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YOUNG PEOPLE'S 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE MAKEPEACE TOWLE 
 
 AUTHOR OF "history OF ENGLAND," "HISTORY OF HENRY V," "MODERN 
 
 GREECE," " MODERN FRANCE," " ENGLAND AND RUSSIA IN 
 
 ASIA," " ENGLAND IN EGYPT," ETC. ETC. 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHF^o 
 
 
4^^'i^ 
 
 Copyright, 1886, 
 By lee and SHEPARD. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 NOTHING could better illustrate the deplorable rela- 
 tions of England and Ireland, than the complete 
 absence of Irish history from both English and Irish schools 
 and public libraries. So far as English posver could reach, 
 Irish history ha? been obliterated, misrepresented, or left 
 unwritten. The English story of Ireland would not bear 
 telling, and it must not be told. 
 
 If the Irish nation were an unimportant, uninteresting, 
 unrelated element, the students of English, except the Irish 
 themselves, might be excused for ignoring it. But this is 
 far from being the case. In the unbroken lines of nation- 
 alities, there are few, if any, longer than that of Ireland. 
 
 By ethnology, philology, geography, history, by the beauty 
 and wealth of the country, and the sentiment and character 
 of its people, Ireland must be ranked with the best-defined 
 nationalities. 
 
 To justify her oppression, England has resorted to a sys- 
 tem of misrepresentation and misreport. Irish antiquities 
 have been doubted and belittled. The natural resources of 
 the land have been left unused, and have been underrated. 
 
 ill 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The ancient history of Ireland has been set down as 
 unreliable, mythical, — a story bom of Celtic pride, imagi- 
 nation, and passion. 
 
 Yet the student who turns to the history of Ireland finds 
 at a glance that he has entered an original and authentic 
 region, on a study not only national, but racial. He 
 finds a distinct expression of architecture in the archaic 
 round towers and other Celtic remains ; of law, in the 
 revered and beautiful Brehon Code ; of music, in the mar- 
 vellously sweet and simple strains coming down from pre- 
 historic times, and still sung by the peasant girls and played 
 by the wandering minstrels ; of decorative art, in the 
 fantastic tracings of Gaelic stones and manuscripts ; of 
 language and literature, in the ancient and eloquent Irish 
 tongue, which is as complex and as perfect as classic Greek, 
 and as old as primitive Sanscrit ; of religion, in the nature- 
 worship of the Magi or Druid, with its Baaltane cere- 
 monies coming clearly down to the time of St. Patrick, — 
 a comparatively modern period in Irish history, though 
 separated from us by fourteen centuries. 
 
 Irish history, according to the Englishman, begins only 
 when he began to write it ; and he wrote it after his own 
 knowledge and for his owti purpose. From the twelfth 
 century, the period covered by English historians after their 
 fashion, the history of Ireland is the story of an endless fight, 
 — of an ancient nation's brave struggle to keep its own from 
 the hands of a powerful foreign invader, filled with personal 
 
INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 rapacity and an ultimate political determination to make 
 the island a component part of Great Britain. 
 
 To follow the unbroken Irish line through all these 
 phases, is a work undertaken by numerous historians of 
 other nations. It is a hopeful sign to see the task under- 
 taken by competent hands in America. 
 
 The Celtic element will always be an important and pro- 
 gressive element of the American population. The history 
 of its origin and development is a proper and necessary 
 study in every American school. It is a strange fact, that, 
 up to the present time, Irish history has not been studied 
 even in the private schools of the Irish-American element. 
 
 From the so-called " national schools " of Ireland, the 
 national history is banished as a crime. The original and 
 leading purpose of those schools was to educate the people 
 out of a knowledge of their own national history. 
 
 It is not too sanguine a hope that we have now seen the 
 beginning of attention to a field that has been too long 
 neglected. 
 
 JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. Irish Legends . 
 
 II. The Ancient Irish 
 
 III. Saint Patrick . 
 
 IV. Christian Ireland . 
 V. Early Irish Kings . 
 
 VI. The Invasion of the Danes 
 
 VII. Condition of the Irish People 
 
 VIII. The Invasion of the NoRxMans 
 
 IX. The English Settlement of Ireland 
 
 X. The Norman Knights . 
 
 XL The Bruges in Ireland 
 
 XII. Richard the Second in Ireland 
 
 XIII. Condition of the Irish People . 
 
 XIV. The Irish Parliament . 
 XV. Henry the Eighth and Ireland 
 
 XVL Shane O'Neil . . . ' . 
 
 XVII. Ireland under Elizabeth . 
 
 XVIII. The Revolt of Tyrone 
 
 XIX. The Plantation of Ireland 
 
 XX. Condition of the Irish People . 
 
 XXI. Wentworth's Iron Rule 
 
 XXII. The Ten Years' Rebellion . 
 
 XXIII. Cromwell's Iron Hand 
 
 XXIV. Cromwell's Settlement of Ireland 
 XXV. The Orange and the Green 
 
 XXVI. The Treaty of Limerick 
 
 XXVII. The Penal Laws .... 
 
 XXVIII. Ireland Prostrate 
 
 XXIX. Condition of the Irish People . 
 
 vii 
 
 PAGE 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 22 
 
 28 
 
 35 
 43 
 49 
 57 
 66 
 
 75 
 84 
 
 93 
 
 102 
 
 III 
 
 120 
 126 
 
 135 
 144 
 
 153 
 161 
 
 169 
 
 178 
 
 186 
 
 194 
 
 201 
 
 208 
 
 21S 
 
 222 
 
VIU 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XXX. The Irish Patriots 
 
 XXXI. The Free Parliament 
 
 XXXII. The Insurrection of Ninety-eight 
 
 XXXIII. The Union of the Parliaments 
 
 XXXIV. Daniel O'Connell 
 XXXV. The Three Years' Famine 
 
 XXXVI. Later Revolts 
 
 XXXVII. Gladstone's Irish Reforms 
 
 XXXVIII. The Land League 
 
 XXXIX. Gladstone proposes Home Rule 
 
 PAGB 
 231 
 
 252 
 260 
 267 
 
 280 
 287 
 
 295 
 
YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IRISH LEGENDS. 
 
 THE trustworthy history of Ireland emerges from 
 a long period of dim legend and of vague tradi- 
 tions. We know nothing, as a matter of fact, of the 
 earliest races which inhabited the island, and very 
 little of the successive invasions, which, coming from 
 various parts of the world, swept over and The island 
 conquered it. Like the legends of most °^ Fabie. 
 other long-settled countries, the legends of Ireland 
 abound with stories of heroism and romance, of the 
 conflicts of giants, of the presence of fairies, sooth- 
 sayers, and magicians, of knightly prowess, chivalry, 
 and love. The ancient Irish bards, whose legendary 
 tales, like those of the bards of Wales, have to some 
 extent been preserved, tell of wonderful feats, of 
 mighty wars, of kingly rivalries, and of rude, bar- 
 baric customs. They relate how one Lady Caesair 
 reigned in Erin before the Deluge ; and how, after 
 that event, Erin was ruled by Partholan, a near de- 
 scendant of Japhet. 
 
YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 They relate how this Partholan was a savage 
 monster, who had killed his father and mother from 
 greed of power ; and how the race of Partholan was 
 swept from the earth, to the last man, by a terrible 
 pestilence. After Partholan's colony, Ireland was 
 occupied by the Nemedhians, so called from their 
 chief, Nemedh, who came from the borders of the 
 Black Sea. Nemedh is said to have built forts, and 
 cleared lands in the island. He engaged in fierce 
 wars with hordes of negro sea-rovers, who came from 
 The Formo- Africa, and were called Formosians. The 
 sians. Formosiaus, who were the third race to in- 
 
 vade Ireland, at last overcame the Nemedhians, and 
 possessed the land. The Nemedhians fled, and scat- 
 tered to different parts of Europe. A little later 
 some of the Nemedhians, called Firbolgs, returned 
 to Ireland under five brothers as their chiefs, dispos- 
 sessed in turn the Formosians, and divided the 
 island into five kingdoms. These made the fourth 
 conquest of Ireland. 
 
 But the Firbolgs were not allowed, according to 
 the legends, to remain long undisturbed. Another 
 The Tuatha branch of the Nemedhian race, called the 
 de Danans. Tuatha dc Danaus, were the next conquer- 
 ors. These are described as a race of magicians and 
 warriors, who ,had settled in Greece, whence they 
 now came to conquer their former country. In the 
 decisive battle which was fought between the Fir- 
 bolgs and the Tuatha, the Firbolg king was killed, 
 and was buried on the shore of Sligo. It is an Irish 
 
IRISH LEGENDS. 3 
 
 tradition that his grave is still to be seen, and that the 
 waves have never been known to wash over it. The 
 king of the Tuatha, in the same battle, lost his right 
 hand; and, as his subjects would not have a ruler 
 without a right hand, a silver hand was made for him 
 by one of his skilled artificers. The Tuatha, the 
 leo^ends tell us, were endowed with super- „ . , 
 
 o ' IT Supernatural 
 
 natural powers. They could work many powers of 
 wonders. They could silence the furious 
 winds. They could heal the sick, forge metals, cast 
 magical spells over their enemies, and could even 
 restore the dead to life. 
 
 The Tuatha, according to the traditions, held 
 their own in Ireland through a long period. They 
 were often unsuccessfully assailed by the fierce black 
 Formosians, whom the Firbolgs had ousted. But 
 great as was their prowess, the Tuatha also were 
 doomed to defeat and extinction. The various races 
 of the Nemedhians are believed to have been of Tu- 
 ranian origin, and to have originally come from the 
 interior of Africa. But now Ireland was invaded by 
 a very different race of men. This last race was 
 clearly of Aryan blood, akin to the other ^ 
 
 -^ -' ' Aryan 
 
 Aryan races who swept over and occupied invasion of 
 nearly the whole of Europe. The Nemedh- ^'^^^^"'^• 
 ians were probably small of stature, and dark of 
 complexion. But the new race was comprised of 
 men who were robust, tall, and fair. The particular 
 branch of the Aryans which found its way to Ireland 
 is variously named in history as ''Gaels," "Mile- 
 
YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 sians," and *' Scots ; " but the name by which they 
 are most commonly known is that of the 
 
 The "Celts." ,, / 
 
 "Celts." They invaded Ireland under 
 the lead of the sons of Milesius, who had some time 
 before been their chief. 
 
 The Celts came, some across the Irish Sea from 
 Britain, but mostly from the shores of Spain, and 
 are believed to have been the descendants of an 
 Eastern race who had settled in those lands. 
 They found it no easy task to overcome the Tuatha, 
 who clung obstinately to their island realm. The 
 Tuatha put forth all their power of sorcery to 
 Legends of rcpcl and destroy the invaders. They 
 the Tuatha. envclopcd thc Ccltic ships in dense fogs, 
 the legends say ; they raised terrific storms to dash 
 them on the rocks ; they summoned '' spirits from 
 the vasty deep " to bring destruction upon them. 
 But at last the Celtic hordes gained a foothold on 
 the coast. Gradually they drove the valiant Tuatha 
 into the gorges of the hills, and finally they obtained 
 sway over the whole island. The two sons of Mile- 
 sius, Heber and Heremon, divided their conquest 
 between them. But in course of time Heber over- 
 came Heremon, and assumed the sole sovereignty. 
 
 For a very long period the Tuatha continued to 
 harass the new masters of Ireland. But after a while 
 they became absorbed, and lost their distinctive 
 Triumph of traits ; and the dominion of the Celts be- 
 the Celts. came complete. The Celtic was the fifth 
 and last successful invasion of Ireland, according to 
 
IRISH LEGENDS. 5 
 
 the ancient traditions. They became the prevailing 
 race in the island for all time. It was they who 
 formed the character of the Irish as a people, as they 
 have always been since. The Irish of to-day are 
 overwhelmingly Celtic in blood. Their language, 
 customs, and traditions are to be traced to a Celtic 
 origin. The Celts not only absorbed the Tuatha, 
 and the remains of previous races, but they later 
 absorbed the races which from time to time gained 
 some foothold on the island ; just as, in England, the 
 Saxons first replaced the Britons, and then absorbed 
 in turn the Danes and the Normans. 
 
 How long the Celts had populated Ireland before 
 authentic history begins, there is no means of know- 
 ing. The legends tell of one hundred and The ceitic 
 eighteen kings, ruling in succession over ^^^s^- 
 their turbulent people, and engaging in frequent 
 conflicts to maintain themselves ; of rebellions of 
 royal sons against their fathers ; of a queen named 
 Meave, who was the daughter of a fairy, and who 
 lived a hundred years, and was continually waging 
 bloody wars ; of the fair Deirdri, who, by ceitic tradi- 
 her beauty, brought many woes upon *'°'^^- 
 Erin ; of the fierce race of Feni and their chief, 
 Finn, surrounded by his shaggy warriors, his bards 
 and poets, his clowns and champions ; of invasions 
 by Norman sea-rovers, who were driven back by the 
 valiant Irish ; of the loves and treacheries of princes, 
 the magic spells of sorcerers, and the terrible feuds 
 and revenges of rival chiefs. 
 
6 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Whatever credit may be given to these legendary 
 tales, it seems certain that, before the time of Christ, 
 Ireland had good harbors, traded with the busy ports 
 of the Mediterranean, and was the home of a people 
 brave and not wholly barbarous. The Irish, with 
 little doubt, were strong enough at times to attack 
 the Roman stron2:holds in Britain and in Gaul. The 
 Romans, on the other hand, never attempted the con- 
 quest of Ireland ; nor was Ireland ever conquered, 
 after its settlement by the Celts, until, many centu- 
 ries after that settlement, it was subdued by English 
 arms. 
 
THE ANCIENT IRISH. 
 
 W 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE ANCIENT IRISH. 
 
 « / E can only guess, from the dim legends which 
 have been described, what may have been the 
 character, institutions, and customs of the successive 
 races who preceded the Celts in the occupation of 
 Ireland. But we do know what many of the insti- 
 tutions and customs of the Celts were, at the time 
 that authentic history finds them in possession of 
 the island. Over all the people was set The"arch- 
 the "arch-king," whom they called the ^»"&-" 
 **Ard-Righ." The successor of this arch-king was 
 chosen by the people during the arch-king's lifetime, 
 and was called the "roydamna." The roydamna was 
 selected from the arch-king's family, and was usually, 
 though by no means always, his eldest son. There 
 were several causes for which a prince might be 
 excluded from the throne. One of these was physi- 
 cal deformity. A prince who had lost a hand, who 
 was blind, or hump-backed, could not succeed to the 
 crown. If, after his accession, the arch-king became 
 in any way deformed, he was deposed. 
 
 Under the arch-king were a number of princes or 
 
8 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 chiefs, who divided the government of the various 
 Early Irish parts of the island between them. These 
 chiefs. were called ''righ," or "kings." Their 
 
 successors, like those of the arch-kings, v/ere elected 
 by the people from their families, and were called 
 "tanists." One and ail of these *' risrh " were sub- 
 ject to the arch-king's authority. The provinces 
 ruled over by the righ were again sub-divided into 
 tribes or clans, which the Irish called "septs." 
 Each sept comprised a group of families, 
 living in the same neighborhood ; and each 
 sept had its popularly elected chief. So, too, each 
 family included in the sept had its chief or head, who 
 owed allegiance to the chief of the sept. Under 
 him, however, the head of the family had absolute 
 power over its several members. Each tribe had its 
 established domain, which its members cultivated, 
 and upon which it dwelt. This domain was divided 
 up, and its various portions were devoted to certain 
 purposes. A part of it was used by all the members 
 of the tribe in common, who cultivated it, pastured 
 their horses, pigs, sheep, and cows upon it, and took 
 their fuel from it. Another part served for the 
 The tribal habitations of the tribe, and yet a third 
 domain. p^j.^ ^^g provided for the use or pleasure 
 
 of the chief. A portion of the tribal domain, more- 
 over, was occupied by nobles, who had secured it by 
 their prowess, or by services to the tribe or king. 
 
 There was no such thing among the ancient Irish 
 as a law of primogeniture ; that is, a law, such as 
 
THE ANCIENT IRISH. 9 
 
 long prevailed among the English, which provided 
 that the eldest son of a family should inherit all the 
 lands of his father. When an Irishman died, all his 
 sons took an equal share of the lands he left. This 
 was called the custom of ''gavelkind." If 
 
 r ., , . ... Gavelkind. 
 
 a tamily became extmct, its lands were 
 taken by the tribe, and redivided. But little cultivat- 
 ing of the land was done by the ancient Irish. Their 
 main source of support was cattle ; and, among cat- 
 tle, cows were raised to the largest extent. Indeed, 
 the cow played a curious part in the laws and busi- 
 ness relations of the Irish. If a man was fined for 
 breaking the laws, he was condemned to pay over so 
 many cows. Land, too, was measured ac- cows as cur- 
 cording to its capacity to feed a greater or ""^"^7. 
 less number of cows. The Irish also raised a great 
 many pigs, and some horses and sheep. 
 
 The ancient Irish usually dwelt in small clusters 
 of dwellings, which were commonly built either upon 
 the islands of the lakes, or upon hills. Around the 
 settlement was erected a thick wall of earth and 
 stone, for purposes of defence ; and a fort was also 
 constructed in the centre of the settlement, in which 
 the chief of the sept lived. Sometimes these de- 
 fences were of great strength, the walls being twelve 
 or fourteen feet thick. The huts them- The Irish 
 selves were built of wood or wattles, fifteen ^"^^• 
 or twenty feet long ; while the chiefs had much 
 larger dwellings, some of which were built with 
 no little skill and knowledge of architecture. The 
 
I.O YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ancient Irish appear to have had a rude system of 
 writing, by making notches in wood, and sometimes 
 in stone. At a very early period, too, they sent their 
 native ores, and sold slaves, to the seaport towns of 
 the Mediterranean. They are also known 
 
 Irish skill in "^ , 
 
 mechanic to havc had much skill in the making of 
 ^^^^' weapons, and in the working of precious 
 
 metals. These arts they perhaps derived from their 
 Oriental ancestors. 
 
 Some of the laws of the ancient Irish have hap- 
 pily come down to us, and present a curious view 
 of their ideas and customs. They do not seem 
 to have made any clear distinction between what we 
 call crimes, and what we look upon merely as civil 
 Ancient Irish iujurics. Whether a man committed a 
 laws. theft, or an assault, or only a trespass upon 
 
 land, his punishment was a fine, to be paid in cows. 
 If the criminal could not pay his fine, it was paid by 
 his family ; and, when this was the case, the criminal 
 lost his civil rights, and his share in the common 
 land. Fines were imposed for injuries to women, 
 theft, murder, receiving stolen goods, and swindling, 
 which we call crimes ; and also for trespass, slander, 
 negligence, and the failure to pay debts, which we 
 regard, less seriously, as civil wrongs. In one re- 
 spect, the ancient Irish laws were much in advance 
 of those of most primitive peoples. The husband 
 Husband and wifc wcrc put on a footing of perfect 
 and wife. equality as to their rights in the land. 
 The wife had as much to say, in the disposal of 
 
THE ANCIENT IRISH. II 
 
 the land, as her husband. The old Irish laws, more- 
 over, commanded the people to receive hospitably all 
 comers. They also made rules as to the clothing 
 which each social rank should wear. 
 
 The religion of the ancient Irish, like that of the 
 ancient Britons and Gauls, was that known to us as 
 Druidism, and was no doubt derived from the East. 
 The priests of this religion were called Druids, and 
 the worship of fire was one of its main 
 
 ^ . The Druids. 
 
 features. The Druids were " priests of the 
 sun." There is some reason to believe that, in the 
 groves where they conducted the rites of their faith, 
 they were in the habit of offering up sacrifices of 
 men and women, on great stone altars erected for 
 the purpose. The chief god was Crom, who was 
 called the god of fire. There were also other gods, 
 who were the special deities of the bards, the cham- 
 pions, the sailors, and the workers in metal. Groves 
 were dedicated to the worship of these gods, which 
 was conducted in the open air. As for the Druids 
 themselves, both the priests and the priestesses, they 
 were held sacred, and revered above all others among 
 the ancient Irish. On all public occasions, they held 
 the place of honor near the king. They Honors to 
 consecrated the weapons of the warriors ; *^^ Drmds. 
 they dictated whether there should be peace or war ; 
 the best products of the earth, and of the artificers, 
 were devoted to their use. 
 
 All the principal officers of the Irish realm were 
 chosen from among the Druids. The chief of these 
 
12 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 officers were the priests, who served at the altars ; 
 the Brehons, who were men of learning, and by their 
 wisdom settled all quarrels and disputes, and inter- 
 The Brehons preted and executed the laws ; and the 
 and Bards. Bards, whose task it was to write the his- 
 tories of events, and to sing the exploits of princes. 
 Below these three higher officers, were the royal doc- 
 tors, stewards, knights or champions, and the armor- 
 ers. The farmers were an inferior rank ; and the 
 millers, weavers, shepherds, and farm-laborers were, 
 for the most part, slaves, who had been captured in 
 war, or had been bought from the Britons. In vari- 
 ous parts of Ireland are to be seen strange round 
 towers, the origin and use of which can only be con- 
 The round jccturcd. It is believed by some writers 
 towers. ^1^^^ they were erected by the Druids. 
 
 Others think that they were built by petty chiefs of 
 clans, who formed a special rank, or caste, among the 
 early Irish. 
 
 It was in ancient times, too, — though how ancient, 
 no one knows, — that Ireland was divided into the 
 four great provinces which still retain their bounda- 
 ries and names. Indeed, there was of old, in eastern 
 Ireland, a fifth province, called Meath. This prov- 
 ince was the domain of the arch-king, where he 
 The royal had his residcncc and held his court. Its 
 domain. peoplc wcrc frcc from all taxation except 
 such as was imposed by the sovereign. It held a sort 
 of neutral position among the other provinces, and 
 was endowed with special privileges. Its territory 
 
THE ANCIENT IRISH. I3 
 
 is now included in the two counties of Meath and 
 Westmeath. The four other provinces — Ulster, 
 Leinster, Connaught, and Munster — had, geographi- 
 cally, very much the same boundaries that they have 
 to-day. Such, in brief, was the pagan Ireland, which, 
 in the first half of the fifth century, the famous St. 
 Patrick came to win from its idolatries, and convert 
 to Christianity. 
 
14 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SAINT PATRICK. 
 
 SAINT PATRICK is the first great and distinct 
 figure in the authentic history of Ireland. The 
 story of his life is interesting ; and the results of the 
 good work that he did, in bringing the entire Irish 
 people within the civilizing fold of Christianity, re- 
 mained for ages after he himself had been laid in the 
 St. Patrick in gravc. Patrick was a Gaul, and was born 
 ^^"^- and brought up in the seaside town which 
 
 we now call Boulogne, in France. There he was 
 born, probably at the beginning of the fifth century 
 (400). His father was a well-to-do citizen, and Pat- 
 rick was no doubt fairly educated in his boyhood. But 
 when he was sixteen years old, his country was in- 
 vaded by the warlike Irish king Nial. Patrick him- 
 self was captured, carried over to Ireland, and, as 
 befell all prisoners of war in those rude days, was sold 
 into slavery. His master was a great Irish chief 
 St. Patrick a named Milcho, in the county of Antrim, 
 slave. During the seven years that he was a slave, 
 
 Patrick tended his master's sheep on the Antrim 
 hills. 
 
SAINT PATRICK. I5 
 
 When Patrick was twenty-three, he succeeded in 
 making his escape. He ran away, hid himself in a 
 vessel, and thus got safely back to Gaul. He now 
 became a Christian priest, and was soon known for 
 the fervor with which he performed the duties of his 
 sacred office. He resided for a while at Tours, and 
 then repaired to Rome, where he rose high Life at 
 in favor at the Papal court. All the while, ^°"^^- 
 his mind was filled with thoughts of the pagan land 
 where he had spent his youth in servitude. He re- 
 membered with horror the hideous rites of wliich he 
 had been a witness, — the cruel human sacrifices, the 
 idolatrous worship of the sun and of fire, the severity 
 of the rule of the Druids, and the ignorance and 
 abasement of the people. His heart longed to raise 
 them out of their degraded condition, and to bring 
 them into the light of the Christian faith. As he 
 dwelt continually upon these thoughts, he began to 
 be visited by strange dreams, and then by start- 
 ling visions. It seemed to him as if God were thus 
 commanding him to leave his work in Rome, to go 
 and convert the Irish. 
 
 At last he had a vision which decided him. He 
 thought that an angel came to him in his dreams, 
 holding a scroll on which was plainly writ- -* t, * • , 
 
 o r J St. Patiick 
 
 ten, "The voice of the Irish." At the goes to 
 same time, he seemed to hear the wailing 
 and groans of the benighted people. Despite all the 
 dangers which threatened him, Patrick finally resolved 
 to go and preach in the land of his former captivity. 
 
l6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 He made known his resolution to Pope Celestine, 
 who gave him authority to convert the Irish. More 
 than twenty years had elapsed since his escape from 
 slavery. Patrick was now a middle-aged man, robust 
 of frame, brave of heart, and fervid of spirit. It is 
 not known in what year he arrived, with a few fellow- 
 priests, off the Irish coast ; but it is certain that it 
 was in the first half of the fifth century. He at- 
 tempted to land on the shores of Wicklow, on the 
 eastern coast, south of the spot where Dublin now 
 stands. But the fierce Irish had heard of his coming, 
 and assailed his vessel from the shore with a storm 
 of missiles. 
 
 He then sailed northward, and succeeded in land- 
 ing on the coast of Antrim, the county in which he 
 St Patrick ^^^ lived as a slave. With his little group 
 lands in of missionaries, Patrick began his preach- 
 '^*"'"* ing at a place called Saul. He held his 
 meetings in a barn, where he caused a rude altar to 
 be erected, and where he exhorted the natives who 
 could be induced to enter, to abandon Druidism and 
 embrace Christianity. But Patrick's zeal outstripped 
 the first results of his mission. He was impatient to 
 make conversions on a wider field, and on a larger 
 scale. So he bravely resolved to appear before the 
 arch-king Leoghaire himself, surrounded though he 
 might be by his warriors and priests. So sure was 
 Patrick of the truth of his teaching, and so ardent 
 was he in its cause, that he did not despair of suc- 
 cess, even in such a presence. 
 
SAINT PATRICK. I7 
 
 It happened that the arch-king was about to hold 
 a joyous festival in honor of his birthday, on the 
 royal hill of Tara. There would be a vast gathering 
 of princes, champions, priests, and bards The feast on 
 from every part of the island ; and the '^^'■*- 
 historic hill would swarm with the fierce soldiery of 
 the barbaric court. There would be solemn religious 
 rites, attended by ghastly human sacrifices. This 
 celebration was to take place, Patrick learned, on the 
 day before Easter. Inspired by a bold resolve, Pat- 
 rick bade adieu to his little flock at Saul, embarked 
 on his ship, and landed at the mouth of the Boyne. 
 From thence he proceeded directly across the great 
 plain that spreads out between the Boyne and the 
 hill of Tara. He was only attended by a few Irish- 
 men, whom he had recently converted. He staid 
 one night at the house of a kindly chief, whom, with 
 all his family, Patrick persuaded to accept the Chris- 
 tian faith. On the third day of his journey, the 
 Saint beheld, in the distance, the edifices and lofty 
 trees which crowned the royal eminence. Above 
 them all rose the king's palace and his banqueting- 
 hall, now decorated for the birthday festival. 
 
 But no fires were lit on the massive Druid altars 
 on the hill, nor anywhere in the country roundabout. 
 For the arch-priest had ordained that, at g^ Patrick 
 a given moment, they should all be lit in before the 
 honor of the monarch. Patrick, however, ^^^ "^*"^' 
 deliberately disobeyed this command. He lit his 
 fire before his camp, on the slope opposite Tara. 
 
1 8 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 No sooner did the pagan hosts perceive what they 
 regarded as an act of audacious treason and sacrilege, 
 than they rushed over to Patrick's camp, seized him 
 and his companions, and dragged them into the pres- 
 ence of the arch-king and his courtiers and priests, 
 who were gathered in a large open space. Patrick re- 
 mained undaunted in the midst of his angry enemies. 
 One of the chiefs, acting according to the polite cus- 
 tom of the Irish, offered him a seat ; and he sat down. 
 Then he was commanded to say why he had commit- 
 ted such an outrage against the religion of the land. 
 Patrick felt that his opportunity had come. In- 
 spired rather than frightened by the scene, by the 
 historic spot on which he stood, and by the multitude 
 of fierce and glowering faces which surrounded him, 
 St Patrick ^^ nerved himself for a supreme effort of 
 preaches to cloqucnce. He spent but a few words in 
 the Druids, j^g^ifying his act of lighting the fire. 
 Soon, he was boldly showing the barbaric concourse 
 the cruelty, the falsity, and the absurdity of their 
 faith. They listened in spellbound wonder. Then, 
 with all the fervor of his soul, he told them the story 
 of Christ ; of his miracles ; the wise, good, humane, 
 lessons which he taught ; and the church which he 
 had founded on the earth. Rude as were the spirits 
 he addressed, the minds and hearts of many of them 
 were touched by his glowing words. Their wrath 
 subsided. They looked at each other, and murmured. 
 When Patrick had finished, a hubbub of confused 
 voices arose. 
 
SAINT PATRICK. I9 
 
 Forthwith nobles, priests, and warriors began to 
 argue eagerly with each other. Some boldly took 
 the part of the Christian ; others hotly opposed him ; 
 many wavered in their faith. Then a ^ 
 
 -^ ^ Conversions 
 
 wonderful thing happened. The daugh- to chns- 
 ters of the arch-king Leoghaire declared ^'^"'^^ 
 themselves converted. Several great princes and 
 chiefs followed their example. At last, the arch- 
 Druid himself, the head of the entire pagan church 
 of Ireland, embraced the new faith. Patrick has- 
 tened to baptize his new converts ; and presently 
 great numbers of the chief men of Ireland, includ- 
 ing many Druid priests, came to the baptism, and 
 were thus received into the Christian church. The 
 arch-king, though he did not receive Christianity, 
 shielded Patrick from violence, put him g^ Patrick 
 under his own protection, and assigned held in 
 the Saint the castle of Trim, not far dis- 
 tant from Tara, as his residence. Thither Patrick 
 repaired, to continue without ceasing the great and 
 good work which he had undertaken, and which had 
 been so auspiciously begun. 
 
 It is no wonder that Druidism, with its long hold 
 upon the Irish, died hard. For many years, Patrick's 
 struggles against it were bitter and constant. Plots 
 were concocted by Druid priests to murder him as 
 he journeyed in lonely places. The priests denounced 
 him from their altars, and made sport of his actions. 
 The bards took up the cause of the old faith, and 
 poured out songs of indignation. Some of the chiefs 
 
20 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 forbade him their territories. But Patrick gradually 
 won over a host of ardent Irish disciples. His con- 
 verts constantly increased ; and his influence spread 
 from Tara to Armagh in the north, and to Cashel in 
 the south. Then the Druids sought refuge in the 
 forests, and in the islands off the coast, where they 
 could still perform their pagan rites unmolested. As 
 ^. . ^. fast as he had converted a district, Patrick 
 
 missions in established missions in it, caused monas- 
 teries to be erected, and left native priests 
 to conduct the church services, and to continue his 
 work. He himself went continually from place to 
 place, visiting these missions ; and in the later years 
 of his life, although he usually journeyed on foot, 
 he was attended by a numerous retinue. In this 
 retinue were bell-ringers, chamberlains, cooks, work- 
 ers in metals, brewers, smiths, and embroiderers, as 
 well as priests and monks. 
 
 Patrick did not lay violent hands on the ancient 
 customs of the Irish. So far as he could consist- 
 ently with his sacred mission, he left the traditions 
 of the people untouched. He kept the pagan holi- 
 changes in days as Christian holidays. But he re- 
 ireiand. formed the old laws, making them more 
 
 enlightened and humane, and removing from them 
 every thing which recognized or protected the Druid 
 faith. He led the Irish gently, and by gradual steps, 
 to a higher social as well as religious state. Patrick 
 undoubtedly lived to a very advanced age. He was 
 probably over ninety, when, in the monastery of 
 
SAINT PATRICK. 21 
 
 Saul, erected on the very spot where the old barn 
 in which he had first preached in Ireland stood, he 
 quietly passed away. He had done a vast and noble 
 work ; and his last hours were gladdened with a holy 
 joy, at the thought that he had led a whole nation 
 into the Christian fold. He was laid, with all pomp 
 and reverence, in the church at Armagh, and has 
 ever since been revered by the Irish as their great 
 apostle. To this day they celebrate the supposed 
 anniversary of his death as their principal national 
 holiday. 
 
22 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CHRISTIAN JRELAND. 
 
 THE good work of St. Patrick was vigorously 
 continued, after his death, by his disciples and 
 successors. In the course of time Ireland was 
 Progress of dottcd with churchcs, monasteries, and 
 Christianity, gdiools. Picccs of land wcre set apart 
 by the various tribes for the maintenance of the 
 religious establishments ; and this land remained in 
 their possession. The abbot of a monastery became 
 a sort of lord of the manor, to whom his tenants 
 owed fealty ; and, as in the case of the chiefs of 
 tribes, the successor of the abbot, who was called 
 the **co-arb," was chosen, during the abbot's life- 
 time, by the monks and the men of the tribe. Each 
 monastery had attached to it, moreover, a number of 
 smaller missions, scattered here and there, over which 
 it had control, and which paid tribute to it 
 
 The bishops. . , 
 
 for its support. Bishops, moreover, were 
 set over the different sees. For a long time, how- 
 ever, the bishops were inferior in authority to the 
 abbots of the monasteries. 
 
 For two centuries after the death of St. Patrick, the 
 
CHRISTIAN IRELAND. 23 
 
 piety and learning of Ireland were renowned through- 
 out Europe. The Irish monks went forth into Britain, 
 Gaul, and Germany, to convert the heathen of those 
 countries. Ireland came to be known everywhere 
 as *'the Isle of Saints." The monks founded 
 monasteries and schools wherever they went. They 
 preached before the great Charlemagne, and were 
 celebrated, even in Rome itself, for their scholarship 
 no less than for their religious fervor. There 
 was a long period, indeed, when Ireland was the 
 foremost nation in Europe, in learning and religious 
 teaching ; when, from all parts of Europe, students 
 flocked in hundreds to fill her schools to overflowing, 
 and to learn theology and the arts in her monasteries 
 and convents. As early as in the sixth century, 
 there were famous schools at Armagh and colleges and 
 Belfast, at Clonard and Wexford, at Mun- schools, 
 gret and Mayo. At some of these schools were 
 gathered, at times, as many as five or six thousand 
 students. The students, too, were of many races, — 
 Saxons, Gauls, Picts, and Franks, as well as Irish. 
 
 These great schools were, for the most part, free 
 to all ; not only free in their instruction, but free in 
 giving board and lodging to the students. The 
 tribes granted them lands, rights of fishery, and mill 
 privileges ; and they were allowed to cut as much 
 wood for timber and fuel as they needed. ^ ^ , 
 
 J Support of 
 
 The monks went about the country ask- educational 
 
 ing for funds by which to support the 
 
 schools ; and often princes, nobles, and large-hearted 
 
YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 rich women gave them generous endowments. The 
 edifices of the great schools were built in blocks, 
 and formed the streets of a special quarter of the 
 town in which they were situated. They were gener- 
 ally erected on the banks of a river or a lake, and 
 were, for the most part, wooden buildings with shin- 
 gle roofs, and were spacious in size. The students 
 went forth from these schools, to spread learning 
 and the Christian faith through the most benighted 
 regions of northern and western Europe, and to es- 
 tablish the fame of Ireland as the intellectual centre 
 of the world. 
 
 The studies pursued at these schools give a strik- 
 ing idea of the height to which Irish scholarship had 
 The Irish attained while Britain was still in a state 
 students. q£ ^Imost barbaric ignorance. The Irish 
 students were taught not only their own tongue and 
 Latin, which was, as it still is, the language of the 
 church ; but they also learned Greek, Hebrew, and 
 the writings of the Greek and Christian philosophers. 
 They studied physics, mathematics, and poetry, and 
 were carefully practised in music. Neither paper 
 nor printing had been invented ; and the books used 
 in the Irish schools were all written by monkish 
 hands on vellum, or parchment. But few such books 
 could have been possessed by the schools. It is 
 probable that the teachers read from them, and ex- 
 pounded the text by lectures. By far the greater 
 number of the students were educated to enter 
 the priesthood ; so that a deep religious spirit 
 
CHRISTIAN IRELAND. 25 
 
 pervaded the studies, habits, and influences of the 
 schools. 
 
 At the same time, scholarship, science, and the 
 arts, as well as religion, were ardently pursued in the 
 tranquil cells and cloisters of the many monasteries 
 which were now thickly scattered through Ireland. 
 The monks, besides pursuing their religious vigils, 
 did a great deal of worldly work. They tilled the 
 fertile lands attached to the monasteries ; they tended 
 their cows, sheep, and pigs ; they acted as The labor of 
 scribes for those who could not write ; they *^^ monks, 
 worked in wood and in the metals. They made with 
 their own hands the various ornaments which adorned 
 the sanctuaries, and wrote and illuminated the missals 
 used in pious services. They were skilful in archi- 
 tecture, built their own edifices and churches, and 
 devoted themselves with special ardor to music. 
 It is an ancient Irish proverb, that "it is a poor 
 church that has no music." The Irish churches, 
 even in that distant age, were famous for their well- 
 drilled choirs, their stirring hymns, and their instru- 
 mental as well as vocal harmonies. 
 
 Ireland produced in the sixth and seventh centu- 
 ries a multitude of holy men, who received the name 
 of " saints," and were renowned through irish 
 Europe for their piety and learning. They 
 had a great influence over the public affairs, not only 
 of Ireland, but of other countries. They sometimes 
 founded Irish and Christian colonies on foreign soil. 
 The most notable instance of this, perhaps, was 
 
 mis- 
 sionaries. 
 
26 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the founding of an Irish colony on the island of 
 lona, off the western coast of Scotland. There is 
 little doubt that many of the people of the Scottish 
 Highlands were descended from Irish colonists, who 
 had established themselves in that country long be- 
 fore St. Patrick's time. There are traces, indeed, of 
 Invasions of Irish iuvasions of Scotland, as far back as 
 Scotland. ^\^q middle of the third century. A large 
 and prosperous Irish settlement had been made at 
 the beginning of the sixth century (503), in Argyle, 
 Rosshire, and Perth. But the first systematic at- 
 tempt to bring about the conversion of the Scottish 
 pagans, was that made in the middle of the sixth 
 century by the famous St. Columbkill, who founded 
 the colony on the island of lona (565). 
 
 Next to St. Patrick himself, Columbkill was the 
 
 most conspicuous Irish figure in those early centuries. 
 
 He was of royal blood, a bishop of the 
 
 Columbkill. ■' , 
 
 church, and an accomplished scholar. His 
 temper was sweet and saint-like. He had, moreover, 
 a burning religious zeal, rare courage, poetic talent, 
 and a gift of glowing eloquence. With twelve priests, 
 he repaired to lona, and built a large monastery. He 
 then set out upon his task of conversion. Columb- 
 kill went among the barbarous people in the islands 
 of the Hebrides and the Orkneys, through the 
 mountains of Argyle into northern Britain, and even 
 Conversion to thc southcmmost parts of the island, 
 of the Scots. ;^jjg success during his long mission of 
 thirty-one years was wonderful. The Pict king was 
 
Death of Columbkill. — Page 27. 
 
CHRISTIAN IRELAND. 2/ 
 
 baptized by him, and the lesser Scottish sovereigns 
 received his benediction when they assumed their 
 sceptres. 
 
 Columbkill's fame and influence thus spread far 
 and wide. His disciples were called "the servants 
 of God." In order that the monks of lona miofht 
 pursue their studies and writing of books in entire 
 seclusion, Columbkill made a law that neither any 
 woman nor any cow should be allowed on coiumbkiii 
 the island ; "for," he said, "where there is ^tiona. 
 a cow, there will be a woman ; and, wherever there is 
 a woman, there will be mischief." Columbkill more 
 than once interposed, with his wisdom and his author- 
 ity, in the affairs of Ireland. He defended the bards, 
 whom one of the kings wished to suppress ; he suc- 
 cessfully opposed the taxation of his lona colony; 
 and the Irish priesthood often resorted to him for 
 counsel. Columbkill was over eighty years old when 
 he died. When he rose on the Sunday morning of 
 his death, he said to one of his disciples, cheerfully, 
 " This day is called the day of rest ; and such will it 
 be for me, for it will finish my labors." A few hours 
 later, he had quietly passed away. It is said that 
 death came to him as he sat writing some pious 
 sayings on vellum (596). 
 
28 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 EARLY IRISH KINGS. 
 
 IT has already been stated that Ireland, at an early 
 period, was divided into four great provinces. 
 Provinces of which we novv know as Ulster, Leinster, 
 Ireland. Mimstcr, and Connaught. The royal do- 
 
 main of Meath, moreover, was set apart from these, 
 serving as the residence and appanage of the arch- 
 king, or sovereign, of all Ireland. Each of the four 
 great provinces was occupied by a separate tribe, 
 and each tribe was ruled by a king of ancient and 
 powerful family. The reigning family of Ulster 
 
 . . , were the O' Neils ; of Leinster, the Mac- 
 
 Ancient ' ' 
 
 Irish fami- murroughs ; of Munster, the O'Briens, 
 alternating with the McCarthys ; and of 
 Connaught, the O'Connors. All of these names are 
 still very common in Ireland. For several centuries 
 the O'Neils of Ulster wore the arch-regal crown, 
 and held sway over the entire island. Besides these 
 arch-kings and kings, there were in Ireland a multi- 
 tude of lesser rulers, who divided the various prov- 
 inces. Among the most noted of these lesser chiefs 
 were the O'Donnels, O'Kanes, O' Haras, O'Doghertys, 
 
EARLY IRISH KINGS. 29 
 
 O'Rourkes, O'Kellys, O'Reillys, O'Malleys, O'Dowds, 
 O'Sullivans, and O'Donoghues, — names which we 
 still often hear. 
 
 While the various provinces and tribes were thus 
 governed by chiefs of the same families, the custom 
 of electing them long continued. A ma- Election of 
 jority of two-thirds was required to com- <^hiefs. 
 plete the choice of a king or chief ; but it came to 
 be more and more the case, that he was chosen from 
 the same family or clan as that of those who had 
 preceded him. The kings were always crowned with 
 much solemnity. The ceremony usually took place 
 on the summit of a hisfh hill. A white wand was 
 given to the new monarch, who was attired in his 
 royal robes, and who took an oath to rule wisely and 
 well. Afterwards he was consecrated in a church, 
 with imposing religious rites. Some of the festivals 
 of the Irish kings, too, were attended by many 
 ancient and hallowed customs. Especially was the 
 festival which took place on the ist of November 
 noted for its ceremonies and general observance. 
 
 Gradually the laws introduced by St. Patrick were 
 adopted by the arch-regal court, and the courts of 
 the four provinces. These laws still en- changes in 
 forced the principle of electing the kings ^"®^ '*^^- 
 and chiefs, but ordained that those chosen must be 
 of noble descent. The kings and chiefs were still 
 bound to each other by the ancient Druidic customs. 
 Fines, taxes, and other payments continued to be 
 estimated, not in money, but in cattle, sheep, horses, 
 
30 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 slaves, coats of armor, chess-boards, drinking-cups, 
 and other articles in common or frequent use. The 
 Tributes and quantity of thcsc things which was owed 
 fines. i^y ^Y\^Q tribesmen to their chief, or by the 
 
 chief to the king, was exactly fixed in each case by 
 the laws. The laws, moreover, minutely described 
 what privileges and powers each ruler might enjoy, 
 and what he was prohibited from doing or receiving. 
 Some of these privileges and restrictions are amus- 
 ing. For instance, it was ordained that the arch- 
 king must never, on any account, lie abed till the 
 sun rose. On the other hand, it was laid down, that 
 on a certain day, — the ist of August, — the arch- 
 king might eat fish from the Boyne, fruit from the 
 Isle of Man, and venison from Naas. 
 
 The kings of the provinces, in like manner, had 
 curious rights, and were forbidden to do certain 
 „. . ^ , thino^s. The king of Leinster, for exam- 
 
 Rjghts of o c> ' 
 
 kings and pie, was cxprcssly enjoined not to permit 
 any Druidic ceremony to take place in his 
 territories. To him, on the other hand, was granted 
 the right to partake of the ale of Cullen, and to pre- 
 side over certain ancient games. The king of Munster 
 could not gather his warriors on the confines of 
 Leinster ; but he had the privilege of dwelling, dur- 
 ing Lent, at Cashel, without cost to himself. The 
 monarch of Ulster was warned not to drink from a 
 certain fountain, nor to take heed of omens. His 
 privileges were to preside over the festivities of 
 Cooley, to drill his troops on the plains of Louth, 
 
EARLY IRISH KINGS. 3 I 
 
 and to quarter his soldiers for three nights in Armagh. 
 If a king or prince adhered to the Druidic faith or 
 practices, his tenants were relieved from paying rent 
 to him, and his debtors were released from their 
 debts to him. 
 
 The reigns of the early Irish monarchs were 
 marked by many convulsions, by frequent struggles 
 for supremacy, and now and then by assas- convulsions 
 sinations. A long time elapsed after St. ^" Ireland. 
 Patrick's death before the arch-kings themselves 
 became Christian. Lewy, the son of Leoghaire, is 
 related to have been struck by lightning because of 
 his adherence to the Druidic faith ; and, sixty years 
 later, Dermid, who still fostered the Druid priests, 
 and who caused an accused man to be seized on the 
 altar of a Christian church, was solemnly cursed by 
 a Christian bishop, who also pronounced condemna- 
 tion on him on the hill of Tara (554). No Irish king, 
 it is said, afterwards made Tara his place of abode. 
 The successors of Dermid lived at Tail- 
 
 Dermid. 
 
 teen, and on the borders of Lake Ennell. 
 Dermid himself was slain, soon after the bishop's 
 anathema against him, in a furious battle with the 
 king of Ulster. 
 
 Among the reigns which intervened between that 
 of Dermid and the period of the invasion of the 
 Danes (556-794), some are conspicuous Hugh the 
 for the important and thrilling events second, 
 which took place within their span. Such was the 
 reign of Hugh the Second, who sat upon the Irish 
 
32 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 throne for the long period of twenty-seven years. 
 It was in this monarch's time that Columbkill estab- 
 lished his colony on the Scottish isle of lona, and 
 that the attempt was made to suppress the ancient 
 rank and power of the bards. King Hugh failed, 
 indeed, to get rid of the bards, but succeeded in 
 restricting many of their old-time privileges. They 
 were forbidden to wander about the country, singing 
 and reciting their poems, or to have companies of 
 servants. Hugh also attempted, in vain, to impose 
 taxes on the colony of lona. It was during his reign 
 that the Christian priesthood rose to a great height 
 of power in Ireland. 
 
 A number of brief reigns followed the death of 
 Hugh the Second. In that of Donald the Second 
 Successors (624-640), the final struggle took place 
 of Hugh the bctwccn Druidism and Christianity. A 
 pretender, Congal, prince of Ulidia, rose to 
 contest the crown of Ulster. Congal rallied under 
 his banners the forces of Druidism in the North, 
 and his cause became that of the ancient religion. 
 He had also as allies numerous bands of Saxons, 
 Scots, and Britons, who crossed the Irish Sea to join 
 him. King Donald gathered his sturdy tribesmen, 
 and went in person to encounter his foe. The royal 
 banners bore upon them the ancient symbols of Irish 
 sovereignty, — red hands and crosses, axes, eagles, 
 and lions. Above the rebel prince floated the bright 
 standard of the Red Branch Knights, displaying 
 a yellow lion on a field of green satin. The rival 
 
EARLY IRISH KINGS. 33 
 
 hosts came into fierce collision on the broad plain of 
 Moira. Donald and the Christian cause The Battle 
 were completely victorious. Congal was °^ Moira. 
 killed in the battle, his forces were put to flight, 
 and the triumphant king established his power beyond 
 dispute. The battle of Moira was the death-struggle 
 of Druidism in Ireland (637). 
 
 After the death of the brave Donald, two brothers, 
 Connall and Kellach, reigned jointly over Ireland ; 
 and they, in turn, were succeeded by two brothers, 
 Dermid and Blathmac, who also shared between them 
 the government of the kingdom. The latter were 
 earnest Christians, and ruled wisely and well. In 
 their time the yellow plague ravaged Ireland, and 
 was finally fatal to the two kings themselves. The 
 next reign of note was that of Finnacta, 
 
 . Finnacta. 
 
 a monarch who was called the " Hospit- 
 able." It was during his rule, that the Anglo-Sax- 
 ons, who had long been settled in Britain, made their 
 first formidable invasion of Ireland. Egfrid, king of 
 Northumbria, sent an expedition under Boert, one 
 of his earls, across the Irish Channel. Boert dis- 
 embarked at the mouth of the Boyne, and spread 
 havoc and desolation through the fertile fields of 
 Meath. But the force he led was not sufficient to 
 attempt a conquest of the island ; and so he retired, 
 after seizing the cattle, burning the churches, and 
 killing all the Irish who came in his way. 
 
 During the greater part of the eighth century the 
 career of the Irish kingdom was, for the most part. 
 
