[Fac-siinile of one page of the Book of Mac Durnan, exactly as it left the hand of the Irish scribe, A.U. 850. The words, which are much contracted, are the beginning of the Gospel of Saint Mark, in Latin. For further reference to this frontispiece, see pp. 14, 493, 494. — From Westwood's /^ac.-Ji>«. 0/ Ang.-Sax. and Irish MSS.'\ A CONCISE HISTORY OF IRELAND ILLUSTRATED BY P. W. JOYCE, LL.D. One of the Cojnmissioners for the PiMication of the Ancient Laws of Ireland Author of " a social history of ancient ireland " "a short history of ikhi.anl) " "irish names of places" "old celtic romances.i" "ancient irish music" and oiher works relaiing to ireland ^^m^- Great Tower, Cloiiinaciioise. From I'etrie s " Uoiind Towers" NEW YORK LONGiMANS, GREEN, AND CO, 1903 Sculpture over a doorway, Cormac's Chapel, Cashel : Centaur shooting- at a lion. From Petrie's " Round Towers," p. 296. PREFACE. In writing tliis book I have generally followed the plan of weaving the narrative round important events and leading personages. This method, while in no degree in- terfering with the continuity of the History, has enabled me to divide the whole book into short chapters, each forming a distinct narrative or story more or less complete ; and it has aided me in my endeavoiu* to make the History of Ireland interesting and attractive. Without descending to childish phraseology, I have done my best to make the language so simple and plain that any child can understand it who is able to read English with facility. My constant aim has been to make the book easy to read and easy to understand. Above all I have tried to write soberly and moderately, avoiding exaggeration and bitterness, pointing out extenu- ating circumstances where it was just and right to do so, giving credit where credit is due, and showing fair play all round. A writers nr^y accomplish all this while 1^ -:i t o VI PKEFACE. sympathising heartily, as I do, with Ireland and her people. Perhaps this book, written as it is in such a broad and just spirit, may help to foster mutual feelings of respect and toleration among Irish people of different parties, and may teach them to love and admire what is great and noble in their history, no matter where found. This indeed was one of the objects I kept steadily in view while writing it. When a young citizen of Limerick and another of Derry read the account given here of the two memorable sieges, I hope it is not too much to expect that the reader in each case, while feeling a natui-al pride in the part played by his own ancestors, will be moved to a just and generous admiration for those of the other side who so valiantly defended their homes. And the Histoiy of Ireland, though on the whole a very sad history, abounds in records of heroic deeds and heroic endurance, like those of DeiTy and Limerick, which all Irish people of the present day ought to look back to with pride, and which all young persons should be taught to reverence and admire. Though the book has been written for children, I ven- ture to express a hope that it may be found sufficiently interesting and instructive for the perusal of older people. The Illustrations, all of which relate to the several parts of the text where they occur, and all of which have been selected with gi-eat care, will be found, I trust, to add to the interest of the book. 1^0 effort has been spared to secure tinithfulness and accuracy of statement ; the utmost care has been taken throughout to consult and compare original authorities ; and nothing has been accepted on second-hand evidence. PEEKICE. Vll It may not be unnecessary to say that, except in the few places where I quote, the narrative all through this book is original, and not made up by adapting or copying the texts of other modern Irish Histories. For good or for bad I preferred my own way of telling the story. P. W. J. Lyre-na-Grena, Leinster-road, Rathmines, Dublin, Xovember, 1897. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the courtesy of those to whom I applied for permission to reproduce Illustrations from copyi'ight books.* My thanks are espe- cially due to the following : — To the Council of the Eoyal Irish Academy, for the use of electrotypes of Illustrations in Wilde's "Catalogue of Irish Antiquities." To the Council of the Koyal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, for many Illustrations from their Journal. To the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, thi'ough their Secretary, Mr. Denham Franklin, for the use of some Illustrations in their Journal. To the Cambrian Archaeological Association, thi'ough their Secretaiy the Eev. R. Trevor Owen, for the pictui-e of Dun Aengus. * Under each illustration in the book the source from which it is ^ brought to Ireland. This was about the year 403. He was sold as a slave to a certain rich man named Milcho, who employed him to herd sheep and swine on the slopes of Slemish mountain in the present county Antrim. Here he spent six years of his life. If he felt at first heartbroken and miserably lonely, as no doubt he did, he soon recovered himself, and made nothing of the hardships he endui'ed on the bleak hill- side ; for in his solitude his mind was tui'ned to God, and every spare moment was given up to devotions. He tells us in his own earnest and beautiful words : — **I was daily employed tending flocks; and I prayed fi'equently during the day, and the love of God was more and more enkindled in my heart, my fear and faith were increased, and my spirit was stiiTcd ; so much so that in a single day I poured out my prayers a hun- dred times, and nearly as often in the night. !N'ay even in the woods and mountains I remained, and rose before the dawn to my prayer, in frost and snow and rain ; neither did I suffer any injury from it, nor did I yield f2 68 A child's history of rRELAND. [CHAP. IX. to aiiy slothfulness, bucIi as I now experience ; for the spii-it of the Lord was fervent within me." But he stood alone in the little world of light and holiness ; for his master was a pagan; and though the people he mixed with were bright and lovable, they too were all pagans, grossly superstitious, but beyond that, with little idea of religion of any kind. At the end of six years of slavery Patrick escaped and made his way thi'ough many hardships and dangers to his home and family. Dui'ing his residence in Ireland he had become familiar with the language of the people ; and the memory of the pagan darkness in which they lived haunted him night and day, so that he formed the resolution to devote his life to their conversion. His steadfast will was shown even at this early period by the manner in which he set about preparing himself for his noble work. He first studied with great diligence for about four years in the great monastic school of St. Martin of Tours ; and subsequently under St. Germain of Auxerre for about the same length of time ; after which he continued his prepara- tion in an island near the Italian coast, and elsewhere, till he was ready to begin his mission. Huiing all this time his thoughts were ever turned lovingly to Ireland ; and he had di'eams and visions about it. Once he di^eamed, as he tells us, that a man fi'om Ireland came to him and gave him a letter, which began with the words "The Voice of the Irish." " ^Tiilst I was reading the letter" — he goes on to say — "I imagined at the moment that I heard the voices of many, who were near the wood of Foclut which is [in Ireland] beside the Western Ocean: ciying out as if with one voice, * we entreat thee, holy youth, to come and still walk amongst us.' And I was exceedingly afflicted CUAP. IX.] ST. PATEICK. PAET I. 69 in my heart and could read no more, but quickly- awoke." Having received authority and benediction from Pope Celestine,"^ he set out for Ireland. On his way through Gaul news came of the death of Pallaclius; and as this left Ireland without a bishop, Patrick was consecrated bishop in Gaul by a certain holy prelate named Amator. Embarking for Ireland, he landed on the Wicklow coast ; but having been expelled, like his predecessor, he sailed northwards, and finally disem- barked with his companions at Lecale in the present county Down. Dicho, the chief of the district, think- ing they were pirates, hastily armed his followers and sallied forth to expel them : but when they appeared in view, he was so struck by their calm and dignified demeanour, that instead of attacking, he saluted them respectfully and invited them to his house. Here Patrick announced his mission and explained his doc- trine ; and Dicho and his whole family became Chris- tians and were baptised : the first of the Irish converted by St. Patrick. As there was no church ; the chief presented him with a sahhall [saul] or bam for Divine Service, on the site of which a monastery was subse- quently erected in honour of the saint, which for many ages was held in great veneration. And the memory of the happy event is preserved to this day in the name of the little village of Saul near Downpatrick. He * So we find it stated by several ancient authorities, the oldest of whom is an Irish saint who lived a century and a half after the time of St. Patrick. Celestine was the same pope who had commissioned Palladius about a year before Patrick's arrival. But although there is unquestionable contemporary evidence that this pope sent Palladius to Ireland, some writers dispute the statement that Patrick received his commission from him. 70 A chiid's Hibxoiti' or iheland. [umap. x. remained in this neighbourhood for some time ; and the people, following the example of their chief, listened to his preaching, and were baptised in gi'eat numbers. CHAPTER X. ST. PATRICK. PART II. (A.D. 433-465.) T. Pateick adopted, from the very begin- ning, a bold and courageous plan of preaching the Gospel in Ireland : — He always made straight for the palaces and other gi^eat houses, and began by attempting to convert the kings and chiefs. He was well aware of the veneration of the clansmen for their ruling families; and he knew that once the king had become a Christian the people would soon follow. He had experienced the success of this plan in Saul ; and now he came to the bold resolution to go to Tara, and present himself before King Laegaire [Leary] and his court. Bidding farewell to his fiiend Dicho, he sailed southward to the mouth of the Boyne ; whence he set out on foot for Tara with his companions. Soon after leaving the boat, night fell on them ; and they were hospitably entertained at the house of a chief, whom the saint converted, with his whole family. One of the children, a youth to whom Patrick gave the name of Penen or Penignus from his gentle dispo- sition, became so attached to him that he insisted on going along with him next morning. Thenceforward Penen was Patrick's constant companion and beloved CfiAP. X.] ST. PATKICK. PART II. 71 disciple ; and after the death of his master he succeeded him as archbishop of Armagh. The saint and his little company arrived at the hill of Slane on Easter Eve, a.d. 433. Here he prepared to celebrate the festival; and towards nightfall, as was then the custom, he lighted the Paschal fire on the top of the hill. It so happened that at this very time the king and his nobles were celebrating a festival of some kind at Tara; and the attendants were about to light a great fire on the hill, which was part of the ceremonial. IS'ow there was a law that while this fire was burning no other should be kindled in the country all round on pain of death ; and accordingly, when the king and his couiiiers saw the fire ablaze on the hill of Slane, nine miles off, they were much astonished at such an open violation of the law. The mo- narch instantly called his di'uids and ques- tioned them about it; and they said : — ''If that fii'e which we now see be not extinguished to-night, it will never be extinguished, but will overtop all our fii'es : and he that has kindled it will over- turn thy kingdom." "Whereupon the king, in great wrath, instantly set out in his chariot with a small retinue, nine chariots in all; and having amved near St. Ercs Hermitage. From Wilde's " and Blackwater." Wakeman. Boyne 72 A child's niSTOllY OF IRELAND. [CHAP. X. Slane, he summoned the strangers to his presence. He had commanded that none should rise up to show them respect; but when they presented themselves, one of the courtiers, Ere the son of Dego, struck with the saint's commanding appearance, rose from his seat and saluted him. This Ere was converted, and became after- wards bishop of Slane ; and to this day there is, on the bank of the Boyne near Slane, a little ruined oratory called from him St. Erc's Hermitage. The result of this interview was what St. Patrick most earnestly desired : he was dii'ected to appear next day at Tara and give an account of his proceedings before the assembled coui't. On the summit of the hill of Slane, at the spot where Patrick lighted his Paschal fire, there are still the ruins of a monastery erected in commemoration of the event. Slane Monastery. From Wilde's " Boyne and Blackwater." Wakenian. The next day was Easter Sunday. Early in the morning Patrick and his companions set out for the palace, and on their way they chanted a hymn in the native tongue — an invocation for protection against the CHAP. X.] ST. PATEICK. PAET II. 73 dangers and treacliery by whicli they were beset ; for they had heard that persons were lying in wait to slay them. This noble and beautiful hymn was long held in great veneration by the people of this country, and we still possess copies of it in a veiy old dialect of the Irish language. In the history of the spread of Chiis- tianity, it would be difficult to find a more singular and impressive scene than was presented at the court of King Laegaire on that memorable Easter morning. Patrick was robed in white, as were also his companions ; he wore his mitre, and carried his crosier in his hand ; and when he presented himself before the assembly, Dubthach [Duffa], Laegaire's chief poet, rose to welcome him, contraiy to the express commands of the king. The saint, all aflame with zeal and unawed by the presence of king and court, explained to the assembly the leading points of the Chiistian doctrine, and silenced the king's druids in argument. Dubthach became a convert, and thenceforward devoted his poetical talents to the service of God ; and Laegaire gave permission to the strange missionaries to preach their doctrines throughout his dominions. The king himself however was not converted ; and for the re- maining thirty years of his life he remained an unbe- liever, while the paganism of the whole country was rapidly going down before the fiery energy of the great missionary. Patrick next proceeded to Tailltenn where, during the celebration of the national games (page 31), he preached for a week to the assembled multitudes, making many converts, among whom was Conall Gulban, brother to King Laegaire, the ancestor of the O'Don- nells of Tirconnell. "We find him soon afterwards making for the plain where stood the great national 74 A child's nisTORi: of iheland. [chap. X. idol Crom Cniach ^ith the twelve lesser idols (p. 37), all of which he destroyed. About the year 438, with the concurrence of King Laegaire, he undertook the task of revising the Brehon Law. He was aided by eight others, among them King Laegaire himself, and at the end of three years, this Committee of Kine produced a new code, free from all pagan customs and ordinances, which was ever after known as '' Cain Patrick " or Patrick's Law. This Law Book, which is also called the SencJms M6r [Shan'ahus More], has been lately translated and published. In his journey thi'ough Connaught he met the two daughters of King Laegaire — Ethnea the fair and Pedelma the ruddy — near the palace of Croghan, where they lived at that time in fosterage with their two druid tutors. They had come out one morning at suni'ise to wash their hands in a certain spring well, as was their custom, and were greatly astonished to find Patrick and his companions at the well with books in their hands, chanting a hymn. Having never seen persons in that garb before, the virgins thought at first that they were beings fi'om the shee or fairy hills (page 37) ; but when the first sui-prise was over they fell into conversation with them, and inquired whence they had come. And Patrick gently replied : — " It were better for you to confess to oui' true God than to inquire concerning our race." They eagerly asked many questions about Grod, his dwelling-place — whether in the sea, in rivers, in mountainous places, or in valleys — how knowledge of him was to be obtained, how he was to be found, seen, and loved, with other inquiries of a like nature. The saint answered all their questions, and explained the leading points of the CHAt. X.] ST. PATRICK. PAEt II. 75 faith ; and the virgins were immediately baptised and consecrated to the service of religion. On the approach of Lent he retired to the mountain which has ever since borne his name — Croagh Patrick or Patrick's hill — where he spent some time in fasting and prayer. About this time, a.d. 449, the seven sons of Amalgaid [Awley] king of Connaught were holding a meeting in Tirawley, to which Patrick re- paired. He expounded his doctrines to the wondering assembly ; and the seven princes with twelve thousand persons were baptised. After spending seven years in Connaught, he visited successively Ulster, Leinster, and Munster, in each of which he preached for several years. Soon after entering Leinster, he converted, at the palace beside IN'aas where the Leinster kings then resided, the two princes lUann and Olioll, sons of .c^^«>-'=^ North Moat, Naas : remains of ancient palace. (House on top modern.) From a drawing by the author, 1857. King Dunlang, who both afterwards succeeded to the throne of theii- father. And at Cashel, the seat of the kings of Munster, he was met by the king, Aengus the son of T^atfree, who conducted him into the palace on the rock with the greatest reverence, and was at once baptised. 76 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. X. Wherever St. Patrick went lie founded churches, and left them in charge of his disciples. In his various journeys, he encountered many dangers and met with numerous temporary repulses ; but his courage and resolution never wavered, and success attended his efforts in almost eveiy part of his wonderful career. He founded the see of Armagh about the year 455, and made it the head see of all Ireland. The gi'eater part of the country was now filled with Christians and with churches ; and the mission of the venerable apostle was drawing to a close. He was seized with his death ill- ness in Saul, the scene of his first triumph ; and he breathed his last on the seventeenth of March, in or about the year 465, in the seventy-eighth year of his age.*' The news of his death was the signal for universal mourning. From the remotest districts of the island, clergy and laity turned their steps towards the little village of Saul, to pay the last tribute of love and respect to their great master. They celebrated the obsequies for twelve days and nights without interrup- tion, joining in the ceremonies as they arrived in succession ; and in the language of one of his biogi'aphers, the blaze of myriads of torches made the whole time appear like one continuous day. He was buiied with great solemnity at Dun-da-leth-glas, the old residence of the princes of Ulidia ; and the name in the altered fonn of Downpatrick, commemorates to all time the saint's place of interment. * There is much uncertainty both as to St. Patrick's age and as to the year of his death. I have given the age and the year that seem to me most probable. Composed from the Book of Kells. CHAPTER XI. PEOGEESS OF EELIGION. ,UKiNG the lifetime of St. Patrick there was extraordinaiy religious fervour in Ire- land which lasted on for several centuries, such as, probably, has never been wit- nessed in any other country. There gathered round the great apostle a crowd of holy and earnest men, who, when they passed away, were succeeded by others as holy and as earnest : and the long succession continued unbroken for centuries. We have the lives of those men pictui-ed in minute detail in our old wi'itings : and it is impossible to look on them without feelings of wonder and admiration. They were wholly indifferent to bodily comfort or to worldly advancement. They traversed the country on foot, and endured without flinching privations and dangers of every kind for the one object of their lives — to spread religion and civilisa- tion among their rude countrymen ; and when at home in their monasteries, many lived and slept in poor comfortless little houses, the remains of which may be seen to this day — places we should now hesitate to house our animals in. The lot of the poorest and hardest- worked labouring man of our time is luxury itself com- pared with the life led by many of those noble old 78 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XI. missionaries. But even these were surpassed by those resolute Irishmen who went in crowds, in the seventh and eighth centuries, to preach the Gospel to the half- savage, ferocious, and vicious people who then inhabited Gaul, North Italy, and Germany. It must not be supposed that all the people of Ireland were converted by St. Patrick and his companions. There were large districts never visited by them ; and in many others the Chiistianity of the people was merely on the sui'face. Much pagan superstition remained; the druids still retained great influence ; and for more than a century after St. Patrick's death Christianity had a hard struggle with paganism ; so that there was plenty of work for his successors. Of these the two most illustrious were St. Brigit and St. Columkille, who of all the Irish saints, with the single exception of St. Patrick himself, are most venerated by the Irish people. St. Brigit of Kildare was born about the year 455 at Faughart near Dundalk ; but her father, who was a powerful chief, belonged to Leinster. She became a nun when very young ; and soon the fame of her sanctity spread through the whole country. Having founded convents in various parts of Ireland, she finally settled — about the year 480 — at a place in Leinster, where she built her little wooden cell under the shade of a great oak-tree, whence it got the name of Kill- dara^ the church of the oak, now Kildare. This became the greatest and most famous nunnery ever established in Ireland. St. Brigit died on the 1st of February, 523. She is affectionately revered in every part of Ireland ; and there are places all through the countiy still called Kilbride, and Kilbreedy (Brigit's church) which received their names from churches founded by or in commemoration of her. CHAP. XI.] PEOGEESS OF EELIGION. 79 St. Columba or Columkille was born in 521 at Gartan in Donegal. He belonged to the Northern Hy Neill, his father being great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages ; but he gave up all the worldly advantages of his princely birth for religion. In the year 546 he built the chiu'ch of Derry on a spot presented to him by The Church called " St. Columb's House," Kells, Co. Meath (in 1840). From Petrie's " Round Towers." prince Aed Mac Ainmire [An'mii'a], afterwards king of Ireland. During the next sixteen years, he travelled and preached and founded a great number of chui'ches and monasteries all over the country, among others those of Kells, Swords, Tory Island, Lambay near Dublin, and Durrow in King's County, the last of which was his chief establishment in Ireland. All these places 80 A child's niSTOUY OF IRELAND. [CUAP. XI. were venerated for centui'ies after the saint's death, and in all there are interesting ruins to this day. In the year 563 Columba went with twelve companions to the little island of lona on the west coast of Scotland, which had been granted to him by his relative the king of that part of Scotland. Here he settled, and founded the monastery which afterwards became so illustrious. He converted the Picts ; and he traversed the Hebrides, preaching to the people and founding churches wherever he went. After a life of incessant acti\^ty in the service of religion, his death sickness came upon him at lona in the year 597, when he was seventy-six years of age. His biographer St. Adamnan has left us a full account of the manner of his death. Though feeling his end approaching, he continued, as long as he was able, working at his favourite occupation, copying the Scrip- tures, with one of his disciples, Baithen, constantly beside him. ^Tien at last he could wi'ite no more, he laid down the pen and said, ' ' Let Baithen write the rest." At the toll of the midnight bell he rose from his bed, which was nothing but a bare flagstone, and went to the chuiTh hard by, followed immediately after by his attendant Dermot. He amved there before the others had time to bring in the lights ; and Dermot losing sight of him in the darkness, called out "Where are you, father? " Receiving no reply, he felt his way, till he found his master before the altar kneeling and leaning forward on the steps : and raising him up a little, sup- ported his head on his breast. The monks now came up with the lights ; and seeing their beloved old master dying, they began to weep. He looked at them with his face lighted up with joy, and tried to utter a blessing; but being unable to speak, he raised his hand a little to hless them, and in the very act of doing so he died in CHAP. XI.] PHOGEESS OF RELIGION. 81 Dermot's arms. The funeral services lasted tliree days and three nights, monastery.* and he was huried within the Inishcaltra or Holy Island in Lough Derg on the Shannon. Island Monastery founded by St. Camin, died 653. From " Kilkenny Archaeological Journal": 1889, page 162. Wakeman. The early monastic clergy of Ireland may he said to have heen mainly of two classes. Those of the one class * Besides Patrick, Brigit, and Columkille, the following are few of the most eminent of the Irish saints : — St. Ailbe of Emly in Limerick, who was ordained bishop Cashel by St. Patrick : he was ecclesiastical head of Munster. St. Enna or Endeus of Aran in Galway Bay ; died about 542 This island was afterwards called Ara-na-Naemh [naive], Aran of the saints, from the number of holy men who lived in it. St. Finiien of Clonard, the founder of the great school there : called " The Tutor of the Saints of Ireland" : died 549. St. Ciaran [Kieran] of Clonmacnoise, which became one of the greatest of all the Irish monasteries : died 549. 82 A guild's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XI. settled ill the inhabited districts, and concerned them- selves with the functions of education and religious min- istration. They went freely among chiefs and people, restrained their quarrels so far as they could, and in- structed, assisted, and encoui-aged them by advice and example. Those of the other class gave themselves up to a life of prayer, contemplation, and work ; and these took up theii' abode in remote islands or mountain valleys, places generally hard to reach, and often almost inac- cessible. Here the little commimities lived in huts, built by themselves, one for each individual, while near by was the little church for common worship. There was a very general inclination among religious men for this monastic hermit life in the early Christian ages — from about the middle of the sixth centuiy ; and on almost all the islands round the coast, as well as on those in the lakes and rivers, the remains of churches and primitive establishments are found to this dav. St. Ciaran or Kieran, the patron of Ossovy : bom in the island of Cape Clear ; but his father belonged to Ossory : died about 550. St. Ita, Ida, or Mida, virgin saint, of Killeedy in Limerick ; often called the Brigit of Munster : died 569. St. Brendan of Clonfert in Galway, or ' ' Brendan the Navi- gator": born in Kerry : died 577. St. Senan of Scattery Island in the Shannon : died about 560. St. Comgall, the founder of the celebrated school of Bangor in Down, which rivalled Clonard : died 602. St. Kevin, the founder of Glendalough in \YicIilow : died 618. St. Carrthach or Mochuda of Lismore, where he founded one of Ireland's greatest schools : died 637. St. Adamnan the biographer of St. Columkille ; ninth abbot of lona : born in Donegal : died 703. Among the vast number of Irish men and women who became illustrious on the Continent, the following may be named: — St. Fursa of Peronne and his brothers Foillan and Ultan ; Fursa died about 650 (see page 17). CHAP. XI. J PEOGKESS OF BELIGION. 8a The churches which began to be built after the arrival of St. Patrick were generally of wood, but often St. Mac Dara's primitive church on St. Mac Dara's Island off the coast of Galway. Interior measurement 15 feet by 11. From Petrie's " Round Towers." St. Dympna or Domnat of Gheel, virgin martyr, to whom the great sanatorium for hmatics at Gheel in Belgium is dedicated : daughter of an Irish pagan king : martyred, seventh century. St. Columbanus of Bobbio in Italy, a pupil of Bangor, founded the two monasteries of Luxeuil and Fontaines : expelled from Burgundy for denouncing the vices of king Theodoric ; preached successfully to the Gauls ; wrote learned letters : finally settled at Bobbio, where he died, 615. St. Gall, a disciple of Columbanus, patron of St. Gall (in Switzerland) which was named from him. St. Fridolin the Traveller of Seckingen on the Ehine : died in the beginning of the sixth century. St. Kilian the apostle of Franconia : martyred 689. St. Cataldus bishop of Tarentum, from the school of Lismore, where he was a professor : seventh century. Virgil or Virgilius bishop of Salzburg, called Virgil the Geometer, from his eminence in science : taught, probably for the first time, the rotundity of the earth : died 785. a 2 84 A child's niSTOKY OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XI. of stone and mortar. For hundreds of years they con- tinued very simple and small, for the congregations were small : but in the twelfth century large and splendid churches began to be erected, both by the Anglo- Norman lords, and by the native chiefs. The ruins of numbers of the little stone churches of the early Christian times (of which St. Mac Dara's church, figui'ed on last page, is a good example), and of the gi'and churches and mo- nasteries of the twelfth and subse- quent centui'ies, are still to be seen in various parts of the country. Of the latter, Kilmallock Abbey, represented at p. 126, below, is a fine specimen. In connexion with many of the churches and mo- nasteries were slender round towers, fi'om 60 to 150 feet high, di^-ided into stories and lighted by small windows. The doorway was usually ten or fifteen feet from the ground, and was Round Tower (perfect), Devenish Island in Lough Erne near Enniskillen. From "Kilkenny Archaeolo- gical Journal." Wakeman. A small church with an imperfect round tower will be found figured at page 8i ; and another at page 88. Clement and Albinus, placed by Charlemagne at the head of two great seminaries. John Scotus Erigena, celebrated for his knowledge of Greek : the most distinguished scholar of his time in Europe : taught philosophy with great distinction in Paris : died about 870 CHAP. XI.J PROGRESS OF RELIGION. 85 reached Ly a small ladder. These towers were erected at various times from the ninth to the thirteenth cen- tury : and they had at least a twofold use : — as belfries, and as keeps or fortresses, to which the inmates of the monasteries could retire for the time, with their valuables, in case of sudden attack by the Danes or others : which latter was their most important use. Some were probably also used as beacons and watch- towers. About eighty of the round towers still remain, of which upwards of twenty are perfect. Almost all chui'ches and monasteries were founded on tracts of land granted for the purpose by kings or chiefs ; and after their establishment they were sup- ported, partly by donations and bequests, and partly by the laboui's of their communities, as described below. Many of them became rich, and their wealth was expended in relieving poverty, in entertaining guests, and in the production of those lovely works of art in gold, silver, and gems, which have been already described. The inmates of these monasteries, whether established in inhabited districts or in solitudes, did not lead an idle life. On the contrary they were kept busily at work ; and some of the old records giving an account of how the monks were employed in theii' various avoca- tions are very pleasant reading. When the founder of a monasteiy had determined on the neighbourhood in which to settle, and had fixed on the site for his establishment, he brought together those who had agreed to become his disciples and companions, and they set about pre- paring the place for residence. They did all the work with their own hands, seeking no help from outside. While some levelled and fenced in the ground, others cut down, in the surrounding woods, timber for the 86 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XI. houses or for the church, dragging the great logs along, or bringing home on their backs bundles of wattles and twigs for the wickerwork walls. Even the leaders claimed no exemption, but often worked manfully witb axe and spade like the rest. When settled down in their new home the inmates supported themselves by the work of their hands, and no one was permitted to be idle. Agricultui^e fonned one of the principal employments ; for, as already stated, there was land attached to almost every monastery. Those working in the fields were always under the superin- tendence of some member deputed by the abbot; and they retm-ned in the evening, bringing on their backs heavy loads of provisions or other necessaries for next day. Some milked the cows and brought home the milk in vessels strapped on their shoulders ; while those who had a trade always worked at it, for the use of the community or guests. Others again attended in the evening to the mill, if there was one attached to the monastery, or if not, worked at the querns till they had ground com enough for next day. Attached to every monastery, and forming part of it, was what was called the " Guest-house " for the re- ception of travellers ; and some of the inmates were told off for this duty, whose business it was to receive the stranger, to wash his feet, and prepare supper and bed for him. For in those days travellers, whether of high or low rank, were always sure of a hospitable re- ception fi'ce of charge at the monasteries ; a function which was continued till their suppression by Henry VIII. Some of the monks too were skilled in simple herb remedies, and the poor people around often came to them for advice and medicine in sickness. In the educational establishments, teaching afforded CHAP. XI.] PKOGRESS OF EELIGION. 87 abundant employment to the scholarly members of the community. Others again worked at copying and multiplying books for the library, or for presentation outside ; and to the industry of these scribes we owe the Scribe writing the Book of Kildare. From an illuminated MS. of Giraldus Cambrensis, transcribed about a.d. isoo : now in British Museum. Photographed from reproduction in Gilbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." chief part of the ancient Irish lore, and other learning, that has been preserved to us. St. Columkille devoted every moment of his spare time to this work, writing in a little wooden hut that he had erected for his use at lona ; and it is recorded that he wrote with his own hand three himdred copies of the JS'ew Testament, which he 88 A child's HISTOUY of IRELAND. [CHAP. XI. presented to tlio yarioiis cliurclics ho had founded. Some spent their time in ornamenting and illuminating books — generally of a religious character, such as copies of portions of Scriptui'e : and these men produced the wonderful penwork of the Book of Kells and other such manuscripts (page 13). Others were skilled metal- workers, and made crosiers, crosses, hells, brooches, and other articles, of which many are preserved to this day, that show the surpassing taste and skill of the artists. The cares of governing the household generally gave occupation enough to the abbot or head of the com- munity ; yet he is often found working in the fields, ^-"^r^. Church and (imperfect) Round Tower of Dysert-Aengus near Croom. in Limerick. From Mrs. Hall's "Ireland." attending to the cattle, ploughing or digging, or taking his turn in bringing com on his back to the mill and grinding it for next day's food. St. Brigit, accompanied CHAP. XII.] PEOGEESS OF LEAENIlfG. 89 by a few of her nuns, often herded her sheep on the level Bward round her nunnery in Kildare. With all this the inmates had of coui'se their devotions to attend to ; and in most monasteries had to rise at sound of bell in the middle of the night, all the year round, and go to the church to prayers. Thus they led a busy and labori- ous life, contented and cheerful in the consciousness that they were doing good and useful work. CHAPTER XII. PEOGEESS OF LEAENING. ANCIENT Ireland, Eeligion and Education went hand in hand, so that in tracing their history it is impossible to separate them. By far the greatest part of the education of the country was earned on by, or under the direction of, priests and monks, who always combined religious with secular teaching. Erom the middle of the sixth century, schools rapidly arose all over the country, most of them in connexion with monasteries. Some had very large numbers of students ; for instance we are told that there were 3000 under St. Einnen at Clonard ; and some other schools, such as Eangor, had as many. A few of the students resided in the college, such as sons of kings and chiefs, and those who were literaiy foster childi^en of the professors ; but the most usual aiTangement was that each student lived in a little hut of wood and sods, built by himself ; or perhaps 90 A child's HISTOET of IEELAND. [chap. XII. two or more joined and built a more commodious house for common use. Wliole streets of these little houses surrounded the monastery : the huts of the scholars Ancient baptismal font of Clonard : 3 feet high : still preserved in the church there. From Wilde's " Boyne and Blackwater." Not a vestige of any old building remains on the site of this great monastery. of St. Movi of Glasnevin, near Dublin, extended along the banks of the river Tolka near the present bridge. At stated times the students came forth in crowds to hear the lectures of the professors, which were often given in the open air. In all the more important schools there were students from foreign lands. The majority were from Great Britain, from which they came in fleetloads, as Aldhelm, an English bishop of the year 705, expresses it. IN^um- bers also came from the Continent, among whom were some princes : Aldfrid king of Northumbria, and Dagobert II. king of France, both, when in exile in CHAP. Xn.] PEOGEESS OF LEAENI^G. 91 the seyenth century, foimd an asylum and were educated in Ireland : and others of like rank might be named. We get some idea of the numbers of foreigners from the words of Aengus the Culdee, an Irish wiiter Two Irish alphabets : the upper one of the 7th century : the lower of the nth. The three last characters of the first alphabet are Y, Z, and &-c. (There are two forms of i- in each.) From Miss Stokess " Christian Inscriptions," II. 135. of the ninth centuiy, who mentions by name many Eomans, Gauls, Germans, Britons, and even Egyptians, all of whom died in Ireland. Venerable Bede, de- scribing the ravages of the yellow plague in 664, says : — " This pestilence did no less harm in the island of Ireland. Many of the nobility and of the lower ranks of the English nation were there at that time : and some of them devoted themselves to a monastic life : others chose to apply themselves to study. The Scots willingly received them all, and took care to supply them with food, as also to furnish them with [manu- script] books to read, and their teaching, all gratis." 92 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XII. In the course of three or foui' centuries from the time of St. Patrick, Ireland became the most learned country in Eui'ope : and it came to be known by the name now so familiar to us — Insula sanctorum etdoctorum, the Island of saints and scholars. "^^ In these great seminaries all branches of knowledge then known were taught : they were, in fact, the models of our present universities; and besides those persons preparing for a religious life, great numbers of young men, both native and foreign, the sons of kings, chiefs, and others, attended them to get a good general education. Laymen who distinguished themselves as scholars were often employed as professors in the monastic schools. One of the most eminent of the professors in the college of Monasterboice was *'Flann of the Monastery," a layman of the eleventh century, several of whose poems, as well as his Eook of Annals, are preserved. But some few schools were pui'ely lay and professional : — for Law, Medicine, Poetry, or Lite- rature ; and these were taught generally by laymen. At these colleges, whether clerical or lay, they had various degrees, as there are in modern universities. The highest was that of Ollave or Doctor ; and there were ollaves of the several professions ; so that a man might be an ollave poet, an ollave historian, an ollave builder, &c. ; just as we have now doctors of law, medicine, literature, and music. The full course for * The most celebrated of the monastic schools were those of Clonard (in Meath), Armagh, Bangor (in Down), Cashel, Mungret near Limerick, Downpatrick, Ross-Ailithir now Eosscarbery (in Cork), Lismore, Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, Monasterboice near Drogheda, Clonfert (in r.alwny), Glasnevin near Dublin, Emly in Munster, and Begeiin a little below Wexford. But there were many others. See also note, page 81. CHAP. XII.] PEOGEESS OF LEAENING. 93 an ollave was twelve years : the lower degrees had shorter periods. Men of learning were held in great estimation and much honoured. They had many valu- able allowances and privileges : and an ollave sat at table next to the king or chief. Great numbers of Irishmen went to teach and to preach the Gospel in Great Britain, Wales, and Scotland. The Picts of Scotland, who then occupied the greatest part of the country, were converted by St. Columba and his monks from lona ; and the whole western coasts of England and Wales abound in memorials of Irish missionaries. The monastery of Lindisfarne in Korthumbria, which became so illustrious in after ages, was founded in 634 by Aidan an Irish monk fi'om lona ; and for thirty years after its foundation it was governed by him and by two other Irish bishops, Finan and Colman, in succession. So we see that Mr. Lecky had good reason for his statement that " England owed a gi^eat part of her Christianity to Irish monks who laboured among her people before the arrival of Augustine." Whole crowds of ardent and learned Irishmen travelled to the Continent, spreading Christianity and general knowledge among people ten times more rude and dan- gerous in those ages than the inhabitants of these islands. " ^Tiat, " says Eric, a well-known French writer of the ninth century, ' ' what shall I say of Ireland, who de- spising the dangers of the deep, is migrating with almost her whole train of philosophers to our coasts." Irish professors and teachers were in those times held in such estimation that they were employed in most of the schools and colleges of Great Britain and the Continent. And Irish teachers of music were quite as eminent and as much sought after as those of literature and philosophy, 94 A child's niSTOKY OF IRELAND. [CUAP. XII. as has been ali'cady stated (page 16). We know that Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor of the West, A.D. 800, held the learned men from Ireland in great respect, and often invited them as guests to his table ; and half a century later, Johannes Scotus Erigena, i. e. John the Irish Scot, the greatest scholar of his day, was on teims of affectionate intimacy with Charles the Bald, king of France. To this day in many towns of France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, Irishmen are venerated as patron saints. Nay, they found their way even to Iceland ; for we have the best authority for the statement that when the !N'orwegians first arrived at that island, they found there Irish books, bells, crosiers, and other traces of Irish missionaries. For foui' or five hundi^ed years after the time of St. Patrick, the monasteries were unmolested ; and learning was cultivated within their walls. In the ninth and tenth and the beginning of the eleventh centuiy, science and art, the Gaelic language, and learning of every kind, were brought to their highest state of perfection. But a change for the worse had set in. The Danish ini'oads broke up most of the schools and threw every- thing into disorder. Then the monasteries were no longer the quiet and safe asylums they had been — they became indeed rather more dangerous than other places, so much did the Danes hate them — and learning and art gi'adually declined in Ireland. There was a revival in the time of Brian Boru ; but this too was arrested by the troubles of the Anglo-I^orman Invasion. Composed from the Book of Kells. CHAPTER XIII. FEOM LAEGAIRE TO THE DANES. (A.D. 463-637.) JAEGAIHE, it will be remembered, was son of [N'iall of the iN'ine Hostages. At the time of bis sudden death (page 64), his son Lewy was only a child and could not be elected king (page 44). So the thi'one was taken by king Dathi's son Olioll Molt, who was at that time the most powerful prince of the reigning family, though he was not of the Hy IS'eill. Eut after the lapse of many years, when Lewy gi^ew up to be a man, he was determined to win back the crown for himself and for his own immediate kindred : and collecting a great army he A.D. 483 defeated and slew Olioll Molt in a battle fought at a place called Ocha near Tara in Meath, and took possession of the thi'one. This great battle proved decisive; for, after that date, for five centuries without a break, that is, from Lewy to Malachy II., the Hy IN'eill gave kings to Ireland, sometimes through the northern branch and sometimes through the southern. From the cliffs of Antrim, on any clear day, you can see the blue hills and headlands of Scotland, forming a long line on the distant horizon. The Irish, or Gaels, or Scots, of Ulster, from the earliest ages, were in the habit of crossing over in their currachs to this lovely- 96 A child's histoey of leeland. [chap. Xlll. looking coast; and some carried on a regular trade with Alban, as Scotland was then called, and many- settled there and made it their home. Scotland was inhabited at that time by a people called the Picts, who often attempted to expel the intruders ; but the Irish held their ground, and as time went on they occupied more and more of the western coast and islands. Nearly three hundred years before the time we are now treating of, a leader named Reuda or Riada [Keeda], a grand- son of Conn the Hundi'ed-Fighter, and first cousin of Cormac Mac Art, settled among the Picts with a large following of Munster fighting men and their families. From this Riada all that western district in Scotland was called Dalriada (Riada's portion) : and there was an Irish Dalriada, also named from him, comprising the northern part of Antrim. Our own ancient Irish writers tell us all about this colony; but we are not dependent on their testimony only ; for the most dis- tinguished of the early English historians, the Venerable Bede, has given the same account of this leader Reuda in his Ecclesiastical History. (See also page 63.) The greatest of all these colonisations of which we have any detailed historical account, took place in the reign of the present king Lewy, under the A.D. 503 command of three brothers, named Fergus, Angus, and Lome, from the district of Dalriada in Ulster, sons of a chief named Ere, a direct descendant of Riada. Riada and his followers were pagans; but these three brothers and their people were aU Christians. They appear to have met with little or no opposition ; and being joined by the previous settlers, they took possession of a large tenitoiy, which was formed into a kingdom, of which Fergus, or Fergus Mac Ere as he is generally called, was the CHAP. XIII.] FRO^kl LAEGAIRE TO THE DANES. 97 first king. The memory of these tki'ee princes is deeply graven on the history of Scotland, so that many Scottish persons and places have been named from them. This colonial kingdom was subject and tributary to the kings of Ireland, and continued so for nearly three-quarters of a century, when King Aedan, who was brother of BrandufP, king of Leinster (page 98), refused to pay tribute any longer, or to acknowledge, as his sovereign lord, the king of Ireland, who at this time happened to be Aed Mac Ainmire [An'mire]. In order to bring this dangerous dispute, as well as other important matters, to a settlement by peaceful arbitration, a convention of the chief men, both lay and clerical, of Ireland and of the Scottish colony, was summoned by king Aed. This important meeting, which is much celebrated in early Irish history, was held at a place called Drum-Ketta on the A.D. 5^4 river Eoe near Limavady in Derry ; for Tara had been abandoned as a royal resi- dence some years previously ; otherwise this Fes would no doubt have been held there. Among other eminent men, St. Colnmba, who was nearly related to both the Irish and the Scottish kings (for they all belonged to the Hy jS'eill), came over from lona to take part in the deliberations; and mainly thi'ough his influence, the king of Ireland wisely agreed that the little Scottish kingdom should be then and for evermore independent of the Irish monarchs. The people of this colony, having now fi^ee scope for their energies, ultimately mastered the whole country. Fergus was the ancestor of the subsequent kings of Scotland; and from him, through the Stuarts, descend, in one of their lines of pedigree, our present royal family. Another important matter considered at this conven- 98 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XIII. tion was the position of the bards or poets. As learn- ing of every kind was so much respected in Ireland, these bards were greatly revered and held in high honoui'. Eut they had lately grown very numerous, insolent, and troublesome. The ollave poets were in the habit of going about the country with great com- panies of pupils and followers, and wherever they came they expected to be entertained — themselves and their retinue — in great style, and well paid by the chiefs they visited, who, for dread of their bitter lampoons, seldom ventured to refuse them. They became at last so overbearing and oppressive that the people rose up in indignation against them : and at this meeting of Drum-Ketta many of the leading men, including the king of Ireland, ui^ged that the whole bardic order should be suppressed, and the worst among them expelled the country. But here again Columkille interposed with a more moderate and a better proposal, which was agreed to. The bards and their followers were greatly reduced in number ; strict rules were laid down for the regulation of their conduct in the futui^e ; and those who were fit for it, especially the oUaves of learning (page 92), were set to work to teach schools, with land for their maintenance, so as to relieve the people from their exactions. This king, Aed Mac Ainmire, reigned twenty-six years (572 to 598), and would have reigned longer had he not made an attempt to levy the Boru tribute. His first demand was refused ; whereupon, collecting his forces, he marched into the heart of Leinster. But by a skilful stratagem, Branduff, king of the province, with a much smaller force, defeated his army in a night surprise at Dunbolg near Dunlavin in Wicklow; and King Aed himself was slain while retreating. CHAP. Xm.] FEOM LAEGAIRE TO THE BANES. 99 After several short unimportant reigns, Donall, son of the last-mentioned king Aed Mac Ainmire, ascended the throne in 627. One of his fii'st acts was to expel from Ireland a powerful Ulster prince named Congal Claen, who had killed Donall's prede- cessor. Congal fled to Britain where he had many relatives among the kings and chiefs there, who espoused his cause. After an exile of nine years, he retui-ned with a gi^eat army, determined to wrest the thi'one from king Donall ; and he was immediately joined hy his Ulster partisans. Donall had how- ever heen made aware of the pro- jected invasion, so that he was fully prepared : and marching north he con- Horse Soldier.' * Grotesque figures from the Book of Kells, 7th cf^'.dry, showing some costumes of the period. Toot Soldier : head-dress yellow ; coat green ; breeches very tight, light-blue ; legs and feet bare ; small shield held by the left hand ; spear exactly the shape of some of those preserved in the National Museum. Horse Soldier : cap yellow ; cloak green, with bright red and yellow border ; breeches green ; leg clothed ; foot naked. Horse covered with yellow cloth. From Wilde's Catalogue. h2 100 A child's niSTORY OP lEELAND. [cHAP. XIV. fronted his enemies at Moyrath, now Moii-a in the present county of Do^mi. Here was A.D. els' fonght one of the most noted and san- guinary battles recorded in Irish history, which lasted for six successive days, and terminated in the total overthrow of the invaders. Congal fell fiercely fighting at the head of his forces ; and few of his great army escaped from the field. On the accession of Finaghta the Festive in 674, he made the old demand on Leinster, and defeated the Leinstermen when they rose in resistance. But the iniquity of the Boru tax and the evils resulting fi'om it seem at last to have created general discontent : for soon after, at the earnest solicitation of St. Moling of Ferns, King Finaghta solemnly renounced the Boru for himself and his successors. This however did not end the trouble. After the lapse of some reigns other kings renewed the claim, and two more destructive battles were fought on account of it ; after which this ill- omened tribute gradually fell into disuse, leaving how- ever an eWl mark on the country. t CHAPTER XIV. THE DANISH WAKS. ^^J (A.D. 795-1013.) EFOEE the close of the eighth century the Danes began to make descents on the coasts of Europe. From Jutland, Nor- way, Sweden, and in general from the coasts and islands of the Baltic, came forth swarms of daiing CHAP. xiT.] THE DAxrsn -u-Aiis. 101 robbers, wbo for two centimes kept the Trbole of western Eiu-ope in a state of continual terror. They appeared for tbe first time on the Irish coast in a.d. 795, when they plundered St. Columkille's chui'ch on Eechru or Lambay Island near Dublin. Once they had found the way, party after party continued to sail to Ireland, plundering and murdering where- ever they came. They soon found out that many of the monasteries were rich in works of art : such as crosiers, shrines, books, bells, &c., ornamented with much gold, silver, and precious stones ; and as they hated Christianity and learning of all kinds, they had a double motive in seeking out these establishments. Accordingly they plundered churches, monasteries, and libraries, both on the islands and on the mainland, and what they could not bring away they burned or other- wise destroyed, so far as lay in their power. Their movements moreover were so sudden and quick, that they generally made their escape before the people had time to intercept them. About the middle of the ninth century they established themselves permanently in Dublin, Limerick, and "Waterford, where they built fortresses. For some time in the beginning the Danes came in de- tached bands, each small party plundering on their own account, with no combined action. But at length their scattered forces were united under their most renowned leader, Turgesius, who arrived with a A.D. 832 great fleet, and was acknowledged leader by all the Danes then in Ireland. Other fleets soon followed under his direction ; and he fixed his headquarters, first at Annagh, and afterwards on Lough Bee, where he had one of his fleets ; and fi^om both centres, he plundered the districts all round, 102 A CtlILD*S HISTORY OF IRELAND. [cHA?. XlV. nmrdering the iicople and destroying a vast number of churches and monasteries. At Clonmacnoise his queen Ota desecrated St. Kieran's venerated church by seating herself daily on the high altar, in derision of the sacred Clonmacnoise in 1825. From Brewer's " Beauties of Ireland, Drawn by_Petrie. place, and there performing some of her pagan rites, and giving audience to her visitors. At last he was defeated and taken prisoner by Malachi, A.D. 845 king of Meath, who caused him to be drowned in Lough Owel in Westmeath. This brave king became Ard-ri, as Malachi I., in the following year (846). The Danes were often intercepted in their murderous raids and slaughtered without mercy by the Irish kings and chiefs : but this had not much effect in putting a stop to tb.eir ravages ; for they were bold and brave, CHAP. XIV.] THE DAXISH WARS. 103 and faced danger and death with the utmost fearless- ness. JVIoreoyer there was seldom any union among the Irish chiefs, who often fought more bitterly against each other than against the IN'orthmen ; and while they were fighting, the Danes were plundering. But there were some chiefs of a more patriotic spirit. Such were Mall Glunduff, of the JS'orthern Hy lieill, king of Ireland (916 to 919), and his heroic son Mm^kertagh of the Leather Cloaks. They attacked the Northmen at every opportunity, and defeated them in several battles, but in the end both fell fighting against them — jS'iall in a great battle fought at Kilmashoge near Dublin, Mui^kertagh at Ardee — both dying bravely as they had lived, in conflict with the enemies of their country. In the second half of this tenth century the tide commenced to turn when two great men began their, career : — Malachi II., or Malachi the Great as he is often called, who became king of Ireland in 980, and Brian Boru king of Munster, the man who was destined to finally crush the power of the Danes in Ireland. ^Tien Brian was a yoimg man, his elder brother Mahon was king of Munster. Both belonged to the Dalgas or Dalcassians, a brave and powerful tribe who occupied Thomond or I^orth Munster, and who subse- quently took the family name of O'Brien. At this time the Danes held the chief fortresses of Munster, including Limerick, Cork, and Waterford, from which they constantly issued forth, and committed di-eadful ravages all over the province ; so that the two brothers, unable to withstand them, had to cross the Shannon and take refuge with their followers in the woods and mountain solitudes of Clare, where they defended themselves as best they could. The career of young Brian was singularly like that of 104 A cniLc's nisTOPvY of Ireland, [chap. xiv. Alfred the Great who lived only a short time before : at first bome down and driven to hide with a few followers in remote fastnesses by the overwhelming power of the Danes, but gradually gai-.ing gi'ound by never-failing pluck and determination. Even the brave Mahon at one time found it necessary to make peace with them ; but the fiery young Brian would have no peace-dealings with the Danes, and at last persuaded his brother to call a general meeting of the tribe to consider what should be done to free the province from their intolerable tp\anny. Here the question was put, was it to be peace or war : and the people answered to a man, War, and demanded to be led once more against the pirates. Collecting all their forces, the two brothers attacked the Danish anny at Sulcoit or A.D. 988 Sollohod near the present Limerick Junc- tion, routed them in a decisive battle, pursued them all t-he way to Limerick — full twenty miles — and recovered possession of the old city. Mahon followed up this success by defeating the IS'orthmen in seven battles ; but in the end he was invited to a con- ference and assassinated by two base Irish chiefs aided by the Danish king Ivar. Brian was overwhelmed with gi^ief, and the old Irish record represents him as uttering this lament : — " The death of Mahon is grievous to me— The majestic king of Cashel the renowned ; Alas, alas that he fell not in battle, Under cover of his broad shield : Alas that in friendship he trusted To the treacherous word of his betraj^er. It was an evil deed for those three chiefs To murder the great and majestic king ; And if my hand retains its power, They shall not escape my vengeance CHAP. XIY.] THE DAJs^ISH WARS. 105 Either I shall fall — fall viihout dread, without regret — Or they will meet with a dire fate at mj^ hand ; I feel that my heart will burst If I avenge not our noble king." Eut ttis yillainous deed only brouglit a more powerful and dangerous rival to the front, for now Brian became king of Munster ; and his first care was to avenge his brother's mui'der, which he did by defeating and slaying the thi^ee assassins one after another. From that time forward, for about twenty-five years, his life was one of incessant warfare, chiefly against the Danes. Meantime Malachi, in his own part of the country, was struggling against the foreigners bravely and suc- cessfully. He defeated them in a great battle at Tara in 979, the year before he was elected king of Ireland ; and marching eastwards, he took Dublin and liberated 2000 captives. Some time afterwards however, the Danes recovered the city ; whereupon he again swooped suddenly down, and captured and plun- A.D. 996 dered it. Among the trophies that he brought away on this occasion were two heirlooms greatly prized by the Norsemen, the torque or collar of the Norwegian prince Tomar — who had been killed 148 years before — and the sword of Carlus, who fell in battle in 869 : both in Ireland. This is the incident referred to by Moore in the words: — " When Malachi wore the collar of gold which he won fi'om her proud invader." For many years after Malachi's accession in 980, he and Brian quaiTelled and fought : but at length in 998 they agreed to divide Ireland between them : Malachi taking Leth-Conn and Brian Leth-Mow (p. 61). But Mailmora king of Leinster was not pleased with the terms of this peace, which placed him under the autho- 106 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XIV. rity of Erian ; for Lcinster was part of Lcth-^fow ; and in the very next year he and the Danes of Dublin re- volted. With on t delay Brian inarched northwards, and being joined by Malachi, encamped at Glenmama near Dunlavin in Wicklow. Here they were attacked by llailmora and Harold the Dane of Dublin ; and in the terrible battle that followed, Brian and A.D. 999 Italachi defeated them and slew 4000 of the Danes and Leinstermen. To this day the neighbourhood abounds in memorials and traditions of the battle. About this time Brian came to the determination to depose Malachi ; and the better to strengthen himself he made alliance with those who had lately been his enemies. He married Gormlaith, mother of the king of the Dublin Danes (Sitric of the Silken Beard), and sister of Mailmora king of Leinster ; he gave his own daughter in marriage to Sitric ; and he took Mailmora into favour. His next proceeding was to invade Malachi's temtory, in 1002, in violation of the treaty of foui^ years before ; and he sent to him to demand submission or battle. Malachi finding he was not strong enough to resist, rode into Brian's encampment with merely a small reti- nue, and without any guarantee or promise of safety, depending on Brian's honour : and having told him plainly he would fight if he had been strong enough, he made his submission. From that year, A.D. 1003 Brian was acknowledged king of Ireland, Malachi going back to his own special kingdom of Meath. And now after forty years of incessant warfare king Brian devoted his mind to works of peace, like the great Alfred of England. His palace, which was named Kin- cora, was situated on the high ridge over the Shannon CtiAl>. XT.] THJC BATtti: OF CLONTaIIF. — l^AET I. lO? now occupied by the town of Killaloe. He rebuilt the monasteries that had been destroyed by the Danes, and erected bridges and fortresses all over the country. He founded and restored schools and colleges, repressed evil-doers, and caused the laws to be obeyed, so that the country was less distui'bed and more prosperous than it had been for a long time before. The bright picture handed down to us of the state of Ireland during the dozen yeara that elapsed fi'om his ac- cession to the battle of Clontarf, is illustrated by the well-known legend, that a beautiful young lady richly di^ssed, and bearing a gold ring of great value on her wand, traversed the country alone from north to south without being molested : a fiction which Moore has embalmed in the beautiful song ' ' Rich and rare were the gems she wore." CHAPTER Xy. THE BATTLE OF CLONTARF.* PAUT I. (A. D. 1013-1014 ) LTHoroH chafing under Brian Eoru's rule, the Danes durst not make any hostile move, for the old king was stern and strong, and while they hated him much they feared him more. It is likely that in the long run they would have taken some opportunity * The account of the battle given in these two chapters is taken mainly from an ancient Irish chronicle called " The Wars of the Gaels with the Galls " (of the Irish with the Danes), and partly from the Norse Saga or story called " Burnt Nial," in which is given the Danish account of the Lattle, 108 A child's nisTOKY of iueland. [ciiAr. xv. to break out and attempt his overtlirow ; yet the im- mediate circumstances that led to the battle of Clontarf were brought about, not by them, but by Mailmora, king of Leinster. On one occasion while Mailmora was on a visit at Kincora with the king his brother-in-law, some bitter words passed between him and ]\[urrogh, Brian's eldest son, at a game of chess ; so that he left the palace in anger and made his way to his own kingdom of Leinster, determined to rcTolt. He induced some neighbouring chiefs, and also the Dublin Danes, to join him ; and they began by attacking Malachi's king- A.D. 1013 dom of Meath, as he was now one of Brian's adherents. Malachi defended him- self successfully for some time, but was at last obliged to call in the aid of Brian ; and the war went on with- out much result till Chi-istmas, when the king returned to Kincora, determined to renew the campaign in the following spring. ]\Iailmora and the Danish leaders now began actively at the work of mustering forces for the final struggle ; and Gormlaith, who was at this time in Dublin among her own peoj^le — having been discarded by Brian because she had taken sides against himself and in favour of the Danes — was no less active than her relatives. Her son Sitric of the Silken Beard, Danish king of Dublin, acting under her directions, engaged the services of Sigui'd earl of the Orkneys, as well as of Broder and Amlaff of the Isle of Man, the two earls of all the north of England, who promised to be in Dublin on Palm^ Sunday, the day fixed on for the meeting of all the confederates. Broder had once been a Christian, but now worshipped heathen fiends : " he had a coat of mail on which no Bteel would bite" ; he was both tall CHAP. XV.] THE BATTLE OF CLONTARF. — PART I. 109 and strong, and his black locks were so long that he tucked them under his belt. These two vikings, Broder and Amlaff, who had a great fleet with 2000 " Danniarkians " are described as "the chiefs of ships and outlaws and Danes of all the west of Eui'ope, having no reverence for God or for man, for chui'ch or for sanctuary." There came also 1000 men covered with coats of mail from head to foot : a very formidable band, seeing that the Irish fought as usual in tunics. Envoys were despatched in other directions also : and troops of Norsemen sailed towards Dublin from Scot- land, from the Isles of Shetland, fi'om the Hebrides, fi'om France and Germany, and from the distant shores of Scandinavia. "While Sitric and others were thus successfully work- ing abroad, Mailmora was equally active at home ; and by the time all the foreign auxiliaries had joined muster, and Dublin Bay was crowded with theii' black ships from the Liffey to Ben Edar, he had collected the forces of Leinster and arranged them in thi'ee great battalions within and around the walls of Dublin. The Irish monarch had now no time to lose. He assembled his army about the 17th of March; and having encamped near Xilmainham, on the "Green of Aha-clee " (Dublin), that is, on the level grassy plain now called the Phoenix Park, he set fii'e to the Danish districts near Dublin, so that the fierce I^orse- men within the city could see the countiy the whole way from Dublin to Howth smoking and blazing. And brooding vengeance, they raised their standards and sallied forth determined to give battle. On Thiu-sday evening the king got word that the Danes were making preparations to fight next day — Good Eriday. The good king Brian was very 110 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XT. unwilling to fight on that solemn day ; but he was not able to avoid it. At dawn of day on Friday, 23rd April, the Irish army began their march from their encampment in thi'ee divisions. The van consisted of the Dalcassians commanded by MuiTOgh ; A.D. 1014 next cnmc the men of the rest of Munster under O'Faelan prince of the Decies ; and the forces of Connaught formed the third division under O'Hyne and O'Kelly. There were two compa- nies brought by the great Stewards of Mar and Lennox in Scotland, who were related to the southern Irish, and who now came to aid them in their hour of need. The men of Meath, the southern Hy Neill (p. 62), were also there under Malachi : the northern Hy JN'eill took no part in the battle. A few days previously, Brian's son Donogh had been sent with a large body of Dal- cassians to devastate Leinster, expecting to be back in time for battle. "With that exception every living man of the old king's family stood there that day to fight by his side — all his sons and nephews, and his grandson Turlogh, a youth of fifteen, the son of MuiTogh. The ranks were in very close order; so solid looking that, in the language of one of the old records, it seemed as if a chariot could be diiven along on their heads. The Danish and Leinster forces also formed three divisions. In the van were the foreign Danes under the command of Broder and Sigurd ; behind these were the Danes of Dublin under a chief named Duvgall ; and the Leinstermen, led by Mailmora, formed the third division. Sitric the king of Dublin was not in the battle : he remained behind to guard the city. We are not told the numbers engaged : but there were probably about 20,000 men on each side. CHAP. XT.] THE BATTLE OF CLONTAEF. — PAET L 111 At that time Dublin city, whicli was held by the Danes, lay altogether south of the Liffey, the narrow streets crowding round the Danish fortress which crowned the hill where now stands Dublin Castle . All th e district on the north bank of the river, from the Phoenix Park to Clontarf , now covered by portions of the city, was open country, with a piece of natural forest called Tomar's Wood stretching from the neighboui'hood of Drumcondra, on by Phibsborough, towards the LifPey : and the only way to reach the city from that side was by Duvgall's Bridge, on the site of the present bridge at the foot of Church- street, just above the Four- Coui'ts. The Liffey was then unconfined, and spread out widely, and the sea flowed over the space where now stand the Custom House, Amiens-street, the jS'orthern Eailway Terminus, and all the adjacent streets lying between them and the sea. The main battle-ground extended fi'om about the present Upper Sackville-street to the river Tolka, and beyond along the shore towards Clon- tarf. The Danes stood with their backs to the sea ; the Irish on the land side facing them. Malachi and his men stood on the high ground, probably somewhere about Cabra and Phibsborough. The hardest fighting appears to have taken place round the fishing weir on the Tolka, at, or perhaps a little above, the present Ballybough Bridge : and indeed the battle is called in some old Irish authorities " The Battle of the Weir of Clontarf." In the march from the camping place the venerable monarch rode at the head of the army ; but his sons and fiiends prevailed on him, on account of his age — he was now seventy-three — to leave the chief command to his son MuiTogh. Allien they had' come near the place of conflict, the army halted ; and the king, 112 A child's niSTOEY OF IRELAND. [cHAr. XV, holding aloft a crucifix in sight of all, rode from rank to rank and addi'csscd them in a few spirited words. M 3 v4P/> 3 Ir \DLraJL A-c Kiltnainham Battle of Clontarf. Ir. (i, 2, 3.) Irish army on march : in three divisions. D. Dalcassians. F. Foreign Danes, i, 2, 3. Danish army in three divisions. M. Malachy with his Meathnien. Br. Duvgalls Bridge : city near it with Danish fortress in centre. \V. Fishing weir, where young Turlogh was found drowned. O'C. The present O'Connell Bridge. The dotted lines show the present limits of city and river. He reminded them that on that day their good Lord had died for them; and he exhorted them to fight hravely for their religion and their country. Then giving the signal for battle, he withdrew to his tent in the rear. Little or no tactics appear to have been employed. It was simply a fight of man against man, a series of hand-to-hand encounters ; and the commanders fought side by side with their men. On the evening before, a Dane named Piatt, one of the thousand in armom^ had challenged any man of the Irish army to single combat ; and he was taken up by Donall, the Great Steward of Mar. Now stepped forth Piatt in the middle space, CHAf. XV.] THE BATTLE OF CLONTARF. PART I. 113 just before the battle began, and called out three times " Where is Donall ? " '' Here I am, villain ! " answered Donall. And they fought in sight of the two armies till both fell, with the sword of each thi'ough the heart of the other, and hands entangled in each other's hair. The first divisions to meet were the Dalcassians and the foreign Danes ; then the men of Connaught and the Danes of Dublin fell on one another ; and the battle soon became general. From early morning until sunset they fought without the least intermission. The thou- sand Danes in coats of mail were marked out for special attack : and they were all cut to pieces ; for their armoiu' was no protection against the terrible battle- axes of the Dalcassians. The Danish fortress of Dub- lin, perched on its hill-summit, overlooked the field ; and Sitric and those with him in the city crowded the parapets, straining their eyes to unravel the details of the terrible conflict. They compared the battle to a party of reapers cutting down corn; and once when Sitric thought he observed the Danes prevailing, he said triumphantly to his wife. King Brian's daughter (p. 106), ''Well do the foreigners reap the field : see how they fling the sheaves to the ground ! " " The result will be seen at the close of the day," answered she, quietly : for her heart was with her kindi^ed. The old chronicle describes Murrogh as dealing fear- ful havoc. Three several times he rushed with his household troops through the thick press of the furious iN'orsemen, mowing down men to the right and left; for he wielded a heavy sword in each hand, and needed no second blow. At last he came on earl Sigurd, whom he found slaughtering the Dalcassians ; and here we have some interesting legendary details from the Danish X 114 A CHTLB's niSTOEY OF ICELAND. [citAP. XV. account of tlic battle in the Nial Saga. Sigiu'd had a banner which was made by hii^ mother with all her dark art of heathen witchcraft. It was in raven's shape ; and when the wind blew, then it was as though the raven flapped his wings. It always brought victory to Sigurd, but whoever bore it was doomed to death : now, in the presence of the Christian host, it lost the gift of victory but retained its death-doom for the bearer. Murrogh approached, breaking through the ranks of the Northmen, and slew the standard-bearer : and he and Sigurd fought a hard fight. Sigurd now calls out to Hrafn the Eed : " Eear thou the banner ! " *' Eear thy own demon thyself," replied Hrafn. Then the earl took the banner and put it under his cloak, and again tiu^ned on MuiTogh. But Murrogh struck o:ff his helmet with a blow of the right-hand sword, biu'sting straps and buckles ; and with the other felled him to the earth — dead. Towards evening the Irish made a general and deter- mined attack ; and the main body of the Danes at last gave way : or as the Danish Saga expresses it : " Then flight broke out throughout all the host." Crowds fled along the level shore towards Dublin, vainly hoping to reach either the ships or the bridge leading to the city, liut Malachi, who had stood by till this moment, rushed down with his Meathmen and cut off their retreat. AMien the battle commenced in the morning there was high tide; and now, after the long day, the tide was again at flood, so that the ships lay beyond reach far out from shore. The flying multitude were caught between the Meathmen on the one side and the sea on the other, with the vengeful pursuers close behind ; and most of those who escaped the sword were driven into the sea and drowned. The greatest slaughter of the Danes CHAP. XYI.] THE BATTLE OP CLOl^TAEF. — tAET It. 115 took place during this rout, on the level space now covered with streets, from Ballybough Bridge to the Four Courts. The rout was plainly seen by those on the parapets of the Dublin fortress; and Sitric's wife, whose turn of triumph had now come, said to her husband with bitter mockery: — " It seems to me that the foreigners are making fast for their inheritance — the sea: they look like a herd of cows galloping over the plain on a sultiy summer day, driven mad by heat and gadflies : but indeed they do not look like cows that wait to be milked ! " Sitric's brutal answer was a blow on the mouth which broke one of her teeth. CHAPTEE XYI. THE BATTLE OF CLONTaEF. — PAET U. far we have related the disasters of the Danes. But the Irish had their disasters also ; and dearly did they pay for their great victory. After the rout of the Danish main body, scattered parties of Danes con- tinued to fight for life with despairing fiuy at various points over the plain. On one of these gi'oups came Morrogh, still fighting, but so fatigued that he could scarce lift his hands. Anrad the leader of the band dashed at him furiously. ]^ut MoiTogh, who had dropped his sword, closing on him, grnsped him in his arms, and by main strength i2 116 A child's niSTORY OF IHELANP. [cHAP. XVT. pulled liis armour over his head; then getting him uudcr, he seized the Norseman's sword A.D. lOl'l and thrust it three times through his hody to the very ground. Anrad, writh- ing in the death agony, plunged his dagger into the prince's side, inflicting a mortal wound. The Irish hero lived till next morning when he received the solemn rites of the church. The heroic boy Turlogh, only fifteen years of age, the son of Murrogh, fought valiantly during the day in his father's division, side by side with his elder relatives. After the battle, late in the evening, he was found drowned at the fishing weir of the river Tolka, with his hands entangled in the long hair of a Dane, whom he had pursued into the tide at the time of the great flight. But the crowning tragedy of the bloody day of Clontarf was yet to come. The aged king remained in his tent engaged in earnest prayer, while he listened anxiously to the din of battle. He had a single atten- dant, Laiten, who stood at the door to view the field ; and close round the tent was a guard. Once, early in' the day, the king asked how the battle fared. " The battalions," replied Laiten, "are mixed together in deadly struggle ; and I hear their blows as if a multi- tude were hewing down Tomar's wood with heavy axes. I see MiuTogh's banner standing aloft, with the banners of the Dalgas around it." Then the king's cushion was adjusted and he clasped his hands in prayer. Again, after a time, he made the same anxious inquiry. "They are now so mingled that no li\'ing man could distinguish them, all covered as they are with blood and dust, so that a father could scarce know CHAP. XYI.] THE BATTLE OF CLONTAEF. PART II. 117 his own son. Many have fallen, but Murrogh's banner still stands, moving through the battalions." " That is well," replied the king : "as long as the men of Erin see that standard they will fight with courage and valour." The same question a thii'd time towards evening. "It is now as if Tomar's wood were on fii'e, and the flames bui'ning, and the multitudes hewing down the underwood, lea\ang the tall trees standing. For the ranks are thinned, and only a few great heroes are left to maintain the fight. The foreigners are now defeated ; but the standard of MiuTogh has fallen." " Evil are those tidings," said the old warrior king : " if jMiuTOgh is fallen the valour of the men of Erin is fled, and they shall never more look on a champion like him." And again he knelt and prayed. And now came the great rout; and the guards, thinking all danger past, eagerly joined in the piu'suit, so that the king and his attendant were left alone. Then Laiten becoming alarmed, said: — "Many flying parties of foreigners are around us : let us hasten to the camp where we shall be in safety." But the king replied: — " Eetreat becomes us not; I know I shall not leave this place alive : and what avails me, now in my old age, to sur^-i^e MiuTogh and the other cham- pions of the Dalgas." He then spoke his last will to the attendant, giving his property to various religious houses, and directing, as a farewell mark of devotion to the church, that his body should be buried at Ai-magh : and after this he resumed his prayers. It happened that Broder, who had fled from the battle-field, came with some followers at this very time towards the tent. "I see some people approaching," said Laiten. "What manner of people are they?" 118 A child's mSTORT OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XTI. asked the king. " ]31uc and naked people," replied the attendant. " They are Danes in annour," exclaimed the king, and instantly rising from his cushion, he drew his sword. Broder at that instant rushed on him with a double-edged battle-axe, but was met by a blow of the heavy sword that cut off both legs, one from the knee and the other fi'om the ankle. Eut the furious Viking, even while falling, cleft the king's head with the axe. After a little time the guards, as if struck by a sudden sense of danger, retm-ned in haste : but too late. They found the king dead, and his slayer stretched by his side dying. As to the numbers killed, the records differ greatly. According to the annals of Ulster 7000 fell on the Danish side and 4000 on the Irish, which is probably about the truth. Almost all the leaders on both sides were slain, and among them Mailmora, the direct inciter of the battle. The battle of Clontarf was the last great struggle between Chi^istianity and heathenism. The news re- sounded through all Em^ope, and brought dismay and terror to every Ts'orse household from the Ealtic shore to their fuiihest settlements in the south. The Mai Saga — the Danish chi'onicle — relates the whole story of the battle as a gi^eat defeat, and tells of fearful visions and portents seen by the Scandinavian people in their homes in the north, on that fatal Good Friday. It ought to be remembered that in the very year of this great battle, Sweyn the Dane overran and mastered England ; and that after his death three Danish kings ruled the countiy in succession. The body of King Brian and that of his son Mun^ogh were conveyed with gi'eat solemnity to Armagh, where they were interred in the cathedi'al, the archbishop CHAP. XYI.] THE BATTLE OF CLONTAEF. — PAET II. 119 and the clergy celebrating the ohsequies for twelve days. On Easter Sunday Donogh entered the camp to find that all was over. As soon as the dead had been buried, he led his shattered Dalcassian battalions homewards towards Kincora, bearing their wounded on litters. AYhen they had arrived near Athy, ITac Gilla Patrick, prince of Ossory, an old enemy of the Dalcassians, basely marched out to attack them. Donogh, making hasty preparations to meet him, gave orders that all the sick and wounded should be placed in the rear, with one -third of the army to guard them : but these brave men, feeble as they were, insisted on taking part in the fight. " Let stakes from the neighbouring wood be fixed in the ground," said they, " and let us be tied to them for support, with our swords in our hands, having oiu* woimds bound up with moss, and let two unwounded men stand by each of us, on the right and on the left. Thus will we fight ; and our companions will fight the better for seeing us." It was done so. And when the Ossorians saw this, they were struck with fear and pity, and refused point blank to attack such resolute and desperate men : so that the Dalcas- sians were permitted to pass on. This is the incident referred to by Moore in the song, "Eemember the glories of Erian the brave " : — • " Forget not our wounded companions who stood In the day of distress by our side, "When the moss of the valley grew red with their blood, Yet they stirred not but conquered and died." After the battle of Clontarf and the death of Brian, Malachi, by general consent, took possession of the thi'one. He reigned for eight years after, and gave 120 A child's niSTORV OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XYTT. evidence of his old energy by crushing some risings of the Danes — feeble expiring imitations of their ancient ferocious raids — and by gjiining several victories over the Leinstermen. He died in 1022, in the seventy- third year of his age, leaving behind him a noble record of self-denial, public spirit, and kingly dignity. CHAPTER XYII. THE EVE OF THE INVASION. (A.D. 1022-1166.) ^^ET"WEEN the death of Malachi II. and the Anglo- IS'orman invasion about a century and a half elapsed, which was a period of great con- fusion; for .the provincial kings waged in- cessant war with one another, striving who should be Ard-ri. At first the struggle lay between the O'Loghlins or Mac Loghlins of Ulster (who were a branch of the O'jS'eills) and the O'Briens of Thomond — the descendants of Brian Boiu — till at last the O'Briens went down ; and next be- tween the O'Loghlins and the O'Conors of Connaught, till the O'Conors finally triumphed. These dissensions so weakened the country that the fii'st Anglo-JS'orman invaders met with only a fitful and feeble resistance, and gained a foothold without any very great difiiculty. Yet amid all this turmoil, the Irish kings continued to patronise and encoui'age learning and art, as is proA ed by works still remaining, several of which are figuied in this chapter. During this time there were eight provincial kings w ho are commonly set down as kings of Ireland ; but CHAP. XYII.] THE EVE OF THE I^-YASIOX. 