Wall monument

The National Monuments Service's description

The wall memorial of Sir Robert Dillon of Riverstown dated 1595 (FitzGerald 1910) is on the N wall of the church (ME031-033071-) on Tara Hill. It is in the form of two limestone plaques (upper: Wth 0.47m; H 0.84m; lower: Wth 0.71m; H 0.48m) with a crest and the Latin inscription in false relief. tI is described by FitzGerald (1910) as:

Inside the church, built into the north wall, is a sixteenth-century mural monument, which belonged to the Dillons, of Riverstown. It is in two portions, and these two stones were till lately lying neglected in the churchyard, until rescued by the present Sir John Dillon, Bart. of Lismullen house, who had them placed in their present position.
The upper part of the monument contains a shield in a circular wreath surrounded with diapering. On the shield are two coats-of-arms, viz: ‘Argent, a lion rampant gules, overall a fess azure’, for Dillon. ‘Per pale gules and argent, a fleur-de-lis per pale argent and sable’, for Sarsfield.
The sculpturing is in high relief. Below runs an inscription in raised (Roman) letters (in abbreviated Latin), and (the) translation of which is: Sir Robert Dillon, of Riverstown, Kt., Chief Justice of the Lady Queen Elizabeth’s Common Bench in her Kingdom of Ireland, and one of the Prive Council, together with the lady Katherine Sarsfield his wife, made (or built) this work, 5th October, A. D. 1595.
The work here alluded to was probably connected with the old church, a handsome mullioned window of which is now (for preservation) built into the belfry.
Sir Robert Dillon, of Riverstown, was the son of Thomas Dillon, of Riverstown, by his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Luttrell, of Luttrellstown, in the County Dublin. Sir Robert became very eminent in his profession of the law, being appointed in 1553 one of the Justices of the Court of Chief Pleas. In 1580 he was knighted by the Lord Deputy Grey, and in 1582 he was constituted Chief Justice of the said Court, an appointment he held till his death on 27th July, 1597, when he was buried at Tara with his ancestors. The ruins of this castle of Riverstown are situated near the latter place.
Sir Robert was twice married, first to Ellenor, daughter of Thomas Alen of Kilteel, in the county Kildare; and secondly to Catherine, daughter of Sir William Sarsfield, of Lucan, Alderman of Dublin; by both wives he had issue, but his successor was a son named Bartholomew, by his second wife.

Date of upload: 9 January, 2015

References

FitzGerald, Lord W. 1910 Tara Church and Burial-ground. Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead, Ireland, vol. 8, 3, 146-8.