Graveslab

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the bottom of the slope and on the W side of the path in Edergole graveyard (MO018-044----). In 1714, at the height of the Penal Laws, Hugh McMahon (died 1737), Roman Catholic bishop of Clogher, was translated to Armagh and the Primacy of Ireland. He was succeeded at both Clogher and Armagh by his nephews, the brothers Bernard (died 1747) and Ross (died 1748) McMahon. The brothers are buried under a graveslab (dims 1.96m x 1.08m; T 0.15m) with a Latin inscription. It is inscribed in roman capitals beneath an elaborate but very worn crest that has a crown above it to the left and two mitres above it to the right.
The inscription was transcribed in 1852 by Shirley (1879, 330) as: HIC IACET BERNARDVS ET ROCHVS / MAC – MAHON FRATRES GERMANI U / TERQUE SUCCESSIVE EPISCOPUS CLOG / HIRENSIS UTERQUE ETIAM SUCESIV / E ARCH-ARMACANUS TOTS HIBN. PRIM / ATI QUORUM NOBLISIMI GENERIS / MEMOR PIETAS ATQUAE AEMULA DOC / TRINA VITAQUE TIULAS NON IM / PAR MOERENTEM PATRIAM DECO / RAVERE. BERNARDUS OBIT DIE 27 / MAII 1747. AETAT 67. ROCHUS DIE 29 OCT 1748. AETAT 49 / AMBO PARES VIRTUTE / PARES ET HORORIBUS AMBO. / This monument was erected / by Mr. Roger Mahon bro. to the / deceased primates anno. Dom. 1750.
McKenna (1920, 1, 562) translates this as: Here lie Bernard and Ross MacMahon, brothers, each in succession Bishop of Clogher, each also, in succession Archbishop of Armagh, Primates of All Ireland, whose noble origin, profound piety, extensive learning, and edifying lives have shed a lustre round their disconsolate country. Bernard died 27th May, 1747, aged 69 years. Ross died on 29th October, 1748, aged 49.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 30 November, 2016

References

Shirley, E.P. 1879 (Reprint 1988) The history of the county of Monaghan. London. Pickering.

McKenna, Rev. J. E. 1920 Parochial History of the Diocese of Clogher. 2 vols, Enniskillen, Author