121 not one of them made any pretence to rule the whole country : to every one there was opposition — a refusal to acknowledge his authority — from some one or more of the provinces. Hence these eight are known in history as "kings with opposition." The first was Donogh, king of Munster, son of Erian Boru, who mastered all Ireland except Ulster, on which he never made any attempt. After some years he was deposed hy rivals, and went on a pil- grimage to Rome, where he died. At the time of his de- position (1064), the most powerful of the provincial kings was Dermot Mac Mailnamo, king of Leinster, who is regarded as the second of the kings with opposition. Immediately on his death (1072), Tur- The beautiful and costly Shrine here represented was made lf^o•Vl O'T^ricD by order of King- Donall O'Loghlin (page 123) to cover the & ' venerable little iron bell of St. Patrick. Both Shrine and Bell kiu^" of IMUU- are in the National Museum, Dublin. Shrine loYz inches high. From Miss Stokes's " Christian Inscriptions," II. no. StCr, graud- son of Brir.n Boru, asserted his claim to the supreme monarchy ; and he is reckoned the thii'd ''king with opposition." 122 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAr. XTII, He reduced all Ireland except Ulster : but when he marched north, the Ulstermen routed him at Ardee, Church at Killaloe, Murkertaghs burial-place. From Petrie's " Round Towers." so that he had to make a hasty retreat back to ITunster. Tmiogh's son, Mui'kertagh O'Brien, succeeded as king of Munster (1086) ; and in pushing his claim to the CHAP. XVn.] THE EVE OF THE IXVASION". 123 throne of Ireland, he was opposed by an equally power- ful claimant, Donall O'Loghlin, king of Ulster, of the princely family of O'iS'eill. For more than a quarter of a centuiy these two distinguished princes contended for supremacy, and the contest remained undecided to the last, so that both are counted kings of Ireland. Both finally retired to monasteries, where they ended their lives, Mui'kertagh at Lismore in 1119, and Donall at Derry in 1121. AVith Murkertagh passed away for ever the predominance of the O'Erien family. Down to ]\Iurkertagh's time Cashel was the chief seat of the kings of Munster, who had their residence in a great military dun on the rock. Eut this king Rock of Cashel (top of Round Tower appears to the right). From Brewer's " Beauties of Ireland." Drawn by Petne. granted " Cashel of the kings," as it is called in the old records, to the church, and changed his residence to Limerick, which fi'om that time forth continued to be the seat of the Thomond kings. As soon as Cashel had 124 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XVII. come into the possession of the cliurcb, those buildings began to be erected, the remains of wliich now form one of the most interesting- groups of ecclesiastical ruins in the kingdom. The O'Conors, kings of Connaught, had been all this time gaining power and influence : and after the death of the two last mentioned kings, Turlogh Conor claimed to be king of Ireland. He first reduced all Munster, though only after a severe struggle with one of the O'Briens, during which the coun- try was torn by feuds, and more especially the two provinces in dispute. His next opponent was Murker- tagh O'Loghlin king of Ulster : and these two, who are both reckoned as kings of Ireland, contended till the death of Turlogh which occurred in 1156. It was by Turlogh's order (while king of Connaught) that the Cross of Cong was made. (See this cross described at page 15.) The Cross of Cong. From Miss Stokes's " Early Christian Art in Ireland." CiSAP. XYII.] THE EVE OF THE INVASION". 125 Turlogli's son Hory, or as lie is more commonlv called, Eoderick 0' Conor, took np the quarrel against O'Loghlin, who however defeated and reduced him to submission. But after O'Loghlin's death, Roderick, having now no rival of any consequence, was made Ard-ri. He was the last native king of A.D. 1166 Ireland ; and in his reign occuiTed the most important events in the long history of the country, which will he related in the following chapters. Diuing this century and a hali we hear little of the Danes. After the battle of Clontarf no attempt was made to expel them, so that they remained in the country ; but fi'om that time forward they gave little trouble. Long before the period we have now arrived at they had become Christians, had settled down like the rest of the people, and devoted themselves to industry and commerce. At the time of the Invasion they formed a large part of the inhabitants of the seaport towns — Dublin, Caiiingford, Larne, Wexford, AYater- ford, Limerick, Cork, &c., some of which were governed by Danish chiefs, in a great measure or altogether independent of the Irish princes. Their towns were walled and fortified, while those of the natives con- tinued, after the Irish fashion, open and unprotected. Although living very much apart, they intennarried a good deal with the natives, stood on the whole on good terms with them, and at first, as we shall see, generally took sides with them against the new invaders. Though most of the great educational establishments had been broken up dui'ing the Danish ravages, many rose from their ruins or held their ground. There was a re\'ival of learning and art in the time of Brian Boru, which continued after the Danes had been crushed H6 A child's HISTOKT of IRELAND. [cnAP. XVtf. at Clontarf. Even to the beginning of the twelfth century Ireland still retained some i)ortion of her ancient fame for learning ; and we find the schools of Armagh, Lismore, Clonmacnoise, Monasterhoice, and others, still attracting great numbers of students, many of them foreigners. Moreover, some of tlie greatest scholars and writers the country ever produced flourished at this time, whose works we still have in our old books ; and Irishmen still continued to distinguish themselves on the Continent. Ai't too was successfully cultivated in spite of all discoui'agements : and we have seen that the exquisitely executed Cross of Cong was made in 1123. The Anglo-Normans, who are henceforward to play a leading part in oiu^ history, were a great race, valiant, Dominican Abbey, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. Founded in 1291 by Gilbert Fitzgerald. From "Kilkenny Archaeological Journal," 1879-82, p. 710. high-spirited, full of talents and full of energy. They were great builders, and filled England and Ireland with splendid castles, monasteries, and cathedrals, many CtrAl>. xrn.] the eve of the nfVASioN". 12V of which still remain to bear witness to the grand ideas of their founders. Eut it is as mighty warriors that they are best known. Besides being personally brave and daring, they were very skilful in the sort of warfare and fighting suited to those times. They wore coats of mail, were celebrated for their skill in archery, using both the long and the cross bow ; and what more than all helped to their success in war, they were under perfect discipline on the field of battle. Eut with all their noble qualities they were cruel and merciless to those CiAn/TTU^ 11 C who resisted them."^' The Irish mode of going to battle was totally dif- ferent. They were, man for man, as brave and as expert in the use of their n C^' weapons as the Anglo -!N"or- mans, quite as tall and ■^^'' muscular, as fearless and ^y^",--^^ "^ {i valiant. The Irish soldiers, "yVT^ SWY ^^Sl^V especially the Galloglasses, ^ f ■ J^T/T! are praised by many English * ^ 6/ ^ Swyri loch,. writers, one of whom, in Two Calloglasses depicted on a Map of From fhp Ififh PPTlfnrv <;ov<; of I'-e'and of 1567. From " State Papers of me iOin CentUiy, says 01 Henry VIII.- Ireland, vol. ii. them : — " The Galloglasses are picked and selected men of great and mighty * It ought to be observed here that the first of the adventurers to arrive in Ireland were not ^^2^/0- Normans but AVelsh- Normans. For their ancestors had settled in Wales and had intermarried Avith the Welsh chiefs and princes, so that Strong- box', the Geraldines, the De Burgos, and others, were half Welsh half Norman. But as time went on, Anglo-Normans came over in great numbers from various parts of England. 128 A CniLD^S HISTORY OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XVII bodies, cnicl without compassion. The greatest force of the battle consisteth in their choosing rather to die than to yield, so that when it cometh to handy blows they are quickly slain or win the field." Another writer, speaking of the Irish soldiers, says : — " Ko man at arms, be he ever so well mounted, can overtake them, they are so light of foot. Sometimes they leap from the ground behind a horseman and em- brace the rider so tightly that he can no way get rid of them." Spenser, writing in the sixteenth century, says : — " [The Irish soldiers] are very valiaunt, and hardie, for the most part great indurers of colde, labour, hunger, and all hardnesse, very active and strong of hand, very swift of foot, very vigilant and circumspect in their enterprises, very present [?'. e. having presence of mind] in perils, very great scorncrs of death." But the Irish fighting men lacked the great tac- tical skill of their opponents, their discipline was loose, and they fought rather in crowds, than in regularly arranged ranks. They had no walled cities. Their sui^est defence was the nature of the country, full of impassable bogs and forests ; and their best plan of warfare was to hang on the fianks and rear of an invading army and harass them as opportunity offered, retreating, when hard pressed, to their fast- nesses, whither no enemy could follow. So long as they kept to this they could, and often did, hold their own, even against superior numbers. But in open fighting their tunic-clad crowds were, number for number, no match for the steel-cased Angio-jS'ormnn battalions. Kevertheless, as time went on they gradu- ally learned the Anglo- jS'orman methods of warfare, and often turned them succcssfullv airainst the invaders. ^-^ ^„ ^kL (i^ Sculpture on a Capital : Priest's House, Glendalough : Beranger, 1779. From Petrie's " Round Towers." CHAPTER XYIII. THE AI^GLO-NOEMAN rN-TASION-. (A.D. 1166-1173.) jmma the time that the two 0' Conors Were struggling with Mmkertagh O'Loghlin (pages 124, 125), Dermot Mac Murrogh was king of Leinster. This Dermot, who was afterwards often called Dermot-na- Gall (of the English), is descrihed by Camhrensis as ''a tall man of .stature, and of a large and great bodie, a valiant and bold warrior in his nation ; and by reason of his continuall halowing and crieng [in battle] his voice was hoarse : he rather choce to be feared than to be loved : a gi^eat oppressor of his nobilitie, but a great advancer of the poore and weake. To his owne people he was rough and greevous, and hatefuU to strangers ; he would be against all men, and all men against him" (Old translation). He was a headstrong and passionate man, and was as much hated in his own day as his memory has been hated ever since. Yet with all his evil qualities he founded many churches and encoui'aged learning. In 1152 he carried off Dervorgilla the wife of Ternan O'Ruarc prince of Brefney, while O'Ptuarc himself was absent from home ; and she took away all she had 130 A child's niSTOKT OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XTin. brought to her husband as dowry. O'Ruarc appealed for redress to Tnrlogh O'Conor king of Ireland, who in 1153 marched with an army into Leinster and forced Dermot to restore Dervorgilla and all her rich dowry. This woman retired after a little time to the abbey of Mellifont, where she spent the rest of her days doing works of penitence and charity, and where she died in 1193 at the age of eighty-five. At last Dermot's conduct be- coming unbearable, he was de- posed and banished by King Roderick O'Conor, O'Euarc, and others (a.d. 1166); whereupon, breathing vengeance, he fled across the sea, resolved to seek the aid of the great King Henry II. of England. Many years before this time, Pope Adi'ian lY., an English- man, influenced by an unfair' and exaggerated account of the evil state of religion in Ireland given to him by an envoy of King Henry, issued a bull authorising the king to take possession of Ireland. Some writers have questioned the issue of this bull. But the evidence is so strong on the other side as to leave no good reason to doubt that the pope did really issue it, believing that it would be for the advancement of reli- gion and for the good of Ireland. Dermot Mac Miirrogh; From the MS. of Giraldus Cambrensis (A.D. i20o), mentioned under the Scribe at p. 87. Reproduced here from Wilde's Catalogue. CHAP. XTIII.] THE ANGLO-T^OEMAN INVASION. 131 Dermot presented himself before the king at Aqui- taine, and prayed him for help against his enemies, offering to acknowledge him as lord and A.D. 1168 master. The king eagerly accepted the offer ; but being then too busy with the affairs of his own kingdom to go to Ireland himself, he gave permission to any of his British or French subjects that pleased to join the Irish king. Dermot immediately proceeded to Bristol, where he engaged the services of 1 ."i \ fl 1 \ ^^ gfc "Ifej 1 lH iAa^^ ^S IgSM; -^-«^ ^^^ i!S9M[^^^L^J ^^^n K-l^-^ nn^ I^^^H ^^^^Hp^^Wr j@ jfB^' " ' l^*'^ wr) rIIh^^F^- flH^ mf^^>'''^'*^*:tM^4^ i fSmk * I^P^-WTJ^ HI^^^BSi*^ i^^ SEii JiSBfe ^fii ^^^^^^£ Bg I^^IV^ 1 ^^^Sii?^:^^ ~ ^ ,^ J^>^**^SSc^l^1 2^ ".", ^C^[ Mellifont Abbey in 1791. From Grose's " Antiquities of Ireland." Richard de Clare earl of Pembroke, better known by the name of Strongbow; who agreed to help him on condition that he should get Dermot's daughter Eva in marriage, and should succeed him as king of Leinster. At St. David's in Wales he engaged a number of the Geraldines, among them Maurice Fitzgerald and Eobert Fitzstephen, to whom he promised the town of Wexford and the adjoining district. After this Dermot returned k2 132 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XVIII. to Ferns, his capital, where he remained during the win- ter of 1168, concealed in the Augustinian monasteiy founded by himself. Augfustinian Monastery, Ferns. From "Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries," 1895, p. 404. Wakeman. In fulfilment of his engagement, Eobert Fitzstephen, with a companion adventurer, Maurice Prendergast, landed in the month of May at the harbom- A.D. 1169 of Bannow in Wexford, with a force of 100 knights and 600 archers, with common soldiers and attendants, amounting in all to about 2000 men : while Maurice Fitzgerald and others made their preparations to follow. Having been joined by Der- mot and his son Donall Kavanagh, the united forces marched on the town of "Wexford ; and Fitzstephen sti'aightway led his troops to scale the walls, But the CJlAl'. XVlll.J THE AJVOLU-AOlCMAJV IJS'VASIOK. l'6'6 townsmen resisted so valiantly, hui'ling down gi'eat stones and beams of timber on the assailants' heads, that he was forced to withdi-aw, leaving many of his men dead beneath the walls ; and going to the strand he set fire to all the ships he found lying there. jSText morning when he was about to renew the assault, the clergy, wish- ing to avoid fui'ther bloodshed, pui'suaded the people to yield up the town ; and Dennot's subjects veiy unwill- ingly placed themselves again under the authority of their hateful old king. After this, Dermot carried out his promise by making large grants of land to Fitzstephen and others — land which he had no right to give away, for it belonged not to him but to the people (p. 46). And having an old grudge against his neighboui', Mac Gilla Patrick king of Ossory, he and the strangers ravaged that district with fire and sword, though not without spirited resistance. When King Roderick 0' Conor heard of these proceed- ings, he became alanned, and collecting a large army he marched to Ferns, where he found Dennot and his allies strongly entrenched. Eut Eoderick was a feeble- minded king, having none of the spirit or vigour of Mall Glunduff or Brian Boru of the olden time ; and instead of promptly crushing the rebellious king and his small party of foreigners, as he might have done, he made peace with him, and restored him to his kingdom, on condition that he should send home the strangers, and bring hither no more of them. The treacherous Dennot had no intention of keeping to this treaty: he merely wanted to gain time; and when Maui'ice Fitzgerald landed soon afterwards, the whole party, natives and foreigners, marched on Dublin, and forced the Danish king Hasculf Mac Turkill to submit to them. i34 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XVIlt. At last Dermot resolved to make himself king of Ireland, and sent a pressing message to Strongbow to come over. Strongbow embarked with A.D. liyo an army of 3000 men, and landed, in August, near Waterford. He was imme- diately joined by Raymond Fitzgerald, better known as Raymond le Gros (the corpulent), the bravest and most distinguished of all his officers — who had come over some Reginald's Tower. From Newenham s " Picturesque Views of Ireland." time before — by Miles de Cogan, and by Dermot : and with the combined army of about 5500 men they attacked and captured the city of Waterf ord, slaughter- ing gi'eat numbers of the inhabitants. The Danish chief Reginald, and OTaelan prince of the Decies, were taken prisoners and locked up in an old Danish castle, then and still called Reginald's tower ; but as they were about to be executed Dermot interposed and saved them. After the fight, and while the streets still ran red with CHAP. XVIII.] THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 135 the blood of the citizens, Strongbow and Eva were married in fulfilment of Dermot's promise. Scarcely had the ceremony ended when news came that Hasculf of Dublin had revolted ; whereupon Strongbow and Dermot set out for Dublin with an army of 5000 men; and instead of going round by the level country where they might be intercepted, these men of iron fi'ames marched straight over the Wicklow Mountains, by Glendalough, making their way through difficult passes, bogs, and forests ; and the first intelli- gence the people of Dublin had of their A.D. 11 fO movement was to see the army defiling down the hill slopes towards the city. Terrified beyond measiu-e, the citizens sent theii' saintly and illustrious archbishop Laurence 0' Toole, with conditions of surrender. But even while the conference was going on, and after the conclusion of a truce, Ray- mond le Gros and Miles de Cogan, with a band of followers, forced their way into the city, and falling on the unresisting citizens, massacred them without mercy. Hasculf escaped, and Dermot and Strongbow remained in possession of the city. Of the arch traitor Dermot Mac MuiTogh we shall hear no more in this History : for he died in the following year (1171) at Ferns in the sixty-first year of his age. The fame of the great conquests made by Strongbow got noised abroad, so that it came to the ears of King Henry. Pearing that Strongbow might make himseK king, he issued an edict forbidding further intercourse with Ireland : and at the same time he began to pre- pare for his own expedition. This reduced Strongbow and his army to great distress in Dublin : for they were unable to procure either men or provisions, as all supplies from over sea were stopped. And a worse 186 A CHILD S HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [CHAl'. XVlll. danger now tlireatened them. The patriotic archbishop Laurence 0' Toole went through the country and per- suaded the kings and chiefs to unite in an attempt to crush the invaders ; and a great army was soon encamped in separate detac}jments round about the city, under King Roderick's command. After two months' siege, the gan-ison, with hunger staring them in the face and no hope of relief, came to the resolution to attempt to cut their way in a body through the enemy, and so escape. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the desperate little band, 600 Anglo-iS'ormans with some Irish under Donali Ivavanagh, suddenly sallied out and took the Irish completely by surprise ; and the king himself, who happened to be in his bath at the time, escaped with much difficulty half naked from the field. The panic spread rapidly, so that the various scattered contin- gents broke up and fled. And the gamson returned triumphant to the city, laden with booty, and with provisions enough for a whole year. ^Meantime King Heniy had been busily preparing; and on the 18th October, he landed at Crook a little below Waterf ord, with many of his nobles, A.D. Jljl and an army of 4400 knights and men at aiTQs. Counting common soldiers and attendants, he probably had 10,000 fighting men. To resist such a force was out of the question : and most of the Irish princes and chiefs made their submission to him. He now rewarded his followers by grants of largr :.racts of country, giving away the lands belonging to '> J natives without the least scruple. Leinster was giaiited to Strongbow, with the exception of Dublin and some other maritime towns ; the province of Meath i<: Hugh de Lacy ; and Ulster to John de Coui'cy. In i:i- the chief towns he left governors. He granted CHAP. XVIII.] THE ANGLO-NOliMAN INVASIOiN. 137 Dublin to a colony of Bristol people, with De Lacy as governor, who is generally regarded as the first vice- roy of Ireland.* Having completed these A.D. 1172 arrangements, the king emharked at Wex- ford in April and retumed to England. From the moment of his departure his arrangements ^^:j^ were all disregarded ; and his fol- ^ lowers did just as they pleased, plun- dering and harassing the unfortunate natives without mercy and without restraint. But the natives were now beginning to profit by the skill of tlieir adversaries, and often success- fully defended themselves. On one occasion Strongbow, re- tm-ning from a plundeiing raid thi'ough Offaly, was intercepted by its chief, O'Dempsey, and defeated, a great number of his men, with his son-in-law De Quenci, being slain. As the dis- turbances continued, the king rousers ; nair • j n oj_ i and beard long ; head bare. From appOmteQ btrOUgDOW VlCei'Oy in the following year — 1173 — hoping that by increasing his authority he might be able to reduce the country to quietness. * The governors of Ireland at that time, and for centuries after, were designated by various titles, sucli as viceroy, lieutenant, lord Heutenant, lord justice or justiciary, governor, etc. A person appointed to govern temporarily in place of an absent lord lieu- tenant or viceroy was designated deputy or lord deputy. The govemor, by whatever name he was called, had a number of persons, called a Council, to assist him by their advice : a prac- tice which has continued to the present day. Figure in the iJluminated MS. copy of Giraldus Cambrensis mentioned under Scribe at p. 87, showing cos- tume and sparth or battle-axe of the period (A.D. 1200). Olive -green mantle ; light-brown trousers ; hair and beard long ; h( Wilde's Catalogue. ljl!|!]'!Tii'ii|ii|||||iiiiiiijl|liiiiiiiV:;:'"fM'i''"' ■■'^":1 Sculpture on Window : Cathedral Church, Glendalough : Beranger, 1779. From Petrie's " Round Towers." CHAPTER XIX. THE ANGLO-IRISH LOKDS. A.D. 1173-1176.-Henry II. osT of the adventurers who settled in Ireland in the time of Hemy II. belonged to good families of ancient and honourable descent. But nearly all of them were men who had run thi'ough their estates b y extravagance; and being brave and daring as well as poor, they were ready to engage in any enterprise, however dangerous, that held out a hope of retrieving their fortunes. After they had settled down in Ireland in the districts granted them by the king, they became gi'eat and powerful, and from them the chief Anglo-Irish families were derived. Among these the most distinguished were the Geraldines (Fitzgeralds, Barrys, Cogans, Graces, and others) ; the Butlers ; and the De Burgos (Burkes, Mac Williams, Mac Davids, &c.). Maui'ice Fitzgerald was the chief founder of the family of the Geraldines, of whom there were two main branches : one in Leinster, whose chiefs became, first, barons of Offaly, then earls of Kildare, and finally dukes of Leinster: the other in Munster, whose heads were earls of Desmond. The Butlers settled in Leinster, and their chiefs became earls, and finally dukes, of Ormond. CHAP. XIX.] THE ANGLO-iKiSH LO&DS. l39 The family of De Burgo was founded by William de Burgo : they settled chiefly in Connaught, and were of two main branches as will be told at page 163. It was related at the end of the last chapter how Strongbow had been appointed viceroy in 1 173 by King Heniy. No sooner had he entered on his new duties than troubles began to thicken round him. He found most of the Irish princes in revolt, notwithstanding their forced submission to the king ; and the money he had brought was soon spent, so that he had no pay for his soldiers. This naturally made the men discontented ; and another circumstance that greatly increased their ill humour was that a general whom they hated — Heiwey Mountmaurice, Strongbow's uncle — had been placed over them, instead of theii' favoimte leader Kaymond le Gros. Eaymond was their idol ; for he was a brave and dashing officer, and in all his expeditions, had given them full license to plunder. Having now neither pay nor booty, nor any prospect of either, they presented themselves in a body before the viceroy, and thi'eatened to return to England or join the Irish, unless Raymond was placed at their head. Strongbow was not pleased at this ; but he had no choice, for the men seemed determined: so he appointed Eaymond to the chief command : on which the new general led the men south on a fi'eebooting excursion, and ravaged Offaly and the country round Lismore. Loading a number of boats he had found near the mouth of the Blackwater, with part of the spoils, he sent them on towards AYaterford, while he and his army set out in the same direc- tion and marched along near the coast, driving before them 4000 cows, the property of the poor country people. The boats were attacked by a small fleet from Cork — half Irish, half Danish — and the land aimy was 140 A CHlLu'tJ IlISrOKY Ol' lULLAJSU. [cHAr. XIX. intercepted by Dcrmot Mac Cartliy prince of Desmond ; but both attacks were repulsed ; and Raymond and his companions got clear off and made their way Tvdth all the plunder to Waterford. Soon after this, during Raymond's temporary absence in AVales, Strongbow led his army towards Limerick against Donall O'Brien king of Thomond, A.D. 11 74: one of those who had submitted to the king, but who had lately revolted. But O'Brien and King Roderick intercepted him at Thurles, defeated him, and killed 1700 of his men — the best part of his anny. Strongbow fled to Waterford, and full of grief and rage, shut himself up there, but was besieged and in great danger, till Ray- mond returned and rescued him ; on which he gave his sister Basilea in marriage to his rescuer, and made him constable or military commander of Leinster. Raymond next made preparation to avenge on Donall O'Brien the defeat of Thiuies. He led his troops to A.D. liys Limerick; and in the face of enonnous difficulties he forded the deep and rapid river that flowed between him and the stronghold on the island, stonned the city, and gave it up to slaughter and plimder. Then leaving a sufficient gamson under the command of Miles de Cogan he returned to Dublin. But now Raymond was exposed to a great danger ; for his rival Mountmaurice secretly whispered to the king that he aimed at making himself king of Ireland ; where- upon Henry ordered that he should be sent to England. But even while Raymond was preparing to obey the command, news came that Donall O'Brien had laid siege to Limerick; and when Strongbow ordered out the army for its relief, the men refused point blank to march under Mountmaurice. So Raymond had to be CHAP. XIX. J THE ANGLO-miSH LORDS. 141 replaced in command, and marching southwards he defeated O'Brien and relieved the city. One day while he was in the south, a courier anived post haste from Dublin with an odd message from his wife Basilea : — "Be it known to you that the great jaw-tooth which used to trouble me so much has fallen out. Wherefore return with all speed." She took this enigmatical way of telling him that her A.D. 1176 brother the earl was dead; for, knowing well the precarious position of the colony in Dublin, and fearing the Irish might rise if they knew of his death, she deteiToined to keep the matter secret till Eaymond should be pre- sent. Eaymond understood the meaning and returned; and the earl was interred with great pomp in Christ- church Cathedral, archbishop Laurence 0' Toole conduct- ing the ceremonies. As soon as the king heard of vStrongbow's death, being still jealous of the brilliant soldier Raymond, he ap- pointed William de Bui^go ^dceroy m this same year, with John de Courcy, Robert Fitzstephen, and Miles de Cogan to assist him. Ray- mond met them near Wex- ford, and having given them a most respectful reception, he delivered up all his authority to the new viceroy Monument (lying flat) of Strongbow and his wife Eva in Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin. From Mrs. Halls " Ireland." 142 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XX. without a murmur. After this we hear little more of Raymond le Gros in public life. He retired to his estates in AYexford where he resided quietly till his death, which took place in 1182. CHAPTER XX. JOHN DE COURCT. r Henry II. (to 1189). A. D. 1176-1204. j Richard L (1189-1199). (John (1199). BuRGO, the new governor, was from the "Mp^r:^ first disliked by the colonists : for he ^ ^ wished for peace and discouraged out- rage on the natives ; whereas war was what the colonists most desii'ed, as it brought them plunder and sure increase of territory. Among all his officers not one was so discontented as Sir John de Courcy. He was a man of gigantic size and strength, brave and daring ; and he now resolved to attempt the conquest of Ulster, which the king had granted to him five years before (page 136). So gathering roimd him a small band of 320 knights and archers, who with their attendants made an anny of about 1000 men, he set out from Dublin for Ulster. Passing northwards with all speed, he arrived on the morning of A.D. 11 yy the foui'th day — the 2nd of Pebruaiy — at Downpatrick, then the capital of Ulidia or Eastern Ulster. As there were no walls, the towns- people knew nothing of the expedition till they were startled at dawn by the martial sound of bugles and CHAP. XX.] JOHN DE COmiCT. 143 the clattering of cavalry in the streets. The adven- turers were half stai-ved as they entered the town ; and they fell upon everything they could lay hands on : they ate and drank, plundered, killed, and de- stroyed, till half the town was in ruins. At the end of a week Mac Dunlevy prince of Ulidia came with a large undisciplined army to attack him. De Coui'cy, nothing daunted, went out to meet them, and chose a favoui'able position to withstand the assault. The Irish rushed on with tumultuous bravery, but they were not able to break the disciplined ranks of the enemy ; and after a fui'ious fight they were repulsed with oreat loss. Dundrum Castle, near Newcastle, Co. Down. Built by John de Courcy. From "Kilkenny Archaeological Journal," 1883-4, p. 158. Still the TJlstennen continued to ofier the most deter- mined resistance. The valiant De Courcy battled bravely thi'ough all his difficulties, and three several times in the same year, 1177, he defeated in battle the people of the suiTounding districts. But as time went 144 A guild's HISTOBT of IRELAND. [CHAP. XX. on he met with many reverses, and lie had qnite enough to do to hohl his gronnd. In the following year he was defeated near Newry with a loss of 450 men; and again he was intercepted in one of his temhle raids, and routed hy the Dalaradian chief Cumee OTlynn. He escaped from this battlefield with only eleven companions ; and having lost their horses, they fled on foot for two days and two nights closely pursued, with- out food or sleep, till they reached a place of safety. But in several other battles he was victorious. Other adventui'ers arrived to join him from time to time ; and, as opportimities offered, he built many castles in vantage points all over the province ; so that as years went by he strengthened his position in Ulster. While these events were taking place in the northern pro\'ince, the country in and around the English settle- ment in Leinster still continued to be very much disturbed ; and the king determined to send over his son prince John, hoping that his presence would restore tranquillity. The prince, then nineteen A.D. 1185 years of age, landed at Waterford with a splendid retinue and a large body of cavalry. He had the title of Lord of Ireland ; and his secretary and tutor was a Welsh priest named Gerald Barry, now better known as Giraldus Cambrensis, or Gerald of Wales, who afterwards wi'ote in Latin a de- scription of Ireland and a history of the Anglo-Norman invasion. But Prince John soon raised the whole country in revolt by his foolish and vicious conduct; and he even tui-ned the old colonists against him by contemptuous treatment. The Irish chiefs crowded to him in Waterford, both to pay him respect and to ac- knowledge him as their lord ; but his insolent yoimg associates — close-shaven dandies — ridiculed their dress CHAP. XX.] JOHN DE COTJKCT. 14r5 and manners, and insulted them by plucking their beards, Tvhich they wore long according to the custom of the country. Incensed by this treatment the proud Irish nobles withdrew to their homes, brooding mischief. The settlements were attacked at all points ; and the most active of the assailants was the valiant Donall O'Brien of Thomond. A great number of the new strong- holds were taken, and many of the bravest of the Anglo-lS'onnan chiefs were slain. The colonists were driven to take refuge in the towns ; and almost the whole of prince John's army perished in the numerous conflicts. When the country had been for some time in this state of turmoil, King Hemy came to hear how matters stood, and at once recalled the prince, after a stay of about eight months, appointing De Coiu'cy viceroy. The prince, both before and after his return, thi^ew the whole blame of the disturbance on Hugh de Lacy. This De Lacy, though not the greatest wamor, was the wisest and best governor of all the barons who served King Henry in Ireland ; he built strong castles all over Meath, and greatly increased his power and influ- ence with the Irish by marrying a daughter of the old king Roderick 0' Conor; so that he was recused by the prince of conspiring to make himself king of Ireland. But he never lived to clear himself. One A.D. 1186 day while with a few attendants he was inspecting his new castle at Duitow, a young Irishman suddenly di'ew forth a battle-axe from imder his cloak, and with one blow struck off the great baron's head : after which he made his escape. This was done to avenge De Lacy's seizure of lands, and his desecration of St. Columbkille's venerated 146 A child's history of ikeland. [cHAr. XX. monastery of Diirrow, which he had pulled down to get materials for liis Castle. Trim Castle, originally built by De Lacy ; but afterwards rebuilt. From " Cromwell's Tours." Petrie. But to return to De Courey. During his vice- royalty he invaded Connaught, plundering, burning, and slaying, after his usual fashion, much like the Danes of old : but before he had advanced far into the province, he was confronted by the two kings of Connaught and Thomond — Conor Mainmoy and Donall O'Erien — with their united armies. Not ventui'ing to give battle to this formidable force, he retreated north- wards, his only anxiety now being to save himself and his army from destruction. Eut when he had arrived at Eallysadare, on the coast of Sligo, the prince of Tii'connell came marching down on him in front, while his pursuers were pressing on close behind. Setting fire to Eallysadare, he fled south-east ; but as he was crossing the Curlieu Hills he was overtaken by Conor CHAP. XX.] JOHN DE COUHCY. 147 Mainmoy and O'Brien, who fell upon him and killed a great number of his men; and it was with much difSculty he escaped with the remnant of his anny into Leinster. Two years later he was tempted to try his fortune a second time in Connaught, diuing a contest for the thi'one among the 0' Conor princes; but with no better result than before. He and Hugh de Lacy the younger (son of the great de Lacy) were both A.D. 1300 induced by one of the claimants to come to his assistance in the struggle for the thi'one of Connaught. But the rival 0' Conor king caught the allies in an ambuscade in a wood, and in- flicted on them a crushing defeat, slaying more than half of the English army. De Courcy had a naiTow escape here, being felled from his horse by a stone. llecoyering, however, he fled from the battle-field northwards till he reached Eindown castle on the western shore of Lough Eee, where he proceeded to convey his army in boats across the lake. He had been a week engaged at this, when, on the very last day, the victorious 0' Conor pounced down on those that still remained at Eindown and killed and disowned great numbers of them ; while He Comxy and the rest, being safe at the far side, made good their escape. The career of this extraordinary man ended in ruin and disgi'ace. Hugh de Lacy took eveiy means to poison King John's mind against him. He was pro- claimed a rebel and a traitor ; and He Lacy, now lord justice, was commissioned to arrest him. After several imsuccessful attempts. He Courcy was ai A.D. 1304: length betrayed by some of his own ser- vants, who led De Lacy's men to his retreat at Downpatrick, where he was taken. Some '2 148 A guild's niSTOllY of IKELAND. [chap. XXI. records relate that his enemies came down on him on Good Friday, when he was barefooted and unaimed, do- ing penance in the cathedral of Downpatrick, and that he snatched up the nearest weapon — a great wooden cross standing on a grave — with which he dashed out the brains of thirteen of his assailants before he was overpowered. After his arrest histoiy loses sight of him ; and we know nothing certain of his subsequent fortunes or how he ended his life. Some Anglo-Irish historians indeed tell several very interesting stories about him, but they are all fabulous. CHAPTER XXI. rJohn (to 1216). A.D. 1204-1307 <^ Henry in. (1216-1272). L Edward I. (1272-1307). Y whatever title the governor of Ireland was known, he was supposed to stand in place of the king, and he usually resided in Dublin : but he seldom or never had an army large enough to enable him to en- force his authority. The kings of England took good care not to allow their gover- nors a sufficient army, fearing that some one of them might become strong enough to make himself an independent king of Ireland. This absence of a strong central government, owing to the jealousy of the kings, was the root of most of the evils that afflicted Ireland now and for ages afterwards. The great barons, who were settled all over the country, CHAP. XXI.] TURMOIL. 149 were well aware of their governor's weakness, and cared very little for his authority ; and they generally cared Just as little for the authority of the king, who was at too gi-eat a distance to reach them, or even to obtain much information of their proceedings. They ruled like independent princes, taxed their people, made war or peace, and raised armies and fought, just as they pleased. Bad as was the state of things before the Invasion, it was much worse now, for there were more people to quarrel, with less means of checking them. The native chiefs continued to wrangle and fight among themselves, the same as before ; the barons fought with each other even still more bitterly; and all this time the English were everywhere making inroads on the Irish to win new lands, while the Irish defended their homes as best they could. The king of England came over of an odd time, always with an army ; and while he remained in the country, there was quietness ; but the moment he re-embarked, or ceased to keep a direct watch on the barons, all was again turmoil and blood- shed. What is related in this chapter will give the reader a good idea of the hard ordeal of suffering the unhappy country had to pass through during this thir- teenth and many subsequent centuries. In the fii'st years of the reign of King John the country was all in confusion, of which he was kept well informed by his agents. Seeing no prospect of improve- ment so long as things were permitted to go on in their usual course, he came to the resolution to visit Ireland and reduce the turbulent barons and chiefs to submis- sion. He landed at Crook, near Water- A.D. 1210 ford, with a formidable army; and fi'om the very day of his arrival the fighting ceased, the most troublesome of the barons fled, and 150 A child's history of IRELAND. [CU.VP. XXI. the country became tranquil. As he had no fight- ing to do, he employed himself more usefully in making arrangements for the better government of the 30untiy. Those parts of Ireland which were under English jurisdiction, he parcelled out into twelve counties or shires, and this was the beginning of the subdivision into counties, such as we now have them.* He directed that in these twelve counties English law should be administered, and for this purpose he had courts of justice erected, and appointed magistrates and other officers to hold sessions and decide cases. But it must be borne in mind that all this was for the settlers only, not for the natives, who were then and for long afterwards outside the pale of the law. So far as they went, King John's arrangements were sensible and useful. He returned to England in August, after a I: tay of about two months ; and during the remainder of liis reign, Ireland was moderately quiet. The century that elapsed from the death of John and the accession of Henry III. (a.d. 1216) to the invasion of Edward Bruce was a period of strife and bloodshed, a period of woe and misery for the common people : it seemed as if the whole island was abandoned to anarchy. * The division of Ireland into shires or counties is of Anglo- Norman and English origin. The counties generally represent tlie older native territories and sub-kingdoms. The twelve formed by King John are Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Uriel (or Louih), Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary. Queen's County and King's County were formed in the time of Queen Mary, and were so called in honour of the Queen and her husband PhiHp — after whom also A/ere named the two capitals of the counties — Maryborough and j^hilipstown. Sir Henry Sydney, about 1565, formed the county Longford from the ancient district of Annaly. He also divided C'onnaught into six counties^ — GalM-ay, Sligo, Mayo, Eoscom- CHAP. XXI. J TURMOIL. 151 What is sometimes called tlie '' War of Meath," for it was in fact a civil war on a small scale — a destructive feud between William Marshal, the owner of vast estates in Leinster, and Hugh de Lacy the younger — began in 1224, and continued unchecked till the whole of Meath was wasted. Scarcely was this strife ended when another — the "War of Kildare" — broke out in the following manner. After William Marshal's death, his brother Richard, a handsome, valiant, noble-minded knight, inherited his titles and estates. He was in England at the time of his brother's death ; and having incurred the anger of King Hemy III., fled to Ireland. Eut Geoffrey Marisco, Maurice Fitzgerald, and Hugh de Lacy conspired to destroy him, hoping to share his vast estates. Marisco pretended friendship, and arranged a meeting on the CuiTagh of Kildare (in 1234) to discuss certain matters in dispute. Here yoimg Marshal was treacherously attacked by de Lacy and the others, and being betrayed and abandoned by Marisco, he was, though a renowned swordsman, at length wounded, overpowered, and taken prisoner. He soon after died of his wounds; but his assassins gained nothing by their villainy Marisco was banished by the indignant mon, Leitrim, and Clare (but Clare was subsequently annexed to Munster, to which it had in earlier times belonged). Sir John Perrott, about 1584, formed the following seven counties of Ulster: — Armagh, Monaghan, Tyrone, Coleraine (now the county Derry), Donegal, Fermanagh, and Cavan : the other two Ulster counties, Antrim and Down, had been constituted some time before. This makes thirty, so far. In the time of Henry VIII. Meath was divided into two : Meath proper, and Westmeath. At first the county Dubhn included "Wicklow ; but in 1605, under Sir Arthur Chichester, "Wicklow was formed into a separate county. This makes the present numbei thirty-two. 152 A child's HISTORY OF IBELAND. [cHAP. XXI. king, to whom the whole base plot was soon after- wards revealed ; and his sou, who had espoused his cause, having been captiu'ed, was executed. In these Leinster counties there was at this time a mixed population of English settlers and native Irish, most of them quiet people, who wished for nothing more than to be pennitted to till their farms, herd theii' cattle, and live with their families in peace. Eut these ever- lasting feuds of the barons stopped all industry, and brought death and desolation everywhere. While this warfare was going on in Leinster, Con- naught was in a state of strife which lasted for many years ; and the struggles among the several claimants of the 0' Conor family for the throne of Connaught went on unceasingly ; battles, skirmishes, and raids without number. The English, under William Marshal, De Bui'go, or others, were mixed up in most of these contests, now siding with one of the parties, now with another ; but always keeping an eye to their own inte- rests. And thus the havoc and ruin went on unchecked. The Irish annalists who have recorded the history of those evil times, mention one pathetic incident which will give some idea of the miseries suffered by the people — who were here, it should be observed, all Irish. During one terrible raid by Marshal and one of the 0' Conors, a frightened crowd of peasants — men, women, and children — fleeing fi'om the pui'suing army, perished by scores on the way. In their headlong flight they attempted to cross a wide and deep river, midway between Ballina and Foxford, in Mayo, where great numbers were di'owned ; and next day the baskets set at the weirs to catch fish were found full of the bodies of little children that had been swept down by the stream. This state of horror lasted in Connaught for CHAP. XXI. J TUEMOIL. 153 many years. Meantime the wi'etclied hnnted people were imable io attend to their tillage : famine and pestilence followed ; and the inhabitants of whole towns and districts were swept away. At length one of the 0' Conors— Felim, nephew of the old Ard-ri Roderick — established himself in 1249, by sheer force of energy and bravery, on th e throne of Connaught, in spite of all enemies, both English and Tomb of Felim O'Conor, King of Connaught, in Roscommon Abbey.* From " Kilkenny Archaeological Journal." Irish, and reigned without interruption till his death in 1265. The condition of Leinster and Connaught has been sketched: the state of things in Ulster and Munster was almost as bad. Maurice Fitzgerald, who had been twice lord justice * A full page engraving of the whole tomb, with the eight galloglasses full length (the rubbish having recently been cleared away), may be seen in "The O'Conors of Connaught," by the Right Hon. The O'Conor Don. Two of these fine figures are given at the end of this chapter. 154 A guild's HISTORY OF LRELAND. LCHAP. XXI. — he who had conspired with the others against Richard Marshal — marched with his army north- A.D. 125J wards through Connaught, resolved to bring Ulster completely under English rule. But he was intercepted by Godfrey O'Donnell, chief of Tirconnell, at Credran, beside Rosses, near Sligo, where a fui-ious battle was fought. The two leaders, Fitzgerald and O'Donnell, met in single combat and wounded each other severely; the English were routed ; and Fitzgerald retired to the Franciscan monastery of Youghal, in whicfi he died the same year, probably of his wounds. As for O'Donnell, he had himself conveyed to an island in Lough Beagh in Donegal, where he lay in bed for a whole year sinking daily under his wounds ; and all this time the Tirconnellians had no chief to lead them. There had been, for some time before, much dissension between this O'Donnell and Brian O'^N'eill, prince of Tyrone ; and now O'Neill, taking advantage of his rival's misfortune, invaded Tirccnnell. O'Donnell, still lying ill, ordered a muster of his army, and as he was quite helpless and unable to lead them, expecting death daily, he had himself borne on a bier at their head to meet the enemy. And while the bier was held aloft in full view of the Kinel Connell, the armies attacked each other near the river Swilly, and the Tyrone men were routed. Immediately afterwards the heroic chief died : and the same bier from which he had witnessed his last victory, was made use of to bear him to his grave. Some of the Irish chiefs now attempted to unite against the common enemy, choosing Brien 0']S^eill for leader (a.d. 1260) : but they were defeated by the English in a bloody battle at Downpatrick ; and O'l^eill and a large number of chiefs were slain. CHAP. XXI.] TURMOIL. 155 In the south, the Mac Carthys of Desmond, seeing their ancient principality continually encroached upon by the Geraldines, became exasperated, and attacked and defeated them in 1261 at Callan, near Kenmare; after which they demolished numbers of the English castles. But they soon quarrelled among themselves, and the Geraldines gi-adually recovered all they had lost. While this universal strife was raging in Ireland, Henry III. died, and was succeeded by Edward I. in 1272. Dui'ing Edward's reign, as will be related fui'ther on (p.* 166), the Irish chiefs petitioned to be placed under English law ; but though this great king was himself willing to gi'ant the petition, the Anglo- Irish lords persuaded him to reject it. Two of the eight Galloglasses on King Felim O'Conor's Tomb in Roscommon Abbey (see p. 153). From " Kilkenny Archaeological Journal,' 1870-1, p. 252. Ornament on leather case of Book of Armagh. From Petrie's " Round Towers. CHAPTER XXII. EDWAED BRUCE. A.D. 1315-1318 —Edward II. ATTEES were, as we have seen, in a very distm^bed state during the preceding cen- tury; but we might almost say that it was peace itself compared with the three and a half years of Bruce' s expedition to Ireland. The Irish people, especially those of the north, viewed with great interest and sympathy the struggles of their kindred in Scotland for independence ; and Robert Bruce's glorious victory over Edward II. at Bannock- burn (in 1314) filled them with joy and hope. Soon after the battle the native chiefs of Ulster, headed by Donall O'Neill, prince of Tyrone, with the Anglo-Irish De Lacys and Bissetts, who then owned Glenarm and Rathlin, despatched messengers praying Bruce to send his brother Edward to be king over them. He eagerly accepted the proposal ; and on the 25th A.D. 1315 of May, Edward Bruce, accompanied by many of the Scottish nobles, landed at an ai-my of 6000 of the best soldiers He was immediately joined by Donall O'Neill, and by numbers of the northern Irish; and the combined forces overran a great part of Ulster, Lame with of Scotland. CHAP. XXII.] EDWARD BRUCE. 157 destroying everything belonging to the English that came in their way, and defeating their armies in several battles. Moving southwards, they stonned and burned Dundalk and Ardee ; and at this latter place they set fire to the church of the Carmelite fiiary, in which a number of people had taken refuge, and biu'ned them all to death. From fii'st to last the campaign was carried on with great cruelty, and with reckless waste of life and property. All food except what was needed for the use of the army was destroyed, though there was a famine, and the people were starving all over the country. The two leading Anglo-Irish noblemen at this time were Eichard De Burgo the Eed Earl of TJlster, and Sir Edmund Butler the lord justice. The Red Earl, who was lord of the greatest part of the two provinces of Ulster and Connaught, and was by far the most powerful nobleman in Ireland — much more high and mighty than even the lord justice — raised a large army, chiefly in Connaught, and set out in quest of the invaders. His march north through the Irish districts was perhaps more savagely destructive than that of Bruce, if indeed that were possible ; and his reason for thus destroying the property of the Irish people as he marched along, was that he believed they were all in favour of Bruce, which was not the case. Eelim 0' Conor the young king of Connaught had joined De Burgo and accompanied the English army. But he was recalled to Connaught to suppress a rebel- lion of some of his subjects. This weakened De Burgo, who was now attacked by Bruce at Connor near Bally- mena and wholly defeated; and he fled back to Connaught crestfallen, with the broken remnants of his forces. A body of the defeated English fled eastwai'ds 158 A child's HISTOKY <)!'' IRELAND. |_CliAr. XXII. to Carrickferfrus and took possession of the castle, which they gaUantly defended for months against the Scots. Soon after the battle at Connor, Bruce had himself proclaimed king of Ireland and formally crowned. Marching next into Meath — still in 1315 — he routed an army of 15,000 men under Roger Mor- timer at Kells ; and at the opening of the new year (1316) he defeated the lord justice, Sir Edmund Butler, at Ardscull near Athy. Carrickfergfus Castle in i£ From Wri.cfht's " Ireland Illustrated." The preceding harvest had been a bad one, and scarcity and want prevailed all over the country. Nevertheless the Scottish army, wherever they went, continued to ravage and destroy all they could not consume or bring away, multiplying tenfold the miseries of the people, both English and Irish. Eelim 0' Conor, having rushed in blood the revolt in Connaught, now changed sides and declared for Bruce. Intending to expel all the English from the CHAP. XXn.J EDWAED BRUCE. 159 province, lie marclied to Athemy with a large army ; but was there defeated and slain, in 1316, in a great battle by William De Burgo and Eichard Bermingham. This was by far the most decisiye and fatal defeat ever inflicted on the Irish since the invaders first set foot on Irish soil. Eleven thousand of 0' Conor's army fell, and among them nearly all the native nobility of Con- naught ; so that of all the 0' Conor family there sui'vived only one chief, Pelim's brother, able to bear arms. The band of English who had taken possession of CaiTickfergus castle held out most heroically, and now Bruce himself came to conduct the siege in person. Reduced to starvation, the brave garrison at last sur- rendered on condition that their lives should be spared. King Eobert had come over to aid his brother ; and early in the spring of 1317 they both set out for Dublin with an army of 20,000, destroying everything in their march. They encamped at Castleknock ; but the citizens of Dublin took most determined measures for defence, bui'ning all outside the walls, both houses and churches, to deprive the Scots of shelter ; so that the Bruces did not think it prudent to enter on a siege; and they resumed their destructive march till they reached Limerick. But as they found this city also well pre- pared for defence, and as there was still gi'eat scarcity of provisions, they returned northwards after a short stay. They had to traverse the very districts they had wasted a short time before ; and in this most miserable march, vast numbers of them perished of cold, hunger, and disease — scoui'ged by the famine they had them- selves created. After this, Kmg Robert, believing it hopeless to attempt the complete conquest of the country, returned to Scotland ; but Edward remained, detennined to fight 160 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XXIT. it out to the end. The two armies rested inactive, and there was a lull for a time, probably on account of tbe terrible dearth of food. But now came an abundant harvest, and both sides prepared for action. Bruce turned south for another conquering progress, but was met at Faughart two miles north of Dundalk by an army much more numerous than his own, under Sir John Bermingham. He was strongly advised not to fight till more men, who were on their way fi'om Scot- land, should arrive ; but he was rash and headstrong, and despised his opponents, declaring he would fight if they were four times more numerous. A.D. 1318 The battle fought here on the 14th October terminated the war. The issue was decided chiefly by Sir John Maupas, an Anglo- Irish knight, who made a dash at Bruce and slew him in the midst of the Scots. Maupas was instantly cut down ; and after the battle his body was found pierced all over, lying on that of Bruce. The invading army was defeated with great slaughter ; and the main body of the survivors, including the De Lacys, escaped to Scotland. Benningham had the body of Bruce cut in pieces to be hung up in the chief towns in the colony, and brought the head salted in a box to king Edward II., who immediately created him earl of Louth and gave him the manor of Ardee. And so ended the celebrated expedition of Edward Bruce. Though it was a failure, it shook the Anglo- Irish government to its foundation and weakened it for centui'ies. TJJster was almost cleared of colonists ; the native chiefs ; i,nd clans resumed possession ; and there were similar movements in other parts of Ireland, though not to the same extent. There had been such general, needless, and almost insane destruction of property, that CHAP. XXin.] THE STATUTE OF KILKENNY. 161 vast numbers of the people of all classes, settlers and natiyes, chiefs and peasants, lost everything and sank into hopeless poverty. The whole country was thi'own into a state of utter disorder from which it did not recover till many generations had passed away. And to add to the misery, there were ^visitations of famine and pestilence — plagues of various strange kinds — which continued at intervals during the whole of this century. The native Irish historians of the time regarded the expedition of Bruce with great disfavoiu'; for they looked upon it as answerable for a large part of the evils and miseries that afflicted their unfortunate coimtry CHAPTER XXIII. THE STATUTE OP KILKENNY. A D 1^18-1^77 i ^^^ard II. (to 1327). A. L>. IdlH-li)// I Edward III. (1327). |t the end of the last chapter it was stated that the Anglo-Irish government was greatly shaken by the Bruce invasion : it now grew weaker year by year ; and the English, far fi'om invading new territories, had moie than they could do to defend those they had already acquired. Eor the Irish, taking advantage of their dissensions and helplessness, attacked them everywhere and recovered a great part of their lands. Moreover, about this time the English all over the country were fast becoming absorbed into the native population. The Irish, like the Celtic tribes every- M 162 A child's HISTOUT op THELAND. [chap. XXIII. where, have always had a sort of fascinating power over people of other races settling among them, a power to make them in all respects like themselves : and in fact all the settlers before the Ulster Plantation, and most of those after it, have fallen under this spell. Eut about the time we are now dealing with, there were two powerful artificial influences to help this natui-al process. First : the colonists, seeing the Irish prevailing everywhere, joined them for mere protec- tion, intermarrying with them and adopting their lan- guage, dress, and customs. Second : the government had all along made a most mischievous distinction between Is^ew English and Old English— English by birth and English by blood. They favoui^ed English- men who came over to better their fortunes — men who never did anything for Ireland — and gave them most of the situations of trust, putting them over the heads of the Old English, those who had borne the brunt of the struggle. This so incensed the old colonists that a large proportion of them — Geraldines, Butlers, De Bui'gos, and others — tui^ned against the government and joined the Irish. These " degenerate English," as they were caUed, were regarded by the loyal Eng- lish with as much aversion as the Irish, and returned hate for hate quite as cordially ; and later on, as we shall see, some of the most dangerous leaders of re- bellion were Anglo-Irish noblemen. So completely did they become fused with the native population, that an English writer complained that they had become " more Irish than the Irish themselves." The whole country was now feeling the consequences of the Bruce invasion; and there were murderous broils everywhere among the English themselves, with little or no check. At Bragganstown near Ardee, CHAP. XXIIT.] THE STATUTE OF KILKENNY. 163 Sir John Bermingham, the victor of Faugliart, who had brought on himself the jealousy and hate of his neigh- bours by that victory, was led into a trap, in 1329, and treacherously slain, together with his brothers, nephews, and retainers, to the number of 160, by the Gernons and Savages. About the same time a similar outrage was perpetrated in Munster ; when Lord Philip Hodnet and 140 of the Anglo-Irish were massacred by their brethi-en, the Barrys, the Eoches, and others. A little later on (in 1333) De Bm-go the Brown Earl of Ulster, then only twenty-one years of age, was murdered on his way to Carrickfergus church on a Sunday morning, by Richard de Mandeville, his own uncle by marriage, a crime that caused great and widespread indignation. The Anglo-Irish people of the place, by whom the young lord was much liked, rose up in a passionate bui'st of vengeance, and seizing on all whom they sus- pected of having a hand in the deed, killed 300 of them. The mui'der of this young earl lost a great part of Ireland to the government, and helped to hasten the incorporation of the English with the Irish. He left one child, a daughter, who according to English law was heir to her father's vast possessions in Ulster and Connaught, about one-foui"th of the whole Anglo-Irish territory. The two most powerful of the Connaught De Bui'gos, knowing that whoever this girl might many, when she grew up, would come over their heads, seized the estates, declared themselves independent of England, and adopted the Irish di'ess, language, and law. They took also Irish names, one of them calling him- seK Mac William Oughter (Upper) as being lord of upper, or south, Connaught ; who was ancestor of the earls of Clanrickard : the other, Mac William Eighter, m2 1 64 A CITTLD'S HTSTORT of IRELAND. [CHAP. XXIII. i.e. of Lower or jS'orth Connaught, from whom descend the earls of Mayo. And their example was followed by many other Anglo-Irish families, especially in the west and south. Almost the only part of the settle- ment that remained English, and loyal to England, was the district round Dublin, which was afterwards called the Pale. The poor settlers of this district were all this time in a most miserable condition. They were scourged by the Black Death and other terrible plagues, and oppressed and robbed by their own riders. And as the government was not able to afford them protec- tion, they had to pay " Black rents" to some of the Irish chiefs round the borders, to protect them from the fierce attacks of the natives. These Elack rents too were often paid by the Irish government as well as by private individuals. The uprising of the Irish became so general and alarming that the viceroy called in the aid of the most powerful nobleman in the country, A.D. 13 30 Maurice Fitzgerald, who was at the same time created fii^st Earl of Desmond. This only made matters worse ; for Eitzgerald, after some successful expeditions, quartered his army, to the number of 10,000, on the colonists, that they might pay them- selves by exacting coyne and livery (p. 43) : the first time the English adopted this odious impost, which after- wards became so frequent among them. The unfortunate colonists, exposed to all sorts of exactions and hard- ships, depressed by poverty and scourged by pestil- ence, quitted the doomed country in crowds — everyone fled who had the means — and the settlement seemed threatened with speedy extinction. The native Irish were not less wi-etched than the English; for the Black Death visited them too, and the continual wars CHAl'. XXin.] THE STATUTE OF KILfiENNf. 165 brouglit quite as mucli misery on them as on the people of the Pale. While the Pale was daily becoming more and more enfeebled, the great barons, in their strong castles all oyer the country, caring nothing for the English in- terest, but very much for their own authority and grandeiu', became more dangerously powerful year by year ; so that King Edward III. feared them, and came to the determination to break down their power. He made three attempts to do so, by sending over three govemors, at different times fi'om 1331 to 1344, with instructions to carry out his design ; but all three failed, and in the end the nobles remained in much the same position as before, till the time of Henry YIII. "Wherever a colony of English were settled, the two people — English and Irish — after some time, when they came to know each other, generally lived on good terms and often intermarried — Englishmen generally taking Irish wives — and the English learned to speak the Irish language, instead of the Irish learning Eng- lish. But there were some evil influences fi'om the outside to prevent this kindly intercoui^se— tending to make the people hostile rather than friendly towards each other. One of these was the state of the law. After the English settlement in 1172 there were two distinct codes of law in force in Ireland — the English and the Brehon. The English law was for the colo- nists ; it did not apply to the Irish : and an Irishman that was in any way injiu'ed by an Englishman had no redi'ess. He could not seek the protection of English law, which gave the judges and magistrates no power to try the case ; and if he had recoui'se to the Brehon law, the Englishman need not submit to it. But on the other hand, an Irishman who injui'ed an English- 166 A CinLD*S HISTORY OF lEELAND. [cnAP. XXrlt. man in any manner was at once tried by English law and punished, if the matter was proved against him. So that all those of the native race who lived among or near the colonists were in a position of great hardship, humiliation, and danger. This state of things was not indeed brought about with any intention to give the English license to injure their Irish neighbours. The colonists were simply placed under English law without any thought of the Irish one way or the other. But the fact that it was unintentional in no way lessened the danger ; and many instances are on record of Eng- lishmen inflicting great injury on Irishmen — some- times even killing them — knowing well that there was no danger of punishment. Accordingly, about this time, the Irish several times petitioned to be placed under English law ; but though both Edward I. and Edward III. were willing to grant this petition, the selfish Anglo-Irish barons persuaded them that it would do great injuiy to the country, and so prevented it; for it was their interest that the Irish should be regarded as enemies, and that the country should be in a per- petual state of disturbance. But there were also direct attempts made to keep the English and Irish people asunder, especially by a law known as the *' Statute of Kilkenny," which was brought about in this way. King Edward III., when he was made aware of the critical state of the colony, as described on p. 164, resolved to send over his third son Lionel, afterwards duke of Clarence, as lord lieu- tenant. This young prince had married Elizabeth, the only child of the Brown Earl of Ulster, who had been murdered, and in her right had become earl of Ulster and lord of Connaught. But he was a most unsuitable person to have the government of the country in his CHAP. XXni.] THE STATUTE OF KILKENNY. 1G7 hands, for lie had an insane hatred of the Irish, whether of native or English blood. With a force of 1500. trained soldiers he came to Ireland in 1361, but in his expeditions against the natives he was very un- successful : and twice afterwards he came as lord lieutenant, in 1364 and 1367. After this experience he became convinced that it was impossible ever to subdue the Irish and bring them under English rule ; and he seemed to think that all the evils of the country arose from the intercourse of the colonists with them. This state of things he attempted to A.T). 