34 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tranquil and uneventful. Of all the kings for a 
 A peaceful hundred years, only three were killed in 
 period. battle. Two of them, Flaherty and Nial 
 
 the Second, gave up the burdens of sovereignty, and 
 like the German emperor, Charles the Fifth, many 
 centuries after, sought tranquillity in the cloisters of a 
 monastery. Hugh the Fifth, who succeeded Flaherty, 
 was not only an able warrior, but was a poet of no 
 small merit. He was devoted to the church, and 
 engaged in a fierce war with the prince of Ulidia, in 
 defence of the rights of the bishop of Armagh. It 
 was in the reign of Donald the Third, Hugh's suc- 
 Reiigious ccssor, that learning and religious fervor 
 fervor. rcachcd their greatest height in Ireland 
 
 (750). The longest and most troublous reign of the 
 eighth century was that of Donogh the First, whose 
 rule lasted twenty-one years. The sovereignty of 
 Meath was contested during that period by the family 
 of O'Melaghlin, who were forced at last, however, to 
 yield to Donogh's powers. It was in the last years 
 of Donogh that the first invasion of Ireland by the 
 Danes took place. 
 
THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 35 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 
 
 IRELAND had been for nearly three centuries the 
 centre of the scholarship, piety, and Christian 
 zeal in the world. She was now doomed to be over- 
 run by a pagan race, and to submit for a long period 
 to a barbarous foreign yoke. In the catastrophe, 
 learning and Christianity were destined to almost 
 disappear from the island, and were not to be re- 
 vived until after many desperate conflicts. In the 
 course of time, the condition of the Irish condition of 
 had been gradually changing. Tribal cus- '^® ^"^^ 
 toms had begun to disappear. The lands which had 
 once been used by the tribes in common, were becom- 
 ing absorbed by the chiefs and barons ; and the quar- 
 rels between the chiefs resulted, here and there, in 
 the conquest of domains which became the property 
 of the victors. It was the dissensions and rival 
 ambitions which grew up among the chiefs, which 
 opened to the Danes the way to descend upon the 
 Irish coast, to carry rapine and murder into the inte- 
 rior, and finally to subjugate the island to their 
 savage rule. 
 
36 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 The Danes were a race of hardy, ferocious sea- 
 warriors, who came, not only from Denmark (whence 
 they derived their name), but also from 
 
 The Danes. ,, , ^ . . , _^ 
 
 Norway and Friesland. ror many centu- 
 ries they had roved the seas, bent on errands of 
 plunder and conquest. They were very skilful navi- 
 gators, and were unequalled in their warlike courage. 
 Their kinsmen had defeated the legions of Roman 
 emperors, and had sacked and burned Rome itself. 
 Everywhere along the coasts of Northern Europe 
 the coming of the Danes was intensely dreaded. 
 No race could cope with their great, strong ships on 
 the ocean : few could withstand their hot valor on the 
 field of battle. But Ireland had for centuries es- 
 caped the scourge of their attack. Already Britain 
 Invasion of had long bccn assailed by the fleets of the 
 England. Dauish vikiugs, while the fields and vil- 
 lages along her shores had been devastated by the 
 Danish pirates. Two centuries were yet to elapse, 
 however, before a Danish king would sit upon the 
 , , , British throne. The first invasion of Ire- 
 
 Ireland as- 
 sailed by the land by these ferocious sea-rovers took 
 
 Danes. pjacc towards the close of the eighth cen- 
 
 tury. At first, they came with their big ships at rare 
 intervals, landing at various points on the eastern 
 coast, building forts, ravaging the country round- 
 about, and then departing. But in course of time 
 the Danes and their kinsmen, the Norwegians, found 
 out the dissensions which existed between the Irish 
 rulers, and perceived that Ireland, given over to 
 
THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 3/ 
 
 piety and learning, had neglected the arts of war. 
 Then they flocked across the sea in greater num- 
 bers, and with greater frequency. They seized upon 
 Dublin and Wexford on the east, Cork on ^ . . 
 
 ' Danish suc- 
 
 the south, and Down on the north. They cesses on the 
 then began to make and fortify settlements, ^°^^ ' 
 from whence they issued to spread rapine and mas- 
 sacre among the peaceful villages and the quiet 
 monasteries of the interior. The Danes were re- 
 solved to conquer the island and to extirpate its 
 people, and to themselves enjoy its fair domain. 
 
 The Danes were pagans, like the Saxons who had 
 subjugated Britain. They believed in the gods Odin 
 and Thor, and the goddess Friga ; and to these they 
 offered barbarous sacrifices. Their faith Religion of 
 was warlike, bloody, and revengeful. ^^^ Danes. 
 Above all things the Danes detested and despised 
 Christianity, which they looked upon as a religion 
 rival to their own, and one, entirely unlike their own, 
 of peace and brotherhood. When, therefore, they 
 found themselves in Ireland, the first objects of their 
 attack were the sacred places of Irish piety. With 
 fierce and rapacious ardor they assailed, sacked, and 
 burned the churches and monasteries. They de- 
 stroyed the precious books, which had been written 
 with such long and patient care by the monks. They 
 seized the ornaments, the jewelled plate Danish 
 and symbols, the rich clothes and golden barbarities, 
 chalices which adorned the Christian sanctuaries and 
 the shrines of the Irish saints. They scattered the 
 
38 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 bones and relics of the saints to the winds. Without 
 mercy, they murdered bishops and priests wherever 
 they could find them. They broke up the colleges 
 and schools, driving the students into exile, and raz- 
 ing to the ground the edifices within which so many 
 thousands had found a scholastic retreat. 
 
 The Irish fought desperately against the relent- 
 less invaders; but, in the earlier years of the inva- 
 sion, the Danes were victorious in almost every part 
 of the island. When they had vanquished the Irish, 
 they avenged themselves by the most savage atroci- 
 ties. The Danish warriors forced themselves into 
 Irish households, and compelled the families to sup- 
 port and serve them. They made the Irish wear 
 their own cast-off clothing, and forbade them to have 
 schools, to learn the art of war, or to hold Christian 
 Turges the scrviccs. At last, a powerful Danish chief- 
 ^^"^- tain named Turges brought Ireland under 
 
 well-nigh complete subjection. He built strong for- 
 tifications at Dublin, Waterford, and Limerick, and 
 took up his abode on the green borders of Lough 
 (Lake) Ree, in the heart of Ireland (837). From 
 thence he ruled the Irish with an iron hand. He 
 compelled them to pay heavy taxes : those who re- 
 fused to pay these taxes had their noses cut off. His 
 soldiers were quartered on the people, and he cruelly 
 punished every attempt to worship according to the 
 Christian faith. 
 
 For a long time this Danish despot held his own. 
 In vain did the valiant Irish king, Nial, contest his 
 
THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 39 
 
 power. But the capture and imprisonment of the 
 archbishop of Armagh by the Danes aroused the 
 ancient military ardor of the Irish. Nial Niai's 
 defeated the Danes on the plain of Moy- victory, 
 nith ; and Turges was not long after taken prisoner 
 by Malachy, king of Westmeath, and was drowned in 
 the waters of Lough Ree. The fortunes of war con- 
 tinued to waver between the Irish and the Danes for 
 many years. The monasteries, churches, and schools 
 were for the most part swept away ; the people were 
 impoverished by the almost constant desolation of 
 conflict ; and there were times when the Irish seemed 
 ready to yield in sullen despair to their rude conquer- 
 ors. Now and then an able Irish king would arise, 
 inflict heavy defeats upon the Danes, and revive 'the 
 sinking spirits of the people. Then fierce Rj^airjes of 
 rivalries between the princes would break the Irish 
 out afresh ; and, amid the fatal divisions of p"""^* 
 the Irish, the Danes would recover again the ground 
 they had lost. 
 
 At last, an ambitious and warlike prince, in the per- 
 son of Brian, brother of the king of Munster, arose 
 to contend successfully with the savage intruders. 
 Brian was a wise as well as a brave man. He not 
 only fought with brilliant courage, but gave just 
 laws to his subjects. His proud spirit burned to 
 avenge the wrongs which the Irish had so long suf- 
 fered at the hands of the Danes. He stoutly refused 
 to pay the tribute which the Danes exacted of him, 
 gathered his forces together, and met the Danes in 
 
40 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 battle at Sulcoit. A desperate battle ensued. In 
 the end the Danes were driven from the field, and 
 hastened to find refuge within the walls of Limerick. 
 The valiant Irish followed them through the gates, 
 and drove them out of the city with great slaughter. 
 Limerick Limcrick was then plundered and burned, 
 destroyed. ^^^^ j^g Danish inhabitants were reduced 
 
 to slavery. In the conflict, Mahon, Brian's brother, 
 had been slain by the Danes ; and this inspired Brian 
 to continue the war with more fiery vigor than 
 before. 
 
 Soon after this defeat of the Danes, Brian became, 
 by his elder brother's death, king of Munster ; al- 
 though, by the law of alternate succession, the throne 
 really belonged to a prince of another family. Brian 
 was no less ambitious than energetic. He now re- 
 solved to become the ruler of all Erin. 
 
 King Brian. . . . - 
 
 With this end m view, he married a sister 
 of the king of Leinster, and also caused his children 
 to marry into powerful families. He won the affec- 
 tion of the people by restoring monasteries and 
 schools, rebuilding fortresses and bridges, and driv- 
 ing the Danes from the lands which they had seized, 
 and had held by superior force. Thirty years after his 
 victory over the Danes at Limerick, Brian succeeded 
 Maiachy in cxpelling Malachy, the king of all Ireland, 
 dethroned. from his throuc, and assumed the crown 
 himself. But now Brian quarrelled bitterly with his 
 brother-in-law, the king of Leinster. He demanded 
 of him a tribute which had long ceased to be exacted. 
 
THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 4I 
 
 Upon this, the king of Leinster allied himself with 
 the Danes, and with them prepared to oust Brian 
 from the Irish throne. 
 
 The sturdy old warrior promptly aroused himself, 
 not only to defend his throne, but also to deal his 
 ancient enemy, the Danes, a tremendous blow. Al- 
 lied with the Danes were the forces of Leinster, a 
 Norwegian fleet under Sigurd, and fresh recruits from 
 Norway and Denmark. In all, the forces opposed to 
 Brian comprised over twenty thousand men. Brian, 
 on his side, entered upon the conflict with thirty 
 thousand warriors, drawn from Meath, Munster, and 
 Connaught. Five of Brian's sons served as generals 
 under their aged but still vigorous sire. The white- 
 haired monarch himself rode at the head of his sol- 
 diers, inspiring them with his own dauntless and 
 unyielding spirit. The hostile forces met The battle 
 in battle at dawn, on Good Friday, at °^ ciontarf. 
 Clontarf (1014). The fight raged with intense, un-* 
 abating fury throughout the day. The loss, both on 
 the side of the Irish and on that of the Danes, was 
 terrible. The Danes and their allies lost nearly 
 one-half of their army. At dusk, the rout of the 
 foreigners had become complete. The Danes fled 
 before the prowess of Brian's stalwart warriors, and 
 were driven to the coast, and within the walls of 
 Dublin. But the brave Brian did not survive his 
 hard-won victory. As he lay in his tent, some Danes 
 who were hastening from the field discovered and 
 slew him. Four of his sons, moreover, had been 
 
42 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 killed while fighting valiantly for their country's 
 cause. 
 
 The battle of Clontarf forever destroyed the as- 
 cendancy of the Danes in Ireland. They never re- 
 Finai defeat covcrcd from the blow, and ceased from 
 of the that time to continue their attempts to 
 
 gain sway over the entire island. Some of 
 their settlements still remained at various points on 
 the eastern coast ; and, in process of time, the Danes 
 who thus staid in Ireland became Christians, and 
 were absorbed among the native race, or among the 
 English, who afterwards established themselves over 
 the Irish. At the time of the death of Brian, it 
 seemed as if the Irish were about to become un- 
 disputed masters of their own land. But soon the 
 country was once more rent by the feuds and rival- 
 ries of ambitious princes, and by bitter struggles to 
 seize or hold the royal power. The sad history of 
 eivil conflict was again and again repeated, until 
 Ireland lay once more at the mercy of foreign 
 conquerors. 
 
I- 
 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 43 
 
 M 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 
 
 I ORE than a century and a half elapsed between 
 the defeat of the Danes at Clontarf, and the 
 invasion of Ireland by another branch of the same 
 warlike northern race, the Normans, under '' Strong- 
 bow." King succeeded king, each having to fight 
 for his crown, and many of them laying down their 
 lives in the fierce civil conflicts. Malachy the 
 Second, who succeeded Brian as king of Ireland, was 
 the last sovereign for many generations, who held 
 undisputed sway over the whole island. The arch- 
 royal family of O'Neil had long: since 
 
 , , , . , The O'Neils. 
 
 ceased to be the unquestioned possessors 
 of the Irish crown. In this century and a half of 
 almost perpetual wars, many lofty, heroic figures 
 appear on the scene of Irish history. Brilliant 
 battles are fought ; the tide of conflict flows this 
 way and that ; the old martial valor of the Irish, 
 whetted by the long struggles with the Danes, has 
 revived, and is often called into play beneath the 
 banners of the royal and rival O'Briens, O' Neils, and 
 O'Connors. 
 
44 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 During this period the ancient Irish laws and cus 
 toms, and the code established by St. Patrick, rapidly 
 2:ave way before the power of nobles and 
 
 Changes in *^ -^ ^ 
 
 laws and chicftains at the head of submissive clans, 
 customs. -^^ longer was the land everywhere held 
 in common, for common uses. It had become, to a 
 large degree, the domain of powerful lords, and was 
 cultivated by the serfs, whom these lords had sub- 
 dued to their service. Slavery continued to be one 
 of the features of Irish society. The slaves were 
 employed in tilling the land, and in the most menial 
 labors. There were three ways in which men 
 and women were reduced to slavery. They were 
 Slavery in either prisoucrs taken in war, or were con- 
 ireiand. dcmncd to slavcry as a punishment for 
 
 crime, or were bought in the slave-markets, chiefly 
 those of Britain. It was the custom of the Irish, 
 even at this early period, to hold fairs, or markets, 
 at certain stated places and periods. At these fairs 
 goods were exchanged, many kinds of games amused 
 the people, and the great lords contended with each 
 other in spirited chariot-races. 
 
 The principal articles of commerce in which the 
 Irish of this period dealt were slaves, timber (espe- 
 irish com- cially Irish oak), and the products of the 
 merce. g^jj yj^g mcchanic arts seem to have 
 
 made little progress, and were only followed by the 
 lowest classes. The armorers, who fashioned the 
 weapons and armor of the chiefs and their soldiers, 
 were the most highly regarded of all artisans. The 
 
 \ 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 45 
 
 literature of the time was composed, for the most 
 part, of the ancient legends, and the teachings and 
 narratives of the fathers of the church. The race of 
 bards still survived ; and the people delighted in the 
 strange tales, which, with the accompani- 
 ment of the harp, were sung to them of 
 fairy horses, speaking trees, the influence of the stars 
 on human destiny, and the wonders wrought by 
 giants, ogres, and gnomes. Music, as always, had a 
 great charm for the Irish. Besides the harp, they had 
 trumpets, horns, and bagpipes ; and people of every 
 rank prided themselves upon their skill in perform- 
 ing on these instruments. Even as late as the 
 twelfth century, young men came from every part of 
 Europe, to Ireland, to be taught music. The game of 
 chess was a very popular pastime of the Games and 
 Irish of this period. We hear of the pastimes, 
 chess-boards inlaid with gold and silver, and the 
 finely carved kings and bishops that were used in 
 wealthy Irish households. 
 
 In process of time, several great roads had been 
 built in Ireland ; so that, at the period of the Anglo- 
 Norman conquest, the island was traversed by high- 
 ways and cross-roads in many directions. Five 
 highways radiated from Tara to different remote 
 points. The s^reat highways were con- 
 
 ^ *^ , . , r Highways. 
 
 structed so as to admit the passage or two 
 chariots abreast, and the law ordained that they 
 should be repaired three times a year. When a fair, 
 or a gathering for the playing of the national games. 
 
46 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was about to take place, these roads swarmed with a 
 motley multitude of nobles and bishops in chariots, 
 attended by slaves ; of the common people in rude 
 attire ; and often of foreigners who came to see the 
 sports, and sometimes to contend for the prizes. 
 These occasions were not seldom attended by scenes 
 of violence and even of bloodshed, but otherwise 
 were full of noisy amusements. 
 
 Under the barbaric rule of the Danes, not only 
 had the monasteries and schools been well-nigh swept 
 out of Ireland, but the religious fervor of the Irish 
 Decline of had bccu almost quenched. The spirit of 
 religion. ^-j^^ pcoplc changed from a love of peace 
 and quiet occupation, to something of the ferocity 
 which marked the Irish of pagan times. The kings 
 and princes became brutal and cruel. The morals 
 of the people suffered a like decline. Marriage was 
 no longer as sacredly regarded as it had once been. 
 Men easily divorced themselves from their wives, and 
 some of the princes took to themselves several wives. 
 Many of the priests themselves had become loose in 
 their habits, and the common people were naturally 
 degraded into following the example of their rulers 
 and religious teachers. At last, in the twelfth cen- 
 tury, the deplorable condition of the Irish church 
 and of Irish morals, aroused the zeal of some holy 
 men, who grieved to see the '* Isle of Saints " so far 
 fallen from its former religious glory. St. Bernard, 
 from his bleak monastery in the Alps, sent forth 
 solemn denunciations against the degenerate race ; 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 47 
 
 and the Irish ** saints " — Celsus, Malachy, and Law- 
 rence — sought to bring about a revival of piety in 
 its midst. 
 
 The pope of Rome, too, was resolved that a nation 
 so fervid in its religious zeal should be restored to 
 the fold of the Church. He sent a cardi- ^^ „ 
 
 The Pope 
 
 nal, Papiron, to Ireland, to reform the and the 
 abuses which had crept into the priest- ^"^^' 
 hood and the religious houses, and to arouse the 
 Irish to a better life. Papiron went from place to 
 place, creating new bishoprics, enjoining a more 
 strict observance of the sacred rites and practices, 
 and condemning the too common sins of simony, 
 usury, drunkenness, and disregard of the marriage- 
 tie. So it was that, on the eve of the Anglo-Norman 
 invasion, the Irish church was restored The church 
 to something like its former influence and '■^stored, 
 power ; that the old religious ardor began to shine 
 again ; and that monasteries and churches were 
 replanted where they had been destroyed in the long 
 era of Danish ascendancy and fierce civil wars. 
 
 This revival of religion was attended by a similar 
 revival of scholarship and learning. Once more the 
 monasteries became the home of diligent, studious 
 monks, absorbing the lore of nations, copying and 
 illuminating books of parchment with patient toil, 
 compilino^ histories, and collectino; annals. , . ^ ^ , 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ' ^ Irish schol- 
 
 At this period, not a few Irish scholars ars and 
 achieved a fame which has preserved ^" ^'^^* 
 their names to our own day. Two monks, Tiernan 
 
48 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 O'Broin and Scotus, wrote histories, gave the dates 
 of ecHpses, quoted from Greek and Latin writers, 
 and left works of value and authority. The " Four 
 Masters," as they were called, of the abbey of Done- 
 gal, left important chronicles of Irish history. Flan 
 of the monastery, another learned monk, added much 
 to the stock of Irish learning ; and the teachers of 
 the schools of Lismore and Armagh were long cele- 
 brated for the fulness of their learning. Of Lismore 
 at this period, an old British chronicler quaintly 
 wrote : " It is a famous and holy city, half of which 
 is an asylum into which no woman dares enter. 
 But it is full of cells and monasteries, and religious 
 men in great abundance abide there." 
 
 Thus Ireland seemed on the point of again becom- 
 ing a pious and studious land, to which the world 
 A period of might oucc morc look for enlightenment, 
 hope. g^^ ^Y\e long feuds and wars of rival 
 
 princes had done their work ; and, as in the time of 
 the Danish invasion, had paved the way for another 
 foreign conqueror. Christianity, which had been so 
 nearly extinguished by the Danish worshippers of 
 Odin and Thor, had at least once more taken root ; 
 and although Ireland after the twelfth century never 
 regained the religious lead of Europe which she had 
 held in the days of Columbkill, the great mass of her 
 people adhered to the Christian faith, and to the 
 authority of the Roman popes. 
 
THE INVASION OF THE NORMANS. 49 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE INVASION OF THE NORMANS. 
 
 IN the middle of the twelfth century, the first 
 " Plantagenet " king, Henry the Second, was 
 reigning in England. He was a great- Henry the 
 grandson of William of Normandy, who second, 
 had conquered England, and had assumed the Eng- 
 lish crown a hundred years before. Henry was more 
 Norman than English in character and tastes. The 
 Normans, who had, centuries before, conquered and 
 established themselves in the northern part of 
 France, which was thus called "Normandy," were of 
 the same race as those Danes who had later swept 
 over England and Ireland. They came originally, as 
 did the Danes, from Norway and Denmark ; and hav- 
 ing subdued Normandy, they had now overcome the 
 English, as the Danes had done before them, and 
 were destined, like the Danes, to extend their inva- 
 sion to Ireland also. But, unlike the The Nor- 
 Danes, the Normans were at least Chris- '"^"^• 
 tians ; and so, in their conquests, they did not disturb 
 the existing faith of the English or the Irish. 
 
 The pope of Rome, in the middle of the twelfth 
 
50 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 century, was an Englishman, whose family name 
 was Nicholas Breakspeare, and whose papal title 
 was Adrian the Fourth. In those days, the popes 
 claimed the right to dispose, as they pleased, of all 
 the islands of the sea. They were in the habit of 
 granting islands to such kings as they favored ; and 
 the kings, armed with the pope's grants, believed 
 that they were justified in seizing upon the islands, 
 PopeAdri- ^iid ruHng them. Adrian the Fourth, by 
 an's bull. ^ solcmn " bull," or decree, made over 
 Ireland to Henry the Second of England, and gave 
 him permission to invade, conquer, and hold pos- 
 session of the island (1155). The pope declared 
 that he did this for the purpose of suppressing vice, 
 planting virtue, and spreading the faith among the 
 Irish. Sixteen years elapsed, however, before Henry 
 availed himself of the pope's authority to invade 
 Ireland. 
 
 The reigning king of Ireland at this time was 
 Roderick O'Connor, a brave, but harsh and cruel 
 -. „ ^ ruler. Roderick was the last of the Celtic 
 
 King Roder- 
 ick o'Con- sovereigns of all Ireland. It was with 
 
 difficulty that he held possession of the 
 royal power. In both Ulster and Munster his author- 
 ity was disputed and defied by the native princes. 
 He had, moreover, a bitter quarrel with Dermid, 
 prince of Leinster ; and it was this quarrel, which, in 
 its results, brought about the Norman invasion of 
 Ireland. Dermid of Leinster was a coarse and brutal 
 old man, over sixty years of age, but still swayed by 
 
THE INVASION OF THE NORMANS. 5 I 
 
 violent passions. He was gigantic of stature, stal- 
 wart of frame, despotic and overbearing in temper. 
 Among the petty chiefs in Connaught was Tiernan 
 O'Rourke, lord of Brefny, who had a comely wife 
 named Dervorgoil. Dermid persuaded Dermid-s 
 Dervorgoil to desert her husband, and to treachery, 
 elope with him. O'Rourke vowed vengeance upon 
 the destroyer of his domestic peace, and appealed 
 for help to Roderick. In this appeal he was joined 
 by Dervorgoil's kinsmen, the powerful family of 
 O'Melaghlin. 
 
 Dermid soon found himself confronted by a formid 
 able array of enemies. King Roderick, O'Rourke, 
 and the O'Melaghlins were speedily joined not only 
 by the Danes who were settled in and around Dublin, 
 and whom Dermid had grievously oppressed, but also 
 by many of Dermid's own subjects. In vain did the 
 dissolute old tyrant labor to gather about him an 
 army which could cope with such a host of strong and 
 enraged foes. Then he added a fresh crime to his 
 other misdeeds, and turned traitor to his ^ 
 
 Dermid ap- 
 
 country. He fled from Ireland, hastened peais to the 
 to France, and presented himself before ^"ei»shking. 
 the English king, who was then busy with his wars 
 in Aquitaine. Dermid unblushingly proposed to 
 Henry to lose no time in making use of the pope's 
 authority, given thirteen years before, to possess 
 himself of Ireland ; and eagerly offered his aid in ac- 
 complishing that end. Henry was not yet ready to 
 enter upon the conquest of Ireland in person ; but 
 
52 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 he gave Dermid a letter which granted permission to 
 his knights and subjects to enlist under the Leinster 
 prince, and to help him in his design of subduing 
 Ireland. 'In return for this concession, Dermid 
 promptly swore allegiance to the English crown. 
 
 Armed with Henry's letter, Dermid repaired to 
 western England and Wales, and soon found some 
 adventurous Norman knights, who, lured by Dermid's 
 lavish promises of lands and plunder, agreed to lead 
 an expedition into Ireland. The chief of these was 
 Richard de Clare, earl of Pembroke, who, from the 
 strength of his arms, was called " Strong- 
 
 Strongbow. 
 
 bow." This man was bold, able, and am- 
 bitious. He was middle-aged, poor in purse, and had 
 long chafed at the want of an opportunity to show 
 his metal on the battle-field. He was a distant rela- 
 tive of Henry, but Henry had for a long time found 
 no use for his services. Strongbow was at once 
 attracted by Dermid's project. Dermid promised 
 him not only a large domain in Ireland, but also 
 his daughter Eva in marriage ; and Strongbow con- 
 ceived the hope of one day himself becoming king of 
 Leinster. 
 
 Other Norman nobles and knights, eager to em- 
 ploy their idle arms, joined Dermid and Strongbow. 
 The Norman Amoug them wcrc Mauricc Fitzgerald, the 
 knights. ancestor of the Geraldines, who afterwards 
 
 became very powerful in the Irish districts of Kil- 
 dare and Desmond ; Fitzgerald's half-brother, Robert 
 Fitz - Stephen ; the two Fitz-Henrys, illegitimate 
 
THE INVASION OF THE NORMANS. 53 
 
 grandsons of the English Henry the First ; Ray- 
 mond le Gros ; and Henry Montmorres. A plan of 
 invasion was soon arranged ; and ere long a formidable 
 force of Norman soldiers, well disciplined, skilful 
 with the bow, and amply armed, had been collected. 
 Dermid returned to Ireland, and awaited the coming 
 of his Norman allies. In the late sprincr _. 
 
 ^ ° First inva- 
 
 (11 69), the advance guard of the expedi- sion of the 
 tion, under the command of Fitz-Stephen ^°''"^^"^- 
 and Montmorres, — in all, about one thousand men — 
 crossed the Irish Channel. The Irish defenders of 
 soil were ill-prepared to cope with the hardy Norman 
 soldiery. Their armor was little protection : their 
 weapons were by no means so effective as those of 
 the Normans. 
 
 Fitz-Stephen easily seized Wexford, on the coast, 
 driving its Danish garrison out ; and his soldiers rav- 
 aged the country roundabout. Then Raymond le Gros 
 crossed the Channel, and assailed Waterford. Strong- 
 bow followed with the rest of the Norman army. 
 Waterford was taken, plundered, and fired ; and 
 Strongbow was wedded to the princess Eva of Lein- 
 ster, amid the desolation of the ruined town. Der- 
 mid had now joined his allies, and the invaders 
 proceeded to attack DubHn. This town was, for the 
 most part, settled by Danes, who seem to have by this 
 time lost their old-time warlike prowess. Fan of 
 At all events, Dublin fell into the hands i^^biin. 
 of the assailants, and was mercilessly sacked by the 
 victorious Normans. From thence they sallied forth 
 
54 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to spread desolation through the ancient domain of 
 Meath. The Danes hastily took ship, and found 
 refuge in the Orkney Islands. 
 
 Roderick O'Connor, the Irish king, was aroused 
 by these disasters to make a desperate stand against 
 the invaders. Aided by the king of Thomond and 
 the fighting archbishop, Lawrence, Roderick laid 
 siege to Dublin. He entirely failed, however, to dis- 
 lodge the Normans, and was forced to be content 
 with capturing Wexford from them. A year passed, 
 with varying fortunes to the invaders and the invaded. 
 In the spring Dermid died of a complication of dis- 
 eases ; and Strongbow attemped, in vain, to assert his 
 strongbow's claim to the throne of Leinster. He suf- 
 defeats. fercd 3. succcssion of defeats, in the most 
 
 important of which, that at Thurles, the Normans 
 lost nearly two thousand men. Strongbow was forced 
 to seek safety, with the rest of his army, within the 
 walls of Waterford, where he contented himself with 
 holding sway over the immediate neighborhood of 
 that stronghold. 
 
 Events in Ireland had been watched for some time, 
 with growing anxiety, by the English king. He had 
 permitted his knights to enlist under Dermid and 
 Strongbow, and was well content with the prospect 
 King Henry of adding Ireland to his dominions. But 
 alarmed. j^Q^y Hcnry began to fear that if the am^ 
 bitious Strongbow succeeded in conquering the 
 island, he would set himself up as its independent 
 king, and would then altogether renounce his alle- 
 
THE INVASION OF THE NORMANS. 55 
 
 giance to the English crown. Accordingly Henry 
 sent word to the Norman knights in Ireland, that they 
 must at once return to England. Perhaps Strong- 
 bow and his comrades were not sorry to receive this 
 command ; for, when it came, their situation was 
 serious if not desperate. The Irish had at last as- 
 serted their superior strength, and the only strong- 
 holds left to the Normans were in danger of being 
 taken by the aroused natives. Strongbow, therefore, 
 promptly obeyed the king, crossed over to England, 
 and received the royal pardon. 
 
 Henry now resolved that he would put forth all 
 the strength of his English kingdom to subdue Ire- 
 land. He was a warlike prince, and greedy of con- 
 quest ; and he determined to lead his forces in person. 
 An army of four hundred knights and four thousand 
 men-at-arms crossed the channel, being conveyed to 
 the Irish coast by a fleet of two hundred „ , . 
 
 J Henry s m- 
 
 and forty ships. Henry easily effected a vasion of 
 landing at Waterford, which still remained 
 in Norman hands (ii/i). The chiefs of southern 
 Ireland were awed by the display of so imposing an 
 array of well-trained, well-armed, and valiant soldiers. 
 King Roderick was away in the north, engaged in 
 a conflict with the princes of Ulster. The Irish 
 were divided and distracted by the quarrels of rival 
 chiefs. It seemed that no force adequate to cope 
 with the English king could be got together. The 
 power conferred by the pope upon Henry to take 
 Ireland, moreover, checked the patriotism of the 
 
56 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 Irish clergy, and dampered the ardor of the Irish 
 leaders. 
 
 One after another, the princes of southern Ireland 
 
 gave in their submission to the English monarch. 
 
 The example was set by McCarthy, kino^ 
 
 Victory of . -^ » £> 
 
 the Anglo- of Cork, who repaired to Waterford, swore 
 Normans. allcgiancc to Hcury, and surrendered Cork 
 to a Norman garrison. O'Brien of Thomond, Don- 
 chad of Ossory, and O'Phelan of Decies, followed in 
 his wake. Henry made a bloodless march into the 
 interior, planted garrisons at Cashel and Tipperary, 
 and entered Dublin in triumph. The chiefs of Lein- 
 ster and Munster kept coming in, and accepting the 
 English yoke. Roderick, with little capacity for war 
 on a large scale, was forced to remain sullenly west 
 of the Shannon ; but while he made no vigorous 
 attempt to dislodge the English, he never submitted 
 to their rule in Ireland. The heroic chiefs of Ulster, 
 ^^ «,.T ., too, the ancient royal race of O'Neil, and 
 
 The O'Neils ' -^ ' 
 
 refuse to the sturdy house of O'Donnel, refused to 
 submit. yield to the invader, and, for centuries 
 
 after, held out against every effort of the English to 
 subdue them. 
 
THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. 5/ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. 
 
 HENRY the Second celebrated his victory by 
 holding brilliant Christmas festivities in Dub- 
 lin. Gathered about him was a gay array of valiant 
 Norman knights, whose armor and attire Festivities 
 dazzled the natives, and who, in their *" Dublin, 
 elegance, displayed a marked contrast to the ruder 
 Irish chiefs. Most of the Irish wore, instead of 
 mail, orange-colored and saffron shirts. Instead of 
 long bows, they carried javelins, spears, and battle- 
 axes. Henry soon turned from revels and rejoi- 
 cings to serious work. He was a very able states- 
 man, as well as an energetic warrior. He set to 
 himself the task of establishing his authority in Ire- 
 land. He refused to confirm Strongbow as king of 
 Leinster, and he took away the lands which had 
 been sciven by Dermid to Strongbow and ^ , ^ ,. 
 
 o J o Introduction 
 
 his companions ; giving them back to them, of the feudal 
 however, as their feudal chief. This was ^y^*^™- 
 the first step taken by Henry in introducing the 
 feudal system into Ireland. 
 
 He then proceeded to plant in the Irish districts 
 
58 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 over which he held sway, EngHsh laws and institu- 
 tions. He did not require the native Irish, however, 
 to submit to English laws, but allowed the ancient 
 Brehon laws to remain in force among them. The 
 English laws were only imposed on the Normans and 
 English who established themselves in the country. 
 The king appointed marshals, justiciaries, constables, 
 chamberlains, and other officers, to act in Ireland. 
 He divided the portions of the island under his con- 
 „ , trol into counties, and appointed sheriffs 
 
 Henry s gov ' '- '^ 
 
 ernment in to scrvc in them. Hc crcatcd three great 
 law-courts, — the King's Bench, the Com- 
 mon Pleas, and the Exchequer, — corresponding to the 
 courts of the same name in England. He appointed 
 a lord-chief-justice, a chancellor, and a treasurer. 
 He also created the office of viceroy, the holder 
 of which should act as supreme governor of Ireland 
 durins: the kins^'s absence. He filled all the offices 
 with his own Norman adherents, and put all the 
 military strongholds under the command of Norman 
 soldiers. 
 
 Henry knew how important it was to win the sub- 
 mission of the Christian bishops and clergy to his 
 rule. Their hold upon the reverence and affection 
 of the people was a strong one. By conciliating 
 them, he would be strengthening his own power in 
 Ireland. The bishops and clergy were already in- 
 clined towards him, out of respect to the papal bull 
 under which he had claimed the right to invade Ire- 
 land. Henry summoned an assembly of bishops and 
 
THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND, 59 
 
 priests at Cashel, and declared to them, that hence- 
 forth the church-lands should be exempt 
 
 The church. 
 
 from confiscation or taxation ; that the 
 priesthood should be relieved of certain fines ; and 
 that the people should be compelled to pay tithes for 
 the support of the church. A large majority of the 
 bishops and priests thereupon accepted the sover- 
 eignty of the English king, and exercised their 
 influence in securing his authority in the island. 
 
 But by far the most important acts of Henry in 
 Ireland were those by which he dealt with the lands, 
 and attempted to replace the ancient tenure and 
 division of lands by the feudal system. According to 
 the old Irish custom, the lands had been r-. „ „ „ 
 
 ' Lnanges in 
 
 held by each tribe in common. Then the the tenure of 
 princes and chiefs had acquired possession 
 of large tracts, which were tilled by the peasantry 
 and the slaves. But still the lands were supposed to 
 be derived, not from a sovereign or prince, but from 
 the tribe as a whole. The feudal system was directly 
 the opposite of this. By the feudal system, all the 
 land of a country was supposed to be owned by the 
 king. He claimed the right to divide it up, and give 
 portions of it, as he pleased, to his knights and 
 courtiers. In return for these grants of land, the 
 knights and courtiers agreed to give military aid, at 
 the head of their retainers, to the king in time of 
 war. So, too, the knights and courtiers divided up 
 the domain thus acquired, and distributed it among 
 their followers, who in their turn agreed to follow 
 
60 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 their lords to the field whenever summoned. The 
 lands became hereditary in the families which held 
 them, and the military services owed for them be- 
 came hereditary also. 
 
 Henry really had no right, either to the sovereignty 
 of Ireland, or to the disposal of the Irish lands. His 
 claim was founded upon the pope's authority, which 
 had no basis in law. His dominion in Ireland was 
 purely and simply the result of superior physical 
 force. And in order to establish his power, he for- 
 cibly imposed the feudal system upon the conquered 
 race. He thus laid the foundation for those land 
 „ . . , troubles in Ireland which have continued 
 
 Beginning of 
 
 land trou- froui thc time of his invasion down to the 
 present day. He began by taking lands 
 away from the native Irish, and giving them into the 
 hands of Norman and English foreigners. These 
 became the landlords ; while the native Irish became 
 their tenants, and the humble tillers of the soil. The 
 descendants of the Normans and English continued 
 to be the owners and masters, and the descendants 
 of the Celtic population continued to be their serfs. 
 In later centuries, more and more lands were taken 
 from the Irish by succeeding English monarchs, and 
 handed over to their English followers, soldiers, and 
 favorites. In this way, in the course of time, grew 
 up the unjust and cruel land-system in Ireland, 
 which survived to our own time. 
 
 The whole of the ancient royal domain of Meath, 
 where the kings of all Ireland had reigned so long 
 
THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. 6l 
 
 in power and renown, was given by Henry to the 
 Norman lord, Hugh de Lacy. Ulster was The domain 
 awarded to John de Courcy ; but owing °^ Meath. 
 to the obstinate resistance of the O'Neils, the O'Don- 
 nels, and other sturdy Ulster chiefs, De Courcy never 
 succeeded in getting possession of the province. 
 Cork was given up to Fitz-Stephen and De Cogan, 
 Limerick to De Braosa, Decies to Le Poer, Water- 
 ford to De Bohun, Wexford to Fitzgerald and Mont- 
 morres, Connaught to Fitz-Aldelm. The city of 
 Dublin was awarded to the English town of Bristol. 
 The Normans lost no time in making raids to seize 
 the lands thus granted, and planted settlements 
 and forts wherever they could get a foothold. They 
 swarmed through the fertile valleys of the Irish 
 rivers, and established themselves on the broad 
 plains of Louth and Meath. All along the eastern 
 coast the Normans effected lodgements, as settlement 
 the Danes had done centuries before, of the 
 Thus the new-comers occupied and held "^ '^ 
 the lands awarded to them by the king, by sheer 
 force. Every Irishman who resisted them was con- 
 demned as a traitor. No mercy was shown to the 
 native '' rebels." 
 
 If a tribe whose domain had thus been seized 
 resisted, it was promptly driven from the soil on 
 which it had dwelt from time immemorial. The 
 Irish who remained became peasant tillers of the 
 land which had lately been their own, were forced 
 to pay rent for it, and were subject to being expelled 
 
62 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 from it at the will or sudden caprice of the new 
 possessors. But, after all, Henry had only succeeded 
 in establishing his actual rule over a small portion of 
 Ireland. He held Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Wex- 
 ford, and Dublin, and a certain region of country 
 roundabout those places, with his garrisons and sol- 
 .... , diery. Outside these limits, his dominion 
 
 Limits of J ' 
 
 English was rather nominal than a reality. The 
 
 dominion. . r -r-" i • i • t i i 
 
 centre ot hnglish power m Ireland was 
 Dublin, and a certain territory in its neighborhood, 
 comprising the counties of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, 
 and Louth. This territory came to be known as the 
 ''English Pale," — a name which it retained for a 
 long period. It was over four hundred years, indeed, 
 before the power of the English became permanently 
 established in Ireland, beyond the region described 
 as the Pale. 
 
 King Henry only remained in Ireland seven 
 months. He was suddenly called away on a seri- 
 ous errand. Thomas a Becket, archbishop of Can- 
 terbury, had been killed before the altar of his own 
 cathedral by some of Henry's knights. The king, 
 suspected of having connived at the crime, was 
 summoned to explain it to the envoys of the pope, 
 strongbow who wcrc in France. He left Strongbow 
 in command. ^5 viccroy, or govcmor, of Ireland ; and 
 Strongbow continued the struggle to subdue the 
 native Irish. The warfare between the Normans and 
 the Irish went on incessantly. Ulster and Connaught 
 held out persistently against the intruders, who often 
 
THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. 63 
 
 sallied forth from their strongholds in the Pale, only 
 to be driven back before the fiery though undisci- 
 plined valor of the Irish. Strongbow's career as 
 viceroy was full of ups and downs. He still asserted 
 his claim to the crown of Ulster ; but this was stoutly 
 resisted by Donald *' the Handsome," son of the late 
 king, Dermid. Strongbow, enraged at this, caused 
 one of Donald's sons, whom he held as a hostage, to 
 be put to death. 
 
 Then began a fierce and vindictive struggle be- 
 tween the two claimants to the Leinster throne ; and, 
 from this time forth, Stron2:bow's fortunes ^ , , , 
 
 ' <3 Contest for 
 
 began to wane. Donald inflicted a severe the throne 
 defeat upon him ; and, in the following year ° ^'"^ "' 
 (11 74), Strongbow was confronted at Thurles by the 
 army of the arch-king Roderick, allied with a power- 
 ful chief, Donald O'Brien. The viceroy was utterly 
 routed, leaving more than a thousand of his Norman 
 warriors dead on the field. He fled within the walls 
 of Dublin with the remnant of his force, to find 
 there that his garrison had been slaughtered by the 
 people. While his condition was thus desperate, 
 Strongbow was suddenly ordered by Henry to join 
 him in France. He soon returned to Ireland, how- 
 ever, with new powers. He made his peace with the 
 powerful family of Geraldine, whom he had alienated 
 from him by his jealousy of them, giving his sister 
 in marriage to Maurice Fitzgerald, the chief of the 
 family. 
 
 For a little, the fortunes of war turned in favor of 
 
64 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 Strongbow. He retook Limerick, strengthened the 
 defences of Waterford, and probably caused his rival, 
 Donald, to be murdered. But now the sturdy war- 
 rior, who had fought so obstinately to subdue the 
 Irish, was attacked by a fatal disorder. His foot 
 became ulcerated, and he lingered in a long and 
 strongbow's agouiziug illucss. He died nine years 
 death. after his first arrival in Ireland, and was 
 
 buried, with much pomp, in Christ Church, Dublin 
 (ii 77). Thus passed away the most redoubtable of 
 Ireland's Norman enemies. The name of Strongbow 
 still recalls to Irish minds the beginning of the seven 
 centuries of English dominion. In the same year 
 died Strongbow's brother-in-law, the brilliant Maurice 
 Fitzgerald, who had so long been his companion in 
 arms. Fitzgerald was the ancestor of a long line of 
 nobles, who became the heads of the two branches 
 of the powerful Geraldine family, the earls of Des- 
 mond and Kildare. 
 
 Roderick O'Connor, the arch-king of Ireland, had 
 been able to hold his own against the Normans west 
 King of the river Shannon, and had even gained 
 
 Roderick. somc victorics ovcr their armies. But he 
 had not been able to attempt their expulsion from 
 Irish soil. He was a brave and patriotic, but unfor- 
 tunate, prince. He was constantly called upon to 
 fight with the jealous rival chiefs of the north and 
 west. In the hour of his perplexities his own sons 
 turned against him, just as the sons of the English 
 Henry had by this time become their father's foes 
 
THE ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. 65 
 
 on the battle-field. Roderick was at last compelled 
 to seek a sort of alliance with the English con- 
 queror. He accordingly sent envoys, among them 
 the devout St. Lawrence, to Henry, and Treaty with 
 made a treaty with him (1177). This ^'"^ Henry, 
 compact was called the treaty of Windsor, because 
 it was signed in that royal town. By its provisions, 
 Henry recognized Roderick as king of all Ireland, 
 outside the places actually held by the English. In 
 return, Roderick acknowledged Henry as his "lord 
 paramount," agreed to pay a certain annual tribute 
 of hides, and stipulated that the chiefs under him 
 should every year present to the English king a 
 certain number of hawks and hounds. But, as a 
 result of the events which ensued, this treaty was 
 never fully carried out. 
 
66 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE NORMAN KNIGHTS. 
 
 THE last years of the arch-king, Roderick O'Con- 
 nor, were imbittered by the hostihty and trea- 
 son of his own sons. His eldest son, Murray, joined 
 hands with the Norman knight, De Cogan, and with 
 him marched through central Ireland, spreading 
 havoc and burning villages as he went. The na- 
 tive tribes fled in dismay before him. But at last, 
 near Tuam, the Irish turned at bay upon their treach- 
 erous prince and his Norman ally. Murray was 
 ^ , , forced to retreat ; but it was too late. A 
 
 Defeat of 
 
 Murray host of Irish, led by Murray's own kins- 
 
 o Connor. ^len, fell upon the allied force, which was 
 soon scattered in every direction. Murray himself 
 was taken, and his eyes were put out as the penalty 
 of his perfidy. Then Roderick's younger son, Conor, 
 was declared to be the heir to the Irish throne. 
 There soon broke out a desperate struggle between 
 the princes of the royal house, which resulted in 
 much slaughter on both sides, but in no decisive 
 triumph for either. 
 
 Conor now treated his father, the arch-king, with 
 
THE NORMAN KNIGHTS. 6^ 
 
 cruel severity. He at first banished him into south- 
 ern Ireland, but afterwards allowed him to live on a 
 small farm in the midst of his own clan. Roderick 
 was old, and weary of the world. In a short time he 
 retired to a monastery founded by the early Chris- 
 tians at Cong, on Lough Mask. In this monastery, 
 the aged monarch gave himself up to religious ex- 
 ercises, and reflected mournfully on his Death of 
 many misfortunes. He died at the mon- Roderick, 
 astery in his eighty-second year (1198), and was 
 quietly buried in the royal tomb of Clonmacnoise. 
 Thus passed away the last prince fully entitled to 
 wear the crown of all Ireland. With Roderick the 
 long line of ''ard-righ," or arch-kings, ended. The 
 task of defending Ireland from her formidable Nor- 
 man foes was too great for Roderick's powers. He 
 was brave and patriotic, but could not cope at once 
 with the rebellions of Irish princes, and the assaults 
 of foreign invaders. 
 
 Meanwhile, Strongbow had been succeeded in the 
 command of Ireland by an indolent knight, Fitz 
 Aldelm. But among the Normans who surrounded 
 him was a stalwart noble, full of restless energy. 
 This was John de Courcy, a descendant john de 
 of kings, as proud as he was valiant. It Courcy. 
 has already been stated that De Courcy had received 
 the province of Ulster as his appanage from the 
 English king. He now resolved to attempt its con- 
 quest. Many of his fellow-knights, eager for warfare, 
 and impatient of their idle life at Dublin, joined his 
 
68 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 standard. De Courcy set forth at the head of a force 
 of five hundred men. He encountered and defeated 
 a native army at Howth, and then marched on Down- 
 patrick. There was an ancient tradition that this 
 town would be captured by a knio^ht who 
 
 De Courcy . . 
 
 takes Down- had birds upon his shield, and who rode a 
 patnck. white horsc. It happened that a bird was 
 
 on the armorial crest of De Courcy, and De Courcy 
 also appeared on a white horse. The people of 
 Downpatrick, terrified by these omens, speedily sub- 
 mitted ; and De Courcy entered the town. 
 
 The warfare between the invaders of Ulster and 
 its Irish defenders lasted for several years. Some- 
 times one side, and sometimes the other, triumphed. 
 In course of time, De Courcy acquired a strong hold 
 upon various places on the Ulster coast. He for- 
 tified Lecale and the Ardes, built castles on the 
 shores of Strangford Lake, and made some expedi- 
 tions into the interior. But the greater part of 
 Ulster remained unconquered. The heroic tribe of 
 O'Neil held out sturdily, and to the last 
 
 Resistance -' 
 
 of the resisted De Courcy's attempt to carry his 
 
 o Neils. j.^1^ ^^^^ ^1^^ entire province ; while the 
 
 lesser chiefs, for the while, composed their differ- 
 ences in the face of the danger from a common foe. 
 Even when De Courcy gained a foothold in the in- 
 terior, he was so constantly harassed by bold bands 
 of the Ulster Irish, that he was often forced to give 
 way, and retire to the seaboard. 
 
 The English king, Henry, was especially fond of 
 
De Courcv entering Downpatrick. — Page 68. 
 
THE NORMAN KNIGHTS. 69 
 
 his youngest son, John, — the same John who after- 
 wards became king of England, and was forced by 
 the barons to sign the ''great charter" of his people's 
 liberties. It is thought by some historians that one 
 of Henry's reasons for wishing to conquer Ireland 
 was, that he might provide John with a kingdom to 
 himself. John was a youth of eighteen years. He 
 was wilful, heartless, and cruel, even at that early 
 age. In spite, however, of his youth and Prince john 
 bad qualities, Henry now sent him across ^" Ireland. 
 St. George's Channel, with the title and powers of 
 "Lord of Ireland." Scarcely had John set foot on 
 the island, before he began to conduct himself in 
 such a way as to inspire the hatred of the Irish, and 
 the contempt even of the English. He was sur- 
 rounded by a company of dissolute and reckless 
 young nobles, whose society was more congenial to 
 him than was that of the grave statesmen whom his 
 father had sent to advise him. 
 
 When John landed at Waterford (1185), he was 
 met by the English archbishop of Dublin, and a 
 large number of knights in costly array. These were 
 attended, also, by some of the chiefs of the Leinster 
 clans who had submitted to the English, and now 
 came to pay homage to their new ruler. These chiefs 
 advanced to meet the prince with grave John's odious 
 dignity, in order to give him, according to conduct. 
 an old Irish custom, the kiss of peace. John laughed 
 insolently in their faces. He caught hold of their 
 beards, and roughly pulled them, and made sport of 
 
/O YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 their attire. The Leinster chiefs, outraged by this 
 insult, abruptly retired to their homes. John was 
 scarcely less insulting in his bearing towards the 
 English knights, by whom he presently became as 
 intensely detested as he was by the Irish. He spent 
 his days in reckless pleasures, and thus wasted the 
 time which was to have been spent in military cam- 
 paigns. He caused a number of castles to be built ; 
 but these were assailed by the Irish chiefs, and sev- 
 successes of cral of them were captured. The bold 
 Irish chiefs. Donald O'Brien took the largest castle, 
 that of Ardfinan ; while Lismore was also seized by 
 the native bands. John's rule, indeed, was dis- 
 astrous on every hand ; and he was at last reluctantly 
 called back to England by his royal father. 
 
