of an Ó Dubhda took place in 1595, marking the effective end of the traditional rite.
• Chiefs thereafter were drawn into the wars of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, including the Nine Years’ War.
• With the collapse of Gaelic lordship in the seventeenth century, inauguration ceremonies ceased to function as legal-political acts.

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Significance

The Ó Dubhda inaugurations are notable for three reasons:

1. Unique Documentation: The Mac Fhirbhisigh records ensure more detail survives about Ó Dubhda rites than for many other dynasties.
2. Dual Inauguration Places: Carn Amhalgaidh and Carn Inghine Briain reflect both continuity with early Uí Fiachrach kingship and adaptation to later clan geography.
3. Surviving Memory: The footprint stone and references in genealogical texts provide rare insight into the physical choreography of the rite.

Today, these elements make the Ó Dubhda inauguration one of the most thoroughly attested examples of Gaelic political ritual.

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References

• FitzPatrick, Elizabeth. Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c.1100–1600: A Cultural Landscape Study (2004).
• O’Donovan, John (ed.). The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach (UCC CELT).
• Bartlett, Richard. Map of Ulster (1602), for comparative inauguration iconography.
• Ó Dubhda Clan sources: summaries of Carn Amhalgaidh and Carn Inghine Briain inauguration traditions.
• Mac Fhirbhisigh, Dubhaltach. Great Book of Lecan, genealogical sections relating to Uí Fiachrach and Ó Dubhda.
• Annals of the Four Masters, references to the Ó Dubhda and their inauguration places.

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