136? remedy by an act which he caused to bo passed by a parliament held in Kilkenny, and which he imagined would be the means of saving the colony fi^om destruction. *' The Statute of Kilkenny" was intended to apply only to the English, and was fi'amed entii'ely in their in- terests. Its chief aim was to withdi'aw them fi'om all contact with the *' Irish enemies," as the natives are designated all through the act; to separate the two races for evermore. According to this law, intermarriage, fosterage, gossi- pred, traffic, and close relations of any kind with the Irish were forbidden as high treason : — punishment, death. If any man took a name after the Irish fashion, used the Irish language or dress, rode a horse without a saddle, or adopted any other Irish custom, all his lands and houses were forfeited, and he himself was put into jail till he could find security that he would comply with the law. The Irish li\dng among the English were forbidden to use the Irish language under the same penalty : that is, they were commanded to speak English, a language they did not know. To use the 168 A child's nrsToRY of ieeland. [chap. xxin. Erehon law — as many of tlie English, both high and low, were now doing — or to exact coyne and liveiy was treason. 1^0 Englishman was to make war on the Irish with- out the special permission of the government, who would carry on all such wars, "so that," as the Act expresses it, ''the Irish enemies shall not be admitted to peace until they be finally destroyed or shall make restitution fully of the costs and charges of that war." 1^0 native Irish clergyman was to be appointed to any position in the chui'ch within the English district, and no Irishman was to be received into any English religious house in Ireland. It was forbidden to receive or entertain Lish bards, pipers, story-tellers, or mowers, because, as the Act said, these and such like often came as spies on the English. But this new law, designed to effect so much, was found to be impracticable, and became after a little while a dead letter. It would require a gi^eat army to enable the governor to carry it out: and he had no such army. Coyne and livery continued to be exacted from the colonists by the three great earls, Kildare, Desmond, and Ormond ; and the Irish and English went on intermarrying, gossiping, fosteiing, di-essing, speaking Irish, riding horse without saddle, and quarrel- ling on their own account, just the same as before. The reign of Edward III. was a glorious one for England abroad, but was disastrous to the English dominion in Ireland. Great battles were fought and won for the Erench possessions : while Ireland, which was more important than all the Erench possessions put together, was neglected. At the very time of the battle of Cressy, the Irish settlement had been almost wiped CHAr. XXIV.] ART MAC MTJRROGH KAVANAGH. IGO out of existence : the Englisli power did not extend beyond the Pale, which now included only four counties round Dublin ; for the three gi^eat earls of Kildare, Desmond, and Ormond acted as independent princes, and made no acknowledgment of the authority of the English king. If one-half of the care and energy expended uselessly in France had been directed to Ireland, the country could have been easily pacified and compacted into one great empire with England. CHAPTER XXIY. ART MAC MTJRROGH KAVANAGH. (Richard II. (1377 to 1399). A.D. 1377-1417 Henry IV. (1399 to 1413). (Henry V.(i4i3) HE man that gave most trouble to the English during the reigns of Richard II. and Henry lY. was Art Mac MuiTOgh Kavanagh, the renowned king of Leinster. He was elected king in 1375, when he was only eighteen years of age. Soon afterwards he mamed the daughter of Maurice Eitzgerald fourth earl of Kildare ; whereupon the English authorities seized the lady's vast estates, inasmuch as she had violated the Statute of Kilkenny by mariying a mere Irishman (p. 167). In addition to this, his black rent— eighty marks a year — was for some reason stopped, a little time after the accession of Richard II. Exasperated by these proceedings, he devastated and 'burned many districts in Leinster, till the Dublin council were at last forced to pay him his black rent. This rent continued 170 A CniLD^S HISTORY OF IIIKI.AXD. [ciIAP. XXIV. to bo paid to liis descendants by the Irisli government till the time of Henry YIII. Meantime Ireland had been going from bad to worse ; and at last King Eichard II. resolved to come hither himself with an overwhelming force, hoping thereby to overawe the whole country into submission and quiet- ness. He made great preparations for A.D. 1394 this expedition ; and on the 2nd October, attended by many of the English nobles, he landed at Waterford with an army of 34,000 men, the largest force ever yet brought to the shores of Ireland. As soon as Mac Murrogh heard of this, far from showing any signs of fear, he swept down on Xew Eoss, then a flomishing English settlement strongly walled, bui'ned the town, and brought away a vast quantity of booty. And when the king and his army marched north from Waterford to Dublin, he harassed them on the way after his usual skilful fashion, attacking them from the woods and bogs and cutting off great numbers. Eut the Irish chiefs saw that they could not resist the king's great army ; and accordingly most of them — about 75 altogether — including Mac MuiTOgh the most dreaded of all — came forward and made submission. They were afterwards invited to Dublin, where they were feasted in great state for several days by the king, who knighted the four provincial kings, O'Neill of Ulster, 0' Conor of Connaught, Mac MuiTogh of Leinster, and O'Erien of Thomond. King Eichard, though shallow and weak-minded, had sense enough to perceive the chief causes of the evils that afflicted Ireland. In a letter to the. duke of York, the English regent, he describes the Irish people as of eaAt. XXIY.] AET MAC MTJKROGH KATAXAGS. 171 three classes: — Irish savages or enemies, who were out- side the law (p. 165) ; Irish rebels, i.e. colonists who had once obeyed the law but were now in rebellion; and English subjects : and he says the rebels were driven to revolt by injustice and ill-usage. But this magnificent expedition, which cost an immense sum of money, produced no useful result what- ever. It did not increase the king's revenue or the number of loyal subjects ; and it did not enlarge the English teiTitory by a single acre. As for the submis- sion and reconciliation of the Irish chiefs, it was all pui^e sham. They did not look upon King Richard as their lawful sovereign ; and as the promises they had made had been extorted by force, they did not consider themselves bound to keep them. After a stay of nine months the king was obliged to return to England, leaving as his deputy his cousin young Eoger Mortimer earl of March, who, as Eichard had no children, was heir to the throne of England. Scarcely had he left sight of land when the chiefs one and all renounced their allegiance, and the fighting went on again ; till at last, in a battle fought at Kells in Kilkenny in 1397, against the Leinster clans, amongst them a large contingent of Mac MuiTogh's kern, the English suffered a great overthi'ow, and Mortimer was slain. When news of this calamity reached the king, he was greatly enraged, and foolishly resolved on a second expedition to Ireland, in order as he said, to avenge the death of his cousin, and especially to chastise Mac Murrogh. Another army was got together A.D. 1399 quite as numerous as the former one. In the middle of May the king landed with his army at AVaterford, and after a short stay there lie marched to Kilkenny on his way to Dublin. But 172 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XXlY. instead of continuing his march on the open level country, he turned to the right towards the Wicklow highlands to attack Mac MuiTOgh : and here his trouhles began. Muking their way slowly and toilsomely through the hills, the English at length descried the Leinster army under Mac MuiTogh, about 3000 in number, high up on Richard II. knig^hting young Henry of Lancaster. From the Contempo- rary (illuminated) MS. 1399, by the Frenchman spoken of in the text (next page) Reproduced in Gilbert's " Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS.," from which this illustration was photographed. a mountain side, coolly looking down on them, with impassable woods between. Having waited for some time, vainly hoping to be attacked, the king had the adjacent villages and houses burned down : and while they were blazing he knighted Henry of Lancaster, then a lad of thirteen, afterwards the great King Henry Y. CHAP. XXIT.] ART MAC MFEEOGH KATAXAGH. 1 73 of England. Getting together 2500 of the inhabitants, whose houses he had destroyed, he caused them to cut a way for his army thi^ough the woods, and then pushed on, determined to overwhelm the little body of moun- taineers. But he was soon beset with difficulties of all kinds, bogs, fallen trees, hidden gullies, and quagmires in which the soldiers sank up to their middle. And all this time flying parties of the Irish continually darted out fi'om the woods on every side, flinging their lances with terrible force and precision which no armour could withstand, and cutting off foraging parties and stragglers. All this is described in verse by a French gentleman who accompanied the expedition ; and he goes on to say that after each attack the Irish disappeared into the woods, '' so nimble and swift of foot that like unto stags they run over mountains and valleys, whereby we received great annoyance and damage." In this dire strait the army made their way across hill, moor, and valley, never able to overtake the main body of Mac Murrogh's mountaineers, who continually retired before them. The weather was bad : no pro- visions could be procui^ed, for there was nothing but bog and moor all round ; and besides those that fell by the Irish, great numbers of the men — and of the horses too — were perishing from hunger, rain, and storm. At the end of eleven days of toil and suffering, they came in sight of the sea, somewhere on the south part of the AYicklow coast. Here they found three ships which had been sent from Dublin laden with provisions, and the starving multitude rushed down to the shore and into the water, struggling and fighting for every morsel of food. The timely arrival of these ships saved the army from destruction, l^ext day they resumed march, moving now along the coast towards Dublin; while 174 A CniLP'S niSTOEY OF IHELAND. [CHAP. XXIV. flying parties of tlio Irish hung on thcii rear and hai-assed their retreat, never giving them an hour's rest Ships relieving; army. From the Contemporary MS. mentioned in last illus- tration. Reproduced in Gilbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS.," from which this illustration was photographed. But now Mac Murrogh sent word that he wished to come to terms. '' This news," says the Frenchman, " brought much joy unto the English camp, every man being weary of toil and desii'ous of rest " : and the young earl of Gloucester was despatched by the king to confer with him. "When the party of English had come to the place of conference, Mac MuiTogh was seen descending a moun- tain-side between two woods, accompanied by a multi- tude of followers. He rode, without saddle, a noble horse that had cost him four hundi'ed cows, and he CHAP. XXIY.J ART MAC MURROGH KAVANAGH. 175 galloped like the wind down the face of the hill : 'Hk.piA^an.\ ^o— Signature (in 1574) of Garrett Fitz Gerald, earl of Desmond : "Gerot Desmond. From GUbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." About this time or a little pre\dously, the English government had some intention to colonise a large part of Ireland : and although they tried to keep the matter secret, it leaked out, and alarming rumoui^s went among the chiefs and people, both native and Anglo-Irish. Another disquieting circumstance was that the Irish government in Dublin had been taking active steps to force the EefoiTaation among Catholics. At last matters were brought to a crisis by the arrest of the earl of Desmond and John Fitzgerald. James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, the earl's first cousin, now went among the southern chiefs, and induced them all, both native Irish and Anglo-Irish, to unite in defence of their religion and their lands : and thus was formed the Second Geraldine League (p. 205). Thus also arose the Geraldine rebellion. When Sydney heard of these alarming proceedings ^22 A guild's uisTouY OF iup:land. [chap, xxxii. he made aiiotlier journey soutli with his araiy, in 1569, during which he and his officers acted with gi-eat severity. This circuit of Sydney's went a good way to break up the confederacy ; many of the leaders were terrified into submission ; and at length, A.D. 1573 after a hopeless struggle, Titzmaurice was forced to submit. On this, as the rebel- lion was considered at an end, the earl and his brother were released, and retiu^ned home. Fitzmaurice fled to France after his submission, and for about six years there was quietness ; but at the end of that tijne he returned with three ships, which he had procured in Spain, accompanied by about A.D. 1579 eighty Spaniards, and landed in Keny, where he was joined by Desmond's bro- thers, John and James Fitzgerald. Immediately the lord justice sent Sir Heniy Davells and Arthur Carter to the earl of Desmond, directing him to attack the Spaniards ; but as they were returning, John Fitzgerald forced his way at night into their inn in Tralee and murdered them both in their beds, a crime calculated to bring discredit and ruin on any cause. The little invading force was soon scattered, and Fitzmaui'ice was killed in a skii-mish; on which John Fitzgerald took command of the Munster insui'gents. The earl of Desmond had hitherto held aloof ; but the studied ill-grained harshness of the lord justice. Sir William Pelham, at last forced him to join the rebellion ; at which the queen was much displeased. The frightful civil war broke out now more ruth- lessly than before, and brought the country to such a state as had never yet been witnessed. Several hostile bands belonging to both sides traversed the countiy for months, destroying everything and wreaking vengeance CHAP. XXXII.] THE GERALDINE REBELLION. 223 on the weak and defenceless, but never meeting, or trying to meet, in battle. At Christmas, 1579, Des- mond utterly ruined the rich and prosperous town of Youghal, which belonged to the party of his opponents, leaving not even one house fit to live in; but in his marches thi'ough those parts of the country belonging to the English he did not kill the inhabitants. !N'ot so with the government commanders, Pelham and Or- mond : they carried fire and sword through the countiy ; and Pelham himself tells us that every day, in their marches, they hunted the peasantry fleeing with their families thi'ough the woods, and killed them by hun- di'eds. Por the rebels it was a losing game all through. James Pitzgerald was captured and executed : and a little later on, his brother John was intercepted and killed. AATiile Pelham and Ormond still continued to tra- verse Munster, burning, destroying, and slaying, from Limerick to the remote extremities of the Kerry penin- sulas, the insurrection suddenly blazed up in Leinster. About two years before this. Sir Hemy Sydney, the lord deputy, had excited great discontent and violent commotion among the loyalist people of the Pale, by im- posing on them an oppressive tax without consulting the Irish parliament, a proceeding which was quite illegal ; and partly for this reason, and partly on account of the measui'es taken by government to force the Reforma- tion, one of the princij^al men among them, James Eustace, Viscount Baltinglass, and his people, rose up in open rebellion. Just at this time, Lord Grey of Wilton was appointed lord justice ; and no sooner had he landed in Lublin than he marched into "\Yicklow to put down this new rebellion. But he was a bad general, and incautiously led his army in pursuit oi. ^24 A child's history of IHELAND. [cHAI'. XXXII. the rebel forces into the wooded and dangerous defile of Glenmidure, where he was suddenly A.D. 1580 attacked by viscount Baltinglass and by the great Wicklow chief, Fiach Mac Hugh O'Ep'ne ; and his army was almost annihilated. Glenmalure : from " Cromwell's Tours." Drawn by Petrie. The insui^gents had long expected aid from the Con- tinent, and a small force at length arrived : 700 Spaniards and Italians landed about the 1st October 1580, from foui' vessels at Smerwick in Keny. They took possession of an old fort beside the sea, called Dunanore, and proceeded to fortify it. After about six weeks spent in collecting forces, Lord Grey, bm-ning with rage after his defeat at Glenmalui'e, laid siege to the fort, and battered it with cannon till the gamson was forced to surrender. The Irish authorities assert that they had promise of their lives : the English say they surrendered at discretion. At any rate, as soon as they had delivered up their arms, Grey had the whole CHAP. XXXII. J THE GERALDIXE EEBELLION. 225 garrison massacred. This deed of hoiTor caused great indignatiou all over England as well as on the Continent, and brought upon Grey the displeasure of the queen. During the next year, he and his officers A.D. 1581 carried on the war with relentless bar- barity; till at length it began to be felt that instead of quieting the country he was rather fanning rebellion. The queen was as suited that his proceedings had left in Ireland little more for her majesty to reign over but carcases and ashes : and she recalled him in 1582. Things had come to a hopeless pass with the rebels. And now the great earl of Desmond, the master of almost an entii'e province, the inheritor of vast estates, and the owner of numerous castles, was become a homeless outlaw with a price on his head, dogged by spies everywhere, and hunted from one hiding place to another. Through all his weary wander- ings he was accompanied by his faithful wife, who never left him, except a few times when she went to intercede for him. On one of these occasions she sought an interview with Pelham himielf, and on her knees implored mercy for her husband ; but her tears and entreaties were all in vain. Once in the depth of winter a plan was laid to capture him. The soldiers led by the spy had actually arrived by night at the hut where he was hiding, when he heard the noise of footsteps, and he and the countess rushed out in the darkness, and plunging into the river that flowed close by, con- cealed themselves under a bank, with only theii' heads over the water, till the party had left. Another time, he and his company of sixty galloglasses were sui-prised in the glen of Aherlow while cooking part of a horse for their dinner. Many of the galloglasses were killed Q 226 A child's niSTOEY OF lilELAND. [CHAP. XXXII. while defending their master: twenty were captured and executed on the spot, and the others, with the earl and countess, escaped. He was at A.D. 1583 length taken and killed by some soldiers and peasants in Kerry, which ended the great Geraldine rebellion. The war had made Munster a desert. In the words of the Four Masters: — "The lowing of a cow or the Toice of a ploughman could scarcely be heard from Dun- queen in the west of Kerry to Cashel." To what a frightful pass the wi'etched people had been brought may be gathered fi'om Edmund Spenser's description of what he witnessed with his own eyes: — " IS'otwith- standing that the same [province of Munster] was a most rich and plentiful countrey, full of corne and cattle, yet ere one yeare and a halfe the people were brought to such wretchedness as that any stony hart would have rued the same. Out of every corner of the woods and glynnes they came creeping forth upon their hands, for their legges could not beare them, and if they found a plot of watercresses or shamrocks there they flocked as to a feast for the time : that in short space of time there were almost no people left, and a most populous and plentifull country suddainely left voide of man and beast." m Sculpture on a Capital of the Church of the Monastery, Glendalough. Beranger, i;;; From Petrie's " Round Towers," 258. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE PLANTATIONS. EFOEE proceeding fiuilier mth our regular narrative, it is necessary that we here tui-n "back a little in point of time, in order to trace the history of the Planta- tions, and to describe what they were and how they were carried out. In the time of Queen Mary, an entire change was made in the mode of dealing with Irish territories whose chiefs had been subdued. Hitherto whenever the government deposed or banished a troublesome Irish chief, they contented themselves with putting in his place another, commonly English or Anglo-Irish, more likely to be submissive, while the general body of occupiers remained undistui'bed. But now when a rebellious chief was reduced, the lands, not merely those in his own possession, but also those belonging to the whole of the people over whom he ruled, were confiscated, that is, seized by the crown, and given to English adventurers — undertakers as they were commonly called. These men got the lands on condition that they should biing over, and plant on them, a number of English or Scotch settlers; for whom it was of course necessary to clear off the native ^2 228 A IIIILd's niSTOKY OF lUELANI). [cUAP. XXXIII. population. What became of the doomed people no one cared. Some went away quietly and faced hardship aud want. But others refused to give up their homes, and then there was fighting and bloodshed, as will be seen as we go along. Oiu' fii'st example of this kind of colonisation occuiTed in Leix and Offaly, from which their two chiefs O'Moore and O'Conor had been banished in 1547, immediately after the death of King Henry. These two districts were, in the fii'st instance, not exactly taken possession of by the crown, but given directly to an EngKshman named Francis Bryan and to some others, who proceeded straightway to expel the native people and parcel out the lands to new tenants, chiefly English. But the poor people clung to their homes and struggled hard to retain them. The fighting went on dui^ing the whole of the reign of Edward YI. with great loss of life to both sides ; and the settlement, exposed to the constant vengeful attacks of those who had been dispossessed, decayed year by year. As this attempt at plantation did not succeed, the whole district was taken possession of by the crown in the reign of Queen Mary, and replanted. The natives still resisted ; but they had now the full strength of the government forces to contend with ; and a pitiless war of extermination went on for many years, till the original owners and peasantry were as a body almost completely banished or extirpated. But this settlement never suc- ceeded: and the natives gradually crept back till in course of time they in great measui-e absorbed the settlers, as happened in older times (p. 162). After the death of Shane O'JS'eill, more than half of Ulster was confiscated ; and the attempt to clear off the old natives and plant new settlers was commenced CHAP. XXXni.] THE PLANTATIONS. 229 without delay. In 1570 the peninsula of Arclcs in Down was granted to the queen's secretary Sir Thomas Smith, who sent his son with a colony to take possession. But this attempt at plantation was a failure too ; for the owners, the O'j^eills of Clannaboy, not feeling inclined to part with their homes without a struggle, attacked and killed the young undertaker in 1573. The next undertaker was a more important man, Walter Devereux earl of Essex. In 1573 he undertook to plant the district now occupied by the county Antrim, together with the island of Eathlin. He waged savage war on the natives, killing them wherever he could find them, burning their corn and depopulating the country to the best of his ability by sword and starvation. He treache- rously seized young O'Donnell of Tirconnell and Brian O'j^eill chief of Clannaboy, and sent them prisoners to Dublin, having fii'st caused two hundred of O'j^eill's people to be killed at a banquet to which he had in- vited them. And he hunted down and massacred many hundreds of the Scots of Clannaboy and of Eathlin Island, all without distinction, men, women, and children, to gain possession of their lands. Yet after all this fearful work, he failed in the end and re- turned to Dublin, where he died. On the suppression of the Geraldine rebellion, the vast estates of the earl of Desmond, and those of 140 of the leading gentlemen of Munster, A.D. 1585 his adherents, were confiscated by a par- liament held in Dublin. In the follow- ing year proclamation was made all through England, inviting gentlemen to "undertake" the plantation of this great and rich territory. Estates were offered at two pence or three pence an acre, and no rent at all was to be paid for the first five years. Every 230 child's niSTORY OF IRELAND. [cilAl*. XXXJII, undertaker wlio took 12,000 acres was to settle eighty- six English families as tenants on his property, but no Irish; and so in pro2)ortion for smaller estates down to 4000 acres. Many of the gi-eat undertakers were absentees: English noblemen who never saw Ireland. Of those who came over to settle down on their estates, two are well known. Sir AYalter Raleigh got 42,000 acres in Cork and Waterford, and resided in Youghal, where Raleigh's House. From "Kilkenny Archaeological Journal," 1856-7. his house is still to be seen. Edmund Spenser the poet received 12,000 acres in Cork, and took up his residence in one of Desmond's strongholds, Kilcolman Castle, the ruin of which, near Buttevant, is still an object of interest to visitors. In the most important particulars, however, this great scheme turned out a failure. The English farmers and artisans did not come over in sufficient numbers ; and the undertakers received the native Irish CHAP. XXXIII.] THE PLANTATIONS. 231 everywhere as tenants, in violation of the conditions. Some English came over indeed; bnt they were so harassed and frightened by the continual onslaughts of the dispossessed proprietors and tenants, that many of them retui^ned to England. And lastly, more than half the confiscated estates remained in possession of the ^immmmm'mm Kilcolman Castle. From " Cork Historical and Archaeological Society's Journal. original owners, as no others could be found to take them. So the only result of this plantation was to root out a large proportion of the old gentry, and to emich a few undertakers. There were many other Plantations during these times and subsequently, some of which will be described farther on; but all of them resembled, in their main features, those sketched here. From beginning to end they were the cause of frightful bloodshed and misery to both natives and settlers ; and they left to posterity a disastrous legacy of hatred and strife. m "® enMl^rfi^ J ^^ ^^ffl^'^^Sig) Ornament, with Inscription, on the cover of the " Misach," an ancient reliquary belonging to Inishowen. From Miss Stokes's *' Christian Inscriptions," ii. 102. CHAPTER XXXIY. HUGH EOE DONNELL. A.D. 1584-1592— Elizabeth. \iE JoHx Peeeott, a brave bluff old soldier, was lord deputy from 1584 to 1588. He treated the Irish with some consideration, much against the wishes of his Dublin council, many of whom were his bitter enemies. Yet his action was not always straight, as the following naiTative will show. Fearing hostilities with Spain, where the Annada was at this time in preparation, he had already secured hostages from many of the Irish chiefs, but none fi'om the O'Donnells whom he feared most of all. In this strait he bethought him of a treacherous plan to seize either Sir Hugh O'Donnell or his son and heir. Sir Hugh O'Donnell chief of Tii'connell had a son Hugh, commonly known as Hugh Eoe (the Red), who was bom in 1572, and who was now — 1587 — in his fifteenth year. Even already at that early age, he was remarked for his great abilities and for his aspiring and ambitious disposition. " The fame and renown of the above-named youth, Hugh Roe," say the Foui' Masters, " had spread throughout the five provinces of Ireland even before he had come to the age of manhood, for his CHAP. XXXIV.] HUGH ROE o'dONNELL. 233 wisdom, sagacity, goodly growth, and noble deeds ; and the English feared that if he should be permitted to arrive at the age of manhood, he and the earl of Tyi'one [Hugh 0']*^eill his brother-in-law] might combine and conquer the whole island." Perrott's plan for entrapping young Eed Hugh was skilfully concocted and well carried out. In the autumn of 1587 he sent a merchant vessel laden with Spanish wines to the coast of Donegal on pretence of traffic. The captain entered Lough Swilly and anchored opposite the castle of Eathmullan, where the boy lived with his foster-father Mac Sweeny. When Mac Sweeny heard of the arrival of the ship, he sent to purchase some wine. The messengers were told that no moi'e was left to sell ; but that if any gentlemen wished to come on board they were quite welcome to drink as much as they pleased. The bait took. A party of the Mac Sweenys, accompanied by Hugh, un- suspectingly went on board. The captain had previously call^ in all his men; and while the company were enjoying themselves, their amis were quietly removed, the hatchway door was closed down, and the ship weighed anchor. "VYhen the people on shore observed this, they were filled with consternation, and flocked to the beach ; but they were quite helpless, for they had no boats ready. jS'either was it of any avail when Mac Sweeny rushed to the point of shore nearest the ship, and cried out in the anguish of his heart, offering any amount of ransom and hostages. Young Hugh O'Don- nell was brought to Dublin, and safely lodged in the Castle. This dishonourable and unwise transaction, however, so far from tending to peace, as Perrott no doubt intended, did the very reverse. It made bitter enemies 2o4 A CIIILd's itlSTORY OP IlllOLANl). [cilAl'. X.XXIV. of the O'Donnells, who had been hitherto for genera- tions on the side of the government. In young O'Don- nell himself more especially, it engendered lifelong feelings of exasperation and hatred ; and it was one of the causes of the O'jSTeill rebellion, which brought unmeasured woe and disaster to both English and Irish. Three years and three months passed away : Perrott had been recalled, and Sir William Fitzwilliam was now lord deputy; when O'Donnell, in concert with some of his fellow-prisoners, made an attempt to escape. Round the castle there was a deep ditch filled with water, across which was a wooden foot-bridge opposite A.D. 1590 the door of the fortress. Early one dark winter's evening, before the guard had been set, they let themselves down on the bridge by a long rope, and immediately fastened the door on the outside. They were met on the bridge by a young man of Hugh's people with two swords, one of which Hugh took, the other was given to Art Kavanagh, a brave young Leinster chief who had been O'Donnell's com- panion in bondage. They made their way noiselessly through the people along the dimly lighted streets, guided by the young man, while Kavanagh brought up the rear with sword grasped ready in case of interrup- tion. Passing out thi^ough one of the city gates which had not yet been closed for the night, they crossed the country towards the hills, avoiding the public road, and made their way over that slope of the Three Rock Mountain overlooking Stillorgan and the sea. They pushed on till far in the night; when being at last quite worn out, they took shelter in a thick wood, somewhere near the present village of Roundwood, in Wicklow, where they remained hidden during the CHAP. XXXIV.] HUGH KOE o'dONNELL. 235 remainder of the night. jS'ext morning O'Donnell was so fatigued that he was not able to keep up with his companions ; for the thin shoes he wore had fallen in pieces with wet, and his feet were torn and bleeding from shai-p stones and thorns. So, veiy unwillingly, his companions left him in a wood and piu'sued their joiu'ney, all but one servant who went for aid to Castle- kevin, a little way off, near the mouth of Glendalough, Castlekevin and Glendalough. From "Cromwell's Tours." Drawn by Petrie. where lived Felim 0' Toole, one of Hugh's fiiends, who at once took steps for his relief. Now to return to Dublin Castle. ]S"ot long after the captives had left, the guards, going to lock them up in their cells for the night, missed them, and instantly raising an alarm, rushed to the door ; but finding them- selves shut in, they shouted to the people in the houses 236 A child's niSTOKY OF IKKLANl). [cUAP. XXXlV. at the otlicr side of the street, who removed the fasten- ing of the door and released them. They were not able to overtake the fugitives, who had too much of a start, but they traced them all the way to the hiding-place. 0' Toole now saw that his friend could no longer be concealed, for the soldiers had actually surrounded the wood; and making a virtue of necessity, he and his people arrested him and brought him back to Dublin. The council were delighted at his captui-e ; and for the better seciuity in the future they shackled him and his companions in the prison with heavy iron fetters. Another weaiy year passed away. On Christmas night, before supper time, Hugh and his A.D. 1591 two companions, Heniy and Art O'JS'eill, the sons of the great rebel Shane O'I's'eill, who were also in the prison, cut through their iron fetters with a file which had somehow been conveyed to them, and let themselves down on the bridge by a long silken rope which had been sent in with the file.* They crept through the common sewer of the castle, and, making their way across the ditch, were met at the other side by a guide sent by Fiach Mac Hugh O'Eyrne of Glenmalure. They glided through the dim streets, as in their former attempt at escape, the people taking no notice of them ; and passing out at one of the city gates which had not been closed, they made their way across the country ; but in this part of their course they lost Henry O'iS'eill in the darkness. Greatly distressed at this, they still pressed on ; but they found it hard to * There is good reason to believe that the deputy Fitzwilliam, wlio was a very avaricious man, was bribed by Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone, to secretly permit O'Donnell to escape. CHAP. XXXIV.] HUGH ROE o'dOjN^NELL. 237 travel and sufferecl keenly from cold ; for rain and sleet fell thick, and they had thi'own aside their soiled outer mantles after leaving the castle. They crossed the hills, shaping their way this time, it would appear, more to the west, up by Killakee and along the coui'se of the present military road. But Art O'jS'eill, who had grown corpulent in his prison for want of exercise, was unable to keep pace with the others : and Hugh and the attendant had to help him on at intervals by walking one on each side, while he rested his arms on their shoulders. In this manner they toiled on wearily across the snowy waste through the whole of that Chiistmas night and the whole of next day, without food, hoping to be able to reach Glenmalure, O'Byrne's home, without a halt. But they became at last so worn out with fatigue and hunger, that they had to give up and take shelter under a high rock, while the servant ran on to O'Byi'ue's Castle for help. Fiach instantly despatched a small party with a supply of food, but found the two young men lying under the rock to all appearance dead: — "Unhappy and miserable," wiite the Pour Masters, " was the condition [of the young chiefs] on theii* arrival. Their bodies were covered over with white- bordered shrouds of hailstones freezing around them, and their light clothes and fine-threaded shirts adhered to their skin, and their large shoes and leather thongs to their legs and feet : so that it did not appear to the men who had arrived that they were human beings at all, but like masses of earth covered with snow ; and when they lifted them up, they found scarce any life in them." They tried to make the unhappy suJ^erers take food and diink, but neither food nor di'ink could they 238 A CIIIT.d's niSTOKY OF IRELAND. [cHAP. XXX IT. swallow ; aiul wliile the men were tenderly nursing them, Art O'Neill died in their arms. And there they buried him under the shadow of the rock. Hugh being hardier, however, fared better : after some time he was able to swallow a little ale, and his strength began to return. But his feet still remained frozen and dead, so that he could not stand : and when he had sufficiently recovered, the men carried him on their shoulders to Glenmalure. Here he was placed in a secluded cottage, where he remained for a time under cm-e, till a young chief named Tuiiogh O'Hagan, a trusty messenger from Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone, came for him. Meantime, the council hearing that O'Donnell was in Glenmalui'e with O'Byi-ne, placed guards on the fords of the LiSey to prevent him fi'om passing north- wards to Ulster. Nevertheless, as O'Neill's message was urgent, O'Donnell, though weak and su:ffering, set out with the messenger, accompanied by a troop of horse sent by 0' Byrne as a guard : but his feet were still so helpless that he had to be lifted on and off his horse. They crossed the Liffey at a deep and dangerous ford just beside Dublin, which had been left unguarded. Here O'Byi-ne's escort left them ; and from Dublin they made their way northwards, attended by Felim 0' Toole and his brother, who had accompanied the party fi^om Glenmalui'e. Having escorted them to a safe distance beyond Dublin, the O'Tooles *' bade Hugh farewell, and having given him their blessing, departed fi'om him." There were now only two, O'Donnell himself and O'Hagan, and they rode on till they reached the Boyne a little above Drogheda : here they crossed in a boat, while the ferryman brought the horses round by the CHAP. XXXIV.] HUGH EOE o'dONNELL. 239 town. They next reached Mellifont, where resided a fi'iend, Sir Garrett Moore, a young Englishman, with whom they remained for the night ; and in the evening of the following day set off with a fresh pair of horses. They arrived at Dundalk by morning. Having been made aware that all the ordinary roads and passes were guarded, for news of Hugh's flight had reached Dun- dalk from Dublin, they took the bold com-se of riding into the town, passing through in open day with- out attracting any notice or exciting suspicion: and they next reached the residence of Hugh 0';N"eiirs half brother, chief of the Fews in Ai'magh. Next day they came to the city of Armagh, where they remained in concealment for one night. The following day they reached the house of Earl Hugh O'Xeill at Dungannon, where O'Donnell rested for foui' days ; but secretly, for O'Neill was still in the queen's service (see page 241). The earl sent him with a troop of horse as an escort to Enniskillen Castle, the residence of O'Donnell's cousin Maguire of Fermanagh, who rowed him down Lough Erne, at the far shore of which he was met by a party of his own people. With these he arrived at his father's castle at Ballyshannon, where he was welcomed with unbounded joy. Here he remained under cure for two months. The physicians had at last to ampu- tate his two great toes ; and a whole year passed away before he had fully recovered fi'om the effects of that one terrible winter night in the mountains. In May this year, 1592, a general meeting of the Kinel-Connell was convened ; and Sir Hugh O'Donnell, who was old and feeble, ha\ang resigned the chieftain- ship, young Hugh Roe — now in his twentieth year — was elected The O'Donnell, chief of his race. Ornament on top of Dcvcnibh Round Tower. From Petrie's " Round Towers," 400. CHAPTER XXXV. THE REBELLION OF HUGH NEILL. A.D. 1585-1597. -Elizabeth. baron of Dimgannon had two of whom the younger, Hugh O'^N^eill, succeeded to the title when yery young, after the death of his father and brother. He was born about 1545 and was educated among the English, his father having been, always on the side of the government ; and he began his military life in the queen's service as com- mander of a troop of horse. He is described by the contemporary English historian Moryson as "Of a medium stature but a strong body, able to endure labours, watching, and hard fare, being withal in- dustrious and active, valiant, affable, and fit to manage great affairs, and of a high, dissembling, subtile, and profound wit." The Irish parliament of 1585 (see page 229) made him earl of Tyrone in succession to his (reputed) grandfather. Earl Conn O'ls^eill (p. 214), but they had no power to give him the land inherit- ance, the former patrimony of the O'Xeills ; as it had been confiscated after the death of Shane the Proud. This, however, was granted to him by the queen, on the condition that he should give up 240 acres on the Blackwater as a site for a fort. This fort was built CHAP. XXXV.] EEBELLION" OF HUGH o'NEILL. 241 soon afterwards and called Portmore ; and it was kept garrisoned with English troops ; for it was considered very important, as it commanded a ford on the river, which was the usual pass from Ai'magh into Tyrone, O'lSTeill's territory. The site of the fort is now marked by the village of Blackwatertown. Kot long after this, the earl and Mabel Bagenal, sister of Sir Heniy Bagenal, marshal or military com- mander of Ireland, wished to be married; for O'jS'eiirs first wife, Eed Hugh O'Donnell's sister, was at this time dead. But Bagenal bitterly opposed the match, and sent the lady out of the way, to the house of his sister in Dublin, whither O'Neill followed her ; and they were married in the house of a friend at Drum- condi'a. The marshal fi'om that day forth was O'T^eill's deadly enemy; and he kept the lady's fortune, £1000, (about £12,000 of our money) which her father had left her. In 1593 the government made O'JN'eill master of all Tp'one. But his movements were now considered sus- picious, and the queen and government were greatly puzzled how to deal with him ; for he was continually drilling his men ; and he brought home vast quantities of lead to roof his new house at Dungannon, which it was reported was not intended for roofs but for bullets. He secui'ed the friendship of the most powerful of the Ulster chiefs ; and we have seen how he aided young O'Donnell to escape from Dublin castle, a matter which was very well known to the authorities. Still he was in the queen's service, and in this same year, 1593, he fought with deputy Fitzwilliam against O'Euarc, who had been goaded into rebellion by the sheriff of Fennanagh. In 1594 Fitzwilliam took Maguire's castle at Enniskillen. But Maguire and O'Donnell besieged 242 A child's history op Ireland, [chap. xxxv. it immediately after ; and wlien the deputy sent forces to relieve the garrison, they were intercepted at a ford near Enniskillen by Maguire and O'Neill's brother Cormac, and defeated. In their flight they abandoned Enniskillen Castle in or about 1600. From Speed's Map of Ireland. all the provisions intended for the garrison ; so that the place got the name of Bellanabriska, the A.D. 1594 ford of the biscuits ; after which the gaxTison at Enniskillen siu'rendered the castle to Maguire, who sent them away unharmed and under protection to a place of safety. But no one could tell whether or not it was with O'Neill's consent his brother had joined Maguire. The friendly relations between the earl and the srovernmcnt raav be said to have ended with the close of CHAP. XXXV.] REBELLION OF HTTGH o'nEILL. 243 the year 1594. Up to this it does not appear that he had any intention of rebelling ; for though maintaining his rights, he endeavoured to avoid displeasing the authorities. But he was continually harassed by the untiring enmity of Marshal Bagenal, who intercepted many of his letters of submission and explanation to the deputy : and this and his determination to regain all the ancestral power of his family in Ulster gradually di'ew him into rebellion. There were now many alarming signs and rumours of coming disturbance ; and at the request of the deputy a force of 3000 troops was sent over from England early in 1595, under the command of Sir John jS'orris presi- dent of Munster, an officer of great ability and expe- rience, on whom was conferred the title of ''Lord Ganeral." O'jS'eill evidently regarded this movement as the first step towards the subjugation of the whole country, including his own province of Ulster ; and he decided on immediate action. His young brother Art seized Portmore ; and he himself plundered the English settlements of Cavan. He next, in the same year, laid siege to Monaghan and reduced its English garrison to great distress. Is'' orris and his brother Sir Thomas managed to reach the town with a store of provisions, with- A.D. 1595 out meeting with any opposition; but on their return march to iS'ewiy, they found O'JN'eill with his army drawn up on the far bank of a small stream at Clontibret, six miles from Monaghan. After a brave contest the English were defeated ; the two Norrises were severely wounded : and O'jS'eill him- self slew in smgle combat a gigantic officer named Segi'ave, who had attacked and attempted to crush him by main strength. e2 244 A child's history of Ireland. [cnAr. xxxv. In midsummer of this year (1595) Lord general Norris marched north, determined to recover Portmorc ; but he was opposed and harassed by O'Neill and O'Donncll, so that he did not venture to attack the fort; and he returned without much result. There were next many negotiations and conferences, in which O'Neill always insisted, among other conditions, that the Catholics should have full liberty to practise their religion ; but this was persistently refused, and the war still went on. Nevertheless the queen was anxious for peace ; and she was gi'eatly exasperated when she heard of the cruelties of Sir Kichard Bingham president of Connaught, who had driven nearly all the chiefs of that pro^^nce into rebellion. She removed him in Jan- uary 1597, and sent in his place Sir Conyers Clifford, a just and humane man. A few months afterwards, Thomas Lord Borough was appointed lord deputy, and made preparation for a combined attack on Ulster from thi'ee different points : — he himself to march fi'om Dublin towards Portmore against O'Neill ; Sir Conyers Cli:fford to move from Galway to Ballyshannon against O'Don- A.D. 159 J nell ; and young Barnewell, son of Lord Trimblestone, to proceed from Mullingar : all thi'ee to fonn a junction near Ballyshannon. O'Neill and O'Donnell made preparations to intercept them. In July the deputy mai'ched with his Leinster forces towards Portmore, and after much destructive skirmishing, O'Neill attacked and defeated him at Drumflugh on the Blackwater, near Benburb. Borough himself and the earl of Xildare were wounded, and both died soon after. But the deputy accomplished one important object : — ^he regained Portmore, and left in it a garrison of 300 men in charge of a brave and CHAP. XXXVI.] BATTLE OF THE YELLOW FOKD. 245 capable officer, Captain Williams. Sir Conyers Clifford forced his way across the Erne and laid siege to O'Donnell's castle at Ballyshannon. But the garrison, commanded by a Scotchman named Crawford, after desperate fighting, forced the attacking party to retire with considerable loss. Clifford was harassed daily by O'Donnell and reduced to great distress ; till at last he was forced to recross the river in great haste just above the waterfall of Assaroe, and retreat back to Connaught, abandoning all his cannons, carriages, and stores to O'Donnell, and losing many men in the deep and dangerous ford. As to young Barnewell : he marched towards the north with 1000 men ; but he was inter- cepted in a well-planned ambuscade by Captain Tyrrell at Tyrrell's Pass, where his army was exterminated, and he himself was taken and sent prisoner to the earl of Tyrone. CHAPTER XXXYI. THE BATTLE OF THE YELLOW FOED. A.D. 1597-1598.-Elizabeth. OETMOEE was HOW occupied by Captair Williams and his garrison of three hundi^ed. jSTo sooner had lord deputy Borough turned southward after his defeat at Drumflugh than O'Neill laid siege to it ; and watching it night and day, tried every stratagem ; but the vigilance and determination of Williams completely baffled him. At last he attempted a storm by means of scaling ladders (a.d. 1597) ; but the ladders 246 A child's history of IHELAND. [chap. XXXVI. turned out too short, and the storming party were met by such a fierce onslaught that they had to re- tire, leaving thirty-four of their men dead in the fosse. After this, O'^^eill, having had sufficient ex- perience of the captain's mettle, tried no more active operations, hut sat down, determined to starve the garrison into siuTcnder. When this had continued for some time, Williams and his men began to suffer sorely; and they would have been diiven to suiTcnder by mere starvation, but for the good fortune of hailing seized and brought into the fort a number of O'JS'eill's horses, on which they now chiefly subsisted. Even with this supply they were so pressed by hunger that they ate every weed and every blade of grass they could pick up in the enclosui^e : but still the brave captain resolutely held out. AVhen tidings of these events reached Dublin, the council sat in long and anxious deliberation, and at first decided to order Williams to sun-ender; but Marshal Bagenal amving at this moment, persuaded them to entrust him with the perilous task of relieving the fort. Marching north, he arrived at Armagh with an army of 4000 foot and 350 horse. The five miles highway between this city and Portmore was a narrow strip of uneven ground, with bogs and woods at both sides ; and right in the way, near Eellanaboy or the Yellow Ford, on the little river Callan, two miles north of Armagh, O'Keill had marshalled his forces, and deter- mined to dispute the passage. His army was perhaps a little more numerous than that of his adversary, well trained and disciplined, armed and equipped after the English fashion, though not so well as Eagenal's army — they had no armour, for instance, while many of the English had ; and he had the advantage of an excellent CHAP. XXXYT.] BATTLE OF THE YELLOW FORD. 247 position selected by himself. He had with him Hugh Eoe O'Donnell, Maguire, and Mac Donnell of the Glens of Antrim, all leaders of ability and experience. At intervals along the way he had dug deep holes and trenches, and had otherwise encumbered the line of march with felled trees and brushwood ; and right in front of his main body extended a trench a mile long, five feet deep, and four feet across, with a thick hedge of thorns on top. Over these tremendous obstacles, in face of the whole strength of the Irish army, Bagenal must force his way, if he is ever to reach the starving little band cooped up in Portmore. But Bagenal was not a man easily daunted : and on the morning of the 14th August he began A.D. 1598 his march with music and di^um. The army advanced in six regiments, forming three divisions. The first division — two regiments — was commanded by colonel Percy : the marshal himseK, as commander-in-chief, riding in the second regiment — the general's regiment, as it was called ; the second division, consisting of the third and fourth regiments, was commanded by colonel Cosby and Sir Thomas Wingfield ; and the third division by captains Coneys and Billings : and these six infantry regiments marched one behind another at intervals of 600 or 700 paces. The horse formed two separate divisions, one on each wing, right and left, under Sir Calisthenes Brooke, with captains Montague and Fleming. On the night before, O'Neill had sent forward 500 light-armed kern, who concealed themselves till morning in the woods and thickets along the way; and the English had not advanced far when these opened fire from both sides, which they kept up during the whole march past. Thi'ough all obstacles — fii'e, bog, and 248 A chill's niSTORY OF nUELAND. [chap. XXXVI. pitfalls — the army struggled and fought resolutely, till the first regiment reached the great trench. A deter- mined rush across, a brief and fierce hand-to-hand struggle, and in spite of all opposition they got to the other side. Instantly reforming, they pushed on, but had got only a little way when they were charged by a solid body of Irish and utterly overwhelmed. It now appeared that a fatal mistake in tactics had been made by Bagenal. The several regiments were too far asunder, OD N ArwagK Plan of the Battle of the Yellow Ford, after the two first English regiments had crossed the trench. English regiments numbered and made dark for distinction. O'D. O'Donnell, Maguire, and Mac Donnell of the Glens : horse and foot, about to attack last two regiments. O'N. O'Neill's horse and foot. S. The " Saker " or cannon bogged. Pow. Where the powder blew up. t Spot where Marshal Bagenal fell. I. Irish regiment that overwhehned the first two English regiments, Gand P. Constructed from a Contemp. Plan of Battle in Gilbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." and the men of the vanguard were almost all killed before the second regiment could come up. When at last this second line appeared, O'lS'eill with a body of horse, knowing that Bagenal was at their head, spurred CHAP. XXXVI.] BATTLE OP THE YELLOW FORD. 249 forward to seek him out and settle wi'ong and quan-el hand to hand. Eut they were not fated to meet. The brave marshal, fatigued with fighting, lifted his visor for a moment to look about him and take breath ; and hardly had he done so when a musket ball pierced his brain and he fell lifeless. Even after this catastrophe the second regiment passed the trench, and were augmented by those of the first who survived. These soon found themselves hard pressed; which Cosby becoming aware of, pushed on with his third regiment to their relief ; but they were cut to pieces before he had come up. A cannon had got bogged in Cosby's rear, straight in the line of march ; and the oxen that di'ew it having been killed, the men of the fouiih regiment made frantic efforts to free it, fighting for their lives all the time, for the Irish were swarming all round them. Meantime, during this delay, Cosby's regiment was attacked and destroyed, and he himself was taken prisoner. While all this was taking place in the English front, there was hard fighting in the rear. For O'JS'eill, who with a small party of horse had kept his place near the trench, fighting and issuing orders, had, at the beginning of the battle, sent towards the enemy's rear O'Donnell, Maguire, and Mac Donnell of the Glens, who passing by the flank of the second division, hotly engaged as they were, fell on the last two regiments, which after a prolonged struggle to get forward, "being hard sett to, retyred foully [in disorder] to Ai^magh." The fourth regiment, at last leaving their cannon in the bog, made a dash for the trench ; but scarcely had they started when a waggon of gunpowder exploded in their midst, by which they were " disrancked and rowted" and great numbers were killed, "wherewith," 250 A rniLn's nisroKv of ihkland. [cFiAr. xxxvi. as the Englisli account says, " tlio traitors were en- couraged and our men dismayed." O'Neill, observing the confusion, seized the moment for a furious charge. The main body of the English had been already waver- ing after the explosion, and now there was a general rout of both middle and rear. Fighting on the side of the English was an Irish chief, Mailmora or Myles O'Keilly, who was known as Mailmora the Handsome, and who called himself the Queen's O'Eeilly. He made two or three desperate attempts to rally the flying squadi'ons, but all in vain ; and at last he himself fell slain among the others. The multitude fled back towards Armagh, pro- tected by the cavalry under captain Montague, an able and intrepid officer, for Sir Calisthenes Brooke had been wounded; and the Irish pui'sued them — as the Eoui' Masters express it — " by pairs, thi'ees, scores, and thirties." Two thousand of the English were killed, together with their general and nearly all the officers ; and the \dctors became masters of the artillery, ammu- nition, and stores of the royal army. On the Irish side the loss is variously estimated fi'om 200 to 700. This was the greatest overthrow the English ever su:ffered since they had first set foot in Ireland. "^^ A large body of fugitives shut themselves up m Armagh, where they were closely invested by the Irish. But Montague, with a company of horse, most coui'ageously forced his way out and brought the evil tidings to Dublin. In a few days the garrisons of Ai'magh and Portmore capitulated — the valiant captain Williams yielding only after a most pressing message ^* The above account of the battle has been taken chiefly from Eiiu-lish sources. CHAP. XXXVII.] THE EAEL OF ESSEX. 251 from Armagli— and were permitted to retire to Dim- dalk, leaving colours, drums, and ammunition behind. When the southern chiefs heard of O'Neill's great victory, the Munster rebellion broke out like Lightning. The confederates, including the Geraldines, attacked the settlements to regain the lands that had been taken from them a dozen years before (p. 229) ; they expelled the settlers; and before long they had recovered all Desmond's castles. The lord lieutenant and Sir Thomas Xorris, president of Munster, were quite unable to cope with the rebellion, and left Munster to the rebels. CHAPTER XXXYII, THE EAEL OF ESSEX. A. D. 1599-1600 — Elizabeth. HE queen was greatly exasperated when news reached her of the Eattle of the Yellow Ford ; and she wrote to the Dublin Council, censuring them bitterly, and expressing her belief that this cata- strophe, and many others, were owing to their incapa- city and mismanagement. At this grave juncture she appointed, as lord lieutenant, Robert Devereux, second carl of Essex, son of Essex of the Plantations (p. 229). He brought an aimy of 20,000 men, and A.D, 1599 the queen invested him with almost as much power as if she had made him king of Ireland ; gi^^ing him at the same time distinct instruc- tions to direct all his strength against the earl of Tyrone 252 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAr. XXXVII. and the other rebels of Ulster, and to plant garrisons at Lough Foyle and Bally shannon. Though he was a brave and distinguished soldier, he did not under- stand how to carry on war in Ireland ; and, as we shalj see, he mismanaged the whole camjoaign. He delayed proceeding against Tyrone, and he neglected altogether the order for planting garrisons. Soon^after his amval in Dublin, he foolishly scattered a good part of his From Mrs. Hall's " Ireland.' army, by sending detachments to various minor stations through the country. Then, probably deeming it not yet quite safe to attempt the reduction of O'T^eill, he deliberately disobeyed the queen's instructions by set- ting out for the South in May, with 7000 men, chiefly with the object of chastising the Geraldines. Through the whole of this disastrous joui-ney, which CHAP. XXXYH.] THE EAEL OF ESSEX. 253 occupied about six weeks, the insui'gents constantly hung round his aiTay and never gave him an hour's rest, so that he had to fight every inch of his way. The O'Moores killed 500 of his men at the "Pass of the Plumes," near Maryborough, which was so called from the number of English helmet-plumes that re- mained strewn about after the fight. Having extricated himself fi'om this pass, Essex pushed on for Caher in Tip- perary, where he took the castle from Thomas Butler, one of O'Neill's confederates, after a siege of ten days — the only successful exploit of the whole expedition. Passing round by Limerick, Fermoy, Lismore, and Waterford, he retui^ned to Dublin in June, " the soldiers," as the historian Moryson says, " being weary, sick, and incredibly diminished in numbers." Matters were going on no better in the West of Ireland. In Collooney in Sligo, was a strong castle held by 0' Conor of Sligo, one of the Government sup- porters, which was now closely besieged by O'Donnell ; whereupon Sir Conyers Clifford, by orders of Essex, marched from Galway to relieve it. Having arrived at Boyle, he started to cross the Cuiiieu Hills into Sligo ; but he was intercepted by O'Donnell in a A.D. 1599 difficult part of the mountain road, called Ballaghboy or the Yellow Pass. After a very sharp fight the English were defeated, and fled ; and Sir Conyers, endeavoiuing to rally his men, was killed in the pass. He was greatly regretted by the Irish, who bulged him with much respect. Essex's fine anny had melted away in a few months ; and at his own request he now got 2000 more from the queen ; who, however, was veiy indignant against him, and wrote him a bitter letter commanding him to pro- ceed at once against O'^N'eill. In August 1599, he set 254 A CHILD S niSTORY OF IRELAND. CHAP. XXXVII. out at last for the north, with only 2500 men : but he found the insurgent earl so strongly entrenched in his camp on a high bank over the little river Lagan, about halfway between CaiTickmacross and Ardee, that he - i^^ - ^« f 4MbI ■tRj|^^^M|p-, ' '^^^^^ ^^M ^^^ "^M lBp[^^ -^ ^ Essex and O'Neill. From .Moore s " History of Ireland," iv., Title page. did not dare to attack him. O'Xeill now requested a conference, which was granted. Early on a morning in September, the two leaders rode down unattended, from the heio-hts on either side of the river. O'jN'eill saluted CHAr. xxxvn.] the earl op essex. 255 the earl witli great respect ; and spuiTing his horse into the stream, to be near enough to hold converse, he remained there up to his saddle-girths during the whole conference, while he laid down the conditions he de- manded. A truce was agreed on: but nothing ever came of this conference ; for, immediately afterwards. Essex suddenly sailed for England. The remainder of his short career, ending on the block, belongs to the history of England. For some timo after the departui'e of Essex there were negotiations for peace ; but they were all ren- dered fi'uitless by the refusal of the queen and govern- ment on the one vital point of fi-eedom of religious worship, which O'l^eill always insisted on. He visited Munster in January, 1600, and encamped with his army at Inishcarra on the Lee, six miles above Cork ; where most of the southern chiefs visited him and acknowledged him as their leader. For the last two years victory and success had attended the Irish almost without interruption ; and Hugh O'Xeill, earl of Tp'one, had now attained the very summit of his power. But after this the tide began to turn ; and soon came the day of defeat and disaster. In the next four- chapters will be related the waning fortunes of the earl of Tp'one, and the waning fortunes of his cause. Portion of a Bell-shrine found in the River Bann. From Miss Stokes's " Christian Inscriptions," ii. io6. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE TURN OF THE TIDE : BATTLE OF KINSALE. A.D. 1600-1602 —EUzabeth. HAELEs Blount Lord Mount] oy, a man of gi-eat ability, and a more formidable ad- versary than any yet encountered by O'JN'eill, was the person chosen by the queen to succeed Essex as governor. He came to Ireland in February, and as soon as O'JN'eill heard of his amval he broke up his camp at InishcaiTa, where he had tarried for six weeks, and returned to Ulster. Along with Mount] oy came Sir George A.D. 160 O Carew as president of Munster, a man quite as able and courageous, but crafty and avaricious. He had an intense hatred for the Irish, mainly because his brother had been killed by them in the battle of Glenmalure (p. 224). Carew directed all his energies against the Munster rebels, capturing their castles one after another ; and he caused his soldiers to destroy the crops wherever he went in order to produce a famine. The famine ulti- mately came, and the people — men, women, and children — perished by thousands of starvation. While these events were taking place in the south, O'j^^eill ajad O'Donnell were kept busy in the north. CHAP. XXXViri.] BATTLE OF KINSALE. 257 It had long been the intention of the government to plant garrisons on the shores of Lough Foyle ; and we have seen how Essex had neglected the queen's com- mand to do so. Now a powerful aimament of 4000 foot and 200 horse, under the command of Sir Heniy Docwra, with abundance of stores and building materials, sailed for Lough Toyle in ^ay ; at the same time, in order to divert O'l^eill's attention and di^aw off opposition, Mount] oy marched north from Dublin as if to invade Tyrone. Whiile O'Neill and O'Donnell were opposing Mount] oy, Docwi^a succeeded in building a fort at Culmore, ]ust at the mouth of the river Toyle ; and soon after, in spite of the opposition of the two chiefs, he erected two others, one at Deny, then almost unin- habited ; and the other at Dunnalong five miles farther up the river, at the Tyrone side. Leinster had shared in the O'Neill rebellion : and Owney O'Moore, the chief of Leix, had succeeded in winning back most of his principality. The country had quite recovered from the wars of the Plantations, nearly haK a centuiy before (p. 228) : the land was well cultivated, and the people were prosperous and contented. Moryson, the historian, Mountjoy's secre- tary, tells us that the ground was well tilled, the fields fenced in an orderly manner, the towns well inhabited, the highways in good repair : " The reason whereof," he says, " was that the queen's forces during these wars never till then came among them." But now all this was to be changed. To punish them for their part in the rebellion. Mount] oy set out in August 1600, from Dublin, with a large force, and a supply of sickles, scythes, and harrows to tear up the com ; and he soon destroyed the crops of the whole district; after which he retuined to Dublin, 258 A CllllJ)'s JllSTOKY 01-' IRELAND. [cHAr. XXXVIII. leaving the peoijle to despair and hunger, their smiling district tiu*ned to a hlack ruin. Soon after this he marched north and employed himself in the same manner, till he had destroyed the people's means of subsistence over a large part of Ulster. Ey the middle of 1 60 1 the rebellion may be said to have been crushed in the three southern provinces. In Ulster, though O'Neill and O'Donnell were still actively engaged in defensive warfare, they had become greatly circum- scribed. But the war was now fated to be renewed in another quarter of the island. Sigpiature of Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone in i6oi, to a Proclamation in Irish written in his own hand : " O'Neill." From Gilberts " Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." The aid which the Irish chiefs had long expected from Spain came at last. On the 23rd of September, a Spanish fleet entered the harboui' of Kinsale with 3400 :insal3 Harbour. From Mrs. HaU's " Ireland CHAP. XXXTIII.] BATTLE OF KLNSALE. 259 troops under the command of Don Juan del Aguila. They immediately took possession of the town : A.D. 1601 and Del Aguila despatched a message to Ulster to O'jS'eill and O'Donnell to come south without delay. An express messenger fi'om Cork brought the news to Mount joy and Carew, who at once began to muster their forces ; and at the end of three weeks they encamped on the north side of Kinsale with an army of 12,000 men. On the receipt of Del Aguila's message, the northern chiefs, though urgently needed in their own province, made a hasty preparation to march south. O'Donnell was fii'st. Setting out from Ballymote, and crossing the Shannon into Tipperary, he encamped near Holycross. Eut here his further progress was barred; for Carew, whom Mount joy had sent to intercept him, lay right in his path near Cashel; the Slieve Felim mountains on his right — to the west — were impassable for an army with baggage on account of recent heavy rains ; and he dared not go towards the left through Kilkenny, as he might encounter the army of the Pale. At the same time, wishing to reserve his strength, he was deter- mined to reach Kinsale without fighting. Luckily there came a sudden and intense fi^ost on the night of the 22nd of !N'ovember, which hardened up bog and morass and made them passable. The Irish general, instantly taking advantage of this, set out that night westwards, crossed the Slieve Felim mountains with his hardy Tirconnell men, and reached Croom the next night after a march of forty English miles — "the greatest march with [incumbrance of] carriage," says Carew, " that hath been heard of." During the month of iN'ovember, the English had canied on the siege vigorously; but after O'Donnell's 260 A cniLc's nisTOKY of Ireland, [chap, xxxviii. arrival things began to go against them ; for they were hemmed in by the town on one side, and by the Irish army on the other, so that they were now themselves besieged. They were threatened with famine, for hardly any food could be procured for either men or horses ; and the weather was so inclement that they lost numbers of their men every day by cold and sickness. O'Neill arrived on the 21st December with an army of about 4000. He saw at once how matters st .od, and his counsel was, not to attack the English, but to let their army melt away; for already 6000 of them had perished ; but he was overruled in a council of war, and a combined attack of Irish and Spaniards was ari'anged for the night of the 3rd of January 1602. Meantime an Irish traitor, Brian Mac Mahon, sent secret information of the intended attack to the English. The night was unusually dark, wet, and stormy ; the guides lost their way, and the army wandered aimlessly and wearily, till at length at the dawn of A.D. 1603 day, O'JS'eill unexpectedly found himself near the English lines, which he saw were quite prepared to receive him. His own men were wearied and his lines in some disorder, so he ordered the army to retii^e a little, either to place them in better order of battle or to postpone the attack. But Mount] oy's quick eye caught the situation at once, and he hurled his cavalry on the retreating ranks. Eor a whole hour O'l^eill defended himself, still retiring, till his retreat became little better than a rout. All efforts to rally his ranks were vain ; by some mistake Del Aguila's attack did not come off ; and the Irish lost the battle of Kinsale. A short time after the battle Del Aguila surrendered the town ; quite needlessly, for he could have held it till further help came, both frorn CHAP- XXXVIII.] BATTLE OF KINSALE. 261 O'Keill and from the king of Spain ; and having agreed also to give up the castles of Baltimore, Castlehaven, and Dunhoy, which were garrisoned by Spaniards, he re- tui-ned to Spain. He was justly blamed by King Philip III. of Spain, and on his arrival he was placed under arrest, which so affected him that he died of grief. On the night after the fatal day of Kinsale, the Irish chiefs retired with their broken army to Innishannon. Here they held a sad council, in which it was resolved to send O'Donnell to Spain for fiu?ther help. Leaving his Tirconnellian forces in command of his brother Rory, O'Donnell set out and arrived in Spain in due coiu'se. He was treated everywhere with the greatest respect and honour ; and King Philip received him most cordially, assimng him that he would send with him to Ireland an armament much more powerful than that of Del Aguila. But Red Hugh O'Donnell never saw his native Ulster more. He took suddenly ill at Simancas ; and his bodily ailment was intensified by sickness of heart, for he had heard of the siuTender of Kinsale and of the fall of Dunboy (next chapter) ; and he died on the 10th of September 1602, in the twenty - ninth vear of his aire. 7t^ ad. V?l/}1 Red Ilu^'h O'Donnell's signature : it is in Irish, and contracted :— Aodh Odoiun: that is, Aodh Odomhnaill, Hugh O'Donnell. From " Ulster Jour- nal of Archaeologj'," II., PI. I., Ne. 9. Coiiiposed from the iJook of Kells. CHAPTER XXXIX. THE SIEGE OF D TJ N B Y . A.D. 1602.— EUzabeth. ■ HE Irish chiefs were very indignant with Del Agiiila for surrendering Kinsale ; and they were incensed heyond measui^e when they heard that he had agreed to hand over to the deputy the castles of Baltimore, Castlehaven, and Dunhoy (p. 261). The castles had not yet been given up however, and Donall 0' Sullivan, chief of Beare and Bantry, the owner of Dunboy, hoping that O'Donnell would soon return with help from Spain, resolved to regain possession of it and defend it. It was situated on a point of the mainland jutting into the channel west of Beare Island, and had the reputation of being impregnable. In Februaiy he threw in a body of native troops under A.D. 1602 the command of Richard Mac Geoghegan and Thomas Taylor, an Englishman. The Spaniards who held it were sent away ; and now Mac Geoghegan' s whole garrison amounted to 143 men, who straightway began to make preparations for a siege. Carew set out on his march from Cork with 3000 men to lay siege to the castle, sending round his ships with ordnance and stores. At Bantry Sir Charles CfiAt. XXXIX. J THE SIEGE OF DtTNBOY. 263 Wilmot joined him with 1000 more. The whole army was conveyed to Great Beare Island by sea, in the first few days of June ; and encamped near the ill-starred castle. The devoted little garrison never flinched at sight of the powerful armament of 4000 men, and only exerted themselves all the more resolutely to strengthen their position. Bearhaven and Dunboy Castle in 1843. Castle in the foreground to the right. From Mrs. Hall's " Ireland." And now the siege was begun and carried on with great vigour ; and day after day the ordnance thundered against the walls. On the 17th of June the castle was so shattered that Mac Geoghegan sent to Carew o:ffering to surrender, on condition of being allowed to march out with arms : but Carew' s only answer was to hang the messenger and to give orders for a final assault. The storming party were resisted with desperation, and many were killed on both sides; but the defenders 264 A child's nisTOiiY or Ireland, [chap, xxxix. were driven from turret to" turret by sheer force of numbers ; till at last tliey had to take refuge in the eastern wing which had not yet been injured. The only way to reach this was by a narrow passage where fireanns could not be used ; and a furious hand-to-hand combat was kept up for an houi' and a half, while from various standpoints the defenders poured down bullets, stones, and every available missile on the assailants, killing and wounding great numbers. While this was going on, some of the besiegers, by clearing away a heap of rubbish, made their way in by a back passage, so that the garrison foimd themselves assailed on all sides ; whereupon forty of them sallying out, made a desperate rush for the sea, intending to swim to the island. But before they had reached the water they were intercepted and cut down, all but eight who plunged into the sea ; and for these the president had provided by stationing a party with boats outside, *' who," in Carew's words, " had the killing of them all." This furious struggle had lasted during the whole long summer day, and it was now sunset ; the castle was a mass of ruins, and the number of the garrison was greatly reduced. Late as it was the assault was maintained vigorously ; and after another hour's fighting the assailants gained all the upper part of the castle ; and the Irish, now only seventy-seven, took refuge in the cellars. Then Carew, leaving a strong guard at the entrance, withdrew his men for the night ; while those in the castle enjoyed their brief rest as best they could, knowing what was to come with the light of day. On the next morning — the 18th of June — Taylor was in command ; for Mac Geoghegan was mortally wounded ; and the men resolved to defend themselves CHAP. XXXIX.] THE SIEGE OF DTJNBOT. 265 to the last, except twenty-three who laid down their arms and suiTendered. Carew now directed his cannons on the cellars till he hattered them into ruins on the heads of the devoted hand ; and at length Taylor's men forced him to surrender. When a party of English entered to take the captiyes, Mac Geoghegan, who was lying on the floor, his life ehbing away, snatched a lighted candle from Taylor's hand, and exerting all his remaining strength, staggered towards some barrels of powder which stood in a corner of the cellar. But one of Carew's officers caught him and held him in his anns, while the others killed him with their swords. On that same day Carew executed fifty-eight of those who had suiTendered. He reserved Taylor and foui^teen others to tempt them to give information ; hut as they firmly refused to purchase their lives on such tenns, he had them all hanged. It is chiefly from Carew himself that this account of the siege is taken : and he concludes by saying that of the 143 defenders of Dunboy " no one man escaped but were either slaine, executed, or buried in the ruins ; and so obstinate and resolved a defence had not been scene within this kingdom." The powder that was in the vaults was heaped together and ignited ; and all that remained of Dunboy was blown into fragments, except two parallel side walls which are still standing. ''"ll"illl!"i»llill"lilllWllllilllllllllilll»IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHMII IIIIIIIIIIIIIItlMIII|l|lllllll^^ Coni|^>osed from the Book of Kells. CHAPTER XL. THE EETEEAT OF o' SULLIVAN BEARE. A.D. 1603.— Elizabeth. FTER the capture of Dunboy, Donall 0' Sulli- van, the lord of Beare and Bantry, had no home ; for his other castles, including those of Dursey Island and Carriganass, had also been taken. He was still how- ever at the head of a formidable band among the glens of South ITunster : and he kept up the struggle resolutely in Glengarriff and thereabout against Sir Charles Wilmot and his more numerous forces. But towards the end of the year (1602) ill news came from Spain: that O'Donnell was dead, and that King Philip, on hearing of the fall of Dunboy, had countermanded the intended expedition. Pinding that he could no longer maintain himself and his followers where he was, he resolved to bid farewell to the land of his inheritance and seek a refuge in Ulster. On the last day of the year 1602 he set out from Glengarriif on his memorable retreat, with 400 fighting men, and 600 women, children, and servants. The march was one unbroken scene of con- flict and hardship. They were everywhere confronted or pursued by enemies, who attacked them when they dared ; and they su:ffered continually from fatigue, cold, and hunger. '' 0' Sullivan was not a day or night during CHAP. XL.] RETREAT OF o'stlLLIVAX BEARE. 