 A famous, strong-willed English cavalier, Hugh 
 de Lacy, had held for a short time a high place 
 in Ireland, — that of constable, — before John's ar- 
 rival. He had been recalled by the king, who now 
 sent him back to Ireland again to take the chief 
 The consta- commaud. De Lacy is described by the 
 bieDeLacy. q^^ writcrs as being short of stature, 
 deformed, with large, dark, piercing eyes, and forbid- 
 ding features. He was very covetous of power, as 
 well as of riches. During his previous sojourn in 
 Ireland he had been guilty of many misdeeds, one 
 of which had never been forgotten or forgiven by 
 the Irish. He had enticed Tiernan O'Rourke, lord 
 of West Meath, one of the bravest of the native 
 chiefs, to meet him on a lonely hill for a peaceful 
 
THE NORMAN KNIGHTS. /I 
 
 conference ; and had there caused him to be murdered. 
 Soon after his return to take John's place, he married 
 the daughter of O'Connor, a powerful Irish noble. 
 
 De Lacy's violent tyranny soon made him as 
 heartily hated as John had been. He seized and 
 sacked monasteries and churches, and De Lacy's 
 appropriated their wealth to his own use. ty^^^y- 
 He took a fancy, among other things, to convert 
 the ancient monastery of Durrow, which had been 
 founded centuries before by the sainted Columbkill, 
 into a castle for his own residence. This was looked 
 upon by the Irish as a desecration of the sacred edi- 
 fice. One day, as De Lacy was standing on the walls, 
 inspecting the alterations which his workmen were 
 making on the monastery, a daring young Irishman 
 of noble family, named O'Meyey, suddenly attacked 
 him from behind. With one mighty blow Murder of 
 of his axe, he completely severed the ty- ^^ ^^^y* 
 rant's head from his body. O'Meyey fled into the 
 neighboring forest, and safely escaped. The Irish 
 rejoiced at the death of a man who had so cruelly 
 used them, and were glad that the fate to which he 
 had doomed O'Rourke had now befallen him also. 
 
 The English king, Henry the Second, died (1189) 
 after a long and brilliant reign, and was succeeded 
 by his warlike son, Richard the First (the *' Lion- 
 hearted"). Throughout his brief reign of ten years, 
 Richard was almost continually absent King 
 from his kingdom, either at the crusades, R>chard. 
 or engaged in fighting the French. The English in 
 
^2 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Ireland were therefore, during that period, left to 
 shift for themselves. Of all the cavaliers who re- 
 mained on Irish soil, the boldest and most ambitious 
 was De Courcy. He professed to be very pious. He 
 carried about with him certain writings of Columbkill, 
 and took great care to guard and preserve the relics 
 of some of the Irish saints. Yet he did not pause 
 in his attempts to subdue the Irish of Ulster, and 
 also of Connaught, to his sway. In spite, however, 
 of the feuds which so often arose to divide the Irish 
 princes, even De Courcy's prowess did not avail to 
 greatly extend the limits of his dominion. In a 
 Defeat of great battle fought in Connaught, De 
 De Courcy. Courcy was routed by an allied force of 
 Irishmen of Connaught, Ulster, and Munster, under 
 the valiant Donald O'Brien, and was forced to retire 
 once more to his eastern strongholds. 
 
 For ten years, Ireland was the scene of almost 
 perpetual carnage. Conor, the son of Roderick, the 
 arch-king, was assassinated by his cousins ; and the 
 old fires of jealousy and rivalry broke out among 
 the princes with all their former fury. The English 
 allied themselves, now with one chief, now with 
 another, taking advantage of their fierce dissensions 
 as occasion offered. The fortunes of war varied 
 from month to month. The unhappy people were 
 desolated by all these conflicts, yet they sturdily 
 resisted the attempts of the English to possess 
 themselves of the domain. The new landlords, even 
 when they had effected a lodgement, were continually 
 
THE NORMAN KNIGHTS. 73 
 
 harassed by the inhabitants, and only held their own 
 by the superior force of arms. Whenever an English 
 lord of the soil became weak in defence, the ven- 
 geance of the people fell quickly and savagely upon 
 him. Meanwhile, the two different systems of law 
 — the Norman, or English, and the ancient Irish — 
 were put in force side by side, and created confusion of 
 endless confusion. In the English Pale, ^^^^• 
 if an Irishman killed an Englishman, his punishment 
 was death. But in those parts of the country where 
 the Brehon, or old Irish, law, prevailed, an English- 
 man who killed an Irishman, only had to pay a fine. 
 Similar differences ran all through the two codes, 
 that of the Irish being always the more gentle of 
 the two. 
 
 Just as the reign of Richard the First was coming 
 to a close, a great Irish hero arose, in the person of 
 Cathal O'Connor. Cathal's life had been a romantic 
 one from his childhood. He was a younger half- 
 brother of the arch-king Roderick, but was illegiti- 
 mate. He therefore became, when a mere babe, the 
 object of the hatred of the jealous Irish queen. His 
 mother fled with him for refuge in the monasteries, 
 and Cathal spent his boyhood as a farm- cathai of 
 laborer. One day, when he was reaping connaught. 
 wheat in a field, he heard of events which opened 
 the way to his return to his native Connaught. 
 " Farewell, sickle ! " he exclaimed, throwing it down, 
 "now for the sword!" He entered vigorously into 
 the conflict which was raging in Connaught, and dis- 
 
74 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 played a fiery valor which inspired his adherents to 
 heroic deeds. The death of Donald O'Brien, who 
 had fought so obstinately against the English, left 
 Cathal the foremost of Irish warriors. He made 
 alliances with powerful chiefs, and soothed the dis- 
 cords which had doomed Ireland to so many misfor- 
 tunes. Just as the twelfth centuiy was closing, 
 Cathal was able to declare himself king of Connaught, 
 and to maintain his title by a stout defence. 
 
 The base and cruel John had now ascended the 
 English throne, and soon made extensive grants of 
 King John's land in Connaught to his English followers, 
 accession. Chief among the knights thus favored 
 were De Courcy and De Burgh. But they could not 
 conquer the territories which John had given them ; 
 and, soon after this, De Courcy, who had proved so 
 persistent and redoubtable, disappears altogether 
 from the scenes of his exploits in Ireland. We find, 
 however, the descendants of these early English 
 knights, who contended so stoutly for the possession 
 of Irish land, to this day surviving as nobles and 
 landlords. The descendant of De Courcy is baron 
 Kinsale, who has the privilege of wearing his hat in 
 presence of the English sovereign, — a privilege 
 accorded to an ancestor as the reward of some ser- 
 vice to the crown. The Burkes, lords of Clanricarde, 
 spring from the sturdy stock of De Burgh ; and both 
 families hold both Irish titles and Irish lands in our 
 own time. 
 
THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. 75 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. 
 
 ABOUT fifteen years after his first sojourn in 
 Ireland, John, now king of England, paid a sec- 
 ond visit to that country. But this time he went 
 over, less for the purpose of conquering the Irish, 
 than to curb the too rapidly growing power and inde- 
 pendence of the great Norman-English lords. John's 
 acts on this second visit were wiser than King John in 
 those he had committed during his first so- ^^eian^^- 
 journ in Ireland. He arrived with a large fleet, which 
 is said, by some historians, to have comprised no less 
 than seven hundred vessels ; and his first proceeding 
 was to subdue the haughty De Lacys, who had as- 
 sumed a sort of royal power in Meath. The De 
 Lacys were soon overcome, and, flying from point to 
 point, at last took refuge in Scotland. Later, how- 
 ever, they came to terms with John, who restored 
 them to their Irish domains upon the payment by 
 them of large tributes. John also made a treaty with 
 the valorous Cathal, king of Connaught, by which 
 the latter was secured in a part, at least, of his patri- 
 mony. Cathal fought doughtily against the De Lacys 
 
^6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and other English settlers as long as he lived, and 
 Death of died, after a brilliant career, at nearly 
 cathai. eighty, in the abbey of Knockmoy. 
 
 The only other notable thing which John did 
 during his brief stay in Ireland was to divide Lein- 
 ster and Mimster into the twelve counties which 
 have existed to the present day. Many generations 
 elapsed, after John's departure from Ireland, before 
 an English king again trod her soil. The long reign 
 of Henry the Third, who succeeded John (1216), was 
 mostly taken up with troubled affairs in England, 
 and with conflicts with the Welsh and French. Ire- 
 land, therefore, during the greater part of the 
 thirteenth century, was left pretty much to herself. 
 The English Thc EugHsh who wcrc settled in Ireland 
 in Ireland. could not couut ou help from England, but 
 were forced to maintain themselves as best they could 
 by their own unaided resources. The Irish, on the 
 other hand, did not have to fear fresh English at- 
 tempts at general conquest, but rather that the feuds 
 of their own chiefs would undo them. On each side, 
 indeed, jealousy and dissension prevented the achieve- 
 ment of decisive triumph. The English knights, like 
 the Irish chiefs, were as often found quarrelling and 
 fighting with each other, as combining against the 
 common foe. 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting feature of this period 
 was the rise of certain great Anglo-Norman (or, as 
 it is more convenient to call them, English) families 
 in Ireland. The power and warlike ability of some 
 
THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. ^^J 
 
 of these families produced important results through 
 a long period of time. One of the most eminent of 
 these families was that of Fitzgerald, descended from 
 the Maurice Fitzgerald who had been among the 
 first Norman knights to attempt the conquest of 
 Ireland. This family was known as the The 
 Geraldines. The heads of its two lead- Geraidines. 
 ing branches were afterwards famous as the earls of 
 Kildare and Desmond. These two branches of the 
 Geraldines are represented to this day by the duke 
 of Leinster (descended fromi the earls of Kildare) 
 and the marquis of Lansdowne (descended from the 
 earls of Desmond). .Both branches received from 
 time to time large domains in Ireland, some of which 
 still remain in possession of their successors. An- 
 other great family which became powerful in that early 
 time was that of the Butlers, the founder 
 
 . The Butlers. 
 
 of which family received extensive gifts of 
 land in Kilkenny and Tipperary. The Butlers played 
 a notable part in both Irish and English history in 
 succeeding generations, and were known as the earls 
 and dukes of Ormond. 
 
 At first, these English possessors of Irish domains 
 lived to themselves, in the strong, towering castles 
 which they built. These castles were protected by 
 massive walls and towers, moats and bastions. Here 
 the English knight might at least hold his own against 
 the hostile clans who dwelt in his neighborhood ; and, 
 on favorable occasion, issue forth with his retainers 
 to punish the depredations of the natives. Thus he 
 
yS YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 protected the farms of his tenants, which lay below 
 the castle-walls. Often he had no slight task in de- 
 fending the herds and flocks of these tenants, which 
 were a favorite object of pillage by the Irish bands. 
 The English lord held a court in his castle, in which 
 he punished the misdeeds of his tenantry, or settled 
 the quarrels which arose between them. He was 
 rough and cruel towards the Irish, and from the first 
 regarded them as an inferior and conquered race. 
 
 The Irish chiefs, in many parts of the country, 
 found themselves forced to submit sullenly to the 
 The Irish supcrior prowess of the English settlers, 
 chiefs. They were forced to see the most fertile 
 
 domains held and cultivated by the foreigners, and 
 to be content with the less productive lands in the 
 remoter districts. But there can be no doubt that, 
 while they thus submitted, the Irish, whether chiefs 
 or peasants, fostered a deep-seated hatred of the 
 English, and seized every opportunity to attack them, 
 and to rise in revolt against their rule. When a child 
 or a woman came into possession of lands, the fierce 
 Irish chiefs would seize the domain, and stoutly de- 
 fend it against assault. But in course of time the 
 English barons, perceiving that they could not hope 
 for aid from England, and becoming accustomed to 
 Mingling of an isolated life in Ireland, began to mingle 
 the races. morc freely with the native Irish. Their 
 customs and manners began to change, and to adapt 
 themselves to those of the natives. They began to 
 receive the Irish into their castles as servants, and 
 
THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. 79 
 
 to employ them as soldiers in military enterprises. 
 They formed alliances, sometimes, with the Irish 
 chiefs, in their .conflicts with their English rivals. 
 
 By and by this curious change in the English be- 
 came very marked. They mingled with the Irish to 
 such an extent that they were fast becoming absorbed 
 by the native race. They allowed their hair to grow 
 long, and wore heavy, sweeping mustaches, like the 
 Irish chiefs. They assumed the Irish costumes, 
 adopted the Irish festivals and amusements, and even, 
 in some cases, allowed themselves to be governed by 
 the ancient Irish laws. They married the intermar- 
 daughters of Irish chiefs, and gave to the "^e^^. 
 Irish chiefs their own daughters in wedlock. Even 
 scions of the great family of Desmond took to them- 
 selves Irish wives, and in this way encouraged a fusion 
 of the two races. Thus, in many parts of the country, 
 the contentions between the natives and the settlers 
 became less bitter. The English barons desired no 
 longer to be the garrison of the English crown in 
 Ireland, but independent Irish chiefs, with despotic 
 power over their domains. It began to be said in 
 England, that the English in Ireland were getting to 
 be ''more Irish than the Irish themselves." 
 
 At last the English sovereign became thoroughly 
 alarmed at this state of things. He began to fear 
 lest his power over Ireland should entirely disappear. 
 He was displeased to see the English barons in Ire- 
 land acting as if they were its independent lords, — 
 as if they were no longer bound by any allegiance to 
 
So YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 him as their king. He dreaded the fusion of the 
 two races in Ireland into one, which would resist his 
 rule. Towards the close of the thirteenth century, 
 Edward the therefore, the English king, Edward the 
 First's law. pirst, causcd his Parliament to make a law, 
 which was intended to revive all the old hatred be- 
 tween the English in Ireland and the natives, and to 
 sever the close social connection which had grown 
 up between them. This law (1295) compelled the 
 barons who had given up their lands to the natives 
 to recover them ; decreed that the English owners 
 of Irish land who lived in England should contribute 
 a part of their incomes for maintaining the army ; 
 restricted the number of Irish soldiers to be em- 
 ployed by the barons ; and forbade the English to 
 wear the Irish dress, and form of beard. But this 
 law did not at once have the desired effect. 
 
 The defeat of the English king, Edward the Sec- 
 ond, at Bannockburn in Scotland (13 14), was a signal 
 for the native Irish to make a desperate attempt to 
 recover their country. The victor at Bannockburn 
 was the heroic Robert Bruce. Bruce was already 
 known to the Irish, as he had once taken refuge 
 among them. The Irish, moreover, had always had 
 sympathy with their kinsmen, the Scots, in their long 
 and obstinate struggle with the English. When the 
 Revolt of Scots triumphed at Bannockburn, there- 
 Donaid forc, the Irish not only rejoiced, but re- 
 
 solved in their turn to resist the English. 
 The great Ulster chief, Donald O'Neil, led the 
 
THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. 8l 
 
 revolt. He sent to Scotland, and invited Edward 
 Bruce, Robert's brother, and no less valiant in war 
 than Robert, to come and head the Irish patriots, 
 Edward Bruce promptly responded to the summons. 
 He crossed over from Scotland with a company of 
 hardy Scottish knights and six thousand soldiers. 
 He was speedily joined by O'Neil near Glenarm, 
 and soon after by Felim O'Connor, king of Con- 
 naught. At the head of the English forces was 
 the redoubtable De Burgh, earl of Ulster. 
 
 The news of the landing of Bruce spread swiftly 
 through Ireland. O'Donnell, lord of Tyrconnel, took 
 and plundered Sligo, and the country Edward 
 round about that town. The lord of Tho- Bruce in 
 mond put himself at the head of his im- " ^" ' 
 patient clans, and the lesser chiefs of the south and 
 east hastened to take up arms. The contagion of 
 revolt spread even to some of the English barons 
 themselves. The De Lacys, lords of Meath, joined 
 hands with the native chiefs. A series of obstinate 
 conflicts, with varying fortune, ensued. Edward 
 Bruce was crowned king of Ireland at Dundalk, 
 by the native princes ; but he was forced to fight 
 desperately for his new crown, and was doomed at 
 last to defeat and death. He was first forced to 
 retreat into Ulster by the greatly superior army of 
 De Burgh. Then the tide for a while Arrival of 
 turned. De Burgh was obliged to re- Robert 
 treat ; and Bruce, with the allied chiefs, 
 swept down through Meath. Robert Bruce came 
 
S2 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 with a large Scottish force, to his brother's succor ; 
 and their arms were carried to the very walls of 
 Dublin. 
 
 But Robert Bruce was soon compelled to return to 
 defend his own kingdom of Scotland ; and, from the 
 time of his departure, Edward's fortunes began to 
 wane. The Geraldines gathered together an army 
 of thirty thousand men. Dublin was put in a state 
 of defence. Sir John de Bermingham, at the head of 
 a well-equipped force, pushed forward to meet 
 Bruce, and confronted him at Dundalk. There a 
 brief but bitter struggle took place. The Irish and 
 their Scottish allies were completely defeated ; and 
 Death of Ed- the bravc Edward Bruce fell dead in the 
 ward Bruce, ^lidst of his discomfitcd warriors. The re- 
 volt was at last suppressed. But no aid had come 
 from England to the English barons ; and the con- 
 flict had, on the whole, been disastrous to English 
 ascendancy. The limits of English rule shrank, and 
 the Irish entered upon many domains which the 
 English deserted. Large numbers of the English 
 farmers left the country altogether. The English 
 barons not only abandoned their allegiance to the 
 English crown, but became more than ever Irish in 
 their habits and tendencies, and even here and there 
 abandoned their Norman for Irish names. 
 
 Thus it came about that, early in the reign of 
 Edward the Third, the dominion of the English in 
 Ireland was reduced to much smaller dimensions 
 than it had once held. Ulster had never been wholly 
 
THE BRUGES IN IRELAND. 83 
 
 conquered. Munster was by no means under the 
 complete control of the Geraldines. Connaught was 
 in a state of insurrection. The English The English 
 Pale had dwindled to the region imme- ^^'^• 
 diately around Dublin. The fortified towns, and the 
 domains of the earls of Kildare and Ormond, were 
 nearly all the places outside the Pale which were 
 still securely held by the English. At least one-half 
 of the ancient royal province of Meath was in pos- 
 session of the Irish chiefs. Edward the Third, like 
 his grandfather, tried, as we shall see in the next 
 chapter, to recover at least the allegiance of the 
 English in Ireland. But he does not seem to have 
 thought it possible to subdue the whole island to his 
 rule. More than a century was yet to elapse before 
 an English monarch would again attempt the con- 
 quest of all Ireland. 
 
84 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 RICHARD THE SECOND IN IRELAND. 
 
 EDWARD THE THIRD made two attempts dur- 
 ing his busy reign, to restore the fast-waning 
 power of the English crown in Ireland. He tried to 
 Attem ts to ^^^^ ^^^ influence and ambition of the great 
 recover Ire- barons, somctimcs by throwing them into 
 prison and taking away their estates, and 
 sometimes by according them favors. The earl of 
 Desmond was kept for more than a year a prisoner 
 in Dublin castle, and a part of his land was taken 
 from him. Desmond resisted the king's designs, and 
 gathered about him so formidable an array of lords 
 and bishops, that Edward, for the while, gave up his 
 efforts in Ireland. Later, however, the English king 
 made a second attempt to restore his sway in Ireland. 
 He filled all the Irish offices with courtiers and favor- 
 ites whom he sent from London, and declared that no 
 man of Irish birth should hold any office or any mili- 
 tary command in the country. He called the English 
 in Ireland "rebels," and the native Irish "enemies." 
 He then sent one of his sons, Lionel, duke of Clar- 
 ence, over to Ireland as viceroy. 
 
RICHARD THE SECOND IN IRELAND. 85 
 
 Clarence carried matters with a high hand. He 
 showed little respect either to the English or the 
 Irish. He treated one and all with stern severity. 
 He summoned an Irish parliament to meet him at 
 Kilkenny (1367), and caused it to pass a The law of 
 very stringent law. This law much re- Kilkenny, 
 sembled that which had been passed by Edward the 
 First. It forbade, under heavy penalties, marriages 
 between the English colonists and the native Irish. 
 It prohibited the English from acting as foster- 
 parents or as sponsors to Irish children. It declared 
 that every Englishman who wore the Irish dress, or 
 used the Irish language, or adopted Irish customs, 
 should be compelled to give up his lands. It shut 
 Irishmen out of the priesthood and the English mon- 
 asteries. It proscribed the Irish bards, and forbade 
 the English to receive the bards in their households. 
 By its provisions. Englishmen who wore a long 
 mustache, or rode horseback without saddles after 
 the Irish fashion, were to be severely punished. So, 
 likewise. Englishmen who submitted to the ancient 
 Irish, or Brehon, laws, were condemned to pay heavy 
 fines. 
 
 But this harsh law was never carried fully into 
 effect. The king's officers in Ireland were not strong 
 enough to enforce its execution. Edward himself 
 was busy with his wars in France ; and at the end of 
 his reign, the native Irish had confined the limits of 
 English occupation within even narrower bounds than 
 before. Richard the Second, who succeeded the third 
 
S6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Edward on the English throne, was young and full 
 of ambition. He craved dominion and military fame. 
 Richard the Finding that the power of the crown in 
 Second in Ireland was at its lowest ebb, he resolved 
 
 to make a vigorous effort to increase it. 
 He landed at Waterford at the head of a formidable 
 army, comprising no less than thirty thousand arch- 
 ers and four thousand men-at-arms. This was a very 
 large military force for those days ; and it is no won- 
 der that Richard's arrival, with such an array, struck 
 awe into the hearts of even the stoutest Irish chiefs. 
 Richard's purpose was to subdue the native Irish, 
 and to win the allegiance of the English colonists. 
 
 The arrival of the fleet at Waterford, the royal 
 galley being conspicuous in its midst with its bright 
 banners and gilded pennons, filled the people with 
 wonder, mingled with terror. With Richard came 
 an imposing array of great English princes and 
 nobles. The king's uncle, the duke of Gloucester, 
 Roger Mortimer, earl of March (heir to the throne), 
 lord Thomas Percy, the earls of Nottingham and 
 Rutland, with their brilliant retinues, swelled the 
 Richard I'oyal train. Richard repaired to Water- 
 advances to ford cathedral, where mass was performed 
 
 with stately pomp ; and for a week the 
 town witnessed a series of gay and costly festivities. 
 The king sent presents to the neighboring churches, 
 and welcomed the English lords who lived in the 
 country roundabout. Then, with standards flying, 
 he took up his march through Kilkenny towards 
 
RICHARD THE SECOND IN IRELAND. 8/ 
 
 Dublin. As he advanced, the English lords, and 
 some of the Irish chiefs, joined his army and pro- 
 ceeded with him to the capital. 
 
 Richard entered Dublin, whither he summoned the 
 Irish princes and chiefs to come and do him homage. 
 The summons was promptly obeyed, even by the 
 unconquered chiefs of the north. O'Neil, c. .. • . 
 
 ^ ' Submission 
 
 still the most powerful of the Ulster of the Irish 
 chiefs, O'Brien and O'Connor from the '^^^^^^' 
 west, and McMurrough of Leinster, attended the 
 royal court, with nearly a hundred others. Richard 
 feasted and flattered them, and in return they swore 
 fealty to his crown. At the same time, he granted 
 an amnesty to the English who had acted as if they 
 were independent of his crown, and made an ener- 
 getic effort to put the government of Ireland upon a 
 sounder basis. It seemed as if Ireland had at last 
 come completely under the power of the English 
 king. In the midst of his task, however, Richard 
 was compelled to return to London, where the Lol- 
 lards (followers of Wycliffe, the religious reformer) 
 were creating trouble. He left Ireland, fully per- 
 suaded that he had secured his sway over the coun- 
 try. He appointed his cousin, Roger Mortimer, who 
 was also his chosen heir, to act as viceroy. 
 
 No sooner was Richard's back turned, however, 
 than the Irish chiefs discarded their al- „ „ 
 
 McMur- 
 
 legiance. McMurrough, who was deeply rough's 
 enraged against the English, and was '■^^°'** 
 perhaps the most intrepid Irish warrior of his day, 
 
88 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 broke into open revolt. He defeated Richard's sol- 
 diers at Kells, and seized several strongholds. In the 
 course of the conflict, Roger Mortimer himself was 
 killed. Richard heard the news of McMurrough's 
 rising with anger and alarm. He quickly assembled 
 another great army and a fleet, and once more landed 
 „. ^ , in Ireland (13QQ). McMurrouo^h was not 
 
 Richard ^ ^^y/ o 
 
 returns to stroug cnougli to uicct the king's forces 
 Ireland. ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ , ^^ ^^ plunged into the forests 
 
 and bogs, and engaged in an irregular guerilla war- 
 fare. In his knowledge of the country, he had a 
 great advantage over the king and his well-trained 
 soldiers. McMurrough's sallies persistently worried 
 and wearied the royal troops, who could nowhere find 
 the Irish, so as to fight them in the open. Hunger 
 added to the distress of the royal troops, and it was 
 with great difificulty that Richard managed to lead 
 his disheartened and diminished force to Dublin'. 
 So reduced by hunger were his men, that they 
 *' rushed into the sea, as eagerly as they would into 
 their straw." 
 
 Events took place in England which probably 
 saved Ireland from a desolating war, and perhaps 
 from complete conquest. Henry of Bolingbroke, 
 Richard's cousin, landed on the English coast. 
 Deposition with the avowcd intent to depose Richard 
 of Richard, from the throne. Once more the king 
 was obliged to quit Ireland in all haste ; and soon the 
 news came back, that Richard had been taken pris- 
 oner, that his crown had been taken from him, and 
 
RICHARD THE SECOND IN IRELAND. 89 
 
 that Bolingbroke was reigning in his place, as Henry 
 the Fourth. Ireland was now left to herself for a 
 long period. Henry the Fourth had as much as he 
 could do to maintain himself upon the throne he had 
 conquered. Henry the Fifth's short reign was almost 
 wholly absorbed by the brilliant war he carried on 
 with the French. The longer reign of his son, 
 Henry the Sixth, was occupied by the bitter and 
 bloody "Wars of the Roses." Again the wars of the 
 English colonists were forced to protect ^o^es. 
 themselves, unaided by the mother-country. The 
 Pale, confined to Dublin, and small portions of out- 
 lying districts in Louth, Kildare, and Meath, was 
 protected by fortifications. Little English colonies 
 huddled, with fear and trembling, in seaside strong- 
 holds like Waterford and Wexford. Even great 
 nobles like the earl of Desmond were unable to go 
 far from their domains, lest the native Irish should 
 fall upon them and destroy them. 
 
 Thus, during the fifteenth century, the position of 
 the English in Ireland grew ever weaker. Towards 
 its close, the o:arrison of Dublin and of ^ ,. 
 
 ' ^ Decline of 
 
 the Pale had become reduced to less than English 
 two hundred regular soldiers, while the p°^"' 
 government had grown miserably poor. The colo- 
 nists themselves were forced to combine in voluntarv 
 bands, in order to protect their families and homes 
 from the attacks of the native Irish. Now and then, 
 attempts would be made to enforce the law which 
 Clarence had caused to be made at Kilkenny ; and. 
 
90 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 in the reign of Henry the Sixth, even harsher laws 
 
 than that of Kilkenny, directed against the native 
 
 Irish, were proclaimed. One of these was, 
 
 Harsh laws. i i -n 
 
 that an Englishman who killed an Irish- 
 man who was on the way to or from a pillaging expe- 
 dition, should be not only acquitted, but paid for the 
 deed. In addition to such laws, the English colonists 
 were permitted to practise a custom which bore very 
 grievously upon the Irish. This was the custom 
 called "coyne and livery." It meant that English 
 soldiers could be quartered free, at any time, in the 
 households of the natives. Thus the peace of Irish 
 homes could be disturbed suddenly by the intrusion 
 of rude foreigners, who tyrannized over the families, 
 occupied the best rooms, consumed the provisions, 
 and stalled their horses in the barns. 
 
 Other severe laws, intended to oppress the native 
 Irish, and to separate them by as wide a gulf as pos- 
 sible from the English settlers, were passed in the 
 time of Henry the Sixth. Every man 
 
 Suppression •' ^ •' 
 
 of Irish who did not shave his upper lip at least 
 
 customs. once a fortnight, was to be heavily fined 
 and imprisoned. It was declared a crime even to 
 trade with the natives, and the natives who traded 
 with the English were denounced as ''enemies of 
 the king." All the Irish, too, who dwelt within the 
 Pale were forced to take English names, speak the 
 English language, wear the English garb, and shave 
 themselves as the English did. But these harsh 
 laws could not always be enforced. The English had 
 
RICHARD THE SECOND IN IRELAND. 9I 
 
 as much as they could do to maintain themselves in 
 Ireland at all. So weak did their government become 
 towards the close of the fifteenth century, that they 
 were forced to pay sums of money to the Irish chiefs 
 as a ransom for their safety. This was done, not 
 only by the Pale, but by isolated strongholds like 
 Waterford and Wexford. 
 
 The laws made by the English kings, however, 
 brought about one result which they wished. The 
 two races who lived side by side in Ireland ^^^^^^ 
 became estranged and bitterly hostile to ment of the 
 each other. When there was peace be- 
 tween them, it was merely an armed truce. The 
 Irish did not hesitate to plunder the English, and 
 seize upon their lands, whenever and wherever they 
 could. The English, on the other hand, subjected 
 the Irish who fell into their hands to ruthless 
 cruelty. The two peoples would not even worship 
 in the same churches, although their religion was the 
 same. Each race had its own churches The two 
 and monasteries. The English land-own- churches, 
 ers built chapels within their domain, in which Eng- 
 lish or French priests officiated. Whenever the 
 Irish could do so in safety, they attended the minis- 
 trations of Irish priests. Yet, in spite of all the 
 dissensions between the two races, we find both 
 Anglo-Irish and native Irish taking part, side by 
 side, in the Wars of the Roses in Eng- irish soldiers 
 land. The Geraldines fought for the white '" England, 
 rose, or the house of York, and the Ormonds sided 
 
92 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 with the red rose, or the house of Lancaster ; while 
 many other Irish chiefs were to be found, from time 
 to time, among the contending hosts. 
 
 In the events which have been narrated in the last 
 five chapters, may be traced the beginning of the 
 condition of things which has made Ireland, for seven 
 centuries, a land of unhappy memories, of almost con- 
 stant miseries, and of deep and lasting discontent. 
 When the English, by superior force of arms, planted 
 Seizures of thcmsclves ou Irish soil ; when they seized 
 Irish land. upou the fruitful lands of the people ; 
 when they replaced the ancient Irish custom of land- 
 holding, by the feudal system ; when they substituted 
 English law for the old Brehon law, — they laid the 
 foundation of all the evils which have since befallen 
 Ireland, and of all the tyranny, which, almost down 
 to our own time, marked the English rule over 
 the island. At the close of the fifteenth century, the 
 English colonies seemed on the very verge of extinc- 
 tion. But, early in the sixteenth century, the power 
 of the English crown was once more sternly put 
 forth to subject all Ireland to its authority. 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 93 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 
 
 IRISH history, during the period included between 
 the invasion of the Normans, or English, and the 
 close of the Wars of the Roses, — that is, between 
 1 169 and 1485, — takes little account of the common 
 people. We only know of them that they The common 
 were, to a large degree, peasants, living in people, 
 wretched huts, tilling the soil, and tending the herds 
 and flocks ; reduced, oftentimes, to beggary, and 
 wandering along the roads pleading for alms. It is 
 said that the slave-trade was abolished by a church 
 council at Armagh, towards the close of the twelfth 
 century. But it is probable that the holding of slaves 
 in Ireland, as laborers and domestics, continued for a 
 long period after that time. In the thirteenth cen- 
 tury, there were two classes of farmers in iHsh 
 Ireland. One class, called the ''biataghs," farmers, 
 held the lands they cultivated free of rent, on con- 
 dition that they lodged and fed travellers, and re- 
 ceived the soldiers of the chiefs when they were on 
 the march. The other and lower class was that of 
 the "brooccs," who both paid rent and were subject 
 
94 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to be called upon for military service. The brooee, 
 moreover, was obliged to keep at least a hundred 
 laborers, and a hundred of every species of domestic 
 animals, on his farm. 
 
 Many of the ancient Irish habits and customs still 
 lingered in the fifteenth century. The bards, poets, 
 and minstrels, though they had been persecuted at 
 intervals, and were even forbidden, by the English 
 law, to enter the houses of the people, retained their 
 hold tenaciously upon the popular affection and ven- 
 eration. They were favored in many ways by the 
 princes and chiefs. They held seats of 
 
 The bards. J , . i • i 
 
 honor at the leasts, and received presents, 
 often of great value. One bard, it is related, received 
 from king Brian, as a reward for one of his poems, 
 gold and clothing and twenty cows. Another re- 
 ceived "twenty horned cows," and "the blessing of 
 the king of Erin." In course of time, indeed, the 
 bards and poets became more subject to the will of 
 the chiefs than they once had been. But their office 
 continued to be an hereditary one, descending from 
 father to son ; and many of them held large estates, 
 and lived lives of dignity and ease. The singing of 
 the bards, and the recitation by the poets of verses 
 celebrating the deeds of heroes, was a conspicuous 
 feature of Irish life even under English rule. 
 
 Both the bards and the native judges (Brehons) were 
 still regarded as sacred in their persons. The curse 
 of the bard of Usnagh was believed to have cost Sir 
 John Stanley his life. The murder of a Brehon judge 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 95 
 
 by Irial O'Farrell was avenged, it was said among 
 the people, by the long series of misfor- The Brehon 
 tunes which befell the murderer's children. J^^e^s. 
 The bards continued to be under the special protection 
 of the chiefs. An O'Neil, who gave many presents 
 to the bards, and had the largest collection of poems 
 in Ireland, is specially named and praised in the 
 chronicles of his time. The love of learning had 
 never been extinguished among the Irish, even by 
 the repeated ravages of war, or the desperate strug- 
 gles against foreign conquest. Whenever there was 
 a lull in these storms of conflict, Irish scholarship 
 revived. In the thirteenth century the famous Fran- 
 ciscan and Dominican friars, who brought about a 
 great religious revival in England, extended their 
 labors to Ireland also ; and at the end of that century, 
 had established fifty or sixty monasteries of their 
 orders in Ireland. 
 
 These monasteries became places of asylum to 
 the Irish scholars, whither they could retreat from the 
 turmoils of the civil commotions. They The 
 gave to the scholars, moreover, another monasteries, 
 advantage besides that of studying in safety and 
 quiet. The Dominicans and Franciscans had similar 
 monasteries, which were not less seats of learning 
 than religious houses, scattered through the Euro- 
 pean cities. A student who had attached himself to 
 one of the monasteries was freely admitted into any 
 of the others. So it was that Irish scholars, some- 
 times in great numbers, were found pursuing their 
 
96 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 studies in England, Paris, Naples, and other foreign 
 places. Some of them became very noted for their 
 profound learning. One was a professor at Oxford 
 in the reign of Edward the Second. Another, John 
 Irish men of Scotus of Down, was famous in the schools 
 learning. q£ Paris and Cologne for the extent of his 
 scholarly accomplishments. In the latter part of the 
 thirteenth century, there was a large number of Irish 
 students in the Oxford colleges. 
 
 The Irish had not lost, in the lapse of time, those 
 attractive traits of hospitality, of respect for women, 
 and of social cheer, which they are known to have 
 possessed even in the remote age of the Druids. 
 These were always, and are still, prominent charac- 
 teristics of the Irish race. They made freely 
 welcome visitors of all ranks and of every social 
 grade. The freest and most bountiful hospitality 
 marked the homes of the princes and chiefs ; and 
 even the lowest class of the Irish lavished such 
 humble good-cheer as they could afford upon their 
 guests. Henry O'Neil is said to have ''given every- 
 thins: that came into his hands to all manner of 
 men." It is related of one of the great chiefs of the 
 Irish O'Kellys, that he invited all the bards, 
 
 generosity, poets, and cvcu poor pcoplc, who chose to 
 come, to abide with him throughout the Christmas 
 holidays ; and feasted them every day in quite royal 
 fashion. A rich dame of rank, Margaret O'Carroll, 
 twice a year opened her house to all the bards and 
 poets, both of England and of Ireland, who would 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 9/ 
 
 accept her lavish hospitalities. A violation of hos- 
 pitality was always regarded by the Irish as an 
 odious action ; and he who showed inhospitality 
 was doomed to the scorn of his neighbors for the 
 rest of his life. 
 
 The respect of the Irish for women, and their 
 chivalrous protection of them, are to be seen in all 
 periods of their career. The wife retained Respect for 
 her maiden name, adding to it that of her w°"^en. 
 husband. If she were of equal rank with her hus- 
 band, she shared his authority equally with him, and 
 he was in no sense her master. The Irish women, 
 indeed, often took part in public affairs ; and the 
 names of many of them have come down in history. 
 We find Margaret O'Carroll celebrated, not only for 
 her great hospitality, but for her energy and active 
 piety. She exchanged prisoners in the wars, herself 
 conducting them from place to place, and that "with- 
 out the knowledge of her husband." She built roads, 
 bridges, and churches, and gave to the churches 
 many books and ornaments. Another famous Irish 
 dame was Margaret Fitzgerald, wife of Margaret 
 the earl of Ormond. She is said to have f i^zgeraid. 
 been " a lady of such port, that all the estates of the 
 realm couched to her ; and so politic, that nothing was 
 thought fully debated without her counsel." When 
 she was dying, and the priest urged her to restore 
 some lands which she had unjustly seized, threaten- 
 ing her with eternal punishment if she refused, she 
 grimly replied, that '* it was better that one old 
 
98 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 woman should burn for eternity, than that the But- 
 lers (earls of Ormond) should be curtailed of their 
 estates." 
 
 The Irish chiefs of the fifteenth century usually 
 lived in frame-houses on a well fortified island, or on 
 some jutting peninsula which projected into a lake, 
 so that the water formed for them a natural defence. 
 Some of the greater chiefs, however, imitated the 
 English lords, and built strong castles of stone, in 
 which they dwelt in a rude sort of state. High walls 
 surrounded these castles, within which were built the 
 stables, as well as cottages for the chief's immediate 
 retinue and servants. Each castle, too, had its open 
 Castle and space, or ''grccn." Sometimes this was 
 hamlet. outsidc, and sometimes within, the castle 
 
 walls. The green was often the scene of merry- 
 making, of boisterous pastimes and athletic contests. 
 The Irish, like the English, have always been fond 
 of sturdy out-of-door sports. At stated periods of 
 the year, several clans would gather at one of the 
 castles ; and chiefs and vassals would witness, to- 
 gether, the trials of strength which took place on the 
 green between the rival clansmen. 
 
 The Irish of the fifteenth century were, perhaps, 
 scarcely less superstitious than were those of the fifth. 
 They were quick to believe in omens, portents, and 
 signs ; and many proverbs interpreting the freaks of 
 nature, or happenings among the people, were extant. 
 They believed in ghosts and ghostly legends, and were 
 intensely moved by the weird tales of haunted places, 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 99 
 
 and of strange events, sung to them by the bards. 
 But the superstition of the early Irish supersti- 
 rarely showed itself in cruel forms. They ^'°"^' 
 did not, like the English, doom supposed witches to 
 barbarous methods of persecution. There seems 
 good reason to believe that the fear and the severe 
 punishment of witchcraft were introduced into Ire- 
 land by the English settlers. The first example of 
 such a persecution in Ireland occurred early in the 
 fourteenth century, when Lady Alice Kettel and her 
 son were accused of " black magic." They were, 
 however, found not guilty, and released. In later 
 times, so-called witches were condemned in Ireland, 
 but usually by the English. 
 
 Although the religion of the Irish and of the Eng- 
 lish was the same, the two churches were not united 
 in Ireland. The bishops in the districts The irish 
 still held by the Irish were, as of old, bishops, 
 chosen by the election of the clergy. But the Irish 
 church had long submitted to the power of the pope ; 
 and, as each bishop was elected, he was careful to 
 receive the pope's sanction before he entered upon 
 the duties of his sacred office. The bishops of those 
 parts of Ireland held by the English, on the other 
 hand, were named by the English sovereigns, who, 
 through several reigns, had denied the right of the 
 pope to appoint or confirm bishops in England. In- 
 deed, the English Parliament had passed severe laws, 
 punishing those priests, who, whether in England 
 or in Ireland, claimed to act under an appointment 
 
I(X) YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 from the pope. In the border districts, where neither 
 Irish nor English had full control, such as Meath 
 and Louth, there were often two rival bishops, one 
 deriving his office from election by the clergy with 
 the papal sanction, and the other from the appoint- 
 ment of the English crown. The bishops of Dublin, 
 Cork, Waterford, and Limerick, were the nominees 
 of the crown ; those of Ulster, Connaught, and part 
 of Munster, were the elect of the native clergy. 
 Constant conflicts arose, therefore, between the two 
 churches. Hatreds and jealousies grew up; and, in 
 spite of many attempts to reconcile them, their dis- 
 sensions long crippled the religious usefulness of 
 both. 
 
 Ireland was not only rent, during the fifteenth 
 century, by the conflicts between the two races, but 
 was also the frequent scene of bitter family feuds, 
 Family ^ud petty wars between clan and clan, 
 
 feuds. Acts of violence, fierce revenges and re- 
 
 taliations, were of very frequent occurrence. The 
 Irishman always carried his battle-axe with him, not 
 only when he traversed the lonely roads, but also 
 when he went to mass, on a hunting expedition, or to 
 a gay festival. He was quick to fight, and fought 
 ferociously. But it must also be said, that assassina- 
 tion and treachery were not conspicuous among the 
 crimes of the Irish at that period. A 
 poisoner, or secret murderer, was looked 
 upon with horror by the people, who treated him as 
 an outcast ; while the man who slew his enemy in 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. lOI 
 
 open fight was held in honor. Some of the punish- 
 ments imposed upon criminals or enemies, indeed, 
 were barbarously cruel. They were sometimes 
 maimed in limbs, and their eyes were sometimes put 
 out. But, in this respect, the Irishman was neither 
 worse nor better than other races in that dark age. 
 
102 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE IRISH PARLIAMENT. 
 
 THE Wars of the Roses had come to a close. 
 Henry the Seventh, the first of the strong-willed 
 line of the Tudor sovereigns, sat upon the English 
 throne (1485). By his marriage with Elizabeth of 
 Union of the York, he had united the two houses of 
 Roses. York and Lancaster, which had so long 
 
 struggled with each other for supremacy. It seemed 
 as if Henry would have a long and undisputed reign. 
 Ireland had for years been left to herself, so entirely 
 had the attention of the English kings been diverted 
 from her, first by the wars with France, and then by 
 the protracted civil conflict. Henry was a stern, 
 determined man, who was fully resolved to rule with 
 an iron hand. In the earlier part of his reign, how- 
 ever, he scarcely thought of Ireland. The earl of 
 Kildare, the head of one of the branches of the pow 
 Geraidine of erful Gcraldines, was governor of IrelanJ 
 Kildare. ^^ ^\^q time of Hcnry's accession ; and, 
 
 although he had been a partisan of the Yorkists, 
 Henry's enemies, Henry allowed Kildare to remain 
 in his office. Kildare, besides being a very powerful 
 
THE IRISH PARLIAMENT. IO3 
 
 lord, had a great deal of influence with the native 
 clans ; and, for this reason, the new king thought it 
 wise not to disturb him. 
 
 But in no long time an event occurred which drew 
 Henry's attention to Ireland. His enemies sought 
 to make Ireland a point from whence to assail his 
 hold on the English crown. The Yorkist heir to 
 the crown was Edward, earl of Warwick, who had 
 been kept for some time a close prisoner in the Tower 
 of London. Suddenly an English priest arrived in 
 Dublin, bringing with him a handsome youth with 
 attractive manners, whom he declared to be no other 
 than the earl of Warwick. Henry's enemies promptly 
 espoused the cause of the pretended Warwick, who 
 was really an impostor, and whose true name was 
 Lambert Simnel. He was the son of an , 
 
 Lambert 
 
 English shoemaker. Nevertheless, the simnei in 
 earl of Kildare himself, and many of ^""^^^"^ 
 the nobles and chiefs in Ireland, both English and 
 Irish, recognized Simnel as the rightful king of Eng- 
 land ; and Simnel was solemnly crowned in Christ- 
 church cathedral, Dublin, by the bishop of Meath. 
 His partisans, emboldened by this event, lost no time 
 in preparing to make good his claim in England. 
 
 The French duchess of Burgundy, who was a 
 bitter foe of Henry, sent a fleet, with two thousand 
 veteran soldiers, to the pretender's aid. The com- 
 bined forces of French and Irish, with many English 
 Yorkists, in all about eight thousand, landed on the 
 Lancashire coast, and boldly marched into Yorkshire. 
 
104 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Thence they moved southward, and were confronted 
 by Henry and his army near Newark. After an 
 Defeat of the obstinatc battle, Henry was victorious. 
 
 pretender. -pj^g gg^j-J ^f LiuColu, tWO of the Gcral- 
 
 dines, and Sir Thomas Broughton, on the pretender's 
 side, were killed ; and Lambert Simnel himself was 
 taken prisoner. The king treated his defeated ene- 
 mies with singular leniency. He pardoned Simnel, 
 who afterwards became a servant in the royal kitchen ; 
 and, what is still more strange, he permitted the earl 
 of Kildare to continue as governor of Ireland in 
 spite of his treason. As for the rest of the survivors 
 of the expedition, they were allowed to go free, no 
 punishment being inflicted upon them. 
 
 The failure of Simnel's attempt did not wholly 
 discourage those who wished to drive Henry from 
 the English throne. Five years afterwards, another 
 Perkin prctcndcr, Perkin Warbeck, who claimed 
 
 Warbeck. ^q ]^q ^]^q ^h]^q of York, son of Edward 
 
 the Fourth, and one of the princes who were sup- 
 posed to have been murdered in the Tower of London, 
 landed in Ireland. He, too, was supported by the 
 duchess of Burgundy, and was also encouraged by 
 the French king. His first visit to Ireland produced 
 no result ; but a few years later, after many adven- 
 tures, he again made his appearance on Irish soil. 
 He was now joined by the great earl of Desmond, 
 of the Geraldine family, and by many of the Irish 
 and English of Cork. He laid siege to Waterford, 
 but was forced to give up the attempt to take that 
 
THE IRISH PARLIAMENT. IO5 
 
 town. Then Desmond deserted him, and Warbeck 
 retreated to Scotland. He was at last capture of 
 captured by Henry's adherents, and exe- "Warbeck. 
 cuted (1499). Desmond sought and obtained the 
 king's pardon, and remained as powerful as ever on 
 his domain. But Kildare, his kinsman, was not let 
 off so easily. He was thrown into prison in England, 
 and his wife died of the terror caused by the fear 
 that he might be executed. 
 
 The Irish Parliament had originally comprised an as- 
 sembly of the lords, bishops, and the principal English 
 landlords, who were summoned to register The Irish 
 the king's commands, to consult about the Par^^ai^ent. 
 raising of money, and to advise the king concerning 
 the affairs of the island ; and its rise had taken place 
 soon after the first intrusion of the English. In the 
 thirteenth century, members, called ''knights of the 
 shire," representing the counties, took their seats m 
 Parliament ; and, towards the close of the same century, 
 "burgesses," representing the towns, were admitted 
 to its sessions. Parliament was summoned to meet by 
 the king's representative in Ireland, sometimes fre- 
 quently, and sometimes at rare intervals. There was 
 no stated time for it to assemble. It generally met at 
 Dublin ; but now and then it was called upon to meet 
 at Kilkenny, or at Drogheda. At some periods, there 
 seem to have been at least two parliaments in Ireland. 
 One, composed of the lords, bishops, and commons of 
 Leinster, met at the same time that another, similarly 
 composed, was sitting in Munster. 
 
I06 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 For a long time the Irish Parliament had been 
 subject to the powerful influence of the earl of 
 Power of Kildare and a few other great Anglo-Irish 
 Kiidare. lords. It had by no means been obedient 
 
 to the English crown. On one occasion, it ventured 
 to choose a viceroy or governor, instead of the one 
 who had been appointed by the king. On another, it 
 declared boldly that Ireland was only bound to obey 
 the laws of the Irish Parliament. It recognized 
 Simnel as the rightful heir to the English crown, 
 and abetted the Geraldines — the earls of Kildare 
 and Desmond — in their rebellions. It gave protec- 
 tion to the plotters against the English king, and to 
 disloyal Englishmen who repaired to Ireland to escape 
 capture and punishment. In the time of Henry the 
 Seventh, the Irish Parliament had somewhat changed 
 its character. There were now two houses, 
 
 Two houses. 
 
 the upper and lower. In the upper house 
 sat the lords, bishops, abbots, and priors. The lower 
 house was composed of the knights of the shire and 
 the burgesses. Thus the Irish Parliament, in its 
 composition, now much resembled that of England. 
 
 King Henry was at last fully aroused to the neces- 
 sity of paying some attention to Ireland. He looked 
 upon Ireland as a part of his dominions, yet neither 
 the English settlers nor the native Irish were loyal 
 to his crown. Twice had Ireland been the starting- 
 points of attempts to drive him from his throne. 
 He therefore sent over Sir Edward Poyning with a 
 thousand soldiers, to restore, if possible, the royal 
 
THE IRISH PARLIAMENT. TO/ 
 
 authority. Poyning, like his master the king, was a 
 stern, resolute man. He called together the Irish 
 Parliament, and caused it to re-affirm the Kilkenny 
 law which had been imposed by Clarence more than 
 a century before. One or two of its provisions were, 
 however, omitted. Parliament was also compelled 
 to pass a law, which is known in history Poyning's 
 as " Poyning's Law," declaring that no ^^^• 
 Parliament should thenceforth assemble in Ireland, 
 until the measures it intended to pass had been sub- 
 mitted to the king and his council, and had been 
 approved by them. The laws passed by the Irish 
 Parliament, moreover, were to be sent to the English 
 council, the members of which might alter them 
 at pleasure ; and, after they had been sent back to 
 Ireland thus amended, they could not be further 
 changed by the Irish houses. 
 
