Teach Ríoga · The Royal House of Tory and Inishmurray
Teach RíogaThe Royal House of Tory and Inishmurray

Teach Ríoga

The Arms of the House

The arms of Teach Ríoga, with the motto Dílis go deo, “Faithful for ever”.

The full achievement of the arms of Teach Ríoga

These are the arms of the house. They are the house’s own, and are not a grant, matriculation or registration by the Chief Herald of Ireland or by any other heraldic authority.

The shield is a royal shield of the two kingdoms, quartered, with the house’s own arms at its centre.

What the shield shows

  • First and fourth quarters, the Kingdom of Tory. The island rising from the sea, with its round tower and the Tau cross, Tory’s best-known monuments from the monastery founded by Colmcille[1][2].
  • Second and third quarters, the Kingdom of Inishmurray. The stone cashel that encloses St Molaise’s monastery, ringing three of the island’s cursing stones, above the sea[3][4].
  • The small central shield, the house. The house’s own arms: the Tau cross between two round towers above the sea, and the cashel below.

Blazon

Arms
Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Azure, on a mount Vert issuing from a base barry wavy Argent and Azure a round tower Argent, in sinister chief a cross tau Or (for the Kingdom of Tory); 2nd and 3rd, Gules, an annulet masoned Or enclosing three plates, a base barry wavy Argent and Azure (for the Kingdom of Inishmurray); over all an inescutcheon of the house: per fess wavy Azure and Vert, in chief a cross tau between two round towers Or, in base an annulet masoned Argent.
Crown
The shield ensigned with a royal crown Or, the circlet jewelled, heightened of fleurons and pearled points, arched with pearled arches, the cap Vert, upon the arches an orb Azure ensigned with a cross Or.
Collar
The shield encircled by the collar of the house Or, of crosses tau and annulets linked alternately, pendent therefrom an escallop Or.
Mantle
The whole set upon a mantle of estate Vert semé of crosses tau Or, fringed and tasselled Or, lined ermine, ensigned with the like crown, cords Or issuing therefrom.
Supporters
Dexter the Archangel Michael proper, armed with a cuirass Argent edged Or over a tunic Gules, a baldric Or, winged Argent, holding in his exterior hand a sword point downward proper hilted Or; sinister the Archangel Gabriel proper, vested Argent edged Or, a stole Or, winged Or, nimbed Or, holding in his exterior hand a staff Or flowered with a lily Argent; each gripping the shield.
Compartment
A bracket Or.
Motto
Dílis go deo: “Faithful for ever”.

Motto

Dílis go deo: “Faithful for ever”.

Artwork credits

  • The archangels’ heads and wings: Angelic Supporter (Heraldry) by Sodacan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Adapted.
  • The mantle of estate (recoloured Vert, semé of crosses tau): Generic mantle by Katepanomegas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Adapted.
  • The royal crowns (cap recoloured Vert): Heraldic Royal Crown (Common) by Smasongarrison, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Adapted.
  • The two archangels’ bodies, anatomy and the hands gripping the shield (the wild-man supporters of the royal arms of Denmark, re-dressed as archangels): Royal coat of arms of Denmark (2024) by Di (they-them), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted.
  • The shield and its charges, Michael’s armour and sword, Gabriel’s vesture and lily staff, the collar of the house, the gold bracket, the cords and the motto scroll: drawn for Teach Ríoga.

The artwork of the arms is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0, as it adapts the components credited above.

References

  1. Tory Island, Wikipedia.
  2. Tory Island, Tuatha.
  3. Inishmurray Monastic Island, Heritage Ireland (Office of Public Works).
  4. Inishmurray, Wikipedia.

All sources