267 this period," say the Four Masters, " without a battle, or being vehemently or vindictively pursued, all which he sustained and responded to with manliness and Carriganass Castle as at present : on the river Owvane, 6 miles N.K. from Bantry. They fled m such haste that they were able to bring with them only one day's provisions, trusting to be able to obtain food as they fared along; for 0' Sullivan had plenty of money, which had been sent to him from Spain. But they found the people generally too much terrified by Carew's threats to give them help or shelter, or to sell them provisions. As they could not buy, they had either to take by force or starve, which explains much of the hostility they encountered ; for no man will permit his substance to be taken without resistance. Scarce a day passed without loss : some fell behind or left the ranks overcome with weariness ; some sank and 268 A guild's IIISTOllY 01' IllELANB. [ciIAl'. XL. died Tinder accumulated hardships; and others were killed in fight. The first day, they made their way to Ballyvoui'ney, after a journey of about twenty -four miles over the mountains. Here they rested for the night. On next through Duhallow, till they reached Liscarroll, where John BaiTy of Buttevant attacked their rear as they crossed the ford, and after an hour's fighting killed four of their men, but lost more than four himself. Skirting the north base of the Ballahom^a Mountains, they encamped one night beside the old hill of Ardpatrick. Their next resting-place was the Glen of Aherlow, where among the vast solitudes of the Galtys, they could procure no better food than herbs and water : and the night sentries found it hard to perform their duty, oppressed as they were with fatigue and hunger. For the first part of their journey they made tents each evening to sleep in ; but they were not able to continue this, so that they had to lie under the open sky, and they suffered bitterly from the extreme cold of the nights. J^ext northwards from the Galtys across the Golden Yale, over the great plain of Tipperary, fighting tbsir way through enemies almost every houi\ "VVTiile one detachment of the fighting men collected provisions, the others remained with the main body to protect the women and chikben; and the whole party were preserved fi'om utter destruction only by the strict discipline main- tained by the chief. 0' Sullivan's wife, who accompanied the party, carried and nursed so far, through all her hardships, her little boy, a baby two years old; but now she had to part with him. She intrusted him to the care of one of her faithful dependents, who preserved and reared him up tenderly, and afterwards sent him to Spain to the parents. CHAP. XL.] EETREAT OF o'sULLIYAN BEARE. 269 We are not told how it fared with this lady and some others ; but as they did not arrive with the rest at the end of the journey, they must, like many others, have fallen behind during the terrible march, and been cared for, as they are heard of afterwards. The ninth day of their weary journey found them beside the Shannon near Portland in the north of Tip- perary ; and here they rested for two nights. But their enemies began to close in on them from the Tipperary side ; and as there was no time to be lost, they prepared to cross the broad river opposite the castle of Kiltaroe or Redwood. Among them was a man, Dermot O'Hoolahan by name, skilled in making currachs or hide-boats (p. 34). Under his direction they constructed boat- frames of boughs, interwoven with osier twigs in the usual way. They then killed twelve of their horses, and carefully husbanding the flesh for food, they finished their curraghs by covering the skeleton boats with the skins. In these they crossed the river ; though at the last moment their rearguard had a sharp conflict with the sheriif of Tipperary, Donogh Mac Egan the owner of Eedwood Castle, who with his party came up, and in spite of 0' Sullivan's earnest expostulations, attacked them, and attempted to throw some of the women and children into the river. But 0' Sullivan turned on him, and killed himself and many of his men. JS'othing better awaited them on the other side of the Shannon. Pushing on northwards through 0' Kelly's country, they had to defend themselves in skirmish after skirmish. As most of the horses had by this time quite broken down, 0' Sullivan had to abandon the wounded to their certain fate ; and their despairing cries rang painfully in the ears of the flying multitude. Some- times when they came near a village, a party were 270 A child's llISTOlll' OF lliELAND. [CHAP. XL despatclied for provisions, who entered tlie houses and seized everything in the shape of food they could lay hands on, satisfying their own hunger while they searched, and bringing all they could gather to their starving companions. At Aughrim they were con- fronted by captain Henry Malbie with a force much more numerous than their own. 0' Sullivan, addressing his famished and desperate little band of fighting men in a few encouraging words, placed them so that they were protected on all sides except the front, where the assailants had to advance on foot thi'ough a soft boggy pass. Malbie, despising the fugitives, sprang forward at the head of his followers, but fell dead at the first onset. On rushed 0' Sullivan and his men : it must be either victory or destruction; and after a detennined and bitter fight, they scattered their assailants, and freed themselves from that great and pressing danger. Onwards over Slieve Mary near Castlekelly, and through the territory of Mac David Eurke, where the people, headed by Mac David himself, harassed them all day long to prevent them from obtaining provisions. JS'ear Ballinlough in the west of Eoscommon they con- cealed themselves in a thick wood, intending to pass the night there. But they got no rest : for a friendly mes- senger came to warn them that Mac David and his people were preparing to surround them in the morning and slay them all. So they resumed their march and toiled on wearily through the night in a tempest of sleet, splashing their way through melting snow, and in the morning found themselves pursued by Mac David, who however was cowed by their determined look, and did not dare to come to close quarters. Arriving at another solitary wood they found the people friendly; and they lighted fii'es and refi'eshed CHAP. XL.] KETHEAT OF o'SULLlTAN BEAKE. 271 themselves. They next crossed the Ciirlieu Hills southwards to Knockvicar, beside the river Eoyle where it enters Lough Key, and here they took some rest. For days past they had undergone unspeak- able sufferings. Avoiding the open roads, they had to cross the country by rugged, rocky, and unfre- quented ways, walking all the time, for horses could not be used. The weather was inclement, snow fall- ing heavily, so that they had sometimes to make their way through deep di'ifts ; and many of those who continued able to walk had to carry some of their companions who were overcome by fatigue and sickness. Their hope all through had been to reach the territoiy of O'Ruarc prince of Erefney ; and next morning when the sun rose over Knockvicar, their guide pointed out to them, only five miles off, the towers of one of O'Euarc's residences, Leitrim or Erefney Castle. At eleven o'clock that same day they entered the hospitable mansion, where a kind welcome awaited them. They had set out fi'om Glengarriff a fortnight before, one thousand in number ; and that morning only thirty-five entered O'Euarc's castle: vants, and one woman, O'Sullivaii Beare. From portrait in Nat. Gall., Dublin, and that from original portrait in Irish College, Salamanca. eighteen armed men, sixteen ser- the wife of the chief's uncle. 272 A child's niSTOEY OF IKELAND. [cUAP. XL. Dcrmot 0' Sullivan. A few others aftei'wards amved in twos and threes ; all the rest had either perished or di'opped behind from fatigue, sickness, or wounds. There is still a village at Leitrim ; but of the castle only a few fragments of the walls remain. Signature of O'SuIlivan Beare in 1601 : " Yours most faythfull and bounden Don. OSulyvan Beare." From Gilbert's " Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." How it fared with South Munster after the capture of Dunboy may be told in a few words. Though the province was now quiet enough, yet several of the rebels were still at large, and there were rumours of other intended risings. Against these dangers Carew took precautions of a very decided character; he had the country turned into a desert: — " Hereupon" — says Carew — " Sir Charles Wilmot with the English regi- ments overran all Beare and Bantry, destroying all that they could find meet for the relief e of men, so as that country was wholly wasted. . • . The president there- fore [i.e. Carew himself], as well to debarre those straglers fi'om releef e as to prevent all means of succoiu^s to Osulevan if hee should retui-ne with new forces, caused all the county of Kerry and Desmond, Beare,' Bantry, and Carbeiy to be left absolutely wasted, con- strayning all the Inhabitants thereof to withdi'aw their Cattle into the East and IN'orthern parts of the County of Corke," Composed from the Book of Kells. CHAPTER XLI. THE FLIGHT OF THE EAKLS. A. D. 1602-1608. if^S««'<'-f.°3). XJEiNG tlie whole of the interval from the autumn of 1600 to the end of 1602, the work of destroying crops, cattle, and homesteads was busily carried on by ILoimtjoy and Carew, and by the governors of the garrisons, who wasted everything and made deserts for miles round the towns where they were stationed. We have already seen how thoroughly this was done in Munster and Leinster (pp. 226, 256, 257) : it was now the turn of Ulster. In June, 1602, Mountjoy marched north to prosecute the war against the rebels, and remained in Ulster duiing the autumn and winter, traversing the country in all directions, and destroying the poor people's means of subsistence. And now the famine, so deliberately planned, swept thi'ough the whole country ; and Ulster was, if possible, in a worse condition than Munster. For the ghastly results of the deputy's cruel policy we have his own testimony, as well as that of his secretary, the historian Moryson. Mountjoy writes : — " We have seen no one man in all Tyrone of late but dead carcases merely 274 A child's uistory of Ireland, [chap. xli. hunger starved, of which we found divers as we passed. Between TuUaghoge and Toome [seventeen miles] there lay unburied 1000 dead, and since our first drawing this year to Elackwater there were about 3000 starved in Tyrone." But this did not satisfy him ; for soon after he says : — " To-morrow (by the gi'ace of God) I am going into the field, as near as I can utterly to waste the county Tyrone." Next hear Moiyson. ' ' Now because I have often made mention formerly of our destroying the rebels' corn, and using all means to famish them, let me by one or two examples show the miserable estate to which the rebels were thereby brought." He then gives some hideous details, which show, if indeed showing was needed, that the women and children and peaceable people were famished as well as the actual rebels. And he goes on to say : — "And no spectacle was more frequent in the ditches of towns than to see multitudes of these poor people dead with their mouths all coloiu'ed green by eating nettles, docks, and all things they could rend up above ground." O'jS'eill was not able to make any headway against Mount] oy and Docwra, both of whom continued to plant garrisons all through the province. IV'ith the few followers that remained to him, he retired into impenetrable bogs and forests ; and far from taking active measures, he had quite enough to do to preseiwe himself and his party from utter destruction. But he refused to submit, still clinging fondly to the expecta- tion of help from abroad. The news of the death of Red Hugh O'Donnell (p. 261) crushed the last hopes of the chiefs, and Eory O'Donnell and others submitted, and were gladly and favourably received. O'Neill himself, even in his fallen state, was still gi'eatly di-eaded ; for the govern- CHAP. XLI.J THE FLIGHT OF THE EAELS. 275 ment were now, as they had been for years, haunted by the apprehension of another and more powerful arma- ment from Spain. At length Mount] oy, authorised by the queen, sent Sir Garrett Moore, O'Neill's old friend, to offer him life, liberty, and pardon, with title and territory ; and at Mellif ont near Drogheda, A. D. 1603 a few days after the death of the queen, the chief made submission to the deputy. Soon afterwards 0']N'eill and O'Donnell went to England with Mountjoy. The king receired them kindly and graciously ; confirmed O'Xeill in the title of earl of Tyrone ; made Eory O'Donnell earl of Tirconnell ; and restored both to most of their possessions and privileges. Notwithstanding that the earl of Tyi'one had been received so graciously by the king, and was now settled down quietly as a loyal subject, yet he was regarded with suspicion and hatred by the officials and adven- turers, who could not endiu^e to see him restored to rank and favoui\ Those who had looked forward to the forfeiture of his estates and to the confiscation of Ulster were bitterly disappointed when they foimd themselves baulked of their expected prey, and they determined to bring about his ruin. He was now constantly subjected to annoyance and humiliation, and beset with spies, who reported the most trivial incidents of his everyday life. At the same time the earl of Tirconnell was persecuted much in the same manner. At last matters reached a crisis. In 1607 a false re- port of a conspiracy for another rebellion was concocted and spread; and the two earls were assured by some friends that it was intended to arrest them. Tp'one was on a visit at Slane with the deputy, Sir Ai'thur i2 276 A child's history of Ireland. [cHAr. xli. Chichester, when he heard of the matter, and, keeping his mind to himself, he took leave of his host and went to Sir Garrett Moore of Mellifont, wliere he remained for a few days. On a Sunday morning, he and his attendants took horse for Dundalk. He knew that he was bidding his old friend farewell for the last time ; and Sir Garrett, who suspected nothing, was sui*prised to observe that he was unusually moved, blessing each member of the household individually, and weeping bitterly at parting. He and his party rode on in haste till they reached Kathmullan on the western shore of Lough S willy, where a ship awaited them. Here he was joined by the earl of Tirconnell and his family. The total number of exiles taking ship was A.D. 160 J about one hundred. At midnight on the 14th of September they embarked, and bidding farewell for ever to their native count-ry, they Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone. In. an old work in Italian, " La Spada d'Orione Stellata nel Cielo di Marte," by Daniaschino, published in Rome, i68o. is an engraving of Hugh O'Neill, with the inscription, " Ugo Conte di Tirone General Ibernese" (" Hugh earl of Tyrone, General of the Irish "). This engraving has been photographed for me, full size, from a copy of the book in the British Museum : photograph reproduced here. made for the open sea, and landed in France, where CUAP. XLI.] THP: flight OF THE EARLS, 277 they were received with great distinction by all, from the king downwards. From France the earls and their families proceeded to Rome, where they took up their residence, being allowed ample pensions by the Pope and the king of Spain. O'Donnell died in the follow- ing year, 1608; and O'Neill, aged, blind, and worn by misfortune and disappointment, died in 1616. The profound quiet that followed the rebellion was suddenly broken by the hasty and reckless rising of Sir Caher O'Doherty. This chief, then only twenty- one years of age, had hitherto been altogether on the side of the English ; and his rebellion was a mere outburst of private revenge, having nothing noble or patriotic about it. On one occasion he had an altercation with Sir George Paulett, governor of Derry, who being a man of ill-temper, struck him in the face. O'Doherty, restraining himself for the time, retired and concerted his measures for vengeance. He invited his friend Captain Harte, the governor of Culmore A.D. 1608 fort, to dinner. After dinner the governor was treacherously seized by O'Doherty's orders, and threatened with instant death if he did not surrender the fort. Harte firmly refused ; but his wife in her terror and despair, went to the fort and prevailed on the guards to open the gates ; on which O'Doherty and his men rushed in and immediately took possession ; and having supplied himself with artillery and ammu- nition from the fort, he marched on Derry that same night. He took it by surprise, slew Paulett, slaughtered the garrison, and sacked and burned the town. He was joined by several other chiefs, and held out from May to July, 1608, when he was shot dead near Kil- macrenan in a skirmish ; on which the rising collapsed as suddenly as it had begun. 278 A child's nTRTOIlY OF TTH'.LA^^D. [cHAP. XLI. No. I. No. 2. No. 3- No. No. No. b. Groups showing costumes A.D. i6oo. From Map of Ireland (published i6ii) by Speed, ■who thus designates the three pairs of figures:— I. " The Gentleman of Ireland": 2. "Th^ Gentle Woman of Ireland" {i.e. persons belonging to the high classes): 3. "The Civil 1 Irish Woman' : 4. " The Civill Irish Man" (persons of the middle rank): 5. "The Wilde Irish Man " : 6. " The ^\'iIde Irish Woman " (/. e. peasants, whom the English commonly designated "Wild Irish '). Composed from the Book of Kells. CHAPTER XLII. THE PLANTATION" OF ULSTER. A.D. 1603-1625. - James L )ET US noTV go back a few years in order to bring the history of the religions question abreast with our main naiTative. The accession of James I. gave great satis- faction to the Irish, partly because he was descended in one line from their own ancient Milesian kings (p. 97), and partly because they believed that, though outwardly a Protestant, he was at heart a Catholic ; and they had strong hopes that he would restore their freedom of worship. But they found their mistake when the king, in 1605, caused to be revived in Ireland two penal enact- ments, which during the late troubles had fallen very much into disuse : — those of Supremacy and Uniformity. By the Act of Supremacy, it will be remembered, no Catholic, without taking an oath that the king was spiritual head of the church, could hold any office under government, could practise as a lawyer, act as a magistrate, be appointed judge, or take pos- session of an estate to be held fi^om the king ; and as Catholics could not possibly take such an oath, they were excluded fi'om all these offices wherever the act 280 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. xlii. was enforced. Ey the Act of UnifoiTQity any Catholic might be brought np and fined if he absented himself from Protestant worship on a Sunday ; and in Dublin many of those who refused to attend — " Recusants " as they were called — were actually fined or imprisoned. But except in or near Dublin, it was impossible to carry out these laws, for the people were nearly all Catholics. And even in Dublin, the law, for the same reason, could not be enforced to any extent ; and num- bers of Catholic magistrates, lawyers, and government officers went on discharging their duties immolested. Per a long time King James had intended, at the first opportunity, to colonise a large part of Ireland with Scotch and English settlers. He was not deteiTed by the terrible evils that all former attempts at planta- tion had brought on the country ; and when it became known that the earls of Tyrone and Tirconnell had fled, he considered that the proper time had arrived for cariying out his favourite project. The earls had indeed committed no treasonable or unlawful act by leaving the country : nevertheless nearly all the fertile land of six counties — Donegal, Deny, Tyrone, Armagh, Fermanagh, and Cavan — amounting to more than half a million acres* — was confiscated to the crown and given to settlers. The person to whom A.D. 1608 the king intrusted the management of the whole Plantation was the lord deputy. Sir Arthui' Chichester. A great part of the confiscated district was divided * About three quarters of a million English acres. There were bog and waste land besides : the total area of these six counties is about 3| millions of English acres ; so that the waste land was then four times the extent of the arable land. CHAP. XLII.] THE PLANTATION OF ULSTER. 281 into lots of 2000, 1500, and 1000 acres. The under- takers to whom the 2000-acre lots were granted were all Scotch or English, who were requii'ed to people their land with Scotch and English tenants : but no Irish. Those who obtained the middle-sized lots were to be all Protestants who had been in the service of the crown in Ireland dui'ing the late wars — " servitors," as they were called; and they might take Scotch, English, or Irish tenants, but no Catholics. The 1000- acre lots might be taken by English, Scotch, or Irish planters, who might be either Protestants or Catholics, and the Catholics were not requii'ed to take the oath of supremacy. Vast tracts were given to London com- panies of merchants or tradesmen, and to certain high officials ; all of whom, both companies and individuals, were to plant their districts with English and Scotch Protestant settlers. Chichester had for his share the whole of Inishowen, Sii' Cahii' O'Doherty's territoiy. Large tracts were granted for religious and educational purposes, all Protestant : Trinity College, Dublin (which had been founded in 1592), getting 9600 acres. Of the whole body of old Irish proprietors, only 286 were provided for : these got 58,000 acres — about one-ninth of the escheated lands. All the rest of the natives were ordered " to depart with their goods and chattels at or before the fii'st of May next [1609] into what other part of the realm they pleased." But, as Chichester well knew, there was really no other part of the realm for them to go to ; for the people of other districts would naturally resist the encroachment of strangers. Moreover, it was found impossible to carry out the order for the removal of the whole body of the natives ; and nimibers remained among the new settlers as mere laboui'crs or tenants of small plots of land. 282 A cniLD's msTORY of Ireland, [chap. xlii. As for the rest, the greater number, instead of migi-ating to a distance, clung to their native place, and betook them to the hills, glens, and bogs, where they eked out a scanty subsistence, with bitter feelings in their hearts. This tui'ned out the most successful of all the planta- tions ; and in a short time vast numbers of English Protestants and Scotch Presbyterians were settled on the rich lowland farms all over the confiscated counties. Settlers' Houses : on a Survey Map of London Company of Drapers made in 1622. From Gilbert's " Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS." There was no resistance of any consequence this time -. the native people, crushed and dispirited after the calamities of the late rebellion, seem to have submitted to their fate in sullen despair. But the fighting came later on, and in a very di^eadful form ; for this planta- tion was one of the main causes of the Great Rebellion of 1641. To help to pay the expenses of the plantation, the king created the order of "baronets"; who were to bear on theii' coat of arms the ''bloody A.D. 1611 hand," the badge of the O'lSTeills. Each new baronet had his title on condition that he maintained thirty soldiers for three years, at CHAP. XLII.] THE PLANTATION OF ULSTER. 283 8d. a day each — about £1095 altogether, which repre- sents something like £10,000 of our present money. As the title was to be hereditary, i.e. was to descend from father to son, it was eagerly sought after : but at that time there was little honour in it ; for it was merely sold for money. The lord deputy now resolved to summon a parlia- ment, the fii'st held for many years : and in order to enable him to pass measures pleasing to the king, he took steps to have a Protestant majority, by creating forty spui'ious "boroughs," nearly all among the settlers of Ulster ; little hamlets with only a few inha- bitants, which really did not deserve to be specially represented in parliament : each to return A.B. 1613 two members. There were many violent scenes in this parliament ; for the Catho- lics, though in a minority, struggled hard, and not altogether unsuccessfully, for their rights. Large sums were voted for the king, who was always in want of money : and some old penal statutes against natives of Irish blood were repealed. English law was ex- tended to the whole of Ireland, a concession the Irish had often previously asked for in vain (p. 166), and for which James I. should get full credit. King James continued his plantations in other parts of the country ; but instead of turning off the people openly as in Ulster, he adopted a more cunning plan : he sent persons to examine the titles of estates. These managed to find flaws, or pretended flaws, in almost all the titles they examined. If cases came to trial, wit- nesses and jui^ors were illegally forced to give evidence and verdicts in favour of the king ; on which the owners were either turned out, or had to pay the king large sums to be let remain. And the country 284 A child's iiistokv of iuki-and. [chap, xliii. swarmed with persons called '' Discoverers," who gave information of any titles that could be made out faulty ; and who, in reward for their crooked proceedings, got, either the estates, or part of the money paid by the owners to buy themselves off. In consequence of these iniquitous law proceedings, there were several minor plantations in different parts of the coimtry, especially in Leinster ; and great numbers of industrious comfort- able people were driven away from their homes and reduced to beggary. The whole country was in a miserable state of uncertainty ; and no man was sure of his property for a day. CHAPTER XLIII. STEAFFOfiD. A.D. 1625-1640. -Charles I. AELY in the year 1625, in the midst of all the inquietude caused by the dishonest proceedings related at the end of the last chapter. King James died, and was suc- ceeded by his son Charles I. This king was in perpetual straits for money ; and the Irish Catholics hoped that by granting him subsidies he would have the penal laws relaxed. The Protestants also had their troubles, for many of them, like the Catholics, were threatened with the loss of their estates through the knaveries of the dis- coverers. Accordingly in this same year (1625) the Irish gently, Catholic and Protestant, encouraged by Falk- CHAP. XLni.] STKAFFORi). 285 land, tlie lord deputy, offered to pay £120,000 (nearly a million of oui' day) in instalments to the king, who agreed to grant certain concessions or "Graces" as they were called. There were altogether fifty-one Graces, of which the two most important were, that land owners should be reasonably secm^ed in their estates (which affected Catholics and Protestants alike), and that the Catholics should not be molested on account of theii' religion. Eut the king, once he had the money, broke his promise, and dishonestly withheld the Graces : the land titles were not confirmed, and the laws were put in force against the Catholics, who suffered bitterly for a time. In 1633 the king sent over as deputy, LordWentworth, afterwards the earl of Strafford, the most A.D. 1633 despotic ruler the Irish had yet experienced. He adopted a new course ; for he did not follow up the attempt to suppress the Catholic religion : this he reserved for another opportunity. His two main objects were to make the king absolute master in Ireland, and to raise money for him; which he pui'- sued through right and wrong, trampling on all that crossed him, Protestants and Catholics alike. The recusants were induced to give him £20,000 for the king, on promise that the penal statutes against them should not be enforced ; and the landholders prevailed on him to summon a parliament with the object of having the Graces confirmed — for they could not be carried out without the sanction of par- A.p. 1634: liament — paying at the same time another year's subsidy. Accordingly, parliament met and passed subsidies for the king, amounting to £240,000; but Wentworth, partly by bullying and partly by trickery, succeeded in evading the Graces. 286 A child's HISTOUV of IRELAND. [CHAP.XLIII. The motive of all this soon appeared : for in the fol- lowing year he proceeded to hreak the titles all over Connaught, on the pretence that they had not been completed according to law ; so that he confiscated nearly the whole province. There was a regular trail for each case ; and he obtained verdicts in all, for the good reason that he threatened, punished, and imprisoned sheriffs, juries, and lawyers who thwarted him — Catholics and Protestants without distinction. This caused a great outcry ; but he persisted in his outrageous and reckless coui-se, though admonished by his friends, who saw dark clouds ahead. There was no use in appealing against this intolerable tyranny ; for his master the king, who was pursuing much the same course in England, supported him in everything. By similar iniquitous proceedings he confiscated the whole of Clare and a large part of Tipperary. One main object he accomplished all through ; for out of every transaction he made money for the king. But though Connaught was confiscated it was not planted : Wentworth feared that any attempt to do so would raise a rebellion : and the king's position in England was now so precarious that it was thought better to postpone the plantation to some more favourable time : a time which never came for either Wentworth or the king. At this period there was a floui'ishing Irish trade in wool and woollen cloths; but "Wentworth adopted measures that almost destroyed it, lest it should inter- fere with the woollen trade of England. On the other hand he took means to create a linen trade, which could do no harm in England ; and he thus laid the founda- tion of what has turned out a great and flourishing industry in Ulster. Summoning a parliament in 1639, he managed to CHAP. XLIV.J THE REBELLION OF 1641. 287 obtain another supply for King Charles, who was every day getting himself more deeply in conflict with his own parliament in England. But with all his tyranny and evil deeds A\"entworth enforced order, and kept down petty tyrants ; so that there was an increase of commerce and of general prosperity during his rule. He was now made earl of Strafford ; and he raised an army of 9000 men in Ireland, nearly all Catholics, who were well drilled and well armed, intending them to be employed in the service of the king. But his career was di^awing to a close. He was recalled in 1640 to take command against the Scotch Covenanters. Soon afterwards he was impeached by the English house of commons, some of the most damaging charges against him coming from Ireland : and in May, 1641, he was beheaded on Tower HiU. CHAPTER XLiy. THE REBELLION OF 16 4 1. A.D. I641.-Charles I. HIS great and disastrous rebellion was brought about by the measures taken to extirpate the Catholic religion, and by the Plantations, beginning with that of Ulster. The religious hardships of the Catholics were increasing year by year. The planta- tions went steadily on with hardly any intermission, and it was well known that Wentworth's tyrannical proceedings had the full approval of the king ; so that it seemed plain to the Irish that it was the settled 288 A guild's iiistohy of Ireland. Lciiap. xlit. purpose of Kiug Charles and his advisers to root out the whole native population in order to make room for new settlers. Besides all this, the country- swarmed with persons wandering hopelessly about in abject poverty, who had been di'iven from their homes, all of whom longed for the first opportunity to fall on the settlers and regain their homesteads and fanns. As to obtaining redi'ess by peaceable means, no one now thought this possible after the experience of the Graces. At last some of the old Irish chiefs and gentry held meetings and came to the determination to obtain their rights by insurrection. The leading spirit was Roger or Rory O'Moore of Leix, a man of great influence and unblemished character; and among many others were Sir Phelim O'Neill of the family of Tyrone, Lord Maguire of Fermanagh, Magennis of Iveagh, O'Eeilly of Brefney, and the Mac Mahons of Oriell. They hoped for help from abroad ; for many of their exiled kindi'ed had by this time risen to positions of great influence in France, Spain, and the l^etherlands ; and they sent to Owen Eoe O'Xeill, a soldier who had greatly distinguished himself in the ser^dce of Spain, nephew of the great Hugh O'Neill earl of Tyrone, inviting him home to lead the insurgent army. He replied ui-ging an immediate rising and holding out expectations of help from France. The 23rd of October was the day fixed on for a simul- taneous rising. Dublin Castle with its large store of arms, and many of the fortresses and garrisons all over the country, were to be seized, and the arms taken. Instructions were given to make the gentry prisoners, but to kill or injure no one except in open conflict ; and in general to have as little bloodshed as possible. The CHAP. XLIT.] THE REBELLION OF 1641, 289 Ulster settlers from Scotland, being regarded as kinsmen, were not to be molested. On the evening A.D. 164:1 of the 22nd of October, when the prepa- rations had been completed in Dublin, a man named Owen 0' Connolly, to whom MacMahou had confided the secret, went to Sir William Parsons, one of the Lords Justices, and told him of the plot. Parsons at first gave no heed to the story, for he per- ceived that 0' Connolly was half di'unk. But on con- sultation with his colleague Sii' John Borlase, they aiTested Maguire and Mac Mahon on the morning of the 23rd : these were subsequently tried in London and hanged. Eory O'Moora and some others then in Dublin escaped. Instant measures were taken to put the city in a state of defence. But though Dublin was saved, the rising broke out on the 23rd all through the north. Sir Phelim O'JN'eill, by a treacherous stratagem, obtained possession of Charlemont Fort. From illustration in " Kilkenny Arclijeological Journal,"' 1883-4, p. 320 : and this from a photograph. Charlemont fort; and the rebels took iSTewiy, Dun- gannon, Castleblayney, and many smaller stations. Sir Phelim exhibited a forged commission giving him autho- rity, which he alleged he had received from King Charles, V 290 A nilLD's IIISTOKY OF IKKLANI). [CHAl'. XLIV to wliicli "svas fraudulently attached the great seal lie liad found in one of the castles. At the end of a week nearly all Ulster was in the hands of the rebels, and Sir Phclim had an army of .30,000 men, armed with knives, pitchforks, scythes, and every weapon they could procure. During this week the original orders of the leaders were carried out, and there was hardly any bloodshed. But Sir Phelim, who had none of the great qualities of his illustrious kinsmen, was a bad general, and soon lost all control over his irregular army. Many of those who had risen up were persons that had been deprived of their lands, who after a time broke loose from all discipline, and wreaked their vengeance without restraint and without mercy on the settlers. The country farm-houses all over the settlements were attacked by detached parties, under no orders and checked by no discipline. Multitudes were stripped and turned out half naked from house and home — old and young, men, women, and cbildren; and buncbeds, vainly trying to make their way to Dublin, or to other Government stations, perished by the wayside, of exposui'e, hardship, and hunger. Eut there was even worse : for numbers were mui'dered, often with great cruelty. Some of these excesses were carried out by the orders of O'^N'eill himself; but the greatest number were the acts of irresponsible persons taking vengeance for their own private wi'ongs. The outrages actually committed were bad enough ; but the daily reports that reached England magnified them tenfold, and excited the utmost hon'or among the English people. During this terrible outbreak of fury, many Protes- tants were protected by individual Catholics. The priests exerted themselves to save life, often at great CHAP. XLIY.] THE EEBELLION OF 1641. 291 personal risk, sometimes hiding the poor fugitives under the very altar cloths. The Protestant bishop of Kilmore, Dr. Bedell, who was very popular, was not molested ; and many fugitive settlers had a safe asylum in his house. The people at last confined him in Cloghoughter Castle, merely to protect him ; and on his death in February 1642, they attended his funeral in crowds, including a large military force sent by the Irish commanders, as a mark of respect and regret. The numbers of victims have been by some wiiters enormously exaggerated : but Dr. "Warner, an English writer, a Protestant clergyman, who made every effort to come at the truth, believes that in the first two years of the rebellion, 4000 were murdered, and that 8000 died of ill usage and exposure. Even this estimate is probably in excess. The sanguinaiy Ulster episode of this memorable year reminds us of what took place on a much larger scale forty years before (pp. 273, 274). One was an unpre- meditated outburst of merciless popular rage, resulting in great suffering and loss of life : the other the slower and siu'er destruction of much larger numbers, by the cool and carefully planned arrangements of Mount joy. Eut we must not suppose that outrages were confined to the rebels. There were wholesale murders also on the other side ; and the numbers of the Irish that were killed all over the country in places where there had been no rising, far exceeded those of the settlers that had fallen victims in Ulster. In November, the Scottish garrison of Carrickfergus sallied out and slaughtered a great number of harmless people in Island Magee, where there had been no disturbance of any kind. The two lords justices sent parties of militaiy from Dublin through the country all round, who massacred all the V2 292 A cutld's history of ibeland. [chap. xliv. people they met, whether engaged in rebellion or not. Their general, Sir Charles Coote, committed honihle cruelties, especially in Wicklow, surpassing the worst excesses of the rebels, killing and torturing women and infants, as well as men. In Munster, 8ir William St. Leger slaughtered vast numbers of innocent persons, in order, as he said, to avenge the cruelties committed in Ulster, and forced the people of the province, the Anglo- Irish as well as the old Irish native race, to rise in rebellion, much against their will. Towards the end of the year, the old Anglo-Irish nobility and gentry of the Pale, who were all Catholics and all thoroughly loyal, were treated by a.d. 1641 the two lords justices. Parsons and Borlase, with brutal harshness, merely because they were Catholics. He insulted them in every possi- ble way, and Coote burned many of their houses : so that they were forced to combine for their own protec- tion ; and at last they were driven to join the ranks of the insurgents. There could not have been more unfit men at the head of affairs in this critical time than these lords justices ; and their conduct is condemned by historians of all shades of opinion. In spite of the remonstrances of their best counsellors they acted in such a manner as to spread the trouble instead of allay- ing it ; so that in a short time the rebellion had extended thi'ough all Ireland. Composed from tlie Book of Kells. CHAPTER XLY. THE CONFEDEEATION OF KILKENNY : THE BATTLE OF BENBrEB. A. D. 1642-1649. -Charles J. ^T the opening of 1642, there were in the dis- tracted coimtrj foiu' distinct parties, each with an army : — FiEST : The Old Irish, whose leader was Eory O'Moore. These were oppressed by Plantations and by Eeligioiis hardships, and they aimed at total separation from England. Their army was chiefly confined to L'lster. Second : The Old Anglo-Irish Catholics, nearly all of the middle and south of Ireland. These siiffered on account of their religion as much as the old Irish; and also by the Plantations, though not to the same extent; and they wanted religious and civil liberty, but not separation from England. These two parties represented all the Catholics of Ireland : but there was much jealousy and distrust between them ; and this disunion ruined their cause in the end. Thied : The Puritans, including the Presbyterians and Scots of Ulster, under general Mom'O. At this time King Charles I. was getting deeper and deeper into trouble with the parliament in England ; and of 294 A child's IIISTOKY OF IKELAND. [cHAP. XLV. all the Paiiiameutarians, his most determined and successful enemies were the Covenanters of Scotland. Moni'o and his army worked in harmony with the Covenanters: and as they were very hostile to Catholics and the Catholic religion, they were the special opponents of the old Irish party, with whom they constantly came into collision in Ulster. Foueth: The Royalist party, who held Dublin. These were chiefly Protestants of the Established Church, who were opposed to the Parliamentarians. They were the party of the king ; and they wished to make it appear that the Catholics were rebels against him. The war went on dming the early part of this year with varying fortunes ; sometimes the rebels A.D. IG^S were victorious, sometimes the Govern- ment forces. In Ulster the rebels were losing ground, and losing heart, chiefly through the incompetency of Sir Phelim O'Neill, who had no mili- tary knowledge or experience. The Scottish army there soon amounted to 20,000 men under Monro, who plundered and spoiled the province with little check. Owen Roe O'Neill landed in Donegal in July 1642, with a single ship and a hundred officers, and taking command of the old Irish army in place of Sir Phelim, immediately set about organising the scattered Irish forces. He soon changed the whole aspect of affairs. He strongly denounced the past cruelties, severely punished the offenders, so far as he was able to reach them, and set free the Protestant prisoners, whom he caused to be escorted to a place of safety. Soon after- wards another important leader landed on the Wexford coast to join the Catholic party. Colonel Preston, brother of Lord Gormanstown, with 500 officers and some stores. CHAP. XLV.J THE COI^FEDERATION OF KILKENNY. 295 He had distinguishecl himself in the wars on the Continent ; and he now took command of the Anglo- Irish Catholic army. / .■ Owea Roe O'Neill. From engraving in " Lister Journal of Archaeology," iv., p. 25 : and that from an original painting by Van Brugens. The two branches of the Catholics had hitherto acted independently of one another, each struggling for much the same cause, but without any unity of plan. But a great effort was now made by the Catholic bishops and other dignitaries to bring these two parties to act in concert : and in accordance with their aiTangements a general assembly or parliament of the most distinguished 296 A cniLB's niSTOiiY or ikeland. [chap. xlv. men of both sections, consisting of eleven bishops, four- teen lay lords, and 226 commoners, met A.D. 1643 in Kilkenny on the 24th October. This is known as the " Confederation of Kil- kenny." The Royalist party of Dublin represented them as in rebellion : but the Confederate leaders earnestly denied that they were rebels, and proclaimed themselves loyal subjects, standing up for the king, who, they said, would do them justice if the Puritans would only let him act freely. The assembly, having first proclaimed their loyalty to the king, took upon themselves for the time the government of the country, or of that part of it outside the influence of the lords jus- tices, and appointed generals over the army: O'Neill for Ulster, Preston for Leinster, and two others for Munster and Connaught. To manage affaii's with greater facility they elected from their number a "Supreme Council" of twenty-four, six from each province. And they issued a decree for raising and coining money, and for levying men, who were to be drilled by the of&cers that had come with O'Neill and Preston. For some time after this the two Catholic parties worked in union; and Owen Eoe O'Neill with the Old Irish carried on the war in Ulster against Moni'o, and Preston with the Anglo-Irish Catholics in Leinster against the Royalists. The king was most anxious to come to terms with the Confederates as a help against the English and Scotch Parliamentarians ; and as his two lords justices, Borlase and Parsons, had by underhand j)ractices pre- vented an agreement, he removed Porlase A.D. 164:4: and appointed James Butler, marquis (afterwards duke) of Onnond, lord lieu- tenant, with full power to offer satisfactory terms to the Confederates. But Ormond was only half-hearted CHAP. XLT.] THE CO^^FEDEEATION■ OF KILKENNY. 297 in the business ; so the proceedings still cbagged on : and besides this, the king was a double-dealer, ready to promise anything, but intending to perform as little as possible. When accused by the Parliamen- tarians of offering favourable terms to the Eoman Catholics, he openly denied that he had done any such thing. He was in fact tiying to deceive both parties, Catholics and Parliamentarians. "With the object of more closely uniting the Old Irish and Old English to defend the Catholic religion and to sustain the king against the Parliamen- A.D. 1645 tarians, the Pope sent to the Confederates, as nuncio, Ai'chbishop Baptist Rinuccini, who brought them a supply of money and anns. But this encouragement was much more than counter- balanced by the ever-increasing fatal division in the Confederation. The bishops and those who repre- sented the Old Irish party were for carrying on the war vigorously, and on their side were Rinuccini and O'jS'eill. On the other hand the Anglo-Irish party, chiefly consisting of the lay element, who had the majority in the assembly, were for treating with the Royalists ; and following out this line of policy, they held back military operations and wasted time in fruitless negotiations. To make matters worse there was bitter rivalry between the two generals : Preston hated O'T^eill, and O'^N^eill took no pains to conceal his contempt for Preston. The Anglo- Irish party, through mere jealousy of 0']N"eill, the only great soldier now in Ireland, refused to support him with the necessary supplies, so that for a long time he was imable to make head against Mom-o in the north. Though struggling against these great difficulties, he at last succeeded, partly by means of the money supplied by the nuncio, 298 A child's histohy of ikeland. [chap. xlv. in collecting an army of 5000 foot and 500 liorsc ; which he kept stationed on the borders of Cavan. Meantime Moni'o, aware that Leinster was at this time almost unprotected — for Preston with his army was in Connaught — made preparations to march southwards to Kilkenny to annihilate the small Confederate force left there, and suppress the Confederation itself. When O'jS'eill received intelligence of this, he broke up camp and marched north in the beginning of A.D. 164:6 June, determined to intercept him, and if possible, to di'aw him into battle. Monro had set out from Carrickfergus with 6000 foot and 800 horse : and hearing, on amving near Armagh, of O'iS'eill's movement, he tui'ned aside from his coui^se in order to crush the Irish army ; and he sent word to Coleraine to his brother George Monro to meet him at Glasslough in Monaghan with a reinforcement of cavaliy. For he had been warned to beware of O'Neill's consummate generalship ; and he was un- willing to meet him except with very superior numbers. But O'Neill had been too quick for him. He amved at Glasslough before the brothers had time to join ; and crossing the Elackwater into Tyrone, he encamped at Benburb. !N"ext morning, the 5th June, having fii'st sent two regiments north under Bernard Mac Mahon and Patrick Mac JN'eny to intercept George Monro, he selected at his leisui'e an excellent position for battle on the Blackwater, between two small hills, with a wood in the rear. He made seven divisions of his army, placing foiu' in front with wide spaces between, and three behind, so that they could at any time step into the spaces. The ranks faced south-east : and in this position he awaited the approach of the Scottish anny. Early on that same morning Monro marched fi'om CH.iP. XLX.'j THE BATTLE OF BENBUEB. 299 Armagh towards Benburb ; but finding the ford, now crossed by Battleford-bridge, strongly guarded, he tiu-ned south-west, and crossing at Kinard (now Cale- don) without any opposition, he advanced along the river towards the Irish army. O'Xeill sent forward a detachment imder Colonel Eichard O'Fan'ell to oppose the advancing columns in a narrow defile ; but they had to retreat before the Scottish artillery. Ha\dng arrived on the ground, Monro aiTanged his army in Blackwaterlown Caledor Armagh jHj Plan of Battle of Benburb. nine divisions, five in front and four behind ; but the spaces in fi^ont were too narrow to permit the rear divisions to come forward. The two armies now stood face to face ; but O'jN'eill, knowing that his opponents were akeady wearied after their long morning's march, skilfully wasted the day in light skirmishes till late in the evening, when the sun had come round and shone full in the faces of the Scottish araiy. "While the skirmishing was still going on, and growing every 300 A child's iiistoky of Ireland. [cnAr. xlv. moment more hot, a large body of men were seen in the distance approacliing from the north, whom Monro took to be his brother's reinforcements ; but they were in reality MacMahon's and MacNeny's regiments, returning after having scattered George Monro's party. "When at last they were seen to join the Irish army, ^lonro became alarmed and prepared to retreat. But O'iN'eill seized the moment for a general assault. He first moved forward the thi'ee rear divisions, so as to form one continuous line. "When all was ready, he was seen to pause for a moment and raise his hat, while his lips moved. Then issuing his orders, the whole army started forward and charged with sword and pike. Twice did Monro attempt to stop the advance by hiu'ling against the ranks squacbons of cavalry, which in both cases were cbiven back among his footmen. He ordered forward his foiu' rear detachments to support the front divisions ; but there was not suffi- cient room for this movement, so that the ranks be- came closely packed ; and this, with the commingling and furious prancing of the retreating cavalry, caused great disorder. In the midst of all this confusion, while the sun glared full in the faces of the Scots, down on them came O'Neill's well-arranged solid bat- talions. At once they gave way before this terrible onset, and, turning round, rushed back in utter rout. But right in their way flowed the river, deep and rapid ; and, besides those slain in fight, vast numbers were drowned in attempting to cross, so that the sui'- vivors were able to pass over the bodies lying in the water. Mom-o himself escaped and fled in panic, bare- headed, leading on the field his cloak, helmet, and wig. Upwards of 2000 of his army fell, while the Irish lost only seventy. CHAP. XLV.J THE BATTLE OF BENBTJUB. 301 This great victoiy of O'Neill, which was quite as brilliant as that of his uncle at the Yellow Ford, forty- eight years hefore, restored for a time the influence of the Old Irish party in the Confederation. It became known to the Confederates that Ormond had been holding cori'espondence with the Parliamen- tarians ; and fearing lest Dublin might be betrayed, they ordered O'^N'eill and Preston to combine their forces and attempt its captiu'e — a thing that might have been easily accomplished ; for, though Ormond had been making some hasty preparations, the defences were veiy weak. The two annies had arrived within a few miles of the city ; but there was delay, owing mainly to the obstruction of Preston, who, following up the spirit of the Confederate majority, proposed to treat with Ormond instead of attacking the city at once. Dimng this period of hesitation and suspicion, a trifling alarm occurred, on which both armies broke up camp and marched away. The end of the matter was that Oi-mond delivered up Dublin to the Par- A.D. 164?' liamentarians and went to Prance. Soon afterwards — in August of this year — Preston was disastrously defeated by Colonel Jones, the Parliamentarian governor of Dublin, between ''Lynch's Knock" and Dangan, near Summerhill in Meath, with a loss of more than 5000 men ; and in the same year (1647) Lord Inchiquin, formerly a Royalist but now on the side of the Parliament — who is known as Mui'- rogh the BiuTier from his merciless ravages in Munster — inflicted quite as bad a defeat on the Confederate army at Knocknanuss near Mallow, owing to the inca- pacity of their commander Lord Taaffe. After more than a year's absence Onnond returned and having resumed his place as head of the Protestant 302 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. XLV, Eoyalists, lie finally made peace with the Confederates, agreeing to .their main condition that the laws against Catholics should be repealed ; and it was A.D. 164:9 also stipulated that both the Confederates and Ormond's forces should combine and act in support of the king. Thus came to a termination a seven years' war between the Confederates and the Royalists. Eut all this was too late. Dublin had been given up, and was now in the hands of the Parliamen- tarians ; and about a fortnight after the peace had been signed, King Charles was beheaded. In the same year (1649) the ^N'uncio, finding his mission a failure, retui-ned to Rome. The death of the king caused a counter-movement in Ireland, and many abandoned the Parliamentary side. The Royalist cause was now favoured, as against the English Parliamentarians, by nearly all the Irish parties, including Ormond, the Confederates, and the Scots and Presbyterians of Ulster ; and they proclaimed the Prince of Wales king as Charles II. On the side of the Parliament, Jones still held Dublin, and Sir Charles Coote, Deny. Inchiquin — now again turned royalist — took fi'om them Drogheda, Dundalk, IN'ewiy, and Trim : and Ormond, with a view of following up Inchiquin' s successes, besieged Dublin to recover what he had so easily given up two years before. He encamped at Rathmines, but took steps to move his encampment towards the mouth of the Lifiey, in order to stop supplies coming by sea to the city. With this object he ordered Major- General Pui'cell A.D. 164:9 to fortify the old castle of Bagot Rath, not far from the river mouth, standing on a site then in the open coimtry, but now occupied by a part of Upper Baggot-street. But before the work tUAP. XLVl.] ULlVEli CHUM \V±;LL. aoo had been even begun, Jones sallied forth in the night of the 2nd August, and siu^prised, not only Purcell but Ormond himself, and utterly routed the whole army. This great disaster, which was due to the dilatori- ness of Purcell and the bad generalship of Ormond, almost ruined the Royalist cause in Ireland. CHAPTER XLYI. OLIVEE CEOMWELL. A.D. 1649-1660.— The Commonwealth (1649 to 1660). Ei^GLANi), the Pai'liamentarians, headed by Cromwell, were now triumphant, while the great majority of the Irish stood up for King Charles II. There was a small party of Parliamentarians in Ireland too, who held Dublin, Derry, and a few other important places ; and in order to finally crush the Royalists it became necessary to reduce Ireland. With this object, Oliver Cromwell, as the best and most in- fluential of the Parliamentarian generals, was ap- pointed lord lieutenant and commander of the forces in Ireland, and landed at Dublin on A.D. 1649 the 14th August, with 9000 foot, 4000 horse, a supply of military stores, and £20,000 in money, accompanied by his son-in-law Ireton as second in command. Before commencing his militaiy operations, he issued a proclamation against plunder and excesses of every kind, ordering 304 A child's histoey ^oieeland. [chap. xlti. that all supplies taken from the natives should be paid for. He first proceeded figainst Drogheda, which had been garrisoned by Ormond with 3000 troops, chiefly English, under Sir Arthur' Ashton. The walls were battered with cannon for two days till a sufficient breach was made, when the order was given to storm. Two desperate attempts to enter were repulsed ; but the third succeeded ; and immediately, on Cromwell's order, a general massacre was commenced, which lasted for several days ; and Ashton and his garrison, with great numbers of the townspeople were killed. About thirty of the garrison who had escaped the massacre were shipped o:ff to Barbadoes as slaves. After this. Trim, Dundalk, Carlingford, lN"ewiy, and several other places in the ]S'orth, surrendered. Cromwell returned to Dublin, and marching south, appeared before Wexford, which was well fortified and garrisoned with 3000 men, under the command of David Sinnott. He began his cannonade on the 11th of October, and when some breaches had been made, Sinnott asked for a parley. But meantime Captain Stafford, the commander of the strong A.D. 1649 castle just outside the walls, treacherously delivered it up to Cromwell's troops ; which enabled a party of the besiegers to get into the town, and open the gates. The gamson, finding they were betrayed, retreated to the market-place, where they foimd the townspeople congregated. Here they defended themselves in desperation for an houi', but were ovei'powered by numbers ; and Cromwell's soldiers, under his orders, killed garrison and towns- people without distinction, to the number of 2000. The fate of Drogheda and Wexford struck the Irish with teiTor ; Cork and many other southern towns CHAP. XLTI.] OLITEH CROMWELL. 305 now yielded on mere summons ; and Cromwell rested his troops for a month in mid-winter at Youghal. In the midst of all this havoc and clash of war, Owen Eoe O'Neill, the only commander in Ireland that seemed a match for the great parliamentary general, was struck down by sickness on his way southward to join Ormond, and died at Cloghoughter castle in Cavan on 6th IS'oYember 1649 ; and with him passed away the chief hope of the Royalist party. Signet of Owen Roe O'Xeill (from " Kilkenny Archaeological Journal," 1858-9, p. 38) ; and Signature, five days before liis death (Gilbert's "Fac-Sim. Nat. MSS."). The signa- ture plainly shows the hand of death. At the end of January Cromwell set out to trarerse Munster. Most towns he came to were given up ; and where there was serious resistance he usually put the garrison to the sword. At Clonmel, which was held by Hugh O'Neill, Owen Eoe's nephew, he met with the most determined resistance he had yet experienced. For a long time all efforts to take the town were foiled ; and after a final assault in the month of A.D. 1650 May, he had to withdraw with a loss of 2500 of his men. But O'Neill, having exhausted his ammunition, quietly withdrew in the night with his army to Waterford; and as Cromwell X 306 A child's niSTOKY OF IRELAND. [ciIAr. XLVI. was not aware of tliis movemoiit, the town was able to obtain favourable terms on surrender. In tbe nortli his generals, Colonel Venables and Sir Charles Coote — son of Sir Charles Coote of Wicklow notoriety (p. 292) — were also very successful, capturing town after town; and by May the Parliamentarians had possession of the greater number of the fortresses of both JS'orth and South. On the surrender of Clonmel, Cromwell, seeing the country virtually subdued, sailed for England on the 29th May, after a stay of nine months, leaving Ireton to finish the war. At the very time that the Confederates were thus loyally fighting and suffering for Charles, this young king, who was then in Scotland, repudiated any agreement with the Irish, in order that he might gain the favour' of the Scots, and declared himself against allowing them liberty to practise their religion. Ireton now turned his attention to Limerick, the most important place in possession of the Eoyalists, which was commanded by Hugh O'Neill, the defender of Clonmel. Ey forcing the passage of the Shannon at O'Erien's Bridge, he got at the Clare side of the city, which was now invested on both sides. O'l^eill defended the place with great obstinacy ; but there was disunion, and he was not supported by the magistrates; and besides, the plague was raging among the citizens. At length Colonel Fennell, encouraged by some of the officers of the corporation, betrayed his A.i). 1651 trust by opening St. John's gate to Ireton, who took possession of the city on the 27th of October. The ganison of 2500 laid down their arms and were allowed to march away unmolested. Ireton caused several of the prominent defenders to be exe- cuted, among them Dr. O'Erien, Catholic bishop of Emly ; CHAP. XLVI.] OLIVER CROMWELL. 307 St. Joim'b Gate, as at present : copied a photograph. but he himself died of the plague within a month. The traitor Fennell was hanged with the others, though for a different reason. After Ireton's death, lieutenant- general Edmund Ludlow taking command, A.D. 1652 marched to the aid of Coote at Galway, which suiTendered on the 12th May, after a siege of nine months ; and the capture of a few detached castles completed the conquest of Ireland by the Parliamentarians. . _ X 2 308 A child's history of IltELANP. [CHAP. XLVI. Chai'les Fleetwood, who was Cromwell's son-in-law — having married Ircton's widow — took command of the army, and was afterwards appointed lord deputy. Under his direction a High Court of Justice was insti- tuted in October, to punish those who had been con- cerned in the rising of 1641 ; about 200 were sentenced and hanged, and among them Sir Phelim O'^N'eill. On the very scaffold he was offered pardon if he only asserted that the forged commission he exhibited eleven years before had been really given him by King Charles, which would be a sort of justification for the king's execution ; but he resolutely refused, and died with fortitude and Christian penitence. The war was now — 1652 — ended : but for a long time there had been a terrible pestilence raging all over the country, which still continued. Famine came to help the work of destruction; and for two or three years these two scoui'ges spread death and desolation and misery everywhere. But worse than even all this was to come. Cromwell's soldiers were to be paid by grants of confis- cated estates when the country should be conquered. The English parliament now professed to consider the whole of Ireland forfeited; and that therefore they might do as they pleased with land and people. In August 1652, the Parliament passed an act to dispose of the Irish. The poorer sort of people of the three provinces of Ulster, Leinster, and Munster — plough- men, tradesmen, laboui^ers, &c. — were not to be dis- tui'bed; for the settlers would need them as mere working men. All above these, the gentry of every class, whether Anglo-Irish or of old native blood, were ordered to transplant themselves and theii^ families across the Shannon into Connaught and Clare, where they were to be given small allotments of lands that CHAP. XLVT.] OLIYER CROMWELL. 309 had been left waste. The same edict, though mainly directed against Catholics, was not excliisiyely confined to them. Many Protestants who had fought against the parliament were included in the proscription. The Presbyterians of Down and Antrim did not escape scath- less, for they had shown some loyalty to the king. They were to transplant themselves, not to Connaught, but to the hilly parts of Leinster, where poor little plots of land were assigned to them. The Catholic Irish were to move to the West by the 1st May 1654 ; and any of those ordered away — ^yoimg or old — men or women — foimd in any of the three pro- vinces after that date, might be killed by whoever met them. Moreover, they were not permitted to live within four miles of the sea or of any town, or within two miles of the Shannon. Those who were forced to imdertake this terrible migration were mostly families accustomed to a life of easy comfort. It so happened that the move had to be made chiefly in winter, and the season was unusually wet and severe. The roads were so bad as to be almost impassable, for people had something else to do in those times besides attending to roads ; and as the miserable crowds trudged along, hundreds of women, children, and feeble persons perished of want and hardship. But great numbers of the yoimger men, instead of migrating, formed themselves into bands to be avenged on the new settlers, like the expelled natives of Queen Mary's time. These ''Tories" and "Eapparees," as they were called, gave great trouble, plundering and killing at eYe"ry opportunity : they were hunted down by the settlers, and neither gave nor received quarter. This terrible war went on for many years till the tories were in gi-eat measiu^e exterminated. 310 A child's history of irelanb. [chap. XL VI. The Irish soldiers wlio had fought against the Parlia- ment were allowed to enlist in foreign countries ; and 34,000 of them emigrated and entered the service of France, Spain, Austria, and Venice. There were widows and orphans everywhere, and a temble fate awaited these : they were hunted down and brought forth from their hiding places, and large numbers of them, and many men also, were sent to the West Indian Islands to be sold as slaves. A new survey of the country was made, and the lands were distributed to Cromwell's soldiers and to those who had advanced money to carry on the war. This vast exodus of the native population went on from 1652 to 1654. But it was found impossible to clear the gentry completely out of the land. Many settled in wild places ; many were taken as under-tenants on their own lands; and in coiu'se of time many inter- married with the new settlers. The laws against the Catholic religion and against Catholic priests were now put in force with unsparing severity. But the priests remained among their flocks, hiding in wild places and under various disguises ; and the Catholic religion was practised as earnestly and as generally as ever. This dreadful Cromwellian episode must be taken as proceeding, not fi'om the English government or the English people, but fi'om the will of one man, who then ruled as despotically in England as in Ireland, though not with such cruelty. Composed from the Book of Kells, CHAPTER XLYII. IRELAND AFTER THE RESTORATION. A.D. 1660- Charles II. (to 1685). James II. (1685-1688). HARLEs THE Second's Restoration (a.d. 1660) pleased tlie Roman Catholics very mueli ; for as they had fought and suffered for his father and for himself, they natiu'ally expected to be reinstated, at least to a reasonable ex- tent, in their lands, from which they had been expelled only six or seven years previously. Without any great difficulty, he could have repaired much of the injustice done to the old inhabitants while in- flicting no very serious hardship on the new. But the faithless king, while rewarding several leading persons who had been his bitterest enemies, gave himself little concern about those who had befriended him in his time of need, either in England or in Ireland; and the Catholics received a scant measui'e of justice. The Irish parliament, ha^^ng considered the claims of the old and of the new proprietors, passed what is called the Act of Settlement (a.d. 1661), which gave the new settlers, as a body, a title to their holdings. But those of the dispossessed Catholic 312 A child's HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [cUAr. XLVII. owners who could ll^o^-e that they were innocent of any connexion with the rising of 1641 were to be restored. The term "Nocent" was used to designate those who had been involved in the rebellion : " Innocent," those who proved themselves free of it. Any of the settlers whom this new arrangement displaced were to be "reprised" by getting land elsewhere. To try these numerous cases a ''Court of Claims" was established. But before this court had A.D. 1663 been long at work, it was found that almost all who came before it to be tried were able to prove themselves " Innocent" — a result quite unex- pected; so that the settlers became greatly alarmed, and many threatened to rise in rebellion. Thi'ough their influence a stop was put to the proceedings, and a new act was passed, known as the "Act of Explana- tion" (1665), under which the settlers agreed to give up one-third of their possessions. Eut this did not afford nearly enough for all those who were able to make good their claim to be restored, and for those of the settlers who were to be reprised : and to make matters worse, the king gave immense grants to his relatives and to other favoui'ed persons having no claim of any kind, which greatly lessened the available land. After much wrangling, lasting over some years, matters were adjusted ; and it came to this, that whereas before the Settlement the Catholics possessed two-thirds of all the arable land (the remaining third being held by Protestants of the Plantation times of Elizabeth and James), after the time of this final arrangement they had only one-thii'd, while two-thirds remained with the Protestants. There remained a large proportion of the Catholics who were not restored; most of them dis- possessed persons whose cases were not heard at all, on CHAP. XL VII. j ICELAND AJ-TEK THE KESTOKATION. 313 account of the stoppage of the Court of Claims. T^umbers of these held on in their poor homes in Connaught ; and some, having no implements or stock or capital to start them in their new life, sank into hopeless povei-ty and perished of privation. It was quite usual to see, all over the countiy, gentlemen, only recently the possessors of large estates, going about, ragged, barefoot, and hungry, begging for food. As to the new settlers and their childi'en, the majority, like those of earlier times, became gradually absorbed by intermarriage among the natives, and in half a centuiy had to a great extent adopted their language, religion, and habits. At the time of the Eestoration the population of Ireland was about 1,100,000; of whom 800,000 were Roman Catholics — including the old English who were nearly all Catholics; 100,000 were Protestants of the Established Chui'ch; and 200,000 Non-conforming Protestants,* of whom one-half (100,000) were Presby- terians. All sections of Protestants were alike hostile to the Poman Catholics. Dimng the Parliamentary sway the jS'on-confonnists had the upper hand, and the Established Chui'ch was repressed, and its clergy removed, though beyond this neither clergy nor people suffered much; while still stronger measui'es, as we have seen, were taken against the Roman Catholics. One of the first acts of Charles II. was to restore the Established Chui'ch in Ireland; and the bishops and * Non-conformists, as the term is generally applied, are those Protestants who do not conform to the doctrine, worship, or government of the Protestant Episcopal Church : such as Pres- byterians, Methodists, &c. They have their own forms of worship, their own clergy, and their own churches. 314 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XLYII. ministers returned to their dioceses and parishes, all being provided with good incomes. But as the lay members of this church •were so few, most ministers had very small flocks, and very many none at all. This restoration of the church was bitterly resented by the Non-conformists, who greatly disliked government by bishops. After this, the Act of Uniformity was brought to bear chiefly on the Presbyterians, although they had helped to restore the king; and they now suffered a sharp, though short, persecution : for nearly all determinedly refused to comply with the requirements of the act. They were forbidden to hold their customary kirk meetings or sessions ; their clergy were fined or sent to jail for not conforming ; and in the end, nearly all were expelled from their ministry and their homes, because they would not submit to be ordained by the bishop while some were altogether banished from the country. But most held their ground, living in the old neighboui'- hood as best they could, and secretly kept religion alive among their flocks. A large number of the lay mem- bers — sober, industrious, and peaceful people — unwilling to live in a country where they were not peimitted to practice their religion, sold their property and emi- grated to the Puritan colonies of 'New England. But by unyielding firmness the Presbyterians at length obtained toleration and justice. While the Presbyterians were su:ffering, the Catholics were treated with some leniency by Ormond, now lord lieutenant, through the interference of the king, who was at heart a Catholic. Ormond however soon resumed his severities; whereupon the king removed him in 1669, and appointed others more pliant. This was followed by renewed severities against the Kon-con- CHAP. XLVII.] IKELAND AFTER THE IIESTORATION. 315 formists, and by fiu'ther toleration for the Roman Catholics. Eiit the leniency experienced by the Catholics was of short duration. It was known that the king's brother James duke of York (subsequently King James II.) was a Catholic. It had become pretty generally believed too that the king himself was a Catholic ; and reports went abroad that he was conspiring to restore the Catholic religion over the Three Kingdoms. Hatters were brought to a crisis by the Titus A.D. 1678 Gates plot in England, which was an e^dl tiu'H for the Irish Roman Catholics ; for now there were all sorts of wild unfounded rumoui^s of their wicked intentions towards Protestants. Measures of extraordinary severity — proclamations in quick suc- cession — were brought into play, and the Catholics now passed through a period of great suffering. Several innocent persons were arrested and imprisoned : and Dr. Oliver Plunkett archbishop of Armagh, a man of spotless character, respected equally by Protestants and CathoHcs, was brought to London, where in 1681, he was tried and executed on a false charge. James II., who was a Roman Catholic, succeeded his brother Charles in 1685, and his accession gave great joy to the Catholics of Ireland, and corresponding alarm to the Protestants. He soon entered on the dangerous task of restoring the Catholic A.D. 1685 religion in both countries, and entered on it in a manner so openly offensive, harsh, and illegal, that the whole Protestant population rose up against him. Colonel Richard Talbot, a strict Catholic, of a disposition over-zealous and imprudent, was sent to Ireland as commander of the forces, and was created earl of Tirconnell. As a sort of set-off, the king 316 A child's niSTORT OF IRELAND. [CHAP. XLVTI. appointed his own brothor-in-law, lord Clarendon, who was a Protestant, lord lieutenant in place of Ormond. But Clarendon was a mere shadow ; Tirconnell was the real ruler ; and one of his fii'st acts was to disarm the militia, who were all Protestants. He disbanded thousands of Protestant soldiers and officers, and replaced them with Catholics. Most of the Protestant officers went to Holland, and were provided for by William prince of Orange, under whom they afterwards fought against King James in Ireland. Tirconnell also appointed Catholic judges, sheriffs, and magistrates, making room for them when necessary by the removal of Protestants. He made an attempt to have the Act of Settlement repealed : but in this he failed. At length Clarendon was removed and Tirconnell was appointed lord lieutenant to rule Ireland (1687), which created quite a panic among the Protestants all over the country, so that hundreds fled from their homes to England and elsewhere. Ulster especially was in a miserable state of inquietude : Protestants and Catho- lics looked on each other with suspicion and fear ; the memories of the mutual cruelties of 1641 were revived and exaggerated ; and terrific rumours ran rife of in- tended mui'ders and massacres. In the midst of all these alarms in Ireland, William prince of Orange, whose wife was King James's daughter A.D. 1688 Mary, landed in England on the 5 th ISTovember to claim the throne ; and King James, deserted by numbers of his officers, who went over to William's army, fled to France in December, in haste, secrecy, and abject terror. IN'early all the people of England were Protestants, who, after the experience of James's recent proceedings, came to the detennination to have a Protestant king; CHAP. XLVIII.] THE SIEGE OF DEREr. PARTI, 317 and they allowed "W^illiam to take possession without opposition. In Ireland the vast majority of the people were Catholics, who did not want a Protestant king. They stood up for King James, so that William had to fight for Ireland ; and thus hegan the war between the two kings, known as the War of the Revolution; which will be related in the next seven chapters. CHAPTER XLYIII. THE SIEGE OF DEEEY. PAET I. A.D. 1688-1689.— William and Mary. EEi]s^G the tm-n things had taken in England, Tirconnell adopted immediate measui'es to secui'e Ireland for King James. He raised a large irregular untrained aiTtiy of Catholics, and took possession of the most important places all thi'ough the countiy, garrisoning them with Jacobite^' troops. In the south, where the Protestants were few, there was little or no resistance ; but it was otherwise in Ulster, where the people of two important centres. Deny and Enniskillen, refused to admit his garrisons ; and several other towns yielded only through force. Deny was then a small town, nearly in the form of an oblong half a mile in length, stand- ing on a hill rising over the left or Donegal bank of the river Foyle, four miles from its mouth. It was * The adherents of the Stuarts were known as Jacobites, from Jacobus, the Latin form of Janies. 