 These were not the only measures which the de- 
 termined Poynings procured from the Irish Parlia- 
 ment. The custom of '' coyne and liv- coyne and 
 ery," or quartering soldiers in the houses "^^ry. 
 of the people, was forbidden. The land-owners were 
 required to live upon their estates. The freemen of 
 the towns were prohibited from entering the service 
 of the lords ; and it was declared treason to instigate 
 the native Irish to war. These were good laws, and 
 were intended to protect the people from the tyranny 
 of the nobles. Poyning, moreover, caused a law to 
 be passed, that the chief officials and judges should 
 hold office at the king's discretion, and not, as before, 
 
I08 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 for life. The effect of Poyning's Law was what 
 the king had intended. The Irish Parliament, often 
 rebellious and never thoroughly loyal, was stripped 
 of all real power, reduced to helplessness, and be- 
 came merely an assembly to proclaim such laws as 
 England chose that Ireland should have. Poyning 
 demanded one more act of this Parliament before it 
 was dissolved. This was, that it should condemn the 
 The Earl of carl of Kildarc, who had given Henry so 
 Kiidare. much troublc, as a traitor. The pliant 
 houses yielded to the demand, and then separated. 
 
 The earl of Kiidare was a very bold, audacious, 
 quick-witted man. He had always held close rela- 
 tions with the native Irish, and had shown himself to 
 be not only an inveterate, but a formidable enemy of 
 the English crown. No sooner, however, did he find 
 himself Henry's prisoner, than he formed a scheme 
 to recover his freedom, and to return to Ireland 
 more powerful than ever. He had been charged, 
 among other things, with having caused the cathedral 
 of Cashel to be set on fire. To this he bluntly re- 
 plied, in the presence of the king, that he would 
 not have done so, if he had not supposed that the 
 archbishop was inside. The archbishop was a close 
 Kiidare's adherent of the earl of Ormond, Kildare's 
 audacity. bitter rival. Henry was amused at this 
 audacious answer, and told Kiidare that he might 
 choose any advocate he chose to plead his cause. "I 
 fear," was Kildare's reply, *'that your Highness will 
 not permit me to choose the honest man I prefer." 
 
THE IRISH PARLIAMENT. lOQ 
 
 The king assured him that he would. "Then," said 
 the earl, *' I know no better man to defend me than 
 your Highness's self, nor will I choose any other." 
 
 The archbishop of Cashel and the earl of Ormond, 
 who were present, cried out at this, **A11 Ireland 
 cannot rule the earl of Kildare ! " Whereupon 
 Henry, who had been completely won by Kildare's 
 boldness, said, ''Then shall he rule all Ireland." 
 Kildare was not only pardoned on the spot, but was 
 appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and ,,.,, 
 
 ^^ _ ^ ' Kildare made 
 
 received Elizabeth St. John, cousin of lord-iieu- 
 the king, as his second wife. He re- *^"^"*' 
 turned to Dublin armed with almost royal power. 
 And now, completely changing his conduct, he be- 
 came entirely devoted to the interests of the Eng- 
 lish crown. His government was stronger than any 
 that Ireland had seen for sixty years. He asserted 
 his authority over the Anglo-Irish barons and the 
 natives alike, and vigorously suppressed all resist- 
 ance to his will. 
 
 In an obstinate conflict with the clan of Burke, 
 Kildare entirely overcame his enemy at the battle of 
 Knockdoe (1504). In the later years of Battle of 
 his rule, Kildare seems to have become knockdoe. 
 almost the absolute master of Ireland. He went 
 hither and thither as he pleased in the island, sup- 
 pressed and raised up chiefs, and planted his garrisons 
 in many places where the English had not before 
 secured a foothold. This energetic and unscrupu- 
 lous lord remained in power as governor of Ireland 
 
no YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 until his death (15 17). He is described by an old 
 writer, as " of tall stature and goodly presence ; very 
 liberal and merciful ; of strict piety ; mild in his 
 government; passionate, but easily appeased." The 
 English colony in Ireland, indeed, produced few 
 abler men, few more brilliant rulers or generals, than 
 Gerald, earl of Kildare. 
 
HENRY THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HENRY THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. 
 
 THE rule of the earl of Kildare marked the turn- 
 ing point in favor of English ascendancy in 
 Ireland. There were to be many and terrible strug- 
 gles before the English power established full sway 
 over the heroic and patriotic clans throughout the 
 island ; but, from the time of Kildare, the chiefs of 
 the ancient families gradually lost more and more 
 their hold upon the country. Thenceforth, victory 
 was to attend the effort of the English to subdue 
 Ireland. When Henry the Seventh died (1509), 
 leaving the throne to his despotic son, Henry the 
 Eighth, the new king was even more firmly Henry the 
 resolved than his father had been to fasten ^'g^^*^- 
 the yoke of English government upon the Irish. 
 But, at first, Henry the Eighth was disposed to try 
 mild measures. He declared that, while the power of 
 the crown should be strictly maintained in Ireland, 
 he would also endeavor to win the native chiefs, by 
 bestowing royal favors upon them, and securing them 
 in their domains, and thus gain their allegiance. 
 But soon a grave obstacle in the way of the fulfil- 
 
112 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ment of Henry's plans arose, in the conduct of 
 the more than ever formidable family of Kildare. 
 Gerald of Thc great earl had left a son, Gerald, who 
 Kildare. ^^g appointed lord-deputy in his place. 
 This new earl of Kildare was hot-headed and insub- 
 ordinate. The king could not rely upon his loyalty ; 
 and, before he had long been in authority in Ireland, 
 Kildare was charged by his rivals, the family of 
 Ormond, with high treason. Three times was Kil 
 dare summoned to England to answer this charge, 
 and three times was he deposed from the lord-deputy- 
 ship. At last he was thrown into the Tower of 
 London. His son Thomas, a youth of twenty, who, 
 from the elegance of his attire, was called " Silken 
 Thomas," was acting in Ireland, in his place, as vice- 
 deputy. For purposes of his own, Henry caused a 
 rumor to be spread in Ireland that Kildare had been 
 Thomas of bcheadcd. This aroused Thomas to a 
 Kildare. frcuzy of gricf and rage. Entering the 
 council chamber in St. Mary's abbey, Dublin, at the 
 head of a hundred and forty retainers, he threw his 
 sword of office violently upon the council table, and 
 declared that he renounced his allegiance to the 
 English king. 
 
 A struo;o;le forthwith broke out between the im- 
 petuous young scion of Kildare and Henry's ad- 
 herents in Ireland. Henry, prompted by his great 
 minister, cardinal Wolsey, grimly made up his mind 
 to crush once and for all the power of the restless 
 and untrustworthy Geraldines of Kildare. Thomas of 
 
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 PL, 
 
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 CO 
 
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 C/3 
 
HENRY THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. II3 
 
 Kildare, on the other hand, declared war to the bitter 
 end against the English. He besieged Dublin, but 
 in vain. He seized the long-time enemy of his 
 house, the archbishop of Cashel, and caused him to 
 be murdered. He appealed to the O'Connors, the 
 O'Mores, and other chiefs, to come to his aid. But 
 the fiery young Geraldine soon met with a fatal 
 check. The castle of Maynooth, supposed siege of 
 to be proof against every assault, was gar- Maynooth. 
 risoned by Irish soldiers. It was now vigorously 
 besieged by a well-disciplined English force under 
 Skeffington. 
 
 Gunpowder had recently come into use, and the 
 English were armed with guns and artillery. The 
 Irish had still only their ancient weapons, — swords 
 and spears. The result was that the English cannon 
 soon made a breach in the fortress of Maynooth, and 
 that once impregnable stronghold was taken. Young 
 Thomas saw that all was lost, and surrendered his 
 person to the mercies of the English monarch. 
 Henry promised to pardon him ; but, as soon as he 
 reached London, Thomas was thrown into the Tower 
 of London, where his father, the earl of Kildare, had 
 recently died of a broken heart. The extinction of 
 the Geraldines of Kildare was now sternly resolved 
 upon, and this end was to be attained by treachery. 
 The new lord-deputy of Ireland was Lord Leonard 
 Gray, who had married a sister of the late earl of 
 Kildare. Five of the earl's brothers were living in 
 Ireland. Three of them were loyal to the English 
 
114 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 crown. Yet it was determined to get rid of them 
 all. 
 
 Gray invited his five brothers-in-law to a great ban- 
 quet, seized them as they sat at table, and caused 
 them to be sent as prisoners to London. The next 
 , year all five of the Geraldine brothers and 
 
 Execution of -' 
 
 the Gerai- Thomas, their nephew, were hanged, on 
 dines. ^^^ charge of high treason, on Tyburn Hill. 
 
 A younger son of the late earl, however, escaped the 
 fate of his brother and uncles, and in after years was 
 restored to the earldom of Kildare. The effect in 
 Ireland of the execution of the Geraldines was to 
 greatly increase and extend the power of the crown. 
 Gray was a vigorous ruler, and lost no time in follow- 
 ing up his advantage. He successively subdued 
 O'Connor, the Geraldines of Munster, and finally 
 Capture of O'Neil. Ho capturcd Athlone, the great 
 Athione. stroughold of Counaught, and reduced the 
 Burkes to inaction, if not to submission (1538). 
 
 Meanwhile, the great movement of religious refor- 
 mation had begun in England. Henry the Eighth, 
 bent on divorcing his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, 
 and marrying Anne Boleyn, had had a rupture with 
 the pope of Rome, who forbade the divorce ; and had 
 declared himself to be the only head of the church 
 and clergy in England. He had followed up this 
 
 Henr 'sseiz ^"^^^ coursc by supprcssiug a large num- 
 ure of the bcr of monasteries, and taking possession 
 monasteries. ^£ their houscs and lands for the crown. 
 He adopted the same policy towards the Irish 
 
HENRY THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. II 5 
 
 monasteries, which he had no fair excuse for doing. 
 The Irish priests and monks had not, like many of 
 those in England, become corrupt, immoral, and neg- 
 lectful of their pious duties. They still zealously 
 sustained religion and fostered learning. Schools 
 were held within the monastery walls. The monks 
 lodged travellers, were active in charities, and often 
 acted as mediators between rival and quarrelsome 
 chiefs. Their influence among the people was the 
 best and most hopeful feature of Irish life. 
 
 But these facts had no influence upon the despotic 
 Henry. Gray, the lord-deputy of Ireland, summoned 
 an Irish Parliament, and demanded that it, too, should 
 declare the English king the supreme head of the 
 church. His demand was strenuously resisted by 
 the bishops and abbots, and by many of the lords; 
 and they succeeded in preventing the declaration 
 from being made (1537). Gray now took an arbitrary 
 course. He caused Parliament to exclude the proc- 
 tors from the upper House. Henry was then de- 
 clared the sole head of the Irish Church. 
 More than four hundred monasteries and declared the 
 abbeys were suppressed, and their prop ^°'^ ^^^^ °^ 
 erties were confiscated to the English 
 crown. If the abbot of one of the suppressed mon- 
 asteries resisted, he was thrown into prison. The 
 edict was carried out by force. Those abbots and 
 monks who peacefully submitted to it, and went 
 quietly away, were granted small sums of money, 
 and, in some cases, annual stipends. 
 
Il6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Thus Gray, during the two years of his severe and 
 energetic rule, had not only subdued the Irish Parlia- 
 ment, but the church also, to the power of the crown. 
 Ireland had not been so tranquil, as now, for many 
 generations. Never had she so felt the iron hand of 
 , the oppressinsj race. The Eno-lish Pale 
 
 Increase of ^^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 English had been enlarged ; and its English occu- 
 
 power. pants had been strengthened, so that they 
 
 no longer paid tributes, for their safety's sake, to the 
 outlying Irish clans. Many of the native chiefs had 
 given up the lands, that they might be given back to 
 them by the king, in return for their sworn loyalty 
 to the crown ; and such chiefs were protected by the 
 lord-deputy, and accepted the English instead of the 
 old Brehon law. They could thereby sell their land, 
 compel the tenants to pay rent for it, and bequeath 
 it to their children. The land was no longer, as 
 formerly, the common property of the tribe. 
 
 Having thus imposed his authority on the English 
 settlers and on a number of the Irish chiefs, and 
 asserted his ability to maintain his dominion in Ire- 
 land, Henry the Eighth entered upon a course of 
 conciliation. Many of the greater native princes 
 and chiefs still held aloof. St. Leger, who succeeded 
 Gray as lord-deputy, undertook the task of winning 
 them over. In no long time, the king had secured 
 Allegiance of the allegiance of the O'Mores, the O'Con- 
 the chiefs. j^Qj-s^ ^Y\Q O'MelaghHns, the O'Carrolls, the 
 O'Tooles, and other chiefs of eastern Ireland. He 
 had also conciliated the earl of Desmond, the head 
 
HENRY THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. II/ 
 
 of the Munster branch of the Geraldines, and Mc- 
 William, earl of Clanricarde, — two great EngHsh 
 lords who had been hostile. St. Leger called Parlia- 
 ment together, in which, for the first time in the 
 history of Ireland, English lords and Irish chiefs 
 sat side by side. This Parliament con- „ 
 
 •' Henry recog- 
 
 firmed Henry as the sole head of the nizedas^King 
 Church, and recognized him as '* king of °^ ^^eiand. 
 Ireland." Before that time, the English kings had 
 always been known as "lords of Ireland." 
 
 These acts were followed by a series of brilliant 
 festivities in Dublin. The hilltops glowed with bon- 
 fires ; the cannon roared from the castle ; an amnesty 
 of all prisoners was proclaimed. Henry hastened to 
 bind more closely the allegiance of the chiefs who 
 had come in, by grants of land ; and some of the chiefs 
 went to London to witness and be impressed by the 
 splendors of Henry's royal court. Dazzled by these 
 things, some of the princes, who had hitherto held 
 proudly aloof, gave in their submission. Of these 
 the chief were O'Brien, who received his reward by 
 beins: created earl of Thomond: O'Donnel ^^ ^. , 
 
 o ' The chiefs 
 
 of Ulster ; and even the haughty O'Neil, created 
 who accepted from the king the title of ^^"^' 
 earl of Tyrone. Henry followed up these submis- 
 sions by suppressing the monasteries in the districts 
 thus added to his dominion, seizing the church lands, 
 and bestowing them upon the newly conciliated chiefs. 
 He also caused large sums of money to be paid to 
 them, and gave to each loyal chief a house in Dublin, 
 
Il8 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 that " they might suck in civility with the air of the 
 court." 
 
 After the death of Henry the Eighth (1547), the 
 protector Somerset controlled the affairs of England 
 during the minority of the boy king, Edward the 
 Sixth. He went much farther than Henry had done 
 in trying to force the English people away from 
 Somerset's their ancicut faith ; and the same rigorous 
 severity. mcthods which he employed in England, 
 he applied to Ireland for the same purpose. Not 
 content with the suppression of the monasteries, and 
 the seizing and dividing-up of their lands, Somerset, 
 aided by Cranmer, sought to compel the Irish church 
 to use the new Protestant liturgy, instead of the old 
 Catholic one. The archbishop of Armagh, however, 
 who was at the head of the Irish church, and almost 
 all the priesthood, refused to accept it ; while five 
 of the Anglo-Irish bishops submitted. Meanwhile 
 Resistance ^^^ pcoplc, outragcd by the violence com- 
 to Protes- mitted upon the ancient relics, — upon 
 an ism. ^^^ shrincs and tombs, and the abbeys 
 of their church, — by the soldiers of the lord-deputy, 
 resisted, wherever they could, the imposition of the 
 new faith. 
 
 The accession of Mary, a Catholic, to the throne 
 of England, was the signal for a pause in the attempt 
 to revolutionize the Irish church. The bishops who 
 had refused to accept the new liturgy were recalled 
 from exile ; those who had accepted it were turned 
 out of their sees, and fled for safety ; and the young 
 
HENRV THE EIGHTH AND IRELAND. II9 
 
 earl of Kildare, who had stood stoutly by the ancient 
 faith, was restored to his title and domains. ., ,. ,. 
 
 ' Catholic 
 
 The Protestant prayer-book was forbidden, re-acuon in 
 
 J • 1 • T 1 i» Ireland. 
 
 and mass was once more said in Ireland s 
 venerable cathedrals. The people were allowed to 
 worship according to the faith to which they clung. 
 The church lands, indeed, which had been taken 
 away, and given to Englishmen, were not restored 
 to their former possessors. On the contrary, Mary 
 continued the practice of granting such lands to 
 her courtiers and favorites. But, for a brief period, 
 the Anglo-Irish and the native clans were allowed to 
 worship according to the old religion in peace. 
 
120 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SHANE o'nEIL. 
 
 IT was during the long reign of Elizabeth, that 
 that fierce conflict between the rival Catholic and 
 Protestant churches in Ireland began, which endured, 
 Conflict be- S-lmost without pausc, down to the nine- 
 tween the tccuth ccntury. It was also during her 
 reign, that the system of " planting " Ire- 
 land with English colonies was deliberately adopted 
 as the policy of the crown, and relentlessly pursued. 
 That stern and self-willed queen, inheriting all the 
 despotic traits of her family, was even more resolute 
 and persistent, if possible, than her father had been, 
 in reducing Ireland to absolute political and religious 
 subjection to English rule. But she was destined 
 to experience many obstacles, and to undergo many 
 mortifications, before she could attain her end. Nor 
 did she ever attain her end completely. 
 
 In spite of the submission of so many of the 
 Anglo-Irish and native lords to Henry, patriotism, a 
 Patriotism ficrcc cHuging to independence, still sur- 
 of the Irish, ^i^ej in Ireland. O'Neil, O'Brien, O'Don- 
 nel, and other chiefs of ancient lineage, had sold 
 
SHANE o'nEIL. 121 
 
 their birthright for a mess of pottage. But many 
 great chiefs, as well as many lesser chiefs and the 
 mass of the tribesmen, were far from subdued to 
 English rule. There were leading men, too, who 
 were not only dissatisfied, but were eager to lead 
 revolts against the English and their Irish allies. 
 Among them were the valiant young sons of O'Neil 
 and O'Donnel. Especially active in his hostility to 
 the recent changes was Shane O'Neil, one shane 
 of the most striking figures in Irish history. O'Neii. 
 His elder half-brother, Matthew, who was an illegiti- 
 mate son of the newly created earl of Tyrone, had 
 been declared the earl's heir. Shane was naturally 
 outraged that an illegitimate son should be preferred 
 to him, who was the earl's eldest son born in wed- 
 lock. But Shane was not influenced by this feeling 
 alone. He showed the same proud spirit of inde- 
 pendence which had so long marked the royal race of 
 O'Neil. He was bitterly angry with his father for 
 humbling himself to the English king, and for stoop- 
 ing to accept from him the earldom of Tyrone. 
 
 Shane O'Neil resolved to make a desperate attempt 
 to shake off the English yoke. He went among the 
 native Irish, urging them to resist the foreigners. 
 He caused his half-brother, the illegitimate Matthew, 
 to be killed ; and he succeeded in drawing his father, 
 the earl of Tyrone, away from the English side. He 
 then undertook the task of preventing the English 
 settlers from planting themselves in Ulster, and of 
 frightening the Ulster chiefs into submission to his 
 
122 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 rule. He tried hard to unite the Irish ; while Sussex, 
 Revolt of the lord-lieutenant, tried as hard to sow 
 Shane. disseusions among them. O'Neil sent to 
 
 the French king for aid, but in vain. Meanwhile 
 Sussex gathered a large force with which to crush 
 the bold young rebel of the North. But Shane, at 
 the head of seven thousand determined Irishmen, 
 was not so easily overcome. After a campaign, from 
 which he derived neither advantage nor glory, Sussex 
 resolved to resort to treachery. He hired a man 
 named Gray, for a piece of land, to assassinate 
 Shane ; but Gray failed to carry out the plan. Then 
 Sussex sent Shane some poisoned wine, in the hope 
 that he would drink it, and so die. But this attempt 
 also failed. 
 
 At this juncture the earl of Kildare, who was a 
 cousin of Shane O'Neil, and was also friendly to the 
 English power, brought about a cessation of hostili- 
 shane goes tics. Shauc was pcrsuadcd to go to Lon- 
 to London, ^q^ ^^^ make his peace with the haughty 
 queen. He was promised liberal and generous treat- 
 ment. He accordingly repaired, with a retinue of 
 Irish soldiers attired in their native costume of saffron 
 shirts, fur jackets, sandalled shoes, and long, curled 
 hair, to the brilliant court of Elizabeth. The Irish 
 chief was graciously received by the queen, who ad- 
 mired the stalwart forms of Shane and his men, and 
 who was not less politic than despotic in her nature. 
 A treaty was soon made between them. Elizabeth 
 acknowledged Shane O'Neil as " Captain of Tyrone;" 
 
SHANE O NEIL. 1 23 
 
 but she did not yet award him the earldom, which 
 the recent death of his father had left vacant. She 
 also promised that her troops should be withdrawn 
 from a portion of Ulster. Shane, on his side, agreed 
 to set at liberty the chief O'Donnel, whom he held 
 as a prisoner, and to drive out a certain settlement 
 of Scots, which had recently been made on the north- 
 eastern coast of Ireland. 
 
 Shane's promise to exterminate this Scottish set- 
 tlement, in order to please the English queen, was 
 an act of sheer treachery ; for the Scottish colonists 
 had stood stoutly by him in all his contests with his 
 English foes. It was at their hands, finally, that 
 his ruin came, as a retribution for his treason to 
 them. He returned to Ulster, and there continued 
 his work of subduino^ the jealous chiefs „, 
 
 <=> •> Shane sub- 
 
 who still defied his power. He soon dues the 
 showed that he held lightly his pledges to 
 Elizabeth ; but so embroiled, at that time, was Eng- 
 land with Scotland and the Continental powers, that 
 Elizabeth was forced to conciliate the bold Irish chief 
 by new concessions. She now recognized him as earl 
 of Tyrone, and gave him all the power that his father 
 had enjoyed. Shane, although he refused to intrust 
 himself again at the English court, received the 
 queen's envoys with lavish hospitality, and concluded 
 wdth them a new treaty of peace. 
 
 His power in Ulster was now greater than it had 
 ever been. One of the first uses that he made of it 
 was to fulfil his promise to extirpate the Scottish set- 
 
124 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tiers. He let loose his fierce soldiers suddenly upon 
 them, and caused them to be ruthlessly 
 power in killed or driven out. A period of com- 
 ^^^^^^- parative tranquillity ensued, during which 
 
 Shane ruled in Ulster with a strong hand. He re- 
 frained from assailing the English of the Pale. Crops 
 were abundantly grown in the province, and lawless- 
 ness was severely punished. Two years thus passed, 
 during which Shane's government was vigorous and 
 successful. But, all the while, the English were at 
 heart jealous of his rule; and Shane was in reality 
 War be Cfuitc as hostilc to them. The war broke 
 tween Ulster out aucw bctwecn Ulstcr and the Pale, 
 and the Pale, g-^ Hcury Sidney arrived in Ireland, as 
 lord-deputy (1565), to find the conflict fiercely raging. 
 He at once made common cause with those Ulster 
 chiefs who had always hated, and, when they could, 
 had always resisted Shane O'Neil. 
 
 Some of Shane's old friends and allies, moreover, 
 notably O'Donnel, earl of Tyrconnel, perceiving that 
 Shane's cause was fast losing ground, joined his 
 enemies. The bold Ulster chief was at last brought 
 to bay. In his desperation, Shane turned for help 
 and protection to the remnant of that very Scottish 
 colony upon whom he had, to please the English 
 queen, wreaked such savage cruelties. With a few 
 Ulstermen who remained faithful to him, he reck- 
 lessly threw himself upon the mercy of the Scots. 
 They received him with apparent good-grace, and 
 offered him a refuge from his foes. But, in reality. 
 
SHANE O NEIL. 12$ 
 
 the Scots, who had lost fathers, brothers, sons, at the 
 hands of Shane's murderous emissaries, had ven- 
 ireance in their hearts. One day they ,, , 
 
 o _ J J Murder of 
 
 invited Shane and his retainers to a feast, shane 
 Barring the doors of the banqueting-room, ^ ^^'^• 
 they fell upon their captives ; and Shane and every- 
 one of his followers were killed upon the spot. 
 
 Shane O'Neil had committed many crimes. He 
 had caused his half-brother to be murdered, and had 
 won away the wife of his father-in-law. He had 
 caused many savage deeds to be committed. But he 
 lived in a rude age, when such crimes were thought 
 far more lightly of than they are now. On the other 
 hand, Shane struggled valiantly, and to the bitter end, 
 against the subjection of Ulster to the foreign power 
 of England. When he had a chance to govern his 
 province, he governed it wisely and well, shane's 
 For these traits, he is still remembered government, 
 with honor in Ireland. On his death, Ulster lay 
 helpless before English power ; for there was no 
 warrior like Shane to take his place. Turlough 
 O'Neil was, indeed, recognized by Elizabeth as the 
 chief of his clan ; but the chiefs who had followed 
 Shane's fortunes became the vassals of the English 
 crown, and Turlough's authority in Ulster was only 
 nominal. He, too, was really a vassal of the haughty 
 English queen. 
 
126 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 IRELAND UNDER ELIZABETH. 
 
 THE fall of Shane O'Neil was followed by prompt 
 and energetic measures by Queen Elizabeth. 
 With her iron will, she resolved to make Ireland 
 Protestant in religion, and English in ownership. 
 But from the first, Protestantism meant, in Irish 
 eyes, not only a religion hostile to that to which they 
 
 Elizabeth's ^^'^^ always bccn wedded, but a mark of 
 treatment of English tyranny and ascendancy. In spite 
 of the fact, therefore, that the offices of 
 Ireland were filled by Protestants, and that the way, 
 not only to wealth and power, but even to peace and 
 comfort, was to become a Protestant, the new faith 
 made no progress among the natives, and very little 
 among the old English settlers. Not only the O'Neils 
 and the O'Donnels, but the Desmonds and Kildares, 
 adhered to the Roman creed. It was in Elizabeth's 
 time, and by reason of the acts of her agents, that 
 Protestantism became identified in the Irish mind 
 with the oppressions and miseries of the land ; and 
 that sentiment remained rooted in the Irish heart 
 down to recent times. 
 
IRELAND UNDER ELIZABETH. 12/ 
 
 But while Elizabeth failed to convert the Irish, or 
 even to force them to accept the new faith, her 
 scheme to colonize Ireland with English colonization 
 colonies was carried forward vigorously, °^ Ireland, 
 and with some success. It had already been pro- 
 posed, in the time of Henry the Eighth, to plant 
 the Irish soil with English settlements ; that is, to 
 oust the native tillers of the land, and replace them 
 by English farmers. But it was not until the sup- 
 pression of Shane's rebellion that this plan was at- 
 tempted on a large scale. The first plantations, 
 however, were doomed to failure. Two colonies 
 were established in Ulster, on the domains of the 
 O'Neils ; but that still fierce and unconquered clan 
 fell upon the colonists, and killed them to The Eari 
 a man. Some years later, however, Walter °^ Essex. 
 Devereux, earl of Essex, received from the queen a 
 large tract in Antrim (1573). 
 
 Devereux was a stern, cruel, resolute man. His 
 district was occupied, to a large extent, by a colony 
 of Scotsmen. He undertook not only to drive them 
 from the soil, but also to get rid of the native clans, 
 who thwarted him at every step. In pursuing these 
 ends, Devereux resorted to murder and treachery 
 without remorse. He enticed Con O'Donnel to a 
 meeting, seized him, and cast him into prison. He 
 invited Brian O'Neil to a banquet. Brian came, with 
 his wife, brother, and a large retinue. Devereux's 
 soldiers fell upon them, and slew them every one. 
 He took Rathlin Island, and massacred, not only the 
 
128 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Scottish garrison, but the old men, women, and chil- 
 dren. Not less atrocious were the methods by which 
 The planting the attempt was made to plant Muns- 
 of Munster. ^gj- Elizabeth gave authority to twenty- 
 seven Englishmen to seize the domains of Cork, 
 Limerick, and Kerry. The chief among these was 
 Sir Peter Carew, a man of brutal temper, who had 
 lost his fortune, and was eager to become rich again. 
 Carew had the pretence of a claim to certain lands 
 in southern Ireland ; and these claims he sought to 
 make good by acts of the most barbarous cruelty. 
 He desolated the districts over which he passed, and 
 massacred men, women, and children without mercy. 
 These savage cruelties, committed by the English 
 intruders, soon aroused some of the Anglo-Irish chiefs 
 to action. The Geraldines put themselves at the head 
 of a revolt, and an appeal for aid was sent to the pope, 
 and to the Spanish king. The leader of the revolt 
 Revolt of was James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, cousin 
 Fitzgerald, ^f |-]^g g^j-j ^f Dcsmond j that earl being 
 
 now a prisoner in London. Fitzgerald was bold, 
 fearless, and hot-blooded. But, in his first attempt 
 to resist the English, his force was too feeble to cope 
 with them. Sir Henry Sidney, who was now lord- 
 deputy of Ireland, was not less cruel than Essex and 
 Carew. He led an army into Munster, which he 
 desolated by fire and sword. Towns and villages 
 were laid waste ; and women and children, as well as 
 men, were ruthlessly put to the sword. The earl of 
 Ormond, the great rival of the Geraldines of the 
 
IRELAND UNDER ELIZABETH. 1 29 
 
 South, cast in his lot with the EngHsh ; and Fitzgerald 
 was soon forced to take refuge in the mountains of 
 Kerry. 
 
 Though shut up for the time in the hilly fastnesses, 
 Fitzgerald was by no means subdued. He soon be- 
 gan to prepare the way for another rebellion. In 
 order to strengthen his cause, he had re- 
 course to England's enemies on the Con- appeals to 
 tinent. Foremost among these enemies *^^ cathouc 
 was Philip, king of Spain ; Spain be- 
 ing England's most formidable rival on the seas. 
 The pope, too, whose authority in England had been 
 overthrown by Henry the Eighth, and who had seen 
 the Catholic church replaced by a Protestant church 
 by Elizabeth, might well be inclined to aid a revolt 
 against her undertaken by the Catholic Irish. Fitz- 
 gerald went, first to Spain, and then to Rome. Philip 
 would not openly aid the insurgents ; but the pope 
 responded to Fitzgerald's appeal, by fitting out a 
 small fleet to go to Ireland. This fleet, however, 
 was put under the command of an unscrupulous 
 Englishman named Stukely ; who, instead of sailing 
 to Ireland, used the fleet in piratical cruising in the 
 Mediterranean. But Fitzgerald was not dismayed 
 by this loss. With a few Spanish recruits and some 
 warlike monks, he landed at Smerwick, on the west 
 coast of Ireland, and promptly fortified that place. 
 
 A second rebellion, far more obstinate and for- 
 midable than that which had been so quickly sup- 
 pressed by Sir Henry Sidney, now broke out all over 
 
130 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Ireland. The hideous cruelties perpetrated by the 
 The second lord-deputies Fitton and Sidney ; the mas- 
 rebeiiion. sacres, ravages, and burnings which had 
 marked the conduct of the English *' planters ; " the 
 bloodthirsty vigor with which it had been attempted 
 to exterminate the native Irish from their ancestral 
 homes, had roused the people of Ulster, Munster, 
 and Connaught to a bitter and burning hatred of 
 their oppressors. The treatment of the AngloTrish 
 — the original English settlers — had not been a whit 
 less barbarous. Even the English of the Pale, who 
 had been so long protected and fostered by the 
 crown, had latterly felt the iron hand of tyranny, 
 and were inclined to join their fortunes to those of 
 the insurgents. Bands of the Irish quickly gathered 
 in the great forest of Kilmore, in the county of 
 Limerick, where they were drilled by some Spanish 
 soldiers, and where their supplies were 
 
 Spanish aid. 
 
 collected ; and from thence Fitzgerald 
 sallied forth to kindle resistance in Connaught. 
 
 At the very outset of the rebellion, however, the 
 insurgents lost their brave and energetic leader. 
 Fitzmaurice was killed as he attempted to pass the 
 river Muckern. The earl of Desmond had now been 
 released from his imprisonment. At first he had 
 hesitated whether to take part in the rising. Two of 
 his brothers, Sir John and Sir James, had promptly 
 joined Fitzmaurice's standard; and three thousand of 
 his tenants had entered the rebel ranks. The death 
 of Fitzmaurice was followed by Desmond's tardy 
 
IRELAND UNDER ELIZABETH. I3I 
 
 adhesion to the Irish cause. He took the command, 
 and forced the EngHsh general, Malby, to Adhesion of 
 retreat. He then carried his sway over i^esmond. 
 Munster, took Youghal, and seemed on the high road 
 to decisive victory. EHzabeth, alarmed at Desmond's 
 progress, sent a new deputy, Sir William Pelham, to 
 Ireland. At the same time, she ordered the earl of 
 Ormond, always Desmond's rival and enemy, to 
 attack him. Pelham led an army from Dublin, and 
 Ormond set out, at the head of another, from Kil- 
 kenny. Joining their forces in the west, the English 
 generals soon checked Desmond, drove him from his 
 stronghold, overran Kerry, and recovered all Mun- 
 ster. Desmond was forced to hide himself in the 
 mountains. The triumph of the English army, as 
 ■usual, was marked by terrible atrocities. Murder and 
 rapine everywhere attended their advance. They 
 left desolation and utter misery behind them. 
 
 The subjection of Munster was not at once fol- 
 lowed by the suppression of rebellion in other parts 
 of Ireland. Some of the principal Englishmen of 
 the Pale rose in revolt, and, leaving their homes, has- 
 tened to join the rebels in the interior. Chief among 
 these was lord Baltinglass, a strong Catholic. He, 
 with his comrades, effected a junction with Sir John 
 Desmond and the remnant of his force. A new lord- 
 deputy, lord Grey of Wilton, had arrived in Ireland. 
 He hastened forth to meet the troops Defeat of 
 under Baltinglass, but was caught by the *^^ English. 
 rebels in a narrow defile, in the valley of Glenmalure, 
 
132 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 where his entire force was exterminated. Among 
 Grey's lieutenants was the cruel Sir Peter Carew, 
 who thus met his death at the hands of the race he 
 had so terribly oppressed. Grey retired to Dublin, 
 and once more marched westward at the head of a 
 fresh army. It is interesting that among those who 
 followed Grey in this new expedition were Sir Walter 
 Raleigh, the famous navigator, and Edmund Spenser, 
 the great poet who wrote the " Faerie Queene." 
 
 Grey laid siege to the garrison of Spaniards and 
 Italians who were holding the port of Smerwick, on 
 the west coast, for the rebels, and soon compelled 
 them to surrender. Almost the entire garrison were 
 mercilessly shot. Grey returned in triumph to Dub- 
 lin, and once more set forth to deal a blow at Balt- 
 inglass and his comrades in the south. The rebels 
 were soon defeated ; but Baltinglass himself suc- 
 
 c ceeded in escapin<y to France. The rebel- 
 
 suppression i C5 
 
 of the lion had now been effectually subdued. It 
 
 rebellion. ^^-^^ remained to capture Desmond and 
 
 his faithful friends, and to wreak vengeance upon the 
 routed rebels. A large number, both of Anglo- 
 Irish and natives, were hanged. One hundred and 
 fifty women and children were put to the sword at 
 Kildimo. Lady Fitzgerald was hanged near her own 
 castle. Every day new victims were given over to 
 slaughter. Among those captured and slain were Des- 
 mond's two brothers. The head of Sir John Desmond, 
 one of the brothers, was sent to Dublin, and fixed upon 
 a spike in front of the castle, for all men to see. 
 
IRELAND UNDER ELIZABETH. 1 33 
 
 Desmond did not escape the fate of his kinsmen 
 and of so many of his adherents. For some time he 
 salHed forth from the hills, at intervals, The fate of 
 and led guerilla expeditions to ravage the Desmond, 
 domains of his enemy, Ormond. But his forces 
 dwindled from week to week, and he was constantly 
 forced to retreat from one valley to another. A price 
 was put upon his head, but the people would not give 
 him up to his foes. At last he found a temporary 
 shelter in the densely wooded mountains in western 
 Kerry. His situation was desperate ; for he was not 
 only in daily peril of capture, but hunger constantly 
 tortured his devoted band. Early one morning, some 
 English soldiers discovered his retreat, and rushed in 
 upon his camp. The earl was seized and beheaded 
 on the spot. His head was sent to England, and was 
 placed, by order of Elizabeth, on a high pole on Lon- 
 don Bridge. With the death of the earl, the second 
 Desmond rebellion came to an end. 
 
 The state of the interior of Ireland, and especially 
 of Munster, which had been the principal scene of 
 the strusfgle, was now extremely wretched. „. 
 
 '-"=' •' Wretched 
 
 The rich lands had been desolated. Vil- state of the 
 lages, once thriving and busy, had disap- ^"*"'°'"- 
 peared, or lay in ruins. The poor people wandered 
 about helplessly, gaunt with famine, or stricken by 
 disease. One Englishman who saw them wrote, 
 that ''the people offer themselves, with their wives 
 and children, rather to be slain by the army, than to 
 suffer the famine that now beginneth to pinch them." 
 
134 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The poet Spenser said that they looked more Hke 
 skeletons than human beings ; and that, in their 
 hunger, they not only ate dead animals, but human 
 corpses. Queen Elizabeth confiscated the estates of 
 the earl of Desmond, which comprised more than 
 half a million of acres, and divided them up among 
 Englishmen, who undertook to settle English colonies 
 upon them. 
 
 The land in Limerick, Kerry, Cork, and other parts 
 of southern Ireland, was parcelled out in estates of 
 Confisca- from four thousand to twelve thousand 
 tionsofiand. ^cj-es. Thcsc cstatcs wcrc handed over 
 to "undertakers" (as those who agreed to plant colo- 
 nies were called) ; and many of the soldiers who 
 had taken part in putting down the rebellion also 
 received tracts of land. A small rent of two and 
 three pence an acre was imposed upon these new oc- 
 cupiers by the crown, after they had been settled on 
 the land six years. The undertakers were allowed 
 to send what they raised on the land into England, 
 free of duty. On the other hand, they were for- 
 bidden to take native Irishmen as tenants or labor- 
 ers ; and were compelled to get their tradesmen and 
 artisans — the bakers, butchers, smiths, carpenters, 
 tailors, and so on — from England. Each undertaker 
 was bound, moreover, to establish at least eighty-six 
 English families on his estate. Such, in general, was 
 the plan by which Elizabeth and her ministers hoped 
 to replace the Irish by an English population, and to 
 make of Ireland an English country. 
 
THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. 1 35 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. 
 
 THE Irish resisted the occupation of their land by- 
 English colonies, just as they resisted, for cen- 
 turies, every step taken by the English to fasten their 
 rule upon Ireland. The Enirlish colonists „ . , 
 
 '- '=' Resistance of 
 
 who attempted to occupy the land found the insh to 
 
 .^ • ^• ^ i.1 1 1 1 J the colonists. 
 
 their lives constantly harassed and endan- 
 gered. The poor Irish, who had been expelled from 
 their homes, and now lived as they could in the bogs 
 or in the woods, formed secret leagues to attack the 
 new-comers. The members of these leagues called 
 themselves "Robin Hoods," after the English high- 
 wayman who was so famous in those days. The 
 undertakers, moreover, found it impossible to com- 
 ply with the conditions on which they had received 
 their lands. They could not find Englishmen, who, 
 in the face of the dangers which threatened them, 
 were willing to become their tenants, and farm the 
 land. English tradesmen and artisans could not 
 be induced to leave their safe homes, and establish 
 themselves in places where they might be robbed, 
 and even killed, by the fierce Robin Hoods. 
 
 Thus it was that Elizabeth's harsh scheme for 
 
136 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 replacing the Irish by an English population, to a 
 Failure of Certain extent failed of its purpose. The 
 Elizabeth's natives were more obstinate in their resist- 
 ^^^"' ance than she had foreseen. Even mas- 
 
 sacre and the desolation of the country had not 
 tamed their inveterate hostility to English intrusion. 
 Neither hunger nor nakedness could cow them into 
 submission to the lot imposed upon them. Many of 
 the undertakers gave up their lands in sheer despair. 
 Others, in spite of their pledges, accepted native 
 Irishmen as tenants. Yet rebellion, at least on a 
 large scale, had been crushed. Munster lay in help- 
 lessness beneath English arms. In Connaught, 
 some of the most powerful lords, such as the earls 
 of Thomond, the earl of Clanricarde, and the head 
 of the unruly family of Burke, had refused to join 
 arms with Desmond. 
 
 Eor a while Ireland was quiet, if not pacified, 
 under the rule of the lord-deputy Perrot, who had 
 succeeded lord Grey of Wilton in that ofifice (1584). 
 Perrot's Pcrrot govcmed, on the whole, with ]us- 
 
 government. ^[^q q^^^ firmUCSS. But OUC of hlS aCtS 
 
 was long bitterly remembered in Ireland, and this 
 memory later aided in fannmg the flames of another 
 rebellion. He suspected the chief, O'Donnel, of 
 secret hostility to the crown. In order to obtani 
 security for O'Donnel's good behavior, Perrot had re- 
 course to a perfidious stratagem. He invited a young 
 son of O'Donnel, who was called '* Red Hugh," two 
 sons of Shane O'Neil, and several of their comrades, 
 
THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. 1 37 
 
 to drink some Spanish wine on board a vessel which 
 lay off the shores of Doneo^al. When ^^ 
 
 J ^ The sons of 
 
 they had become tipsy from the wine, shane 
 Perrot ordered the youths to be disarmed, 
 put in irons, and thus conveyed to Dublin. They 
 were thrown into Dublin castle, where they were 
 kept imprisoned several years. This act aroused 
 the open enmity of O'Donnel, and kindled fierce 
 indignation throughout Ulster. 
 
 But Perrot's government, aside from this deed of 
 treachery, was so temperate, that it raised up against 
 him a host of enemies among the English. Every 
 occasion to bring charges against him was eagerly 
 seized by those who wished to get rid of him. At 
 last an incident occurred which gave his enemies 
 the opportunity they sought, by arousing against 
 him Elizabeth's excessive vanity. A native chief 
 named O'Rourke, who was boastful of his „,„ , , 
 
 ' O Rourke s 
 
 hostility to the English, caused a rude msuit to 
 effigy of Elizabeth to be made. He tied 
 this effigy to his horse's tail, and rode defiantly about 
 the country, dragging the effigy behind him. For 
 some reason, Perrot made no effort to punish 
 O'Rourke for this audacious insult to the queen. 
 The insult was promptly reported to Elizabeth, and 
 she angrily deposed Perrot. She sent Sir William 
 Pltzwilliam, a bad-tempered, avaricious man, to be 
 lord-deputy in his place; and Fitzwilliam soon un- 
 settled the tranquillity and order which Perrot had 
 established in Ireland. 
 
138 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 From the first, Fitzwilliam carried matters with a 
 high hand, and used his power with cruel caprice. 
 His greed for money prompted him to commit many 
 tyrannical acts. He threw into prison two Ulster 
 „ ^ chiefs, McTool and O'Doherty, who had 
 
 Harsh treat- ' •' 
 
 ment of the always bccn faithful to the crown, on a 
 *^^^' false charge of having concealed some 
 
 treasure which he was eager to get into his clutches. 
 On an equally false accusation of having used force 
 to collect rents, contrary to law, Fitzwilliam caused 
 Hugh McMahon to be seized, tried by court-martial, 
 and executed, and gave McMahon's lands to English- 
 men. The arbitrary acts of Fitzwilliam's agents in 
 Ulster created wide-spread discontent. The cattle 
 were stolen, money was extorted from the chiefs 
 without warrant of law, and even women and children 
 were slaughtered by the ruffians sent to carry out 
 the lord-deputy's orders. When, after governing 
 Ireland for six years, the avaricious Fitzwilliam was 
 at last recalled, he left the country in a state of pro- 
 found unrest. Red Hugh had escaped 
 
 Red Hugh. . -r^ , , , , i i 1 
 
 from Dublm castle, had returned to his 
 own country, and assumed the lordship of Tyr- 
 connel. He and his clans were ripe for revolt. In 
 Connaught and in Ulster, the people only awaited a 
 signal to rise once more against their oppressors. 
 
 There now appeared, as the leader of the Irish 
 patriots, one of the most heroic and famous figures 
 in Irish history. This was Hugh O'Neil, earl of 
 Tyrone. A descendant of the redoubtable family 
 
THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. 1 39 
 
 which had so long given warrior-kings to Ulster and 
 to all Ireland, once more arose to defy the power of 
 the Enghsh crown. Hugh O'Neil was Hugh 
 the son of that Matthew whom his half- O'Neii. 
 brother, Shane O'Neil, had caused to be killed. But 
 in course of time Hugh had succeeded to the title 
 and estates of Tyrone. In many respects he pre- 
 sented a striking contrast to other Irish chiefs. He 
 had been carefully educated in England. He was 
 an accomplished scholar, a polished courtier, an expe- 
 rienced soldier, a graceful and fine-mannered gentle- 
 man. From his youth up, Hugh O'Neil had given 
 his allegiance to the English crown, and had even 
 fous^ht on the English side in Shane's rebellion. He 
 was personally liked by Elizabeth, who had conferred 
 many favors upon him. 
 
 Such was the man, so different in many respects 
 from the still rude and untamed chiefs of the Irish 
 clans, who now came forward to champion the cause 
 of his oppressed fellow countrymen. Hugh was the 
 son-in-law of the chief O'Donnel, whose son, Red 
 Hugh, had been so treacherously dealt with by the 
 lord-deputy Perrot. O'Neil had been angered by 
 this treatment of his young brother-in-law, and he 
 had felt a deep resentment at the cruelties and 
 exactions of the English agents in Ulster. He 
 gradually cooled in his loyalty to the ^.^ .j ^ 
 crown, but at first he did not openly comes hostile 
 declare against it. A romantic incident, *°* e crown, 
 however, finally completed the breach between O'Neil 
 
140 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and the English. His wife had died ; and he had 
 fallen deeply in love with the sister of Sir Henry 
 Bagnal, the commander of the English forces in 
 Ireland. The young lady had rare beauty and many 
 attractive graces. She ardently responded to Hugh 
 O' Neil's affection. But Sir Henry Bagnal violently 
 opposed the match. O'Neil thereupon eloped with 
 his lady-love, and married her. 
 
 Bagnal at once conceived a deadly hatred of 
 O'Neil. He tried by every means to convict him of 
 treasonable acts, and intercepted the letters in which 
 O'Neil defended himself from the charges made 
 against him. O'Neil repaired to London, and easily 
 made his peace with Elizabeth. But no sooner had 
 he returned to Ireland, than he found that the 
 flames of revolt had already burst forth. Young 
 Red Hugh and the sons of Shane O'Neil had risen 
 in arms ; and O'Donnel, the father of Hugh's first 
 wife, exasperated by his wrongs, had mflicted more 
 than one desperate blow on the English forces in 
 Ulster. Hugh O'Neil joined with O'Donnel, and 
 The league promptly sct about forming a great league 
 of the chiefs. Qf Irish chicfs against the English. The 
 O'Rourkes, the McMahons, the Scots, the O'Connors, 
 the O'Kellys, the McDermots, and the O'Byrnes 
 joined the standard of the two great Ulster chiefs. 
 The league appealed to the Catholics to stand by 
 their faith against their Protestant tyrants. It sent 
 emissaries to Spain to apply once more for aid, and 
 it made ready to meet the formidable battalions of 
 England in the field (1595.) 
 
THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. I4I 
 
 The first campaign of Tyrone's league was at- 
 tended with such signal success, that Elizabeth be- 
 came alarmed, and tried to make peace with him. 
 Tyrone pretended to come to terms ; but Revolt of 
 his real object was to gain time, until the Tyrone, 
 help which had been promised him by the Spanish 
 king, Philip, should arrive. As soon as three Span- 
 ish frigates appeared off the coast of Donegal, Tyrone 
 resumed his military operations. The new lord- 
 deputy, Lord Burgh, was forced to retreat ; and, a 
 little later, Tyrone's father-in-law and bitter enemy, 
 Bagnal, was utterly defeated, and himself slain, in a 
 desperate battle on the banks of the Callan. Several 
 forts held by the English surrendered to the Irish 
 insurgents, and Tyrone now found himself the mas- 
 ter of nearly the whole of Ulster. Meanwhile the 
 fortunes of war leaned to the side of the Irish in 
 other parts of the island. Connaught, Munster, and 
 even Leinster, the province in which the Pale was 
 situated, were afire with revolt. 
 
 Tyrrel, one of Tyrone's bravest lieutenants, drove 
 Sir Thomas Norris, governor of Munster, into Cork. 
 The castles of the earl of Desmond were successes of 
 seized by the Irish ; and a cousin of the *^® ^"^^• 
 earl, who was on Tyrone's side, took his title, and 
 was called, in derision, the " earl of Straw." In no 
 long time the whole of Ireland, outside the small 
 district of the Pale, had come under the sway of 
 Tyrone and his brave comrades. The Irish had 
 fought, not only with valor, but with steadfastness 
 
142 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and discipline. They had been well handled by sol- 
 diers who had seen something of war on a larger 
 scale. They had had an abundance of food and 
 ammunition. Many of the English troops, on the 
 other hand, were raw recruits ; and operating, as 
 they did, in a country unfamiliar and profoundly hos- 
 tile to them, they met their enemy everywhere at 
 a disadvantage. Ireland seemed, at this moment 
 (1598), entirely lost to England. The Irish, indeed, 
 had all but won their independence. 
 
 But the proud spirit of Elizabeth, although she 
 was now aged and physically feeble, was aroused to 
 its old energy by the overwhelming disasters to her 
 arms in Ireland. Her favorite at this time was a 
 brave, handsome, chivalrous courtier, Robert Deve- 
 reux, earl of Essex. He had just performed the 
 brilliant feat of attacking and burning a Spanish 
 fleet in the harbor of Cadiz. Elizabeth appointed 
 Essex in Esscx lord-lieutcnant of Ireland, and in- 
 ireiand. trustcd to him a fresh army of twenty-one 
 
 thousand men, with which to put down Tyrone's re- 
 volt. Essex relieved some of the Ulster garrisons, 
 and then marched southward into Munster. But his 
 campaign had no marked result. The Irish troops 
 prudently refused to meet so strong a force in the 
 open field, but continually picked off the English as 
 The English they marchcd to and fro. Essex returned 
 harassed. .j-q DubUn, with his troops greatly reduced 
 in numbers and dampened in spirits. Meanwhile his 
 lieutenant, Sir Conyers Clifford, had been cut off 
 with half his force by O'Donnel in Connaught. 
 
Meeting of Tyrone and Essex, on the banks of the I.a[;an. — Page 143. 
 
THE REVOLT OF TYRONE. 143 
 
 Elizabeth was enraged by Essex's want of success. 
 She sent him, however, two thousand fresh troops ; 
 and he promptly marched on Ulster. A mysterious 
 event, which has never since been fully explained, 
 now took place. Tyrone, seeing that he was hard 
 pushed, begged for an interview with Essex. The 
 lord-lieutenant granted the request. The great 
 Ulster chief and the gallant English courtier met on 
 the banks of the Lagan. What passed between 
 them is not known ; but the result of their 
 
 Armistice 
 
 meeting was, that Essex agreed to an between 
 armistice of six weeks. When the news ^^^^"^ ^""^ 
 
 Tyrone. 
 
 of this concession by Essex reached Eng- 
 land, it produced universal indignation. The queen 
 shared in the anger of her subjects. Essex was 
 loudly accused of treachery. He was abruptly re- 
 called to London, There, soon after, he actually en- 
 gaged in a conspiracy against the queen, was seized 
 and thrown into the Tower, and, after a brief trial, 
 was beheaded. 
 
144 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE PLANTATION OF IRELAND. 
 
 THE task of recovering Ireland from the grasp of 
 the brave Tyrone was now resumed with more 
 vigor than ever. Essex's successor in the govern- 
 ment of Ireland was a stern, energetic nobleman, 
 Lord Mount] oy. The first act of this new ruler was 
 to re-organize the shattered and demoralized English 
 Mountjoy's troops. He restored rigid discipline to 
 tyranny. j^jg amiy, and inflicted the severest punish- 
 ments on those soldiers who in the least deviated 
 from their duties. As a military chief, Mount] oy 
 was wary and heartless. He refused to be drawn 
 into bogs and forests, where the Irish clans could pick 
 off his men. His plan of conquest was simply to lay 
 waste the country. Wherever he went, he destroyed 
 crops and villages, and thus made a desert. In this 
 way he reduced the greater part of Munster and Con 
 naught to submission. Tyrone himself was about to 
 _. e • V despair, when the news reached him that a 
 
 The Spanish ^ ' 
 
 fleet at Spanish fleet of fifty vessels, under Don 
 
 Juan d'Aquila, had reached Kinsale, The 
 
 Irish chief promptly marched towards that place 
 
THE PLANTATION OF IRELAND. I45 
 
 with five thousand men, to effect a junction with 
 his allies. 
 
 The English under Carew promptly laid siege, 
 both by land and sea, to the Spaniards in Kinsale. 
 Tyrone, having joined O'Donnel, came up, and took 
 up a position which threatened the besieging forces. 
 But now treachery wrought the ruin of the Irish 
 patriots. Tyrone resolved to take the English by 
 surprise, and to attack them before they knew his 
 intention. But a traitor from his camp carried the 
 intelligence to Carew. When Tyrone made his as- 
 sault, he found the English ready to receive him. 
 After a desperate fight, he was forced to retreat in 
 confusion. He could no longer stand up against 
 such a disaster, and in the face of an Paii of 
 enemy so superior in numbers and disci- ^^"saie. 
 pline. At last the brave Tyrone was forced to sub- 
 mit to Mount joy, while O'Donnel sought safety in 
 flight across seas. The English avenged the rebel- 
 lion by the most ruthless cruelties. The country 
 was desolated. Human beings, cattle, crops, were 
 exterminated. 
 
 Just after Tyrone had given in his submission, the 
 news reached Ireland, that the iron-souled English 
 queen, Elizabeth, was dead (1603). The Irish were 
 at first rejoiced to hear this ; for they had heard that 
 James the First, Elizabeth's successor, was favorable 
 to the Catholics, and they hoped that he would defend 
 them in the practice of their faith. But they were 
 destined to be rudely undeceived. James very soon 
 
146 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 showed that he was resolved, not only to suppress 
 the creed of the native Irish, but to force Protes- 
 tantism upon them by every means in his power. 
 Not only the native Irish, but the Anglo-Irish of the 
 Pale (the descendants of the original English set- 
 tlers), were Catholics. The decrees of the 
 ism forced" ^i^w EugHsh king bore with equal severity 
 upon the on both. Sir Arthur Chichester, whom 
 James sent to Ireland as lord-deputy, com- 
 manded the chief citizens of Dubhn to attend the 
 Protestant church ; and, when they refused, he threw 
 them all into Dublin castle. A fine was inflicted on 
 all persons who did not go to the Protestant church 
 every Sunday. A person in Ireland who did not 
 take the oath of supremacy, which acknowledged the 
 kino^ as the sole head of the church, could not hold 
 either a military or a civil office. He could not be 
 a magistrate, a judge, a lawyer, or an army officer. 
 
 The reign of James was marked by a vigorous 
 
 renewal of the attempts which had been made by 
 
 Elizabeth, to colonize all Ireland with 
 
 Reign of 
 
 James the Englishmen. The success of this scheme, 
 ^"^^' though by no means complete, was much 
 
 greater under James than it had been under Eliza- 
 beth. James first directed his attention to Ulster. 
 Tyrone and other Ulster chiefs had submitted to the 
 crown. But it was necessary to deprive them of 
 their local power, and, indeed, if possible, to get rid 
 of them altogether. A false charge was made against 
 Tyrone and O'Donnel's son Rory of having formed 
 
THE PLANTATION OF IRELAND. I47 
 
 a plot to kill the lord-deputy, and seize Dublin cas- 
 tle. Tyrone was warned that it was intended to 
 arrest him on this charge. He therefore fled, with 
 young O'Donnel, to the Continent. He repaired to 
 Rome, where, shattered and blind, he died Flight of 
 a few years after. Soon after Tyrone's Tyrone, 
 flight, a feeble revolt broke out in Ulster, which was 
 speedily suppressed, its leaders becoming outcasts. 
 Thus, one by one, the greater Ulster chiefs were 
 disappearing. 
 
 The "treason " of the Ulster chiefs afforded James 
 the opportunity, which he eagerly seized, to declare 
 their domains forfeited to the crown ; and thus a way 
 was opened for putting into practice a scheme for 
 planting the whole of the northern province with 
 Engflish and Scottish settlers. No less than six 
 counties were confiscated by the king, to be divided 
 up and delivered over to new holders, who would 
 be Protestant and loyal. The king's agents went 
 promptly to work to carry the new plantation into 
 effect. The land of the six counties was carefully 
 surveyed. In all, it was found that between three 
 and four millions of acres of Irish land had come 
 into the hands of the crown, by the con- Land con- 
 fiscation of James. This land was par- fiscations. 
 celled out into farms of between one and two thousand 
 acres, and was given over mainly to English and Scot- 
 tish undertakers, on condition that they should pay 
 for it an annual rent of from one to two and a quarter 
 pence per acre. Some of the land, however, was 
 
148 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 retained for the purpose of supporting the Protestant 
 bishops, churches, and clergy, for towns and forts, 
 and for estabHshing free schools. 
 
 The undertakers to whom the farms were given, 
 and the settlers upon the domain, were bound by 
 certain other conditions besides that of the payment 
 of rent. They were required to build castles as resi- 
 dences ; to divide their land into four 
 
 Conditions , i • n r 1 
 
 imposed larger, and six smaller, larms, and to sup- 
 upon the port eight skilled laborers and their fami- 
 
 colonists. , • 1 1 r 1 
 
 lies ; to let their lands tor no shorter 
 period than twenty-one years ; to have the houses 
 built in groups, or villages, in order that the settle- 
 ments might the better defend themselves ; to take 
 the oath of supremacy ; and not to receive the native 
 Irish as tenants upon their estates. In addition to 
 the undertakers, several of the great London guilds, 
 or trade associations, took large tracts of land in 
 Ireland, and let it out in the same way that the 
 undertakers did. The land in Ulster was of two 
 kinds, — that which was fertile, and that which was 
 useless for farming or grazing. The good land was 
 called "fat land," and the bad, 'Mean land." Four- 
 fifths of the land confiscated by James was lean : 
 only about a half a million acres were fat, or fertile. 
 Of course it was the fat land which the undertakers 
 seized, and upon which the new English and Scottish 
 settlements were made. 
 
 All that was left for the poor native Irish was the 
 lean land, which comprised bogs, barren moors, and 
 
THE PLANTATION OF IRELAND. I49 
 
 dense forests. Thus great numbers of them became 
 vagrants, beggars, and outlaws. They ^^^ ^^^^ 
 retired from the rich farms where their state of the 
 ancestors had dwelt and labored for centu- "^*'^^^' 
 ries, and saw themselves replaced by foreign intrud- 
 ers, who were protected by all the power of the 
 English crown. Under that protection, the colonists 
 began to thrive. Many Englishmen and Scotsmen, 
 attracted by the fertile domains and the low rents, 
 repaired to Ulster, rented farms of the undertakers, 
 and permanently settled down. Castles and com- 
 fortable mansions dotted the country. Towns, vil- 
 lages, mills, schools, bridges, and forts appeared in 
 once lonely and secluded spots. An air of thrift and 
 prosperity began to pervade the province. Yet the 
 scheme was by no means fully successful. The want 
 of laborers on the farms, and the lack of enough 
 English and Scottish tenants to rent them, compelled 
 the undertakers here and there to violate the condi- 
 tion which forbade their receiving the native Irish. 
 Many of the English and Scottish tenants, after 
 remaining a while upon the land, returned to their 
 homes across the channel. When they Decrease of 
 did so, they sold out the remainder of the colonists, 
 their leases, and the improvements they had made 
 on the land, to natives. Thus arose the custom of 
 " tenant right," which has continued in Ulster to our 
 own day. 
 
 Having, as far as he could, carried out his plan 
 of planting Ulster, James turned his attention to 
 
150 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 the two provinces of Leinster and Connaught. By 
 all sorts of legal subterfuge and trickery, the titles 
 to many of the Leinster estates were declared defec- 
 tive ; and these estates, like those of the Ulster 
 ^ ^ chiefs, were confiscated by the crown. 
 
 Connsca- "^ 
 
 tions in In this wholesale seizure of land, the 
 
 einster. Auglo-Irish suffcrcd in common with the 
 native chiefs. Nearly half a million acres in Leinster 
 were thus taken from their possessors, given over 
 to English undertakers, and granted for the use of the 
 church and schools. Only a small proportion was 
 returned to those who were called " the more deserv- 
 ing " of the recent holders of the land. Those who 
 were dispossessed in favor of the new-comers became, 
 like their fellow-countrymen of Ulster, wanderers 
 and outlaws in wild places. And now, for the first 
 time, we hear of "agrarian outrages" being com- 
 mitted in Ireland. The expelled proprietors and 
 their adherents retorted upon the intruders by assas- 
 sination, the maiming of cattle, and the destruction 
 of crops. 
 
 The English avenged these agrarian outrages by 
 killing off the vagrant Irish wherever they could lay 
 Massacres of their hauds on them. The lord-deputy 
 the Irish. 5|- Jq^j^ declared that he had killed three 
 hundred of the recent land-owners in as many years. 
 "But," he said, "as soon as one sort is cut off, others 
 rise in their places ; for the country is so full of the 
 younger sons of gentlemen, who have no means of 
 living, and will not work, that, when they are sought 
 
THE PLANTATION OF IRELAND. I5I 
 
 to be punished for disorders they commit in their 
 idleness, they go to the woods, to maintain them- 
 selves by the spoil of their quiet neighbors." Thus 
 Leinster, as well as Ulster, was planted with some 
 degree of success ; and the result was to add a con- 
 siderable sum to James's treasury from the rents, 
 fines, and the increased customs duties, arising from 
 the better industrial condition of the country. It 
 remained to plant Connaught. But the landed pro- 
 prietors of Connaught found a way of averting the 
 doom of their fellow-countrymen of the other three 
 provinces. They knew that what James most wanted 
 was money. So they offered him a large sum for 
 new titles to their land, provided he would not pur- 
 sue his scheme of planting Connaught. While James 
 was hesitating whether to accept it, he died (1625) ; 
 and Connaught was saved, at least for a time, from a 
 large settlement of English upon the land. 
 
 We must now go back a little, and see how James 
 sought to give legal sanction to his harsh proceed- 
 ings in Ireland. This could only be done through 
 the Irish Parliament. For a long time, James hesi- 
 tated about calling that Parliament together. It was 
 necessary, in order that his acts should be 
 approved, that Parliament should comprise Parliament 
 a majority of Protestants. But a great ^""^"^°"^ 
 majority of those who were entitled to vote for mem- 
 bers in Ireland were Roman Catholics. James set 
 his agents to work to so arrange the voting-districts 
 as to secure the election of a majority devoted to the 
 
152 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 king. This was done by converting mere villages in 
 many of the Protestant districts, into boroughs en- 
 titled to return members. The king's agents also 
 used every kind of threat and pressure to compel the 
 people to vote as they wished. After a very bitter 
 contest, the new Parliament was chosen, and was 
 found to contain a small majority of Protestant 
 members. 
 
 After a noisy struggle over the speakership, Parlia- 
 ment went to work to carry out the king's wishes. 
 It forbade the Catholics to worship according to their 
 faith. It required that every Catholic priest should 
 Repressive Icavc Ireland within forty days, under 
 laws. heavy penalties. It declared that a per- 
 
 son who sheltered a priest should be fined forty 
 pounds ; that, if he did so a second time, he should 
 be imprisoned ; and that, for the third offence of this 
 kind, he should suffer death. It passed an act, " at- 
 tainting" of high treason O'Neil, O'Donnel, and 
 many other Ulster chiefs ; and confirmed the confis- 
 cations of their lands to the crown. It put all the 
 native Irish under the protection and obligations of 
 the English law. Hitherto, by that law, they had 
 been simply outlaws. It also abolished all the old 
 laws which had forbidden marriage and other social 
 relations between the English and the Irish races. 
 At the end of James's reign, therefore, it may be 
 said that the whole of Ireland was under the physical 
 control of the English sceptre. 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 1 53 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 
 
 IN the early part of the seventeenth century, Ire- 
 land was occupied by three different classes of 
 men. There were the native Irish, who, Theidsh 
 as we have seen, had in many instances, classes, 
 and in large numbers, been ousted from the land of 
 which they and their ancestors had been the owners, 
 or which they had tilled as peasants or as laborers, 
 for centuries. There were the AngloTrish, the 
 descendants of the original Norman or English 
 settlers, who dwelt in the Pale, who had acquired, in 
 various ways, large estates in the country, and who 
 were represented by such great nobles as the earls 
 of Kildare, Desmond, Ormond, and Clanricarde. 
 Lastly, there were the new English and Scottish 
 settlers, — the men who had come as undertakers 
 and colonists to plant the confiscated lands, and 
 who had established large English colonies The 
 in Munster, Ulster, and Leinster. Of "i°"ists. 
 these classes, the native Irish almost to a man, 
 and a very large majority of the Anglo-Irish, ad- 
 hered firmly to the Roman Catholic faith ; while 
 
154 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 nearly all of the new English and Scottish settlers 
 were equally devoted to the Protestant creed. 
 
 The native Irish, as a people, were not subdued, 
 excepting outwardly and jDhysically, to English rule. 
 The native They ncvcr had accepted that rule in their 
 Irish. hearts, and they have never so accepted 
 
 it since. The wrongs they had endured by the origi- 
 nal English intruders had been continued and ex- 
 ceeded by later English sovereigns. The native 
 Irish had to a great degree absorbed the Anglo-Irish, 
 who had become Irish in custom, by marriage and 
 descent, by harmony of interests, and in sympathy 
 and love of country. But, when this had happened, 
 other colonies of new English were thrust upon them 
 by force of arms and gross tyranny ; and the later 
 tyrants now held Ireland in their grasp. In the 
 course of the long, almost ceaseless conflicts, the 
 repeated rebellions, and the succeeding devastations 
 ^^ , by the Eno;lish conquerors, it is no wonder 
 
 The desper- -^ ° . 
 
 ate state of that the outcast and poverty-stricken na- 
 the natives, ^jygg sank into 3. scmi-savagc state. Great 
 
 numbers of them dwelt in the forests, or in the vast 
 boggy districts of the interior. Comparatively few 
 served the new settlers as laborers and menials, or, 
 in rare instances, held small patches of ground as 
 tenants. 
 
 The most profitable property held by the Irish and 
 Anglo-Irish was cattle, and their chief industry was 
 cattle-raising. The old tribal custom of holding land 
 in common still survived here and there in Ireland ; 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 1 55 
 
 and the pastures held by the tribes were used for rear- 
 ing the herds of cows and the flocks of sheep. The 
 forests were used for the keeping of hogs. In some 
 parts of the country, too, large quantities ^^^ 
 of oats and barley were grown, not only for resources of 
 food, but also for the making of a strong 
 drink commonly partaken of in those days, called 
 "usquebaugh." Grain was likewise exported, to 
 some extent, from Ireland to England. The land 
 was ploughed by six horses driven abreast, the ploughs 
 being tied to the horses' tails. One great source of 
 profit, sea and fresh-water fishing, which has since 
 become a lucrative industry in Ireland, was pursued 
 little, if at all, in the sixteenth century. The Irish 
 had very little ready money. Almost all of their 
 trading was done by exchanging one product or arti- 
 cle for another, and they usually paid their fines and 
 taxes with cattle or sheep. 
 
 The chiefs, both native and Anglo-Irish, lived in a 
 sort of rude, barbaric state. They had large castles, 
 built of rough-hewn stone, supplied with customs of 
 moats and draw-bridges and high donjon ^^^ chiefs, 
 towers. These castles stood on islands, or promon- 
 tories, or on the crests of high hills. Some of 
 them even had the luxury of leaden roofs. In these 
 mansions the chiefs exercised a primitive, but cer- 
 tainly bountiful and hilarious, hospitality. They had 
 their retainers, who sometimes dwelt in huts within 
 the castle-walls; but more often just outside, their 
 huts clustered in a valley, or on the shores of a lake 
 
156 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 or river. The ancient Irish dress was still retained 
 by many of the chiefs. It consisted usually of a 
 The ancient saffrou-colored shirt, over which a tunic 
 Irish dress, with widc-flowing sleeves, and sometimes 
 a fur cloak, was worn. 
 
 The Irish farmers and tenants, and the Anglo- 
 Irish of the same rank, lived in a far humbler and 
 ruder fashion than the chiefs. A few, perhaps, were 
 sufficiently well-to-do to enjoy the comfort of clay 
 cottages, with roofs made of rafters, wherein they 
 dwelt, sheltered, at least, from the frequent rains. 
 But a large majority of the farmers lived in little 
 hamlets of small cabins, built on islands, in order 
 that they might be protected from the assaults of 
 enemies. A hole in the roof sufficed for a chimney. 
 The cabin had no other furniture than heaps of 
 straw laid about in the corners on the unpaved 
 ground. Their garments were of wool or flax, spun 
 by their wives and daughters ; and their ordinary 
 food was oaten or barley cakes, cheese, milk, and 
 butter. Only the wealthier farmers could afford an 
 occasional chicken, rabbit, or piece of beef. At their 
 meals, they sat upon the ground in their cabins, 
 around the fire built in the centre, which had been 
 built to cook the food. They ate with their fingers ; 
 and, with the free use of usquebaugh, their meal was 
 soon concluded. 
 
 As for the lowest class of the Irish, — those who 
 had almost no property, and almost no occupation, — 
 their state at the beginning of the seventeenth cen- 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 1 5/ 
 
 tury was wretched beyond conception. They were 
 half-starved. Often they were found wan- The lowest 
 dering about absolutely naked, with no ^^^^^• 
 shelter except the trees of the forest. Sometimes 
 they lived in miserable hovels, sleeping side by side 
 with the sheep and pigs, and barely living on milk 
 and curds and diseased meat. These poor creatures, 
 expelled with the rest from the fat lands, died by 
 thousands in the remote and barren places whither 
 they fled for refuge. Sometimes they formed des- 
 perate marauding bands, and, maddened by hunger, 
 fiercely attacked the thriving settlements of the 
 English. The English destroyed them like vermin 
 wherever they could. All the Irish high-roads were 
 infested by men, women, and children in the last 
 stages of want, who begged piteously of the passers- 
 by, to be often answered with a shot, or a thrust 
 from a pike. 
 
 It was towards the close of Elizabeth's reign that 
 the famous university. Trinity College, was founded 
 by that queen in Dublin (1593). It is said Trinity 
 that this university owed its existence to College. 
 the suggestion of the great and wise English philoso- 
 pher. Lord Bacon. He proposed to Elizabeth that 
 the Bible, liturgy, and catechism of the English 
 church should be translated and spread in the Irish 
 language ; and this was one of the main purposes 
 for which Trinity College was founded. It was, of 
 course, as it has been ever since, a Protestant insti- 
 tution. No Catholics were, on any account, admitted, 
 
158 YOUNG PEOPLe'^S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 either to a share in its government, to its body of 
 instructors, or to its classes of students. The spot 
 where the ancient monastery of All Hallows stood was 
 granted by Dublin for the building of the university. 
 Elizabeth made generous grants of the lands which 
 had been taken from the abbeys to support it ; 
 and, to these grants, James added still others, of 
 lands derived from the confiscations in Ulster. 
 Many of the Protestants in Ireland subscribed gen- 
 erously to the funds of the university, and some 
 English army officers presented it with a library. 
 
 When Trinity College had got fairly under way, 
 
 the idea of printing the religious books in Irish was 
 
 . . carried out. The casting of Irish type 
 
 The printing ° . 
 
 of religious was bcguu ; and the first book ever printed 
 in the Irish tongue was the Protestant 
 catechism, issued in the first year of the seventeenth 
 century by the university press. The New Testa- 
 ment was translated into Irish, and was first pub- 
 lished three years later (1603). The Old Testament 
 did not appear until towards the close of the seven- 
 teenth century. Trinity College, under the fostering 
 care of the crown, grew rapidly, and soon became 
 wealthy and flourishing. It was intended as a bul- 
 wark of Protestantism in Ireland. Its influence was 
 exerted to attempt the conversion of the people. 
 But in this effort it did not achieve much success. 
 The Irish clung to the Catholic faith through every 
 persecution and persuasion, and a vast majority of 
 them adhere to it to this day. 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. I59 
 
 The older institutions of learning in Ireland, which 
 had once spread the light of knowledge and the 
 inspiration of religion through Europe, had been 
 extinguished, or had decayed and died out, amid the 
 long-continued civil convulsions. Only one Catholic 
 college of any importance survived. This was the 
 colleo:e of St. Nicholas at Galway. In ^^ ^ „ 
 
 o •' ^ The College 
 
 the reign of James, this institution is said of st. 
 to have contained thirteen hundred Catho- ^^'^^°^^^- 
 lie and native scholars. Under James's harsh rule 
 of Ireland, the college of St. Nicholas was abruptly- 
 closed, because its head, a courageous priest named 
 John Lynch, would not desert his faith, and accept 
 that of the church of England. The Irish Catholics 
 of the better class were now compelled to send their 
 children to the continent to be educated ; and large 
 numbers, for a while, attended the famous schools 
 of France and Germany. But even this was not 
 long permitted. By a decree of the lord-deputy 
 Chichester (1610), all Irish parents who had sent 
 their children to foreisfn schools were ordered to call 
 them back to Ireland within a year. Heavy penal- 
 ties of fine and imprisonment were inflicted upon 
 those who disobeyed this tyrannical command. 
 
 The reign of Elizabeth, noted for the great number 
 of brilliant Ensrlish writers who adorned it, was also 
 marked by many sfood Irish historians and 
 
 •' J <^ Irish writers. 
 
 poets. Almost all of these, however, wrote 
 
 their works in Latin. The most celebrated Irish 
 
 writers of the rei^n were Richard Stanihurst, whose 
 
l60 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 verses are still, to some degree, remembered ; Lom- 
 bard and Usher, the Catholic and Protestant arch- 
 bishops ; O'Sullivan, O'Meara, and White. The 
 ancient order of bards, too, still survived. Their 
 poems, relating the deeds of heroes, or breathing 
 pious thoughts on the chief events of biblical his- 
 tory, won the praises of the great English poet, 
 Edmund Spenser, who dwelt for some time in Ire- 
 land. The bard Owen Ward followed Tyrone when 
 he fled from Ireland, and wrote odes at Rome in 
 praise of Tyrone's military prowess. But the bards 
 were regarded with a jealous eye by the English 
 masters of the country ; for it was thought that their 
 glowing verses kept alive the spirit of rebellion, and 
 the desire for national freedom, among the native 
 Irish. Edicts were therefore issued against them ; 
 and many of them were forced to seek flight, or to 
 abandon their ancient calling. 
 
wentworth's iron rule. i6i 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 wentworth's iron rule. 
 
 THE accession of Charles the First as king of 
 England (1625), aroused in the oppressed Irish 
 the hope of gentler treatment from their masters. 
 It was supposed that Charles regarded the charies the 
 Catholics with more favor than his father ^''^^^• 
 had done, and would therefore establish a greater 
 toleration of worship throughout his realm. But 
 before very long both the English and the Irish 
 learned, to their grief, that no faith could be reposed 
 in Charles's wisdom or sincerity Like his father 
 before him, and his two sons after him, Charles 
 made fair promises, only to break them when it was 
 not convenient to keep them. James had left the 
 royal treasury in an almost bankrupt condition, and 
 Charles's first and sorest need was money. In order 
 to replenish his purse, he was ready to adopt any 
 means, gentle or severe ; and he looked to Ireland to 
 contribute large supplies to his treasury. His first 
 step was to make solemn promises to give the Irish 
 landlords good titles to their properties, and to relax 
 the severe laws by which the Irish were oppressed. 
 
1 62 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IKiiLAND. 
 
 Many of the Irish lords and gentlemen hastened 
 to seize the opportunity which the king's necessities 
 seemed to leave open to them. They sent a deputa- 
 „, , . ^ tion to him, who a^rreed to furnish him with 
 
 The Irish ' ^ 
 
 lords and the ;£ 120,000, if he would grant them certain 
 *'*"^' concessions. The principal concessions, 
 
 which were called "graces," were, that good titles 
 should be given to the land-owners in Connaught, 
 the only one of the four provinces which had not as 
 vet been planted ; that the occupation of a domain 
 for sixty years should give its owner a perfect title, 
 which could not be disturbed ; that Catholics who 
 took simply an oath of civil allegiance, and not 
 the oath of supremacy, should be allowed to prac- 
 tise as lawyers in the courts ; that taxes should not 
 be levied with the aid of soldiers ; that felons should 
 not be allowed to testify so as to endanger the 
 liberty of Irish subjects; and that an Irish Parlia- 
 The ment should be held to confirm these 
 
 "graces." demands. Charles readily assented to 
 these graces, and the Irish lords implicitly relied on 
 his royal word. They were speedily to find out that 
 it was valueless. 
 
 They promptly paid one-third of the sum which 
 they had promised to the king : the other two-thirds 
 were to be paid in the ensuing two years. The lord- 
 deputy of Ireland at this time was lord Falkland, 
 a man of lenient and generous nature, who after- 
 wards played a leading part in the English civil war. 
 But Falkland was compelled by the king to play a trick 
 
wentworth's iron rule. 163 
 
 upon the Irish. In accordance with the graces, he 
 called tosrether an Irish Parliament to con- ^ ,, , ,, 
 
 ^ _ Falkland's 
 
 firm the concessions promised by Charles, rule in 
 But now came the first of Charles's many ^'■^^^"^• 
 acts of perfidy towards Ireland. In the summoning 
 of Parliament, certain legal requirements were pur- 
 posely neglected ; so that when the Houses met, they 
 were declared to be an illegal Parliament, whose acts 
 were null and void. They therefore dissolved, and 
 no attempt was made by Falkland to call together a 
 new and legal body. Soon after this, Falkland was 
 recalled to England, because he was too tolerant 
 towards the Catholics. 
 
 A new and much sterner master was soon after- 
 wards imposed upon Ireland. This was Sir Thomas 
 Wentworth, afterwards more famous as ,„ 
 
 Wentworth 
 
 the earl of Strafford. Wentworth was a made lord- 
 most fit instrument to carry out the wishes 
 of a tyrant. Bold, eloquent, iron-willed, haughty, un- 
 scrupulous, despotic in character, defiant of obstacle, 
 he went to Ireland to achieve certain ends, and 
 stopped at no cruelty or deception in order to accom- 
 plish them. He had belonged to the party which in 
 England opposed the king, but the king won him 
 over by a title and high office. Wentworth declared 
 that his method was to be *' thorough," in ruling both 
 the church and the civil affairs. He took up his 
 residence in Dublin castle, where he displayed much 
 state, being attended by a large bodyguard, and 
 bearing himself with arrogant pride. He first de- 
 
164 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 manded of the Irish privy council a large grant of 
 money for the king, promising that, if it were given, 
 he would summon an Irish Parliament. 
 
 To the letter of this promise Wentworth adhered. 
 The Irish Houses were summoned, but the lord- 
 ^t- T . t- deputy took o-ood care that the election of 
 
 The Irish L J i^ 
 
 Houses members should result as he wished. He 
 
 summoned. ^^^^1^^^^ ^^at the House of Commons 
 
 should be nearly balanced between the Protestants 
 and Catholics, so that he might play off one against 
 the other ; while a small body of his special adher- 
 ents could turn any vote one way or the other, as he 
 desired. When Parliament met, Wentworth, after 
 dictating who should preside as its speaker, announced 
 that there must be two sessions held. The first ses- 
 sion was to be " for the crown," and the other *'for the 
 country." In the first session, the subject of granting 
 money to the king would be considered ; in the sec- 
 ond, the graces, which had been so long delayed, 
 would be taken up. Parliament was really in Went- 
 worth's power, and was forced to consent to this 
 ^ ^ .,. arransrement. In the first session, accord- 
 
 Subsidies ^ 
 
 voted to the ingly, subsidics to the amount of ;£270,ooo 
 *"^' were voted to the king. Some months 
 
 after, the second session was held. But now Went- 
 worth showed the utter bad faith of both his royal 
 master and himself. He coolly told Parliament that 
 the graces must not be passed, and, by adroitly set- 
 ting the Protestants and Catholics by the ears, pro- 
 cured a vote by which the graces were abandoned. 
 
wentworth's iron rule. 165 
 
 Wentworth had now wrung from Parliament a 
 large sum of money, which Charles most of all 
 wanted. He proceeded to carry out his scheme to 
 be ''thorough," with the same prompt and imperious 
 vigor. The Protestant church in Ireland The Protes- 
 had fallen into a state of distress and *^"^ church, 
 poverty. Many of its lands and other resources had 
 been taken away under one or another pretext. Its 
 edifices had in many places been abandoned, and had 
 fallen into decay. Good men could not be persuaded 
 to serve as clergymen. The pay of the clergy had 
 fallen to a very low figure. Wentworth was deter- 
 mined that all this should be changed, and that the 
 church in Ireland should be built up anew. He 
 caused the dilapidated churches to be repaired. He 
 compelled those who had taken church-lands to re- 
 store them. He made grants to the clergy from the 
 lands held by the crown. In one instance, he ex- 
 torted from the earl of Cork a domain worth ;£"2,ooo 
 a year, which the earl had audaciously taken away 
 from the college of Youghal and the diocese of 
 Waterford. The lord-deputy's hand fell as sternly 
 upon the recent English comers to Ireland, as upon 
 the older settlers and the natives. 
 
 The next task which Wentworth undertook was to 
 get his grasp upon the estates of Connaught. The 
 landlords of that province had thus far ^^ 
 
 ^ The estates 
 
 escaped by paying liberal sums of money of con- 
 into the royal treasury. They now suffered ^^^^ ** 
 the same gross injustice which had been inflicted on 
 
1 66 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 the landlords of Ulster, Leinster, and Munster. The 
 titles to the lands of Connaught were called in ques- 
 tion. Wentworth caused suits to be brought against 
 them on behalf of the king. Cunning lawyers were 
 employed to find flaws in these titles. Juries were 
 packed and threatened, that they might slavishly 
 decide the cases brought before them in the king's 
 favor. In some places, however, the juries proved 
 obstinate. When this happened, the jurymen were 
 heavily fined, and, in some instances, thrown into 
 prison. Thus the estates of the earl of Clanricarde 
 and of other large proprietors were declared to be 
 forfeited. In the end the land-owners found Went- 
 worth's methods too stern and unrelenting, and gave 
 way in despair. 
 
 But Wentworth did not have time to carry out the 
 scheme of planting Connaught with English colonies, 
 as the other provinces had been planted. The 
 greater part of the lands, therefore, were allowed to 
 remain in the hands of the former owners. But 
 these owners had to pay heavily for the privilege of 
 keeping what was justly their own. Some of them 
 Seizure of wcrc forccd to surrcndcr a part of their 
 lands. property to the church, in order to keep 
 
 the rest. Others paid very large fines, that they might 
 remain undisturbed. Many even of the English 
 Protestants who had recently settled in Ireland felt 
 the stress of Wentvvorth's tyranny. Lord Wilmot, 
 one of the new nobles, was deprived of a part of his 
 estates. Lord Loftus, one of the lords justices, and 
 
wentworth's iron rule. 167 
 
 the son of a Protestant bishop, was expelled from his 
 office for opposing the haughty lord-deputy's will ; 
 and Sir Piers Crosby, an equally loyal Protestant, 
 was for a similar reason driven from the privy 
 council. 
 
 But Charles was now in great trouble at home 
 in England. His arbitrary conduct was being op- 
 posed by a powerful and constantly growing party. 
 His attempt to raise ship-money without consent of 
 his Parliament was being vigorously resisted. All 
 things foreshadowed the coming of a great civil con- 
 flict. The Scots had risen in open revolt. Charles 
 saw that no time was to be lost in defending his 
 crown. He summoned Wentworth to London, re- 
 ceived his report, created him earl of 
 
 . Went- 
 
 Strafford, and sent him back to Ireland worth's 
 with the higher powers of lord-lieutenant, increased 
 
 powers. 
 
 Wentworth at once proceeded to collect 
 the Irish army, which he had raised to the number 
 of nine thousand, and had caused to be well drilled 
 and well provided, for the purpose of invading Scot- 
 land. He summoned an Irish Parliament, which, 
 obedient to his will, voted a large sum for the king's 
 use. But while Wentworth was making these prepa- 
 rations, Charles made peace with the Scots ; and his 
 energetic measures became of no avail. 
 
 Wentworth returned to England, to be soon after 
 impeached by the famous " Long Parliament," con- 
 victed, and beheaded for high treason. He left 
 behind him in Ireland a hated memory. In some 
 
l68 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 respects, he had been an able ruler. He maintained 
 wentworth Order in the island, and caused the laws 
 as a ruler, ^q ^^ impartially enforced. He did all he 
 could to foster the linen trade, which, indeed, he 
 established in Ireland, by importing weavers from 
 Flanders, encouraging the growth of flax, and caus- 
 ing mills to be erected. But, on the other hand, he 
 stamped out the woollen trade, which he found to be 
 a growing industry which might in time rival that 
 of England. He went to Ireland, as he declared, to 
 make the king *'the most absolute potentate in 
 Christendom," and had sought to carry out his pur- 
 pose with grim vigor and perseverance. The Irish 
 therefore, as well as the resident English, were re- 
 joiced at his fall, and were glad to hear that he had 
 died on the scaffold ; for no one had ever done more 
 than he to fasten the odious rule of England upon 
 Ireland. 
 
THE TEN years' REBELLION. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE TEN years' REBELLION. 
 
 THE long period of almost unbroken oppression 
 and cruelty through which the Irish had passed 
 since the accession of Elizabeth, had now prepared 
 the way for another desperate revolt against English 
 rule. The massacres and desolation of the unhappy 
 island by Elizabeth's agents ; the pitiless incitements 
 confiscations of estates, followed by the to revolt, 
 planting of the land by James ; the brutal persecu- 
 tion of the religion of the vast majority, by both ; 
 and, more recently, the imperious tyranny of Went- 
 worth, — had planted in the breasts of the Irish a deep- 
 seated hatred of their English masters. Nor was it 
 the native Irish alone who harbored this enduring 
 hostility. It was shared also by the descendants of the 
 first English settlers, — those whom we have called, 
 to distinguish them from the natives, the Anglo-Irish. 
 They, too, were Catholics, and had suffered for their 
 faith in common with their Celtic neighbors. They, 
 too, had been deprived of their fair domains, and had 
 seen their relatives and friends put mercilessly to the 
 sword. Only an opportunity was wanting to set the 
 whole island in a blaze of rebellion. 
 
I/O YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 This opportunity seemed to come with the politi- 
 cal storm which had lately arisen in England. 
 Charles and his Parliament had reached 
 Conflict ^^ open, bitter, and lasting quarrel The 
 
 Charles and Puritaus, the Independents, the Scottish 
 men^^"^^*^' Prcsbyterians, were resolved to resist 
 Charles's usurpation of powers which did 
 not belong to the crown ; and Charles was equally 
 determined not to yield. After his failure to seize 
 five of the leading members of Parliament, Charles 
 had left London ; and now Fingland was on the very 
 verge of civil war {1641). Went worth had mean- 
 while been succeeded in the government of Ireland 
 by two lords justices. Sir William Parsons and Sir 
 John Borlase. Both of these men leaned to the side 
 of Parliament as against the king, and they were 
 both wanting in firmness and vigor of conduct. The 
 characters and the desires of these new rulers of 
 Ireland enabled the revolt to grow more formid- 
 able than if they had been resolute, and loyal to 
 Charles's crown. 
 
 In the course of the long and unhappy years of 
 Ireland's oppression, large numbers of Irishmen had 
 , . ^ . left their native country, and had enlisted 
 
 Irishmen in _ _ -' ^ 
 
 foreign in the armics of foreign nations. Among 
 
 armies. them wcrc many sons of the old Irish 
 
 chiefs, as well as members of the long-settled Anglo- 
 Irish families. They had served, often with conspicu- 
 ous valor, on many fields, under the banners of Spain 
 and France. Thus a multitude of Irishmen of mili- 
 
THE TEN YEARS REBELLION. I /I 
 
 tary experience were on the continent, prepared, at 
 the ripe moment, to carry the aid of their skilful 
 arms to their own land. Two of the most noted of 
 these Irish soldiers were Hugh O'Neil, the son of the 
 brave Tyrone, and Rory O'More. Hugh O'Neil was 
 killed at Brussels, while on his way to Ireland. But 
 it always seemed that, when Ireland needed a valiant 
 leader and a strong arm, the ancient royal house of 
 O Neil was ready to supply them. Phelim O'Neil, a 
 nephew of Tyrone, and a man of harsh and savage 
 nature, took his cousin's place, as one of Rory 
 the Irish rebel chiefs. Rory O'More, how- o'^ore. 
 ever, was the leading spirit of the revolt, which had 
 been carefully planned, and was now to burst forth 
 with great violence, and to last, with scarcely a 
 pause, for the long period of ten years. 
 
 Rory O'More was a"n Irish gentleman of old family. 
 He was tall and handsome in person. His manners 
 were free and attractive. He had displayed, as a 
 soldier in the Spanish army, a courage and skill in 
 warfare which won him much renown. He was a 
 sincere and ardent patriot. So beloved and trusted 
 was he by the Irish, that it was a common saying 
 that the Irish rested their faith on " God, the 
 Virgin, and Rory 0']\Iore." O'More soon drew to 
 him a devoted band of Irish lords, gentlemen, and 
 soldiers. To his standard came McGuires Revolt of 
 and O'Neils, O'Reillys and McMahons, 0'^°^^- 
 Dillons and O'Byrnes. Second among the leaders 
 of the revolt was the brutal Phelim O'Neil. The 
 
1/2 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 plan of the revolt was soon decided upon, and was 
 twofold. It was agreed that an attempt should be 
 made to seize Dublin castle by surprise, and that, 
 at the same time, a general rising should be made 
 throughout the province of Ulster. O'More took 
 command of the forces which were to be directed 
 against the castle, and Phelim O'Neil was intrusted 
 with the task of kindling rebellion in northern 
 Ireland. 
 
 The attempt upon the castle failed. A traitor in 
 O'More's camp betrayed the plan to the lords jus- 
 tices. The latter had thus far made no effort to 
 quench the rebellion, though they knew it was about 
 to break out. It is probable, indeed, that the lords 
 justices wished to see a revolt, so that the lands of 
 the leading rebels might be confiscated, in which 
 case they hoped to receive their share. But they 
 were forced to defend Dublin castle. Sufficient 
 troops were hastily gathered, several leading rebels 
 were arrested in Dublin, and O'More and his ad- 
 o. ,. herents were forced to abandon their pro- 
 
 Phehm Jr 
 
 O'Neil in ject. Phclim O'Neil, on the other hand, 
 completely succeeded in his efforts in 
 Ulster. The news soon arrived in Dublin that the 
 whole province was in arms. In no long time, O'Neil 
 was at the head of thirty thousand men. The greater 
 part of this force was composed of those Irish who 
 had been driven off the land, who had subsisted 
 miserably in the bogs and woods, and who had thus 
 become vagrants and outlaws. They were, indeed, 
 
THE TEN YEARS REBELLION. 1 73 
 
 a mob of desperate, ill-conditioned men, for the most 
 part armed only with knives and pitchforks, but 
 who burned to avenge themselves upon the English 
 intruders in the land. 
 
 The war in Ulster at once assumed a horrible, bar- 
 barous character. On both sides the most hideous 
 cruelties were committed. Which side began the 
 awful series of massacres which took place, cannot 
 now be definitely decided. Two massacres occurred 
 at nearly the same time. The English fell upon the 
 unprotected Irish at Island Magee, and included in 
 their slaughter the aged, the sick, women, and little 
 children. Phelim O'Neil, who was promptly joined 
 by many of the old Ulster chiefs, spread a not less 
 ruthless havoc through Tyrone. He attacked the 
 English settlements, plundered and burned their 
 houses, stripped men, women, and children, and, in 
 the dead of winter, drove them naked into the woods 
 and bogs and along the cheerless roads ; and in 
 some places mercilessly mutilated and hanged them. 
 Many of the poor creatures, expelled from their 
 homes, died of cold and starvation, as they were 
 attempting to reach a place of safety. Failing to 
 capture Enniskillen and Lisburn, O'Neil o'Neii's 
 became savage with rage, and wreaked his atrocities, 
 fury upon every English village and town in his 
 way. The entire English and Scottish inhabitants 
 of three parishes were murdered. The town of 
 Newry and the cathedral of Armagh were burned 
 to the ground. Sometimes women and children 
 
174 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 were burned alive in the houses in which they had 
 sought refuge. 
 
 But there were, happily, brighter sides to the 
 picture. In some places the Catholic priests, at the 
 risk of their lives, sheltered and fed the English 
 fugitives, and aided them in their flight. Some of 
 the Irish chiefs, too, although leaders in 
 ment of coio- the rebellion, treated the English with 
 nists by |-J.^g Christian o^entleness. O'Reilly, who 
 
 O'Reilly. ^ ^ 
 
 had headed the revolt in Cavan, did not 
 kill any of the English, even in battle. He took the 
 settlers prisoners, but had them escorted in safety 
 to Dublin by some of his own soldiers. In many 
 cases, too, the native Irish, though poor, and suffer- 
 ing grievously from the wrongs inflicted on them by 
 the English, afforded protection and nourishment to 
 the settlers as they fled from their homes. It is sup- 
 posed that the number of persons slaughtered by 
 Phelim O'Neil, and the other chiefs who followed his 
 brutal example, was between four and five thousand ; 
 and that eight thousand died from cold and hunger. 
 Great numbers of the fugitives from Ulster flocked, 
 Fugitives in naked, cold, and starving, into Dublin, 
 Dublin. bringing with them the horrible tale of 
 
 the burnings, massacres, and desolation they had left 
 behind. But soon the lords deputies drove these 
 fugitives, though loyal, out of Dublin ; and, thus re- 
 duced to extremity, many of them joined hands with 
 the rebels. 
 
 The revolt in Ireland soon assumed a twofold char- 
 
THE TEN YEARS REBELLION. 1 75 
 
 acter. It had been begun by native Irish chiefs and 
 their adherents. But now a revolt, quite separate 
 from that of the native Irish, sprang up among the 
 Anglo-Irish. The two did not unite their forces, or 
 pursue a common plan of campaign. Each had its 
 own separate aims, projects, and movements. The 
 native Irish wished to achieve the entire and abso- 
 lute independence of their country. The The Angio- 
 larger number of the Anglo-Irish did not ^"^^• 
 desire separation from England. They still professed 
 to be loyal to the crown. They only made war, they 
 declared, upon the king's representatives and agents. 
 They simply demanded freedom of worship, and se- 
 curity in their estates. They fought for their altars 
 and their homes. On the other hand, the English 
 and Scots who comprised the officials, officers, and 
 soldiers in Ireland, were divided into two parties, 
 between whom the breach became wider and wider 
 every day. There was the party which supported 
 the king in his struggle with Parliament ; and there 
 was the party which sustained Parliament against ' 
 the king. Of the latter party were the lords jus- 
 tices. 
 
 The earl of Ormond, a friend of the king, was 
 put in command of the forces in Ireland. One of 
 the curious entanglements of the rebellion was, that 
 Charles, in his desperation, wished to conciliate the 
 rebels, in order that he might withdraw his troops 
 for use against the Puritans in England. On the 
 other hand, the lords justices, who wished for an 
 
176 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 excuse to confiscate the land, were listless in their 
 
 attempts to put down the rebellion. The rising 
 
 gradually spread from Ulster to Munster, and to 
 
 Connaught, and finally into the English Pale itself. 
 
 Seven lords of the Pale, with one thousand men of 
 
 good station, held a conference with Rory O'More 
 
 and his chiefs on Crofty Hill ; and, soon after, the 
 
 The Pale in cutirc Palc was honcycombcd with revolt, 
 revolt. js^^ |-]^g ^iQSg Qf ^^q yg^j. (1641), the wholc 
 
 country, excepting Dublin and a few of the seaport 
 and garrisoned towns, was covered by the rebellion. 
 But Phelim O'Neil had not only practised the most 
 barbarous atrocities, for which he had been severely 
 censured by the Catholic synod of Armagh, but had 
 also shown much lack of capacity in war. 
 
 The Irish chiefs accordingly appealed earnestly to 
 Owen Roe O'Neil, Phelim's cousin, who was then in 
 Flanders, to come over and take command of the 
 insurgent army. Owen O'Neil, or, as he was famil- 
 iarly called, " Red Owen," was a famous 
 
 Red Owen. -^ . 
 
 soldier, and a chivalrous, large-hearted, 
 honest man. Soon after his arrival in Ireland, a 
 wonderful change took place in the Irish forces. 
 The wild levies of Phelim were transformed into 
 sturdy, well-disciplined battalions. Re-enforcements 
 kept coming from the continent ; and, at about the 
 same time, another soldier of mark, Colonel Preston, 
 accompanied by five hundred military ofBcers and a 
 large quantity of stores, set out from the Pale to join 
 the Anglo-Irish revolt at Wexford. Up to this time. 
 
THE TEN YEARS REBELLION. 1/7 
 
 the native Irish on the one hand, and the Anglo-* 
 Irish on the other, had fought the English separately. 
 The time had now come for them to join in common 
 action. 
 
 A great convention, composed of members from 
 every part of Ireland, was summoned by the Ulster 
 Catholics, and met at Kilkenny (October, _^ 
 
 -^ /^ ' The conven- 
 
 1642). It contained the Catholic lords, a uon of 
 large number of Catholic bishops and *^'^''^°°y* 
 priests, and over two hundred lay delegates. This 
 convention invested the executive power in a com- 
 mittee, consisting of six members from each of the 
 four provinces. It divided the army into four divis- 
 ions. To Red Hugh was given the command in 
 Ulster, Gerald Barry received that of Munster, Col- 
 onel Preston that of Leinster, and Sir John Burke 
 that of Connaught. The convention also created a 
 high court, and made provision for its sessions, and 
 appointed lesser judges and magistrates for the sev- 
 eral counties. A great seal was devised, and the 
 convention even took measures to coin Irish money. 
 Thus an Irish government seemed to be established. 
 Yet the convention, while thus taking energetic 
 measures to organize civil war, declared that the war 
 was not to be waged against the king, but against 
 the Puritans, and in defence of the Roman-Catholic 
 faith. 
 
178 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Cromwell's iron hand. 
 
 IN spite of the strong alliance between the two 
 sections of the Irish, there was but little severe 
 fighting done anywhere in Ireland. King Charles, 
 sorely pressed by his Puritan enemies in England, 
 and learning that his army in Ireland was in a miser- 
 able state, was anxious to come to terms with the 
 "confederates," as the combined Irish were called. 
 At last his agents succeeded in persuading them to 
 A year's make a truce of a year (1643). The lords 
 truce. deputies, who were favorable to Parliament, 
 
 and their adherents, were removed from office ; and 
 Ormond, who was created a marquis, was appointed 
 lord-lieutenant. A few months after, the . truce was 
 extended to two years longer. Each party continued 
 to occupy the places in which the truce found it. 
 The confederates agreed to give Charles ^^30,000, and 
 to supply him with some troops for service in Scot- 
 ... . land. Soon after the truce had been con- 
 
 Dissensions 
 
 among the cludcd, howcvcr, scHOus disseusious broke 
 
 out between the confederates themselves. 
 