318 A child's niSTOIiY OF IRELAND. [CHAr. XLTIII. encompassed by a wall, and communication was kept up with the opposite or eastern side by a ferry; for there was no bridge. It was, says one of the historians of that period, " a town of small importance, but made famous by the defence it made now, and the conse- quences which that defence had upon the futui'e operations of the war." Plan of Derry and its neighbourhood during the siege. Constructed from contemporary Plan in Harris's " Life of William III." I, I, I, Irish army. The excitement among the Protestants of Ireland caused by the proceedings of Tirconnell, as described in CHAP. XL VIII.] THE SIEGE OF DERRT. PART I. 319 the last chapter, continued to increase. But the terror was hrought to a climax by an anonymous letter written by some mischievous person to a Protestant gentleman of the county Down, stating that the Catholics had arranged to fall on the Protestants and kill them, man, woman, and child, on the following Sun- A.D. 1688 day the 9th December. Copies of this letter were instantly despatched all over the country, which set the poor people in a frenzy ; for in their flight they believed everything, and they thought that the scenes of 1641 were now about to be repeated. iN'umbers fled on board ships. Many of those in the Leinster counties turned their steps towards Ulster, suffering incredible hardships on the joiumey ; while those who could not leave home barricaded themselves in their houses, expecting in trembling anxiety to be attacked at any moment by their Catholic neighbours. The 9th of December came, and few Pro- testants in any part of Ireland went to bed on that miserable night. But it passed away without the least distiu'bance anywhere : even the most unprotected Pro- testant families experienced nothing but the usual neighbourly intercourse from the Catholics among whom they lived. For the letter was a wicked hoax, and the whole story was a pure invention. But it took several weeks to calm down the fears of the Protestant people. Let us now see how matters had been going on in Deny during this time of alarm. On the very day — Friday the 7th December — when the contents of the anonymous letter had been made known in the city, word was brought that Alexander Mac Donnell, earl of Antrim, with the Jacobite army, was approaching from Coleraine to demand possession. This news caused immense commotion. The aldermen and magistrates 320 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XLVIII. were in great doubt whether they should open the gates, or embark on a course of resistance that seemed desperate. Eut the humbler classes were in no doubt at all : they had their minds made up : for they believed the whole proceeding was merely a trap to secui'e their destruction all the more easily on the next day but one : and they clamoured to have the gates shut. At last the army appeared in view at Water- side on the far bank of the river ; and a small party crossing in the ferryboat, presented themselves at the ferry gate and demanded admittance. While the authorities were debating excitedly what was best to be done, a few of the bolder young apprentices, seizing the keys, and arming themselves with swords, slammed and locked the gate and shut out the Jacobite party. They were joined by the crowd, and the authorities, sorely frightened at the grave and dangerous act of rebellion, were forced to yield : on which the party recrossed the ferry, and the Jacobite army marched back to Coleraine. Then, in order to make matters doubly safe in Deny for the next Sunday, all the Catholic inhabitants were sent away. When Sunday had passed by harmlessly the citizens consented to negotiate ; and they ultimately agreed, on condition of obtaining pardon for the rebellious shutting of the gates, to admit two companies of the Jacobite army, who, it was stipulated, were to be all Protestants to a man. and who were under the command of Colonel Lundy. ^Tiereupon Lundy was appointed governor. Eut as Tirconnell continued openly to dismiss and disarm Protestants wherever he could, the Protestant gentry of Ulster began to arm and prepare for resistance. IN'ot long afterwards came news from England, of William's successful progress. CHAP. XLTIII.] THE SIEGE OF DEERT. PART I. 321 followed by a letter from himself, encouraging the northern people to continue their measui'es of resist- ance, and promising to send them help. And now the citizens of Deny, who had closed their gates through terror of being slaughtered, determined once for all to hold the city for William : and they renounced their allegiance to King James, and publicly proclaimed William and Mary as their sovereigns. Lundy took the oath of allegiance to William, with the others, but he did so with evident reluctance and not in public. When King James heard of Tirconnell's active pro- ceedings, and found that his cause had been taken up in the greater part of the country, he mustered A.D. 1689 up coui^age and sailed for Ireland, landing at Kinsale on the 12 th March with a number of French officers and Irish refugees, and a supply of money, arms, and ammunition, furnished by King Louis of France : but beyond that, with no aimy properly so called. The commander of the expedition was a French general. Marshal Rosen. Among the Irish who accompanied the king, the most distinguished was Patrick Sarsfield, afterwards earl of Lucan : a great soldier and an honoiu'able high-minded gentle- man, who was quite as much respected by his oppon- ents as by his own party. He was descended on his father's side from one of those nobles who had come to Ireland with Heniy II., and on his mother's fi'om the O'Moores of Leix : and he was at this time about thii^ty- eight years of age. His personal appearance corresponded with his character, for he had a noble countenance, and stood over six feet high, straight and well proportioned. (For portrait, see p. 351). The king amved in Dublin on the 24th March ; and Y IV22 A child's nisToifY of iheland. [citap. xltiii. having created Tirconncll a duke, he came to the determination to proceed to Ulster ; for he was told that he had only to present himself at Deny, and the gates would he thrown open to him. Some short time pre^nously. General Hamilton had heen sent northwards by Tirconncll to reduce Ulster to obedience : and as he advanced, the Protestant people retreated from point to point, breaking down the bridges, burning the ferryboats, and wasting and destroying everything as they went along, till they arrived at Deny, where they found refuge. The king now set out for the North ; and after a miserable joui^ney through a desolated country, he joined his army under Hamilton a few miles south of Derry. Lundy, who was only half-hearted in the new cause, was all for surrendering the town : for he did not believe that it could be successfully defended. Moreover, although its governor, he remained quite passive ; and any preparations for defence that were made, were made by others. On the 14th April, while James and his army were approaching, some ships sent from England A.D. 1689 arrived in Lough Foyle, bringing two regiments under the command of Colonel Cunningham, to reinforce the gamson ; but Lundy and some others persuaded them to withdi^aw, representing that the town could not possibly hold out. And most of the leading men of the city, and nearly all the officers of the garrison went on board the ships and sailed for England with Cunningham. ^Tien the report of these transactions got abroad, the citizens began to suspect that Lundy was dealing treacherously with them, and they became so enraged that they threatened to shoot or hang him. CHAP. XLVin.] THE SIEGE OF DEKRY. PART I. 323 Meantime the army appeared in view at the south of the town; and the inhabitants met to consider what was to be done. There was great hesitation and differ- ence of opinion, with much uproar and confusion ; and we are told that ''while some were framing terms of suiTcnder, others were placing guns on the wall for defence." Most of the authorities, with the governor at their head, were inclined to yield, while the populace, who had possession of the walls and gates, were all for fighting. The king approached the south gate with his staff, expecting to see it fly open ; but instead of a greeting he heard a fierce shout of " l^o surrender," and a volley was filled fi'om one of the bastions which killed an officer by his side ; on which he immediately retired out of range. But negotiations still went on, and Lundy and a section of the magistrates endeavoured to bring about a surrender. They probably would have succeeded but for the timely arrival of Adam MiuTay, well known as a brave and energetic man, with a small party of horse. The people at once chose him as their leader, and the project for suiTcnder was instantly stopped. The popular rage against Lundy now became ungovernable, and he was obliged to hide himself till night came on, when he passed through the streets disguised as a porter, with a load on his back, and made his escape over the wall. ^Tiereupon Major Eaker and the Rev. George Walker were chosen as governors by the townsmen. The die was now cast, and it was resolved to defend the city to the last. It was badly prepared to stand a siege; for Lundy had done all he could in a quiet sort of way to obstruct the preparations for defence. The walls were not very strong; the bastions had in many places fallen into ruin ; and there was only a poor y2 324 A guild's history of TEELAND. [chap. XLVIll. supply of artillery. Those who undertook the defence were merely the common working people ; for with the connivance of Lundy and Cunningham the town had been deserted by most of the leading men. They were unaccustomed to discipline, and quite unused to fighting; and besides, they were not well supplied with arms. They had no military officers, no engineers to direct operations; for MuiTay, though able and daring, was imskilled in the art of siege defence. And what in- creased the difficulties tenfold was that there were crowded into the town thousands of refugees fi'om the surrounding country, who had to be fed, while the stock of provisions was alarmingly small, and it was hard to obtain supplies. But with all these discoui'agements, the determina- tion of the Derry people remained unshaken. Under Murray's directions they formed themselves into com- panies and regiments, appointed officers to command them, took their turns at guarding and fighting, obeyed the orders of their newly appointed commanders, and faced dangers and hardships with the utmost docility and cheerfulness. AVhen all arrangements had been com- pleted it was found that there were about 7000 fighting men, led by 340 officers — eight regiments in all, each under a colonel. The men worked incessantly strength- ening the defences. Two guns were planted on the flat roof of the cathedi-al, which greatly annoyed the sui'- rounding Jacobite detachments during the whole siege : and at every gate was placed a gun which commanded the approach. As to King James : when he found all his proposals rejected he returned to Dublin, leaving the direction of the siege to the French General Maumont, with Hamilton second in command. He summoned a parlia- CHAP. XLVIII.] THE SIEGE OP DERRY. PART I. 325 ment in Dublin, at which a number of measures were hastily passed. It was ordained that there should be full freedom of worship for all religious denominations ; a measui'e, which though in a great degi'ee dictated by mere prudence, was creditable in that period of religious intolerance. The Act of Settlement (p. 3 1 1 ) was repealed, which meant that the new settlers would have to restore the lands to the old owners, but with compensation when necessary. More than 2000 persons were attainted, and their lands declared confiscated, for having joined the prince of Orange : an Act that has earned much blame for this parliament. But all this actiye legislation came to nothing ; for before there was time to enforce it, King James and his govemment were superseded. To meet current expenses a tax was levied on estates. But as this was not enough, the king issued base coins to the amount of nearly £1,000,000, the real value of which was not more than about £60,000 : the actual value of the £5 piece was only foui' pence. The issue of this "brass money," as it was called, gi^eatly dis- an'anged trade, and reduced many to poverty : and after about two years, Tii'connell, finding the measui'e a failui'e, recalled the coins. A Coin of James's base Money. From " Kilkenny Archaeological JournaL' Sculpture on Chancel Arch, Monastery Church, Glendalough, 1845. From Petrie's ' Round Towers." CHAPTER XLIX. THE SIEGE OF DEIIRY. PART II. A.D. 1689.— William and Mary. ET US now return to Deny. On the 18th April, 1689, the siege began in good earnest, and from that day forward was carried on with great energy. In the last chapter the disadvantages under which the besieged laboured have been set forth. Eut in one important respect the besiegers were much worse off : namely, in the supply of war materials. By some unaccountable negligence, a large part of the aims supplied to them were damaged and useless ; the majority of the men had no swords or belts ; and whole regiments had been sent from Dublin without ammuni- tion. This fully explains the fact that in almost all the encounters during the siege, the Irish, though fight- ing with unfailing bravery, lost greater numbers than their opponents ; and the wonder is that they had the spirit to fight at all under the circumstances. There were no sufficient means of moving the artillery fi'om place to place ; and the Jacobite army was scattered over so large a space as to weaken it greatly. More- over, the gi'eater part of the army consisted of men who CHAP. XLIX.] THE SIEGE OF DEEEY. PART 11. 327 had been recruited only within the last few months, wholly undisciplined and quite unused to arms and to fighting. Both parties were badly prepared, the one to cany on a siege, the other to resist it. But there was one all-important difference : the besiegers had a fair, though not a sufficient supply of food, while the defenders, towards the end of the siege, had to fight while starvins:. Derry in 1840. From Wright's " Ireland Illustrated." Maumont and Hamilton felt assured that the town would yield to the first serious attack, and they began their work vigorously. The walls and town were bat- tered, many houses were demolished, while others took fii'e, and everywhere in the streets people were struck down by balls or crushed by falling walls and chimneys. But the greater the danger and distress the higher seemed to rise the spirit of the people. Religious enthusiasm, too, came to their aid, animating them in fighting and helping to sustain them in their privations. 328 A child's histohy of Ireland, [chap. xlix. Anglicans and Dissenters attended at tlie same cliurch at different hours of the day, when their turn off mili- tary duty came round ; and the clergy of each denomi- nation conducted divine service and preached to their respective congregations. Among the most active was the Rev. George Walker, who kept constantly exhoit- ing the people during the siege, from both pulpit and rampart. Bishop's Gate, Derry, from which the Garrison usually made their sallies. From Mrs. Hall's "Ireland." On the 21st April, MuiTay made a sally towards Pennybum Mill with a party of horse and foot; but they were received with great detennination by the Irish, and after a long and furious struggle had to withdi-aw, MuiTay barely escaping with his life. Yet the besiegers suffered severely in this fight ; for they lost 200 men, and their general Maumont was killed by MuiTay in a personal encounter. Hamilton then took the chief command. CHAP. XLIX.] THE SIEGE OF DEERY. PAET If. 329 Dui'ing May and June the fighting went on ; sallies and attempts to storm ; desperate conflicts and great loss of life ; both parties fighting with equal obstinacy. There was an important fort at a place called Windmill Hill near the southern gate (the site of which is now occu- pied by the Casino) ; if that were taken it would help to open the way to the town ; and Hamilton detennined to attempt its captiu-e, for which a large detachment of horse and foot were told off. On the 4th June the attacking party advanced with a great shout, each man bringing a faggot to fill up the outer ditch of the fort. The Derrymen, with as much military forethought as if they had been soldiers all their lives, had aiTanged themselves in thi'ee ranks on the walls : when the front rank discharged their muskets they filed to the rear, while the next rank stepped to the front and fired ; and so on during the whole attack. Thus the assailants were met by a continuous fii'e, which greatly astonished and disconcerted them ; for they had expected just a single volley, and intended then to make a dash for the wall. Yet they pressed on to the trench ; but the wall was so high that they were unable to get to the top. Finding themselves foiled, some of them ran round to the back of the fort, and in the most daring manner attempted to enter ; but here they met a like reception, some being shot down, while many were pulled over the walls by the hair of the head, and retained as prisoners. The horse, under Captain Butler, advanced boldly to the attack on the river side : but they were met just as boldly half-way on the strand — the tide being out — by a party issuing forth fi^om the shelter of the redoubts, who, falling unexpectedly on them with muskets, pikes, and scythes, di'ove the main body back in spite of all efforts. A small party, however, with 330 A child'b niSTOiiY of ikeland. [cuap. xlix. Captain Butler at their head, forced their way, with great determination, to the wall, which was low at that part, and putting spm-s to their horses, attempted to leap over. The captain was the only one who suc- ceeded in getting in, and he was at once taken prisoner : the others were either killed or driven back. In the midst of all the din and danger of these several fights, the women assisted with great spirit and energy. ''At this attack," says the Eev. John MacKenzie, a Presbyterian minister who was in the town dui'ing the siege, and who has left a diary of what he witnessed : *' At this attack on the Windmill fort our women did good service, carrying ammunition, match [for the guns], bread, and drink to our men, and assisted to veiy good purpose at the bog side [of the fort] in beating off the grenadiers with stones who came so near to our lines." At length the assailants were forced to retire, after losing 400 men, with Captain Eutler taken prisoner. This was the most important fight of the whole siege, and the Derrymen were greatly encouraged by the result. After this repulse, a terrible fire of bombs, great and small, was kept up on the town for several days, doing immense damage. "They plowed up our streets," says the Eev. George Walker, who has left another diary of the siege, " and broke down our Houses, so that there was no passing the Streets nor staying within Doors, but all flock to the Walls and the remotest Parts of the Town, where we continued very safe, while many of our Sick were killed, being not able to leave their Houses." A great many of the women and chikben who were forced to sleep out in this manner, under shelter of walls, died from diseases brought on by exposure. CHAP. XLIX.] THE SIEGE OF DEERY. PART II. 331 Seeing all active efforts foiled, Hamilton resolved to tui'n the siege into a blockade, and starve the garrison to surrender. On the land side he had the town quite surrounded, and every entrance strictly guarded ; so that the townsmen found it impossible to hold any communication with the outside, or to obtain any supplies. Their hopes now lay in help from England — the help that William had promised. Every day watchmen took station on the church tower, anxiously looking out to sea for relief ; and at length, in the middle of June, they shouted down the joyous news that thirty ships were sailing up Lough Foyle. Signals were made from masthead and steeple, but were not understood by either side ; till at last a bold volunteer made his way, at great risk, through the Jacobite out- posts, to Waterside on the eastern bank, and swam across the river, bringing news that deliverance was at hand, for that Major- General Kirke, the commander of the fleet, had come to relieve the town. But the hope was short-lived ; for Kirke, having sailed as far as Culmore fort at the mouth of the Foyle, which was held by the Jacobites, was afraid to enter the river, as he had heard of the forts bristling with guns that lined both banks all the way up ; and the hearts of the townsmen sank when they beheld the whole fleet retiring and taking station outside the Lough. Yet, dui'ing all this time of miserable suspense and suffering, they never relaxed their vigilance, but kept working incessantly, repairing the old fortifications and constructing new ones ; while the women eveiywhere encoui^aged the men and bore hardship and hunger uncomplainingly. In order to make it impossible for the ships to bring relief, Hamilton now caused a great boom to be made of strong cables and timber logs, more than a quarter of 332 A child's nisToiiY of Ireland, [chap. xlix. a mile long, and stretched tightly across the river two miles below the town, strengthening it by huge stakes driven into the river-bed and by boats full of stones sunk to the bottom beside them. *' This," says Walker, ''did much trouble us, and scarce left us any hopes." The strict blockade told at last. Provisions began to run short among people of all classes. The weather was excessively hot, and hunger was followed by disease and many deaths. They buried fifteen officers in one day ; and their governor Baker died, and was succeeded by another brave man, Captain Mitchel- burn. They had no boats ; for those persons who had left the town in the beginning carried them all away. They built up a rough one, however, and a little party of venturous rowers attempted to reach the fleet with an account of their sad condition ; but the crew, not being able to endui'e the showers of shot from both sides, had to retui-n. Towards the end of June, King James, growing im- patient at the length of the siege, sent Marshal Eosen to take command, with instructions to adopt more vigo- rous measures. This new commander invested the place still more closely and made many fuiious assaults : but all in vain ; the defenders were as determined as ever, and repelled all his attacks. Becoming furious at last at the obstinate and prolonged defence, Rosen resorted to an inhuman plan to force suiTender. Sending out a number of small military parties who traversed the country in all directions under officers, he had the Protestant inhabitants of the surrounding district, men, women, and childi'en, to the number of more than a thousand, gathered together ; and ha\dng driven them, on the 2nd July, to the open space between his army and the walls, he left them there huddled together in CHAP. XLIX.] THE SIEGE OF DEERY. PAET H. 333 miserable plight, without food or shelter ; and he sent word that there they should remain to die of stai^ation and exposui-e, or be admitted inside the gates to help to consume the small supply of provisions remaining, unless the town was surrendered. But this savage device produced results the very reverse of what Eosen intended. These poor hunted people, far from craving relief, called out to the men on the bastions to continue their defence bravely, and not to think of yielding on account of those under the walls. The pitiful sight and the wailings of the women and childi-en excited the townsmen to fuiy ; in- stant death was denounced against anyone who should breathe the word "SuiTender"; and they resolved on a terrible measui^e of retaliation. At this time there were in the town many Irish prisoners, some of them men of rank, who had been captured during the several conflicts ; and the townsmen, erecting a great gallows on the ramparts in full view of the besiegers, sent back a message that they would hang their prisoners, every man, next day, unless the country people were set fi'ee. At the same time these condemned prisoners, being per- mitted to write to Hamilton, besought him to save them by inducing Rosen to let the poor people go: — "We are all willing to die," they say, " sword in hand for his majesty [King James] ; but to suffer like male- factors is hard : nor can we lay our blood to the charge of the garrison, the governor and the rest having used and treated us with all civility imaginable." At last Rosen becoming alaiTaed, permitted the people to depart: and it is pleasant to have to record that he supplied them with food and some money. But numbers had died duiing their miserable sojoui-n of two days and two nights. The gamson gained somewhat by this 334 A child's IIISTOKV of IRELAND. [cHAP. XLTX. piece of cruelty ; for they managed to smuggle among the departing crowd several hundred old and useless people ; while some strong men slipped into the town to recruit the fighting ranks. Yet some of those that came out were detected by theii' ragged clothes and hunger-pinched faces, and were sent back to the town. It must in justice be recorded that Bosen alone was responsible for this barbarous proceeding. Hamilton was greatly pained, but could do nothing. King James, when he came to hear of it, expressed his strong dis- approval and indignation, and recalled Rosen, leaving Hamilton in chief command. The Irish officers carried out the cruel orders with the utmost unwillingness, but they had to obey. Many wept at the sight of the miseries they were forced to inflict ; and long afterwards some of them declared that the cries of the women and children still rang in their ears."^ Meantime Xirke made no move. For more than six weeks he lay idle, with abundance of food stowed away in his ships, though he could plainly see the signal of distress flying from the cathedi^al steeple ; while the townspeople were famishing, driven to eat horseflesh, dogs, grease, and garbage of every kind. The garrison fared no better. Yet these brave fellows — ragged * In connexion with this, it is proper to remark that, though during tlie time of the siege the Catholic people and the Catholic armies had the whole of Ulster, except two or three small districts, at their mercy, they did not misuse their power by killing, or plundering, or otherwise ill-treating the Protestant people : and "in many instances the Jacobite army treated Pro- testants who fell into their hands with courtesy and kindness." (From " Derry and Enniskillen" by Witherow, who gives many instances — pp. 316-321.) CHAP. XI.IX.] THE SIEGE OF DERRY. PART II. 335 and starving — stood resolutely to theii* posts, and uttered no word of complaint. But with all this constancy, hunger and disease were playing sad havoc with the cooped-up people, and must before many days bring about what force failed to accomplish. Walker gives a long list of the prices fetched by provisions towards the end of July. Horseflesh sold for I*. Sd. a pound (about 10s. of our money) : a dog's head, 2s. 6d. [1 5s. now) : a pound of tallow, 4s. (24s. now) : and so on. Pancakes made of starch and tallow were a f avoui-ite luxury ; for they were not only food, but were found to be medicine against some diseases. Walker tells, by way of a grim joke, how a certain very fat gentle- man, as he walked one day near the bastions, fancying that several of the gamson were looking at him intently with hungry eyes, got so fi-ightened that he made straight for home, and hid himself in his house for three days. Compare all this with the abundance of only three months before, when, as we are told, a salmon two feet long could be bought for two pence, 25 eggs for a penny, and a fat goose for three pence. To add to the trials of the besieged, there arose from time to time among a section of the people, a good deal of impatience and insubordination, and proposals for sur- render : and scarce a day passed without some deserters escaping and bringing news of their condition to the Irish camp. At last, as matters seemed hopeless, for a large pro- portion of the fighting men had perished, and num- bers of women and chikben were dying daily, the townspeople consented to negotiate. The gamson offered to yield the town on certain conditions, one of which was that they should be permitted to depart in any direction they pleased, every man fully aimed ; but 336 A CHTLd's mSTOKY OF TRKLANl). [cnAP. XLIX. Hamilton lost his chance by refusing, and the struggle was re-commenced. The walls wore again battered and the assaults were delivered if possible more vigorously than before ; but the defenders, though tottering with weakness, and sometimes falling with the mere effort of striking, successfully repelled every attack. Their cannon balls ran out, and to supply the want, they made balls of brick covered with lead, which answered the purpose very well. On the evening of Sunday the 28th July, when silence, gloom, and despair had settled down on the town, the watchers, as they gazed despondingly over the waters, saw three ships from the fleet approaching the mouth of the river. For Kirke, having, as some say, received a peremptoiy order from England, had at last taken heart and sent relief. A tremendous fire was opened from the fort of Culmore, and fi'om both banks all the way up, which the ships vigorously retui'ned as they sailed along. When the townspeople heard the roar of artillery, a hungry crowd rushed to the battle- ments; and while they strained their eyes, breathless and anxious, the foremost ship, the " Mount] oy," struck the boom, but rebounded from it and ran aground. Instantly the besiegers, with a mighty shout, sprang to their boats or plunged into the water to board her; and the multitude on the walls, who could see nothing for the smoke and darkness, heard the soldiers beneath them shouting that the ship was taken; whereupon, says an eye-witness, '' a shiill cry of misery like the wailings of women was heard from the walls" ; and men, in tatters, with faces all blackened with hunger, smoke, and powder, looked despairingly in each other's eyes. But only for a few moments. The vessel, freeing lierself by the rebound of a broadside fired landward CHAP. XLIX.] THE SIEGE OF DEEKY. PART II. 337 from lier guns, was seen emerging from tlie smoke. A second time slie struck the boom full force and broke it : and the whole three ships sailed up to the town amid fi'antic cries of joy. Great heaps of luxuiious food — beef, bacon, cheese, oatmeal, butter, biscuits — gladdened the eyes of the famishing crowd, and the town was relieved. Hamilton, having continued to ply his bat- teries for the next day or two, at last gave up all fiu'ther attempts and marched away : and thus came to an end, on the 31st of July 1689, a siege of a hundred and five days, one of the most famous in Irish or British history. Of the 7000 fighting men of Deny, only 4300 sui'- vived; and the mortality among the non-combatants was still greater: probably 10,000 altogether perished during the siege, chiefly of hunger and disease. The Irish anny, though not so badly oS for food, suffered almost as much as the defenders from want of camping and sleeping accommodation, from exposure and hard- ship night and day, and fi'om unwholesome food and sickness: while, on account of the deficient supply of arms and ammunition, more of them fell in the several conflicts than of their opponents : so that the mortality among them was almost as great as it was in the town. The ancient walls of Derry are still perfect, though the to-ssTi has extended far beyond them ; some of the old guns are reverently preserved ; and on the site of one of the bastions, rises a lofty pillar surmounted by a statue of the Eev. George Walker. Enniskillen, the other Williamite stronghold, was thi'eatened by the approach of an Irish army ; but the Enniskilleners, not waiting for a siege, marched forth on the day before the relief of Derry, and intercepted and utterly defeated them at Kewtownbutler. It is 338 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. XLIX. stated that the Irish defeat here was due to a mistake in a word of command. The general ordered a detach- ment to face to the right in order to relieve another party tliat were hard pressed ; but the next in command delivered the order, " llight ahoiit face and march," which in fact meant a retreat. This order was obeyed ; on seeing which, the rest of the army, thinking the order was a general one, threw down their arms and fled. This mistake brought rout followed by merciless slaughter on the Irish, with little loss to the Ennis- killen men. Sarsfield was not present at Deny ; he commanded a detachment at Sligo ; but on hearing of these disasters, he retired to Athlone ; and now Ulster was nearly all in the hands of the Williamites. Walker's Monument, Derry, in 1840. From WriiilU's "Ireland lUustrated. ^^^^^i^k ^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^Si>'^sfh\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Duke of Schomberg-. I~rora an old print in National Gallery, Dublin. CHAPTER L. THE BATTLE OF TKE B0Y:XE. A.D. 1689-1690.— Wniiam and Mary. HE siege of Deny was only the beginniDg of the struggle. King AVilliam had now leism^e to look to Ireland; and he sent over the duke of Schomberg — then above eighty years of age — who landed, in August 1689, at Bangor, with an anny of about After a siege of eight days, Carrickfergus z2 15,000 men 340 A (.IIILDS HISTORY OF IRELAND. [cHAP. L. Castle was surrendered to liim ; and he settled down for some time near Dundalk, in an unhealthy position, entrenching himself in a fortified camp, which soon became a vast hospital, where he lost fully half of his army by sickness. In the following year King William came over to conduct the campaign in person. He landed at Carrick- fergus on June 14th 1690, and immediately joined Schomberg. About half of the united army were foreigners, excellent soldiers, a mixture of French, Dutch, Danes, Swedes, and Prussians or Branden- burghers. View of the Boyne looking down towards Droglieda. Tide full in. Scliomnerg^ Monument in front. Bank lo the right a portion of main field of battle James had advanced from Dublin to Dundalk, but fell back on the south bank of the Boyne, with his centre at the village of Oldbridge, three miles above Drogheda, whither William followed and took up his CHAP. L.] THE BATTLE OF THE BOYNE. 341 position on tlie north, bank. The two hanks rise on both sides, fonning low hills, on which were placed the camps, and the river flowed peacefully in the valley beneath. The Irish army, consisting of about 26,000 men, was largely composed of recruits, badly drilled and badly armed, having only twelve French field guns as their sole supply of artillery, with the crowning ill-fortune of being led by King James. They were opposed by a more numerous army — about 40,000 men — well trained and well supplied with all necessaries, including a fine artillery train of fifty field guns, and commanded by William, a man full of energy and deteiToination, and one of the best generals of his time. On the evening of the 30th June, King William, riding down to the river with some officers to observe the opposite lines, had a narrow escape. The Irish, observing the party, at once brought two field guns to bear on them. The fii'st shot killed a man and two horses, and the second struck the king on the right shoulder, tearing away skin and flesh : but the wound was only slight. The Irish, thinking he was killed, raised a great shout, and alarming rumoui^s went among the English lines : but William, having got the wound dressed, and making very Httle of it, rode all thi'ough his own camp to assui-e the aiTuy of his safety. The conduct of James on this same evening — the evening before the battle — was enough to damp the spirits of any army. He was flighty and undecided. One time he seemed to contemplate a general retreat and gave orders to raise the camp ; but in a few moments came a counteimand, and he appeared deter- mined to risk a battle. Finally he sent off towards Dublin his baggage and six of his twelve field pieces, which were badly needed on the battle-field ; and this 342 CHILD S HISTORY OF IRELAND. [CHAP. L. movement, -svhich was a plain preparation for a retreat, presently became known tliroiigh the array. His whole anxiety seemed to be to secure his own safety in case of defeat. Early in the morning of the 1st July, William's army began to move : by his order each man A.D. 1G90 wore a sprig of green in his cap, while the Jacobites wore little strips of white paper. *' The day," says Stoiy the army chaplain, who was present, ''was very clear, as if the sun itself had a mind to see what would happen." The river was low, for the tide was at ebb and the weather had been dry, and there were several fords so shallow as to be passable without much difficulty. The task to be accomplished was to force the passage of these fords in spite of the opposition of the Irish. One division of more than 10,000 men under Lieutenant- General Douglas, with young Count Schomberg, and others, had set out at sunrise for Slane, five miles up the river, where there was a bridge, which James, though warned, had left unguarded, thereby leaving his left unprotected. !N'ow, when too late — for the English had got a con- siderable start — ^he attempted to repair the error by sending a large part of his army, horse and foot, towards Slane to oppose them. In the upward march the Williamites found a ford at Rossnaree, two miles below Slane, where several regiments forced their way across. After some hard fighting the small Jacobite detachment that had first arrived at the ford to oppose them was routed, and their commander. Sir 'Neil O'Tieill, was mortally wounded. The rest of the Williamite forces continued their march and crossed at Slane. The object of all this movement was, partly to take the Irish anny in the rear, and partly to occupy the pass at CHAP. L.] THE BATTLE OF THE BOYNE. 343 Duleek, so as to intercept them in case they should retreat towards Dublin : for the only open road in that direction to Dublin was this narrow pass across the Nanny Water river and through a morass. But Douglas and the other commanders, though they suc- ceeded in crossing the Boyne, were unable to effect much more on account of the difficulty of the ground : and there was very little fighting here beyond the hot skinnish at Eossnaree, so that the Irish were able to Plan of Battle according to Story. \V. William's army. Ir. Irish army. O. Village of Oldbridge. D. Donore Hill and Church. Dr. Drogheda. M. Main field of battle. R. Rossnaree ford. The other fords where William's main army crossed are marked in dotted lines. keep possession of the pass at Duleek till evening. Nevertheless, this movement materially contributed to the defeat at the Boyne : for the task of defending the fords near Oldbridge was unexpectedly thrown on a sec- tion of the Irish anuy under Tirconnell and Hamilton ; who were outnumbered three to one. King William, having waited till an express messen- ger had come fi'om Douglas to say he had succeeded in forcing a passage, issued his orders to cross the river at several fords, one near the village of Oldbridge 344 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. L. straight between the two opposing camps, and the others lower down towards Drogheda. At the same time his batteries, which were placed on the high banks on the north of the river, opened fire on the Irish, who could not reply, as the six pieces King James had left them had been sent on towards Slane. In the midst of the roar of artillery, at a quarter past ten, the famous Blue Dutch guards and the French Huguenots, all on foot, dashed in ten abreast, at the Oldbridge ford oppo- site James's centre, and were followed by a body of English and Danes, all up to their middle in the water. They were met by a Tolley, and as they were landing they were charged by the Irish and French, horse and foot, but succeeded in gaining the other side, where, howerer, the Jacobites, especially the cavalry, though far outnumbered, continued to charge with great spirit, so that in some places the foreign troops were forced to turn right roimd and rush back across the river. But in spite of all, the AYilliamites held their ground. "Much about this time," says Story, "there was nothing to be seen but Smoak and Dust, nor any- thing to be heard but one continued fire for nigh half an Hour." It was at this point, just beside the village of Old- bridge, that old Duke Schomberg, rallying a body of Huguenots who had been broken by the Irish and were rushing back towards the river, was killed by a musket bullet which struck him in the neck. His body was immediately carried across the river to the English camp. About the same time Walker of Deny was shot dead near the ford. "WTiile this fierce struggle was going on, the rest of William's army began to cross, the king himself galloping up and dovm between the two armies at his own side of the river, directing the move- CHAP. L.] THE BATTLE OF THE BOYNE. 345 ments. At last, seeing his men well engaged wading and fighting, he crossed with a troop of horse at the lowest ford of all, more than a mile below Oldbridge, and seems to have met with little or no opposition. Having got his men in order at the other side, he di'ew his sword, though vrith difficulty, on account of his wound, and advanced towards his foot, who were struggling with the Irish. But he found it very hard to reach them ; for the ground was soft, and once his horse got bogged, so that he had to alight till the animal was extricated ; after which he headed his men in the for- ward march to take the Irish army in flank, exposing himself without the least hesitation to the heavy fii'e. When the Irish saw their right flank thus threatened, they retreated a little to Donore hill, where they made a stand : and succeeded in diiving back the Williamite cavalry. The king now headed the Dutch and Ennis- killeners and charged straight in the line of the Irish fire. He was at first repulsed, but came on again, and the fighting went on more f miously than ever. In this manner, during the day, the Irish kept up the unequal struggle, first at the fords, and next at their own side of the river, after William's whole army had succeeded in crossing. There were continual charges, countercharges, advances, and retreats, on both sides; and for a time the battle seemed doubtful. Eut no amount of bravery could compensate for the disadvantages under which the Irish fought that day, so that late in the evening they were forced to give way, and still fighting, they began their retreat. King James, after issuing his orders in the morn- ing, retired to the little church on the summit of the hill of Donore, fi'om which he viewed the conflict in safety. He took no further part in the battle ; and 3-46 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. L. early in the cveninf^, when he saw that the day was goinp: against him, he fled in haste with a body-guard of 200 horse, before the battle was over, leaving his men to take care of themselves, and reached Dublin a little after nine o'clock that same evening. The main body of the Irish army, making good the pass of Duleek, in spite of the attempts of the Williamite generals to intercept them, retreated southwards in good order to Dublin; and thence to Limerick. Drogheda, which was garrisoned by King James's troops, capitulated on honourable terms immediately after the battle. Schomberg^'s Monument on the Boyne. From Wilde s " Boyne and Blackwater. Sarsfield was present at the Eoyne, but he held a subordinate command, and was given no opportunity of taking any part in the battle : according to some he commanded the 200 horse that escorted James to Dublin. Conversing with a Williamite officer about the Boyne some time afterwards, he exactly pictured the true state of things when he exclaimed : — " Change kings with us and we will fight you over again I " Ha^^ng given the chief command to Tirconnell, CHAP. LI.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART I. 347 James embarked at Kinsale and landed at Brest, the first bearer of the news of his own defeat. AYilliam arrived at Dublin and took possession of the city on Sunday the 6th of July. After this, Kilkenny, Dun- cannon, and Waterford siuTcndered in quick succession. The body of the great old soldier Schomberg was brought to Dublin and interred in St. Patrick's Cathe- dral ; and a tall obelisk to his memory now rises from a rock on the north bank of the Boyne. CHAPTER LI. THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART I. SAUSFIELD AND THE SIEGE TRAIN. A.D. 1690.— William and Mary. ^ ONCENTRATiNG their whole force at '^^ Limerick and Athlone, the Irish now determined to make the Shannon their line of defence, and to stand at bay in these two strongholds. On the 1 7th July, General Douglas, with 12,000 men, arriyed before Athlone, which was the great important pass into Connaught. The town was divided in two, then as now, by the Shannon, the part on the Leinster or eastern side being called the English Town, and that on the Connaught side the Irish Town. Colonel Eichard Grace the Governor, a brave old soldier, one of the Confederates of half a century before, seeing that the English Town could not be defended, burned it and posted his whole 848 A child's history of IRELAND. [OHAP. LI. army at the Connauglit side, breaking down the bridge. Douglas, having taken possession of the ruins, sent a summons to surrender ; but the Colonel, firing a pistol over the messenger's head, told him to return and say that these were the terms he was for. Douglas canied on the siege vigorously day after day, but was successfully kept at bay by the stout old governor. At the end of a week, news came that Sarsfield was approaching from the west: whereupon Douglas, fearing that his com- munication with Dublin might be cut off, suddenly raised the siege and marched away quietly in the middle of the night, not taking time even to demolish the walls. Turning southwards, he joined King William, who was at this time making his way leisurely towards Limerick. The king with the united army arrived before the walls on Satui^day the 9th August, a little more A.D. 1690 than a month after the battle of the Boyne. He was not yet quite prepared for effective siege operations, as the whole of his artillery had not come up : but a great siege train was on its way from Dublin, guarded by a convoy of two troops of horse, with heavy cannons, plenty of ammunition and pro- visions, tin boats or pontoons for crossing the river, and other necessary war materials. "WTiile the citizens of Limerick were busily engaged preparing for defence, a French deserter from William's camp brought intelligence of the approach of the siege train : on which Sarsfield, who commanded the cavalry, instantly determined to intercept train and convoy : an uncertain and perilous venture, requiring courage, cool- ness, and dash. On the night of Sunday, August 10th, after a hasty preparation, he quietly crossed Thomond Bridge to the Clare side with 500 picked horsemen. Knowing that the fords near the city were all guarded CHAP. LI.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART I. 349 by "Williamite detachmeiits, and "dishing to escape obser- yation lest be migbt be intercepted, he rode to Killaloe, fifteen miles above Limerick, keeping the river close on the right. Crossing at a ford a little above Killaloe, so deep and dangerous that it had not been thought necessary to place a guard on it — or perhaps it was not known — the party turned east and halted towards morning on the northern slope of Keeper Hill, in the neighboui'hood of Silvermines. On Monday morning they moved leisui^ely round the eastern base of the mountain, and rested quietly for the remainder of the Thomond Bridge in 1681, with King John's Castle and the Cathedral : from the Journal of Thomas Dinely. " Kilkenny Archaeological Journal," 1864-6, p. 426. day, hidden among the glens at the eastern extremity of the Slieve Felim mountains : while Sarsfield sent scouts southwards for intelligence. During the whole of his journey, from the time he left Limerick, he was guided by rapparees and peasants, who were devoted to him heart and soul, and who knew every hill, glen, and pass along the difficult route. According to a vivid local tradition, which is probably true, his chief guide was a celebrated rapparee captain of the time, 350 A child's HISTOUY of IRELAND. [CHAP. LI. often mentioned by Story, well known then, and re- membered to this day, by the name of " Galloping O'Hogan." On Monday a country gentleman of the neighbour- hood of Limerick, named Manns O'Brien, came to William's camp and told the officers that Sarsfield had left on the night before on some enterprise of impor- tance : but they only laughed at him, believing it a dream of his own. The cautious king however, having questioned him, took the matter more seriously. He at once ordered out a party of 500 horse under Sir John Lanyer, to meet and protect the siege train : but the preparations were slow, and the party did not start till an hour or two after midnight. The convoy had set out with theii' charge on Monday morning from Cashel, and passing through the little village of Cullen, halted for the night at the base of a rocky eminence on the summit of which stood the ruined castle of Ballyneety, just two miles beyond the village, and about twelve miles from the rear outposts of William's encampment.* As no danger was appre- hended, little precaution was taken. The tents were scattered over the sward : the horses were tui'ned out to graze; sentinels were set on guard; and the men lay down to sleep in fancied secuiity, "but some of them," observes Story, in his quaint way, " awoke in the next world." Oddly enough the password for the night was "Sarsfield." * All through this cliapter and the next I have given the distances in English miles. The mile of Story and other con- temporary authorities is equal to 1^ or If or sometimes 2 English miles. Story says that Ballyneety was " not seven miles fiom our camp, and directly in the rear of it." His "seven miles" means about twelve. CHAP. LI.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART I. 351 In the evening of the same day, Sarsfield's scouts returned to Slieve Felim with intelligence of the con- voy's camping place ; and some time after nightfall he and his party, refi'eshed after their long day's rest, set out southwards, and after a hard midnight ride, found Patrick Sarsfield. From an engraving in Gilberts "Jacobite War" ; that from an old print in the National Gallery, Dublin ; and that again from the original picture by Margaret, Lady Bingham. themselves about two o'clock in the morning at Cullen. Here, by a lucky accident, Sarsfield found out the pass- word, which enabled the party to pass some outlying B52 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. li. sentinels without exciting any suspicion. As they approached the camping ground they rode as cautiously and noiselessly as possible, till the sentinel just out- side the encampment was startled by the appearance of horsemen through the dim moonlight, with one tall foim looming at their head, and called out for the password. " Sarsfield is the word and Sarsfield is the man ! " was the answer to the challenge ; and the whole party dashed in on the encampment. Instantly the English bugles sounded the alarm, and the sleepers sprang up and hastily snatched their weapons. But all too late : those who stood on the defence were at once cut down ; and the rest, seeing resistance hopeless, saved them- selves by flight. One prisoner was taken, an officer who lay sick in a neighbouring house, whom Sarsfield treated with kindness, and to whom, according to Story, he stated that he would have gone to France if the enterprise had failed. Sarsfield could not bring away the guns or any other heavy articles, knowing he was sm-e to be pui^sued ; but the horses were captured, and all portable things were stowed away in pockets and saddle-bags. There was not a moment to lose; and while some of the party smashed up the tin boats, others hastily filled the cannons with powder and bmied their muzzles in the earth, piling over them the powder packets, waggons, ammunition, and provisions, in a gi^eat heap. A long fuse was fired when the party had got to a safe distance, and the whole train was blown up in one tenific explosion. Sir John Lanyer and his party, who were at this very time on their way towards Ballyneety, saw the heavens and all the surrounding landscape lighted up for a moment, and heard the ominous rumble in the distance. Divining but too well the meaning of what CHAP. LI.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART I. 353 he saw and heard, he galloped forward and arrived just in time to see the last of Sarsfield's column disappearing through the darkness. He tried to oyertake them ; but Sarsfield wishing to get back as soon as possible without any more fighting, soon distanced the pui'suing party, and crossing the Shannon, made his way safely to the city, where he was welcomed with a mighty cheer. The garrison, as we are told in the Life of King James, "was hugely encouraged by this advantage": and having before their minds the noble defence of Deny- just a year before, all, both garrison and citizens, deter- mined to emulate it. Sarsfieia's Rock : 2 miles west from CuUen. and 5 miles west from Limerick Junction. Space in front, where Siege Train was blown up. From a Photograph, The very spot where the train was blown up is still well known ; and the rocky eminence rising over it is now called Sarsfield's Rock; but the old castle has almost disappeared. The whole place abounds iii 2a 854 A child's lllSTOKY OF IRELAND. [cHAl'. Lll. traditions of the event ; and the people tell how, some years ago, persons digging deeply came upon quantities of human h' CHAPTER LII. THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. — PAET U. A.D. 1690.— William and Mary. the opening of the last chapter it was stated that King William arrived with his army at Limerick on Satui^day the 9th August 1690. He was attended by Ginkle, Douglas, and others of his best generals ; and he encamped near Singland, within cannonshot of the walls, his lines extending in a curve east and south of the city. The place was so badly prepared for a siege that the French general Lauzun laughed at the idea of defending it, saying that *'it could be taken with roasted apples." He refused, as he said, to sacrifice the lives of the Frenchmen intrusted to him in what he considered, or pretended to consider, a hopeless contest. Eut in truth he was * There are half a dozen places called Ballyneety ("White's Town) in 'J'ipperary and Limerick ; and attempts have been made, in the face of the plainest evidence, to identify the scene of Sarsfield's exploit with the little hamlet of Ballyneety near Cahirconlish, which lai/ barely three English miles from the rear posts of William'' s camp, though Story tells us the distance was about seven ; i.e. about twelve English. This Ballyneety is fully thirteen miles from Cullen ; w^hereas Story and Mullineux, both present at the siege, and White and Ferrar, who wrote some years afterwards, all tell us that the camping place was the CHAP. LII.] THE SIEGE OP LIMERICK. PART II. 856 sick of this Irish war, with all its hardships and privations, and he longed to get back to France. The Duke of Tirconnell, who was old and sickly and weary of turmoil, voted with him to sui-render the city. Eut Sarsfield was of a different mind: he was for defence : and he was heartily seconded by a brave French captain named Boisseleau or Boileau. They infused their spirit into the native troops ; and it was resolved at all hazards to defend the city ; whereupon Lauzun and Tirconnell marched to Galway with all the French troops, bringing away a great quantity of ammunition sorely needed by the citizens. And thus the two chief men intrusted with the guardianship of Limerick deserted their posts, leaving the Irish to defend it as best they could. Boileau, having been appointed governor, set about repairing and strengthen- ing the old walls, towers, and forts : the citizens vied with the soldiers : and even the women and chikben assisted with the greatest spirit and cheerfulness. At this time Limerick was the second city in Ireland. The principal part, called the English Town, stood upon the King's Island, which is enclosed by two branches of the Shannon, and is about a mile in length. Here also stood, as it still stands, the fine ruin of King John's Ballyneety near Cullen. Again, Story relates that Sir John Lanyer — with his troop of horse— had been an how on the march from his own camp towards the camping place of the train at Ballyneety, when lie saw the flash and heard the report in the distance: and yet it seems, according to this new identification, the place of the explosion was only three or four miles from Lanyer's starting-point ! There are other evidences equally strong, showing this identification to he quite v/rong : but the point need not be argued further. The place where William's train was blown up is known with as much certainty as the site of the battle of the Boyne. 2a2 356 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LII. Castle beside the main brancli of the river, and near it the old Cathedral. Here Avere the dwellings of the nobility and gentry, and the principal buildings and houses of business. On the mainland, at the county Limerick or south side, was another and smaller part of the city called the Irish Town, which was connected with the English Town by Ball's-bridge, a large stone King John's Castle, Limerick, in 1845. From Mrs. Hall's " Irelanci. structure. The English Town was connected with Clare by Thomond-bridge, also of stone. Those two old bridges were removed about seventy years ago, but the new structures retain the old names. Each part of the city was encompassed by a stone wall, outside which was a trench and a weak palisade — " a toy of a pali- pade," as one of the old writers calls it. It was a handsome well-built city. Story tells us that the CHAP. LII.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART II. 367 houses were " generally built very strong within the Walls, being made most of them Castleways, with Battlements." In modern times the Irish Town has far outgrown its former dimensions, and is now the principal part of the city. King William had an effective army of about 26,000 men, well supplied with arms and ammunition ; while the Irish army of defence numbered about 25,000, scarcely half of them armed. The attack was to be directed against the Irish Town ; for the King's Island and the English Town were beyond reach. King "William had heard of the departure of the Trench troops ; and when he and his officers viewed the crumbling old walls, they felt assiu-ed that fi'om a greatly reduced garrison behind such feeble defences, no serious resistance would be encountered : the city would fall with the first vigorous assault. Before beginning operations the king sent a summons to surrender ; on the receipt of which a council of war was held, in which the line of action to be taken was unanimously agreed on ; and the reply was a polite letter fi'om the governor to the king's secretary, con- veying the determination to defend the city for King James. And now began another famous siege. During Sunday and Monday operations were carried on by William with such appliances as were to hand, pend- ing the arrival of the hea^y gims. But on Tuesday came the intelligence of the destruction of the siege train by Sarsfield, as has been related in the last chapter. " This JS'ews," says Stoiy, the Williamite historian and army chaplain, who was present and has left an account of the siege, "This IN'ews was very \ welcome to everybody in the Camp, the very private men shewing a gi*eater concern at the loss than you 858 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lii. would expect from such kind of people." Notwith- standing this disaster, the king, after a delay of about a week, pressed on the siege ; for he had procui-ed from Watcrford two large guns and a mortar; and, in the wi'eck at Eallyneety, two of the great can- nons were found uninjured. This week's breathing time was turned to good account by the citizens in pushing on the repair of their old defences by every possible contrivance. On the 1 7th August the Williamite men began to dig trenches to enable them to get near the walls, and they worked in relays steadily day and night ; while the Irish, on their part, did everything in their power to retard the work. The garrison sometimes made sallies, and then there were bitter conflicts, every inch of ground being obstinately contested. There were several high towers on the walls, in which were posted sharpshooters, who kept firing down into the trenches, killing numbers of the sappers. Once, in the darkness of night, during a sally, two parties of the besiegers fired on one another, each mistaking the other for Irish : and for two full hours, while this misdirected combat was going on, the Irish kept up a fire on both, the king all the time looking on from a distance, hearing the firing and seeing the flashes, and not knowing what to make of it. As soon as the artillery had been got into position, the heavy guns began to play ; and in a short time the high towers on the walls were levelled, which freed those working in the trenches fi^om the sharpshooters. After this the fire was mainly concentrated on a par- ticular part of the wall near St. John's Gate, with the object of making a breach ; while shells, red-hot shot, and a sort of destructive explosives called carcasses^ CHAP. LII.] THE SIECtE OF LIMEKIOK. PART II. 359 which ran along the streets blazing and spitting out fragments of iron and glass, were poured in among the houses without intermission, so that the city was set on fii-e in several places, and a great store of hay was burned to ashes. " I remember," says Story, *' we were all as Plan of Limerick during the siege. Constructed mainly from Story's Plan. well pleased to see the town flaming as could be, which made me reflect upon oui' profession of soldieiy not to be overcharged with good nature." An incident related by a gentleman from the county Meath, who happened to be in the city with his family 860 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LIT. during tlie siege, gives a vivid idea of tlie dangers to wliicli the citizens were exposed. lie had just got out of bed in the night to speak to one of the servants : — '* But before I had time to return a Ball had beat down the "Wall, a great Part of which had fallen in and demolished the Bed. It then passed through my Father's Bed-chamber, broke the Posts of the Bed where he and my Mother were asleep, but thank Heaven had no worse effect than putting the Family in a Consternation." Many soldiers and citizens were killed by the showers of missiles ; but with danger and death all round them from balls and carcasses and fii'es, the spirits of the people never flagged, and neither soldier nor citizen called for surrender. Great numbers of women and children were sent for safety to the King's Island and to the Clare side of the river, where they encamped in such shelters as they were able to put up. The defenders had a strong fort outside the wall, opposite St. John's Gate, fi'om which they so harassed the besiegers that it was deteiTained at all hazards to attempt its captui'e. A large party advanced to the attack, and after an obstinate hand-to-hand fight of several houi's, the Irish were forced to retire and the English took possession ; but both sides lost heavily in this prolonged encounter. Diuiug the whole time, the king directed the siege operations, often exposing himself to great danger with the utmost coolness, and having one or two narrow escapes. On one occasion he was riding leisurely to- wards Cromwell's Port, when he stopped for an instant to speak to a gentleman : but, as Story relates, '' in the very moment there struck a twenty-four pounder in the very place, which would have struck His Majesty, and CHAP. LII.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PART II. 361 Horse too, all to pieces, if his usual good Angel had not defended him : it struck the Dust all about him however, though he took little notice of it, but alight- ing, came and laid him down on the Fort, amongst all the Dust." While the king worked with tireless energy on the outside, Sarsfield and Boileau were equally watchful and active in the city directing the defence. The sappers, working without intermission, gi'adually advanced the trenches in spite of all opposition, till at last they were within a few yards of the wall ; and it required only a sufficient breach to enable the besiegers to attempt a storm. "When the old wall at last showed signs of yielding in one fated spot, under the tre- mendous cannonade, Eoileau caused great sacks of wool, held by ropes from the inside, to be thrown over and hung down on the outside, to deaden the imj^act of the balls. But despite woolsacks, sallies, and resistance of every kind, a great breach thirty- six feet wide was made near St. John's Gate, after ten days' incessant battering : and through this it was detennined to make an assault and storm the city. At half past three in the afternoon of the 27th August, under a blazing sun and cloud- A.D. 1690 less sky, a storming party of over 500 grenadiers, supported in the rear by 10,000 men, consisting of seven regiments of foot and a large body of horse, leaped up from the trenches at a signal of three guns fired fi'om Cromwell's Fort, and made a rush for the breach, throwing their hand-gre- nades and firing theii' muskets among the defenders. "This," says Stoiy, "gave the Alann to the Irish, who had their Guns all ready and discharged great and small Shot upon us as fast as 'twas possible : Oui' men 302 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LII. were not behind them in either : so that in less than two Minutes the Noise was so terrible, that one would have thought the very Skies to rent in sunder. This was seconded with Dust, Smoke, and all the terrors that the Art of Man could invent to ruin and undo one another; and to make it more uneasie, the day itself was excessive hot to the By-standers, and much more sure in all respects to those upon action." The storming party succeeded in crossing the trench outside the broken wall ; and, pushing on over the stones and rubbish that strewed the breach, after a desperate hand-to-hand conflict, drove the Irish before them, and rushed on for some distance inside. But here an unexpected obstacle met them. Some days before, when Boileau saw that it was likely a breach would be made, he caused to be thi'own up a great rough rampart of earth and stones, about 60 yards from the wall inside, where the space happened to be free from houses, placing on it some light cannon, and having men armed ready to take their station behind it at the proper time. JS'o sooner had the storming party reached the open space than they were met, front and flank, by a ten'ible fire of cartridge shot and bullets from cannon and muskets, so that they showed signs of wavering. But thousands of resolute men pressed on fi'om behind, knowing they were fighting under the very eyes of their king, who siu'veyed the whole conflict from Crom- well's Fort at a little distance from the wall. The Irish had planted two small field pieces on the Canons' Abbey near Ball's-bridge, which swept the space in front of the breach and killed gi^eat numbers of the closely -packed Williamites as they struggled on to gain the breach. But in spite of all, the party who had got inside the wall, being every moment reinforced by CHAP. LII.] THE SIEGE OF LIMERICK. PAET II. 303 eager comi'ades from behind, still continued to gain ground, and tlie Limerick men continued to yield. The want of a sufficient supply of arms told heavily here ; for it was observed that a whole regiment of 400 of the defenders, all Ulstermen under MacMahon, kept flinging stones at the front ranks of the William- ites, ha\*ing no better weapons. During all this time the citizens viewed the fight from every convenient standpoint — walls, windows, roofs, and streets — but could see little through the thick cloud of smoke and dust. When at last they became aware that the assailants were prevailing, they rushed down in multitudes by common impulse from their view places, and seizing eveiy weapon they could lay their hands on, dashed into the midst of the uproar and joined eagerly in the fray. Even the women, like the women of Deny, forced their way in crowds to the front, right up to the solid advancing ranks, and regardless of danger and death, flung broken bottles, stones, and all sorts of next-to-hand missiles in the very faces of the assailants. " The very women," as Story tells us, "who boldly stood in the trench, were nearer our men than their own." Among William's foreign troops, the Brandenbui'gh or Prussian regiment had distinguished themselves for cool and detennined bravery. They forced their way into the city with the others ; and attacking the Elack Battery, situated inside, not far from the breach, took it after a bloody contest ; when suddenly, either by accident or design, the powder in the vaults beneath exploded with a mighty roar, and battery and Branden- burghers were blown into the ail', men, stones, and frag- ments of timber mingled up in horrible confusion. For foui' hours in the hot afternoon this di'eadful 864 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lii. conflict raged. The thickly-packed masses advanced and yiekled in tiu'n through the streets ; a close and furious struggle, where all strained their utmost to force back the opposing ranks, and no one thought of personal danger. The rattle of small anns and the roar of cannon never ceased for an instant, and a cloud of smoke and dust that veiled the sunlight rose slowly over the city, and was wafted along by the gentle autumn breeze, till it disappeared behind a range of hills six or eight miles off. At last the assailants, unable to withstand the tremendous and unexpected resistance, yielded, and tiu-ning round, rushed back through the breach in headlong confusion : and in a few moments the old city was cleared of every foreign soldier, except the killed and wounded. King AVilliam, having witnessed the repulse of his best troops, ** Went to his Camp very much concerned," says Story, *'as indeed was the whole anny, for you might have seen a mixtui'e of Anger and Sorrow in everybody's countenance." Over 2000 of his men were killed, while the loss of the Irish was comparatively small. It was a matter of consideration whether another attempt should be made ; but as the rainy season was coming on, which was sui'e to bring disease among his troops, the king thought it more prudent to raise the siege. He retui'ned to Eng- land, leaving general Ginkle in command : and on the 31st August the anny marched away from the city. The siege had lasted three weeks; and the heroic de- fenders of Limerick had, almost without ammunition, and with crumbling old walls for a defence, repulsed a well-equipped veteran army, directed by a gi^eat general celebrated all over Eui'ope, who had never before been foiled by any fortress however strong. CHAP. LIII.] ATHLONE AND AUGHRIM. 865 Lauzun and Tirconnell, who were at this time in Galway, were no doubt ill-pleased to hear of the suc- cessful defence of Limerick, which they had deserted in its worst time of need : and fearing the displeasure of King Louis, they both embarked for France in order to have the first stoiy. In September 1690, Cork sui-rendered, after a fierce struggle, to the skilful generalship of John Churchill, afterwards the celebrated duke of Marlborough ; and Kinsale followed. The captui-e of these two important places, which more than counter-balanced the successful defence of Limerick, ended the campaign of 1 690. CHAPTER LIII. ATHLONE AND A TJ G H E I M . A.D. 1691.— William and Mary. military events of importance took place in Ireland for about ten months after the Siege of Limerick, except the cap- tui-e of Cork and Kinsale. But the war was carried on without intermission all over the country, from Cavan southwards, by detached parties of Williamite forces, who were resisted everywhere, with varying suc- cess, partly by detachments of Irish regular troops, and partly by bands of rapparees, a sort of iiTcgular volunteers, who were looked upon as mere robbers by the English captains and were hanged whenever caught. So long as the two armies had been 36G A child's history of Ireland, [chap. liii. kept togother in large bodies, the men were under the usual discipline, outrage was repressed, and the ordi- nary laws of warfare were fairly observed. But when they got broken up into roving bands, discipline was all but abandoned, and they committed cruel outrages everywhere on the people. The account left us by the Williamite chaplain. Story, of the mode of war- fare, of the numerous conflicts and daily executions by the Williamite captains, and of the general state of the country, is a fearful record of bloodshed and misery. Tirconnell, who had sailed from Galway to France after the Siege of Limerick, as already related, returned with some money and stores in January 1691 ; and as he was King James's lord lieutenant, he resumed authority. In May a French fleet sailed up the Shannon, with provisions, clothing, and military stores, but no men or money : bringing Lieutenant- General St. Euth, a brave and experienced French officer, but cruel, haughty, and excessively conceited, to take com- mand of the Irish army, by direction of King James, who was at this time in France. It would no doubt have been better if James had given command to Sarsfield, who was at least as good an officer, and who had a cooler head, as well as a perfect knowledge of the country and of the modes of warfare best suited to it. Eut James and his party treated Sarsfleld exactly as the Anglo-Irish majority of the Confederation had treated Owen Eoe O'Xeill half a centuiy before (p. 297). Both these two gi^eat soldiers were kept in the back- ground through jealousy ; and in each case those responsible suffered for it in the end. Yet the Irish, though dissatisfied, obeyed the king's order and fought loyally under St. Euth; while Sai'sfield himself was CHAP. LIII.] ATHLONE AND AUGHRIM. 867 too high-principled to endanger the cause by offering any opposition. After the failure at Limerick, the next attempt was to be made on Athlone, which was almost equally im- portant ; and on the 1 9th June, Ginkle appeared before it with an army of 18,000 men. The A.D. 1691 main body of the Irish was encamped at the Connaught side, about a mile west of the town. They were commanded, for the time being, by Sarsfield ; for St. Euth, the commander-in-chief, had not yet arrived ; and Sarsfield could not undertake any important movement in his absence. It will be remembered that when Douglas had hastily abandoned Athlone in the previous year, he left the walls of the English Town standing. The Irish were now again in possession, but the wall offered only a feeble resistance to Ginkle' s heavy guns ; and after some battering, a great breach was made. Poui' thou- sand men advanced to the assault. The breach was defended by about 400 Irish, who kept the assailants at bay for some time; but worn out at last with fatigue. and want of sleep, they were forced to retire across the bridge, after losing half their number : and Ginkle took possession of the English Town. On the evening of that day St. Paith anived in the camp and took measiu'es to defend the Irish Town. He had some earthworks thrown up along the banks of the river ; and behind these, and in the castle, the Irish took their stand. They still held possession of the greater part of the bridge. But the English cannon, firing night and day, battered to pieces the earthworks and part of the castle ; and the numerous thatched houses were set on fire by carcasses^ so that this part of the town was reduced to a mere heap of rubbish ; and the A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LIII. Irish had hardly any protection, and no means of answering the heavy continuous fire from the other side. Ginkle now sent a party to attempt to cross the Shannon at Lanesborough near the northern end of Lough llee, thinking that to be an easier plan than forcing the bridge : but the Irish becoming aware of the movement, successfully resisted the passage, and =^ Castle of Athlone in 1845. From Mrs. Hall's " Ireland. " the party had to return. Meantime the defenders raised some batteries in the night time, from which they greatly annoyed the English. At last Ginkle, foiled at Lanesborough, tried to force his way across the bridge, and for several days there was desperate fighting in the nari'ow roadway, so that the English, though greatly outnumbering their opponents, were, as CHAP. LIII.] ATHLONE AND AUGHKIM. 