 One party, headed by Red Owen, still wished to 
 
CROMWELL S IRON HAND. 1/9 
 
 break from England altogether, and to strike for Irish 
 independence. The other party, composed mostly of 
 the Anglo-Irish, desired to come to terms with the 
 king, after securing freedom of worship and the peace- 
 ful possession of their lands. An envoy of the pope, 
 Rinucini, came to Ireland, and gave his influence to 
 the party which wished to make Ireland entirely free. 
 
 At the conclusion of the truce (1646), the conflict 
 broke out anew. Red Owen inflicted a severe defeat 
 upon Munroe, the Scottish general, at Benburb ; and 
 later, being joined by Preston, he marched on Dublin. 
 The defences of the city were weak ; and news had 
 reached Ormond, who was in command, that Charles 
 had been surrendered by the Scots to Parliament. 
 Many of the Puritan vessels were now cruising in St. 
 George's Channel. Ormond declared that the royal 
 cause was wholly lost. Meanwhile the two Irish 
 generals. Red Owen and Preston, quarrelled bitterly ; 
 and, fearing defeat, they raised the siege of Dublin. 
 Ormond knew that to hold out any longer for the 
 king would be futile. He therefore gave surrender of 
 Dublin up to the friends of Parliament, i^^^""- 
 and took refuge in France. The parliamentary 
 forces promptly took the field to suppress the rebel- 
 lion. Preston was defeated with a heavy loss at 
 Dungan Hill, and soon after the Irish forces were 
 again badly beaten at Mallow. The cause of the 
 rebellion was fast losing ground. 
 
 The moderate, or Anglo-Irish, party once more 
 made terms with the royalists, and turned against 
 
l80 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 O'Neil and the friends of Irish independence. The 
 royal cause was utterly defeated in England. It was 
 resolved to make a last desperate stand for the king 
 on Irish soil. Ormond returned from France ; and 
 prince Rupert, the king's nephew, arrived at the 
 port of Kinsale with sixteen men-of-war. A treaty 
 of peace was concluded between the royalists and 
 the Anglo-Irish under Preston (1649). Soon after 
 the news that Charles had been beheaded reached 
 Ireland. Ormond at once proclaimed the young 
 Three Irish king as Charlcs the Second. Three par- 
 parties. ^jgg ^^^ Contended for the upper hand in 
 
 Ireland, — the champions of Irish freedom under 
 O'Neil, the parliamentary or Puritan party, and the 
 royalists allied with the Anglo-Irish. The latter 
 party was also joined by the Ulster Scots, who were 
 Presbyterians ; for the Presbyterians in Scotland and 
 England had now quarrelled with the Puritans. At 
 first the fortunes of war leaned to the side of the 
 royalists and their confederates. Inchiquin took 
 Drogheda, and Ormond laid siege to Dublin. It 
 looked very much as if the Puritans would soon lose 
 altogether their hold on Ireland. 
 
 At this serious moment, the English Parliament 
 resolved that a most vigorous effort should be made, 
 without delay, to crush out the Irish revolt. With 
 this end in view, the most famous and most victorious 
 Oliver general of the parliamentary armies, Oliver 
 
 Cromwell. Cromwell, was chosen lord-lieutenant and 
 general-in-chief of the English troops in Ireland. 
 
Cromwell's iron hand. i8i 
 
 Cromwell had at his disposal a remarkable army. 
 He had organized the parliamentary troops into one 
 of the most effective military forces which had ever 
 fought in Europe. With his sturdy '' Ironsides," as 
 they were called, he had marched from triumph to 
 triumph, and had finally crushed the royal power at 
 the battle of Naseby. It was the best portion of 
 this formidable army which he now led to Ireland. 
 The Ironsides were deeply religious, as well as heroic 
 in battle ; and Cromwell proposed not only to con- 
 quer, but to convert, the Irish. He carried the Bible 
 in one hand, the sword in the other. With him went 
 his stern son-in-law Ireton, his indolent son Henry, 
 and the fanatical Puritan Ludlow. 
 
 Cromwell entered Dublin at the head of twelve 
 thousand Ironsides. They were well equipped and 
 well provisioned, and were supplied with ^^^ „ ^^^^ 
 Bibles, as well as with the deadly weapons sides" in 
 of war. The royalists still held the strong- 
 hold of Drogheda, and Cromwell's first blow was 
 struck at that place. Drogheda soon fell beneath 
 the irresistible attack of the Ironsides. Cromwell 
 had promised the garrison their lives ; but no sooner 
 did he find himself in possession of the town, than 
 he put to the sword, not the garrison alone, but the 
 inhabitants, even to the women and children. Five 
 days were spent in this cruel and hideous massacre. 
 It was by such barbarous meth'ods that Cromwell 
 resolved to stamp out rebellion in Ireland. The 
 frightful carnage of Drogheda was soon succeeded 
 
1 82 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 by similar scenes at Wexford. The castle of Wex- 
 ford was betrayed into Cromwell's hands ; the guns 
 of the fortifications were turned upon the 
 
 The mas- ^ 
 
 sacre of dcvotcd towu ; the garrison was merci- 
 wexford. lessly slaughtered in the streets ; some 
 of the townspeople, who tried to escape in boats, 
 were drowned ; and Wexford was given up to merci- 
 less pillage and outrage. It is said that two thou- 
 sand of the garrison fell victims to the fury of the 
 Ironsides. 
 
 The gallant Red Owen was now dead. The two 
 Irish parties, which had joined to resist the English, 
 had been rent asunder. The almost unparalleled 
 atrocities of Cromwell created a wild panic of dread 
 throughout Ireland. As the grim leader of the Iron- 
 sides advanced through the country, the strongholds 
 of the patriots and royalists fell easily into his hands. 
 Cromwell, with all his cruelty, was strictly honest in 
 his dealings. He paid for the supplies which the 
 country folk brought to him, and thus his army was 
 well fed and well clothed wherever it marched. 
 Within a year he had dealt a death-blow at the re- 
 -, , , sistance of the Irish. He returned to 
 
 Conquest of 
 
 Ireland by England to fight the Scots, leaving his 
 romwe . ^^^ Hcury as lord-lieutenant, and Ireton 
 as commanding-general. The last stand made by 
 the baffled and defeated Irish was in the western 
 part of the island. There they still held out obsti- 
 nately. Ireton, like Cromwell, was cruel and pitiless. 
 Murder and desolation attended his every triumph. 
 
Cromwell's iron hand. 183 
 
 At last, with the fall of Galway (1652), the ten-years' 
 revolt came to an end, and all Ireland lay once more 
 bound hand and foot at England's feet. 
 
 Cromwell resolved to make the most of his con- 
 quest of the subject island. He proposed to reap 
 the full fruits of his victory. He was determined 
 that the Irish should never have a chance to rise 
 again. At first, he even considered a plan for sweep- 
 ing the entire Irish race from the face of the earth, 
 and to re-people the island entirely with English and 
 Scots. But this seemed, even to his grim soul, too 
 barbarous a remedy. The measures which he did 
 take were stern and severe. Phelim O'Neil, Lord 
 Mayo, and other leaders of the revolt were ^ 
 
 ■' Execution of 
 
 executed. At the same time a vast scheme the insh 
 of removing nearly the whole body of the 
 Irish from the fruitful provinces of Ulster, Leinster, 
 and Munster, into the inclement and far less fertile 
 province of Connaught, was vigorously carried out. 
 Not only the common people were thus transferred, 
 but the lords, land-owners, and men of good family ; 
 not only the native Irish, but the Anglo-Irish also. 
 Pieces of land in Connaught were given to the exiles. 
 A date was fixed, before which every family must 
 remove from its home, and repair to the place allotted 
 to it in Connaught. It was decreed that the men 
 should precede their families to their new and dismal 
 homes ; and, when they had built huts for them, the 
 old men, women, children, cattle, and household 
 goods were to follow. 
 
184 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Those of the Irish who failed to obey these harsh 
 decrees were condemned to be executed. Not only 
 this. They were forbidden to go into the city of 
 Galway, or to approach within four miles of the sea 
 on one side, or within two miles of the river Shannon 
 „. , . . on the other, on pain of death. The 
 
 The Irish ' i 
 
 expelled to wrctchcd, dcsolatc regions of Connaught 
 onnaug . ^^^j.^ soon swamiiug with the Irish, suffer- 
 ing and sometimes dying of cold and hunger. They 
 found it no easy task even to get possession of the 
 lands which had been allotted to them. It was only, 
 often, by paying money to Cromwell's soldiers, that 
 they were allowed to occupy their miserable patches. 
 Then, in the spring (1654), one of the saddest spec- 
 tacles ever seen on earth was witnessed in Ireland. 
 Long trains of old men, invalids, women, children, 
 ill-clad and gaunt with hunger, trudged wearily west- 
 ward along the muddy roads, amid storms of rain 
 and hail. Whole communities of the Irish thus 
 abandoned their ancient homes, and reached their 
 Terrible ^cw abodcs to Hvc in drcadful want upon 
 
 sufferings. almost barren lands, or to die, as very 
 many did, of unendurable hardships. The three 
 provinces of Ulster, Munster, and Leinster were all 
 but stripped of their Irish and Anglo-Irish popula- 
 tion ; and the Irish race was pent up, as in a huge 
 prison, between the Shannon and the ocean. 
 
 Meanwhile, the soldiers who had taken part, either 
 as patriots or under the royalist banners, were rigor- 
 ously dealt with. The higher officers were sent into 
 
oo 
 
 ti 
 
 C 
 
 c 
 o 
 
 U 
 
 X 
 
 
Cromwell's iron hand. 185 
 
 exile, and deprived of two-thirds of their property. 
 The lesser officers and soldiers were forced to give 
 up what lands they had, and to accept far less fertile 
 lands in Connaught. Many of the soldiers resorted 
 to the bogs and woods, where they became outlaws 
 and robbers. These were called ''Tories," The 
 which meant in Irish, "freebooters;" and "Tories." 
 this is the origin of the English word "Tory." But 
 by far the greater number of the Irish soldiers went 
 to the continent, where they enlisted in the French 
 or Spanish army. It is said that more than forty 
 thousand took this course. Meanwhile, an atrocious 
 act was committed by Cromwell's agents. Seven 
 thousand Irish women and children were seized, put 
 on board ships, and sent to the West Indies. The 
 boys were sold as slaves to the West-Indian planters, 
 and the women and girls were destined to even a 
 baser and more cruel end. Thus the way was pre- 
 pared for a new plantation of Ireland by English 
 colonists. 
 
1 86 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Cromwell's settlement of Ireland. 
 
 CROMWELL and his agents did their cruel work 
 in Ireland thoroughly. Not only were the 
 country districts of the three fertile provinces cleared 
 of their inhabitants, but the fortified and sea-coast 
 towns were treated in the same way. The once pros- 
 perous, thriving ports ceased to be busy with trade, 
 or crowded with shipping. The Irish mer- 
 irish trade chauts of Cork, Watcrford, Galway, and 
 ^°*^ other sea-coast towns, abandoned them, 
 
 commerce. . , 
 
 and transferred their busmess to foreign 
 countries. The emporiums of Kilkenny and Tip- 
 perary were deserted, and the market-towns of the 
 interior were silent and desolate. All was now ready 
 to replant the provinces with new settlers, and so, if 
 possible, to make an English country of Ireland. 
 Surveyors were sent through the provinces to make 
 measurements of the deserted domains. Agents 
 visited them to decide upon their value, put a price 
 on them, and divide them off into new allotments. 
 All the towns, certain of the church domains, and the 
 four counties of Dublin, Cork, Carlow, and Kildare, 
 
Cromwell's settlement of Ireland. 187 
 
 were set off, to be held for the benefit of the gov- 
 ernment. The rest was disposed of to The "ad- 
 new English settlers ; some of whom were venturers." 
 now called, not as formerly, undertakers, but, from 
 their having lent or "adventured" money to the 
 king, "adventurers." 
 
 There were two classes of men to whom Cromwell 
 felt himself indebted. He had received large ad- 
 vances of money, and the adventurers who had thus 
 become his creditors demanded liberal grants of 
 Irish land in payment. But still more was Cromwell 
 indebted to his soldiers, who had not only completed 
 for him the conquest of Ireland, but had not received 
 their pay. It was with the grim Iron- 
 sides, mainly, that he resolved to plant the planted by 
 island. To the adventurers, who had ad- *^® ^*"°"- 
 
 sides 
 
 vanced some ^360,000, were given up the 
 halves of ten counties in Ulster, Leinster, and Mun- 
 ster ; while the arrears of the soldiers' pay, amount- 
 ing to ;£ 1, 500,000, were satisfied by the other halves 
 of these counties, and eight other counties in addi- 
 tion. The land was divided up into parcels ; and the 
 regiments, one after another, drew lots for the choice 
 of location. Then the men of the regiments again 
 drew lots, to see which should have the privilege of 
 selecting his own plot in the district devoted to his 
 regiment. After the lands had thus been divided 
 off, each regiment was marched upon its domains 
 and disbanded ; and the men took possession, one by 
 one, of their pieces of land. 
 
1 88 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 It took several years to complete this new settle- 
 ment of Ireland. ^Meanwhile many of the soldiers 
 to whom lots were given were glad to sell them out 
 for small sums, either to their officers, who desired 
 larger estates, or to the land-brokers who soon 
 swarmed through the country. When Cromwell's 
 plan had been fully carried out, the land of Ireland 
 Division of '^vas found to bc divided up as follows. In 
 Irish land. ^\\^ there were about ten millions of Irish 
 acres in the island. Of these, the native Irish oc- 
 cupied about three millions, for the most part in the 
 unfruitful province of Connaught. The Protestant 
 church held about three hundred thousand acres. 
 The planters, establisht'd by Elizabeth and James, 
 had some two millions of acres ; and over five mil- 
 lions of acres — at least one-half the island — had 
 been seized by Cromwell, and handed over to his ad- 
 herents. But the new settlers were not to be allowed 
 to till their just-acquired possessions in any greater 
 peace than the old settlers. Many of the ousted 
 Irish, some of whom were of good family and had 
 been even rich and titled, refused to leave their 
 native neighborhood, and began to lead a wild life 
 in the woods and bogs. These Tories did not let 
 Raids of the the intruders rest. They made raids 
 Tones. upou the fields, and destroyed the ripen- 
 
 ing grain and potatoes. They seized and drove away 
 the cattle, sheep, and pigs. In many places, the 
 settlers were tormented out of their wits by these 
 hardy outlaws. 
 
Cromwell's settlement of Ireland. 189 
 
 Nor were the Irish outlaws the only enemies of 
 the settlers. Large numbers of Catholic priests still 
 infested the country, though they were all under 
 sentence of banishment. They were resolved at all 
 hazards to keep alive their religion among the perse- 
 cuted race ; and, always in danger of death itself, 
 they led their pious services in whatever out-of-the- 
 way place they could secretly gather their ^^ 
 poverty-stricken flocks together. They schbed 
 were mercilessly hunted down ; and, when p*^'^^^*- 
 they were arrested, they were forthwith sent beyond 
 seas, or put to death without so much as a trial. 
 Another plague which worried the settlers was the 
 wolves, which continually prowled about the settle- 
 ments, devoured the sheep, and endangered the lives 
 of the farmers. "We have now three burdensome 
 beasts to destroy," said one who lived at that time ; 
 *' the first is a wolf, the second a priest, and the third 
 a Tory." A price was set upon the head of each of 
 these ** burdensome beasts." The head of a priest 
 or a wolf was worth five pounds, while that of a Tory 
 was worth twenty pounds. 
 
 But after all these pains had been taken to subdue 
 and suppress the Irish race, Cromwell's vast and 
 harsh project was far from being completely success- 
 ful. The national spirit of the Irish still resisted ex- 
 termination. In no long time, the same process of 
 the absorption of the intruding race by the native 
 race which had always taken place before, again oc- 
 curred. The settled English soldiers, though forbid- 
 
IQO YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 den, under heavy penalties, to mingle and connect 
 themselves with the native Irish, began to have deal- 
 ings with them, to accept Irishmen as tenants, ser- 
 vants, and laborers, and to marry Irish girls. It is 
 Fusion of said that, within forty years after Crom- 
 the races. wcll's plantation of the three provinces, 
 many children of the settlers could not speak a word 
 of English ; that all of their habits, traits, and sympa- 
 thies were entirely Irish. Here and there the native 
 Irish and the Anglo-Irish got back, by marriage or 
 purchase, estates in the districts from which their 
 fathers had been expelled. Thus it was that even 
 the stern Ironsides became more and more Irish as 
 years passed. 
 
 The restoration of the English monarchy in the 
 person of Charles the Second (1660) aroused the 
 Restoration ^^P^^ of two of the opprcsscd classcs in 
 of Charles Ireland. The royalists, who had stood 
 stoutly by Charles the First, and who had 
 suffered persecution, the seizure of their lands, and 
 exile at the hands of Cromwell and his Puritan 
 agents, hoped that the new king would reward them 
 for their loyalty. They expected to get back their 
 estates, and to be restored to their old power in 
 Ireland. The Roman Catholic Irish, moreover, had 
 learned that Charles the Second was favorably in- 
 clined to the members of their faith. They, too, 
 looked forward to being protected in the exercise of 
 their religion, and to having their lands given back 
 to them. So confident, indeed, were the persecuted 
 
CROMWELL S SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. I9I 
 
 Irish of the royal favor, that as soon as they heard 
 that the new king was seated on his throne, some 
 of them rashly attempted to recover their lands by 
 force. At the same time the Catholics besouo^ht 
 Charles to return their estates to them, agreeing to 
 pay the Cromwellian settlers a certain proportion of 
 the rents for two years. But both the royalists and 
 the Catholics were doomed to bitter disappointment. 
 
 Charles the Second, like all the Stuart kings of 
 England, was faithless, and could not be trusted. He 
 disregarded whatever obligations were distasteful to 
 him, or were contrary to what he thought his own 
 interests. He now resolved to conciliate, as far as he 
 could, his father's old enemies, and to leave in the 
 lurch his father's old friends. He made a pretence, 
 indeed, of doin^^ justice to the Irish who ^^ , , 
 
 ' o J Charles's 
 
 had been harshly and illegally deprived of treatment of 
 their property. He caused a court to be 
 established in Dublin (1663), to which all who claimed 
 to have been unlawfully dispossessed of their lands 
 might resort, and present their claims. It was de- 
 clared that those who were innocent of having re- 
 belled against English rule should have their estates 
 restored to them. The Protestants took alarm at 
 this, and a plot was soon formed to seize Dublin 
 castle. But it soon turned out that the Protestants 
 had little cause for alarm. All sorts of restrictions 
 were put upon the new court ; and every kind of legal 
 device and trickery was used to reduce the successful 
 claimants to as small a number as possible. 
 
192 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The Irish Parliament had met, two years before, 
 for the first time for twenty years. The House of 
 Commons had contained a large majority of the 
 Cromwellians, and a measure which confirmed the 
 new settlers in their lands had been passed. Upon 
 this act the Cromwellians rested their case. There 
 existed, therefore, a bitter conflict between the law 
 of Parliament, and the decisions of the court in 
 Claims to favor of ''innocent " claimants. So grave 
 Irish land. ^[^ ^^iQ situation bccomc, that the king at 
 last insisted on a compromise. The Cromwellian 
 settlers gave up one-third of the lands which they 
 had obtained by the confiscations, and thus much was 
 restored to the royalists ; and the court which had 
 been set up to satisfy the claims was abolished. But 
 even now, the Irish Roman Catholics only held one- 
 half the amount of land which they had held at the 
 outbreak of the ten years' rebellion. They still 
 owned but one-third of the island. The foreigner 
 and the Protestant still held the other two-thirds. 
 Of the seven millions of good, or "fat," acres in 
 Ireland, the Protestants possessed five millions. 
 
 One of Charles the Second's first acts in regard 
 to Ireland, was to restore to its old power the Eng- 
 The Protes- ^^^^ church. The Episcopal bishops and 
 tant Church clcrgy wcrc rcstorcd to the sees and 
 parishes, and the Puritan and Presbyterian 
 ministers were summarily ejected. In many cases, 
 they were fined, imprisoned, and banished for refus- 
 ing to obey the new "act of uniformity." At the 
 
CROMWELL S SETTLEMENT OF IRELAND. I93 
 
 same time, Charles was really partial to the Catholics, 
 and ordered his agents in Ireland to treat them 
 gently. Under such protection, the priests and 
 monks, who had been driven from their parishes, and 
 in many cases from the island, by the Cromwellians, 
 began to appear again, to hold their religious ser- 
 vices, and to establish Catholic schools. The Catho- 
 lics, indeed, now enjoyed a larger degree of freedom 
 of worship than they had had for fifty years. The 
 Presbyterians and Puritans in Ireland were now the 
 only sects which felt the repressive hand of power. 
 
194 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE ORANGE AND THE GREEN. 
 
 JUST as the Irish CathoHcs were beginning to 
 enjoy some degree of toleration, an event took 
 place in England, which for a while seemed likely 
 to overwhelm the Catholics of both countries with 
 disaster. This was the infamous plot of Titus Oates, 
 Plot of Titus who pretended to have discovered a Catho- 
 oates. ij^ conspiracy to kill the king, the duke 
 
 of York, and others, and to seize on the government 
 (1678). Oates also declared that this conspiracy ex- 
 tended to Ireland, that all the Protestants in Ireland 
 were to be massacred, and that a French fleet was 
 about to arrive in Irish ports. The whole story was 
 afterwards proved to be an atrocious lie, invented by 
 Oates. But, for a time, it aroused an intense fear 
 and anger among the English Protestants ; and, both 
 in England and in Ireland, the Catholics were bitterly 
 persecuted. The Irish Catholics were disarmed ; all 
 the Catholic bishops and priests were ordered to quit 
 the island ; heavy penalties were threatened against 
 soldiers who attended Catholic services ; and the 
 Catholics in the large towns were compelled to go 
 outside the walls. 
 
THE ORANGE AND THE GREEN. I95 
 
 But after a while the panic of the Protestants 
 subsided. It was found that Oates's plot was a fable, 
 and that many innocent Catholics had suffered death 
 and other miseries from the hasty anger of the people. 
 Then the Irish Catholics returned to a tolerable state 
 of religious freedom ; and once more the priests 
 flocked back, to say mass, and dwell among their 
 flocks. The death of Charles the Second (1685) "^^^ 
 followed by the accession to the English throne of a 
 Roman Catholic, in the person of James james the 
 the Second. James was the first avowed Second. 
 Catholic who had sat on the throne since queen Mary. 
 His accession was therefore hailed with joy by the 
 Irish Catholics, although time soon proved that it was 
 a great misfortune to them. James speedily showed 
 that he meant to establish Catholic ascendancy, both 
 in England and Ireland. Although he appointed a 
 Protestant, lord Clarendon, lord-lieutenant of Ire- 
 land, he selected a violent Catholic, Richard Talbot 
 (who is better known in history by his title of earl 
 of Tyrconnel), to command the Irish army. 
 
 James began to carry out his plans by replacing 
 Protestant by Catholic officers in the army. Then, 
 contrary to law, he appointed Catholic . , 
 
 -' ^^ James favors 
 
 judges, privy councillors, and magistrates ; the Irish 
 and the charters of the Irish cities and 
 towns were so altered as to admit Catholics to the 
 offices from which they had hitherto been excluded. 
 The Irish Catholics took courage from these acts. 
 They asked the king to abolish the " act of settle- 
 
196 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 ment," under which the Cromwellian settlers had 
 been confirmed in their estates ; and the Irish 
 Tories, or outlaws, became emboldened, and made 
 savage raids upon the English colonists, murdering, 
 burning, and pillaging wherever they appeared. The 
 Irish tenants refused to pay their rents ; and through- 
 out the country the Protestants, fearing a terrible 
 retribution for the wrongs to which the Irish had 
 been long subjected, fled for safety within the walled 
 towns. Clarendon, the Protestant lord-lieutenant, 
 was recalled ; and the power in Ireland was given to 
 Tyrconnei in the fauatical Catholic, Tyrconnel. The 
 Ireland. Protcstauts saw that worse than had hap- 
 
 pened was yet to come to them. Tyrconnel was 
 known to be inveterately hostile to them, and to be 
 sternly bent on restoring the upper hand to the 
 Catholics. They therefore fled in thousands from 
 Ireland, and it seemed certain that the Catholics 
 were soon to become all-powerful there. 
 
 But events in England now put an entirely different 
 face upon the affairs of both islands. James had 
 become thoroughly detested by the enormous major- 
 ity of his English subjects. His tyrannical and 
 illegal acts had at length worn out the loyalty, even 
 of the Tory party, who had always before stood by 
 him. A plot was formed to dethrone him, and to 
 place William, prince of Orange, and his wife Mary, 
 The English daughter of James, on the throne. The 
 revolution. revolution was quickly and completely ac- 
 complished. William landed in England, marched to 
 
THE ORANGE AND THE GREEN. IQ/ 
 
 London without fighting a battle, and took posses- 
 sion of the throne (1688). James fled from the palace 
 of his fathers, seeking refuge in France. William 
 was the champion of Protestantism in Europe, and 
 his accession carried dismay to the Catholics through- 
 out England and Ireland. But Tyrconnel was made 
 of stern stuff, and, even after the flight of James, was 
 not ready to yield Ireland up to the new king without 
 a struggle. He promptly raised a voluntary force of 
 nearly one hundred thousand Irish Catholics, and 
 sent word to James that he proposed to hold out in 
 his favor. Meanwhile many of the Protestants in 
 the north of Ireland, seeing that they were not 
 strong enough to meet Tyrconnel in the open field, 
 hastened to seek safety within the walled strong- 
 holds of Londonderry and Enniskillen. There they 
 awaited their fate with grim and determined courage. 
 The exiled James resolved to fight to recover his 
 crown, on Irish soil. There was still a strong party 
 in England and Scotland, which remained loyal to 
 him. He thought that if he could make a successful 
 stand in Ireland, his friends across the channel might 
 yet rally, and drive the prince of Orange from the 
 throne. James accordingly set sail for james lands 
 Ireland. With him went a fleet of twenty- *" inland, 
 three vessels, in which was stored a large quantity 
 of arms and ammunition, and which carried one hun- 
 dred French officers and twelve hundred Irish exiles, 
 and ;^i 12,000 in money. He was aided and encour- 
 aged in his expedition by Louis the Fourteenth, the 
 
198 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 French king, who, as the Catholic leader in Europe, 
 was the mortal enemy of William of Orange. James, 
 attended by his two illegitimate sons, the duke of 
 Berwick and the prior Fitz James, landed in Kinsale 
 harbor (March 12, 1689), and advanced, greeted 
 along his route by the fervid enthusiasm of the 
 Irish, to Cork and thence to Dublin. As soon as he 
 reached the capital, he summoned an Irish Parlia- 
 ment, which met two months later. 
 
 Both the Houses of this Parliament contained an 
 overwhelming majority of Catholics, and two-thirds 
 of the Commons were Anglo-Irish. Such a Parlia- 
 ment was likely to support Tames, and 
 
 James sup- ^ 
 
 ported by the also to take carc that the rights of Ireland 
 Irish Parha- gj^Quld bc sccurcd in the event of James's 
 
 ment. "^ 
 
 return to the English throne. The law 
 known as Poyning's Act, which required that all 
 Irish measures must first be submitted to and ap- 
 proved by the English council, was promptly repealed. 
 Religious liberty was decreed. Safeguards for Irish 
 trade were adopted. Above all, the act of settlement, 
 securing the Cromwellians in their lands, was abol- 
 ished ; and it was declared that all Catholics who had 
 been land-owners before 1641 should recover their 
 estates. Having thus satisfied the demands made 
 by the Irish, Parliament proceeded to make a grant 
 of ;£40,ooo a month to the king, with which to carry 
 on his war. The last act of this Parliament was to 
 attaint over two thousand men of high treason. 
 These were, mostly, men who had either left Ire- 
 
THE ORANGE AND THE GREEN. I99 
 
 land, or had gone over to William of Orange. 
 Meanwhile the struggle between the Irish adherents 
 of James, and those of the Prince of Orange, was 
 going vigorously on. The place to which all eyes 
 were turned was Londonderry, where the Protestants 
 were holding out obstinately against their assailants. 
 James himself repaired thither with some siege of Lon. 
 troops, and the governor of Londonderry ^onderry. 
 decided to yield up the town. But the people would 
 not permit this. They deposed the governor by 
 force, and chose a clergyman named Walker in his 
 place. 
 
 Still, the siege reduced the town to desperate 
 straits ; and it would have surrendered, had not aid 
 from England opportunely arrived by sea. The 
 siege of Londonderry was thus raised, and the Irish 
 retreated (July, 1689). The campaign lingered list- 
 lessly through the autumn and winter. General 
 Schomberg, a distinguished officer devoted to Wil- 
 liam, went to Ireland with four thousand men. But in 
 both camps there was a great deal of misery. The 
 Irish troops were ill-equipped, ill-fed, and unaccus- 
 tomed to war ; and the French soldiers did not get 
 on well with them. On the other hand, the English 
 under Schomberg suffered sorely from illness con- 
 tracted in the damp regions where they 
 were encamped, and died by hundreds, orange 
 In the early summer (i6qo), William of '"^^^^^s 
 
 ^ \ ^ /' Ireland. 
 
 Orange, who had become impatient at the 
 
 lack of the success of his troops in Ireland, landed 
 
200 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 at Carrickfergus with a disciplined army of forty 
 thousand men. Meanwhile a French force of five 
 thousand men, commanded by the famous Count 
 de Lauzun, arrived to lend aid to James. It was 
 evident that the fate of one English king or the 
 other must soon be decided once for all on Irish 
 soil. 
 
to 
 
 a 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 ■)-> 
 
 H 
 
THE TREATY OF LIMERICK. 20 T 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE TREATY OF LIMERICK. 
 
 WILLIAM of Orange, with his large and well- 
 appointed army, marched promptly southward 
 to confront his rival. The hostile forces met on the 
 banks of the river Boyne. William's force, Resides 
 being far better trained and equipped, was also 
 somewhat larger than that of James. Thirty-six 
 thousand soldiers, comprising men of sev- Battle of the 
 eral nations, fought under William for what ^°y"e. 
 was regarded as the Protestant cause ; while thirty 
 thousand Irish and French supported the exiled Stu- 
 art. William, moreover, had forty cannon, while 
 James had only twelve. On the other hand, James 
 held the southern bank of the Boyne, and William 
 was forced to lead his men across the river in the 
 face of the Irish fire. The struggle was desperate 
 and prolonged. The Irish fought with lion-like valor 
 against superior odds. William himself most gal- 
 lantly advanced into the river at the head of his men, 
 while James witnessed the struggle fromi a safe dis- 
 tance. Although wounded, the new English king 
 remained, throughout the battle, in the front of his 
 
202 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 forces. At last the Irish gave way, retreating by 
 steady ranks. But the cowardly James, as soon as 
 he saw that the battle had gone against him, hastily 
 deserted his faithful soldiers, galloped off to Dublin, 
 and was the first of the fugitives to enter its walls. 
 The next morning he took ship for France (1690). 
 
 The battle of the Boyne decided the fate of Ire- 
 land. It was the turning-point in the bitter struggle 
 between the Irish and their foreign masters ; between 
 the Irish Catholics and Protestants ; and between 
 William of Orange and James the Second for the 
 possession of the English throne. But, while it made 
 the contest a hopeless one for the Irish, it did not 
 bring the war to an immediate end. Under the 
 sarsfieid's valiaut and fervent Sarsfield, the Irish 
 valor. continued a desperate, though hopeless, 
 
 resistance. After the battle of the Boyne, Drogheda 
 and Dublin fell into William's hands ; but the Irish 
 retired to the strongholds of Connaught and Mun- 
 ster, resolved to make an obstinate stand. Sarsfield, 
 though now deserted by a large portion of his French 
 allies, took up his position, with ten thousand Irish, 
 at Limerick. William of Orange arrived before the 
 town, and laid siege to it. Sarsfield, by a daring 
 manoeuvre, intercepted and destroyed William's siege 
 train. Then the English made a furious assault 
 upon the town, and even entered at a breach they 
 had made in its walls. But they were met with such 
 sturdy bravery by its Irish defenders, that William, 
 after a hot struggle of four days, was compelled to 
 
THE TREATY OF LIMERICK. 2O3 
 
 fall back defeated, and to give up taking Limerick 
 until the following year. 
 
 The next stand of the Irish was made at Aughrim 
 in the middle of the following summer (July, 1691). 
 They were under the command of a French general, 
 St. Ruth ; and seemed on the point of winning a com- 
 plete victory when St. Ruth was killed. This fatality 
 deprived the Irish of their confidence, and they were 
 driven from the field. Limerick and Galway now 
 alone held out. Galway yielded to the English after 
 the defeat at Aughrim, and the Irish garrison 
 marched away to join their comrades at Limerick. 
 Limerick was speedily again invested by the English 
 troops. The only hope remaining to the Irish was 
 that a French fleet with re-enforcements, which had 
 been promised, would arrive in time to raise the 
 siege. While they were anxiously awaiting this 
 hoped-for succor, the besiegers captured the island 
 upon which a part of Limerick stands. The brave 
 Sarsfield was so discouraged by this event, that he 
 resolved to come to terms with the enemy. Ginkel, 
 the English general, agreed to a truce of Negotiations 
 three days. This period was occupied by ^°*' p^^ce. 
 negotiations for concluding a peace. Both sides were 
 anxious that the war should come to a close. The 
 Irish were nearly at the end of their resources, and 
 had given up hope of the French fleet. King William 
 was eager to withdraw his troops from Ireland, and 
 to use them in his contest with France. The result 
 of the negotiations was the treaty of Limerick. 
 
204 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 By this famous treaty, concessions were made on 
 both sides. King William agreed that the Catholics 
 should have freedom of worship, and that an Irish 
 Parliament should be called together to secure them 
 in that freedom. He granted pardon to those who 
 had defended the cause of James, on condition that 
 they should take an oath of allegiance to William and 
 Mary. Catholics were relieved from taking the oath 
 The treaty of suprcmacy ; that is, the oath acknowl- 
 of Limerick, edging William and Mary as the supreme 
 heads of the church. They were also allowed to keep 
 the estates which they now held, to pursue such 
 avocations as they pleased, and to carry arms. On 
 the other hand, the Cromwellian colonists were con- 
 firmed in the possession of the estates they held at 
 the time of the treaty. As for the Irish army, it was 
 agreed that the soldiers should be permitted to choose 
 between enlisting in William's service, and going 
 abroad and entering the armies of foreign powers. 
 
 Scarcely was the ink dry on this treaty, when the 
 French fleet, which the Irish had so anxiously 
 awaited, showed its sails in the river Shannon. On 
 board the fleet were three thousand soldiers and ten 
 thousand muskets, with stores and ammunition. But 
 Sarsfield was the soul of honor. He had signed the 
 treaty, and it was too late to honorably retreat. He 
 might now have turned round and, with the newly ar- 
 rived Frenchmen, have defied Ginkel and the English. 
 But he resisted the temptation, and stood manfully 
 by his word. And now the Irish soldiers were called 
 
THE TREATY OF LIMERICK. 20$ 
 
 upon to make their choice between the English army 
 and exile. They were drawn up outside Destjoatjon 
 Limerick; in all, twenty-three thousand, of Irish soi- 
 A certain point was designated, and the 
 battalions were marched towards it. Those who 
 preferred William's service turned off as they reached 
 the point ; those who wished to go abroad marched 
 straight on. Almost three thousand turned aside 
 to join the English army; the other twenty thou- 
 sand, by marching forward, declared for exile. 
 
 In no lonsf time these self-banished Irish soldiers 
 were put on board ships and carried to France. The 
 greater part of them enlisted in the French army, 
 and w^ere followed into the French ranks, from time 
 to time, by others of their compatriots. In many a 
 hard-fought battle afterwards, often against the Eng- 
 lish, the Irish legions fought under the French ban- 
 ners with heroic bravery. A great deal of Ireland's 
 best blood had thus left the island. The Irish who 
 remained were soon destined to be rudely awakened 
 from their dream of peace and liberty. The treaty 
 The treaty of Limerick was treated by the ^^°^^°- 
 English as if it did not exist. Many of its articles 
 were perfidiously violated. The agreement to allow 
 the Catholics freedom of worship was broken, by the 
 imposition on members of Parliament of an oath, 
 which compelled them to deny some of the most vital 
 articles of their creed. So it was that Catholics were 
 excluded from the Irish Parliament. Then an attack 
 was once more made upon the lands still held by the 
 
206 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Catholic Irish. More than a million Irish acres were 
 confiscated, and were made over to the crown. A 
 fourth part of this land, indeed, was restored by 
 William to the Irish owners. A large portion of the 
 rest he distributed to his friends and favorites. 
 
 But the Irish owners were not to be allowed to 
 hold in peace the small amounts of land which 
 William returned to them. The English Parliament 
 passed a law by which the restored estates were 
 Fresh con- again coufiscatcd, and were sold at auction ; 
 fiscations. ^^iQ moucy paid for them being added to 
 the English treasury. Thus the Catholic owners, at 
 the beginning of the century, though they still com- 
 prised nearly five-sixths of the population of Ireland, 
 held less than one-seventh of the land. At this 
 period, too, the condition of Ireland was, in some re- 
 spects, as wretched and hopeless as it had ever been. 
 In many parts of the country the planting of the 
 land had been given up, and the people had resorted 
 to the raising of cows, sheep, and pigs. Thus the 
 population had become less industrious and thrifty. 
 The importation of cattle from Ireland into England 
 had then been forbidden, and this had reduced a large 
 portion of the people to dire poverty. On the other 
 hand, the linen and woollen industries had been en- 
 couraged in Ireland, and had given prosperity to 
 some of the larger towns. 
 
 The wars had spread desolation far and wide 
 through the country. Base coin had been forced 
 by king James upon the Irish. The Tory outlaws 
 
THE TREATY OF LIMERICK. 207 
 
 continued their depredations upon the Enghsh settle- 
 ments. The cattle of the English were mutilated, 
 their barns were burned, and their houses were plun- 
 dered. Still, the Protestants in Ireland were now 
 supported by the strong arm of the crown. The Irish 
 The Irish Parliament was comprised solely Parliament, 
 of Protestants, and was in all things submissive to 
 English power. All the officials in Ireland were 
 Protestants. The Protestants, moreover, held six- 
 sevenths of the Irish soil. But even these safe- 
 guards of Protestant ascendancy did not satisfy the 
 English masters of Ireland. It once more appeared 
 to be the resolute purpose of the English to suppress 
 altogether the Catholic religion, and to deprive the 
 Catholic Irish entirely of the land. This purpose 
 was revealed in the infamous "Penal Laws," which 
 were now sternly imposed upon the unhappy race. 
 
208 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE PENAL LAWS. 
 
 DURING the reigns of William the Third and 
 Anne, a number of very cruel laws were passed, 
 which were gross violations of the treaty of Lim- 
 erick, and which bore with terrible severity upon the 
 Irish, and especially upon the Irish Catholics. These 
 are famous, or rather infamous, in history as the 
 ^* Penal Laws." Their purpose was to reduce the 
 Catholics of Ireland to perpetual helplessness and 
 ignorance. It was intended by these means to put 
 and hold the Irish under complete subjection. The 
 penal laws must be briefly described, for many of 
 the miseries which Ireland has suffered since may be 
 traced back to them. They were passed, partly by 
 the English Parliament, and partly by the Irish 
 Parliament, the latter body being composed entirely 
 of Protestants, and being completely devoted to the 
 The oaths intcrcsts of the English crown. First, 
 required. ^j^g oaths of allcgiancc to England, and of 
 *' abjuration," were required, not only of all the Irish 
 bishops, but of every member of Parliament, every 
 man who held a civil or military post, every officer 
 
THE PENAL LAWS. 2O9 
 
 or instructor of the university of Dublin, every 
 schoolmaster, every professor, and every lawyer. 
 The oath of abjuration practically rejected the creed 
 of the Catholic church, and hence could not be 
 taken by any true Catholic. All Catholics, there- 
 fore, were excluded from the avocations which have 
 been named. 
 
 Heavy penalties followed the breaking of these 
 laws. A Catholic who dared to keep a school, even 
 in a private house, was condemned to a heavy fine, 
 or to be imprisoned for three months. No Catholic 
 could send his child abroad to be educated. If he 
 did, he was condemned to forfeit all his worldly 
 goods. Any man, by informing the authorities of 
 the breaking of this law, was entitled to receive half 
 the property taken from the man who broke it. The 
 accused man was not supposed to be innocent until 
 he was found guilty, but was obliged to prove his 
 innocence. All Catholic bishops, monks. The priests 
 friars, and priests, except three thousand Vanished, 
 priests who were "registered," and thus allowed to 
 perform their sacred functions, were banished from 
 Ireland. If any who were thus banished returned, 
 they were condemned to be '' hanged, drawn, and 
 quartered." Whoever delivered up a bishop who 
 had thus dared to come back to Ireland after being 
 exiled, received a reward of fifty pounds. The re- 
 ward for capturing and delivering up an unregistered 
 priest was twenty pounds, and for a Catholic who 
 was found teaching school, ten pounds. 
 
2 TO YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 An important part of the infamous penal laws, 
 indeed, was its system of rewards to those who be- 
 trayed the persons at whom the law was aimed, and 
 the inducements held out to those who abjured 
 Catholicism and became Protestants. A Catholic 
 priest who turned Protestant was entitled to receive 
 a pension of twenty pounds a year. Every Catholic 
 who owned land was compelled to leave it, in equal 
 shares, to all his sons. But if the eldest son be- 
 came a Protestant, the whole estate was given over 
 to him. It was further provided that no Catholic 
 could buy any land ; nor could any Catholic lease a 
 farm for a longer period than thirty-one years. If a 
 farm leased by a Catholic yielded a third more than 
 the rent, any Protestant who discovered the fact could 
 turn him out and take possession of his farm. No 
 Catholic was allowed to own a horse of a higher 
 value than five pounds ; if he did, any Protestant, by 
 Oppression offering him five pounds, might take the 
 of Catholics, i^orse. No Catholic was permitted to 
 keep more than two apprentices, except in the linen- 
 trade. Whoever persuaded a Protestant to become 
 a Catholic, was condemned to imprisonment for life. 
 No Catholic could become the guardian of a child, 
 or the executor of an estate. If a Catholic child 
 turned Protestant, he could compel his father to give 
 up to him one-third of his income. 
 
 The penal laws bore heavily, not only upon the 
 religion, but upon the social condition of the great 
 mass of the Irish people. All Catholics were forbid- 
 
THE PENAL LAWS. 211 
 
 den to keep arms and ammunition in their houses. 
 The magistrates had the power to enter the homes 
 of Catholics, at any hour of the day or night, to 
 search for arms ; and, if any were discovered, the 
 master of the house was condemned to pay a fine of 
 thirty pounds for the first offence, and to imprison- 
 ment for life for the second. This law, however, 
 was not enforced against certain lords and officers 
 who were included in the Limerick treaty. These 
 were allowed to keep one gun, one pistol, and one 
 sword each. Catholic gentlemen were forbidden to 
 go more than five miles away from their houses with- 
 out the written permission of the magis- protestant 
 trates. Marriage between Catholics and and cathoiic 
 Protestants was sternly forbidden under '"^"'^^"• 
 heavy penalties. A Protestant woman who married 
 a Catholic was condemned to forfeit her property to 
 her next Protestant heir. A priest or clergyman who 
 married a Protestant to a Catholic was condemned 
 to a fine of twenty pounds, and imprisonment for a 
 year. A Protestant man who married a Catholic 
 woman was deprived of the right to sit in Parlia- 
 ment, or to hold any office, unless his wife turned 
 Protestant within twelve months. 
 
 The Irish Catholics were excluded by the penal 
 code from the practice of law. All lawyers in Ire- 
 land were obliged to take the oath of abjuration, 
 which repudiated the Catholic creed. Every lawyer 
 was forced to educate his children as Protestants. 
 A lawyer who disobeyed this requirement was con- 
 
212 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 demned to pay a fine of two hundred pounds. Any 
 Exclusion pcrson might call upon a lawyer to take 
 from the bar. |-|^g Qg^^-}^ . ^j^^-]^ jf ^^iQ lawyer refuscd, 
 
 the person so calling upon him received half the 
 fine the lawyer had to pay. No Catholic could serve 
 on a grand jury, and no lawyer could hire a Catho- 
 lic as a clerk. As time advanced, the penal laws 
 were made more and more severe. Those of King 
 William's reign were harsh and cruel, but those 
 passed in the reign of Anne were yet more rigorous. 
 It was now declared that no Catholic could receive 
 an estate either by gift or inheritance. An estate 
 which fell by descent to a Catholic was given over 
 to the next Protestant heir. Catholics, moreover, 
 were now for the first time excluded from the right 
 to vote at elections. Five-sixths of the Irish people 
 were thus deprived of a voice in choosing members 
 of Parliament, who were now elected solely by the 
 Protestant minority of one-sixth. 
 
 So completely, indeed, did the tyrannical penal 
 laws shut out the Irish Catholics from the privileges 
 of citizenship, from religious freedom, from social 
 well-being, and from the hope of prosperity, that an 
 English judge declared that "the law did not suppose 
 the existence of any such person as an Irish Roman 
 Catholic ; nor could they even breathe without the 
 connivance of the government." But the penal 
 laws were not the only ones which were imposed 
 with relentless cruelty upon the Irish. Not only 
 were the English resolved to deprive the Irish of 
 
THE PENAL LAWS. 213 
 
 their land, and to extinguish the religion to which a 
 vast majority of the Irish ardently clung ; inshindus- 
 but they were equally resolved to crush out tries crushed, 
 of Ireland all the industries by which they might live. 
 England had become a great manufacturing and com- 
 mercial country. She was determined that the Irish 
 manufacturers and ship-owners should not enter into 
 competition with those of England. A series of laws 
 was therefore passed, which at first restricted Irish 
 industry and commerce to narrow limits, and later 
 suppressed them altogether. 
 
 Ireland had already been forbidden to introduce 
 her cattle, pigs, butter, and cheese into England ; 
 and, as a result, a large number of Irish farms had 
 ceased to produce these, and had turned their lands 
 into pastures for the raising of sheep. It was not 
 long before Ireland provided the best wool grown in 
 the world. Many woollen-mills were established in 
 Ulster, and the making of woollen goods soon prom- 
 ised to bring prosperity to the northern province. 
 But the woollen industry was also a large one in 
 England. It would not do to let it thrive in Ireland, 
 lest the Irish manufacture should injure the English. 
 So the Irish were forbidden to send any irish manu- 
 raw wool or woollen cloth to any foreign ^^^^tures. 
 land, or to any English colony. They could only send 
 these articles to England. Thus a fatal blow was 
 struck at the Irish industry ; and the mill-owners, 
 sheep-raisers, and weavers were reduced to misery 
 and want. This hardship fell with especial severity. 
 
214 YOUNG PEOPLES HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 not upon the native Irish Catholic, but the Protes- 
 tant EngUsh of Ulster, who had always been loyal to 
 the crown. 
 
 Another terrible blow to Irish industry was the 
 
 suppression of her ship-building trade. Irish oak 
 
 had long been famous for its excellence as a material 
 
 for building ships. Ireland had, too, many good 
 
 harbors. But her ship-buildino^ rivalled 
 
 Ship-build- ^ ° 
 
 ins sup- that of the English. It was therefore de- 
 pressed clared that Ireland must use only English- 
 built ships, and that she must not trade, in any way, 
 with any country but England. All articles sent 
 from or to Ireland must pass through England. 
 Even the linen industry, for which Ireland was 
 peculiarly adapted, since flax of the first quality 
 could be grown there, was hampered and crippled 
 by English selfishness and jealousy; so that, in the 
 course of time, the efforts of the Irish, deprived of 
 the greater part of their soil, to cherish such indus- 
 tries as she was capable of making successful, were 
 paralyzed by the outrageous laws imposed upon them 
 by their English masters. The result was that Ire- 
 land became, more than ever, the abode of terrible 
 want, of starvation, nakedness, vagabondage, and 
 desperate lawlessness. Poverty, idleness, and de- 
 spair reigned everywhere throughout the unhappy 
 land. 
 
IRELAND PROSTRATE. 21 5 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 IRELAND PROSTRATE. 
 
 THE picture of Ireland in the first half of the 
 eighteenth century is a most gloomy one. Ire- 
 land lay bound hand and foot beneath the rule of her 
 English master. There remained, indeed, in that 
 period, but one ray of hope for the down-trodden land. 
 This was in the unsubdued national spirit The national 
 of its people. The tyranny and misfor- ^p*"^* 
 tunes of centuries had not crushed out the peculiar 
 traits which marked the Irish character. Love of 
 country and of home, a desperate clinging to the soil 
 of their island, ardent devotion to their faith, — 
 qualities which survived every oppression, — saved 
 the Irish from national extinction, and baffled every 
 stubborn effort of English power to subdue them. A 
 race less strong in its national traits must have 
 yielded to the weight of that power, as it was felt 
 in Ireland in the reigns of Anne and the first two 
 Georges. Almost all the land was in the hands of 
 the English. The laws were made by the Protestant 
 Parliament, which was elected solely by Protestant 
 votes, and was the creature of the English crown ; 
 
2l6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 and the laws thus made were executed solely by 
 Protestant officials. The church of the small mi- 
 nority was sustained by the forced contributions of 
 the majority. The church of the majority was per- 
 secuted, and, as far as possible, suppressed by the 
 penal laws. 
 
 One great evil in Ireland was the fact, that many 
 of the large owners of the land perpetually absented 
 themselves from their estates. They lived abroad, 
 in England or on the continent, enjoying the luxuries 
 which were supported by the rents paid by the poor 
 Irish peasants. These men were called 
 
 Absentees. ^^ 
 
 "absentees; and ''absenteeism has long 
 been the cause of a great many of the miseries which 
 the Irish have suffered. The absentees had agents 
 on their Irish estates, who ground down the tenants 
 remorselessly. They compelled them to pay high 
 rents, and, if they were unable to pay these rents, 
 turned them out of their plots without mercy. 
 Thus a large part of the money earned by Irish toil 
 went out of the country, and was spent by the ab- 
 sentees in foreign lands. This naturally made Ire- 
 land ever poorer and poorer. After a while, the law 
 which forbade the Irish to import cattle, pork, but- 
 ter, and cheese, into England, was repealed. But 
 this, as it proved, only added to the distress of the 
 country. It took a far smaller number of men to 
 raise cattle, than to till the soil. So it happened 
 that thousands of the Irish were deprived of employ- 
 ment, and were thrust out upon the roads to starve 
 and die. 
 
IRELAND PROSTRATE. 21/ 
 
 Driven by hunger and want to fierce despair, the 
 Irish began to form themselves into secret bands, 
 and to attack those who had robbed them of the 
 chance to work, and doomed their children Desperation 
 to the horrors of famine. These bands °^ ^^^ ^"^^• 
 were known as '' Whiteboys." They continued to 
 commit desperate acts for many years. They began 
 by mutilating, maiming, and killing the cattle belong- 
 ing to the land-owners. This was because it was the 
 revival of cattle-raising which had driven them from 
 the soil. Sometimes the air, for miles around, would 
 resound, in the dead of night, with the frenzied cries 
 of the poor cows, which had been wounded by the 
 Whiteboys, and were dying in agony. Then the 
 Whiteboys committed crimes yet more savage. 
 They hid behind hedges, or on the edges of the 
 woods, and shot down landlords and herdsmen as 
 they passed ^long the highway. They burned cow- 
 sheds, sheep-pens, and even the dwellings of the 
 v^ell-to-do. All the while the peasants, who sympa- 
 thized with the Whiteboys, sheltered them The white- 
 in their huts, and aided them to escape ^°y^' 
 from their pursuers. Very severe laws were passed 
 against the Whiteboys ; and when any of them were 
 captured, they were promptly hung. But in spite of 
 this, the Whiteboys long maintained a reign of terror, 
 especially in southern Ireland. 
 
 Other secret societies sprang up, from time to 
 time, among the desperate and wretched Irish. In 
 Ulster, a society called " Oakboys " (because they 
 
2l8 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 wore sprigs of oak on their coats), resisted the law 
 which compelled everybody to work six days in the 
 year, without pay, on repairing the public roads. 
 The poor had been compelled to obey this law, while 
 the rich and well-to-do had been released from the 
 labor it imposed. The Oakboys refused to do any 
 more work on the roads, until the prosperous farm- 
 ers were also compelled to do their share. Another 
 society was that of the " Heart-of-steel Boys," who 
 stoutly refused to pay the money which some of the 
 landlords demanded for renewing land leases which 
 had expired. About the same period, — in the reign 
 of George the First, — an event took place which 
 for once united all Irishmen, Protestant and Catho- 
 lic, rich and poor, in stubborn resistance to op- 
 wood's pression. An Englishman, named William 
 
 patent. Wood, rcceivcd a patent from the crown 
 
 to coin a large quantity of debased copper half- 
 pence and farthings, for use in Ireland. These 
 debased coins were to be forced upon the Irish, who 
 were to be compelled to accept them as good money. 
 The whole island rose against the imposition ; and 
 so obstinate was this resistance that the king was 
 obliged to withdraw Wood's patent (1722). 
 
 This " copper war," as it was called, marks the 
 
 beginning of a new era in Irish history. The most 
 
 famous and able Irishman of the day was Jonathan 
 
 Swift, dean of St. Patrick's. He is best 
 
 Dean Swift. . . - 
 
 known as dean Swift. He was one of the 
 most forcible and brilliant writers of his age. In 
 
IRELAND PROSTRATE. 219 
 
 spite of his many faults, and his high position in the 
 English church, dean Swift felt a great sympathy 
 for his down-trodden, poverty-stricken, discontented 
 country. Already he had vigorously denounced the 
 laws by which England had tried to crush out Irish 
 industry. He had boldly advised the Irish " to burn 
 every thing English except the coal." He said to 
 them, *' By the laws of God, of nature, of nations, and 
 of your own country, you are, and ought to be, as 
 free a people as your brethren in England." Swift 
 took an active part in the copper war. He gath- 
 ered about him a group of Irishmen who were as 
 hostile as himself to the tyrannical laws under which 
 Ireland suffered. The triumph of the Irish over 
 "Wood's half-pence," gained, as it was, not by rebel- 
 lion, but by the union of all the people in a vigorous 
 agitation, showed that they were more likely to se- 
 cure the righting of their wrongs by agitation than 
 by violence. Thus, under the inspiration of dean 
 Swift, a new method of resisting English power was 
 discovered ; and, for the first time, a succession of 
 Irish agitators arose. Out of the copper war, there 
 came into existence a new political party. The Patriot 
 called the "Patriot party." The Patriot p^^^- 
 party has continued to exist, in some form, from 
 that time to this ; and has never wholly ceased to 
 agitate for the recovery of Irish rights. 
 
 Meanwhile the cruel tyranny under which Ireland 
 suffered was followed by two important results. The 
 poverty to which many of the Irish were reduced 
 
220 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 caused a large emigration of Irishmen to North 
 America. Those who thus resolved to leave their 
 ancestral land for new homes across the ocean com- 
 prised not only native Irish, but also a large num- 
 ber of the Scottish Presbyterians who had settled 
 in Ulster, and of descendants of the early English 
 settlers in eastern Ireland. The emigration of the 
 Irish to America has continued ever since. In the 
 early part of the reign of George the Second, the Irish 
 Irish emi- had bcguu to ci'oss the Atlantic by thou- 
 gration. sands. Ill one year (1729) more than five 
 thousand Irish arrived at Philadelphia. In later 
 years, the Irish swarmed across the ocean to find 
 new homes in the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, 
 New York, and New England. They thus became 
 citizens of the colonies, which, in due time, rose in 
 arms against English rule ; and among the patriots 
 of the American revolution were to be found many 
 of the sons of the Irish whom English tyranny had 
 driven, forty years before, from their native land. 
 
 The result of the laws which sought to suppress 
 wool-growing, woollen manufactures, and other Irish 
 industries, was, that smuggling began to be practised 
 on a large scale along the Irish coast. The many har- 
 bors and inlets of the western and south- 
 
 Smuggling. 
 
 ern Irish shores afforded excellent chances 
 for this illegal traffic, and could not easily be watched 
 and guarded by the English cruisers. The French 
 needed wool, and Irish wool was to be had cheaper 
 than any other. So great quantities of wool were 
 
IRELAND PROSTRATE. 221 
 
 smuggled off to France ; and, in return, the smug- 
 gling vessels brought back French wines, brandy, 
 and other articles. Often priests, also, were secretly- 
 introduced by these vessels into Ireland. The smug- 
 glers carried on their trade in safety ; for the whole 
 population of the coast concealed, aided, and abetted 
 them. The officers of the law could not find them ; 
 or if, perchance, they did, the smugglers were res- 
 cued, or, if brought to trial, were acquitted by friendly 
 juries. So it was that the Irish were taught, by the 
 gross tyranny with which they were treated, to evade 
 and defy the laws under which they lived. 
 
222 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 
 
 DURING the greater part of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, the great mass of the Irish suffered con- 
 stantly, and at times desperately, under the operation 
 of the cruel penal laws. The Irish Catholics were 
 treated by their English masters as "enemies." 
 They were shut out from the ownership of land. 
 They were forbidden to enter upon avenues of manu- 
 facture, trade, and commerce. They were forced to 
 Oppression support, by the payment of tithes, the 
 of the Irish church of the small Protestant minority, 
 and also to sustain their own priesthood. 
 Their only chance of education lay in deserting their 
 faith. The charter schools were established to make 
 Protestants of poor Catholic children. The land- 
 lords were protected by the law and its officers in 
 ruling their tenants with an iron hand ; nor was 
 there any bond of sympathy between the oppressed 
 tenants and the oppressing landlords. The tenants 
 believed that their only way to resist landlord tyranny 
 was by secret conspiracy and violence. Even the 
 Irish Protestants suffered so desperately under the 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 223 
 
 laws which crushed out the industries of Ulster, 
 that they were reduced to utter poverty ; to escape 
 which, they resorted by thousands to emigration to 
 foreign lands. It is said that, in the middle of the 
 century, twelve thousand Protestants emigrated from 
 Ireland every year. 
 
 Famine recurred inevitably among a population so 
 pent up and restricted in its opportunities to labor 
 for existence. Towards the middle of the century 
 (1739-40), the misery of the people in many parts of 
 Ireland was extreme from want of food. The roads 
 were covered with the dead and the dying. Malig- 
 nant fevers laid whole villages waste. " Whole 
 thousands in a barony," wrote a Protes- Famine and 
 tant clergyman of the period, '' have per- ^^^"• 
 ished ; some of hunger, and others of disorders 
 occasioned by unnatural, unwholesome, and putrid 
 diet." It is believed that more than three hundred 
 thousand persons died in Ireland in two years from 
 famine, and the diseases which followed in its train. 
 One great evil, at this very period of utter wretched- 
 ness among the poorer Irish, was that many of the 
 Irish landlords absented themselves entirely from 
 the country. The money wrung in rents from the 
 poverty-stricken tenants was spent, not in Ireland, 
 where it might in some degree, at least, have relieved 
 the prevalent distress, but in London, Paris, and 
 other places abroad. The money thus drawn from 
 Ireland to go into foreign pockets amounted some- 
 times to over a million pounds a year. 
 
224 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The poor Irish rapidly fell into the condition of 
 living in wretched mud hovels, where, with scanty 
 The poorer clothing and yet more scanty food, they 
 classes. dwclt rather like beasts than human be- 
 
 ings. At the same time, the good farming lands, in 
 many parts of the country, were turned into pastures 
 for the rearing of herds and flocks, because the ten- 
 ants could not afford to enrich and till the soil. The 
 result of this was to produce a crop of wanderers 
 and beggars, who only worked fitfully, and during 
 a large part of the year depended on alms for sub- 
 sistence. Habits of idleness, of contempt of law, 
 and of crime, naturally sprang from such a condition 
 of things. Beggary easily develops into theft, and 
 theft into robbery and murder. Irish beggars some- 
 times maimed or blinded their own children, in order 
 to make them objects of pity, and thus of charity. 
 Work- Workhouses were established by the gov- 
 
 houses. ernment, to which persons found begging 
 
 were committed, and wherein they were compelled 
 to work ; but the inveterate aversion of even the 
 poorest Irish to the workhouses rendered them of 
 little use in limiting the evil of vagabondage. 
 
 The habits of the middle and higher classes in 
 Ireland during the eighteenth century were reckless 
 and extravagant. They lorded it over the lower 
 classes, often with pitiless severity ; and were them- 
 selves, to a large degree, given over to dissipation 
 and self-indulgence. This was especially the case 
 with the smaller landlords and gentlemen. Drunk- 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 225 
 
 enness was habitual amonsf laro:e numbers of them. 
 Duelling was practised as a settled custom. Horse- 
 racing, cock-fighting, gambling, the sports of the 
 field and forest, were more ardently pursued in Ire- 
 land than in England. On the other ihsh 
 hand, the lavish and generous hospitality hospitality, 
 for which the Irish were famous from the earliest 
 times, was still a marked feature of Irish society. 
 The Irish gentleman, indeed, lived often in a plain 
 and unsightly, and sometimes in a dilapidated, man- 
 sion. He did not spend his money on architectural 
 ornament, or even on domestic convenience. But 
 within his unadorned walls the entertainment of his 
 guests was profuse and prolonged. It is said that, 
 in the dwelling of one Connaught nobleman, *' the 
 slaughtered ox was hung up whole, and the hungry 
 servitor supplied himself with his dole of flesh sliced 
 from off the carcass." This lord, **from an early 
 dinner to the hour of rest, never left his chair ; nor 
 did the claret wine ever quit his table." 
 
 The vice of absenteeism on the part of the 
 Irish landlords, produced a large number of ''middle- 
 men," who acted as accents to the land- .. ^ . 
 
 ' c> Absenteeism 
 
 lords. These, with the smaller landlords, and middie- 
 formed a class largely given over to dis- "^^"" 
 solute and reckless habits. "They sublet their lands 
 in rack rents," says Lecky ; ''kept miserable packs 
 of half-starved hounds, wandered from fair to fair, 
 and from race to race, in laced coats, gambling, 
 fighting, drinking, swearing, and sporting ; parading 
 
226 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 everywhere their contempt for honest labor, and 
 giving a tone of recklessness to every society in 
 which they moved." These were the men who 
 ground down the tenants most pitilessly, who turned 
 with deaf ear from the most heart-rending tales of 
 destitution and starvation, and who gave to the 
 classes below them the example of the worst vices 
 with which Ireland was afflicted. Their brutal ex- 
 ample taught the ignorant that *' idleness and ex- 
 travagance were noble things, and that parsimony, 
 order, and industry were degrading to a gentleman." 
 Happily, there is a brighter side to the picture of 
 Irish life in the eighteenth century. Side by side 
 with the abject wretchedness and slavery of the 
 many, with the headlong dissipation of the middle 
 class, there existed much intellectual activity and an 
 energetic public spirit. In the early part of the cen- 
 tury, many Irishmen became eminent in literature. 
 The greatest name among these was that of Jonathan 
 Swift. Bishop Berkeley was another whose works 
 are still honored and remembered. Archbishop King, 
 provost Browne, Parnell the poet, Skelton, Hutche- 
 son, Brooke, were among the Irish writers of dis- 
 tinction. Later in the century a brilliant galaxy of 
 Irish authors appeared in Lawrence Sterne, 
 
 Irish writers. . . 
 
 Oliver Goldsmith, Edmund Burke, and 
 Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Societies devoted to 
 philosophy, literature, and art, flourished in Ireland. 
 The most notable of these were the Dublin Philo- 
 sophical Society, founded in the latter part of the 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 22/ 
 
 preceding" century ; the Physico-Historical Society ; 
 and, most important of all, the Dublin Society 
 (1731). The object of the Dublin Society was ''to 
 improve husbandry, manufactures, and other useful 
 arts." Lord Chesterfield said of it, that "it did more 
 good to Ireland, with regard to arts and industry, 
 than all the laws that could have been formed." 
 
 In the last half of the century, the Dublin Society 
 did a good work in devoting itself to fostering the 
 ornamental arts in Ireland. The country The Dublin 
 had already produced several portrait society, 
 painters of merit, and a school of engraving was 
 established in Dublin. An academy of art was 
 founded, and exhibitions of paintings were annually 
 held at the capital. Some improvements in archi- 
 tectural adornment were carried to a higher perfec- 
 tion in Ireland than in any other country. Later in 
 the century, an Irishman, James Barry, rose to the 
 highest grade of eminence as a historical painter. 
 Intellectual discussion was active and earnest among 
 the scholarly circles of Ireland for many years. Men 
 of learning engaged in controversies on theology, 
 political economy, political reform, industrial theories, 
 and social conditions, by means, principally, of pam- 
 phlets. Prominent among these were Berkeley, Mad- 
 den, Prior, Lord Molesworth, Edward Synge, and 
 archbishop Boulter. The most earnest of these dis- 
 cussions were those which related to the position of 
 the two churches in Ireland. 
 
 As the century wore on, the bitterness of feeling 
 
228 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 between the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland 
 A more toi- gradually declined. The penal laws were 
 erant era. jggg often rigidly cnforccd. The rites of 
 the Catholic church were almost openly performed, 
 in spite of the laws, throughout Ireland. The divis- 
 ions between class and class became less broad and 
 deep. Even the government, aided as it was by 
 Irish Parliaments which were exclusively Protestant, 
 became less stringent ; and many useful measures 
 were placed upon the statute-book. The people 
 were less severely taxed. It was observed that less 
 corruption and less extravagance took place at the 
 elections, and that the Irish government was car- 
 ried on with greater economy and industry. The 
 morals of the Irish people, too, had, in the course of 
 years, noticeably improved. Domestic virtues ; re- 
 spect for women, charity, and generosity ; fidelity to 
 family affection and to friendship ; ardent gratitude 
 and devotion to benefactors, — were traits which 
 marked the lives even of the Irish poor to a greater 
 degree, perhaps, than those of any other European 
 race. 
 
 The Irish of the eighteenth century were as fond 
 of music, dancing, the boisterous games of the fair 
 and the festival, as ever their ancestors had been. 
 The ancient and revered line of the bards, indeed, 
 did not become extinct until the death of the famous 
 Irish amuse- Carolan (1737). While the traditional 
 ments. rccrcations of the people continued to 
 
 flourish, many of the vicious amusements of the 
 
CONDITION OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 22g 
 
 early and middle parts of the century became less 
 prevalent towards its close. Drunkenness was less 
 universal, and duelling was ceasing to be a regular 
 custom among the choleric squires. No people ever 
 clung more tenaciously to their old homes, traditions, 
 customs, religious beliefs, and affections ; and in spite 
 of oppressions and miseries which had endured for 
 centuries, the Irish remained in the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, what, indeed, they are in the nineteenth, a 
 singularly light-hearted, cheerful, imaginative race. 
 Tyranny had failed to quench not only their national 
 spirit, but the joyousness and gayety of their natures. 
 Some of the large towns of Ireland vied, in the 
 eighteenth century, in population and varied activi- 
 ties, with the towns of England. Dublin Large Irish 
 was the second town in Great Britain and t°w"s. 
 Ireland, in the number of its inhabitants. At one 
 period its population was somewhat over a hundred 
 thousand (1750). It is said that its St. Stephen's 
 Green was the largest public square in Europe. Dub- 
 lin had broad quays, several fine public buildings, a 
 flourishing university, and some elegant residences. 
 The castle in which the lord-lieutenant held his court 
 was often the scene of brilliant levees and banquets. 
 The theatres, public gardens, and music-halls were 
 filled with pleasure-loving crowds. Handel's " Mes- 
 siah " was first produced in Dublin ; and Garrick 
 there played '' Hamlet " for the first time. Among 
 the larger Irish towns, Cork had a population of 
 sixty thousand, and Limerick over twenty thousand. 
 
230 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The county towns next in importance were Water- 
 ford, Kilkenny, and Galway. Upon all of these 
 towns, indeed, rested the blight of the penal laws, 
 and of those laws which from time to time had im- 
 posed restrictions on Irish trade and commerce. 
 Yet, in the eighteenth century, each of them pre- 
 sented some features of thrift, which proved that the 
 business capacity of Irishmen, under greater freedom, 
 would have created wealth and prosperity. 
 
THE IRISH PATRIOTS. 23 1 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE IRISH PATRIOTS. 
 
 THE political history of Ireland during the eight- 
 eenth century relates largely to the efforts 
 of Irish patriots to obtain for their country some 
 degree of political freedom. The Irish Parliament, 
 composed as it was entirely of Protestants, Protestant 
 and chosen by Protestant voters only. Ascendancy, 
 still remained entirely subject to English power. 
 Poyning's Act, which had been passed centuries 
 before, and by which every Irish measure had to be 
 submitted to the English privy council, before it 
 could even be considered in the Irish Parliament, 
 still remained in force. To it was added another 
 law, in the early part of the reign of George the 
 First, by which it was declared that the English Par- 
 liament had power to make laws for the Irish people 
 (1720). The Irish patriots wished to get rid of these 
 restrictions ; to obtain for the Irish Parliament the 
 real power to make laws for Ireland without English 
 interference ; and to so reform the Irish Parliament 
 itself, that it would better represent the Irish 
 people. 
 
232 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Among the many grievances under which the Irish 
 suffered, was the fact that large sums were taken 
 from the Irish revenues, and given as pensions to the 
 favorites, illegitimate children, and mis- 
 tresses of the English kings. Ireland was 
 poverty-stricken. Her trade and manufactures had, 
 to a large extent, been crushed out by English self- 
 ishness : her woollen industry had been similarly 
 crippled. Yet the taxes wrung from Irish toil were 
 thus given to worthless people, who enjoyed the in- 
 comes thus derived in idle luxury. At one period 
 (1733) the amount of pensions drawn from the Irish 
 revenues amounted to seventy thousand pounds a 
 year. Another abuse was the ''charter schools," 
 The charter which wcrc established throughout the 
 schools. country for the purpose of educating poor 
 Catholic children to become Protestants. These 
 schools were at first free : they then became board- 
 ing-schools, in which the poor children were starved 
 and neglected, and which became merely a source of 
 income to their managers. 
 
 The Irish patriots were, for the most part, Protes- 
 tants, who devoted themselves to the removal of the 
 unjust laws by which Ireland was burdened. They 
 formed a political party which acted in Parliament 
 in opposition to the government. The founders of 
 this party were dean Swift and a group of Irishmen 
 who acted with him. The chief feature of their ac- 
 tion, as has been said, was that, instead of trying to 
 obtain for Ireland her rights by conspiracy and re- 
 
THE IRISH PATRIOTS. 233 
 
 bellion, they aimed to achieve that end by discussion 
 and agitation in the public press, and within the 
 walls of Parliament. They hoped to win their cause 
 by peaceable and orderly methods. They were at 
 first a small party, but they grew formidable in the 
 flight of years. Some of the patriots proved corrupt, 
 and were bribed by the English government with 
 pensions and offices, to desert the cause of their 
 country and turn against it. But in spite of such 
 desertions, the party thrived and, in the end, pre- 
 vailed. One of the earliest and most ac- The leading 
 tive of the patriots was Charles Lucas, a patriots, 
 chemist in Dublin, who established the " Freeman's 
 Journal," in which he vigorously advocated the right 
 of the Irish to rule themselves. Lucas became a 
 member of Parliament, and was long the leader of 
 the little group of twenty-eight patriots who were 
 battling, in the Irish House of Commons, for their 
 country's liberties. 
 
 But in time there arose two leaders of the patriot 
 party who were far above all the others in eloquence, 
 energy, and fervor, and whose genius added great 
 strength to the cause they had at heart. These were 
 Henry Flood and Henry Grattan. Flood Flood and 
 came of a good Protestant family, was well ^rattan, 
 educated, and was endowed to a rare degree with the 
 gift of oratory. He was brilliant and ambitious, and 
 for some years led the patriots with a spirit and 
 ardor which made him the idol of the people. He 
 entered the Irish Parliament, where he attacked the 
 
234 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 tyrannical lord-justice, archbishop Stone, with fear- 
 less vigor, and persuaded the House to declare that 
 it alone had the right to decide upon measures for 
 taxing the people and spending the revenue. Side 
 by side with Lucas, Burgh, Daly, and other patriots, 
 Flood struggled, in the new Irish Parliament (which 
 was chosen upon the accession of George the Third, 
 1760), to correct some of the abuses which existed 
 in Ireland. The Irish Parliament had before had an 
 indefinite life, and had only been called together once 
 in two years. It had not been dissolved so long as 
 its conduct suited the English king. But now, by 
 the efforts of the patriots, a law was passed that the 
 existence of an Irish Parliament should be limited to 
 eight years. The patriots also succeeded in redu- 
 cing the amount of the odious pension-list, and in 
 doing away with some of the penal laws. 
 
 Flood's ambition, however, was not satisfied with 
 leading the patriots. In an evil hour for his own 
 fame, he accepted the office of vice-treasurer from 
 Flood ac- the government. It is said that his rea- 
 cepts office. gQj^ {qj- doing this was that he might the 
 more effectively aid the patriot cause. But the re- 
 sult of his acceptance of the office was, that he lost 
 all influence with his former friends, and was looked 
 upon by them as a traitor to Ireland. His place as 
 chief of the patriots, however, was soon filled by a 
 greater man than he. Of all Irishmen of the eigh- 
 teenth century, the figure of Henry Grattan stands 
 foremost and unapproached. Eloquent, pure, reso- 
 
THE IRISH PATRIOTS. 235 
 
 lute, full of the most ardent and unflinching patriot- 
 ism, the champion both of the Protestant patriots 
 and of his oppressed Catholic fellow-countrymen ; 
 endowed, moreover, with brilliant talents as a legis- 
 lator, debater, and statesman, Henry Grattan was, 
 above all men, fitted to lead in the hard struggle for 
 the liberation of Ireland. Grattan entered the Irish 
 House of Commons, for the first time, at the early 
 age of twenty-five (1775). It was a critical moment 
 alike in Irish, English, and American history. The 
 American revolution was on the point of breaking 
 out ; and it was the events which speedily grew out 
 of the American revolution which gave Ireland, under 
 Grattan's leadership, her long-awaited chance to 
 secure parliamentary independence. 
 
 Flood and Grattan had been friends, and had 
 worked together in the patriot cause. But when 
 Flood accepted an office, an open and bitter quarrel 
 took place between them, and Grattan took Flood's 
 place at the head of the patriot party. Qratt^n 
 When the American revolution broke out, leads the 
 the English government demanded that a ^^ "°*^' 
 force of four thousand troops should be raised in Ire- 
 land, and sent out to fight the American colonists. 
 Grattan, who sympathized deeply with the Ameri- 
 cans, opposed this with all the resources of his elo- 
 quence ; but the troops were raised and sent in spite 
 of his opposition. It was not long, however, before 
 events occurred which enabled Grattan to resist 
 English power with effect. The defeat of Burgoyne 
 
236 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 at Saratoga (1777), and the alliance of France with 
 the American colonies, completely changed the face 
 of affairs. The immediate result of these events 
 was to produce a great deal of distress in both Ireland 
 and England. Thousands of laborers were deprived 
 of work, and the taxes needed to carry on the war lay 
 heavily upon the people. 
 
 Then there arose a new danger. The coasts and 
 ports of Ireland were threatened by French cruisers, 
 The Irish ^^^ ^Y ^^^ dcprcdatious of the redoubtable 
 coast threat- American buccaneer, John Paul Jones. 
 The defences of the coast and ports were 
 miserably weak. Belfast was protected by a little 
 band of sixty soldiers. The peril of invasion and 
 rapine inspired the Irish to raise a large force of 
 "Volunteers," to protect the island from its assail- 
 ants. Both Protestants and Catholics, without dis- 
 tinction of race or faith, swarmed into the ranks of 
 this organization. The Orangeman of Ulster found 
 himself side by side with the peasant of Connaught. 
 In every town and county, bodies of volunteers were 
 quickly raised, drilled, and armed. Among the ac- 
 tive organizers of the body were not only the leading 
 patriots, like Grattan and Burgh, but also nobles, like 
 the duke of Leinster, the earl of Charlemont, and the 
 earl of Bristol. In no long time the Irish Volunteers 
 amounted to sixty thousand well-armed men, com- 
 manded by the patriotic earl of Charlemont. They 
 were provided with two hundred cannon, and soon 
 formed a well-disciplined army. In the face of such 
 
THE IRISH PATRIOTS. 237 
 
 a force as this, the peril from French cruisers and 
 American privateers vanished. But now Grattan 
 had, in the Volunteers, a powerful instrument for 
 extorting concessions from the English crown. The 
 Volunteers were one and all fervent patri- The voiun- 
 ots. They were an armed and organized *""• 
 mass of men, who were resolved to obtain their 
 country's rights. Thus supported, Grattan entered 
 promptly upon the execution of his designs. He first 
 demanded that Ireland should have the right to trade 
 in perfect freedom with the colonies. The govern- 
 ment, overawed by the Volunteers, yielded to the 
 demand. Then Grattan took a bolder and far more 
 important step. He proposed in the Irish House of 
 Commons, that " the king, lords, and commons were 
 the only powers competent to pass laws for Ireland." 
 This meant that thenceforth the English Parliament 
 should have no right to make any laws for Ireland, 
 or in any way change the laws passed by the Irish 
 Parliament. It was, in fact, a proposal to repeal the 
 act of George the First, which had made the English 
 Parliament supreme in the making of Irish laws. 
 
 The formidable organized power of the V^olunteers 
 enabled Grattan, within a year, to achieve his great 
 triumph, and to obtain a free and indepen- Q^att^n ob- 
 dent Parliament for the Irish. England tains a free 
 
 ,•11 • 1 1 • -1 A • Parliament. 
 
 was still involved in the American war, 
 which was crippling her resources, and depriving her 
 of the military strength which would be necessary to 
 put down the Volunteers, and so recover her grasp 
 
238 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 upon Ireland. Grattan's bill was passed, and Eng- 
 land was compelled to give full powers to the Irish 
 Parliament (1782). But great as this triumph was, 
 it was not yet complete. The Irish Parliament still 
 consisted of Protestants only, and was elected by 
 Protestants only. The Irish Catholics, although they 
 comprised nearly five-sixths of the population, could 
 neither sit as members nor vote for members. Yet 
 it was a very important step to get rid of the English 
 power of legislating for Ireland, and of dictating what 
 laws the Irish Parliament should pass. 
 
THE FREE PARLIAMENT. 239 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE FREE PARLIAMENT. 
 
 AN Irish Parliament, with full power to make 
 laws for Ireland, and freed at last from English 
 control, now met in Dublin (1783). Its first impor- 
 tant act was to consider a measure of parliamen- 
 tary reform. The Irish House of Com- ^^^ j^..^^ 
 mons was not only defective in that it House of 
 consisted of and was elected solely by °'"™°"^* 
 Protestants. Of its three hundred members, at least 
 one hundred were chosen by the influence or the 
 direct orders of the great landlords. It was thus, to a 
 large degree, subject to the will of the aristocracy. As 
 soon, therefore, as the new and free Parliament had 
 assembled, some of its leading spirits proposed that 
 these defects in the House should be remedied, that 
 the Catholics should be admitted to the suffrage, and 
 that the influence of the landlords in the selection 
 of members should be curtailed. Grattan was still 
 the most conspicuous figure in the House. His 
 genius and eloquence were still unrivalled. Flood 
 was also a member ; and, in spite of his holding an 
 ofilice under the crown, was, curiously enough, more 
 
240 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 earnest in his zeal for reform than his great 
 rival. Among the other patriots, the earl of 
 Charlemont and the earl of Bristol (the latter of 
 whom was also the Protestant bishop of Derry) 
 were eminent. 
 
 Each of these four — Grattan, Flood, Charlemont, 
 and Bristol — was the leader of a party by itself. 
 Four Irish Grattan wished not only to reform the 
 Parties. House of Commons, and admit the Catho- 
 
 lics to the right to vote, but he desired to show grati- 
 tude to and confidence in the good faith of England, 
 by disbanding the Volunteers. Flood was an advo- 
 cate of reform, but opposed Catholic suffrage, and 
 was eager that the Volunteers should continue in ex- 
 istence. Charlemont favored the disbandment, but 
 was hostile to Catholic suffrage. Bristol was in favor 
 of keeping the Volunteers, and granting the vote to 
 the Catholics. After a bitter contest, the House of 
 Commons refused to pass the reform bill, although it 
 was loudly demanded by the people. The Volunteers 
 were soon after disbanded and dispersed. But they 
 gave place to another patriotic society, which was 
 destined to play a notable part in the following years. 
 The United This was the society of the " United Irish- 
 irishmen. men." It was composed of men from all 
 parts of Ireland, Protestant and Catholic. Its ob- 
 jects were to secure a complete reform of the House 
 of Commons, to unite Irishmen of all creeds and 
 political beliefs in harmony and patriotic action, to 
 get rid of the feuds and dissensions which divided 
 
Wolfe Tone. 
 
 THE FREE PARLIAMENT. 24I 
 
 Irishmen, and to make more secure and ample the 
 liberties which Ireland had already won. 
 
 At the head of the United Irishmen were two 
 Protestants, Hamilton Rowan and James Tandy. 
 Its leading spirit was Wolfe Tone, a cour- 
 ageous and enthusiastic young lawyer. 
 Grattan held aloof from the movement ; but it ex- 
 tended very rapidly throughout Ireland, and soon 
 became, as the Volunteers had been, a formidable 
 force. At first the United Irishmen professed loyal- 
 ty to the English crown. They declared that they 
 only intended to carry on a peaceful agitation to 
 obtain further reforms. But in course of time, 
 events took place which led the society to inspire a 
 revolt, with a view to achieving the complete inde- 
 pendence of Ireland. During the first few years 
 after the Irish Parliament became free, Ireland ap- 
 peared to be entering upon a career of unheard-of 
 prosperity. Trade revived, and the cities Revival of 
 and chief towns assumed the aspect of *''^^^- 
 active business and thrift. The state of things in 
 the country districts did not, however, greatly im- 
 prove ; and so great did the disturbances become, 
 that the Irish Parliament was forced to pass a severe 
 "coercion" law, for the purpose of maintaining order. 
 
 Several serious contentions, moreover, arose be- 
 tween England and Ireland. There were disputes as 
 to the conditions of Irish trade ; and when George 
 the Third became insane, and it was proposed to 
 make his eldest son, the prince of Wales, regent 
 
242 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 of the kingdom, the Irish took sides with the prince, 
 and against Pitt, who was then prime minister. 
 This aroused Pitt's hostiUty, and was one of the 
 causes which led him later to destroy the Irish Parlia- 
 ment altogether. But the Irish Parliament, during 
 its brief existence, adopted some enlightened and 
 tolerant measures. Grattan succeeded in carrying a 
 Catholic ^^^^ ^^ allow CathoUcs to practise as law- 
 suffrage yers ; and a little later he secured to 
 Catholics the right to vote for members 
 of Parliament (1793). An agitation now sprang up 
 to obtain for the Catholics the right also to sit in 
 Parliament, and to hold civil and military offices. 
 Even Pitt, who had never been friendly to Ireland, 
 seemed inclined to yield to this demand. He sent 
 earl Fitzwilliam, an enlightened and liberal states- 
 man, to Dublin as lord-lieutenant : and the Irish 
 were encouraged to believe that full political rights 
 would at last be allowed to the Catholics. 
 
 Their hopes were frustrated by the obstinacy of 
 George the Third. He utterly refused to consent 
 that the Irish Catholics should have the rights they 
 demanded. This compelled Pitt to once more change 
 his policy. He recalled the liberal Fitzwilliam, and 
 appointed Clare, an avowed enemy of the Irish re- 
 form, in his place. Then, by bribery and corrup- 
 tion, Pitt induced the Irish Parliament to reject the 
 bill which removed the restrictions upon the Catho- 
 lics. The patriotic Grattan did not yet wholly de- 
 spair. Once more he brought a reform bill into the 
 
THE FREE PARLIAMENT. 243 
 
 Irish House of Commons, and was most eloquently 
 aided by the young Irish orator, John Phil- Defeat of 
 pott Curran (1797). But this last heroic ^^^°^'^- 
 attempt to save Ireland from anarchy or renewed 
 slavery was not successful. The Irish Parliament 
 was corrupt, and had now become the mere tool of 
 Pitt and the English influence. The failure to re- 
 form it, and make it representative of the whole 
 people, had brought about this wretched condition 
 of affairs. Grattan in despair retired from taking 
 further part in public life, and left Ireland to the 
 leadership of more fiery spirits. 
 
 The final defeat of all reform, the failure of the 
 Catholics to obtain their political rights, the now 
 complete subserviency of the Irish Parliament to the 
 will of Pitt, caused the society of United Irishmen 
 to make an entire change of attitude, preparations 
 Their gatherings became secret. Their ^°'" '■^^o'*- 
 adherents were busily armed and drilled in out-of-the- 
 way places. They were joined by many men of 
 ability, rank, and influence, who had hitherto held 
 aloof from it. Prominent among these new recruits 
 were Thomas Addis Emmet, a brilliant lawyer; lord 
 Edward Fitzgerald, a brother of the then duke of Lein- 
 ster ; and Arthur O'Connor, a member of the Irish 
 House of Commons. The French revolution had 
 inspired the United Irishmen with a longing and a 
 desire to throw off the British yoke, as the French 
 had got rid of their kings and nobles. France, more- 
 over, was now at war with England ; and the leaders 
 
244 YOUNG people's history of IRELAND. 
 
 of the impending Irish revolt beheved that French 
 arms and money would come to their aid when the 
 signal for open rebellion was given. 
 
 Wolfe Tone was, from the first, the most active 
 and energetic of the leaders of the United Irishmen. 
 His operations, and those of the society, were made 
 known to Pitt by the spies whom he had sent to Ire- 
 land ; and Tone was forced to fly. He crossed the 
 Atlantic to the United States. But he had by no 
 means given up the cause of his country. He soon 
 returned over the ocean to France, and there pleaded 
 eloquently for assistance on behalf of the Irish. 
 French aid Mcauwhilc the morc disaffected parts of 
 secured. Ireland were put under martial law ; the 
 
 militiamen, under English command, were quartered 
 in the houses of the Catholics, and committed many 
 robberies and gross cruelties ; and the Irish were 
 once more becoming desperate to revenge themselves 
 upon their foreign masters. The French, yielding 
 to Tone's entreaties, supplied him with a fleet, ten 
 thousand soldiers, and a large quantity of stores, 
 arms, and ammunition. But now the elements inter- 
 vened to dash the hopes ^of the Irish patriots. As 
 the friendly French ships approached the Irish coast, 
 a great wind-storm arose. The fleet was scattered, 
 and for weeks floated helplessly about, unable to 
 effect a landing ; and at last, in despair, returned to 
 France. But the bold spirit of Wolfe Tone was still 
 undespairing. He was resolved to struggle for Irish 
 liberty to the last. 
 
THE INSURRECTION OF NINETY-EIGHT. 245 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE INSURRECTION OF NINETY-EIGHT. 
 
 THE failure of the French expedition did not put 
 an end to the revolt of the United Irishmen. 
 Wolfe Tone next resorted to Holland, which country, 
 like France, was then hostile to England. A large 
 force was collected, and a Dutch squadron was made 
 ready to sail for Ireland. But now, again, a series 
 of high gales swept over the German Ocean and the 
 English Channel, and the ships lay helpless in their 
 harbor. When at last they sallied forth, they were 
 easily taken by the English admiral Duncan. The 
 failure of the attempts to procure foreign help threw 
 the United Irishmen upon their own resources. 
 They might have become disheartened, had it not 
 been that the cruelties and severities of the English 
 officials and soldiers in Ireland kept the spirit of 
 resistance aflame. The whole island was honey- 
 combed with English spies, and with base iHsh trai- 
 Irishmen, who, for offices and money, were ^°^^' 
 eager to betray their patriot fellow-countrymen. 
 There were traitors in the very meetings of the 
 United Irishmen, who hastened away from those 
 
246 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 meetings to reveal what had been done, to the Eng- 
 lish authorities in Dublin castle. 
 
 Many of the leading patriots were seized and 
 thrown into prison. They were tried before packed 
 juries, who were sometimes plied with drink, in order 
 that they might bring in verdicts against the accused. 
 Martial law was proclaimed in the counties where 
 the insurgents were most numerous and formidable. 
 The counties of Kildare and Wexford were sternly 
 subjected to this law. Irishmen were condemned to 
 death upon the evidence of paid spies and traitors, 
 and upon the conviction of corrupted juries. The 
 Atrocities of English troops in Ireland were guilty of 
 English barbarous atrocities. When the humane 
 
 roops. gj^ Ralph Abercrombie took command of 
 
 the army in Ireland, he wrote back to England that 
 " houses have been burned, men murdered, others 
 half hanged. A young lady has been carried off by 
 a detachment of dragoons ; and, in the room where she 
 was, an officer was shot through the thigh. These 
 are but a few of the enormities which have disgraced 
 us of late ; were the whole to be collected, what a pic- 
 ture it would present ! Within these twelve months, 
 every crime, every cruelty, that could be committed 
 by Cossacks or Calmucks has been committed here." 
 Abercrombie tried to put a stop to the outrages 
 committed by the soldiers, and to restore discipline 
 and obedience to the English troops. But the vio- 
 lent enemies of Ireland, aided by earl Camden, the 
 lord-lieutenant, were too strong for him ; and he was 
 
THE INSURRECTION OF NINETY-EIGHT. 247 
 
 forced to give over his command to General Lake. 
 This general was stern and severe ; and winked at, if 
 he did not sanction, the cruelties which his soldiers 
 committed upon the Irish. The poor peasants, many 
 of whom were wholly guiltless of rebellion, were 
 flogged and shot, or their wretched huts were burned 
 over their heads. Men were subjected to barbarous 
 tortures, to compel them to betray the wholesale 
 designs and hiding-places of the patriots, violence. 
 If any man ventured to wear a sprig of green, the 
 Irish color, he was subjected to persecution and vio- 
 lence : even women, for this act, were insulted and 
 infamously treated. It was the custom of the United 
 Irishmen to have their hair cropped close to their 
 heads. If any man, therefore, was found with his hair 
 cut short, the brutal British soldiers would cover his 
 head with pitch, and put a paper cap thereon, which 
 could not be removed without tearing the scalp. 
 
 All these things incensed the Irish, and drove 
 them by thousands into the ranks of the United 
 Irishmen. The chiefs of the society resolved upon 
 a general rising throughout the country. But the 
 government spies were not idle. A meeting of the 
 Irish leaders in Dublin was betrayed by an informer, 
 and surprised by a posse of soldiers from the castle ; 
 and fourteen of them were captured. Soon after, 
 Thomas Addis Emmet, Sampson, and _ ^ , 
 
 ' ^ ' Capture of 
 
 McNevin were taken. Lord Edward Emmet and 
 Fitzgerald was still at large, and was all * '^^^^ 
 the more resolved, after the arrest of his colleagues. 
 
248 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to kindle an insurrection. But he, too, was soon 
 betrayed. The lord-Heutenant was informed that 
 Fitzgerald was concealed in the house of a certain 
 feather-merchant. A party of soldiers was at once 
 sent to seize him. When they entered his room, the 
 brave patriot sprang upon them with a long dagger. 
 He was desperately wounded, however, and was 
 dragged away to prison, where he died of his wounds 
 in a few days. 
 
 The revolt was deprived of its gallant and able 
 leaders ; yet, in many places, the rising took place as 
 had been planned. The scattered companies of sol- 
 diers and militia-men, spread throuo;h the 
 
 Fierce strug- ' r- o 
 
 gies of the country as garrisons, were assailed by the 
 insurgents, flgj-^g^ undisciplincd United Irishmen. In 
 
 some places the companies were overcome, and their 
 posts occupied by the insurgents. Then followed 
 scenes of savage carnage and destruction, visited by 
 the victors upon the soldiers, and upon the partisans 
 of England, in the districts round about. In other 
 places the English troops held their own, and the 
 insurgents were driven off with savage slaughter. 
 Martial law was proclaimed in Dublin ; and this 
 saved the capital from a rising of the United Irish- 
 men within its limits. The insurrection was the 
 most obstinate and the most prolonged in the county 
 of Wexford. It held out there after Ulster and 
 Meath had been reduced to complete subjection by 
 the English troops. At first the Wexford rebels 
 won some notable victories. They defeated the mili- 
 
Capture of Fitzgerald. — Page 24S. 
 
THE INSURRECTION OF NINETY-EIGHT. 249 
 
 tia at Oulart, took Ferns, where they burned the Pro- 
 testant bishop's palace ; and, gathering The irish at 
 strength as they advanced, at last entered wexford. 
 the town of Wexford itself. 
 
 In no long time the entire country, with the ex- 
 ception of the towns of Duncannon and New Ross, 
 was in the rebels' hands. They desperately attacked 
 New Ross, but without success. Some of the wild- 
 est of the rebel spirits wreaked their vengeance upon 
 a party of Protestant men and women who were col- 
 lected for safety in a house and barn in the neighbor- 
 hood. Many of these were shot, or killed with pikes ; 
 the rest were burned in the barn where they were 
 huddled together. This atrocious act was done with- 
 out the knowledge of Harvey, the commander of the 
 insurgents ; who, when he heard of it, denounced it 
 with warm indignation. He was soon after suc- 
 ceeded in the command by a warlike priest. Father 
 Philip Roche. Some minor successes emboldened 
 the insurgents to advance northward. Thirty thou- 
 sand of these marched on Arklow, which Battle of 
 was held by a strong English garrison. Arkiow. 
 At the head of these insurgents was Father Michael 
 Murphy. They attacked the defences of the town 
 with furious valor. 
 
 At one time the rebels seemed on the point of 
 victory ; but, in the midst of the fray. Murphy fell, 
 fatally wounded. His men, disheartened by this 
 event, slowly and sadly withdrew, and the English 
 remained masters of the town. The battle of Ark- 
 
250 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 low was the turning-point of the insurrection. The 
 Irish now retired to two camps, — one on the hill of 
 Lacken, and the other on Vinegar hill, near Ennis- 
 corthy. There they remained inactive, sending for- 
 aging parties through the neighboring districts to 
 collect provisions, and awaiting a favorable moment 
 for resuming the offensive. But that moment never 
 came. Heavy re-enforcements soon arrived from 
 England, and the English generals resolved to at 
 once advance upon the rebels in their camps. At 
 the head of the English was the relentless General 
 Lake. The Irish, under Roche, when they heard of 
 the advance of the English, retreated from Lacken 
 hill, and succeeded in reaching Wexford in safety. 
 The other Irish stronghold near Vinegar hill re- 
 mained. The English troops closed in upon it. They 
 Defeat at drovc the Irish, who fought with desper- 
 vinegar atc but usclcss couragc, out of Enniscor- 
 
 Hill 
 
 thy up the hill. A terrible battle ensued. 
 At last the Irish were forced to evacuate the hill, 
 and to seek refuge, like their comrades of the Lacken 
 camp, in Wexford (June 21, 1798). 
 
 Already the position of the Irish at Wexford had 
 been attacked ; and, when the news of the defeat at 
 Vinegar hill arrived, the Irish abandoned the town. 
 The various Irish forces now retired into the inte- 
 rior, and were broken up into marauding bands. The 
 vengeance of the English upon the defeated Irish 
 was swift and terrible. The soldiers and militia vied 
 with each other in the excess of their atrocities. A 
 
THE INSURRECTION OF NINETY-EIGHT. 25 1 
 
 hospital containing a number of wounded Irish was 
 burned with its inmates. Parties of miUtiamen rode 
 about the country shootino^ all, even women, . 
 
 J c> J y Lawlessness 
 
 whom they chanced to meet. The houses of the 
 were robbed of all articles of value. Court- "^ *^ 
 martials sat in the towns, and those whom they con- 
 demned were hurried in batches to execution. Many 
 of the leaders of the revolt were hung in Dublin. 
 Among those who thus suffered were Roche, Kelly, 
 Murphy, and Harvey. Others were mercilessly 
 flogged with the cat-o'-nine-tails. Hundreds of per- 
 fectly innocent persons were subjected to the brutal 
 violence of the triumphant English. 
 
252 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE UNION OF THE PARLIAMENTS. 
 
 THE last event of the insurrection was the ar- 
 rival of a small French fleet off the Irish coast 
 (October, 1798). On board one of the ships was the 
 unconquerable Wolfe Tone, whose spirit had not 
 been subdued even by the crushing defeats of Vine- 
 gar Hill and Wexford. The French fleet was en- 
 countered by some English men-of-war, and an 
 obstinate sea-fight ensued. The " Hoche," the ship 
 which carried Tone, coped gallantly with four English 
 frigates at once. The result of the battle, however, 
 was the utter defeat of the invading fleet. Tone 
 Fate of was taken prisoner, and attempted to pass 
 
 Wolfe Tone, himsclf off as a French officer. But he 
 was soon recognized, and carried captive to Dublin. 
 He was condemned to be hung. But his proud soul 
 revolted from a death so disgraceful, and he cut his 
 throat in his cell. The last spark of the insurrection 
 went out with Tone's heroic life. The United Irish- 
 men ceased to exist, and in every part of the island 
 submission was made to the English power. 
 
 Meanwhile William Pitt, the English prime minis- 
 
THE UNION OF THE PARLIAMENTS. 253 
 
 ter, had made up his mind that the time had come to 
 execute a design which had for some time occupied 
 his thoughts. This was, to abolish the Pitt's project 
 Irish Parliament altogether, to make the °^ ""'°°- 
 British Parliament the sole law-making body for 
 the three kingdoms, and to give Ireland the right to 
 send members to the British Houses of Lords and 
 Commons. His decision was undoubtedly hastened 
 by the great insurrection which had now been so 
 bloodily subdued. But his object could only be car- 
 ried out by consent of the Irish Parliament itself. 
 The Irish Parliament must be persuaded to take its 
 own life, since no act of the British Parliament alone 
 could bind it or destroy it. With a view to carrying 
 out his purpose, Pitt recalled lord Camden, who had 
 been lord-lieutenant through the insurrection, and 
 who was lacking in energy, and appointed in his 
 place the marquis Cornwallis (the same comwaius 
 who had surrendered to Washington at as lord- 
 Yorktown). Lord Castlereagh, a selfish *^" ^"^" ' 
 and ambitious Irishman, was named as Cornwallis's 
 chief secretary ; and lord Clare, who was a resolute 
 supporter of Pitt's plan, was continued in the office 
 of Irish lord-chancellor. 
 
 Cornwallis was not only an able, but a kind-hearted 
 and justly disposed man. He revolted from the 
 brutal methods by which vengeance had been visited 
 upon the conquered Irish. He hated the floggings, 
 the burnings, the plundering, the wholesale execu- 
 tions, which were going on in Ireland. He resolved 
 
254 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 upon a milder course. He proclaimed that all rebels, 
 except the leaders, who would take the oath of alle- 
 giance and submit to the government, should be pro- 
 tected. He caused an act of amnesty to be passed, 
 which gave pardon to the great mass of those who 
 had been in insurrection. He restored, as far as pos- 
 sible, order and discipline among the English troops 
 in Ireland ; and resolutely put a stop to the acts of 
 violence in which the EngUsh soldiers had been 
 revelling. So lenient and humane, indeed, was the 
 rule of Cornwallis, that he roused the easily-evoked 
 gratitude of the Irish people, who cried out, *' God 
 bless you! " as he passed through the Dublin streets. 
 