369 Story tells us, only able to advance inch by inch. On the bridge, towards the Connaught side, stood a mill, worked in the peaceful days of the past by the cuiTent beneath. In this building 64 Irish were stationed : but it was set on fire by hand grenades from the English lines, and the little garrison, being unable to escape, were burned to death, all but two who leaped into the river and swam to land. At length by mere pressure of numbers the besiegers obtained possession of the greater part of the bridge, though not till very many of them had been killed : whereupon the de- fenders abandoned it, but broke down one arch at the Connaught side. To cross that broken arch was now Ginkle's task. His cannon having been turned on the farther bank, so that as one of the spectators. Colonel Felix O'jN^eill of the Irish army, tells us, ''a cat could scarce appear without being knocked on the head by great or small shot," a party, under cover of a rude wooden shelter, dragged a number of planks along the bridge, and suc- ceeded in throwing them across the chasm ; and Ginkle's men were preparing to step forward on the perilous journey. At that moment a volunteer party of eleven Irish, encasing themselves in armour and helmets — for they were fully aware of the deadly danger — rushed forward and began to pull down the planks and hurl them into the stream beneath ; but they were met by a volley from the English lines ; and when the smoke had cleared away every man of the little band was seen lying dead or wounded. On the instant another party of eleven, untemfied by the fate of their comi'ades, stepped forward, and dashing in, succeeded in tearing down all the remaining planks : but again the deadly fire did its work, and nine of the eleven fell. Thus 2b 370 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LIII. foiled, G inkle made another attempt by constructing a sort of long wooden shed or gallery, which was filled with men and pushed across the narrow bridge way; but the Irish contrived to set it on fire, and the men had to run back for their lives : after which he gave lip all idea of forcing his way across the bridge. A tremendous cannonade had been kept up incessantly for ten days, during which 12,000 cannon balls, 500 bombs, and many tons of stones had been discharged, and 50 tons of powder had been consumed; yet the capture of the town seemed as far off as ever. An anxious council of war was held ; and Ginkle, in despair, proposed to raise the siege, for provisions were running short ; but his generals prevailed on him to tiy another plan. The season had been unusually dry, and it was found that the river could be forded, though at gi'eat risk, at a point about sixty yards below the bridge. Here it was resolved to make an attempt to cross. St. Ruth had, on the day before, received warning of the intended attack from a deserter. But in his overween- ing confidence he scoffed at it ; feeling quite assured that after the successful defence of the bridge, no other attempt need be feared. From the beginning he believed the passage of the river impossible : "Ginkle deserves to be hanged," said he, " for attempting to take Athlone, while I am here with so great an army to defend it ; and I shall deserve to be hanged if I lose it." He was earnestly urged by Sarsfield and others to take precautions ; but he met their suggestions with insults, and having sent a small party of untrained recruits to guard the deep ford, he sat down in his tent to enjoy himself. Ginkle was told all this by deserters, so that even Story is able to record how matters stood on the Irish side : — " Thi-ee of the most indifferent regiments CUAP. LIII.j ATHLOiNE AND AUGHRIM. 371 in the Irish army were on guard," he says, "the rest being all very secui-e in their camp." On the 30th June 1691, a volunteer party of Grena- diers was told off for the perilous attempt, "and for the greater encouragement of the Soldiers" — Story goes on to say — "the General distributed a sum of Guineas amongst them." They plunged into the deep and rapid river twenty abreast, and with great resolution made their way across through fire and smoke ; and landing with hardly any opposition, some of them laid planks over the bridge, while others fixed some boats that had been kept ready, so as to fonn another complete bridge across. The small party of Irish had been taken quite by sui'prise, and in less than half an hour Ginkle was master of the town. Thus Athlone was captured almost within sight of the whole Irish army, when a little care and vigi- lance would have rendered the passage of the river impossible ; and the heroism of the noble fellows who had sacrificed their lives to tear down the planks went for nothing. After the fight was over the body of the veteran, Colonel Richard Grace, was found imder the ruins of the castle : a heroic ending to a heroic life. The Irish officers bitterly reproached St. Euth for the loss of Athlone, so that with good reason he became alarmed ; and fearing the displeasure of his master King Louis, he now resolved to stake all on the result of a single battle. Falling back on the village of Aughi'im in Galway, four miles from Ballinasloe, he determined to make a stand there ; and with gi-eat judgment he selected an excellent position along the ridge of Kilcommedan hill, beside the village, with a sluggish stream and a morass in the low ground in front, which was impassable for horse, but might be crossed by foot. At both ends were two narrow 2b2 372 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. liii. passes through the bog, both well guarded ; one an old causeway to the Irish left, near the ruined castle of Aughrim, the other on the right, near a ford over a little stream at a place called Uraghree. The slope of the hill in front, down to the morass, was intersected by fences, which were all lined by Irish marksmen. Miii Plan of Battle of Augliriiii : constructed from Story's contemporary plan. A. Castle and Pass, near the present village of Aughrim. U. Pass of Uraghree. W, W. Ginkle's army. I, I. Irish army. At six o'clock on the morning of the 12th July, Ginkle's army, consisting of English, Scotch, and Irish, with French, Danes, and Dutch, set out from their encampment at Eallinasloe : but as the a.d. 1691 morning was foggy, there was a pause till near mid-day, when an advance was made, and the army drew up in battle array on the heights at the far side of the marsh. There were about 20,000 men on each side. It is proper to remark that the army led by St. Euth, both here and at Athlone, was purely Irish, as he brought no French soldiers to Ireland. CHAP. LIII.] ATHLONE AND AUGHRIM. 373 Ginkle attempted to force the Pass of Uraglirec, but was resisted with great spirit, the numbers engaged at this point increasing by accessions every moment, so that what was at first a skirmish became almost a battle. The assailants, after several repulses, came on doggedly again and again, and at last gained their way through the pass, but were set upon with such fuiy that they were driven back in confusion. At this dangerous juncture Ginkle, after a hasty council of war with his chief officers, determined to draw off for the day, and defer the battle till next morning. Orders were actually given to this effect, when, observing what he believed to be some disorderly movements on the Irish side, he resolved to renew the attempt. A more numerous body was now sent to TJraghree with the object of di'awing St. Ruth's forces from the pass at Aughrim ; and at half -past four the battle began afresh. The plan succeeded, for large bodies of Irish were withdrawn fi'om the Aughrim Pass to help to defend TJraghree ; on which Ginkle gave an order for a general advance, one body on his right through the causeway at the castle, and the main body of infantry through the marsh in the middle, in front of St. Ruth's main army. The castle pass was defended with great determination, and while the fight was hottest here, Ginkle's main body succeeded in crossing the stream and marsh, though up to their middle in water and bog. They fought their way steadily up the hill, but at last a terrible onslaught from the fences forced them to recoil. Again and again they advanced, and each time they were diiven back, so that a general rout seemed imminent. St. Ruth, all elated, waved his hat and exclaimed : *' The day is oui's, my boys ! We shall 874 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LIII. now diivo them back to the gates of Dublin." But immediately after, while riding down the hill to give some orders about the pass at the castle, he was struck by a cannon ball which took off his head. This changed the whole fortunes of the day. No one knew General Ginkle. From an oKl print in the National Gallery. Dublin. what orders to give, for St. Ruth had let none of his officers into his confidence. There was one man who might have retrieved the disaster — Sarsfield. But CHAP. LIV.] SECOND SIEGE AND TREATY OF LIMERICK. 37 St. Euth, who hated and feared him, took good care to keep him in a snhordinate position at the head of some horse, far in the rear, with directions not to move without express orders ; and it was only after some time that he was made aware of St. Ruth's fall and of the success of the English. After this, the only service he was able to render was to help to coyer the retreat of the Irish infantiy after the battle. Even after the death of St. Ruth, the contest was obstinately maintained for some time ; but without aim or method. At last, late in the evening, the Irish gave way. A great number who had taken refuge in a bog were massacred ; and they lost altogether probably 5000 men. Only about 500 prisoners were taken, and in proportion to the numbers engaged, this was the most destructive battle in the whole war. Galway submitted on the 21st of July, and Sligo in September, both on favoui'able terms, their ganisons being allowed to march to Limerick. CHAPTER LIV. THE SECOND SIEGE AND TREATY OF LIMERICK. A.D. 1691-1693. -William and Mary. ENERAL GiNKLE, after his victory at Aughrim, marched southwards for another attempt on Limerick. Tirconnell proceeded to put the city in a state of defence : but he died of apoplexy on the 14th August; on which the chief command devolved on Sarsfield. On the 30th August, just a year after the memorable 876 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LIV. defence, the second siege began. Ginkle's first opera- tion Wcas a bombardment with sixty cannon A.D. 1691 and nineteen mortars, from which were ponred bombshells, red-hot balls, and car- casses ; and soon the city was on fire in several places ; so that many of the citizens, muffiing themselves in their bedclothes, left and formed an encampment in the open country at the Clare side, beyond the reach of the missiles. Thomond Bridge in 1840. From Wright's " Ireland Illustrated.' By some extraordinary negligence on the partjOf a Jacobite officer named Clifford — some say. byl treachery — Ginkle was able to construct a pontoon bridge of tin boats across the river, above the city, near St. Thomas' Island, and to send a detachment to occupy the Clare side. On the 22nd September an attack was made on the fort that stood at the Clare end of Thomond Bridge, which was for a time obstinately defended; till the CHAP. LIV.] SECOND SIEGE AND TREATY OF LIMERICK. 877 Irish at last, oyerpowered by numbers, had to retreat across the bridge. The town-major, a Frenchman, raised the drawbridge too soon and shut out 600 of them, who, being caught between the drawbridge and their enemies, could make no defence, and though hold- ing up their handkerchiefs, in token of surrender, and calling out for quarter, were all massacred. There was now a short truce, and negotiations were set on foot for capitulation. Both sides were anxious to end the war. Ginkle saw no prospect of being able to take the city in reasonable time. To captui-e it at once by storm he considered impracticable — having probably the experience of last year in his mind : and he was in great distress for provisions, so that if there was any further delay, he must, as he said in one of his letters, either starve or begone. "We have Story (" Continuation," p. 214) expressing himself to the same effect: — " Indeavouring to reduce the Town by Force with such a little Army as we had seeming dangerous, considering the very great Strength of their Works which were still intire though the Town was much shattered : these and other reasons were like to render it a Work of longer time than at first we hoped for, and the Winter [was] now drawing on apace." And further on (page 279) he says : — " And though we had passed the river, yet we were as far fi^om entering the Town as ever." The cold and rainy season was siu-e to bring pestilence among the troops ; at the same time it was rumoured that aid was coming from France. The arrival of the French might prolong the struggle indefinitely, the consequence of which no man could foresee; for William and his government were at this time in a very unsettled position. For all these weighty reasons, Ginkle was very anxious to end 878 A child's HISTOUY of IKELAND. [CHAP. LIV. rant any reasonable tcnns as the war, and willing to the price of surrender. Sarsfield on his part, saw no hope in further unaided resistance. Accordingly, on the 3rd October, a Treaty of Peace was signed by Ginklc and the English lords justices on the one hand, and on the other by Sarsfield, now earl of Lucan, and by others ; and it was confinned ■^X^*"''' Treaty Stone as it appeared Iialf a century ago recently placed on a pedestal From Mrs. Hall's "Ireiand." by King William a short time afterwards. The stone on which it was signed is still to be seen on a pedestal beside Thomond Bridge. We shall see that the Treaty was not kept by the government ; but for this violation King William was not to blame. This ended the War of the Revolution; and William and Mary were acknowledged sovereigns of Ireland. A few days afterwards a French fleet sailed up the Shannon : 18 ships of the line and 20 transports, with 3000 soldiers, 200 officers, and arms and ammunition for 10,000 men ; but Sarsfield refused to receive them, and honourably stood by the treaty. CHAP. LIV.] SECOND SIEGE AND TREATY OF LIMERICK. 379 The Treaty of Limerick consisted of two parts, one Civil, the other Military ; containing altogether forty- two articles. The most important of the civil articles were these : — The Irish Roman Catholics were to have the same religious liberty as was consistent with the existing law of the land, or as they enjoyed in the Medal struck to commemorate the surrender of Limerick. King and Queen on obverse. Fame sounding trumpet on reverse, with city in distance. From Ferrar's " History of Limerick," 1787. reign of Charles il. (which was the one period since the Reformation when they had most liberty) : * and " the oath to be administred to such Roman Catholicks as submit to Their Majesties Government, shall be the Oath [of Allegiance] afore-said, and no other " (Ninth Article). Those in arms for King James to retain the * Here are the very words of this portion of the Treaty, which is the first article of the Civil part, indicating the importance attached to it : — " The Roman Catholicks of this Kingdom shall enjoy such Privileges in the exercise of their Religion as are consistent with the Laws of Ireland, or as they did enjoy in the Reign of King Charles the Second ; and Their Majesties (as soon as their Affairs will permit them to summon a Parliament in this Kingdom) will endeavour to procure the said Roman Catholicks such further Security in that Particular, as may preserve them from any dis- turbance upon the account of their said Religion." 580 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LIV. estates they possessed in the time of Charles II., and to be permitted to freely exercise their callings and professions. The principal military articles were : — The garrison to be permitted to march out of the city with arms and baggage, drums beating and colours flying. Those officers and soldiers who wished might go to any foreign country, the government to provide them with ships ; those who chose might join the army of William and Mary. Ginkle was anxious to keep these soldiers in the king's army; but only 1000 joined; and 2000 got passes for their homes. More than 20,000 sad exiles — among them Sarsfield — went to Brest and entered the French service. These formed the nucleus of the famous Irish Brigade, who afterwards distinguished themselves in many a battlefield — Eontenoy, Eamillies, Blenheim, Landen, and others ; always led by Irish officers, voluntary exiles like themselves. Sarsfield, after brilliant service, fell mortally wounded, in the moment of victory, at the battle of Landen in 1693, where he commanded the left wing of the Prench army. It is stated that while lying on the ground, seeing his hand stained with his own blood, he exclaimed "Oh, that this was for Ireland ! " There was at this time and for long after, a vast exodus of the very flower of the Irish people to the Continent. Between 1691 and 1745 it is reckoned that 450,000 Irishmen died in the service of Trance ; and many, who if they had remained at home would have lived in obscurity and degradation, attained Sarsfield's ring-. From the "Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland," vol. iv., 5th ser. 1894, p. 296. CHAP. LIV.] SECOND SIEGE AND TEEATY OF LIMERICK. 381 positions of influence and power in every country on the Continent. The war had cost the English about seven millions, representing probably fifty millions of oui' money, besides vast destruction of houses, cattle, and other kinds of property. King William was kindly disposed towards the Irish ; and taking advantage of the Treaty, he restored a good part of their estates, and granted many pardons. Eut he rewarded his followers with vast tracts of land. He created Ginkle earl of Athlone, and gave him 26,000 acres ; and to others he gave much larger estates. Alto- gether he made seventy-six land grants to his own people. Lord Sydney, the lord lieutenant, summoned a parliament, which met in Dublin on the A.D. 1692 5th October, a year after the conclusion of the war: the first held since 1665, with the exception of that of King James (page 325). It was exclusively Protestant ; for the good reason that almost the first thing done was to frame an Oath, to be taken by all members of both houses, that the chief Doctrines of the Catholic chuixh were false ; though the T^inth Article of the Treaty had, just a year before, provided that the Catholics were to be required to take only the Oath of Allegiance. Sydney, as representing the king, opposed the measure ; but it was carried in spite of him; whereupon all the Catholics present in both houses walked out. In the course of its proceedings this parliament declared that it was independent of that of England ; and though granting a supply of money to the king, it rejected a money bill sent from England, on the ground that it had not been originated in the Irish Commons. This may be regarded as the beginning of the long contest between the English and Irish parliaments, to 382 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lv be related in subsequent chapters. Sydney was so indignant at this refractory proceeding that he twice prorogued this parliament, which was finally dissolved on the 5th ^"ovcmber 1693. There was now another confiscation, as will be further related in next chapter. In less than a cen- tury there had been thi'ee great confiscations in Ireland, the old proprietors being in all cases dispossessed : — the first after the Geraldine and 0']^eill rebellions ; the second in the time of Cromwell; and the third after the conquest by King William. These thi'ee comprised the whole island, except the estates of about half a dozen families of English blood. Moreover, the three confiscations sometimes overlapped; so that large portions were confiscated twice, and some three times over, within that period. As the result of all, only about a seventh of the land of all Ireland was left in the hands of the Catholics. The Catholics of old English blood were involved in this general ruin, so far as their numbers went, as well as those of the native Celtic race. CHAPTER LV. THE PENAL LAWS. yEFOEE resuming our regular narrative, it is necessary that we here turn aside to describe the penal and repressive legislation that fol- lowed the capitulation of Limerick, which will be done in this chapter and the next. The Irish Catholics were now crushed and dispirited ; they were quite helpless, for their best men CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 383 had gone to France ; and all hope of resistance was at an end. Yet the Treaty of Limerick remained ; and they had the consolation of feeling that in that agreement they had secui-ed tolerable conditions. But here they were doomed to a woful disappointment. The Irish parliament, with the full concuiTence of the English authorities, refused to cany out the treaty in its most important parts ; though, as we have seen, it was purchased by most valuable concessions on the part of the Irish commanders, and had been solemnly guaran- teed, first by Ginkle and the Irish lords justices, and next by King William himself. '^ Since the Irish,^^ says Story (" Continuation," p. 279), " had it still in their power [before the treaty was made] to give us the Town or to keep it to themselves, I see no Reason why they ought not to make a Bargain for it, and expect the performance of their Contract, which Their Majesties have been graciously pleased to ratifie under the Great Seal of England." AVe may fairly conjecture that when Story (who, it will be remembered, was one of King William's chaplains) wrote these remarkable words in 1691, he had some suspicions and fears that the treaty would not be kept : and that he wi'ote them in a generous spirit to advocate its faithful ful- filment. The violation of the Treaty greatly displeased King "William, who would have honourably kept to his part of the agreement, as Sarsfield did on his side when he refused to admit the French fleet. For William was not disposed to oppress anyone on account of religion ; and he was often heard to declare that he came over to deliver the Protestants hut not to persecute the Catholics. It does not appear, indeed, that he ever redeemed his pledge, made in the fii^st Article of the 384 A child's history of ieeland. [chap. lv. Treaty (p. 379, note) to try to procure further religious security for the Catholics : but, no doubt, he thought it would be useless — as it certainly would have been — to attempt to move either the Irish or the English par- liament in that direction. After the conclusion of the War of the Revolution, the government of Ireland was completely in the hands of the small Protestant minority, who also possessed almost the whole of the land of the country ; and they held nearly all the offices of trust and emolument. And now, not only did they refuse to carry out the Treaty, but they went much farther by passing a number of Penal Laws, which, so long as they remained in force, would keep down the Catholics, who formed foui'-fifths of the population, and would secure for the Protestant minority the great possessions and privileges they already enjoyed. Before 1695 there were many penal enactments against Irish Catholics, with the main object of com- pelling them to abandon their own religion and to adopt the doctrines and forms of worship of the Eef oiination ; but they were passed only at long in • tervals, and the authorities, for various reasons, were not always anxious, or were not able, to have them carried out. But after that date they came in quick succession, growing more and more severe as time went on ; till they reached their worst phases chiefly in the first years of the reign of Queen Anne, and partly in the reign of George II. ; and they were generally enforced, so far as lay in the power of the authorities. These repressive laws were mostly the work of the Irish parliament, but the English parliament sometimes stepped in and lent its aid. The Code remained in full force for about thi^ee-quarters of a century, when CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 385 it began to be relaxed, though by very small degrees at first. Gradually, and very slowly, the worst of the enactments were repealed, one by one, as will be noticed in the proper places as we go along, till, with the exception of some particulars, the Emancipation Act of 1829 put an end to the disabilities of Irish Catholics. It will be convenient to bring the leading enactments of the whole Penal Code into this chapter, though it will oblige us to run a little in advance in point of time. The parliament of 1692, as related in the last chapter, led the way by framing an oath to exclude Catholics from parliament, contrary to the J^inth Article of the Treaty. But the really active penal legislation was entered upon by the parliament which met in Dublin in 1695. Their first proceeding was to introduce a bill *'for the confirmation of Articles made at the Treaty of Limerick " : and thereupon they confii-med all the minor provisions of the Treaty and omitted all the important ones. This bill passed easily thi'ough the House of Commons ; but it was vigorously resisted in the upper House by a powerful minority of Irish lords — all Protestants be it remembered — who vehem- ently condemned such breach of faith. And when, in spite of opposition, the bill was at length passed, a number of them, including seven Protestant bishops, signed a strong protest against it. Having thus secured what amounted to the rejection of the Treaty, this par- liament, dui'ing the sessions of 1695 and 1697, passed a number of penal laws, of which the following are the most important : — Catholic schoolmasters were forbidden to teach, either in schools or in private houses, and Catholic parents were forbidden to send their children to any foreign 2c 886 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LV country to be educated; from which it will be seen that care was takeu to deprive Catholics — as such — altogether of the means of education. Although the Treaty secui'ed to the Catholic gentry of certain specified counties the possession of their estates, the parliament dispossessed them all, and seized their lands, which they gave to others. Catholics were to deliver up their arms ; and if a magistrate suspected that there were any in the house of a Catholic, he might make a search, and if refused admission, might break open the door. If a Catholic "had a valuable horse, any Protestant might take posses- sion of it by offering £5 — which answers to about £30 of oui' present money. The existing parish priests were not to be disturbed ; but all had to be registered in a government book, and had to give security for good behaviour. About a thousand were registered ; and these were allowed to celebrate Mass, but they could keep no curates. It was ordained that all other Catholic clergy — bishops, Jesuits, fi'iars, monks, and the E-egular clergy of every order — should, under penalties, quit the kingdom by the 1st May 1698 ; and any who returned were adjudged guilty of high treason, of which the punishment was death. This would of course, after some time, leave the people altogether without priests ; for according as the existing clergy died out, there would be none to take their places, since a priest could not be ordained without a bishop. Several hundreds of those against whom the decree was directed left the country; but many remained, including some bishops, who dis- guised and concealed themselves as best they could. It was ordered that no Catholic chapel should have either steeple or bells. There were many other stringent CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 387 measures passed by this parliament, which it would be tedious to enumerate. This was the first instalment of the Penal Code ; but it was followed by much worse. When, a few years later, the Duke of Ormond (grandson of Onnond of the Confederate times) came over as lord lieutenant, the House of Commons petitioned him for a fui'ther exten- sion of the penal legislation; though the reason why is hard to make out ; for the Catholic people had been quiet and submissive, and had given no provocation whatever. Yet Ormond consented; and in 1704 an act was passed, of which the following were the most impor- tant provisions. If the eldest son of a Roman Catholic with landed property declared himself a Protestant, he became the owner of all his father's land, and the father sank to the position of life-tenant ; and if any other child, no matter how young, professed that he was a Protestant, he was placed under a Protestant guardian, and the father had to pay all the expenses of separate maintenance and education. One very bad feature of these provisions was that they encoui'aged baseness, by tempting childi'en to the unnatui'al course, of turning against their own parents for the sake of mere gain. If the wife of a Catholic became a Pro- testant, she could claim separate support from his estate, and one-third of all his other property, ^o Catholic could be a guardian to a child : so that when a father who had young children felt himself dying, his last hours were troubled by the consciousness that his children were likely to be brought up Protestants. "No Catholic was permitted to purchase land, or even to take a lease of land for life (which was called a freehold lease), or for longer than 31 years : and if land descended to a Catholic as heir to some former owner, 2c2 388 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lv. or if land was left to him by will ; in neither case could he accept it. The profit of a Catholic's farm, over and above the rent, was never to exceed one-thii'd of that rent ; and if any Protestant proved that the profit realised was more than that, he could take possession of the farm. The intention of all these provisions was to make it impossible for Catholics ever again to own any part of the land of the country. ]N^o person could vote at an election for a Member of Parliament without taking an oath that the Catholic religion was false. A Catholic could not hold any office either in the Civil or Military Service without taking the same oath and submitting to the *' Sacramental Test," that is, receiving the Sacrament on Sundays in some Protestant place of worship, according to the rite of the Established Church. This last item of the Code is what is called the Test Act ; and it applied to the Presbyterians and other ^on- conformists as well as to the Catholics ; for they have special rites of their own. Later on — in the first year of the reign of George II. — the Catholics were wholly disfranchised, that is, they were forbidden to vote at an election under any cir- cumstances whatever. No Catholic was to be permitted to come to live in the cities of Limerick or Gal way ; but those who were residing in them at the time were allowed to remain, provided they gave security for good behaviour : but this law soon became a dead letter, for it was found impossible to have it carried out. Eewards were offered for the discovery of bishops, Jesuits, unregistered priests, and schoolmasters : and whenever such a reward was earned, the Catholics had to pay it. Very determined measures were taken, moreover, to have this law enforced. In the last year of Queen Anne's reign (1714), the English parliament CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 889 extended to Ireland the ''Schism Act," which or- dained that no person could teach a school unless he had a license from the Protestant bishop : and this license could not he granted unless the applicant submitted to the Sacramental Test. In the foregoing sketch, only the main provisions of the Penal Code have been enumerated. These laws were mainly intended to suppress the Catholic religion. But they had no effect whatever in making the people conform, as is shown by the fact that twenty years later, we find the Irish parliament complaining of the continued increase of Catholicity, and proposing other measures for its suppression of so violent a character that the English authorities refused to sanction them. The Catholics were not the only people who suffered imder this legislation. In a very little time the " Test Act" and the ''Schism Act" were brought to bear against the Ulster Presbyterians, who were now sub- jected to bitter persecution : for they refused either to apply to the bishop for Licenses to teach in schools, or to receive the Sacrament according to the English rite. They were expelled fi'om BeKast and Derry, they were dismissed from the magistracy, prohibited from teaching school, their marriages were declared void, and the Eegium Donum, an annual gi'ant given by King "William to their clergy, was stopped for the time. But they bore it all with steady resolution rather than violate their principles. Many, however, took another course. It will be related in the next chapter how the ruin of the wool trade, in 1698, di'ove numbers of Presbyterians to emigrate to New England (p. 397) : and as the distress continued, so also did the emigra- tion. But it was greatly increased by these religious 390 '\ child's history of Ireland, [chap. lv. hardships ; aiid iiow the Presbyterians went off in large numbers. Tliis alarmed the government, as it increased the relative proportion of Catholics ; yet they obstinately retained these two acts, though earnestly recommended to repeal them by successive lord lieutenants : and so the exodus continued. For a long period about the middle of the century, it is calculated that 12,000 emigrated every year fi'om Ulster. The sufferings of the Presbyterians, however, though bitter for the time, were trifling and brief compared with those of the Catholics. It would be unjust to view these laws as if they stood alone. In many parts of Europe at the time, there were stringent penal laws : of Protestants against Catholics in some countries : of Catholics against Pro- testants in others : a fact that must be carefully borne in mind in revievring this legislation. But in at least two respects the Irish laws contrasted unfavourably with other penal codes. In all other countries it was the great majority persecuting a small sect, to force them into religious compliance with the general body : in Ireland alone was the attempt made by a small minority to suppress the religion of the whole nation among whom they lived. But perhaps the worst feature of the Irish enactments was that they were made in open breach of public faith. To us, looking back at those evil times from a distance of nearly two centuries, the picture is not wholly black. There are spots brightened by humanity, which, when well considered, should stir up feelings of mutual kind- liness among the people of the present day. It will be good to point out a few of these relieving features. It was the governing classes that made those terrible penal laws ; the general body of the Protestant people, whether in England or Ireland, had no hand in them. CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 391 And when tlie laws came into operation, a large propor- tion of Irish Protestants, all through the country, looked upon them with silent disapproval, and did a great deal in a quiet way to protect their Catholic neighbours ; just as many Catholics — both clergy and laymen — in 1641, and subsequently in 1798, saved their Protestant friends from the fuiy of the mob. This was especially the case where property was concerned. A Catholic gentleman, when in danger of losing his land through some one of the means provided by law, told his story to his Protestant neighbour, who on the spot purchased the estate, or rather pretended to pui'chase it, di^awing out a regular agreement and taking over the title deeds, but paying no purchase money. He was now the owner according to law, and received the rents, but secretly handed them over to his Catholic friend as they came in ; and this continued generally during the lives of the two, and often during the lives of their children and grandchildren, till the repeal of the statute enabled land and deeds to be restored to the owners. Cases such as this were quite common all over the country : and among the Protestant gentry it was con- sidered a special point of honour to keep and restore the property undiminished, faithfully, and without fee or reward. Many a Catholic gentleman holds his estate at this day through the kind feeling of the ancestors of his present Protestant neighbour's. So also it often happened that a dying Catholic, with young children, sent for his Protestant friend and com- plied outwardly with the law by leaving them to his guardianship, with the secret understanding that they should be educated by some Catholic selected by the family ; and there is good reason to believe that guar- dians thus appointed were generally faithful to their 392 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LV. trust : often at great risk to themselves. The enact- ment about the horse of more than £5 value was taken advantage of only in a very few cases ; and Catholic gentlemen continued to hunt and race and drive equipages with valuable horses, among the Protestant gentry, without any molestation during the whole time the law remained in force. While many magistrates were active in seeing the law carried out, there were others more under the in- fluence of good feeling. One of these, suppose, received information that some banned priest or schoolmaster was hiding in the neighbourhood ; but he intentionally delayed, or went to the wrong spot, or met with some trifling accident, or sent word secretly : and at last arrived at the hiding place, looking very wicked, only to find the culprit gone. In other ways the operation of these cruel laws was mitigated, and it often turned out that matters were not quite so bad with Catholics as the lawmakers in- tended. Evasions were very often winked at, even where well-known. Catholic bishops remained all thi'ough in the country in spite of every effort to dis- cover them, li^-ing in huts in remote places under various disguises, and meeting their congi^egations by night in wild glens and bogs. Young priests who had been educated abroad managed to return, and took up their duties though not registered. But such breaches and evasions were always *veiy dangerous, and might at any moment end in detection and punishment. Then as to education. Many priests kept schoolmasters, who taught in sheds put up in remote glens, or they instructed individual scholars, in a scrappy kind of way, in fields or lanes; which however was only a flickering sort of educa- tion, that could not reach the general mass of the people. CHAP. LV.] THE PENAL LAWS. 393 In one very important particular the penal code failed to reach the Catholics. Though they were shut out from the ownership of land, and from the professions, many branches of business lay open to them ; so that numbers of Catholics prospered in trade, and became rich, with no power to hinder them, especially in large towns and seaports. Along with all this, it is well known that towards the middle of the eighteenth centuiy, though the worst of the penal statutes remained in force, many of them were quietly suffered to fall into disuse, so that Catholics began to bestir themselves a little, and to hope for better times. In some parts of the country too, there was such an overwhelming preponderance of Catholics, that even in the worst of the penal times it was impossible to have the laws enforced. But making every allowance for kindliness, protection, evasion, and non- enforcement of the law, the Catholic people underwent terrible sufferings for three or four generations ; and no one who has not read the detailed histoiy of those times can have any idea of the sort of life they led. Though the Penal Code quite failed to make them Protestants, it succeeded perfectly in crush- ing, impoverishing, and degrading them. Deprived of the means of education and advancement, the great body sank in the end into such a state of listless igno- rance and poverty, and became so downtrodden and oppressed with a sense of inferiority, that after their disabilities had been removed and the way had been cleared for them, it took them many generations more to recover anything like the position of independence, self respect, and influence, they had enjoyed before the penal times. Sculpture on Window : Cathedral Church. Glendalough : Berangcr, 1/79. From Petrie's "Round Towers." CHAPTER LVI. LAWS TO DEPRESS IRISH TRADE AND ilANUFACTITRE. HE Penal Laws described in the last chapter applied mainly to Catholics : but the repressive code now about to be described oppressed Irishmen of all creeds. Ireland has a good climate, a fertile soil, and a fair supply of minerals ; and towards the end of the seventeenth centiuy, in spite of wars and other troubles, several branches of manufacture, trade, and commerce were flourishing. But the traders and mer- chants of England fancied that the prosperity of Ireland was a loss to them, by drawing away custom ; and in their shortsighted and selfish jealousy, they persuaded the English parliament — which, indeed, needed little persuasion — to ruin almost the whole trade of Ireland. As in the case of the penal enactments touching religion, it will be convenient to bring all the main provisions of this Code into one chapter. This legislation was generally the work of the English parliament alone ; but sometimes the Irish parliament followed in the same direction ; and, in obedience to orders, passed acts impoverishing their own country. It must be borne in mind that religion had CHAP. LVI.] LAWS TO REPRESS IRISH TRADE. 396 notlimg to do with these proceedings, which are all the more to be wondered at, seeing that the blow fell chiefly on Irish Protestants ; for at this time the general body of the Catholics were barely able to live, and could do very little as a body in the way of industries. But the English traders cared nothing for all this ; they wanted to destroy Irish trade for their own gain ; and whether the ruin fell on Protestants, Presbyterians, or Catholics, was a matter of indifference to them. Down to 1663 Irish merchants had been in the habit of exporting goods of various kinds to different foreign countries, especially to the British colonies all over the world; and as Ireland is a good gi'azing country, a flourishing trade was also carried on by the export of Irish cattle to England. N'ow, an end was put to all this ; for several acts were passed in the English parliament from 1663 to 1680 prohibiting Irish merchants from exporting or importing any goods to or from the colonies ; and the export of cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, mutton, butter, and cheese, to England, was altogether stopped. Thus the chief Irish industry was destroyed ; and the people, being unable to find a mar- ket for the produce of theii' farms, fell at once into poverty. Yet the Irish did not despaii'. Driven fi'om cattle- rearing, they applied themselves to other industries, especially that of wool, for which the countiy is well suited. In those times Irish wool was considered the best in Europe ; and, notwithstanding the measures of Wentworth to cripple this trade (p. 286), it began to flourish again, and was rapidly rising to be a great national industry, which was carried on almost ex- clusively by the Protestant colonists. But this, too, was doomed. The English cloth dealers, taking the 396 A child's history of IRELAND. [OHAP. LVI. alarm, potitioncd in 1698 to have it suppressed : and King William, in the speech from the throne, promised to discourage the Irish wool trade, to encourage the Irish linen trade, and to promote the trade of England. It is worthy of remark that in their petitions and addresses, the English never made the least secret of what they wanted, namely, to destroy Irish trade for their own benefit. When the traders sent forward their petition about wool in 1698, the English House of Lords, in a petition to the king, say : — " The grow- ing manufacture of cloth in Ireland, both by the cheap- ness of all sorts of necessaries of life, and goodness of materials for making all manner of cloth, . . . makes your loyal subjects in this kingdom rery apprehensive that the further gi'owth of it may greatly prejudice the said manufacture here." And, in the same year, the people of Aldborough and Eolkstone petitioned that the inhabitants of the eastern coast of Ireland should be stopped from fishing and selling their fish, because of the injury done "by the Irish catching herrings at Waterford and Wexford and sending them to the Straits, and thereby forestalling and ruining peti- tioners' markets." And other such instances might be cited. The upshot of the agitation against the wool trade was that, in 1699, the ser\dle Irish parliament, acting on directions from the other side, put an export duty of four shillings per lb. on fine woollen cloths, and two shillings per lb. on frieze and flannel, knowing well that this was sui-e to ruin their Protestant fellow-countrymen. The English parliament followed up this measure by passing an act prohibiting the Irish fi^om exporting either wool or woollen goods to any part of the world except a few specified seaport towns in England ; and it CHAP. LVI.] LAWS TO REPRESS IRISH TRADE. 397 was forbidden to ship woollens even to these except from Dublin, Cork, and four other Irish seaports. These acts accomplished all that the English mer- chants looked for : they ruined the Irish wool trade. The heavy duty the Irish wool merchants had to pay obliged them to put such a price on their goods that they found it impossible to sell them in England ; so the trade was stopped altogether, just as the law- makers intended. The woollen mills ceased to work, the work-people were turned idle, and the build- ings went to ruin. Forty thousand Irish Protestants — all prosperous working people — were immediately reduced to idleness and poverty by it ; the Catholics, of course, sharing in the misery so far as they were employed; and 20,000 Presbyterians and other !N'on- conf ormists left Ireland for 'New England. Then began the emigration, from want of employment, that con- tinues to this day. But the English parliament pro- fessed to encourage the Irish linen trade ; for this could do no harm to English traders, as flax-grovtdng and linen manufactui-e had not taken much hold in England. As almost always happens when plenty of a com- modity can be produced, on which there are prohibitive duties — that is, duties so heavy that it is impossible to pay them and afterwards sell the goods with reasonable profit — smuggling now increased enormously. Wool became so plentiful at home that it fetched only about five-pence a lb. ; while three or four shillings could easily be got for it in France. This drove people to smuggle — to send out cargoes of woollen goods secretly, so as to avoid paying the customs duties ; and the smugglers imported, in return, contraband goods — that is, those that ought to pay duty, but did not. Every re- turning vessel brought back quantities of brandy, wine, 898 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lvi. silks, and so forth, and landed them in remote places on the coast, so as to elude the customs officers and escape the duties. All these articles they bought cheaply in France, and either kept them for tlieir own use, or more commonly sold them — cheaply, indeed, but still far beyond cost price ; so that smuggling was, in those days, a very profitable business. None cared to inter- fere, for thousands of the Irish of all classes profited by it ; and high and low, squires, magistrates, clergy, and peasants, Protestants and Catholics — almost the whole population in fact — were in active combination against the law. The Government were powerless to stop this trade ; and for generations it flourished all round the coasts : one of the evil results of unjust and unwise legislation. It would be tedious to describe in detail the various provisions for the ruin of Irish industries enacted by the English parliament. Gradually it came to pass that almost all branches of Irish trade and manufactui^e were destroyed — beer, malt, hats, cotton, silk, sailcloth, gun- powder, ironware, &c. And a little farther on, it will be related how the embargo in the time of the American war not only ruined the farmers, but ruined the trade in salted beef and other such commodities. The destruction of all industiy produced the natural results. During the first half of the eighteenth century Ireland was in an appalling state of miseiy : regularly recurring famines with their attendant diseases all over the country, and whole districts depopulated. A large proportion of the little capital left in the country was sent to England to absentee landlords by middlemen, who, in their turn, extracted the very last penny fi'om the wretched cottiers ; and this constant drain of money greatly aggravated the wretchedness brought CHAP. LVI.] LAWS TO REPRESS IRISH TRADE. 399 on by want of employment. During tlie eighteenth century the peasantry of Ireland were the most miser- able in Europe ; and in the frequent famines, a large proportion of the inhabitants were quite as badly off as the people of Deny during the worst part of the siege. But the evil consequences of those evil laws did not end with the eighteenth century : they have come down to the present day. For when, subsequently, the restrictions were removed and trade was partially relieved, the remedy came too late. Some branches of manufactui^e and trade had been killed downright, and others permanently injured. An industiy once ex- tinguished is not easily revived. The trade in wool, a chief staple of Ireland, which was kept down for nearly a centuiy, never recovered its former state of prosperity. The consequence of all this is that Ireland has at this day comparatively little manufacture and commerce ; and the people have to depend for subsis- tence chiefly on the land. And this again, by increas- ing the competiti a for land, has intensified the land troubles inherited from the older times of the plan- tations. fs: .. ini i innr =^^^^^^;- '-'^mi-\- f^ Sculpture on a Capital : Priest's House, Glendaloui^h : Beranger, 1779. From Pctrie's "Round Towers." CHAPTER LYII. THE BEGINNING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY STRUGGLE. I William and Mary (to 1702). Anne (i 702-1714). George 1.(1714-1727). George II. (1727). EADERS of Irisli History should carefully bear in mind that the proceedings of the Irish Parliament, and the political history of the country duiing the eighteenth century, have reference almost solely to the Protestant portion of the community ; and that the struggles of the Irish legislatui-e for independence, to be related in this and the following chapters, were the ^struggles of Protestants alone. The Catholics had no power to take part in these contests : for no Catholic could be a member of parliament, or even vote at an election for one. They kept almost wholly silent — at least during the fii'st half of the century — ^believing that the less attention they drew on themselves the better : for they cowered under the law, and knew not the moment they might be visited with further crush- ing enactments. The Protestants of the Irish Patriotic party strove for the rights of the Protestant people only. The Catholics never entered into their thoughts except for the purpose of keeping them down. Moly- CHAP. LVII.] THE PARLIAMENTAEY STRUGGLE. 401 neux, Swift, Lucas, Flood, and many other patriots that will come before us as we go along, were all against granting any political liberty to Catholics. Burke and Grattan were almost the only two great Protestants of the first three-quarters of the eighteenth century who took a broader view, and advocated the right of the Irish Catholics to be placed on terms of equality with the Protestant people. The position of the Irish parliament dui'ing the greater part of the centuiy was this. The high govern- ment officials, from the lord lieutenant down, were nearly all Englishmen, with commonly a few Irishmen of English sympathies. These formed what may be called the Court Party. They were in favour of English ascendancy, being always ready to carry out the wishes of the king and the English council ; and as, by the various means at their disposal described farther on — bribery, pensions, situations, titles, &c. — they were nearly always able to have a majority of members in their favoui', the English interest was all-powerful in the Irish parliament. But among a thoughtful section of Irish Protestants, who had the interests of theii' own country, or at least of the Pro- testant part of it, at heart, the unjust laws that destroyed the industries of Ireland and ruined and im- poverished its people to enrich English merchants and tradesmen, and the appointment of Englishmen to all the important posts to the exclusion of Irishmen, pro- voked feelings of resentment and distrust towards the English government akin to those produced in times of old by a similar course of ill-treatment (page 162), and kindled in them a sentiment of patriotism which became more intensified as time went on. They were always represented in parliament by a small opposition, 2d 402 A child's history OP^ IRELAND. [CHAP. LVII. who came to be called Patriots, or the Patriotic or Popular Party. Some of these were indeed selfish and corrupt, and made themselves troublesome merely to induce the government to buy them off by giving them good situations or pensions. But there was always a solid body of men of a different stamp, like Molyneux and Grattan, who, so far as lay in their power, resisted all dictation and all encroachment on the privileges of the Irish parliament, or on the rights and liberties of the country. They held steadily in view two main objects : — To remove the ruinous restrictions on trade and commerce, and to make their parliament as far as possible independent, so that it might have a free hand to manage the affairs of Ireland. It was the unjust trade-laws, and the constant preferment of Englishmen over the heads of Irishmen that gave origin to the Irish Patriotic Party, and brought to the fi^ont their great leaders both in and out of parliament, from Molyneux to Swift and fi'om Swift to Grattan. Gradually, year by year, they gained strength, and ultimately, as we shall see, canied their main points against the government : but it was a long and bitter struggle. Sometimes it happened in cases of unusual provocation, that, not only the small party of Patriots, but the great majority of the Irish members were roused to successful resis- tance in spite of the influence of the Cornet Party : of which we shall see instances as we go along. The struggle between these two parties forms the main feature in the political histoiy of Ireland during the gi^eater part of the eighteenth centuiy. The resistance began early. In 1698, some years before the time we are now treating of, William Moly- neux, member of parliament for the University of Dublin, a man of great scientific eminence, published CHAP. LVII.] THE PARLIAiUKNTARY STRUGGLE. 403 his famous book, ** The Case of Ireland's being bound by Acts of parliament in England stated," in which he denounced the commercial injustice done to Ireland, traced the growth of the Irish parliament, and main- tained that it was independent of that of England, and had a right to make its own laws. This Essay was received in England with great indignation ; and the parliament there, pronouncing it dangerous, ordered it to be bui'ned publicly by the hangman. But the powerful statement of Molyneux, though it taught his countrymen a useful lesson, did not close up the road to rum ; for in the very year after its publication came the most crushing of all the restrictions, the act abeady described (p. 396) destroying the Irish wool industry. A few years later on, the bitter feelings excited in Ireland by these and other such proceedings were greatly intensified by a notable event brought about by a lawsuit commonly known as the " Annesley case." A dispute about some property arose, in 1719, between two Irish persons, Hester Sherlock and Maurice Annesley, which the Dublin court of exchequer de- cided in favour of Annesley ; but the Irish house of lords, on being appealed to, reversed this and gave judgment in favour of Hester Sherlock. Annesley appealed to the English house of lords, who affirmed the exchequer decision, reversing that of the Irish lords ; and they fined BiuTowes, the sheriff of Kildare, because he refused to put Annesley in possession in obedience to their decree. But the Irish peers remitted the fine, declaring the appeal to the English lords illegal, commended the sheriff for his action, and went farther by taking into custody the thi'ee barons of the court of exchequer who had given judgment for 2d2 n 404 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lvii. Aiiiieslcy. Tlie Eiiglisli parliament at last ended the dispute by passing a momentous act A.D. iffi9 (known as '* The Sixth of George I.") deciding that the English parliament had the right to make laws for Ireland ; and depriving the Irish house of lords of the right to hear appeals. It will be remembered that Poynings' Act did not give the English parliament the power of legislating for Ireland (p. 188). The Sixth of George I. now asserted this right for the first time, and thus took away what- ever little independence Poynings' Law had left, and reduced the Irish parliament to a mere shadow. The task of actively opposing the Court Party, by speech and pen, was not left solely in the hands of members of parliament : there were men equally able clnd active outside, of whom the most brilliant by far was Jonathan Swift, the celebrated dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin. He was indignant at the destruction of Irish industries for the benefit of English traders; and, in 1720, he wi'ote an Essay encoui'aging the Irish people to retaliate by rejecting all clothing and fur- nitui'e made in England, and using only their own home manufacture : an essay that so enraged the authorities of both countries that, although there was nothing illegal in the proposal, the Government prose- cuted the printer, but failed to have him punished, notwithstanding the brow-beating efforts of the corrupt judge who tried the case. It was however Swift's action m the case of "Wood's Halfpence" that brought him into the greatest noto- riety. At this time much inconvenience was felt in Ireland fi'om the want of small copper coins : and, in 1723, the English treasuiy, without consulting the Irish authorities, granted a patent for coining £108,000 CHAP. LVII.] THE PARLIA:MENTAKY STRUGGLE. 405 in base-metal halfpence and farthings, to the king's favoimte the Duchess of Kendal, who sold the patent to an English iron merchant named Wood, a transaction which would bring an immense profit to the duchess and to Wood. And what made the matter all the worse was that not more than about £15,000 in small / Jonathan S^vift. From portrait in National Gallery, Dublin. coin was needed. This gross job created intense alarm and indignation in Ireland. The Patriots vehemently attacked and exposed it ; the two Irish houses addressed the king, representing that this base coinage would diminish reyenue and destroy commerce; and midti- tudes of pamphlets, songs, squibs, and coarse carica- 406 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lvii. tures were written and circulated in Dublin attacking *' Wood's Halfpence." Eut the scheme was pressed by powerful friends at court, and would have succeeded only for Swift. He wi'ote and printed five letters, one after another, with the signatui'e ^'W. B. Drapier," pointing out in simple, homely, vigorous language that the most ignorant could understand, the evils which, according to him, would result from the coinage. These coins were so bad, as he told his readers, that twenty- f oui' of them were worth no more than one good penny ; that if a lady went shopping she should have to bring with her a cart loaded with the new money ; that a farmer would have to employ three horses to bring his rent to his landlord ; that a poor man would have to give thii'ty-six of the halfpence for a quart of ale ; and that it would ruin all classes, even the very beggars ; for, when a man gives a beggar one of these halfpence, it " will do him no more service than if I should give him three pins out of my sleeve." There had been great excitement ; but it was increased tenfold by these letters. The Court Officials were greatly provoked ; and the lord lieutenant offered a reward of £300 for the discovery of the author ; but, though everyone knew who the author was, no one came forward to inform on him. At length matters looked so threatening that the patent had to be withdi'awn, a \dctory that greatly strengthened the hands of the Patriots ; and the Dean became amazingly popular all through Ireland among both Protestants and Catholics. In the middle of the centuiy the Popular Party had for leaders, Councillor Anthony Malone, a member of the house of commons, a good statesman and a good orator ; and Charles Lucas, a Dublin apothecary, not then in parliament, though he was subsequently elected: CHAP. LVII.] THE PARLIAMENTAKY STRUGGLE. 407 wMle their leader in the lords was the Earl of Kildare, afterwards Duke of Leinster. Under these three able men they boldly attacked the coiTupt practices of the govemment, and triumphed on more than one occasion. The feeling against Catholics had lately been gi'ow- ing somewhat less bitter ; and they began to bestir themselves, hoping to obtain some little relief. The first timid movements were made by thi'ee Catholic gentlemen: — Dr. Curry, a physician of Dublin, his- torian of the civil wars in Ireland; Charles 0' Conor of Eellanagar in lioscommon, a distinguished scholar Charles O'Conor, of Bellanagar. From Plate engraved from original portrait : portrait and plate still in possession of his descendant, the Right Hon. The O'Conor Don. and antiquarian, author of several books on Irish his- torical literatui^e ; and Mr. AVyse of Waterford. They endeavoiu'ed, in the first instance, to stir up the Catholic clergy and aristocracy to agitate for their rights ; but here theii' efforts quite failed ; for these classes, having abeady suffered so much, were fearful that any attempt to obtain justice might only make matters worse. At 408 A child's history of IRELAND. [ciIAP. LVIII. this time, however, a good many Catholics, driven from the professions, had, as already stated, taken to business and commerce in Dublin and other cities (p. 393) : and among these classes Curry and his colleagues were more successful; so that A.]). 1J5J they founded the '' Catholic Committee " to watch over the interests of Catholics. This body was to hold its meetings in Dublin. The association spread some enlightenment, and infused some faint life and hope among the Catholics ; and it may be regarded as the feeble beginning of the move- ment for Catholic relief, which subsequently became so formidable and successful under O'Connell. CHAPTER LYIII. DISCON^TENT AND DANGER. AD. 1761-1772.— George III. /^\%?iDDLEMEN", a class of porsous well known in Ireland, had a gi^eat deal to do with the wi-etched condition of the Irish peasantry diuing the eighteenth centmy. These were men who took tracts of land from the absentee landlords at a moderate rent, and sublet it to cottiers and small farmers at rackrents that left hardly enough to support life. Sometimes there were two middlemen, the one who let the land to the farmers being himself the tenant of another over his head, who, in his tui^n, rented it from the great absentee ; and not unf requently there were tkree, each making a profit from the next below. But whether one, two, or three, the tillers of CHAP. LVIII.] DISCONTENT AND DANGER. 409 the soil were always kept in a state of the greatest poverty, being quite at the mercy of their immediate landlord. Those who had leases were indeed a little better off ; but very few had ; nearly all were tenants at will ; and the landlord made them pay whatever he pleased. This state of things, which affected both Protestants and Catholics, existed in every part of Ireland during the whole of this century, and continued far into the next. Other causes contributed to the prevailing depression. Towards the middle of the century, there was a very general movement among landlords, both great and small, to turn the land to pasture ; for they found it more profitable to graze and sell cattle than to let the land for tillage ; and thousands of poor cottiers were turned off in order that the land might be converted into great grazing farms. jS'ear many of the villages in various parts of Ireland were "Commons," stretches of grassy upland or bog which were free to the people to use for gi^azing or for cutting tui'f , and formed one of their chief ways of living. These had belonged to them time out of mind, being in fact the remains of the Commons Land of ancient days (p. 47) ; but about this period the landlords had begun to enclose them as private property, chiefly for grazing. The people had other reasons for discontent too. They complained that the landlords charged excessive rents for bogs ; and the gentry eveiywhere managed to evade the tithes payable to the ministers of the Established Chui'ch, which in consequence fell chiefly on the very poorest of the people. In addition to all these was the general want of employment due to the loss of trade of eveiy kind, already refeiTed to, which drove the peasantry to de- pend on land as almost their sole means of subsistence. 410 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LVIII. At last the people, with some wild notions of redi'ess- ing^ tlieir gi'ievances, began to combine in various secret outh-bound societies, by which the country was for many years greatly disturbed. Of these the most note- worthy were the Whiteboys — so called because they wore white shirts over their coats when out on their nightly excursions — who were confined chiefly to the counties of Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. The movement was not sectarian ; and it was not di- rected against the government, but against the oppres- sion of individuals. The "Whiteboys rose up in the fii'st instance (in 1761) against the enclosure of commons, and persons of different religions joined them ; for all suffered equally from the encroachments of the land- lords : and Catholics as well as Protestants fell under their vengeance. They traversed the country at night, levelling all the new fences that enclosed the commons, and digging up pastui^e land to force tillage : whence they at fii^st got the name of Levellers. But they soon went beyond their original designs, setting themselves up as redressers of all sorts of grievances ; and they committed terrible outrages on those who became obnoxious to them. Sometimes they took people out of their beds in winter, and immersed them naked up to the chin in a pit of water full of briars. At length they became so troublesome that a large force was sent, m 1762, to suppress them, under the marquis of Drogheda, who fixed his headquarters at Clogheen in Tipperary. The parish priest, Father [N'icholas Sheehy, was accused of em-olling Whiteboys, and a reward was offered for his arrest ; but he, earnestly denying the charge, surrendered, and was tried in Dublin and acquitted. He was immediately re-arrested on a charge of murdering one of his accusers, and put on his trial CHAP. LVIII.] DISCONTENT AND DANGER. 411 this time in Clonmel ; and on the evidence of the self- same witnesses, who had been disbelieved in Dublin, as persons well known to be of bad character, he was convicted and hanged. Father Sheehy asserted his innocence to the last ; the people considered him a martyr, and his execution caused fearful excitement. In Ulster there were similar secret associations among the Protestant peasantry, brought about by causes of much the same kind as those of the south. One main ground of complaint was that every man was forced to give six days' work in the year, and six days' work of a horse, in the making or repairing of roads, which the gentry made full use of, while they themselves contributed nothing. Those who banded together against this were called " Hearts of Oak." Another association, the *' Hearts of Steel," rose in 1769, against unjust and exorbitant rents; for the people of Ulster were as much oppressed as those of Munster by middlemen, who were here commonly known as " Forestallers." These "Oakboys" and " Steelboys," not content with their original objects, set themselves to redi'ess various abuses about land, like their brethren in the south ; and they also opposed the payment of tithes, which had been lately very much increased in Ulster. The oppression of the northern peasantry by the gentry caused a great emigration of the best of the people to Xew England, or rather increased the emigration begun more than half a cen- tuiy before; and when, a little later, the war broke out between England and the United States, the most determined and dangerous of the troops who fought against the English were the sturdy expatriated Presby- terians of Ulster, and the descendants of those who had emigrated on account of religious persecution and the 412 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lviii. destruction of the wool trade (pp. 314, 397). There were many other secret societies at this time and for long afterwards, culminating later on in the most cele- brated of all, the United Irishmen. Meantime, througli all this trouble, the contest of the two parties in parliament went on without the least cessation. The Court Party were strong, and continued to purchase members to their side by various corrupt means ; but the Patriots were sleepless and vigilant, and never gave the government a day's rest. Pensions constituted one of the principal forms of bribery. Large pensions were given to numbers of persons who had done nothing to earn them ; and some were be- stowed on favoui'ites by the English privy council and charged to Ireland without any reference to the Irish government ; so that the Pension List had grown to enormous proportions. This corrupt and ruinous pension list was vehemently attacked by the Patriots under the lead of a great man, Henry Plood,^' who was aided * At this time three great Irishmen, who for years played an important part in Irish affairs, began their career : — Henry Flood, born near Kilkenny, 1732, died 1791 ; Henry Grattan, bom in Dublin, 1746, the son of the recorder, died 1820; Edmund Burke, born in Dublin in 1730, died 1797. Eurke, who figured in the English parliament, was one of the greatest political philosophers that ever lived. He began his public life in 1765, as private secretary to Lord Rockingham, the English prime minister, and in the following year he was elected member for Wendover. In 1774 he became member for Bristol. He opposed the American war ; and on this question, as well as on those of the French revolution, and the Stamp Act, he wrote powerful pamphlets, and made a series of splendid -speeches. He lifted himself above the prejudices of the times, and all his Hfe advocated the emancipation of the Catholics. Grattan was, perhaps, Ireland's most brilliant orator and one of CHAP. LVIII.] DISCONTENT AND DANGEK. 413 by the gi^omng eloquence of a still more celebrated patriot, Heniy Grattan, tben a very young man, and Henry Flood. From Barrin^tons "Historic Memoirs," II., io6. not yet in parliament. But, although they fully ex- her purest and greatest patriots. He began his parliamentary life in 1775, at twenty-nine years of age, as member for Cbarlemont ; and his very first speech ■vras in opposition to the pensions of two In oratorical power, Flood was second only to Graltan. 414 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LVIII. posed the corruption of the pension list, the goyemment proved too strong for them, and the evil, so far from ahating, continued to increase year by year. Another question arose about this time which excited great interest — that of the duration of parliament. In England the utmost limit was seven years ; at the end of which the parliament, if it lasted so long, had to be dissolved, and there was a general election. This was a good plan ; for if a member acted wrong the electors could put another in his place without much delay. But, in Ireland, parliament lasted as long as the king wished ; and the preceding one had continued during the entire reign of George II. : thirty-three years. This state of things led to great abuses ; and several times the Patriots brought in a Septennial or seven years bill, and the majority of the Irish parliament agi'eed to send over the heads of the bill for approval by the English council, in accordance with Poynings' Law (p. 187). But, in each case, no notice was taken of the communication. !N'ow, once more, the A.D. 1^6*" patriots, under the leadership of Charles Lucas, did the same thing ; and this time the document was retui-ned, approved, from England, but with the seven years changed to eight, which was accepted by the Irish parliament. The passing of this Octennial bill was the occasion of much popular rejoicing in Ireland. After this bill had become law there was a dissolu- tion, and a new parliament was elected. During the election. Lord Townshend — the same lord lieutenant under whom the Octennial bill had been passed — made use of every possible form of bribery, and with much success, to have members returned favourable to his side. But, with all his corrupt practices, he failed to CHAP. LVIII.] DISCONTENT AND DANGER. 415 bring this new house of commons with him on one important point. Both in England and in Ireland the commons have always jealously preserved to themselves the power to originate money bills — that is, the power to raise money by taxation and to apply it to the expenses of the country ; justly holding that the representatives of the people have alone the right to tax the people. On the present occasion the English privy A.D. 1769 council sent over a money bill for Ireland, with dii'ections to have it passed by the Irish parliament; but it was rejected *' because it did not originate in the house of commons " — the very phrase used in Sydney's parliament in 1692 (p. 381) — which greatly incensed Lord Townshend. Keeping his mind to himself, however, he fii'st got parliament to pass the usual money supplies to the government ; and when these were safe, he had the commons summoned to the bar of the house of lords, where he lectured them severely for their conduct about the money bill, and prorogued parliament for f oui'teen months. He entered a protest in the books of the house of lords against the rejection of the bill ; but the commons, who were more film than the lords, forbade their clerk to enter the same protest on their books. These proceedings of Townshend, which were felt to be a mixture of trick- ery and tp'anny, caused great indignation, and gave renewed strength to the popular party. All this time the Catholics were almost wholly silent, taking no part in political questions : their only desire being to avoid the sharp fangs of the law. Yet there were signs of some faint desire to indulge them a little ; but how little may be judged from one small conces- sion, and the difficulty of having even that granted. Lord Townshend had an act passed (a.d. 1771), which 416 A child's history of ikeland. [chap. LVIll. had been previously often rejected, enabling a Catholic to take on long lease, and reclaim as best he could, fifty acres of bog ; and, if it were too deep or marshy for building on, he was permitted to have half an acre of solid land on which to build a house. But these pre- cautions were inserted : — that the bog should be at least four feet deep, and that it should not be nearer than a mile to any market town. Townshend at last growing tired of the ceaseless op- position of the Patriots, and of the everlasting deluge of hostile literature in newspaj)ers, pamphlets, ballads, and all sorts of witty squibs, with ugly caricatui^es, resigned in 1772. During his term of office, he had done more to corrupt parliament than any of his prede- cessors, by dismissing all opposed to him, and by giving pensions, places, and titles ; all to secure a majority for the Court or English Party. Ey this open and perpetual corruption he managed to keep up a majority and to have most of his measui'es passed. But, on the other hand, these proceedings had the elffiect of consolidating the Patriotic Party, and of strengthening their deteimi- nation to break down the purely English influence, and to have Irish affairs managed mainly for the benefit of Ireland, and not solely for that of England, as had hitherto been the case. Sculpture on a Capital: Priest's House, Glendalough : Beranger, 1779. From Petrie's " Round Towers." CHAPTER LIX. THE YOLTJNTEEES. A.D. 1775-1779. -George III. N 1775 began the war between England and her North American colonies, which in more ways than one had much influence on the affairs of Ireland, mostly favourable, but sometimes the reverse. Notwithstanding all the disastrous restric- tions, some channels for commerce still remained open to Ireland ; and a brisk trade was carried on by the export of provisions of different kinds, especially salted meat, to various countries. Eut even this industry did not escape ; for in the very year after the breaking out of the war, an embargo was laid on the exportation of Irish pro- visions, in order to cheapen food for the A.D. 17*6 British army, as well as to prevent sup- plies reaching America : in other words, all export of provisions from Ireland was prohibited. This nearly ruined the farmers and all others employed in the trade, and caused instant distress everywhere. As might be expected, it gave rise to a flourishing smuggling trade, which was extensively carried on, especially round the intricate coasts of the south and 2e 418 A child's history of IRELAND. [ciIAP. LIX. west, but wliicli went no way in alleviating the distress. The embargo was ordered by the English authorities of their own motion, without consulting Ireland; and this fact, with the sight of the misery that had been suddenly brought on the country, caused such dangerous Edmund Burke. From portrait in National Gallery, Dublin. discontent in the Irish parliament, that it was con- sidered desii'able to dissolve it, and have a new set of more pliable members elected. The general election accordingly came, and as usual there was extensive bribery to secure a government majority. CilAi'. LIX.J THE VOLUNTEKKS. 419 In Ireland the people generally sympathised with America ; for they felt that the grievances from which they had so long snffered were much the same as those against which the Americans had risen in revolt; and they began to entertain a hope that one outcome of the war might be free trade for their own country, the only possible remedy for tlie prevailing misery. In England the feeling of the Irish people was well understood ; and some discussions regarding the injustice done to Irish trade were originated in the English parliament by Edmund Burke and other friends of Ireland ; but a great cry was instantly raised by Eng- lish manufacturers and traders — an outburst of mere selfishness — against any movement that threatened their own privileges by relieving the Irish people ; and the end of the matter was that only a few trifling con- cessions were made. The war in America had gone steadily against the English ; and great consternation was A..D. IS'T'? caused when news came that General liurgoyne with 6000 men had surrendered to the American general Gage at Saratoga. Eut there was greater alarm still in the following year, when France ackno^dedged the independence of the United States. This was immediately followed by a measure carried in the English parliament, partially relieving English Catholics from their disabilities : and with this example to follow, Mr. Luke Gardiner, afterwards Lord Mountjoy, brought in a bill in the Irish parlia- ment to grant considerable relief to Irish Catholics and dissenters. At this time indeed much of the Penal Code had 2 E 2 ^' •IL'O A t'llll,I)'s niSTOUY OF IltKI.ANO. [ciIAP. LIX. fallen into disii.so ; but still it hung over the heads of the Catholics, and might be brought down at any time. Yet there was considerable A.D. ittH opposition to Gardiner's proposal ; but the government favoured it, and the bill was carried by a small majority. At the same time the Embargo was removed ; but during the two or three years of its continuance it had done irreparable damage by causing the trade in salted meat to be transferred to other countries. The act of relief repealed those enactments which prohibited the purchase of freehold property by Catholics, and which gave the whole xn'operty to the eldest son, and the right of separate maintenance at the father's expense, to any other child who became a Protestant (p. 387). Catholics could now take land on freehold lease, i.e. on lease for life. Instead of tlie right to purchase land in perpetuity, they got what was much the same thing, the right to lease for 999 years. The Test Act was also abolished, whicli relieved Presbyterians as well as Catholics. All this time Ireland was in a very defenceless state. For in the very year of the opening of the war, 4000 Irish troops had been sent away at the request of the king, for service in America, leaving only three or four thousand in the country : and though the English government proposed to send to Ireland 4000 Protes- tant soldiers from Germany in place of those who had been drafted away, the Irish House of Commons de- clined to admit them, saying that the loyal people of Ireland were well able to protect themselves, without the aid of any foreign troops. Now, however, things began to look very threatening, and peo[)le feared CHAP. LIX.] THE VOLUNTEERS. 421 foreign invasion. For not only was the war going on badly, but France and Spain were both hostile ; and the English and Irish coasts swarmed with American privateers which captured British merchant vessels and did immense damage. In the north of Ireland the people had good reason for apprehension. Only about eighteen years before (in 1760), Captain Thui^ot — an Irishman whose real name was O'Farrell — had landed at Carrickfergus with 1000 men from three French vessels, and laid the people under heavy contribution for provisions. He was forced however to re-embark, and in an action a little north of the Isle of Man the three vessels were captured, and Thurot was killed. All this was vividly remembered ; and now the celebrated privateer Paul Jones, a Scotchman in the service of the United States, with his vessel the '' Eanger," was committing great depredations round the Irish coast. Out- A.D. IT? 8 side Carrickfergus he captured an English brig, and got safely off with her to Brest. The Irish saw that if they were to be protected at all they must protect themselves ; and this conviction gave origin to the Volunteer movement, which was begun towards the end of 1778. The first Volunteer companies were raised in Belfast, after which the move- ment rapidly spread ; the country gentlemen armed and drilled their tenants ; and by May of the A.D. lyyo following year nearly 4000 were em-oiled in the counties of Down and Antrim. The authorities did not look on this movement with favour, knowing well that it would strengthen the opposition ; for it was got up by the people and their leaders, quite independent of the government ; but the feeling of the country was too strong for them. The 422 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LIX. formation of Volunteer companies extended to other parts of Ireland : and before the end of the year, 42,000 volunteers were enrolled. James Caulfield, earl of Charlemont, a man univer- "* *«> T^^l&^^^ 'm/Kk' '^-^m ^■- ^^^ Lord Charlemont. From the portrait in the National Gallery, Dublin. sally respected, of refined tastes and scholarly attain- ments, and moderate in his views, was in command of the northern Volunteers ; the Duke of Leinster, of those CH^P. LIX.j THE VOLUNTEERS. 423 of Leinster ; and other gentlemen of influence took the lead in other parts of Ireland. We must remember two things in regard to these Volunteers. First, the rank and file were the very- people who most severely felt the prevailing distress caused by the suppression of Irish trade ; and who, with- out being in any sense disloyal, were bitterly hostile to the government, while their sympathies were entirely with the Patriotic Party. Of all this the government were well aware : but they dared not attempt to keep down the movement. They were obliged even to go so far as to supply arms, though much against their will : but all other expenses, including uniforms, were borne by the people themselves. The second matter to be borne in mind is that this was a Protestant movement, the Catholics not yet being permitted to take any positions of trust : but as time went on Catholics gradually joined the ranks in considerable numbers. Parliament met in October (1779). The Patriotic Party had now the Yolunteers at their back, and just as the government had feared, assumed a bolder tone ; and what gave their demands tenfold strength was that they were known to be thoroughly loyal, and wanted nothing more than the redress of admitted grievances. Flood had been their leader down to 1774 when he took office under the government, having been appointed vice-treasiu'er with a salary of £3500 a year. This obliged him to keep silent on most of the great ques- tions in dispute between the two parties ; and he lost the confidence of the people, which was now transferred to Grattan. Though the embargo had been removed, all the older restrictions on Irish trade (chap, lvi.) still remained, under which it was impossible for the country to 424 A OTIlLT)'s HISTORY OF IRELAND. [ciIAP. LlX. prosper, or even to emerge from poverty. On the assembling of parliament, Grattan, in an amendment to the Address, brought in a motion de- A.r>. lyyo manding free trade, which, after some dis- cnssion, was earned unanimously. Even the members in government employment voted for this : it was proposed by Walter Hussey Burgh the Prime Ser- jeant, and was supported by Flood, Hely Hutchinson, Ponsonby, and Gardiner, all holding offices. Dublin was in a state of great excitement, and the parliament liouse was surrounded by an immense crowd shouting for free trade ; for now, at last, they saw some prospect of relief. The Address, with Grattan' s amendment, was borne through Dame-street by the speaker and the commons in procession, from the parliament house to the castle, to be presented to Lord Buckinghamshire, the lord lieutenant. The streets were lined both sides with Volunteers under. the Duke of Leinster : as the members walked along they were received with accla- mation by an immense multitude ; and the Yolunteers presented arms in honour' of the speaker and members. It was in the debates on this question that Hussey Burgh made his reputation as an orator. In one of them he used a sentence that has become famous. Someone had remarked that Ireland was at peace : — ^' Talk not to me of peace," said he : '^ Ireland is not at peace ; it is smothered war. England has sown her laws as di'agons' teeth : they have sprung up in anned men."* This sentence produced unparalleled excite- * Alluding to a classical fable : — Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, having killed a great dragon, sowed its teeth in the earth by the advice of Minerva : and the crop that sprang up from them was a party of mighty men all fully armed. CHAP. LIX.] THE VOLUNTEERS. 425 ment ; and, when it had calmed down so that he could he heard, he announced that he ^^;r\ resigned his office under the crown. "The gates of pro- motion are shut," exclaimed Grattan: "the gates of glory are opened ! " Eut to the British parliament alone, which had laid on the restrictions, helonged the task of removing them. In l^ovem- her (1779) the English prime minister. Lord JN'orth, intro- duced three propositions to re- lieve Irish trade : the first per- mitted free export of Irish wool and woollen goods ; the second fi'ee export of Irish glass manu- factures ; the third allowed fi'ee trade with the British colonies. The first two were passed im- mediately; the third after a little time. The news of this was received with great joy in a Member of the DubUn voiun T)nl)lm teerCorps. From " The Universal -^^^^^^^^' Wagazine": Dublin, 1792, p. 545. Sculpture on Window : Cathedral Church, Glendalough : Beranger, 1779. From Petrie's " Round Towers." CHAPTER LX. LEGISLATIVE INDEPENDENCE. A.D. 1780-1783.-George III. TEET important demand made so far by the popular party in Ireland had been con- ceded ; and the more they forced the government to restore, the more they were determined to have. They had ob- tained some relief for trade : they now resolved that their parliament, which was bound down by Poynings' Law and by the Sixth of George I., should also be free. On the 19th of April, in a magnificent speech, Grattan moved his memor- able resolutions : — That the king, with the lords and commons of Ireland, are the only power on earth A.D. lyso competent to enact laws to bind Ire- land. That Great Britain and Ireland are inseparably united under one sovereign. The question, however, was not put directly to a division : for, though it was obvious that the sense of the house was on the side of Grattan, he and his party might have been outvoted if a vote had been taken. The next debate arose on a mutiny bill — that is, a CHAP. LX.J LEGISLATIVE INDEPENDENCE. 427 bill to maintain and pay the army. In England the Mutiny Act is not permanent : it is passed from year to year, lest the army might be used by the king or govemment as an instrument of oppression, as it was often used in days gone by, when kings, with an Grattan. From the portrait in the National Gallery, Dublin. army at their back, did what they pleased in defiance of parliament and people. The Mutiny Bill for Ireland was passed by the Irish parliament after a long contest ; but, having been transmitted to the English authorities, 428 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lx. it was returned changed to a perpetual bill — the very thing they took good care to avoid in England. The Irish gOYcrnment, following their directions as usual, proposed this measure in the parliament in 1780 ; but it was most resolutely opposed, and created gi'eat irritation and excitement all over the country. ]N"ever- theless the Court Party carried it in spite of all expos- tulation ; and earned it by wholesale bribery, especially by selling peerages and peerage promotions. In this, as in many other instances, the action of the govern- ment, both in England and Ireland, appears to have been singularly ill-judged and short-sighted, in exas- perating the Irisb people at the very time of wars with America, Erance, Spain, and other countries. Their proceedings, instead of suppressing the spii^it now abrojid through the country, or allaying excitement, intensified the discontent and spread the agitation. ^Meantime the enthusiasm for home government was spreading and intensifying ; and the oj^position, led by Grattan, gained strength and confidence by the great increase of the Yolunteers, who, much against the wish of the government, continued to be enrolled in the foiu' pro^-inces, till at last they numbered 100,000 men. The country was now all ablaze with excitement, though perfectly peaceable ; and people scarcely thought or talked of anything but the question of a free parlia- ment. Dunng the early months of 1781 innumerable meetings were held all over Ireland ; and what was more significant, there were reviews of the Yolunteers everywhere in the foui' provinces, with the great ques- tion always in their thoughts and speech. In Belfast Lord Charlemont rode through the crowded streets at the head of his splendid corps, and issued an address, in which he hailed the spirit of freedom that had enabled CHAP. LX.] LEGISLATIVE INDEPEKDENCE. 429 them, -without help from outside, to provide against foreign invasion, and looked forward to the accomplish- ment of legislative independence. In the session of 1781, which did not open till October, Grattan was the great leader of the popular party. He was seconded with almost equal ability by Flood, who, towards the end of the preceding year, finding his position of enforced silence unendui^able, had thrown up his government appointment, and had been removed by the king from his seat on the Privy Council. Though holding ofiice, he had never worked well with the government ; and he now joined his old friends, and thereby regained much of his foraier popularity. They had at their back a number of able and brilliant men — Hely Hutchinson, John Pitzgibbon (afterwards, when in office, a bitter enemy of the cause he now advocated), Hussey Bm^gh, Barry Yelverton, and others. Barry Yelverton had given notice of motion for the 5th of December, 1781, for the repeal of Poynings' Act ; but on that day news came of a great disaster — the siu'render of Lord Cornwallis and his whole army in America, which ruined the cause of England in the war. Whereupon Yelverton, abandon- ing his motion for the time, moved an addi'ess of loyalty and attachment to the king, which was carried. The repeal of Poynings' Law was, however, again moved in the same month by Ploocl, but the motion was defeated by government. Dm^ing all this session the government authorities were able to secui'e a majority by a plentiful distribu- tion of patronage ; so that it would have been quite useless to bring forward a motion for legislative in- dependence. At last Grattan, hopeless of being able to contend in parliament against the forces of corruption, 480 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LX. detennined to let the empire hear the voice of even a more powerful pleader. A convention of delegates from the Ulster Volunteers was summoned for the 1 5th February at Dungannon, the old home of A.i). 1J83 Hugh O'jS'eill. Two hundred and forty- two delegates from 143 Yoluuteer cor2)s of Ulster, most of them men of wealth and station, assem- bled in the Dissenting Meeting House of Dungannon. Dungannon Meeting-House at the time of the Convention. From "The Anthologia Hibernica " 1793, II., 321 The proceedings were managed chiefly by Grattan, Plood, and Lord Charlemont ; and thirteen resolutions were adopted, of which the most important were : — That the king, lords, and commons of Ireland have alone the right to legislate for the country : That Poynings' Law is unconstitutional and a giiev- ance, and should be revoked : That the ports of Ireland should be open to all nations not at war with the king : CHAP. LX.] LEGISLATIVE INDEPENDENCE. 431 That a permanent mutiny bill is unconstitutional : And "That as men and Irishmen, as Christians and as Protestants, we rejoice in the relaxation of the penal laws against our Roman Catholic fellow-suhjects ; and we conceive the measui-e to be fraught with the hap- piest consequences to the Union and prosperity to the inhabitants of Ireland." This last was inserted at the instance of Grattan ; and, among its most ardent sup- porters were three clergymen delegates — one belonging to the Established Church, the other two Presbyte- rians. The resolutions of the Dungannon Convention were adopted by all the Volunteer corps of Ireland ; and they formed the basis of the momentous legislation that followed. These spii'it- stirring proceedings were altogether the work of Protestants, for the Catholics were still shut out fi'om taking any part in them. On the day that the Dungannon resolutions were passed, Mr. Luke Gardiner introduced a measui^e for the further relief of Catholics, which, after some oppo- sition and delay, was adopted. They were allowed to buy, sell, and otherwise dispose of lands the same as their Protestant neighboui^s. The statute against cele- brating and hearing Mass, and those requiring the registration of priests, and forbidding the residence of bishops and other clergy, were aU repealed. Catholic schoolmasters could teach schools, and Catholics could be guardians of children ; the law prohibiting a Catholic fi'om having a horse worth more than £5 was repealed, as well as those which made Catholics pay for losses by robberies, and which forbade them to come to live in Limerick and Galway. The next meeting of parliament was on the 16th April 1782. The citizens of Dublin, believing that what they had long hoped for was coming, were all abroad : 432 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lx. and among tlicm, the Yolunteers were conspicuons with their bands, banners, and bright nniforms. The nsnal address was moved, to which Grattan moved an amend- ment. He was very ill at the time, and when he rose he was pale and trembling ; but, as he went on, he gathered strength and energy ; and his splendid speech moved the whole house to uncontrollable excitement. The amendment comprised all the chief demands of the Protestant Irish people; ending with the declaration that the king and Irish parliament alone had the right to make laws for Ireland. These were merely a repeti- tion of the Dungannon resolutions, with the exception of that relating to Catholic emancipation, which was not expressly mentioned. The amendment was unani- mously agreed to. The next part of the proceedings was in the English parliament. On the 17th of May, a resolution for the repeal of the Sixth of A.D. 1J83 George I. was proposed in the lords by the earl of Shelbm^ne, and in the commons by Charles James Fox ; to which both houses agreed. This concession, known as the "Act of Repeal," was communicated by the viceroy to the Irish parlia- ment at its meeting of the 27th of May. It was interpreted to mean that England gave Ireland an in- dependent parliament, over which it renounced all authority, annulled Poynings' Law, restored to the Irish lords the right to hear appeals, abolished the right of appeal to the English lords, and in general yielded all the demands of Grattan' s amendments. The news was received in Ireland with a tremendous outbui'st of joy, both in the House and among the people all over the country ; and as an evidence of gratitude, the parliament voted to the British navy 20,000 men and £100,000. CHAP. LX.] LEGISLATIVE INDEPENDENCE. 433 It was felt and acknowledged that this consumma- tion was mainly due to Grattan. " The man who, diuing the last anxious years, had stood forth from his countrymen, heyond all rivalry and all comparison, was Hemy Grattan. His splendid eloquence, the per- fect confidence which was felt in his honour and in his disinterestedness, the signal skill, energy, and modera- tion with which he had at once animated and controlled the patriotic party were universally acknowledged, and at this time almost universally admired."^' The Irish m Grattan's House at Tinnehinch in 1824. From Brewer': Drawn by Petrie. Beauties of Ireland," parliament voted him a grant of £100,000. But he accepted only £50,000, and even that after much persuasion. With this he bought an estate in Queen's Coimty : and he took up his permanent residence in a beautiful spot that he loved : Tinnehinch, near Ennis- keiTy in Wicklow, twelve miles from Dublin. * Lecky, '* History of Ireland in the ISth century," ii., 31o. O T7 434 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxi. Hood was of opinion that the English parliament Bhonld have gone farther by formally renouncing the right to make laws for Ireland : and, as confirming his view, the English parliament, in January of the follow- ing year — 1783 — when Lord Shclburne was prime minister, actually passed the ''Act of Renunciation," declaring that Ireland's right to be bound only by the laws made by the king and the Irish parliament was " established and ascertained for ever, and shall at no time hereafter be questioned or questionable." CHAPTER LXI. grattan's parliament. A.D. 1783-1785.-George III. FTER 1782 the only connexion between the two parliaments of England and Ireland was that the king was head of both. Beyond this they were, at least in theoiy, quite independent of one another. The English parliament was free to legislate for England, but not for Ireland ; and the Irish parliament could make any laws it pleased for Ireland, subject only, by the con- stitution, to the veto of the king, to which the English parliament was also subject. Eut now this free Irish parliament stood sadly in need of reform ; for it was, unhappily, as bad a type of parliament as could well be conceived. Bad as it was, however, Grattan and his followers were only too glad to accept it, believing that refonn would come in due coui'se. "With all its shortcomings, it encoui'aged trade and manufactiu'e. CHAP. LXI.] GKATTAn's PARLIAMENT. 435 and developed the natui-al resources of the countiy ; so that Ireland prospered under its administration, as will be further noticed in the next chapter. Let us look at some of the worst features of this parliament. Of the 300 members more than 100 were pensioners of the government, or held government situations, all of whom voted just as they were directed by the authorities. jS'early all the boroughs were in the hands of a few lords and rich men, most of them on the side of the government ; so that any man might get to be a member of parliament by paying a sum of money to some borough owner, who then ordered the people to elect him : all which was a very money- making business ; for sometimes a person who wanted to be elected paid as much as £10,000 for his seat. A parliament ought to consist of members elected by the fi'ee votes of those who have the fi-anchise — the right to vote : but, of the 300 members of this parliament, not more than 70 or 80 were returned by the free votes of the people. All this was a bad state of things : but it was hard to remedy ; for these placemen and borough owners, and those whom they got elected, were the very men who had the making, altering, and repealing of the laws in their hands. Then, again, the spurious boroughs formed in the time of the Stuarts (p. 283) still existed, many of which contained only about a dozen electors ; so that it was always easy, by merely spending a little money in bribery, to have persons elected who would back up the government in every- thing. But, perhaps, the worst featui-e was that the Eoman Catholics, who formed four-fifths of the popula- tion, were totally shut out : a Catholic could neither be a member nor vote for a member. The parliament did not represent the nation ; and it did not represent even 2f2 436 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxi. the rrotcstant people. Though it had the name of "being, after 1782, independent of the English govern- ment, it really was not so ; for the Irish authorities Tvere directly under the influence of the English Council, and could almost always secure a majority in parliament. The government of Ireland was, in fact, a sort of oligarchy, in which the people of the country had hardly any voice ; and the ministry might do almost what they pleased. There never was a parlia- ment more in need of reform : and reform would have saved it, and saved the country, the horrors of 1798. Two great questions now lay hefore the country : — Parliamentary reform and the removal of the restric- tions which still remained on Irish commerce. A third question was Catholic emancipation ; but people's minds were so occupied with the other two, that this was for the present left veiy much in the backgi'ound. The Volunteers took up the question of parliamentary reform — the all important reform to put an end to bribery and corruption — to secure that all the members of parliament should be elected by the free votes of the people. Several meetings were held, at which the subject was discussed ; and a general convention in Dublin of delegates from all the Volunteer corps of Ireland was arranged for the 10th of IN'ovember, 1783 ; all which proceedings were very alarming to the government, who wanted no reform of any kind in the parliamentary representation. The parliament met in October. The necessity for retrenchment in the civil administration, which had gi'own costly mainly thi'ough the corruption of government, was before men's minds, and was strongly advocated by Grattan ; but Elood proposed a reduction in the army, in which the sense of the house was against him ; and Grattan opposed CHAP. LXI.] GRATTAN's PARLIAMENT. 437 the proposal witli much vehemence. Between those two great men an estrangement had heen gradually growing up : and, in one of the debates on Flood's motion, there occuiTed a bitter and very lamentable altercation between them, which terminated their friendship for ever. Yet, subsequently, each bore generous testimony to the greatness of the other. The 10th November came, and 160 Volunteer dele- gates assembled in the Eotunda, in Dublin. A.D. 1783 They elected as chaii^man the Earl of Charlemont, the commander of the whole force. The meeting was held while the parliament was sitting close by ; and, after much discussion, cer- tain reforms were agreed to, which were introduced immediately afterwards into parliament by Flood in the form of a bill. The debate was a stoi^my one, and the scene in the old parliament house is described as " almost terrific." Barry Yelverton, afterwards Lord Avonmore, now attorney-general, and of course on the government side, led the opposition to the bill, at the same time denouncing vehemently the attempt to coerce the parliament by an armed body of men ; and John Pitzgibbon, now the leading opponent of reform, and others, followed in the same strain. Flood, in a power- ful speech, advocated the bill and defended the action of the Yolunteers. Grattan supported it, but not very earnestly, for he maintained it was not the right time to bring it forward ; and John Philpot CuiTan, who had been elected for Kilbeggan this same year — 1783 — made his first parliamentary speech in favour of it. But the government party were too strong, and the bill was rejected by a large majority. Thus the efforts of the Popular Party to reform a corrupt parliament ended, for the present, in failui^e thi'ough government opposition. 488 A CHILD'S HISTORY OF IRELAND. [CHAP. LXI. The result produced f>rcat iudi ^nation, and there were serious fears of a collision between the Volunteers and the government : but the counsels of Lord Charlemont prevailed ; and on the 2nd of December the Volunteer convention was adjourned without any day being fixed for next meeting. This was the death blow to the influence of the Volunteers ; and, though they held together and continued to be eni'olled for years, they never afterwards played any important part in the political a&iirs of the country. Eut they broke away from the influence of Lord Charlemont and became more revolutionary in their ideas, after the example of France. In the f oUowingyear ( 1 784) Flood made another effort at reform, but the Irish government successfully resisted all attempts to improve the representation. The Volunteers, deserted by their leaders, now formed themselves into clubs and associations, and A.D. 17S4: held secret meetings. In Dublin, Belfast, and elsewhere, they began to drill men in the use of arms, Catholics as well as Protestants ; where- upon the government increased the army to 15,000 men, and took measui'es to revive the militia, a force in the service of the crown. Eut the people hated the militia, and the country became greatly disturbed. Scenes of violence occiuTed everywhere. Even in Dublin the mobs paraded the streets, attacked and maimed soldiers, broke into shops, and ill-used the shopkeepers for selling English goods. It was a time of great trouble and alarm. The commercial arrangements between England and Ireland needed reform as much as did the parliamentaiy representation ; for the regulations for the export and import of goods between the two countries were all unfair to Ireland. There were prohibitory duties on CHAP. LXl.] GBATTAN'S PARLIAMENT. 439 many kinds of Irish goods exported to England, but little or none on English goods brought to Ireland ; so that while English manufacturers and traders had free scope to sell their goods in Ireland, the Irish could not sell theirs in England, which repressed the little that remained of Irish commerce and manufactiu'es, and helped to keep the country in a state of poverty. A movement was now made to remedy this state of things ; and here the Irish government were on the side of reform, though their ideas fell very short of those of the opposition. Mr. Thomas Orde, chief secretary, on the suggestion of William Pitt, then Chancellor of the Exchequer in England, brought down from the castle, on the part of the government, a scheme designed by Pitt, embodied in eleven propositions, which would go far to remedy the injustice, all of which were agreed to and passed thi'ough parliament in the shape of resolutions (in 1785). They were forthwith transmitted to England for adoption there ; for as the restrictions had been the work of the English parliament, it was only in England they could be removed. But when they were proposed by Pitt, there arose violent opposi- tion ; petitions against them poured in fi'om companies, manufacturers, and merchants, in all parts of Eng- land, who insisted on maintaining the arrangements which were for the advantage of themselves and for the disadvantage of Ireland. Whereupon Pitt, fearing to face the storm, abandoned Orde's bill, and brought down to the English parliament twenty propositions of his own, much less favoui^able to Ireland — containinf"* several injiuious restrictions — and had them passed. These, on being transmitted to the Irish government, and introduced by them to the Irish house in Argust 1785, were received by the opposition with an outburst 440 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LXII. of indignation. Flood led tlie opposition with all Ids old fire and energy. Grattan denounced tlie propositions in one of his finest speeches ; and after an all-night stormy debate, the government had so small a majority — only 19 — that they thought it more prudent to with- draw the bill ; which caused great rejoicings in Dublin. Thus the whole scheme of reform, both parliamentary and commercial, fell through, and matters remained much as they were till the time of the Union. CHAPTEll LXII. EEYIYAL OF SECRET SOdETIES. A.D. 1785-1791. -George III. ^"URENG the year 1785, discontent prevailed everywhere in Ireland ; for which there were various sufficient causes. The Catho- lics were still oppressed by the penal laws ; and the farmers of all religions were harassed by middlemen. Eut tithes and tithe-proctors were perhaps the most po- tent influence for disturbance about this time. All house- holders. Catholics and Dissenters as well as Anglican Protestants, had to pay " Tithes " for the support of the clergy of the Established Church. These would no doubt have been generally paid quietly enough but for the action of persons called " tithe-proctors," or "tithe- farmers," who collected them for absentee clergymen, or for those ^'ho were resident, but who for various CHAP. LXII.] REVIVAL OF SECRET SOCIETIES. 441 reasons were not willing to enter personally on the business of collection. These proctors, some of them Catholics, some Protestants, commonly received a fixed proportion of the tithes — a third or a fourth — to pay for collection, so that it was their interest to raise as much money as possible ; and they extorted from the veiy poorest of the peasantiy contributions far beyond what the law contemplated. Moreover, grazing lands were exempt, so that the impost fell chiefly on poor cottiers. A rich grazier with two or three thousand a- year paid no tithes, while a half starved cottier had to pay them for his little plot ; and this again discoiu'aged tillage and tended to make grass land of the whole country. The people also of all denominations had to pay " Church- rate," or "Church- cess," a tax to keep the Protestant chui'ches in repair. The payment of tithes and chuixh- rate was resented by the Presbyterians even more bitterly than by the Eoman Catholics. Although it would have been quite easy to provide a remedy for tithes — some- thing like the measure adopted half a centuiy later (in 1838) — and though any reasonable proposal of the kind would have been approved by the authorities in England, the Irish government obstinately resisted every attempt to settle the matter, in spite of the earnest representa- tions of Grattan and his party. All through 1785 and 1786 the country was fearfully distui'bed, and the peasantiy formed themselves into illegal secret societies. In the south there was a revival of the Whiteboys, now calling themselves " Rightboys," led by an imaginaiy " Captain Eight." These mis- guided men, like the AYhiteboys, committed outrages on agents, middlemen, tithe-proctors, and others. The tithe-proctors especially, who had rendered themselves intensely odious by their cruel extortions, were pursued 442 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lxii mercilessly, often mutilated, and sometimes killed. Another class, who were mostly blameless, the Tro- testant curates, always present to bear the odium, and stri\'ing: to live on poor incomes of £40 or £50 a-year, often suffered grievous ill-treatment. The Eightboys were denounced by the Catholic clergy, especially by Dr. Butler, archbishop of Cashol, and Dr. Troy, bishop of Ossory ; but they still continued their evil courses. In the north — in Armagh, Tyrone, and Down — another secret society had grown up among Protestants and Presbyterians, called " Peep-o' -day boys," and after- wards known as "Protestant boys" and "Wreckers." These directed their hostilities against Catholics, who again in self-defence formed themselves into bands called " Defenders." These two parties, who belonged generally to the lowest class of the peasantry, did immense damage — fought, maimed and killed each other, and otherwise caused great disorder. The authorities were veiy much alarmed at the state of the country ; and there were long and anxious dis- cussions as to the best means of restoring quiet. So far as Dublin was concerned — for the city was as much troubled as the north and south — a plan was adopted, though after some opposition, which ultimately tiu^ned out an excellent and successful one : — the government had a bill passed for the appointment of a A.D. 1^86 number of constables to aid the city watch- men. This small body of men originated the present splendid force of the Dublin metropolitan police. Pitzgibbon, who was now the leading influence against remedial measures of every kind, attempted to put down the disturbances by causing the government to pass a crushing Crimes bill, that is, a bill to give CHAP. LXII.] REVIVAL OF SECRET SOCIETIES. 443 more power to the authorities to apprehend and punish the disturbers. Grattan was comdnced of the necessity of some bill of the kind ; but he wished for one much less severe; and he succeeded in having struck out some very violent and dangerous clauses inserted by Fitzgibbon, and in limiting the duration of the bill to thi'ee years: He endeavoured also to have a parliamen- taiy inquiry to ascertain the causes of the discontent and disorders, with a view to their removal ; but here he was overruled; and this "Engine of Redi^ess," as he called it, was rejected. The Popidar Party in parliament continued as vigilant and active as ever, and gave the government great trouble. The usual means were employed to break down their influence : but though the country had long been accustomed to this, probably at no previous period was there so much gross political corruption as during the lord lieutenancy of the Marquess of Buckingham from 1787 to 1790. He bribed openly and unsparingly, wherever he thought it would purchase supporters for the Court Party ; and he dismissed all holders of govern- ment offices who showed any disposition to oppose him. jN'umbers of persons were made peers and baronets, and many peers were promoted ; and he added £13,000 a-year to the pension list, which before his time had gTown to the yearly sum of £100,000. He became at last so intensely unpopular, that when A. D. 1790 he retired he had to steal away from Dublin by night. During the year 1790 the north was far more dis- tiu'bed than the south ; and the Peep-o'-day boys and the Defenders increased and multiplied, continued their outrages, and fought their battles. Among the better educated classes, who saw no hope of reform by 444 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LXII. parliamentary and constitutional means, the doctiincs of the French llevolution found many supporters. Com- mittees were formed, partly to stem the tide of political corruption, and partly to discuss the best methods of government. The members of the Popular Party, who had been the leading men in the old Volunteers, formed themselves into clubs which greatly influenced public opinion ; of which the Whig Club in Dublin, and the Northern Whig Club in EeKast, were specially promi- nent. Eoth of them included among their members many historic personages : — Lord Charlemont, Lord Moira, the Duke of Leinster, Grattan, IS'apper Tandy, John Philpot Cm-ran, Wolfe Tone, and others. These clubs unsparingly exposed the evil system of the government ; but the government, safe in its pensioned and corrupt majority, continued its course imchanged. The Ulster Presbyterians were specially active and earnest in these movements. The anniversary of the taking of the Bastille, the great government prison in Paris, by the Eevolutionists two years before, was celebrated in Belfast in July by the A.D. 1^91 [N'ortheni ^Tiig Club, joined by all the Volunteers of the neighboui-hood, in a great procession, with di'ums, banners, and flags, on which were depicted various scenes enacted at the Revolution. The celebration ended with a banquet, where such toasts were drunk as *' The National Assembly of Prance," "The Rights of Man," &c., and where proper representation in parliament, and the complete emancipation of the Catholics were demanded. There was nothing illegal in these proceedings, but they gave great uneasiness to the government, who, with the example of Prance before them, looked on all such movements with apprehension. CHAP. LXII.] REVIVAL OF SECRET SOCIETIES. 445 Theobald Wolfe Tone, a man of great determination, quite unselfish, and of remarkable persuasive power, was one of the most prominent leaders of public opinion in those times. Though a Protestant, he was appointed Secretary to the Catholic Committee in Dublin, which brought the Catholics into closer connexion with the Presbyterians. In the same year (1791) he visited Belfast, and thinking the JN'orthem Whig Club not suffi- ciently advanced, he founded, in October, the society of United Irishmen, the members of which were chiefly Presbyterians. The objects of this society, which were quite legal, were : — to unite people of all classes and religions in one gi'eat organisation, this main idea being indicated in the veiy name — United Irishmen ; to reform parliament so as to break down the corrupting influence of the government ; and to remove the grievances of all Irishmen of eveiy religious persuasion. This last chiefly aimed at the repeal of the penal laws against Catholics : for the leaders believed that if all the people of the coimtry were united, their demand for reform could not be resisted. Tone next formed a branch of the society in Dublin under the auspices of the Catholic Com- mittee : James tapper Tandy, a Protestant shopkeeper in Dublin, was its secretary. Yet with all this unrest and disturbance, business of every kind was extending, and the country was rapidly advancing in prosperity. This was due to several causes, of which the principal were : the removal of the most ruinous of the restrictions on trade ; the relief of Eoman Catholics from their worst disabilities, which enabled them to take a part, and invest their capital, in industries ; and the restoration of the freedom of Parlia- ment, which gave the authorities a free hand to develop the resources of the country. 440 A child's history ok IRELAND. [ciIAP. LXIIT. Let US now interrupt tlie purely political histoiy, in order to trace the advances made, and tlie checks suffered, by the Catholics, in their efforts to free them- selves from their remaining hardships. CHAPTER LXIII. CATHOLIC PROGRESS TOWARDS EMANCIPATION. A.D. 1792-1793.— George III. 'ORE than thirty years had elapsed since the Catholic Committee had been founded. Its original pui'pose, as we have seen, was to look after Catholic interests in general, and especially to obtain a relaxation or repeal of the Penal Laws. The members felt that this business gave them quite enough to do, and as a body they did not mix themselTes up much in other political move- ments. They had no wish to come in conflict with the government, and they were not much influenced by the revolutionary ideas so prevalent at this time among the Presbyterians. Indeed it was only among the prosperous business Catholics of the towns that there appeared much political life of any kind. The great body of Catholics through the country had been, during the whole of the century, so depressed, and had been re- duced to such a state of ignorance, that they had hardly a thought or an opinion on anything beyond the neces- saries of life, with a vague consciousness that they were su<1ering under wrongs which ought to be removed. There were two parties in the Catholic Committee, CHAP. LXITI.] CATHOLIC PKOGRESS. 447 the Aristocratic and the Democratic. The former included the Catholic nobility and the Catholic bishops : they looked with horror on the French Eevoliition and its excesses, and were inclined to be timid in agitating for their own emancipation. The Democratic party consisted chiefly of business men, of whom the ablest and most far-seeing was John Keogh, a Dublin merchant. These were for pressing their claims boldly, including the right to vote at elections, which the Aristocratic party wished to postpone to some future time. This question was eagerly and warmly discussed ; and in order to clear themselves from even the suspicion of sympathy with revolutionary principles, sixty-four timid members of the Aristocratic party seceded from the committee. The action of the democratic section had the approval of the general body of outside Catholics ; and they carried their point, notwithstanding the defection of the aristocratic members. On the 2nd December they convened a A.D. 1*93 meeting of Catholic delegates from diffe- rent parts of Ireland in the Tailors' Hall, a spacious building in Back -lane, Dublin — whence this assemblage is sometimes called the '' Back-lane Parlia- ment" — at which a petition to the king was prepared, asking for admission to all the rights of the constitution. It was signed by Dr. Troy, Catholic archbishojD of Dublin, by Dr. Moylan, bishop of Cork, and by all the country delegates. As they believed, with good reason, that the English government was better disposed towards them than the Irish, they commissioned John Keogh and four other delegates to present the petition to the king direct, instead of following the usual course of sending it through the Irish authorities. On their way to 44:8 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxhi. England the delegates passed througli Belfast, where they got a grand reception ; the Presbyterian populace unyoked the horses from the carnage, and drew Keogh and his companions in triumph through the streets. On the 2nd January 1793, the petition was presented to his Majesty, who received it very graciously. The wisdom of Keogh and his party was proved by what happened soon afterwards. In the dangerous and uncertain state of things on the Continent, with the rapid spread of sympathy in Ireland for the Eevolution, and while a war with France was quite probable, it was considered of great consequence that the Roman Catho- lics should be well a:ffected towards the government. Accordingly, on the 9th of April, mainly through the influence of the English ministers, aided by the powerful advocacy of Grattan and his party, but much against the wishes of the Irish government, a bill was A.D. 1793 passed through the Irish ]3aiiiament which granted the Catholics a substantial measure of relief. The franchise was restored to them, so that all who were Eorty- shilling Ereeholders^' had the right to vote for members of parliament; and as since 1778 (p. 420) these freeholders had gi^own very numerous, this measui'e gave the Irish Catholics great political influence. Besides this important concession, they were peiTtiitted by the Act to enter Trinity College, Dublin, and obtain degrees ; almost all civil and military situa- tions were opened to them ; they could serve on juries and be justices of the peace ; and the higher classes of * A man who had a lease for life was called a Freeholder. A Forty-shilling Freeholder was one whose holding was worth at least forty shillings over and above the rent he was bound to pay by his lease. Nearly all the freeholds were up to that standard. CHAP. LXIII.] CATHOLIC PROGRESS. 449 Catholics were allowed to cany arms. They miglit open colleges to be affiliated to Trinity College, provi- ded they were not exclusively for the education of Catholics. An attempt was made to insert a clause admitting them to parliament ; but this wise provision the Irish government unhappily succeeded in defeating. In order to have the benefit of the act it was neces- sary to take the Oath of Allegiance, which however any Catholic might take. But many disabilities still remained ; the most serious of which was that no Catholic could sit in parliament: neither could a Catholic be lord lieutenant, or lord chancellor, or a privy councillor, or a fellow of Trinity College, or a sheri:ffi or sub-sheriff. Still the measui'e was a gi'eat relief, and the Catholics were very grateful for it ; but its conci- liatory effect was much marred by the bitterness with which lord chancellor Fitz gibbon spoke of his Catholic fellow-countrymen, though he dared not oppose the bill. On the other hand, in the same session two coer- cion acts were passed : — the " Convention Act" against ''Unlawful assemblies," intended to prevent meetings of delegates such as the "Back-lane parliament," as well as delegate meetings of the United Irishmen ; and the "Gunpowder Act" to prevent the importation and sale of gunpowder and anns, and to give magistrates the power of searching for arms wherever and whenever they pleased ; which applied to Protestants as well as Catholics. This last was intended as a precaution against the danger of disaffection in case of an invasion ; for the French and English were by this time at war ; and the dangerous sympathy of the United Irishmen for the French Eevolutionary party was well known to the government. 3q From MibsStokes'b "liarly Christian Architecture," 76. CHAPTER LXIY. CATHOLIC DISAPPOINTMENT. A.D. 1793-1795.-George III. |T the end of chapter Lxn., it was related how Wolfe Tone had founded the Society of United Irishmen in EeKast and Dublin, a society which, so far, had nothing illegal in it. Still the goyeniinent kept a strict watch on these United Irishmen, as well as on the Catholic Committee, and all such associations, so as to be ready for prosecutions in case they should be found to transgi'ess the law as it then stood. At a meeting of United Irishmen held in Dublin in Februaiy 1793, with the Hon. Simon Butler as chair- man, and Oliver Bond, a Dublin merchant, as secretaiy, an address was adopted and cii'culated, boldly censuiing the conduct of a committee of the house of lords for having- in an illegal manner conducted a secret inquiiy into the proceedings of the Defenders (p. 442). For this, Butler and Bond were sentenced by the committee, without any regular trial, to be imprisoned for six months and to pay a fine of £500 each. Archibald Hamilton Eowan, the son of a landed pro- prieter of Ulster, who had been conspicuous as a volun- teer, and was now a United Irishman, cii'culated an ad- CHAP. LXIV,] CATHOLIC DISAPPOINTMENT. 451 dress to the Yolunteers, written by Dr. Drennan, a well known and very talented literary man, an Ulster Presby- terian, and the writer of many stirring national ballads and addresses. For this, Eowan was prosecuted, and was defended with great ability by Curran. He was convicted of a seditious libel, and sentenced to be imprisoned for two years, and to pay a fine of £500. While Eowan was in prison, an emissary fi'om France, the Eev. William Jackson, a Protestant clergyman of Irish extraction, arrived in Ireland to sound the popular leaders about a French invasion. He had with him a London attorney named Cockayne, to whom he had confided the object of his mission : but Cockayne was really a spy paid by the English government. These two had intei-views with the leading United Irishmen in Dublin — Wolfe Tone, Leonard Mac ^ally, Hamilton Eowan then in the Dublin Newgate prison, and others. Mac Nally was a Dublin attorney, who managed the legal business of the United Irishmen : he was trusted by them with their innermost secrets, and lived and died in their fiiendship and confidence ; but long after his death it was discovered that he was all the time a spy in government pay. Tone drew out a report on the state of Ireland for Jackson, who kept a copy of it in Eowan' s handwriting. When the government, who knew through Cockayne all that was going on, thought matters sufficiently ripe, they arrested Jackson on the 28th of April 1794. Eowan, knowing that his handwriting would betray him, contrived to escape on the 1st of May : and although a reward of £1500 was offered for his arrest, he made his way to France and thence to America. On the 23rd of April in the following year Jackson was tried and convicted of treason on the evidence of 2g2 452 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxiv. Cockayne. He had managed however to take a dose of arsenic before coming into court, and di'opped dead in the dock. But now happened an event which gave the Catholics hopes of complete emancipation. Towards the end of 1794 people's minds became greatly excited in Ireland when it became known that Pitt had detennined to adopt a policy of conciliation, to drop coercion, and to remove all the remaining restrictions against Catholics. "With these objects in view Lord Westmoreland was recalled, and Earl Fitzwilliam, a just, liberal, and enlightened man, having large estates in A.D. 1^95 Ireland, came over as lord lieutenant on the 4th of Januaiy, with full authority and with the fii'm determination, which he did not conceal, to completely emancipate the Catholics ; and they gave him an enthusiastic reception, for his intentions had become known. The proposed measui'e would, as Pitt believed, attach the body of the Catholics to the empii-e, a thing of vital importance ; for the Prench were at this time everywhere victorious on the Continent, and there were fears of an invasion. Pitzwilliam at once applied himself to the work en- trusted to him. He removed Edward Cooke from the post of under-secretary, on a pension of £1200 a year ; and also John Beresford, the commissioner of customs, whose relations held most of the lucrative offices of his depart- ment, and who retired on full pay. Both of these had been identified with the system Lord Pitzwilliam came to break up. In the joy of the good news, parliament, on the motion of Grattan, voted £200,000 for the expenses of the navy in the war now going on with Prance, and 20,000 men for the army. The whole country was in a state of excitement; innumerable CHAP. LXIV.] CATHOLIC DISAPPOINTMENT. 453 petitions poured in from Catholics and Protestants alike ; and it is interesting to note that one of the strongest addresses in favour of the intended measui-e came fi'om the purely Protestant corporation of Derry, the descen- dants of the very men who had so valiantly defended the city a centiuy before against the army of the Catholic King James. As the first direct move, Grattan, having previously arranged the matter with the viceroy, brought in a bill, on the 12th of February, for the admission of Catholics to parliament ; and there was almost perfect agreement on the question in the whole house. But an imexpected obstacle arose which disconcerted all the plans for re- form, and dashed the hopes of the country. A small mischievous clique at the Castle, led by Fitzgibbon, Beresford, and Cooke, took determined steps to defeat the bill. Beresford went to England and had an interview with the king, to whom he made bitter com- plaints, while Fitzgibbon submitted an elaborate state- ment to show that his majesty could not consent to Emancipation without breaking the coronation oath. Between them they seem to have persuaded the king that the Protestant religion was in danger. On the other hand, it would appear that Pitt and the rest of the English Cabinet penuitted themselves to be intimi- dated by Beresford and Cooke. While all this was going on in England, Fitzwilliam was allowed to proceed openly with the measui'e in Dublin ; and when the whole coimtiy was in a flutter of expectation, and after the large supplies mentioned above had been voted, the English minister turned right round ; the king refused his consent, without which no measure could pass ; orders were sent to stop the bill ; and the whole matter came to an end. Emancipation 454 A child's historv op Ireland, [chap. lxiv. was abandoned, Bcrcsford was restored, and the old policy of hostility to Catholics was re- A.P. 1795 simicd. Earl Fitzwilliara was recalled and left Ireland on the 25th March. He was escorted by sorrowing crowds to the water side, and his coach was drawn along by some of the leading citizens, while the shops were closed and the city put on the appearance of mourning : mourning and gloom with good reason, for by that fatal blow the joyous loyalty of the whole country was suddenly changed to sullen distrust, discontent, and disloyalty. And as if to show in the clearest way that the government approved of what had been done, Fitzgibbon, one of the chief agents in bringing about the withdrawal of the bill, was immediately afterwards made earl of Clare. That cruel disappointment spread sorrow and indignation all over the country, not only among the Catholics, but also among the Protestants of the two parties — the moderates led by Grattan and the more advanced re- presented by the United Irishmen ; and from whatever causes it may have arisen, it was in a great measui'e answerable for the tremendous evils that followed. The king's objections are commonly put forward as the reason of the sudden change of policy. But some suppose that the whole scheme was planned by Pitt in order to obtain large supplies from the Irish parlia- ment : at any rate it is certain he made no attempt to bring round the king by argument. Later on in this same year, under Pitzwilliam's successor, Lord Camden, a measm^e was passed of great importance to the Catholics of Ireland. Catholic young men who wished to become priests had long been in the habit of going to Prance for their education, as they had no opportunity of getting educated at home. The CHAl:'. L.X1V.J CATHOJLIG DliSAPPOINTMENl.'. 4:55 government were well aware of this ; and as they feared that the young priests, after so long a residence in France, might come back imbued with A.D. 1^95 republican or revolutionary ideas, they founded the college of Maynooth for the education of the Catholic clergy, and endowed it with an annual grant of £8000. Maynooth College in 1820. From "Cromwell's Excursions. " Greatly enlarged since. Ornament on leather case of Book of Armagh. From Tetrie's " Round Towers.'' CHAPTER LXY. TO"WARDS THE BEINK OF THE PRECIPICE. A.D 1795-1797. -George III. LOOM and silence had marked the departure of Lord Fitzwilliam. The arrival of his successor Lord Camden, on the 31st March 1795, was signalised by a fui'ious riot in the streets of Dublin ; several houses belonging to unpopular members of the government were attacked ; the military had to be called out ; and two of the mob were killed. The people all over the countiy became exasperated and desperate, and hoping for foreign aid, their leaders came to the fatal determi- nation to attempt revolution and the establishment of a republic. The United Irishmen banded themselves as a secret, oath-bound, and of course illegal, society ; and their republican principles were spreading fast among the Catholics ; but the government were kept well in- f onned of their proceedings, thi'ough Leonard Mac Nally and others within their body. The great majority of the leaders of the United Irish- men were Protestants, who were all for Catholic Eman- cipation. Eut in many parts of Ulster there was, all along, bitter strife between the lower classes of Catholics and Protestants; strife and mutual hatred which had CHAP. LXY.] TOWAllDS THE PRECIPICE. 457 been kept up since the time of tlie Plantation nearly two centnries before. Tone, himself a Protestant, had done all in his po^er to biing them to friendly union and co-operation, but in vain : religious animosity was too strong for him. At last, on the 21st September 1795, the Defenders and the Peep-o'-day boys fought a regular battle at a village called the Diamond in Armagh. The Peep-o'-day boys, though inferior in number, were better aimed, for the others could not keep aims unless by stealth, and the Defenders were routed with a loss of twenty or thii'ty killed. The Protestants, chiefly of the Established ChuiTh, next, as a set-off against the Defenders, foimed a new secret oath-bound society called Orangemen, with the openly expressed intention to expel all Catholics from Ulster : but it is to be obseiwed that the oath of this society was subsequently abolished. The Catholics were now, for some years, attacked and persecuted by the Protestant peasantry in many of the Ulster counties, and suffered terribly in person and property. The Protes- tant magistrates and gentry held meetings and endea- voured to protect them, but with little success : yet they gave some compensation to many Catholics whose houses were wrecked. Great numbers of inoffensive industrious Catholics were driven altogether out of the province, and took refuge in Connaught, which circumstance again extended the mischief: for they inspired the people among whom they settled with theii' own bitter feelings. Things became at last so intolerable that general Craddock was sent into Ulster with the militaiy to restore order : but so close a watch was kept on his movements, that he found it almost impossible to arrest the bands of anned Orangemen : and the evil work still went on. The more respectable members of the Orange 458 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxv. body dissociated themselves from these proceedings, and declared that the worst of the outrages were committed by bodies of marauders who, though adopting the name, were not Orangemen at all. The Defenders had spread rapidly from Ulster into various parts of the middle and west of Ireland : and now, like the Whiteboys, they applied themselves to redi'essing grievances of various kinds ; and there were continual nightly disturbances, so that people's minds all over the countiy were kept in a state of painful anxiety. General Henry Luttrell, Lord Carhampton, was sent to Connaught to repress them : but his action and the action of those who aided him held up an evil example to the people, for it was almost as lawless as the proceedings of the Defenders themselves. He seized all who were in the jails awaiting trial, and the magistrates, imitating him, arrested nimibers of the peasants on the road sides : and all, both prisoners and peasants, were, without any trial, sent o&. to serve in the navy. Most of these men never saw their families again : and the transaction rankled fearfully among the people. Meantime the society of United Irishmen spread, until finally it numbered 500,000. There were now many Catholics among them, for the Defenders, on the invitation of the United Irish leaders, joined the ranks in large numbers. But to the last the confederacy was mainly Protestant; and the members were far more numerous and active in Ulster than elsewhere. In 1795 Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a man of most estimable character, brother of the duke of Leinster. joined them. As a major in the British anuy he had served with credit in the American War ; and on his return he entered the Irish parliament as an earnest CHAP. LXV.] TOWARDS THE tRECIPICE. 459 supporter of RefoiTQ. The governinent dismissed him fi'om his post in the army for openly expressing sympathy with the French revolution. In the end of 1796 the society was joined by Thomas Addis Emmet elder brother of Eobert Emmet, by Arthur O'Connor formerly member of parliament for Philipstown, and by Dr. William J. MacNevin of Dublin, one of the few Catholics among the leaders. Tone, who had been obliged to leave Ireland some time before, had been arranging in Paris for a French invasion, the object of which was to make Ireland an independent republic. In May 1796 Lord Edward Fitzgerald and Arthur O'Connor went to Hamburg, and O'Connor had an interview with general Hoche. The matter was at last arranged. On the 15th of December a fleet of 43 ships of war with 15,000 A.D, 1796 troops and 45,000 stand of anns, sailed from Brest for Ireland under general Hoche. General Grouchy was second in command, and with him sailed Theobald Wolfe Tone as adjutant- general. The authorities were badly prepared to repel the attack, but it was repelled without their interven- tion. The ships were dispersed by foul winds and fogs, and only sixteen that had kept together entered Bantry Bay. Here they waited in vain for general Hoche, whose vessel had been separated from the fleet by the storm. But the wild weather continued — tempest and snow — and at the end of a week, Hoche not having come up, they cut their cables and returned to France. Next came a stringent InsiuTection act. The Habeas Corpus act was suspended, which suspension gave the magistrates the power to arrest any one they pleased. General Lake got command of the army in Ulster, and he proclaimed martial law, which placed the people 4G0 A child's iustoky of ikkland. [chap, lxv entirely at the mercy of the military. He arrested two committees of United Irishmen sitting in Belfast, and seized their papers, which disclosed secrets of great importance ; and he attempted to disai-m all Ulster, seizing great numbers of muskets, cannons, and pikes. But he did not succeed in taking all : in a little time not a gun or a pike was to be foimd in any house ; for they were hidden in bogs and hedges where the owners could find them at any moment. For publishing a violent address, Arthur O'Connor was arrested and imprisoned in Dublin : and the jails all over the country were filled with people who had been taken up on suspicion on the evidence of spies. The yeomaniy were called out ; militia regiments were sent over fi'om England ; and militaiy, yeomaniy, and militia were let loose on the people with little or no restraint. The soldiers were scattered through the country in small parties, billeted and living in fi-ee quarters on the peasantry ; there was no discipline ; and they did what they pleased without waiting for orders. Fearful brutalities were pei-petrated, and thousands of peaceable people were driven in despera- tion to join the ranks of the United Irishmen. For a good part of 1797, Ulster was really in rebellion, though no battles were fought : the United Irishmen spread eveiywhere, and practically had the whole province in subjection. Some, calling themselves by the name, committed many terrible outrages; but the perpetrators of these were individuals and small parties under no control ; and they were denounced by the responsible United Irish leaders ; just as the evil- doers on the other side were denounced by the leaders of the Orange party. AVhat greatly added to the horror of the situation in the Korth was the bitter animosity CHAP. LXV.] TOWARDS THE PRECIPICE. 461 between the lower classes of Protestants and Catholics, each side committing frightful cruelties on the others at every opportunity. Duiing the whole of this time assui'ances came fi'om respectable classes of people all over the country, especially from Ulster, that the con- cession of Parliamentaiy Keform, Catholic Emancipa- tion, and a satisfactory arrangement about tithes would restore quietness. In the month of May, Ponsonby and Grattan brought these matters before parliament, and Grattan produced a declaration of 900 representative Ulstennen of substance and position, a large proportion of them leading United Irishmen, that if these conces- sions were granted all agitation would cease. But though they earnestly urged the adoption of these reasonable healing measui'es, the government voted them down four to one. Whereupon Grattan and the other leading members of his party despairing of doing any good, and as a protest against the conduct of the government, withdi'ew fi'om parliament. There was yet another abortive attempt at invasion. A Dutch fleet with 15,000 men commanded A.D. Iff Off by admiral De Winter prepared to sail for Ireland in July, but again the weather interfered; they were delayed; and when at length they sailed, the fleet was utterly defeated at Camper- down by admiral Duncan. CHAPTER LXYI. rilE REBELLION OF 1798. A.D. 1798.— George m. ELiEviNG it impossible to bring about re- form of any kind by peaceable means, tbe United Irish leaders, in an evil hour, determined on open rebellion ; but the govern- ment were kept well informed by spies of their secret proceedings, and bided their time till things were ripe for a swoop. Tbey knew that the 23rd of May had been fixed as the day of rising. On the 12th of March 1798, major Swan, a magistrate, acting on the informa- tion of Thomas Eeynolds, an-ested Oliver Eond and fourteen other delegates assembled in Bond's house in CHAP. LXVI.] THE REBELLION OF 1798. 463 Bridge-street, Dublin, arranging tlie plan of rebellion, and seized all their papers. On the same day several other leaders were arrested in their homes. A reward of £1000 was offered for the apprehension of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the moving spirit of the confederacy. After some time the authorities received infonnation from Francis Higgins — commonly known as the "Sham Squire" — that he was concealed in the house of Mcholas Murphy, a feather merchant of Thomas-street, Dublin. Lord Edward was lying ill in bed, when major Swan, yeomanry captain Eyan, and a soldier, entered the room ; but he drew a dagger and struggled desperately, wounding Swan and Eyan. Major SiiT, who had accompanied the party, now rushed in with half-a-dozen soldiers, and taking aim, shot Lord Edward in the shoulder, who was then over- powered and taken prisoner. Eut on the 4th of June he died of his wound while in prison, at the age of thirty-two. On the 21st May two brothers Henry and John Sheares, barristers, members of the Dublin direc- toiy of the United Irishmen, were arrested. They were convicted on the 12th of July, and hanged two days afterwards. A reprieve for Henry came too late — five minutes after the execution. The rising took place on the 24th of May. It was only partial : confined chiefly to the counties of Kil- dare, Wicklow, and Wexford ; and there were some slight attempts in Caiiow, Queen's Co., Meath, and county Dublin. But Dublin city did not rise, for it had been placed under martial law, and almost the whole of the leaders there had been arrested. The in- sun-ection was quite premature ; and the people were almost without anns, without discipline, plan, or leaders. On the 26th of May a body of 4000 insui'gents 464 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LXVI. were defeated on tlie hill of Tara. On AVhitsunday the 27th, the rising broke out in Wexford. There, as well as in some of the neighbouring counties, the rebel- lion assumed a sectarian character which it had not elsewhere : the rebels were nearly all Roman Catholics, though many of their leaders were Protestants. This Wexford rising was not the result of premeditation or of any concert with the Dublin directory of the United Irishmen ; for the society had not made much headway aniong the quiet industrious peasants of that county, who were chiefly descendants of English colonists. Though there was a good deal of disaffection among them, chiefly caused by alarming rumours of intended massacres, they did* not want to rise. They were driven to rebellion simply by the terrible barbarities of the military, the yeomen, and more especially the North Cork militia ; they rose in desperation without any plan or any idea of what they were to do ; and in their vengeful fury they committed many terrible outrages on the Protestant loyalist inhabitants, in blind retalia- tion for the far worse excesses of the militia. Father John Murphy, parish priest of Kilcormick near Perns, finding his little chapel of Boleyvogue burned by the yeomen, took the lead of the rebels, with another priest, Pather Michael Mui'phy, whose chapel had also been burned ; but although these and one or two other priests were among the insurgents of Mnety- eight,the Catholic ecclesiastical authorities were entirely opposed to the rebellion. On the 27th of May the peasantry, led by Pather John Murphy, defeated and annihilated a large party of the !N'orth Cork militia on the Hill of Oulart, near Enniscorthy. Having captured 800 stand of arms, they marched next on Enniscorthy ; and by the stratagem of driving a herd of bullocks CHAP. LXVI.] THE EEBELLION OF 1798. 465 before them to break the ranks of the military, they took the town after a struggle of four hours ; on which the garrison and the Protestant inhabitants fled to Wexford — fifteen miles off. About the same time Gorey was abandoned by its garrison, who retreated to Arklow. At the end of May the insurgents fixed their chief encampment on Vinegar Hill, an eminence rising over Enniscorthy, at the opposite side of the Slaney. While the camp lay here, a number of Protestants, brought in from the surrounding country, were confined in an old windmill on the summit of the hill, many of whom, after being subjected day by day to some sort of trial, were put to death. On the 30th of May a detachment of military was attacked and destroyed at the Three Eocks, foiu' miles fi-om the town of Wexford. The insurgents now advanced towards AYexford : but the garrison, consisting chiefly of the IN'orth Cork militia, did not wait to be attacked : they marched away ; and while retreating they burned and pillaged the houses and shot the peasantry wherever they met them. The exultant rebels having taken possession of Wexford, drank and feasted and plundered ; but beyond this there was little outrage : with one notable exception. While they occupied the town, a fellow named Dixon on the rebel side, the captain of a small coasting vessel, who had never taken any part in the real fighting — one of those cruel cowardly natiu'es sure to turn up on such occasions — collected a rabble, not of the townspeople, but of others who were there fi'om the surrounding districts, and plying them with whiskey, broke open the jail where many of the Protestant gentry and others were confined. In spite of the expostulations of the more respectable leaders, the mob brought a number of the prisoners 2h •1()G A child's HISTOllY OF IRELAND. [CIIAP. LXVI. to the bridge, and after a mock trial began to kill them one by one. A number, variously stated from forty to ninety, had been murdered, and another batch were brought out, when, according to contemporaiy accounts, a young i)riest, Father Corrin, retiu'ning from some paro- chial duties, and seeing how things stood, rushed in at the risk of his life and commanded the executioners to their knees. Down they knelt instinctively, when in a loud voice he dictated a prayer which they repeated after him — that God might show to them the same mercy that they were about to show to the prisoners ; which so awed and temfied them that they immediately stopped the executions. Forty years afterwards. Captain Kellett of Clonard near AYexford, one of the Protestant gentlemen he had saved, followed, with sorrow and reverence, the remains of that good priest to the grave. Dixon probably escaped aiTest, for he is not heard of again. All this time the Protestants of the town were in terror of their lives, and a great many of them sought and obtained the protection of the Catholic priests, who everywhere exerted themselves, and with success, to prevent outrage. A Protestant gentleman named Bagenal Harvey who had been seized by government on suspicion and imprisoned in Wexford jail, was released by the insurgent peasantry and made their general. Besides the principal encampment on Yinegar Hill, the rebels had two others ; one on Carrickbyme Hill, between I^ew Eoss and Wexford : the other on Camgroe Hill, near Ferns. From Carrigi'oe, on the 1st June, a large body of them marched on Gorey : but they were routed just as they approached the town, by a party of yeomen under lieutenant Elliott. They fared better however in the next encounter. General Loftus with 1500 men marched from Gorey in two divisions to CHAP. LXVI.J THE REBELLION OF 1798. 467 attack Camgi'oe. One of these under colonel "W^alpole was siu'prised on the 4th June at Toberanierin near Gorey and defeated with great loss ; Walpole himself being killed and three cannons left with the insui'gents. This placed Gorey in their hands. From Vinegar Hill they marched on I^ewtownbarry, on the 2nd of June and took the town : but dispersing to drink and to plunder, they were attacked in turn by the soldiers whom they had driven out, and routed with a loss of 400. The same thing, but on a much larger scale, happened at J^ew Eoss, on the 5th of June. The rebels marched from Carrickbp'ne, and attacking the town with great braveiy in the early morning, di^ove the military under general Johnson from the streets out over the bridge. But there was no dis- cipline : they fell to cbink ; and the soldiers returned twice and were twice repulsed. Eut still the drinking went on ; and late in the evening the militaiy returned once more, and this time succeeded in expelling the rebels. The fighting had continued with little inter- mission for ten houi's, during which the troops lost 300 killed, among whom was Lord Mount] oy, colonel of the Dublin militia, better known in this book as Luke Gardiner (p. 419) ; while the loss of the peasantry was two or three thousand. Although the rebels ultimately lost the day at Xew Ross, through drink and disorder, the conspicuous bravery and determination they had shown caused gi'eat apprehension among the authorities in Dublin, and produced a feeling of grave doubt as to the ultimate result in case the rebellion should spread. In the evening of the day of the battle of IS'ew Eoss, 5ome fugitive rebels from the town broke into Sculla- bogue House at the foot of Carrickbp-ne Hill, where a ^rowd of loyalist prisoners, nearly all Protestants, but 2h2 468 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxvi. with some few Catholics, were confined, and pretending they had orders from Harvey, which they had not, brought forth thirty- seven of the prisoners and mur- dered them. Then setting fire to a barn in which the others were locked up — between one and two hundred — they burned them all to death. No recognised leader was present at this barbarous massacre : it was the work of an irresponsible rabble. The rebels now prepared to march on Dublin ; but major-general IS'eedham with 1600 men garrisoned Arklow on the coast, thi'ough which the insurgent army would have to pass. On the 9th of June they attacked the town with great determination, and there was a desperate fight, in which the cavaliy were at first driven back ; so that JS'eedham would have retreated but for the bravery and finnness of one of his officers, colonel Skerrett. Late in the evening, the death of Father Michael Murphy, who was killed by a cannon ball, so disheartened his men that they gave way and abandoned the march to Dublin. The encampment on Yinegar Hill was now the chief rebel station, and general Lake, the commander in chief of the military, organised an attack on it with 20,000 men, who were to approach simultaneously in several divisions from different points. All the divisions arrived in proper time on the morning of the 21st of Jime, except that of general I^eedham, which for some reason did not come up till the fighting was all over. A heavy fire of grape and musketry did great execution on the insui^gent army, who though almost without ammu- nition, maintained the fight for an hour and a-half, when they had to give way. The space intended for general Needham's division lay open to the south, and through this opening — '^I^eedham's Gap as they called CHAP. LXVI.] THE REBELLION OF 1798. 469 it — they escaped with comparatively trifling loss, and made their way to Wexford. This was the last considerable action of the Wexford rebellion : in face of the overwhelming odds against them the rebels lost heart and there was veiy little more fighting. Wexford was evacuated and was at once occupied by general Lake. Many of the leaders were now arrested, tried by court-martial, and hanged, among them Bagenal Harvey, Mr. Grogan of Johnstown, Matthew Keogh, and Father John Mm-phy, though Lake had been made aware that several of them had success- fully exerted themselves to prevent outrage. The rebellion here was practically at an end ; and the whole country was now at the mercy of the yeomanry and the militia, who, without any attempt being made to stop them by their leaders, perpetrated dreadful atrocities on the peasantiy. They made hardly any distinction, killing every one they met : guilty and innocent, rebel and loyalist, men and women, all alike were consigned to the same fate; while on the other side, straggling bands of rebels traversed the coimtry free of all re- straint, and committed many outrages in retaliation for those of the yeomamy. Within about two years, while the distui'bances continued, sixty-five Catholic chapels and one Protestant chiu'ch were burned or destroyed in Leinster, besides coimtless dwelling-houses. By some misunderstanding the outbreak of the rebel- lion in the north was delayed. The Antrim insurgents under Heniy Joy M'Cracken attacked and took the town of Antrim on the 7th June ; but the military re- turning with reinforcements, recovered the town after a stubborn fight. M'Cracken was taken and hanged on the 17th of the same month. In Down the rebels, under Henry Munro, captui-ed Saintfield, and encamped 470 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LXVI. iu Lord Moira's demesne near Ballynahinch ; but on the 14th of Jnne they were attacked by generals JS'ugent and Barber, and defeated after a very obstinate fight — commonly known as the battle of Ballynahinch. Munro escaped, but was soon after captured, con^ncted in court-martial, and hanged at his own door. Lord Cornwallis, a humane and distinguished man, was appointed lord lieutenant on the 21st of June, with supreme military command. He endeavoured to restore quiet ; and his first step was an attempt to stop the dreadfiJ cruelties now committed by the soldiers and militia all over the country : but in spite of everything he could do these outrages continued for several months. Had he been in command from the beginning, instead of the harsh and injudicious general Lake, it is probable that the rebellion would have been suppressed with not a tithe of the bloodshed on either side. After the rebellion had been crushed, a small French force of about a thousand men under general Humbert landed at Killala in Mayo on the 22nd of August 1798, and took possession of the town. Two Irishmen accompanied Humbert, Bartholomew Teeling and Matthew Tone, brother of Theobald Wolfe Tone. But as there was no sign of a popular rising, this little force, having first defeated the militia, and after some further skirmishing against vastly superior numbers, surrendered to Lord Cornwallis, and were sent back to France, all except Tone and Teeling, who were tried and hanged. This partial expedition was followed by another under admiral Bompart : — One 74 gun ship named the " Hoche," with eight frigates and 3000 men under general Hardi, among whom was Theobald Wolfe Tone, sailed fi'om Brest on the 20th of September. The "Hoche" and three others amved off Lough Swilly, CHAP. LXVI THE REBELLION OF 1798. 471 where they were encountered by a British squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren. There was a terrible fight of six hours, during which the "Hoche" sustained the chief force of the attack till she became a helpless John Philpot Curran. From an Engraving by S. Freeman : and that from original portrait. wreck and had to siuTender. Tone fought with despera- tion: courting but escaping death. After the suiTender, he was recognised and sent in irons to Dublin, where he was tried by courtmartial and condemned to be hanged. 472 A child's history of IRELAND. [cHAP. LXVII. He earnestly begged to be shot, not hanged, on the plea that he was a French officer ; but his petition was rejected. On the morning fixed for the execution he cut his throat with a penknife. Meantime Curran in a masterly speech, succeeded on legal grounds in staying the execution for further argument ; but Tone died from his self-inflicted wound on the 19th of November, 1798. In the numerous trials during and after the rebellion, CuiTan was always engaged on the side of the prisoners ; and though he did not often succeed in ha\'ing them released, his brilliant and fearless speeches were won- derful efforts of genius. CHAPT'ER LXVII. THE UNION. A.D. 1799-1803.— George III. THE opinion of the English prime minister William Pitt, the course of events for the last few years in H-eland had ren- dered the time opportune for his long cherished project of a Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland :— that the Irish parliament should be abolished, and that there should be only one parlia- ment for both countries. It was on all hands admitted that this could not be accomplished unless the Irish parliament willed it ; and now that the rebellion was all over, he began to make carefully planned aiTangements to secure a majority in favour' of the Union : for he well CHAP. LXVII.] THE UNION. 473 knew that there would be detennined opposition in Ire- land. On the 22nd January, the marquis of A.D. 1*99 Comwallis being lord lieutenant and Lord Castlereagh chief secretary, the project of Union was, by Pitt's direction, indirectly refeiTed to in the Irish parliament, in the speech from the throne ; but the opposition at once took the matter up, and they were joined by many who had hitherto been supporters of the goyemment, among others John Foster the speaker, Sir John Parnell chancellor of the exchequer, Prime sergeant Fitzgerald, and Sir Jonah Barrington : all fear- ing the loss of their parliament. They moved " that the undoubted birthright of the people of Ireland, a resident and independent legislature, should be maintained " ; and after an excited debate of twenty-two hours, the votes were equally divided, which was considered a defeat for the government. Subsequently the opposition succeeded in having the clause referring to the Union altogether struck out of the speech : which meant that they re- fused even to consider the question. Parnell and Fitz- gerald were soon afterwards dismissed from their offices. It is to be observed that in these divisions nearly all ***• uj those who voted for Union were office-holders or pen- sioners of the government ; while the great majority of those who voted against it were persons who had been freely elected. In February the scheme was brought forward in the English parliament by Pitt, and apxn'oved. In Ireland elaborate preparations were made to cany it in the next session. Persons holding offices who showed themselves adverse to the measure were dismissed, or brought round by threats of dismissal. The Irish government, as we have seen, had been all along corrupt ; but now — still imder outside orders — it went far beyond anything 474 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lxvii. /ever experienced before. Those who had the disposal of seats (p. 435) were in gi'eat alaim ; for if the Union was earned the 300 members would have to be reduced to a third, so that about 200 constituencies would be disfranchised. The opposition of these proprietors was bought off by direct money payments ; about £15,000 was paid for each seat ; and several proprietors who had each a number of seats at their disposal, received ^<-s ^very large sums. The entire amount paid for the ^-^ whole of the "rotten" or "pocket" boroughs as they were called, was £1,260,000, which Ireland itseK had to pay, for it was added to the Irish national debt. To purchase the votes of individual members, and the favour of certain influential outsiders, twenty-eight persons were created peers, and thirty-two of those akeady peers were promoted ; and there were besides, gi-eat numbers of bribes in the shape of pensions, judge- ships, baronetcies, preferments, government situations, and direct cash. AU this was done with scarcely an ^attempt at concealment. The chief managers of the whole business, imder the inspiration of Pitt, were Lord Cornwallis, Lord Castlereagh, and Lord Clare (John Fitzgibbon) ; but Cornwallis, though quite in favour' of the measure, expressed the utmost abhon^ence at being forced to take a part in such transactions. So general was the feeling against the Union, and so deep was the indignation against the means employed to bring it about, that he expressed his belief that half the majority who voted for it would be delighted if they were de- feated : yet he held on to his post till the measure was carried through. But though the majority in favour of Union was secured by gi'oss and illegal cor- ruption, it must not be imagined that all who voted for CHAP. LXVII.] THE UNION. 475 it were corrupt ; for there were some — though, not many — who honestly believed it was the best course. The coimtiy was now thoroughly roused : so that hun- dreds of petitions against Union came from all directions, and there was such exasperation eveiywhere, that dan- gerous riots were apprehended. The intense feeling against it extended even to the yeomanry, the very men who had taken such a prominent part in putting down the rebellion ; and it was feared that they might turn out to resist it with arms in their hands. But the prime movers were determined : and in order to keep down the free expression of opinion, English soldiers were poured in by the thousand, so that the country was now occupied by an immense army. The session opened A.D. 1800 on the 15th of January : the last meeting of the Irish pai'liament. Grattan, knowing what was coming, had himseK elected member for Wicklow ; and though very ill, he rose from his bed and took his seat di'essed in the uniform of the volunteers. Dublin was in a state of fearful excitement. The streets were filled with dismayed and sorrow- stricken crowds ; but there were plenty of cavalry to keep them within bounds. Lord Castlereagh brought forward the motion in the commons. The anti-unionists opposed the project most determinedly; Grattan, worn with sickness, pleaded with all his old fieiy eloquence. Sir John Parnell de- manded that there should be a dissolution, and that a new pai'liament should be called to determine this great question, so that the opinion of the country might be obtained, as is usually done when measures of great importance are proposed ; but the unionist leaders carried everything. There were many motions : on the first the government had 158 against 115: and in the others there were corresponding majorities ; but the minority, who 476 A child's ITTSTORY of IRELAND. [cHAP. LXVII. could not bo bought over by bribes, stood firm and struggled vainly to the last. Despite all their efforts the bill was finally carried in the commons. It was next passed in the house of lords, by a majority of nearly three to one, after which the royal assent was given on the 1st August, and the Act came into force on the 1st Januai-v 1801. Parliament House, Dublin : now the Bank of Ireland. From Wright's " Ireland Illustrated." Drawn by Petrie. The main provisions of the Act of Union were these. The two kingdoms to be henceforward one: — ''the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." The Irish representation in the united Parliament to be one hundred members in the house of commons, and thirty- two peers (of whom four were to be spiritual peers, i.e. Protestant bishops) in the house of lords : the twenty- eight lay peers to be elected by all the Irish peers, and the foui' bishops to be selected in rotation. The same regulations as to trade and commerce to apply to all CHAP. LXVII.] THE UNION. 477 subjects of the United Kingdom. The Irish Established Church to be continued for ever, and to be united with that of England. Ireland to contribute two-seven- teenths to the expenditure of the United Kingdom, for twenty years, when new arrangements would be made. Each of the two countries to retain its own national debt as then existing ; but all f utui^e debts contracted to be joint debts. Thi'ee years after the Union there was one other attempt at insurrection, which however was confined to Dublin. Several of the leaders of the United Irishmen were at this time in Paris ; and as they had some reason to expect aid from JN'apoleon, they projected a general rising in Ireland. One of their body, Robert Emmet, a gifted, earnest, noble-minded young man, twenty -four years of age, retuimed to Dublin in 1802, to carry out the arrangements, and expended his whole private fortime in secretly manufacturing pikes and other arms. His plan was to attack Dublin Castle and the Pigeon House fort ; and he had intended that the insuiTection should take place in August 1803, by which time he calculated the invasion from Erance would come off ; but an accidental exi)losion in one of his depots precipi- tated matters. I^ews came in that the military were approaching ; whereupon, in desperation, A.D. 1803 he sallied from his depot in Marshalsea- lane, into Thomas-street and towards the castle, with about 100 men. The city was soon in an uproar ; disorderly crowds gathered in the streets, and some stragglers, bent on mischief and beyond all restraint, began outrages. Meeting the chief justice. Lord Kil warden, a good man and a humane judge, they dragged him fi^om his coach and murdered him. When news of this outrage and others was brought to Emmet, •178 A child's HISTOKY OF IKELAND. [cHAP. LXVIII. he was filled with horror, and attempted in vain to qnell the mob. Seeing that the attempt on the castle was hopeless he fled to Kathfarnham, and might have escaped : but he insisted on remaining to take leave of Sarah Curran, daughter of John Philpot Curran, to whom he was secretly engaged to be married. He was arrested by Major Sin' on the 25th of August at a house in Harold's Cross ; and soon after was tried and convicted, making a short speech of great power in the dock. On the next day, the 20th of September 1803, he was hanged in Thomas-street. CHAPTER LXYIIL CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. A n ifin^ 1R9Q ^ George III. (to 1820). A.D. 1803-1829. 1 ^jg^,j.|g jy_ ^^g^^^^ F the Irish Eoman Catholics had actively opposed the Tlnion, in all probability it could not have been carried ; for as Lord Corn- wallis afterwards declared, they '' had it in their power to have frustrated the views of the government and throw the country into the utmost confusion." Accordingly Pitt had at first intended to include Catholic Emancipation in the articles of Union; an intention afterwards unhappily abandoned. But in order to lessen the hostility of the Catholics, they were led to believe, by the leading members of the Irish government, on Pitt's suggestion, that Emancipation would immediately follow the Union. Through these CHAP. LXVIII.J CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. 479 representations many of the leading Catholics, both lay and ecclesiastical, ^veve induced to express themselres in favour of the measure, and the gi'cat body held back fi'om active opposition. Thus the Catholics were kept out of the way and the Union was carried. And now they naturally looked for the fulfilment of the promise ; but they looked in vain : for the government showed not the least disposition to move in the matter. It is known that on the appointment of Lord Comwallis as lord lieutenant, the king had written to Pitt to say that he would not consent to Emancipation, as he considered it would be a breach of his coronation oath : and this is commonly assigned as the chief reason why the question was di'opped. There is scarce a doubt however that if Pitt had been earnest in the matter he could have brought the king to yield : but he never made any real effort. For twenty -nine years Emancipation was with- held; and when it came at last, the concession was brought about, as we shall see, by cu'cumstances quite independent of representations and promises. The Catholics, however, never abandoned their hope ; and a few years after the Union a small section of them, including a few bishops, agreed, as an inducement for the government to gi'ant Emancipation, that the crown should have a Veto in the appointment of bishops : that is to say, when a person had been selected by the Irish ecclesiastical authorities, his name should be submitted to the king ; and if the king objected another was to be chosen. The general body of Catholics, clergy and people, knew nothing of all this ; but the matter was made public when, in 1808, a petition for Catholic Relief was presented to parliament by Grattan and some others, who, on the authority of two leading Irish Catholics, openly offered to accept the Veto in case 480 A child's history of IRELAND. [CHAP. LXVIIJ. Emancipation was granted. "Whereupon the clergy and people generally repudiated it : the bishops formally condemned it ; and besides all this, the government, even with this offer before them, refused to entertain the petition. ^Nevertheless the Yeto question continued to be discussed in Ireland for some years, and caused consi- derable divergence of opinion among Catholics ; the Irish aristocracy were generally in favour of it ; but those who opposed it, led by O'Connell, ultimately prevailed. Soon after the Union, Grattan, the gi'eatest and noblest of all the Protestant advocates of Catholic rights, entered the imperial parliament, and never lost an opportunity of pleading for Emancipation. Towards the end of 1819, while residing at Tinnehinch, his health rapidly declined; and he determined to make one last effort for his Catholic fellow-countrymen. He set out for the house of commons, but A.D. 1830 never reached it ; and he died in London, speaking of Ireland with his latest breath. Dui'ing the later years of Grattan' s career, another great man was beginning to come to the fi'ont, before whose genius all the obstacles to Catholic Emancipation ultimately went down. Daniel O'Connell, afterwards familiarly called " The Liberator," was born at Carhan beside Cahersiveen in Kerry on the 6th of August 1775, and was educated partly in Ireland and partly in Erance. He was called to the bar in 1798, and at once made his mark as a successful advocate. About the year 1810 he began to take a prominent part in public questions, and before long became the acknowledged leader of the Irish Catholics. Thenceforward, till the time of his death, he was the chief figure in Irish political history, and was one of the greatest popular leaders the world ever saw. CHAP. LXYIII.] CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. 481 It may be said that O'Connell founded the system of peaceful, persevering, popular agitation against political grievances — keeping strictly within the law. In all his laboiu's, and more especially during the agitation Richard Lalor Shell. From portrait in National Gallery, Dublin. for Emancipation, he was ably seconded by Richard Lalor Shell, who was almost as great an orator as O'Connell himself. 2j 482 A cfitld's history of Ireland, [chap, lxviii. The old Catliolic Committee had gradiially died out ; and O'Connell and Shell founded the A. D. 1823 "Catholic Association," which was the principal agency that ultimately enabled them to achieve Emancipation. The expenses were de- frayed chiefly by a subscription fi'om the people, of one penny a week, which was called "Catholic rent" : and the association soon spread through all Ireland. This movement, of which O'Connell and Shell were the mainsprings all through, was the means of spreading broadcast a free press and of creating healthful public opinion. The government viewed the new Association with jealousy and alarm ; and an act of parliament was passed in 1825 to put it down; but O'Connell, who took gi'eat care never to have the law broken, contrived an ingenious plan by which the act was evaded ; and the association went on as before. In "VYaterford and several other places, by means of the perfect organisa- tion of this association, Protestant members favoui'able to emancipation were retiuTied, the forty- shilling free- holders voting for them ; for as these tenants had leases for life they were in a great measui'e independent of the landlords, and successfully resisted their influence. An oath similar to that framed in 1692 (p. 381) to exclude Irish Catholics from parliament, was at this period, and had been for a long time previously, in force in the parliament in England ; so that although there was nothing to prevent a Catholic being elected, he could not enter the house as member, since no Catholic could take this oath. It had been recommended by the veteran John Keogh (p. 447) that some Catholic should be elected member, and should present himself at West- minster and be excluded by the oath ; so that the absui'dity and haixiship of letting a constituency remain CHAP. LXVIII.] CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. 483 altogether without a member because the person elected refused to take an oath that his own religion was false, should be brought home to the people of the empire. Keogh believed that this would lead to emancipation. A vacancy now (1828) occun-ed in Clare, as the sitting member Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, having accepted the office of president of the Board of Trade, had to seek re-election. O'Connell determined to oppose him, so as ' to bring the matter to a test. His address to the people of Clare aroused extraordinary enthusiasm, and not- withstanding the utmost efforts of the landlords, he was returned by an immense majority. This election aroused sympathy everywhere in Eng- land for the Catholics, so that the government were alaiTaed ; and they became still more so when they found that the branches of the association were prepar- ing to return Catholic members all through Ireland. Wellington and Peel, forced by public opinion, gave way, being now convinced that emancipation could no longer be withheld with safety. Peel introduced into the commons a bill for the emancipation of the Catholics. After several days' stormy debate the third reading was carried on the 30th of March. The debate in the lords was even more violent than in the commons. But Wellington ended the matter by de- claring that they should choose either of the two alter- natives, emancipation or civil war. The A.D. 1829 bill passed the third reading, after a long debate and much bitter opposition, and re- ceived the royal assent on the 13th of April. After the bill had become law O'Connell presented himself at the bar of the house for the first time since his election to claim his seat ; knowing well what would happen. According to the teims of the Emancipation 2i2 484 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lxviii. Act it was only those elected after the 13th of April that came under the new oath : a clause designedly- inserted by Peel in order to put O'Connell to the trouble and expense of another election. The old oath was put into his hand ; and looking at it for a few seconds he said : — " I see here one assertion as to a matter of fact which I know to be untrue : I see a second as to a matter of opinion which I believe to be untrue. I therefore refuse to take this oath" : after which he withdrew. Another writ was issued for Clare, and he was returned unopposed. By this Emancipation Act a new oath was fi'amed which Catholics might take. The act therefore admit- ted Catholics to the right of being members of parlia- ment in either house. It admitted them also to all ci^-il and military offices, with thi'ee exceptions : — those of regent, lord lieutenant, and lord chancellor.* The act contained one fatal provision which O'Connell had to submit to ; it raised the franchise in Ireland to £10, though in England the qualification remained at the limit of forty shillings : this disfranchised all the forty- shilling freehold voters (p. 448), who constituted the main strength of the Catholic party. Several influences had been for years at work to soften the feelings of England towards Irish Roman Catholics, so as to prepare the way for Emancipation ; among the chief of which were the wiitings of Thomas Moore. Though Grattan's impassioned pleading had brought the claims of his country vividly before the English house of commons, Moore's" Irish Melodies — * The restriction regarding the last of these three oflSces was removed some years ago by act of parliament, when Lord O'Hagan, a Eoman Catholic, became lord chancellor of Ireland. CHAP. LXVIII.] CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION. 485 beautiful words to beautiful music — were, it may be said, the first clear gentle voice heard across the sea directly from the Irish Catholics themselves. These songs were read and sung with delight all over Eng- land, and they sank deeply into the hearts of the Thomas Moore. From portrait in National Gallery, Dublin. English people. But there still remained, especially among the ruling classes, much hostility, and a wide- spread determination to resist further concession. To O'Connell is due the credit of breaking down the 486 A child's history of Ireland, [chap, lxix, opposition of Parliament, and of caiTying Emanci- pation ; but lie was faitlifully and ably seconded by Richard Lalor Sheil. CHAPTER LXIX. / George IV. (to 1830). A.D. 1829-1847. \ WilUam IV. (1830-1837). ( Victoria (1837). FTER Emancipation the way was opened to other reforms beneficial to the Catholics. Eor many years previous to this, the government had been giving money to support schools for elementary education all through Ireland. But they were suitable for Protestants only: Catholics could not conscientiously attend them, as they would have to be present at Protestant religious instruction, while no provision was made to give them instruction in their own religion. fTo remedy this state of things the JN'ational system of education was established, which afforded A.D. 1831 means of education to all. Catholics and Protestants alike. Eor this pui-pose it had — as it has still — two main rules : — first, pupils of all religious denominations, who attended a school, were to be taught together in the ordinary school course, but to receive religious instruction separately : second, there was to be no interference with the religious principles of any child. Erom that time to the present both the number of schools and the money gi^s^n by government C. to support them have gone on increasing. The Catholic peasantiy were still called on to pay CHAP. LXIX.] EMANCIPATION TO o'cONNELL's DEATH. 487 tithes, and they continued to be harassed by the exac- tions of tithe -proctors and others, who, if the money was not forthcoming, seized the poor people's cows, fui'nitiu'e, beds, blankets, kettles, or anything else they conld lay hands on. At last about 1830 there arose a general movement against the payment of tithes : the people resisted all thi'ough the south of Ireland ; and for many years there was a "Tithe war." The military and police were con- stantly called out to support the collectors in making their seiziu'cs : and almost daily there were conflicts, often with great loss of life. At I^ewtownbany in Wexford, in 1831, thu'teen peasants were killed by the yeomamy and police; in 1832, eleven policemen and several peasants were killed in a tithe-conflict at Car- rickshock near Knocktopher in Kilkenny : and many other such fatal encounters took place. There was determined resistance eveiywhere ; and the cost of collection was far greater than the amount collected. Hundreds of Protestant clergymen received little or nothing and were reduced to poverty; and to relieve these temporarily, government advanced a large sum on loan. All this time O'Connell, seconded by Sheil, struggled vainly both in and out of parliament for the total abolition of tithes : or for some arrange- ment that would shift the bm-den fi'om the shoulders of the tenants. The people continued to resist, and the Tithe war went on, though an attempt was made to stop it by a Coercion act. Some years later (in 1838), the tithes, reduced by one-fourth to pay the cost of collection, were put on the landlords, which in a great measui'e put an end to the Tithe war : an arrangement that would have saved endless trouble and much bloodshed if it had been adopted earlier. 488 A child's history of Ireland, [chap. lxix. In 1838, the Ecv. Theobald Mathew, a young priest belonging to the order of Capuchin Priars, joined a temperance society that had been started in Cork by some Protestant gentlemen, chiefly Quakers. He took the total abstinence pledge, and soon became the lead- ing spirit in the society. From that time forth he devoted himself almost exclusively to the cause of temperance, going all through Ireland, preaching to immense congregations, and administering the total ab- stinence pledge to vast mmibers of people of all religious denominations. A wonderful change soon came over the country : for drunkenness with its attendant evils and miseries almost disappeared. The good effects were long felt, and are to some extent felt still. For though the evil of drink has in a great measure returned, it is not nearly so general as formerly ; and cbunkenness, which before Father Mathew's time was generally looked upon with a certain degree of indulgence, and by some was considered a thing to boast of, is now universally regarded as discreditable. O'Connell and other Irish leaders had all along hoped to have the Act of Union repealed, that is, to get back for Ireland Grattan's parliament, with all its indepen- dence and all its pri\ileges. But the struggle for Emanci]3ation absorbed so much of theii' energies that for about thirty years after the Repeal agitation was started in 1810, it was earned on only in a faint sort of way. In 1840 it was vigorously renewed, when O'Connell founded the Eepeal Association : and in 1843 he began to hold great public meetings in favour' of Repeal, at which vast numbers of the people attended, eager to support the movement and to hear his magni- ficent addresses. At one meeting held on the Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of the Irish kings, it was com- CHAP. LXIX.] EMANCIPATION TO o'cONNELL's DEATH. 489 puted that a quarter of a million of people were present. About thirty of these meetings — "Monster Meetings" as they came to be called — were held during 1843. At last the government took action, and ** proclaimed," i. e. Daniel O'Connell. From an Engraving in National Gallery, Dublin: and that from an original portrait. forbade, the meeting that was arranged to be held at Clontarf on the 8th October. After this O'Connell and several others were arrested, tried and convicted. But when they had spent three months in prison, they had to be released in September 1843 ; because the house of lords, before whom O'Connell brought the case, decided 490 A child's history of ikeland. [chap. lxix. that the trial was not a fair one, inasmuch as the govern- ment had selected a one-sided jury. It may be said that this ended the agitation for Rejieal. In those days almost the whole population of Ireland subsisted on the potato. Eut in 1845 and 1846 the potato crop failed, and there was a great famine, the most calamitous the country had ever experienced. In 1846 and 1847 the people died by hundreds of thousands of starvation and fever. The preventive measures taken by government, in the shape of public works, were quite inadequate : but the English people in- di-sddually made noble efforts to save the star\dng peasantry ; and money in enormous amounts came pouring in. One sad featui'e of this great national catastrophe was that in each of those two years Ireland produced quite enough of corn to feed the people of the whole country ; but day after day it was exported in shiploads, while the peasantry were dying of hunger. iS'otwithstanding the great efforts of benevolent indivi- duals and associations, one-foui'th of the people of Ire- land died of famine and disease during 1846 and 1847. So tremendous a calamity had probably never been ex- perienced by any other country of Europe, p After O'Connell's trial and conviction, a number of the younger men among his followers, losing faith in his method of peaceful and constitutional agitation, separa- ted from him and formed what is called the "Young Ireland Party." They were educated men of the highest character, and many of them of great literary ability. O'Connell's various organisations from the veiy beginning of his career, had been almost exclusively Catholic ; but the Young Ireland party included Catholics and Protestants ; and one of their aims was to unite the whole people of Ireland of all religious denominations in one great organisation. CHAP. LXIX.] EMANCIPATION TO o'CONNELL's DEATH. 491 " The !N'ation" newspaper had heen founded in 1842 hy Charles Gavan Duffy, John Elake Dillon, and Thomas Davis ; the first two Catholics, the third a Protestant ; and they now used it to give expression to their views. It was very ably conducted, its pages abounding in bril- liant writing, both prose and poetry : of which a large part has become permanently embodied in Irish jS'ational Literature. The writers were much less guarded than O'Connell ; their articles tended towards revolutionary doctrines ; and they soon came in conflict with the law. Other papers with similar principles and objects were founded, with writers who were still more outspoken. Of these latter the most conspicuous for his brilliantly " wi'itten and violent articles, was John Mitchel, an Ulster Unitarian, who openly advocated rebellion and total separation from England. _j During all this time of disruption and trouble the whole of the Catholic clergy and the great body of the people, forming collectively the " Old Ireland Party," stood by O'Connell. The secession of the Young Irelanders was a cause of gi'eat grief to him ; and he denounced them with unsparing bitterness ; for he fore- saw that they would bring trouble on themselves and on the country ; which indeed came to pass soon after his death. Yet in many ways this brilliant band of young men exercised great influence for good, which remained after the trouble and the trials were all past and gone, and which remains to this day. They in- fused new life and energy into Irish national literature, spread among the people a knowledge of Irish history, Irish music, and Irish lore of all kinds, and taught them to admire what was good and noble among past generations of Irishmen of every creed and party. In 1846, O'Connell, worn out by labour and anxiety 492 A child's lllSTOKY OK IRELAND. [CHAP. LXIX. began to ilocline in health : and ho suffered intense anguish of mind at witnessing the calamities of the people he loved so well : for the famine was at this time making fearful havoc among them. In the follow- ing year his physicians, hoping that change of air and scene might benefit or restore him, advised him to go to _^ the Continent. He set out on a journey to Rome, partly devotional and partly for health ; but his strength failed on the way ; and he died at Genoa on the loth May 1847, at the age of seventy-one. In accordance with his latest wish, his heart was carried to Rome, and his body was brought back to Ireland and buried in Glasnevin, where a stately pillar-tower, after the model of the round , towers of old, now marks his resting place. '1 ^^l^tafi' IB^B^-^ \ H^^-^^^ ' . 'A W__w .y > .k^ y^'^ ^s^ if ^BCl^P P_J^^P^- ^-^•1 ^yi^ifl THF. (TCmNNHLL M.^NTMEXT, GLASXEVIN. From a Pliotograph by W. Lawrence, Dublin. A child's history of IRELAND. 493 OuTtiNES OF Frontispiece. For Description see next page. 494 A child's iitstory of Ireland. Oil the ijrecediiig page is given the outline of the Frontispiece to this book, the illuminated page from the liook of MacDurnan. It was produced by first making — partly with the aid of photography — an en- larged copy in Indian ink, four or five times the size of the original, and then photographing this back again to the proper dimensions as here given. On one of the photographic black-and-white copies the artist put in the colours ; and the beautiful and faithful copy of the original page thus produced was multiplied with gi'eat accui'acy by the chromo-lithographic printers. The result is seen in the Frontispiece. The old Irish scribe had no photography to aid him : he designed and drew the outline to the proper size at once, and afterwards illuminated it. When we remember that every page of his Gospel book was designed and illuminated as elaborately as the page fonning our frontispiece, each different from every other, we can, in some degree, appreciate the exquisite skill, invention, and taste of the artist, and the amount of patient labour bestowed on this beautiful book, and on the other books described at pages 13 and 14. Latin words ivith contractions as they stand in the page. Initium A^angehi dni nri ihu chri filii di sicut scrip '~ in esaia pfeta Ecce mitto anguelum meum Latin ivords fully written out. Initium AevangeUi domini nostri ihesu christi fihi dei sicut scriptum est in esaia profeta Ecce mitto anguelum meum Translation. The beginning of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Son of God as it is written in Esaia the prophet Behold I send my angel Ornament on top of Devenish Round Tower. From Petrie's " Round Towers," 400. INDEX, [N.B. — T^e numbers in parentheses show the squares on map in which the places and their names are to be found. Thus Antrim, (12), itiill be found in sqtiare 12.] Abbey Knockmoy, Galway, 42. Act of Explanation, 312. of Renunciation, 434. of Repeal, 432. of Settlement, 311, 316, 325. of Supremacy, 207, 212, 279. of Uniformity, 212, 213, 279, 280, 314- Adamnan, St., 80, 82 note. Adrian IV., Pope, 130. Aed Mac Ainniire, King, 79, 97, 98. Aedan, king of the Scottish Dal- riada, 97. Aengus mac Natfree, King, 75. the Culdee, 91. Aha-Clee, Dublin, (36), 109. Aherlow, Glen of, at the Galtys, (50, 51), 225, 268. Aidan, founder of Lindisfarne, 93. Ailbe, St., 81 note. Ailech, see Greenan Ely. Aill-na-Meeran, at Ushnagh, (28), 58. Alban or Scotland, 63. Albinus, 84 note. Aldborough, 396. Aldfrid, King, in Ireland, 90. Aldhelm, Bishop, 90. Allen, Archbishop, 196, 200. Alphabets, ancient Irish, 91. Alps, the, 63. Araalgaid, King, 75. Amator, Bishop, 69. Amergin, 54. Amlaff, the Dane, 108, 109. Anglo-Irish Lords, chap, xix., 162, 165. Anglo-Normans, 126, 127 note. Angus, of Scotland, 96. Animals, wild, 4. Annals, Irish, 10, 11. Annaly, 150, note. Anne, Queen, 384, 388. Annesley case, 403. Anrad, the Dane, 115. Antrim, (12), 151 note, 217, 229, 421, 469. Aran Island, {32), 81 note. Ardagh chalice, 15, 16. Ardee, (23), 103, 122, 157, 160. Ardes in Down, (12, 18), 229. Ardpatrick in Limerick, (50), 268. Ard-ri, the over-king, 42, 120. Ardscull, near Athy, (35, 40), 158. Arklow, (41), 465, 468. Armagh, (17), 71, 76, 92 note, loi, 117, 118, 126, 151 note, 239, 246, 250, 280, 298, 299, 442. Arms and armour, 44, 45, 190. Art, 12 to 16, 94. Artaine, near Dublin, 200. Ashton, Sir Arthur, 304. Assaroe waterfall, at Ballyshannon, (9, 10), 49, 245. Assemblies or Fairs, see Fes. Athenry, (33), battle of, 159. Athlone, (28, 34), 338, 347, 348, 365, 367 to 371. Athy, (40), 119. Aughrim, (33), 270, 371 to 375. "Back Lane Parliament," 447. Bagenal, Mabel, 241. Sir Henry, 241, 243, 246 to 249, Bagot Rath, near Dublin, 302. Bagpipes, 18, 32. Baithen,St.Columba'scompanion,8o. Baker, major, 323, 332. Ballaghboy, 253. Ballahoura Mountains, (50), 268. 496 iNDi;x. B.iUina, (14), 152. Ballinasloo, (33), 372. BalliiiIou 253. (See Ormond, earls of.) Buttevant, (50), 230, 268. Caheks (forts), 21. Caher in Tipperary, (51), 21 note, 252, 253. Cain Patrick, Patrick's Law, 74. Cairn, 24. Caldron, 27. Caledon, (17), 299. Callan in Kilkenny, (45), 176. near Kenmare, (55), 155. river near Armagh, 246, 248. Calpurn, St. Patrick's father, 67. Camden, lord, 454, 456. Camin, St., 8i. Camperdown, battle of, 461. Candles, 28. Cape Clear Island, (59), 82 note. Carbery in Cork, (59, 60), 272. Carbury Castle, (29, 35), 182. " Carcasses," 358, 367', 376. Carew, Sir George, 256, 259, 262, 263, 264, 267, 272, 273. Carhan, i m. E. of Cahersiveen, 480. Carlingford, (24), 125, 304. Carlow, (40), 150 note, 176, 187, 463. Carlus the Dane, sword of, 105. Carrickbyrne Hill, (46,52), 466, 467. Carrickfergus, (12), 158, 159, 163, 291, 298, 339, 340, 421. Carrickshock, (45, 46), 487. Carriganass Castle, (55), 266, 267. Carrigroe Hill, (47), 466, 467. Carrthach of Lismore, St., 82 note. Carter, Arthur, 222. Cashel (a fort), 21. in Tipperary (45), 21 note, jb. 92 note, 104, 123, 192, 259, 350. Castleblayney, (17, 23), 289. Castledermot, (40), 176. Castlehaven, (59), 261, 262. Castlekelly, in Galway, 270. Castlekevin,(4i), 235. Castleknock, near Dublin, 159. Castlereagh, lord, 473, 474, 475. Castletown Fort, near Dundalk, 57. Cataldus of Tarentum, St., 83 note. Catholic Association, 482, 483. Committee, 408, 445, 446, 482. Emancipation. See Emancipa- tion. Rent, 482. Cavalry, 44. Cavan, (22), 151 note, 280, 298. Celestine, Pope, 66, 69, and note. Chariots, 34, 71. Charlemont, ^ii, 17), 289, 413 note. Charlemont, James Caulfield, earl of, 422, 428, 430, 437, 438, 444. Charles I., 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 293, 296, 297, 302,308. II., 302, 303, 306, 311, 313, 314, 315- Chess, 32, 108. Chichester, Sir Arthur, 151 note, 275, 280, 281. Christchurch Cathedral, 141, 185. Churches, 83, 85. Churchill, John, duke of Marl- borough, 365. Church-rate, 441. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, St., 81 note, of Ossory, St., 82 note. Cimbaeth, King, 56. Clan, the, 40. See Sept. Clandeboy, or Clannaboy, (12), 229. Clanrickard, (27, s^), earls of, 163. 208, 220. Clare, (37, 38), 103, 151 note, 286, 308, 483, 484. _ Clare election, 483. Clare, lord. See Fitzgibbon. Clarence, duke of. See Lionel. Clarendon, lord, 316. Clement, 84 note. Cletta, King Cormac's cottage, on S. bank of Boyne, between Old- bridge and Siane, (29), 61. Clifford, a Jacobite officer, 376. Clifford, Sir Conyers, 244, 245, 253. Clogheen, (51), 410. Cloghoughter Cas., in Lough Ough- ter, (22), 291, 305. Clonard, (29), 81 note, 89, 90, 92 note. Clonfert, (^i, 34), 82 note, 92 note, Clonmacnoise, (34), 9, 81 note, 92 note, 102, 126. 2e: i98 INDEX. Clonniel,(5i), 30=;, 306, 4"- Clontarf, (36), chaps, xv., xvi., 126, 480. Clontibret, (17), 243. Cockayne, an attorney, 451, 452. Cogans, the, 138. Coiney, 43. Coleraine, (7), 151 note, 298, 319. Collooney Castle, (15), 253. Cohnan, of Lindisfarne, 93. Colonies, legendary, 49. to Scotland, 63, 95, 96, 97. Colours of garments, SS- See Dress. Columba, or Columkiiie. St., 78, 79, 80, 82 note, 87, 93, 97, 98. Columbanus of Bobbio, St., 83 note. Comb, 30. Comgall of Bangor, St., 82 note. Commons land, 47, 409. Conall Gulban, 73. Conary I., King, 56. IT., King, 61. Coneys, captain, 247. Confederation of Kilkenny, 296. Confiscations, 227, 228, 229, 280 to 283, 284, 286, 308, 382. Cong, (26), 52. Cotigal Claen, 99, 100. Connaught, 41, 51, 146, 147, 150 note, 152, 286, 308, 457. Conn the Hundred-Fighter, 60, 96. Connla, story of, 39. Connor, {S), 157. Conor mac Nessa, King, 57. Mainmoy, King, 146, 147. Convention act, 449. Cooke, Edward, 452, 453. Coote, Sir Charles, 292, 302 : his son (same name), 306, 307. Cork, (56), 103, 125, 139, 150 note, 186, 259, 262, 272, 304, 365, 397, 410. Cormac mac Art, King, 61, 96. Cornwallis, lord, 429, 470, 473, 474, 478, 479. Corrin, the Rev. Father, 466. Cosby, colottel, 247, 249. Costumes, 35, 42, 48, 99, 130, 137, 172, 147, 175, 190, 278. See Dress. Counties, formation of, 150. Court of Claims, 312. Covenanters, 294. Coyne and Livery, 43, 164, i58, 178, 183, 188, 220. Craddock, general, 457. Crannoge, 20. Crawford, a Scotchman, 245. Creagh, David, archbishop, 192, Credran, (15), 154. Creeveroe at Emain, (17), 56. Croagh Patrick, (20, 26), 75. Croft, Sir James, 215. Croghan, palace (21), 21 note, 64, 74. Crom Cruach the idol, 37, 38, 55, 74. Cromer, archbishop, 196, 200, 207. Cromlech, 23. Cromwell, Oliver, chap. xlvi. Cromwell's Fort at Limerick, 360, 361, 362. Crook, nearWaterford, (52), 136, 149. Croom, (44), 259. Cross of Cong, 15, 124, 126. Cuculainn, 56. CulK-n, 3SO, 351, 354 note. Culmore Fort, (6, 7), 257, 331, 336. Cunningliam, col., 322, 324. Curlieu Hills, (21), 146, 253, 271. Currach, a wicker boat, 34, 269. Curragh of Kildare, 151. Curran, John Philpot, 437, 444, 451, 471, 472, 478. Curran, Sarah, 478. Curry, Dr. John, 407, 408. Cushendun in Antrim, (8), 219, Cycles of Irish Literature, 12. Dagobert, King, 90. Dalaradia, (8, 12, 18), 144. Dalcassians or Dalgas, 103, no, 113. Dalriada, (3, 7, 8), 96, 97. Danes and Danish invasions, 9, 94, chaps, xiv., xv., xvi., 125. Dangan, in Meath, 301. Darcy, an Anglo-Irishman, 185. Dathi, King, 62, 63. Davells, Sir Henr}-^, 222. Davis, Thomas, 491. De Burgo, Richard, Red earl, 157. Brown earl, 163, 166. William, 139, 141, 142, 152: another, 159. De Burgos, the, 138. 162, 163. Decies, (51, 57), no, 134. De Cogan, Miles, 134, 135, 140, 141. De Courcy, John, 136, 141, chap. xx. Dedannans, the, 37, 52, 53, 54. Defenders, 442, 443, 45°, 457. 458- " Degenerate English," 162. Degrees in Ancient Irish Schools, 92. Dela, five sons of, 51. DeLacy, Hugh, 136, 145. Hugh (the younger), 147, 151. De Lacj's, the, 156, 160. Del Aguila, Don Juan, 259, 260, 261, 262. De ]\Iandeville, Richard, 163. De Quenci, 137. Dermot, St. Columba's attendant, 80. Dermot mac Mailnamo, King, 121. Derry or Londonderry, (6), 79, 123, 151 note, 257, 277, 280, 302, 303, 317 to 338, 339, 353, 363, 389, 453- Dervorgilla, 129, 130. INDEX. 499 Desmond or South Munster, (48 to 51 and south), 51 note, 155, 272. earls of, 138, 164, 196. the rebel earl, chap, xxxii., 229. • Thomas, the Great Earl of, 181, 182, 183. Devenish Island, (16), Round Tower, 84, 240 (Headpiece). De Winter, admiral, 461. Diamond, the, in Armagh, 4 m. west of Portadown, (17), 457. Dicho, 69. Dillon, John Blake, 491. Dinnree, palace of, (40, 46), 20 note, 28, 59. Discoverers, 284. Dixon, captain, 465, 466. Doctors, Irish Medical, 11. Docwra, Sir Henry, 257. Dolmens, 23. Domnat, see D3'mpna. Donall, son of Aed, King, 99. Steward of Mar, 112. Donegal, 151 note, 280, 294. Donogh, King, no, 119, 121. Donore, near Drogheda, 345. Donore, near Naas, 203. Douglas, lieutenant-general, 342, 343. 347, 348, 354, 367- Down, 151 note, 421, 442, 469. Downpatrick, (18), 76, 92 note, 142, 143, 147, 148, 154- Dowth, 53. Drapier's Letters, 406. Drennan, Dr., 451. Dress, 28, 211, 216. See Costumes. Drogheda, (30), 187, 302, 304, 340, 344, 346. . marquis of, 410. Drowes, river. (9), 41. Druids and druidism, 35, 36, 54, 61, ^71, 73,74,78. Drumcondra, in, 241. Drumflugh, near Benburb, 244, 245. Drum-ketta, (7), 97. Dublin, (36), loi, 105, 108, 109, in, 113, 125, 133, 135, 136, 137, 150 note, 151 note, 159, 170, 200, 201, 233, 236, 246, 280,288, 289, 291, 294, 301, 302, 303, 321, 325, 346, 347, 385, 396, 438, 442, 456, 463, 468, 475, 477. Dublin Metropolitan Police, 442. Dubthach, the poet, 73. Duffy. Charles Gavan, 491. Duhallow, 268. Duleek,(29, 30), 343,346. Dumbarton, 67. Dun, a king's residence, 20. Dun-Aengus, (32^, 22, 51. Dunanore, (48), 224. Dunbolg, (40), 98. Dunboy, (58), 261, 262 to 265. ... 2 Duncan, admiral, 461. Duncannon, (52), 347. Dun-da-leth-glas, 76. Dundalgan, near Dundalk, (23), 57. Dundalk, (23, 24), 57, 157, 239, 251, 302, 304, 340. Dundrum Castle in Down, (18), 143 Dungannon, (ii), 239, 241, 289, 43c. baron of, 208, 214, 215. Dun Keltair, 20 note. Dunlang, king of Leinster, 75. Dunlavin, 20 note, 98, 106. Dunnalong on the Foyle, (6), 257. Durrow, in King's Co., (34), 79, 145, 146. Dursey Island, (58), 266. Duv-Gall, the Dane, no. Duvgall's Br. at Dublin, in, 112, 114. Dwellings, ancient, 18 to 22. Dyeing, 29. Dympna or Domnat, St., 83 note. Dysert-Aengus, i m. west of Croom, (44), 88. Eber-Finn, 54. Edgecomb, Sir Richard, 185. Education and schools, 89 to 94, 125, 392, 486. Edward I., 155, 166. IT, 156. III., leq, 166. IV., i8o\ ■ VI., 205, 211, 228. Elizabeth, Queen, 212, 215, 225, 251, 253. Elizabeth, daughter of the Brown earl of Ulster, 163, 166. Elk, Irish, 5. Elliott, Lieutenant, 466. Ely; an ancient territory, partly in Tipperary (Ely-O'Fogarty) and partly in King's Co. (Ely-O'Car- roll), (39), 176, 196. Emain or Emania, (17), 20 and note, 56. Emancipation of Catholics, 385, 407, 408, 415, 419, 420,_ 431, 448, 452, 478. Embargo on provision trade, 398, 417, 418, 420, 423. Emigration, 389, 397, 411. Emly, (44), 81 note, 92 note. Emmet, Robert, 459, 477, 478- Thomas Addis, 459. Endeus or Enna, St., 81 note. Enniscorthy, (46), 464. Enniskillen, {16), 239, 241, 242, 317, 337, 338- , . , Ere, son of Dego, 72 : his hermitage, 71, 72. Eremon, 54, 55. Eric, a fine for personal injury, 47. k2 500 ti:dex. Eric, French writer, quoted, 03. Eskcr-Riada, (seen on map as a faint line from Guhvay liay by Athenry to Dublin, through squares 2^, 34, 35, 36), 60. Essex, Walter Devereux, earl of, 220 Devereux, 2nd earl of, 251 to 255, 257- Ethnea the Fair, 74. Eustace, James, viscount lialtinglass, 223. Eva, Dermot'sdaughter, 131, 135, 141. Fairies or S/iee, 37, 53, 74. Falkland, lord, 284, 285. Famines, 226, 256, 257, 273, 308, 398, 309, 490- Faughart, (23, 24^ 78, 160 Fedelma the Ruddy, 74 Fena of Erin, the, 12, 61, 62. Fennel], colonel, 306, 307. Ferdomnach the scribe, 13. Fergus mac Ere, 06, 97. Fermanagh, 151 note, 280. Ferns, (46), 100, 132, 133, 135. Fes, a convention, 31, 44: of Tara, 55; of Drum-ketta, 97. Finaghta the Festive, King, 100. Finan, of Lindisfarne, 93. Finnen, of Clonard, St., 81 note, 89. Finn mac Cumail, 62. Firbolgs, the, 50, 51, 52. Fire-worship, 38. Fitzgerald, Garrett, Great earl of Kildare, 184 to 186, 189, 192 to 194. Garrett Oge, 9th earl of Kildare, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199. Garrett, nth earl of Kildare, 203, 204, 205. Gilbert, 126. James, brother of the rebel ei.rl of Desmond, 222, 223. James, brother of 9th earl, 197. James Fitzmaurice, 221, 222. ■ -"John of Desmond," 220, 221, 222, 223. lord Edward, 458, 459, 463. Maurice, 131, 132, 133, 138. another, 151, 153, 154. Fitzgerald, Maurice, ist earl of Des- mond, 164. prime sergeant, 473. Raymond le Gros, 134, 135, 139, 140, 141, 142. Silken Thomas, chap, xxviii. Vesey, 483. Fitzgeralds, see Geraldines. Fitzgibbon, John (lord Clare), 429, 437, 442, 443, 449, 453, 454, 474- Fitzstephen, Robert, 131, 132, 133, 141. Fitzwilliam, earl, 452, 453, 454, 456. Sir William, 234, 236 note, 241. Flann of Monasterboice, 92. Flei'twood, Charles, 308. !• K-ming, captain, 247. iiiglit of the Earls, chap, xli., 2M0. Flood, Henr}', 401 412, 413, 42;, 421, 429, 430, 434, 436, 437, 438, 440. Foclut, wood of, 68. Foillan, St., 17, 82 note. Folkstone, 396. Foniorians, the, 50. Fontaines, 83 note. Fontenoy, 380. Food, 25. Forestallers, 411. Forests, i, 2, 128, 173, 274. Forra, the, at Tara, 56. Fortresses, ancient, 19 to 22. Forty-shilling freeholders, 448, 482, 484. Foster, John, speaker, 473. Fosterage, 33, 167. Four INIasters, the, 11, 226, 232, 237. Fox, Charles James, 432. Foxford in Ma)'o (20, 21), 152. Foyle river, (6), 317. France and the French, 26, 90, 93, 94, 310, 321, 340, 344, 354, 355, 366, 378, 421. 444, 449, 451, 459, 470, 477, Freehold lease, 387, 420, 448. Fridolin the Traveller, St., 83 note. Fursa, St., of Peronne, 82 note. Gall, St., of St. Gall, 83 note. Galloglasses, 44, 45, 127, 128, 155, 216, 225. Galty mountains, (50, 51), 268. Galway, (32), 150 note, 244, 307, 355, 365, 375, 388, 431- Gardiner, Luke (lord Mountjoy), 419, 424,431,467. Gartan in Donegal, 79. Gaul, 63, 67, 69. Gavelkind, 47. Genoa, 492. George II., 384. III., 417, 426, 429, 453, 454, 479. Geraldine league, first, 205, 207. second, 221. Geraldine Rebellion, chap, xxxii. Geraldines, the, 127 note, 131, 138, 155, 162, 180, 184 ; chap, xxvii. ; 203, 219, 251, 252. See Fitzgerald, Des- mond, Kildare, and Leinster. Germain, St., 68. Gernons, the, 163. Gertrude, abbess, 17. Gheel in Belgium, 83 note. Giants' graves, 24. rN^BEX. 501 Ginkle, general, 354, 364, 367 to 378, 380, 381. Giraldus Carabrensis, 17, 87, 129, 137, I44. Glasnevin, 90, 92 note, 492. Glasslough, (17), 298. Glenarm, (8), 156. Glendalough, (40, 41), 82 note, 92 note, 129 (Headpiece), 135, 138 (Headpiece), 184 (Headpiece), 191 (Headpiece), 198 (Headpiece), 214 (Headpiece), 227 (Headpiece), 235. Glengarriff, (55), 266, 271. Glenmalure, (40, 41), 224, 236, 237, 238, 256. Glenmama, (35, 40), 106. Glens of Antrim, 247. Glenshesk, (4, 8), 218. Gloucester, earl of, 174, 175. Gods and goddesses, Irish, 36, 37. Gold and gold ornaments, 30, 55. Golden Vale, the, 268. Gorey, (47), 465, 466, 467. Gormlaith, Brian Boru's wife, 106, 108. Gossipred, 33, 167 Government and law, 40. Governors of Ireland, 137 note, 148. Grace, Col. Richard, 347, 348, 371. Graces, the, 285, 2S8. Grattan, Henry, 401, 402, 412, 413, 423 to 434, 436, 437, 440. 443» 444> ^452, 453, 461, 475, 480, 484. Greece, 49, 50, 52. Greek writers mention Ireland, 65. Greenan of a house, 19. Greenan-Ely, (6), 20 note, 21. Grey, lady Elizabeth, 195, 203, 204. ■ lord Leonard, 202, 204, 207. lord, of Wilton, 223, 224, 225. Grogan, Mr., of Johnstown, 469. Grouchy, general, 459. Guest-house of a monastery, 86. Gunpowder Act, 449. Hair, fashion of, 29, 30. Hamilton, lieut.-gen., 322, 324, 327, ^328, 331, 333. 334, 336, 337, 343- Hardi, general, 470. Harold the Dane, 106. H.irold's Cross, near Dublin, 478. Harpers, 17, 32. Harte, captain, 277. Harvey, Bagenal, 466, 468, 469. Hasculf MacTurkill, 133, 135. Hearts of Oak and Steel, 411. Heaven, Pagan Irish, 38. Hebrides, the, 80. 109. Henry II., 19, 130, 131, 135, 136, 137, 140, T)I, 142. 145. — ni., 150, 151, 155. Henry V., 172, 177. VI., 178. VII., 184, 185, 186. Henry VIII., 194, 195, 197, 201, 203, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211. Higgins, Francis, 463. High Court of Justice, 308. Hoche, general, 459. Hodnet, lord Philip, 163. Holycross, 145), 259. Holy Island, see Inishcaltra. Honey, 6, 25, Horn for drinking, 26. Horse riding, 34. Horse soldiers, 44, 48, 99. Hospitals, 12. Houses, 18, 282. Howard, earl of Surrey, 195. Howth, (36), 50, 109. Hrafn the Red, 114. Humbert, general, 470. Hutchinson, Hely, 424, 429. Hy Neill, 62, 95, no. I Brazil, 38. Ida or Ita, St., 82 note. Idols, 37, 38. Illann, Prince, 75. Illumination of MSS., 13. Inchiquin, lord, 301, 302. Inisfail, 54. Inishcaltra, (38), 81 Inishcarra, (56), 255, 256. Inishovven, (2, 3, 6, 7), 281. Inishsamer at Ballyshannon, 49, 57 Innishannon, (56), 261. Insula sancto7-uni et doctorum, c2. Insurrection Act, 459. Invasion, Anglo-Norman, 94, 129. Inver-skena, Kenmare Bay, (54), 5 lona, 80, 82 note, 93, 97. Ireland, names of, 63, 65. Ireton, general, 303, 306, 307, 308. Irish Brigade, the, 380. Island Magee, (8), 291, Island of saints and scholars, 92. Ivar the Dane, 104. Jackson, Rev. William, 451, 452. Jacobites, 317, 319, 320. James I., 270, 280, 283, 284. James II. (and duke of York), 31 316, 317, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 3.5 340, 341, 347, 379- John, King, 144, 145, 147, 149, 150. Scotus Erigena, 84 note, 94. Johnson, general, 467. Jones, col. Michael, 301, 302, 303. Paul, 421. 502 rN-DEX. Kavanagh, Art, 234. Art mac Murrogh, chap. xxiv. Donali, 132, 136. Kavanai^h Horn, 25. Keeper Hill, dS, 39), 349. Kellct, captain, 406. Kells in Kilkenny, (45, 46), 171. Kells in Meath, (29), 79, 158. Kendal, duchess of, 405. Kcnmarc Bay, (54), 54. Keogh, John, 447, 448, 482. Matthew, 469. Kern, 44, 45, 171, 247. Kerry, 150 note, 223, 226, 272. Kevin, St., 82 note. Kieran, see Ciaran. Kilbcggan, 437. Kilbreedy, Kilbride, 78. Kilbrittain, (60), 204. Kilcolman castle, (50), 230, 231. Kilcommedan Hill, 371. Kilcormick in Wexford, 464. Kildare, (35), 78, 150 note, 463. Curragh of, 151, earls of, 138, 244. (See Fitz- gerald, and Leinster, dukes of.) War of, 151. Kilfinnane, (50), 20, 21 note. Kilian of Franconia, St., 83 note. Kilkenny, (45, 46), 150 note, 167, 2(^6, 298, 347. ^ ^ Statute of. See statute. Killala, (14), 470, Killaloe, (38), 107, 122, 349. Killeedy, (44), 82 note. Killeigh, (34), 179. Kilmacrenan, (6), 277. Kilmainham, near Dublin, (36), 109. Kilmallock, (44), 84, 126. Kilmashogue, battle of, 103. Kiltaroe castle. See Redwood. Kilwarden, lord, 477. Kinard, see Caledon. Kincora palace, (38), 106, 108. _ Kinel-Connel, the people of Tircon- nell, 154, 239, 259, 261. King John's Castle, Limerick, 355, 356. Kings, and election of, 41, 42, 43, 44- King's Co., 150 note. King's Island at Limerick, 355, 357, 360. " Kings with Opposition," 121. Kinsale, (56), 256 to 261, 262, 321, 347, 365. Kirke, major-general, 331, 334, 336. Knockdoe, {33), 193, 194. Knockmoy, (27), 42. Knocknanuss, (50), 301. Knockvicar, (21, 22). 271. Knowth, near Drogheda, 53. Laegaire, King, 22, 64, 70, 71, 73, Lagan river, near Ardee, 254. Laitcn, Brian's attendant, 116, 117. Lake, general, 459, 468, 469, 470. Lanibay Island, (30), 79, 101. Land and tenure, 46, 399, 415, 420. Landen, battle of, 380. Landlords, 408, 409, 482, 483. Lanesborough, (28), 368. Lanyer, Sir John, 350, 352, 354 note. Larne, (8), 125, 156, Lauzun, general, 354, 355, 365. Law, the English, 150, 155, 165, 166, 183, 188, 283. Leap castle, (39), 194. Lecale, (18), 69. Legends, the, 48, 57. Legislative Independence, 426. Leinster,4i,5i,58, 59, 136, 284,308, 309. dukes of, 138. first duke of, 407. second, 422, 424, 444, 458. Leitrim, (22), 150 note, 271, 272. Leix, (39, 40), 228, 257, 288. Lennox, Great Steward of, no, Leth-Conn and Leth-Mow, 61, 105. Levellers, 410. Leverous, Thomas, 203. Lewy, King, 95, 96. Liffey,theriver,(35,36),4, 109, 111,238. Light, 28. Limerick, (44), loi, 103, 104, 123, 125, 140, 150 note, 159, 306, 346, 347, 348, 349, 353, 354 to 365, 375 to 382, 388, 410. Lindisfarne, 93. Linen trade, 286, 396, 397. Lionel, duke of Clarence, 166, 167. Lis, a fortified dwelling, 19. Liscarroll, 268. Lismore, (51), 82 note, 92 note, 123, 126, 139, 253. Literature, Irish, 8. Loftus, general, 466. Londonderry, 151 note (see Derry). Longford, 150 note. Lome, 96. Lough Beagh (6), 154. Foyle, (7), 252, 257, 331. Key, (21), 271. Owel, (28), 102. Ree, (28), lor, 147. Swilly, (2, 6), 218, 276. Louis, King, 321, 365. Louth, 150 note, 160. Lucas, Charles, 401, 406, 414. Ludlow, Edmund, 307 Lundy, governor, 320 to 324. Luttrell, lord Carhampton, 458. Luxeuil, 83 note. Lynch's Knock in Meath, 301. INDEX. 50' Mac in Irish surnames, 55. Mac Carthy, Dermot, 140. Lady Eleanor, 204, 205. MacCarthys, 155. M'Cracken, Henry Joy, 469. Mac Dara's Isl., (31, 32), 83, 84. Mac David Burke, 270. Mac Davids, thie, 138. MacDonnell, earl of Antrim, 319. Mac Donnells of Antrim, 215, 217, 218, 219, 247, 248, 249. Mac Dunlevy, of Ulidia, 143. MacEgan, Donogh, 269. Mac Egan, the brehon, 180. Mac Geoghegan, Richard, 262, 263, 264, 265. Mac Gilla Patrick, of Ossory, 119. another, 133. Macha, Queen, 56. Mac Kenzie, Rev. John, 330. Mac Mahon, Bernard, 298, 300. Mac Mahon, Brian, 260. MacMahons of Oriell, 288, 289, 363. MacMurrogh, Dermot, 60, 129, 130, 132, 133, 134, 135- MacNally, Leonard, 451, 456. Mac Neny, Patrick, 298, 300. MacNevin, Dr. William James, 459. Mac Sweeny, of Rathraullan, 233. Mac Williams, the, 138, 163. Maengal or Marcellus, 17. Magennis of Iveagh, 186, 187, 288. Maguires of Fermanagh, 239, 241, 242, 247, 248, 249, 288, 289. Mahon, King, 103, 104, 105. Mailmora, King, 105, 106, 108, 109, no, 118. Mailmurry Mac Kelleher, 9, 39. Malachi I., 102. II., 103, 105, 106, 108, no, 114, 119, 120. Malbie, captain Henry, 270. Malone, Anthony, 406. Man, Isle of, 63, 108, 421. Mannanan, Mac Lir, 37. Manuscripts, Irish, 8 to 14, 62, 181. Mar, Great Steward of, no, 112. Margaret, Lady, of Offaly, 179. Marisco, Geoifrey, 151, Marshall, Richard, 151. Marshall, William, 151, 152. Martin, St., of Tours, 68. Mary, Queen, 205, 212, 227, 228. Mary, Queen of William ill., 316, 379. Maryborough, 150 note. Mathew, Rev. Theobald, 488. Maumont, gen., 324, 327, 328. Maupas, Sir John, 160. Maynooth, (29, 35), 201, 202, 455. Mayo, 150 note; earls of, 164.' Meath, 41, 58, 136, 145, 150 note, 151, 202, 463. War of, 151. Medical MSS., 11. Mellifont, (23, 29), 130. 131, 239, 275. Mensal land, 42, 58, 210. Metal work, 14, 88. Mether, 26. Middlemen, 408, 411. Milcho, St. Patrick's Master, 67. Miled and the Milesians, 54. Mills, 27, 86, 88. Minerals, mines, 3. Misach, the, 232 (Headpiece). jMissionaries, Irish, 8, 78, 93, 94. Mitchel, John, 491. Mitchelburn, captain, 332. Mochuda, see Carrthach. Mogh Nuadhat, see Owen More. Moira, see jMoyrath. Moira, lord, 444. Moling, St., 100. Molyneux, William, 400, 401, 402, 403. Monabraher, at Limerick, (44), 194. JMonaghan, (17), 151 note, 243. Monasterboice, (23), 92 and note, 126. Monasteries, 77 to 94, loi. employments of inmates, 85 to 89. suppression of, 86, 207. Monro, general, 293, 294, 296 to 300. ■ George, 298, 300. Montague, captain, 247, 250. Moore, Sir Garrett, 239, 275, 276. Thomas, 17, 105, 107, 119, 484, 485- Mortimer, Roger, 158. Roger, earl of JNIarch, 171. Moryson,Fynes, 240,253,257, 273,274. Mountjoy, lord, 256, 257, 259, 260, 273, 274, 291. lord, see Gardiner, Luke. Mountmaurice, Hervey, 139, 140. Movi, St., of Glasnevin, 90. Moy Elta, 50. Moylan, Dr., bishop, 447. Moylena, 61. Moy Mell, 38, 39. jMoyrath or Moira, (12), 100. Moy Slecht, see Plain of Adoration. Moytirra, (15, 21), 53. Moytura, (26), 52, 53. MuUingar, 244. Mungret, near Limerick, 92 note. Munro, Henry, 469, 470. Munster, 41, 51, 58, 226, 251, 255, 256, 272, 292, 305, 308. Murkertagh Mac Ere, King, 96. Murkertagh of the Leather Cloaks, 103. Murphy, Father John, 464, 469. Father Michael, 464, 468. Nicholas, 463. 504 INDEX. Murray, Adam. 323, 324, 328. Miirrogli, Hrian Horu's son, 108, no, in, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118. the Hurner, see Incliiquin. !Music, Irish, 16, 93, 485. Mutiny bill, 426, 427, 428, 431. Naas, (3.s), 20 note, 75. Nanny River at Duleek, (29, 30), 343. Nation Newspaper, 491. National Education, 486. Navan in IMeath, (29), 31. fort or ring, see Eraain. Ncedham, general, 468. Nemed and the Ncmcdians, 50. New England, 314, 389, 397, 411. New English, and Old English, 162. Newgrange, near Oldbridge, 53. New Ross, (46), 170, 176, 467. Newrj', (18), 144, 243, 289, 302, 304. Newtownbarry, (46), 467, 487, Newtown Butler, (16), 337, 338. Niall Glunduff, King, 103, 133. Niall of the Nine Hostages, 62, 95. Norris, Sir John, 243, 244. Sir Thomas, 243, 251. Northern Whig Club, 444, 445. Nuada of the Silver Hand, 52. Nugent, general, 470, O, in Irish surnames, 55. Oath, Pagan Irish, 38, 64. of Allegiance, 379, 449. of Supremacy, 207, 212, 279, 281. Parliamentary, 381, 385, 482, 483, 484. O'Brazil, 38. O'Brien, Dr., bishop, 306. Donall, King, 140, 145, 146, 147. Manus, 350. Murkertagh, King, 2, 122, 123. Turlogh, King, 121. O'Briens, of Thomond, 103, 120, 170, 193, 194, 202, 204, 208. O'Brien's Bridge, 306. O'Byrne, Fiach mac Hugh, 224, 236, 237, 238. O'Carrolls of Ely, 176, 193, 194, 196. Ocha (29), battle of, 95. O'Connell, Daniel, 408, 480 to 492. O'Connolly, Owen, 289. O'Connor, Arthur, 459, 460. O'Conor, Charles of Bellanagar, 407. Felim, 153. Tomb of, 153, i55- another, 157, 158, 159. Roderick, King, 55, 125, 130, 133. 140, 145- . Turlogh, Kmg, 124, 130. O'Conors of Connaught, 120, 170, 253. of Offaly, or O'Conors Faly, 179, 182, 196, 228. Octennial liill, 414. O'Curry, Eugene, 12. O'Dempsey of Offaly, 137. O'Doherty, Sir Cahir, 277, 281. O'Donncll, Godfrey, 154. Hugh Roe, chap, xxxiv. 241, 244, 247, 248, 249, 253, 256, 257, 258, 259, 261, 266, 274. Manus, 204. Kory, earl of Tirconnell, 261, 274, 275, 276, 277, 280. Sir Hugh, 218, 232, 239. O'Donnells of Tirconnell, the, 73, 218, 229, 234. O'Donovan, i)r. John, 12. O'Doran the brehon, 177. O'Faelan, Prince of Decies, no 'another, 134. O'Farrell, col. Richard, 299. Offaly, comprising parts of Kildare, Queen's and King's Cos., (34, 35), 137, 139, 196, 228. — — barons of, 138. O'Flynn, Cumee, of Dalaradia, 144. O'Hagan, lord, 484 note. O'Hagan, Turlogh, 238. O'Hanlon, 186, 187. O'Hechan, Mailisamac Braddan, 16. O'Hogan, "Galloping," 350. O'Hoolahan, Derraot, 269. O'Hyne of Connaught, no. O'Kelly of Hy Many, no. another, 193. Oldbridge, (29, 30), 340, 343, 344, 345. Old Ireland Party, 491. Olioll, Prince, 75. Olioll Molt, King, 62, 95. Ollamh Fodla, King, 55. Ollave or doctor, 92, 93, 98. O'Loghlin, Donall, King, 121, 123. Murkertagh, King, 124, 125. O'Moore, Owney, of Leix, 257. Rory, of Leix^ 288, 289, 293. O'Moores of Leix, 202, 228, 253, 321. O'Neill, Art, son of Shane, 236 to 23.S. Art, brother of earl Hugh, 243. Brian, 154. Brian, (another), 229. col. Felix, 369. Conn, first earl of Tyrone, 197, 205, 208, 214, 215, 240. Cormac, 242. Donall, 156. Henry, son of Shane, 236. Hugh, earl of Tyrone, 177, 233, 238, 239, 240 to 251, 252 to 260, 274, 275, 276, 277, 280, 288, 301. Hugh, Owen Roe's nephew, 305, 306. INDEX. 505 O'Neill, Matthew, baron of Dungan- non, 208, 214, 215. Owen Roe, 288, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 305. Shane, chap. xxxi. 228, 236. Sir Neil, 342. Sir Phelim, 288, 289, 290, 293, 294, 308. O'Neills of Clannaboy, 229. of Tyrone, the, and branches, 62, 120, 123, 170, 229. Orangemen, 457, 458, 460. Orde, Thomas, 439. O'Reilly, Mailmora or Myles, 250. O'Reillys of Brefney, 288. Ormond, (45), great duke of, 296, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 314, 316. duke of, 387. earls of, 138, 194, 195, 196, 219, 223. See Butler and Butlers. O'Ruarc, Ternan, 129, 130. of Brefney, 241, 271. Ossory, (39, 45, 46), 82 note, 119, 133. O'Sullivan Beare, Donall, 262, 266 to 272. Ota, Turgesius's queen, 102. O'Toole, Felim, 235, 230, 238. St. Laurence, 135, 136, 141 Oulart Hill, (47), 464. Owen Bel, King, 22. Owen-More, King, 60, 61. Paganism, Irish, 35, 66, 68, 73, 78. Pale, the, 164, 165, 169, 177, 178, 180, 189, 190, 197, 200, 202, 203, 213, 292. Palladius, 66, 69 and note. Parliament, Irish, 186, 187, 189, 208, 283, 285, 286, 325, 381, 384, 385, 394, 396, 400, 401, 402, 403, 414, 415, 426 to 440. Parliamentarians, 294, 296, 297, 301, 303, 306, 307. Parliament House, Dublin, 476. Parmenius the Hermit, 63. Parnell, Sir John, 473, 475. Parsons, Sir William, 289, 291, 292, 296. Parthalon and the Parthalonians, 49. Pass of the Plumes, (40), 253. Patrick, St., 8, 64, chaps, ix., x., 77, 78. Patriots or Popular Party, 402, 403, 412, 414, 415, 416, 437, 443, 444. Paulett, Sir George, 277. Pearls, 3. Peel, Sir Robert, 483, 484. Peep-o'-day Boys, 442, 443, 457. Pelham, Sir William, 222, 223, 225. Penal Laws, 310, 382 to 393, 420, 431. See Reformation. Pennyburn Mill, Derry, 328. Pension List, 412, 414, 443. Penwork, 12, 13, 14, 88, 493, 494. Percy, colonel, 247. Perrott, Sir John, 151 note, 232, 233, 234- Phibsborough, near Dublin, iii. Philip, King of Spain, 261, 266. Philipstown, 150 note. Phoenicians knew Ireland, 65. PhcEnix Park, Dublin, 109. Physicians, Irish, 11. Picts of Scotland 80, 93, 96. Picts and Scots, the, 62. Pigeon House Fort, 477. Pilltown, (51,52), 180. Pipers, 18, 32 Pitt, William, 439, 452, 453, 454, 472, 473, 474, 478, 479- Plain of Adoration, (16, 22), 37, 73. Plantation of Ulster, 279, 287, 457. Plantations, the, 210, 221, chap. xxxiii., 257, 287, 308, 382, 399. Piatt the Dane, 112. Plebeian Races, 58. Plunket, Oliver, archbishop, 315. Poets, 31, 98. See Bards. Pole, Cardinal, 205. Police, Dublin Metropolitan, 442. Ponsonby, Speaker, 424. Ponsonby, George, son of preceding, 461. Portland, (33, 34), 269. Portmore, now Blackwatertown {17), 241, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 250. Poynings, Sir Edward, and Poynings' Law, chap, xxvi., 404, 414, 429, 430, 432. Prendergast, Maurice, 132. Preston, colonel, 294, 296, 297, 301. Proctors, see Tithe-proctors. Protestant Boys, see Peep-'o-day Boys. Provinces, the five, 41, 51 note, 58. Psalter of Cashel, 181. Psalter of Tara, 55. Ptolemy describes Ireland, 65. Purcell, major-general, 302, 303. Puritans, 293. Queen's Co.. 150 note, 463. Quern, 28, 86. Raleigh, Sir Walter, 230. Ramillies, 380. Rapparees, 309, 349, 365, 366. Rath, a fortified residence, 19. Rathangan (35), 17Q. Rathcroghan, see Croghan. Rathfarnham, 478. Rathlin Island, (4), 156, 215, 229, 506 INDEX. Rathmines, 302. Rathmullan, (0), 233, 276. Raymond le Gros, see Fitzgerald. Rebellions, 58, 157, 213, 214, 219, 234, 240, 277, 282, 287, 462, 477. Recusants, 280, 285. Red Branch Knights, the, 12, 56. Red Earl of Ulster, 157. Redwood or Kiltaroe, 3 miles north of Lorrha, (34, 39), 269. Reformation, 211, 212, 221, 244, 255. Reginald, the Dane, 134. Reginald's Tower in Waterford, 134. Regium Donum, 389. Religion and learning, 35, 77 to 94, 125, 126. Repeal agitation, 488, 489, 490. Reynolds, Thomas, 462. Ri, a King, 41. 42. Riada or Reuda, 96. Richard II., 170 to 176. Rightboys, 441. Rindown castle, (27, 28), 147. Kinuccini, the nuncio, 297, 302. Roads, 33. Roches, the, 163. Romans, 62, 63. Romantic Literature, 12, 31. Roscommon, 150 note. Abbey, 153, 155. Rosen, Marshal, 321, 332, 333, 334. Rosscarbery, (59, 60), 92 note. Rossnaree, near Slane, 342, 343. Round towers, 81, 84, 88, 492. Route, the, see Dalriada. Rowan, Hamilton, 450, 451. Royalists, 294, 302. Ryan, captain, 463. Saga of Burnt Nial, 107 note, 114, 118. St. David's in "Wales, 131. Saintfield, near Belfast, 469. St. Gall in Switzerland, 17, 83 note. St. John's Gate, Limerick, 306, 307, 358, 361. St. Ruth, lieut.-gen., 366, 367, 370, ^ 371, 372, 373, 374» 375- ^ Samm, the first of November, 55. Sarsfield, general Patrick, 321, 338, 346, 347 to 365, 366, 367, 370, 374, 375. 378, 380, 383- Sarsfield's Rock, 353. Saul in Down, (18), 69, 76. Savages, the, 163. Scandinavia, 109. Scattery Island, (43), 82 note. Schism act, 389. Schomberg, duke, 339, 340, 344, 347- Count, his son, 343. Schools, principal ancient Irish, 92 note. .See I'Mucation. Scotia, a name for Ireland, 63. Scotland, 62, 63, 95, 96, 109, 110, 156. Scots or Irish, the, 62, 63, 91, Scottish settlers of Antrim, 217, 218. Scribes, Irish, 12, 87, 494. Scroope, Sir Stephen, 176. Scullabogue house and barn, 467. Scythia, 50, 54. Segrave, an officer, 243. Senan of Scattery, St., 82 note. Senchus Mor, 74. Sentleger, Sir Anthony, 208. St. Leger, Sir William, 292. Sept, the, 40, 41, 46, 47. Sept-land, 46, 47. Septennial Bill, 414. Servitors, 281. Settlement, Act of, 311, 316, 325. Shannon, the riVer, 41, 259, 269, 347, 355, 378. Sheares, Henry and John, 463. Shee, see Fairies. Sheehy, Father Nicholas, 410, 411 Shelburne, earl of, 432, 434. Shetland Islands, 109. Sheil, Richard Lalor,48i, 482, 486, 487. Shoes, 29, 30. Sigurd, earl of Orkney, 108, no, 113 Silvermines, 349. Simancas, in Spain, 261. Simnel, Lambert, 184, 185. Singland, beside Limerick, 354. Sinnott, David, 304. Sirr, major, 463, 478. Sitric of the Silken Beard, 106, 108, no, 113, 115. " Sixth of George I.," 404, 426, 432. Skean, a dagger, 45. Skeffington, Sir William, 196, 201, 206. Skerret, colonel, 468. Slan [slaun], the name of a well, 38. Slane, (29), 71, 72, 275, 342, 344. Slaney, river, (40, 46, Sec), 54. Slemish mountain, (8), 67. Slieve-an-ierin, 52. Slieve Felim mountains, (44, 45), 259, 349, 351' Slieve Mary, 270. Sligo, (15), 150 note, 338, 375. Smerwick, {48), 224. Smith, Sir Thomas, 229. Smuggling, 397, 4i7; Sollohod, see Sulcoit. Spain and Spaniards, 49, 54, 222, 224, 232, 258, 260, 261, 262, 310. Sparth or battleaxe, 45, 130, 137. Spear-heads, 53. Speckled Book, see Book of Duniry Spenser, Edmund, 128, 226, 230. INDEX. 507 Stafford, captain, 304. Staigue Fort, in Kerry, 21. Statute of Kilkenny, chap, xxiii. ; 169, 178, 183. Stokes, Dr. Whitley, 12. Stories, see Tales. Storytellers, 31. " Stowe Missal," 14. StraflFord, earl of, 284 to 287, 395. Strongbow, 131, 134, 135, 136, 137, 139, 140, 141. Stuarts, the, descent of, 97. Suir, the river, 41. Sulcoit, (44, 45), battle of, 104. Sun and moon worship, 38. Supremacy, see Act and Oath of. Sussex, earl of, 216, 217. Swan, major, 462, 463. Sweyn the Dane, 118. Swift, Jonathan, 401, 402, 404 to 406. Swilly, river and lough. See Lough Swilly. Swimming, a. Swords, (30), 79. Sydney, lord, 381, 382. Sydney, Sir Henry, 150 note, 220, 221, 222, 223. Taaffe, lord, 301. Tacitus mentions Ireland, 65. Tailltenn, (29), 20 note, 31, 73. Tailors' Hall, Dublin, 447. Talbot, colonel Richard, earl and duke of Tirconnell, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 325, 343, 346, 355, 365, 366, 375- Talbot, Sir John, lord Fumival, 177. Talbots, the, 178. Tales, romantic, 12, 31, 57, 62. Tallaght, (35, 36), 50. Tandy, Napper, 444, 445. Tanist, Tanistry, 43, 44, 210. Tara, (29), 20 and note, 42, 54, 55, 56, 61, 64, 70, 71, 72, 97, 105, 464, 488. brooch, 15, 16. Taylor, Thomas, 262, 264, 265. Teachers, ancient Irish, 16, 93, 94. Teeling, Bartholomew, 470. Temperance Movement, 488. Test act, 388, 389, 420. Thomond, or North Munster, (37, 43, 44, 45), 51 note, 103, 194, 203, 204. Thomond Br., 348, 349, 356, 376, 378. Three-Rock mountain, near Dublin, 234- Three Rocks, near Wexford, 465. Thurles, (45), 140. Thurot, expedition of, 421. Tigernmas, King, 55. Tinnehinch, 433, 480. Tipperary, 150 note, 286, 410. Tiptoft, John, 182, 183. Tirawley, (14), 75. Tirconnell, (5, 6, 9, 10), a territory including nearly the whole of the present co. Donegal, 73, 146, 154, 216, 218, 232. Tirconnell, duke of, see Talbot. Tirnanoge, 7, 38. Tithes and tithe-proctors, 409, 411, 440, 441, 487. Titus Gates Plot, 315. Tlachtga (29), 20 note, 31. Toberanierin, (47), 467. Tolka, river, 90, 11 1, 116. Tomar, the Dane, collar of, 105. Tomar's Wood, iii, 116. Tombs, ancient Irish, 22 to 24. Tone, Matthew, 470. Theobald Wolfe, 444, 445, 450, 451, 457, 459, 470, 471, 472. Toome, (11, 12), 274. Tories, 309. Torque, 31. Tory Island, (i), 79. Townshend, lord, 414, 415, 416. Trade, restrictions on, 286, 394 to 399, 402, 417, 419, 423, 424, 425, 430,438, 439, 440, 475- Tralee, (49), 222. Treaty of Limerick, 378, 379, 380, 381, 383, 384, 385. . , Treaty Stone, Limerick, 378. Treda-na-Ree, 20, 21 note. Tribe, the, 40, 41, 43, 44, }6. Tribe land, 46, 47, 133. Tribute to kings and chiefs, 42, 43, 60. Trim, (29), Castle, 146, 302, 304. Trinity College, Dublin, 8, 10, 13, 14, 281, 402, 448, 449. Troy, Dr., archbishop of Dublin, 442, 447- Tuathal the Legitimate, 57 to 60. Tubberneering, see Toberanierin. Tullahoge, (ii), 274. Turgesius the Dane, loi, 102. Turlogh, grandson of Brian, no, 116. Turlogh O'Brien, king 121. Tyrone, or Tirowen, (2, 3, 6, 7, 10), a sub-kingdom comprising the pre- sent counties of Tyrone and Derry, and the two baronies of Inish- owen and Raphoe in Donegal, 240, 241, 273. Co., 151 note, 274, 280, 442. Tyrrell, captain, 245. Tyrrell's Pass, (34, 35), 245. Ulidia, the territory lying east of the lower Bann, Lough Neagh, and the Newry river, (3, 4, 8, 12, 18), 76, 142, 143. 508 INDEX. Ulster, 6, 41, 51, 58, 95, 136, 142, 144, 151 note, 156, 160, 215, 218, 228, 258, 286, 290, 291, 294, 308, 316, 317, 460, 469. Ultan, St., 17, 82 note. Undertakers, 227. Union, the, 440, 472. Act of, described, 476. United Irishmen, 412, 445, 456, 458, 460,(61,464,477. Universities, ancient Irish, 92. Uraghree, I'ass of, 372, 373. Urns, 22, 23. Ushnagh, (28), 20 note, 31, 40 note, 59- Venables, colonel, 306. Venice, 310. Veto, the, 479, 480. Vinegar Hill, (46, 47), 462, 465, 467, 468. Virgil or Virgilius of .Salsburg, 83 note. Volunteers, the, 417 to 425, 428, 430, 431, 432, 436, 437, 438, 444. Wales, 63, 93. Walker, Rev. George, 323, 328, 330, 332, 335, 337, 338, 344- Walpole, colonel, 467. Walter, John, 186. Warbeck, Perkin, 186. War-cries of the Irish, 188 and note. War of the Revolution, 317, 378. Ward, Hill of, seeTlachtga. Warner, Dr., 291. Warren, Sir John Borlase, 471. Wars, Irish, causes of, chap. xxx. Wars of Kildare and Meath, 151. Wars of the Roses, 180. " Wars of the Gaels with ti.c Galls,*' 107 note. Waterford, (52), loi, 103, 125, 134, 139, 140, 144, 150 note, 170, 171, 185, 305, 347, 358, 482. Waterside, at Derry, 320, 331. Wellington, duke of, 483. Well worship, 38. Wentworth, see Strafford. Westmeath, 150 note. Westmoreland, earl of, 452. Wexford, (53), 125, 131, 132, 133, 137, 141, 142, 150 note, 304, 463,465, 469 AVhig Club, 444. Whiteboys, 410, 441. Wicklow,(4i), 150 note, 292, 463, 475 William II. (Rufus), 2. HI., 316, 317, 320, 321, 331, 339 to 347, 348, 350, 354, 357, 358, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 377, 378, 379, 381, 383, 396. Williams, captain, 2415, 246, 250. Wilmot, Sir Charles, 262, 266, 272. Windmill Hill, Derry, 329, 330. Wingfield, Sir Thomas, 247. Witherow, an author, 334 note. Wolsey, cardinal, 194, 195, 196. Wolves, Wolf-dogs, 4. Wood and Wood's halfpence, 40.1, 405, 406 Woollen trade, 286, 395, 396, 397, 300 Wreckers, see Peep-o'-day Boys. Wyse, Mr., of Waterford, -107, 40S. Yellow Ford, (17), 245, 251, 301. Yellow Pass in the Curlieus (21), 253 Yelverton, P,arry, 429, 437. York, Richard, duke of, 179. Youghal, (57), 154, 181, 223, 230, 305 Young Ireland Party, 400, 491. THR END. Date Due m -'I 1592 1 ' f) ± i l^ i o 01213179 3 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. 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