 The project of William Pitt to get rid of the Irish 
 Parliament, and to make the British Parliament the 
 Irish opposi. sole legislative body for the three king- 
 tion to union, (joms, arouscd intense opposition in Ire- 
 land. Protestants and Catholics, peers and land-own- 
 ers, tradesmen, farmers, and peasants alike, protested 
 against it. It would reduce the power of the nobili- 
 ty ; it would ruin trade ; it would bind Ireland hand 
 and foot to England ; it would take away the last 
 vestiges of Irish independence. These were among 
 the reasons urged by Irishmen of both faiths, and of 
 every social rank, against the " union." On the other 
 hand, Pitt promised that, if the union were achieved, 
 the Irish Catholics should not only have the vote, 
 but should be "emancipated;" that is, should be 
 admitted as members of Parliament, and should have 
 the right to hold military and civil offices. The chief 
 
THE UNION OF THE PARLIAMENTS. 255 
 
 reason which he gave for the union was, that it would 
 secure England from an invasion of the French by 
 way of Ireland ; but this reason he urged to obtain 
 English, and not Irish, support to his design. 
 
 Cornwallis, the lord-lieutenant, Clare, the lord- 
 chancellor, and Castlereagh, the chief secretary of 
 Ireland, were the three assents upon whom _^ 
 
 ' _ & 1 The promot- 
 
 Pitt relied to induce the Irish Parliament ersofthe 
 to give up its existence, and to assent to ""'°"- 
 the legislative union. Cornwallis hated the work 
 thus committed to him, but undertook it because he 
 was convinced that the union was necessary to the 
 power of the British empire. His two colleagues 
 were less scrupulous, and entered upon their task 
 with eager energy. The method by which the Irish 
 Parliament was to be extinguished, was one of sheer 
 bribery and corruption. The union was to be ob- 
 tained by downright force and fraud. No means, 
 however bad, were to be left untried to compel or in- 
 duce the Irish members in both Houses to agree to 
 it. What removal from office, threats, 
 
 1 r 11 1 T • 1 Methods 
 
 the grant or peerages, could not do, Irish adopted to 
 money was to be freely spent in doing, secure the 
 
 "^ •' . union. 
 
 Never did the officials of a great nation 
 descend to methods more base to reach the end 
 they had in view. The wish of the overwhelming ma- 
 jority of the Irish people, who ardently longed to 
 retain what liberties they had, was to be overcome 
 by pandering to the fears and the avarice of their 
 representatives. 
 
256 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The first attempt to bring about the union, how- 
 ever, failed. The Irish Parliament was summoned 
 (Jan. 22, 1799) ; and in the "speech from the throne," 
 delivered at the opening of its session, the project of 
 the union was vaguely mentioned. This at once 
 aroused its patriotic opponents. A long and tem- 
 pestuous debate followed. Among the ardent speak- 
 ers against the measure was Sir John Parnell, — a 
 name destined to be identified, in later years, with a 
 far more formidable struggle in behalf of Irish liberty. 
 ^. .J r . At last a vote was taken, and the project 
 
 First defeat ^^ -'^ 
 
 of the pro- of uuiou was defeated by five majority. 
 J^'^*- Pqj- ^ while it seemed as if Pitt's plan 
 
 would fail ; and there was great rejoicing among the 
 Irish patriots everywhere. But now began the vigor- 
 ous application of fraud, force, and corruption. 
 Those officials who were opposed to the union were 
 turned out of their places. A large number of the 
 boroughs, which chose members to the Irish Parlia- 
 ment, were in reality owned by noblemen and great 
 land-owners ; and the seats had long been purchased 
 and sold for money. Castlereagh agreed to buy out 
 these owners of seats, and to pay for each seat the 
 sum of ;£ 1 5,000. 
 
 In this way, no less than eighty-five seats were 
 bought by the government, at a cost of ^1,950,000; 
 
 Purchase of ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ chargcd upou the Irish 
 parliament- rcvenuc. Ouc uoblcmau, the marquis of 
 ary sea s. -gj^^ rcccived ;£45,ooo for the six boroughs 
 he owned; and another, the marquis of Downshire, 
 
THE UNION OF THE PARLIAMENTS. 25/ 
 
 received ;£5 2,000 for his seven. Twenty-two oppo- 
 nents of the union were bribed by English titles of 
 nobility ; twenty-two more were raised in rank in 
 the Irish peerage ; and many were rewarded for 
 betraying their country, and favoring the union, by 
 judgeships, offices, pensions, and army commissions. 
 Even some of the bishops and clergy, both Protes- 
 tant and Catholic, were bribed by rectorships, sti- 
 pends, and other appointments. The Protestant 
 church was persuaded by the promise that it should 
 be established forever as the state church of Ireland. 
 The way being thus prepared, the Irish Parliament 
 was once more called together (January, 1800), and 
 the subject of the union was once more promptly 
 brought before it. 
 
 For a long time, little had been heard or seen of 
 Henry Grattan, the eloquent patriot who had secured 
 the independence of the Irish Parliament eight years 
 before. He had held aloof from the „ 
 
 Re-appear- 
 
 United Irishmen, and had taken no part ance of 
 in the great insurrection. He had be- 
 come broken in health, and had nearly passed out of 
 the minds of men. But now, at this great crisis in 
 Ireland's history, when the liberties for which he 
 had successfully fought were about to be wrested 
 from her, Grattan once more appeared upon the 
 scene. A seat in the House of Commons was se- 
 cured for him at Wicklow. Feeble with illness, the 
 great patriot dragged himself into the House to 
 make a last appeal for his unhappy country. He 
 
258 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 was too weak to stand, and so spoke sitting in his 
 chair. As he went on, his voice gradually gathered 
 strength, and he poured forth his vehement sentences 
 with all his wonted fire. 
 
 But Grattan's fervid eloquence was of no avail. 
 After a series of hot debates, and after vote after 
 The union votc had shown that the unionists were 
 carried. j^ g^ large majority, the bill abolishing the 
 
 Irish Parliament, and merging it in that of Great 
 Britain, was adopted by the Irish House of Com- 
 mons by a vote of one hundred and fifty-three to 
 eighty-eight. It soon after passed the Irish House 
 of Lords, was signed by the king, and thereby be- 
 came a law. Thus the Irish Parliament ceased to 
 exist. It had never truly represented the Irish 
 people, but only the Protestant and English minority 
 in Ireland. In its later years, it had become very 
 corrupt and inefficient. Its final act was base and 
 treacherous. Yet patriotic Irishmen mourned to 
 see it become extinct, since it had been the only 
 feeble barrier against complete English ascendancy. 
 
 The most important conditions of the union of the 
 two Parliaments into one, were as follows. Ireland 
 now sent one hundred members to the British House 
 Conditions of Commous. In the British House of 
 of the union. Lords, Ireland was represented by four 
 bishops of the Protestant Episcopal church, and by 
 twenty-eight peers, elected for life by the whole body 
 of Irish peers. The number of Irish members of the 
 Commons has since been increased to one hundred 
 
THE UNION OF THE PARLIAMENTS. 259 
 
 and three. The Protestant-Episcopal church was 
 estabUshed as the state church of Ireland. Irish 
 peers, not elected among the twenty-eight, were given 
 the right to be elected ^nd to sit as members of the 
 British House of Commons. The British House of 
 Lords was made the final court of appeal from Irish 
 as well as English courts. The national debts of the 
 two islands were kept separate, and Ireland was now 
 required to raise two-fifths of the revenue of the 
 united kingdom. The debt created after the union, 
 was made a joint one. Commercial equality was es- 
 tablished between the two islands. Each was for- 
 bidden to impose any duty on the goods produced by 
 the other. The act of union went into actual opera- 
 tion on the 1st of January succeeding its passage 
 (1801). 
 
260 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND, 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 DANIEL O CONNELL. 
 
 THE union of the Parliaments, obtained as it was 
 by wholesale force, fraud, and corruption, caused 
 intense discontent among the Irish people. In less 
 than two years, an attempt was made to revive the 
 United Irishmen, and a few daring spirits planned a 
 Robert rebellion. Chief among these was Robert 
 
 Emmet. Emmet, a young man of ardent temper and 
 fervent love of country. Emmet gathered about him 
 a few young men, and one day sallied forth in Dub- 
 lin at the head of eighty adherents, to take posses- 
 sion of the city. The people did not respond to his 
 summons, and Emmet was forced to hide himself. 
 He might now have escaped ; but he was in love with 
 Sarah Curran, the daughter of the great Irish advo- 
 cate, John Philpott Curran, and resolved to see her 
 once more before seeking safety in flight. While 
 he was awaiting his chance for an interview, he was 
 arrested. He was promptly tried for high treason, 
 and hung (1803). Notwithstanding the folly and 
 failure of his attempt, the name of Robert Emmet is 
 still loved in Ireland as that of a zealous and self- 
 sacrificing patriot. 
 
DANIEL O'CONNELL. 26l 
 
 The Irish Catholics had been promised, before the 
 union, that they should be "emancipated;" that is, 
 that the laws which prevented them from voting, 
 sitting as members of Parliament, and holding civil 
 and military offices, should be done away with. But 
 after the union, Pitt failed to redeem this promise. 
 He might have redeemed it, had it not been for the 
 obstinate refusal of George the Third to consent to 
 Catholic emancipation. The king would not listen 
 to such a thing ; and the result was, that the rights 
 of the Irish Catholics were not conceded to them 
 until many years after. There now ensued a revival 
 of the acts of violence into which the Irish Renewed 
 always fell when they despaired of getting lawlessness, 
 justice from the laws. The Whiteboys once more 
 came into existence ; and, in various parts of the 
 island, cattle were maimed, houses were burned, and 
 landlords and their agents were maltreated. The 
 government met this state of things by passing a 
 severe '^ coercion act," by which the ordinary laws 
 were suspended, and large powers were given to the 
 lord-lieutenant and the magistrates. To this were 
 added the suspension of the habeas corpus, and an 
 '''arms act," by which the Irish were forbidden to 
 keep arms, and the authorities were empowered to 
 search houses for them. 
 
 Henry Grattan was now an old man. But, al- 
 though the Irish Parliament which he had estab- 
 lished had been suppressed, Grattan's heart and 
 voice were still devoted to his unhappy country. He 
 
262 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 became a member of the British Parliament, and 
 within its walls eloquently urged that Catholic eman- 
 cipation should be granted to Ireland. He continued 
 to devote all his energies to this object until his death 
 (1820). But now a new and still more powerful 
 champion of Irish rights was fast rising into public 
 Daniel uoticc. This was Daniel O'Connell. This 
 
 o'Conneii. great leader, who was by profession a law- 
 yer, and who belonged to an old and landed family 
 in south-western Ireland, first came into notice as 
 the chairman of a committee, whose purpose it was 
 to agitate before Parliament the Catholic claim to 
 political freedom (1808). He was already known as 
 an eloquent pleader, with a powerful frame, a strong, 
 melodious, sonorous voice, and a bold and vigorous 
 temperament. The previous leaders of the Irish 
 cause were Protestants : O'Connell was a zealous 
 Catholic. He was thirty-five, in the early prime of 
 his manhood. 
 
 O'Connell in no long time became the undisputed 
 chief of the Irish patriots. At first he hesitated 
 whether to pursue an agitation to repeal the act of 
 union, and restore the Irish Parliament, or to confine 
 himself to seeking to obtain Catholic emancipation. 
 He decided upon the latter course. A strong party 
 in Ireland was soon formed to support him. Promi- 
 nent among his adherents was Richard Lalor Shiel, 
 who was a vehement, eloquent orator, and an earnest 
 patriot ; and once more the familiar name of Parnell 
 appears, in Sir Henry, as a leader in the patriot 
 
DANIEL O'CONNELL. 263 
 
 cause. The agitation for Catholic emancipation be- 
 came active and formidable, and was continued with 
 ever-increasing force for six years (1823-29). In the 
 mean time Ireland suffered terribly from repeated 
 failures of the potato crop. The mass of the Irish 
 people have always relied upon potatoes as their 
 principal food. Whenever, therefore, the potato 
 crop has failed, the horrors of famine have followed ; 
 and to famine has usually been added, in many places, 
 desperate deeds of violence. In one year (1822) 
 many hundreds of thousands of Irish were fed daily 
 by charity. Great numbers died of downright star- 
 vation ; and so turbulent was the country, that a large 
 military force was needed to keep it from drifting 
 into anarchy. 
 
 The first important step which O'Connell took 
 was to form the ''Catholic Association." The cathoHc 
 This society was organized to get up pe- Association, 
 titions, to arrange public meetings, to spread pam- 
 phlets, and to aid in sending men to Parliament who 
 were in favor of Catholic emancipation. Its mem- 
 bers paid an annual assessment of a guinea ($5.25) ; 
 and it was headed by a select committee, to whom 
 was committed the work of carrying forward its 
 objects. In no long time the association contained 
 half a million Irishmen. In order to obtain funds 
 for keeping up the agitation, the Irish Catholics 
 were asked to contribute a penny a month. This 
 was called the " Catholic rent," and soon produced 
 no less a sum than five hundred pounds a week. So 
 
264 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 rapidly did the society increase, that the government 
 became alarmed. It was finally suppressed by law 
 (1825). But O'Connell was equal to the occasion. 
 He simply changed the name of the society, and 
 went on with his agitation. 
 
 At last O'Connell resorted to a bold expedient. 
 He desired to show England that the Irish nation 
 demanded political liberty for the Catholics. The 
 law forbade a Catholic to sit in Parliament ; but it 
 did not say that a Catholic could not be a candidate, 
 and be elected to Parliament. A vacancy occurred 
 in the Irish county of Clare. O'Connell suddenly 
 presented himself as a candidate. After a stormy 
 contest, he was triumphantly elected. But he re- 
 fused to take the oath in the House of Commons, 
 for the oath rejected the Catholic faith. Both Eng- 
 land and Ireland were now wrought up to a high 
 pitch of excitement. It was seen that, unless O'Con- 
 nell's demand was conceded, civil war w^ould ensue. 
 The duke of Wellington, a Tory, was prime minister. 
 ^ , ,. In spite of his dislike of Catholic emanci- 
 
 Cathohc ^ 
 
 Emancipa- pation, he felt compelled to grant it. A 
 tion won. ^.^^ ^^,^g brought in, which admitted the 
 
 Catholics to Parliament, and to civil and military 
 office. It passed both Houses, was signed by George 
 the Fourth, and became a law of the land (1829). 
 
 By the provisions of the new law the oath which 
 compelled a Catholic, before he could sit in Parlia- 
 ment, to renounce his religion, was done away with. 
 All he had now to do was, to swear that he would 
 
DANIEL O'CONNELL. 265 
 
 sustain the Protestant succession and the reigning 
 dynasty on the throne, and that he would not injure 
 the Protestant rehgion. Any Roman CathoUc might 
 now sit in either House of ParKament, except that 
 no Catholic priest could be a member of the Com- 
 mons. O'Connell took his seat as member for Clare. 
 His triumph was brilliant, but was not entirely com- 
 plete ; for, while Parliament gave Catholic emanci- 
 pation, it at the same time restricted the suffrage in 
 Ireland. Before the passage of Catholic emancipa- 
 tion, Irishmen who held freehold estates, the rent of 
 which exceeded forty shillings, could vote for mem- 
 bers of Parliament. But now a law was Qualification 
 passed raising the qualification for voting ^°*" noting:, 
 to ten pounds ; that is, no Irishman could now vote 
 in a county, who did not have an estate valued at a 
 ten-pounds' rental. A few years later, the ten- 
 pounds qualification was extended to the boroughs as 
 well as the counties, and thus included all Ireland. 
 
 This restriction of the Irish suffrage deprived 
 six-eighths of the former electors of their votes. It 
 naturally lessened the satisfaction afforded by the 
 emancipation of the Catholics. It enabled the land- 
 lords to deal more severely with their tenants, and 
 thus brought about evictions, distress, deeds of vio- 
 lence, and a renewal of the harsh laws of coercion. 
 Meanwhile O'Connell and his adherents did not rest 
 content with the victory which their boldness and 
 persistency had wrung from the British Parliament. 
 The political rights of the Catholics had been 
 
2^ YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 achieved. O'Connell had learned the power and 
 successful results of a vigorously sustained agitation, 
 conducted without violating law, and without resort 
 to physical force. He now resolved to apply this 
 effective method to another and yet more important 
 purpose. This purpose was to repeal the union of 
 the Parliaments, to recall into existence the separate 
 Irish Parliament, and thus to restore to Ireland the 
 self-government enjoyed during the last eight years 
 of the eighteenth century. 
 
THE THREE YEARS' FAMINE. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE THREE YEARS* FAMINE. 
 
 THE Irish Catholics, who comprised an immense 
 majority of the country, had long felt it a bitter 
 grievance that they were forced to pay for the sup- 
 port of the Protestant church. Under the law, 
 every Irishman was compelled to pay his tithe, or 
 the tenth part of his cattle, to maintain the Protes- 
 tant bishops, clergy, and sacred edifices. The 
 wretched condition of the country now drove the 
 peasants into a stubborn resistance to this tax. 
 The "tithe proctors," as the agents who collected 
 the tithe were called, were utterly hated, The coiiec- 
 and were often subjected to violence, tion of tithes. 
 Many of the cattle seized for tithes were maimed 
 or killed ; nor did any one dare to buy the cattle 
 so seized, when they were put up at auction, for 
 fear of the vengeance of the peasants. A large 
 force of soldiers had to be used to enforce the col- 
 lection of these tithes. At last, in the first year of 
 the reign of Victoria, a law was passed by which 
 the peasants, or tenants, were relieved of the pay- 
 ment of tithes, which were now imposed upon the 
 
26S YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 landlords (1838). But this did not always prove a 
 benefit to the tenants ; for the landlords, in many 
 cases, raised their rents so as to cover the amount of 
 the tithes. 
 
 A short time before, two reforms relating to Ire- 
 land had been adopted, and had proved of benefit to 
 the country. One was the establishment of a sys- 
 tem of elementary schools ; the other, the reduction 
 of the number of Protestant bishops, by which the 
 cost of the established church was considerably les- 
 sened. In the same year that the tithes were trans- 
 „ ^ ferred to the landlords, occurred the s^reat 
 
 Father ' o 
 
 Mathew's tcmpcrancc revival in Ireland, led by the 
 ardent, eloquent young priest. Father 
 Mathew ; in the course of which nearly two hun- 
 dred thousand Irish subscribed to the pledge not to 
 drink any intoxicating liquors. The results of this 
 revival upon crime in Ireland, and upon the habits 
 and condition of the people, were most beneficent. 
 It was while Father Mathew was stirring the popular 
 heart with his fervent appeals in behalf of. temperance, 
 that Daniel O'Connell entered upon his second great 
 agitation, — that to dissolve the union of the Parlia- 
 ments, and to restore the old " Grattan's " Parlia- 
 ment (1838). In doing this, he pursued the same 
 methods which he had so successfully used in bring- 
 ing about the political emancipation of the Catholics. 
 O'Connell's first step was to form a "Repeal As- 
 sociation," similar to the '' Catholic Association " 
 which had done such effective work. In no long 
 
THE THREE YEARS' FAMINE. 269 
 
 time the society had grown into a numerous and 
 enthusiastic body. It was mainly composed of the 
 middle and lower classes, and there were many more 
 Catholics than Protestants in its ranks. Yet it con- 
 tained many Protestants, and many well-educated 
 young men of both creeds joined the movement. 
 O'Connell was the leading spirit. He organized 
 monster meetings in Ireland, at which he declaimed 
 about the wrongs of the land, recalled the The Repeal 
 cruelties, tyrannies, and miseries of the Association, 
 past, and wrought the people up to a high pitch 
 of excitement. Money flowed into the coffers of the 
 society. The English government at first tolerated 
 the repeal meetings, in the hope that the agitation 
 would in time cease. But as it became more alarm- 
 ing and formidable, the ministry resolved to suppress 
 the gatherings of the association. 
 
 It was announced that a great repeal meeting 
 would take place at Clontarf (the scene of the deci- 
 sive conflict between the Irish and the Danes) on 
 October 8 (1843). O'Connell and other repeal chiefs 
 were to be present, and address the multitude. The 
 English ministry issued a proclamation forbidding the 
 meeting. The more ardent repealers insisted that 
 the government should be defied, and that the meet- 
 ing should be held in spite of its prohibition. But 
 O'Connell, who was always opposed to the use of 
 physical force in aiming to obtain Irish rights, de- 
 clared that the proclamation must be obeyed. The 
 Clontarf meetins: was not held. O'Connell and 
 
2/0 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 eight of his lieutenants were arrested, and tried for 
 treason. They were at first convicted by a packed 
 jury; but their decision was overruled by the House 
 of Lords, and O'Connell and his companions were 
 set free. The success of the government in vigor- 
 ously dealing with the repeal agitation, gave that 
 agitation its death-blow. O'Connell's popularity 
 with the Irish masses rapidly waned. The cause of 
 repeal was abandoned by many of its former leaders ; 
 and in a short time was followed by another Irish 
 agitation, which had an altogether different end in 
 view. 
 
 But before a new struggle was to take place on 
 behalf of Irish liberty, the island was doomed to a 
 terrible calamity. A famine, more extensive and 
 The long devastating than had ever before desolated 
 famine. ^\^q Irish people, spread through the land. 
 
 Once more wet and chilly seasons caused repeated 
 failures of the potato crop (1845-47). -^ winter of 
 dreadful distress among the poor peasantry ensued. 
 Thousands were unable to pay their rent ; and when 
 the landlords, as was the case in many instances, tried 
 to force them to pay it, they resorted, in their desper- 
 ation, to violence and outrage. The government 
 made several efforts to relieve the distress of the 
 Irish. The corn-laws, which placed a high duty on 
 bread-stuffs, were repealed. Large sums were voted 
 to employ the starving people as laborers on the 
 building of roads and public buildings. At one time, 
 more than seven hundred thousand men were thus 
 
THE THREE YEARS FAMINE. 2/1 
 
 provided with work. Yet the second year of the 
 famine was worse than the first. The aboHtion of 
 the corn-laws did not bring the expected relief to 
 Ireland ; nor did the large employment of men on 
 public works suffice to supply the starving families 
 with sufficient food to keep them alive. 
 
 It is a strange and startling fact, that at this very 
 time, when thousands of families were utterly fam- 
 ished, Ireland was sending abroad more shiploads of 
 wheat and other grain and provisions, than any coun- 
 try in the world. There was plenty of food ; but it 
 was beyond the reach of the poor, rent-ridden, hungry 
 Irish peasants. Other sufferings were soon ^^^^^ ^ 
 added to that of famine. The wretched suffering in 
 huts, the miserably scant clothing of the 
 peasants, exposed them mercilessly to cold storms 
 and winds. Fevers and other contagious disorders 
 spread rapidly among the villages and farming-dis- 
 tricts. Men, women, and children died daily by hun- 
 dreds, often breathing their last breath by the road- 
 side, in the ditches, or in the fields among the blighted 
 potato crops. Charitable societies and committees 
 were formed for the purpose of supplying, as far as 
 possible, food for the starving multitude. Cooked 
 provisions were energetically distributed by these 
 societies and the more humane landlords. But the 
 calamity proved too wide-spread to be checked by 
 any exertion that was or could be made. 
 
 One important result of this terrible and long-con- 
 tinued famine was to drive many thousands of the 
 
2/2 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Irish to seek homes in other countries. Most of 
 these came across the Atlantic to Canada and the 
 United States. One hundred thousand landed, in 
 Increased ouQ year, in Canada alone. Many of the 
 emigration, emigrants were emaciated, and stricken 
 with disease. Large numbers died on shipboard, or 
 soon after their arrival in America. In a less degree 
 the tide of emigration carried many of the Irish 
 into England. When the famine began, the popula- 
 tion of Ireland had comprised eight millions of 
 people. When, at last, the frightful scourge had 
 spent its force, the population of Ireland had been 
 reduced, by death and emigration, to less than six 
 millions. The country had lost two millions of its 
 people. The severity of many of the landlords, and 
 the " coercion " laws which Parliament had passed 
 to suppress the desperate acts of the peasants dur- 
 ing the period of the famine, rekindled the hatred of 
 England in Irish breasts. The famine thus prepared 
 the Irish for the next movement for trying to throw 
 off the English yoke altogether. 
 
LATER REVOLTS. 2/3 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 LATER REVOLTS. 
 
 TT 7HILE O'Connell's agitation to restore the Irish 
 V V Parliament was going on, a new party came 
 into existence in Ireland. This party consisted, to a 
 large degree, of young men, who desired, not only 
 that should the Irish Parliament be revived, but that 
 Ireland should become altogether independent of 
 England. Its members were not satisfied with the 
 moderate demands of O'Connell ; nor did they accept 
 O'Connell's idea, that in no event should Irishmen 
 fight for their liberties. They believed that when 
 all other means of securing the freedom of their 
 country failed. Irishmen should take up arms in her 
 cause. The leading spirits of this " Young "Young 
 Ireland " party, as it was called, were ^feiand." 
 Thomas Davis, John Blake Dillon, Gavan Duffy, 
 Smith O'Brien, John Mitchel, Thomas Francis 
 Meagher, and John Martin. All of them were 
 young men. Dillon and Duffy were Catholics. 
 O'Brien, Mitchel, Davis, and Martin were Protes- 
 tants. Every one of these men was an undoubted 
 patriot. 
 
2/4 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 The first step of the Young Ireland party was to 
 found a newspaper, which they called "The Nation" 
 (1842). It forcibly advocated Ireland's cause. It 
 presented vivid pictures of the wrongs under which 
 Ireland was suffering. It did not approve of 
 O'Connell's course and methods. The ability with 
 which "The Nation " was conducted won for it wide- 
 spread influence in Ireland. Soon after O'Connell's 
 death, John Mitchel, impatient of the delay of the 
 Young Irelanders in taking up arms, founded another 
 paper, "The United Irishman," which boldly ad- 
 vocated insurrection. Mitchel was arrested, tried 
 for treason, and transported beyond seas for fourteen 
 years. Immediately another paper, "The Irish Trib- 
 incitements uuc," edited by Kevin Izod O'Doherty, 
 to revolt. ^g^g issued, Urging the people to rebel ; 
 and soon after, yet another journal, edited by John 
 Martin, and devoted to the same object, made its 
 appearance. O'Doherty, Martin, and others were 
 arrested ; and the government made a strenuous at- 
 tempt to crush out Irish disaffection by suspending 
 the habeas corpus act. 
 
 These events were followed by the breaking-out of 
 the third French revolution. The Young Ireland 
 party caught from France the spirit of revolt (1848). 
 Smith O'Brien took the lead of the Irish insurgents. 
 With Dillon and Meagher, he made a desperate effort 
 to persuade the people at various points to rise in 
 arms. The attempt, however, was a disheartening 
 failure. In two or three places disturbances occurred, 
 
LATER REVOLTS. 2/5 
 
 but the triumph of the government was easy. The 
 leaders were speedily captured. O'Brien capture of 
 and Meagher were transported for life, and ^"^^ leaders. 
 O'Doherty and Martin for ten years. Dillon escaped 
 to the United States. Duffy was released, after a 
 failure to convict him. In the following year, an- 
 other feeble attempt at insurrection was made, but 
 was quickly suppressed. The wretchedness of the 
 Irish tenantry again caused a marked increase in emi- 
 gration. The landlords exacted rents which it was 
 impossible for the tenants to pay ; and, when they 
 did not pay, the landlords remorselessly turned them 
 out of their little holdings, often to starve or freeze 
 to death by the roadside. 
 
 For many years after the failure of the rising of 
 Young Ireland, indeed, the history of the island con- 
 sists of the story of the miseries produced by the 
 Irish land-system. Not only did the land- evUs of the 
 lords demand high rents, and "evict," or land-system. 
 turn out, the tenants unabls to pay them ; but they 
 also reaped the advantage of the added value of the 
 land, caused by the improvements made upon it by 
 the tenants. When such improvements had been 
 added, the rents were raised in consequence of the 
 increase thus effected in the value of the land. This 
 was called ''rack-renting." The officers of the law 
 aided the landlords to collect their rents and to turn 
 out their tenants. The tenants had no protection 
 from any source. Thousands were thus reduced to 
 the most desperate poverty. The result was, that 
 
2/6 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 many acts of violence took place in different parts 
 Agrarian of the island. Landlords and their agents 
 violence. went about in peril of their lives. Cattle 
 were maimed ; and houses, barns, and hay-ricks were 
 burned. The attempts made by the British Parlia- 
 ment to remedy these terrible evils in Ireland were 
 fitful, and did not prove effectual. 
 
 Ten years after the suppression of the Young Ire- 
 land revolt, another and far more formidable society 
 was formed, for the purpose of obtaining the separa- 
 tion of Ireland from Great Britain by force of arms 
 (1858). The leaders of the Young Ireland revolt 
 had been amnestied, and were once more free men. 
 Some of them had returned home ; and these en- 
 tered upon a fresh effort to secure freedom for 
 their country. They formed what is now famous as 
 The Fenian the " Feuiau brothcrhood." At its head 
 brotherhood. ^^^^ Jamcs Stcvcus, a rcsolutc and able 
 man, who had taken part in the rising of 1848. At 
 first it seemed as if the Fenian conspiracy would be 
 as short-lived as that of Young Ireland. Its secret 
 meetings were revealed to the government, and its 
 chiefs were arrested and thrown into jail. But it 
 was aided and supported, to an extent that no pre- 
 vious conspiracy had been, by the Irish in the United 
 States. Branches of the society were formed in 
 American cities and towns. Funds were raised, and 
 men provided, for the operations of the brotherhood. 
 
 In the year following the close of the American 
 civil war {1866), the Fenians .had become a wide- 
 
LATER REVOLTS. 2/7 
 
 spread and powerful association. A Fenian paper, 
 "The Irish People," had been established. Stevens, 
 the "head centre" of the Fenians, who had been 
 captured, had escaped from prison, and was again 
 actively employed in the projects of the society. 
 The arrest and transportation of some of the other 
 leaders had only increased the popularity of the 
 brotherhood among the Irish. The Ameri- The Amen- 
 can Fenians organized a well-trained force, *^^" Fenians, 
 which invaded Canada, defeated the Canadian volun- 
 teers sent to oppose them, and were only deterred 
 from a further advance by the intervention of the 
 United States. At about the same time a plot was 
 formed by the Fenians in England to seize the castle 
 of Chester, and thence make a descent upon Ireland. 
 This project was revealed to the British cabinet by 
 treacherous Fenians, and was therefore not attempted. 
 Early in the following year, the Fenians tried to in- 
 cite a general revolt in Ireland ; but this, too, proved 
 an utter failure. The government had again sus- 
 pended the habeas corpus ; and, following upon the 
 discomfiture of the Fenian plans, large Arrest of 
 numbers of those who had been concerned Fenian 
 in them, were arrested, hastily tried, con- 
 victed, and punished with imprisonment and trans- 
 portation. 
 
 In spite of all these failures, Fenianism was not 
 yet crushed. Two startling events, which took place 
 in the same year (1867), reminded the world that its 
 fierce spirit still survived. The first of these events 
 
2/8 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 occurred at Manchester, England. Two Fenians were 
 one day being taken in a prison-van from the court- 
 house, where they had just been convicted, to jail. 
 As the van was passing through the streets, it was 
 assailed by a party of armed Irishmen, who attempted 
 to rescue the prisoners. In the struggle which en- 
 sued, a policeman named Brett was killed by the as- 
 sailants. The latter were captured ; and, after a brief 
 _. ., trial, three of them — O'Brien, Larkin, and 
 
 The Man- ' ' ' 
 
 Chester AUcu — wcrc condcmucd to death and exe- 
 
 trage y. cutcd. Their fate caused intense agitation 
 throughout Ireland. The three men were looked 
 upon as martyrs ; and great gatherings took place in 
 Ireland, to celebrate their funerals. Many promi- 
 nent Englishmen tried to save their lives, but the 
 appeals of men like John Bright and John Stuart 
 Mill proved unavailing. 
 
 Less than a month after the execution of the Man- 
 chester rescuers, a barbarous attempt was made to 
 blow up Clerkenwell prison in London. Some Feni- 
 ans were incarcerated in this prison, and one of their 
 comrades, a man named Barrett, took it into his head 
 to try to release them by shattering the prison-wall 
 with gunpowder. He placed a barrel of powder near 
 the wall, and set it off. The result was, not to effect 
 Thecierken- ^^^ cscapc of the Fcniau prisoners, but to 
 well expio- kill several innocent persons, and to injure 
 many more. Nothing could be more 
 stupid or cruel than this crime. It made Fenianism 
 obnoxious to many Irishmen who had before sympa- 
 
The Manchester Tragedy. — Page 278. 
 
LATER REVOLTS. 2/9 
 
 thized with the society, and it aroused indignation 
 throughout the world. Barrett was tried and hung. 
 But the Manchester and Clerkenwell affairs had at 
 least one striking result. They showed how bitterly 
 the Irish continued to regard the unjust laws, insti- 
 tutions, and oppressions, to which they were still 
 subjected by English power ; and they aroused a 
 great English statesman to sternly resolve that he 
 would seek out, and try to remedy, the evils which 
 had created and fostered Irish discontent. 
 
280 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Gladstone's irish reforms. 
 
 IN the year following the Manchester and Clerken- 
 well tragedies, William Ewart Gladstone became, 
 for the first time, prime minister of England (1868). 
 William ^^ ^^'^^ already a statesman of long ex- 
 Ewart perience, and of unsurpassed genius. He 
 
 ^ °"^* had been a member of the House of Com- 
 mons for more than thirty years, and had repeatedly 
 sat in previous cabinets. After the retirement from 
 office of Lord Russell (1866), Mr. Gladstone had be- 
 come the acknowledged leader of the Liberal party. 
 He had entered public life as a Tory. But in the 
 course of years his political convictions had con- 
 stantly become broader and more liberal. He had, 
 moreover, won the confidence of the English people 
 by the long-proved sincerity, uprightness, and moral 
 elevation of his public acts and of his personal char- 
 acter. No statesman could have been better fitted 
 to deal with a subject so difficult, so important, and so 
 replete with moral aspects, as was that of Ireland. 
 
 Mr. Gladstone perceived that it was necessary to 
 deal without delay, and with resolute energy, with 
 
Gladstone's irish reforms. 281 
 
 the state of Ireland. The disaffection of the Irish 
 to English rule, and the great abuses which had 
 grown up under, and had been fostered by, that rule 
 in Ireland, had been so persistently revealed through- 
 out the period succeeding the union of the 
 Parliaments, that it was vitally important, ^/q'^^^^^' 
 if possible, to apply a remedy. Mr. Glad- votes himself 
 stone set about the task of removing some reforms, 
 of the chief grievances of which the Irish 
 justly complained. His earnest desire was to remove 
 them, and to reconcile the Irish to English rule, by 
 getting rid, as far as possible, of those features of 
 English rule which fostered the discontent of the 
 Irish. Those features were, as he declared, three : 
 *' the established church, the system of land tenure, 
 and the system of national education." With each 
 of these he proposed to deal, by framing and passing 
 laws which would either greatly modify them, or get 
 rid of them altogether. 
 
 One of Mr. Gladstone's first acts as prime minister 
 was to assert, in the House of Commons, that the 
 Irish Protestant church, as a church recog- The Irish 
 nized and sustained by the state, must church. 
 cease to exist. It was the church of the small mi- 
 nority of Irishmen ; yet it was to a large degree sup- 
 ported, on compulsion, by the contributions of Irish 
 Catholics. It had not increased, and had utterly failed 
 to fulfil the mission intrusted to it, of converting the 
 masses of the Irish to the Protestant faith. It held 
 property to the amount of ^14,000,000, for the most 
 
282 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 part confiscated in preceding centuries from Catholic 
 owners. It was, in short, a slothful and stagnant 
 church, enjoying wealth for which it made no return, 
 and always prominent, in the eyes of the immense 
 majority of the Irish, as a symbol of English oppres- 
 sion. Mr. Gladstone therefore brought in a bill to 
 "disestablish and disendow" the Irish church ; that 
 is, to deprive it of its position as the state church, and 
 to take away from it a part, at least, of the property 
 it had, in the process of years, acquired. 
 
 After a long struggle, in the course of which the 
 House of Lords once rejected it, the bill was finally 
 Disestablish- P^sscd, and became a law (July 26, 1869). 
 ment of the Froui and after January i, 1871, the Irish 
 state church ceased to exist. At the 
 same time, the grant which had long been made from 
 the English treasury to the Irish Catholic college of 
 Maynooth, was withdrawn. Only a portion of the 
 property of the Irish church was taken from it. 
 Over ;£ 1 0,000,000 still remained in the hands of 
 its bishops and clergy. The sum of which it was 
 deprived (about ;£4,ooo,ooo) was reserved, to be 
 devoted to the relief of the Irish if a famine, or some 
 other terrible scourge, should come upon them. The 
 next object of Mr. Gladstone's attack was the system 
 of the Irish land. The powers of the landlords, used 
 most often cruelly and oppressively, formed a far 
 more serious material grievance to the Irish masses 
 than the Irish church. The question, too, was a 
 far harder one to solve. To deal justly by the land- 
 
Gladstone's irish reforms. 283 
 
 lords on the one hand, and the tenants on the other, 
 was a task calculated to tax the ability of the great- 
 est statesman. 
 
 Mr. Gladstone made two efforts to settle the rela- 
 tions between the Irish landlords and their tenants, 
 so that the rights of both might be pro- ^^ qj^j_ 
 tected. His first attempt was made in the stone's first 
 year following the disestablishment of the 
 Irish church (1870), and his second attempt was 
 made eleven years after (1881). In his first Irish 
 land bill, Mr. Gladstone sought to lessen the power of 
 the landlords to turn the tenants out of their hold- 
 ings at the landlords' will and caprice ; to secure to 
 the tenants payment for any improvements they 
 might make on their plots of land ; to enable tenants, 
 by easy methods, to become absolute owners of the 
 land they tilled ; and to give tenants the right to 
 sell out their leases to others, if they wished to do 
 so. Various causes combined, however, to render 
 this measure, though well intended, an ineffectual 
 one. The landlords evaded its provisions, and in- 
 duced the tenants to make agreements which de- 
 prived them of the privileges the new law gave 
 them. The cost of appealing to the courts, to sup- 
 port their rights under the law, was too great for the 
 poor peasants, who lived constantly from hand to 
 mouth ; and it soon appeared that Mr. Gladstone's 
 measure was practically a failure. 
 
 To improve the system of education in Ireland 
 was the next object of Mr. Gladstone's exertions. 
 
284 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Much, indeed, had been done in the previous twenty 
 Irish years to remove the inequaUties between 
 
 education. |-]^g Ifish CathoHcs and Protestants in 
 public instruction, and to give the Irish larger op- 
 portunities than before to educate their children. 
 The children of the poorer classes had, to a certain 
 extent, been supplied with common schools. Three 
 colleges, devoted to purely secular instruction, had 
 been established at Belfast, Galway, and Cork, and 
 had been grouped into a university. The Catholic 
 college at Maynooth had been supported in part by 
 grants made from the public treasury. Trinity Col- 
 lege, Dublin, moreover, the ancient Irish college, 
 which had once excluded Catholics both from its 
 government, its professorships, and its classes, had 
 recently been thrown open to students of all creeds. 
 The Catholics, however, did not feel that, in the 
 matter of education, they had been placed on an 
 entire equality with their Protestant countrymen ; 
 and Mr. Gladstone resolved to try to remove the 
 cause of their complaint. 
 
 Three years after the passage of the first land bill, 
 
 Mr. Gladstone introduced a measure re-organizing 
 
 the system of Irish education (1873). He 
 
 Defeat of ^ ^ ., . . 
 
 Mr. Glad- proposcd to sct up a great Irish university 
 stone's edu- -^^ placc of thosc already existing, which 
 
 cation bill. ^^ . . 
 
 were to be abolished. In the new institu- 
 tion, neither theology nor history was to be taught. 
 The measure met with prompt disaster. It was 
 defeated in the House of Commons by a small major- 
 
Gladstone's irish reforms. 285 
 
 ity, and was the cause of the downfall of Mr. Glad- 
 stone and his colleagues. They remained at the 
 head of affairs a year longer, it is true ; but the blow 
 dealt by the vote on the Irish education bill was fatal 
 to the power of the ministry. After such an event, 
 Mr. Gladstone could not hope to deal successfully 
 with any large measure of reform, either for Ireland 
 or for Great Britian. His successor, Mr. Disraeli, 
 carried a measure which swept away the 
 "queen's colleges" of Belfast and Cork, raeii's edu- 
 and which set up a board of examiners, ^^**°°^i 
 
 ^ measures. 
 
 who were empowered to examine Irish stu- 
 dents, and to confer degrees upon them. He also de- 
 voted ^r, 000, 000 of the money taken from the Irish 
 church, to the support of certain Irish schools. 
 
 While English statesmen were thus attempting to 
 make laws which would remove the long and deep- 
 seated discontent of the Irish, a fresh project was 
 being matured by Irish leaders to secure, by agita- 
 tion, broader objects than those pursued by Mr. 
 Gladstone. A league was formed for the purpose of 
 advocating and urging '' Home Rule " The Home- 
 (1871). ''Home Rule "meant, that Ireland R^'eLeague. 
 should be allowed to make the laws which related to 
 her own local affairs and interests. It was proposed 
 by the league, that for this object, an Irish Parlia- 
 ment should be created. The new association was 
 composed of both Protestants and Catholics. Its 
 leader was Isaac Butt, a Protestant lawyer of great 
 ability. Its growth was rapid ; and, at the next par- 
 
286 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 liamentary election succeeding its formation, fifty- 
 one Home Rulers were chosen by Irish districts to 
 sit in the House of Commons (1874). Mr. Butt and 
 his followers soon found, however, that there was, at 
 that time, a more pressing subject than that of Home 
 Rule which demanded their energies and advocacy. 
 This was the question of the land. 
 
 The condition of the tenants and peasants was 
 still wretched. Mr. Gladstone's land-act had failed 
 to relieve them. The landlords were still tyrannical, 
 The land- Overbearing, and powerful. Meanwhile 
 question thc potato-crop again partly failed, and 
 ^ ^" "^' once more Ireland was threatened with 
 famine. The Home-Rule leaders, therefore, for the 
 time abandoned their demand for a local legislature, 
 and vigorously took up the land question. They 
 urged that the Irish tenants should be granted " fix- 
 ity of tenure, fair rents, and free sale ; " that is, that 
 they should not be turned out of their land so long 
 as they paid their rent, that that rent should be a 
 fair one, and that they should have the right to sell 
 their unexpired leases if they so wished. Soon after 
 this agitation to reform the land system had been 
 begun, Mr. Butt died, and was replaced by Mr. Shaw 
 as the leader of the league (1879). ^^- Shaw's 
 leadership was brief. He was speedily forced to 
 give way to a new group of Irish chiefs, who were 
 destined to make Irish agitation for Irish rights more 
 formidable and effective than it had ever been 
 before. 
 
THE LAND LEAGUE. 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 THE LAND LEAGUE. 
 
 WHILE the Home-Rule league was pursuing its 
 agitation under the lead of Isaac Butt, a quiet, 
 unobtrusive young man had taken his seat for the 
 first time in the House of Commons, as the member 
 for the county of Meath (1875). At first he took no 
 part in the proceedings of the House, and attracted 
 little attention. He was barely thirty years of age. 
 He was a Protestant and a landlord, and was descended 
 from a line of ancestors who had, now and then, be- 
 come eminent as leaders of the Irish cause. On his 
 mother's side, he was the grandson of the American 
 commodore Stewart, who had won, in the war of 
 18 1 2, the sturdy nickname of "Old Iron- charies 
 sides." This was Charles Stewart Parnell. Stewart 
 A few years after he entered Parliament, 
 a certain section of the Irish mem.bers became dis- 
 satisfied with the moderate methods and aims of Mr, 
 Butt, and of his successor, Mr. Shaw. This section 
 desired more vigorous and more aggressive action in 
 urging the claims of Ireland ; and, almost as soon as 
 it was formed as a distinct party, Charles Stewart 
 Parnell became its unquestioned leader. 
 
288 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Meanwhile another Irishman, who had been con- 
 demned and imprisoned as a Fenian, and whose 
 parents had suffered from a cruel eviction from their 
 land, was maturing a scheme, which, when put into 
 operation, was destined to achieve important benefits 
 for Ireland. This Fenian convict was Michael 
 Davitt ; and his scheme was, to establish a vast 
 Formation of "Land Lcaguc," the purposes of which 
 the Land were to get rid of landlordism in Ireland 
 eague. altogether, and to make the tillers of the 
 soil its owners (1879). The Land League soon be- 
 came a large and powerful organization. That ad- 
 vanced section of the Home-Rule party which had 
 now adopted Mr. Parnell as leader, entered warmly 
 into Mr. Davitt's plan ; and Mr. Parnell was chosen 
 as president of the league. Meetings in promotion 
 of the league's purpose were held everywhere in Ire- 
 land. Its membership ere long reached half a mil- 
 lion of Irishmen. Branches of the league were also 
 formed in the United States ; and Mr. Parnell him- 
 self went to the United States to promote its inter- 
 ests, and to raise money to aid the poor Irish tenants, 
 who were now suffering from a famine caused by 
 repeated failures of the crops. 
 
 The agitation of the Land League was soon fol- 
 lowed by the second attempt on the part of Mr. Glad- 
 stone to settle the Irish land difficulty on a just and 
 sound basis. Mr. Gladstone had returned to power, 
 for the second time, as prime minister (1880). He 
 had at his back a very large majority of the just- 
 
THE LAND LEAGUE. 289 
 
 elected House of Commons. Sixty Home Rulers, 
 most of whom accepted the leadership and policy of 
 Mr. Parnell, sat in the new Parliament. Several 
 attempts were made to give temporary relief to the 
 starving Irish tenantry. But the Land League was 
 not satisfied. It pursued its ends with ardor and 
 energy. So violent, in the view of the government, 
 did the agitation become, that Mr. Glad- coercion in 
 stone felt compelled to resort to stringent Ireland, 
 measures to check the operations of the league. A 
 new coercion bill was passed. It gave authority to 
 the lord-lieutenant to arrest and imprison any Irish- 
 man suspected of treason, and to keep him in prison 
 for an indefinite period, without a trial. The coer- 
 cion act was followed by an arms act, under which 
 the officers of the law could search Irish houses for 
 fire-arms, and seize them if found. 
 
 The leaders of the league, notwithstanding these 
 repressive laws, continued to make fiery and exciting 
 addresses before vast meetings of Irishmen. Then 
 the ministry went a step farther. Several of the 
 Irish leaders were arrested and tried for conspiracy. 
 But the jury failed to convict them. Soon after 
 Michael Davitt, the founder of the league, ^^^^^^ ^^ 
 and Father Sheehy, a vehement league Davitt and 
 speaker, were arrested and thrown into 
 prison. At the same time many less important 
 members of the league were consigned to Irish jails. 
 Even these harsh measures did not awe those leaders 
 of the league who were still at large. Incendiarv 
 
290 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 speeches continued to excite the Irish. Then the 
 ministry arrested the chiefs of the league under the 
 coercion act. Messrs. Parnell, Dillon (the son of 
 the Dillon of " Young Ireland " days), Sexton, 
 O'Brien, and O'Kelly were suddenly committed to 
 Kilmainham jail. From their prison cells these 
 leaders issued a proclamation to the Irish tenants, 
 urging them to pay no rent until the prisoners were 
 released. Then the government declared that the 
 Land League had acted in violation of the law, and 
 ordered its complete suppression. 
 
 Having, by these strong measures, striven to re- 
 store the power of the government in Ireland, Mr. 
 The second Gladstone set to work upon his second 
 land act. jg^j^j schcmc. He iutroduccd this into the 
 House of Commons in the year after his return to 
 office (1881). The new bill created land courts in 
 Ireland, which were intended to settle all disagree- 
 ments between the landlords and their tenants. To 
 these courts was given the power to fix the rents to 
 be paid by tenants for a period of fifteen years ; 
 to enable tenants to sell the ''good will" of their 
 holdings ; and to protect tenants from eviction for 
 any cause, except the non-payment of the rents es- 
 tablished by the courts. The bill, however, did not 
 provide any adequate method for enabling the ten- 
 ants to become the absolute owners of the soil they 
 cultivated. To secure this ownership was the aim 
 of the Land League. The Irish leaders refused to 
 accept Mr. Gladstone's bill as a final settlement of 
 
THE LAND LEAGUE. 29I 
 
 the land question ; yet they did not oppose it. The 
 bill, after a series of long debates, finally became a 
 law (Aug. 22, 1 881); and the land courts created by 
 it began their sessions. They were soon over- 
 crowded with tenants who applied to have their rents 
 fixed, and the tenure of their holdings secured. 
 
 The courts moved slowly ; and the result was that, 
 from month to month, only a very small proportion 
 of the thousands of tenants who sought their pro- 
 tection, received it. Within a year, it had become 
 apparent that Mr. Gladstone's second at- Failure of 
 tempt to secure justice to the downtrod- the land act. 
 den tenantry of Ireland, was destined, like his first, 
 to fall far short of satisfying the demands and needs 
 of the Irish people. Meanwhile the Irish tenants 
 were suffering as grievously as ever from the tyranny 
 of the landlords. Impoverished by a succession of 
 bad harvests, they could not pay their rents ; and large 
 numbers of evictions took place. The suppression of 
 the Land League was followed by the suppression 
 formation of secret societies and conspira- of the Land 
 cies in Ireland, which inaugurated a reign ^^^"®' 
 of crime and violence. It was evident that the 
 coercion act on the one hand, and the land bill on 
 the other, had failed to restore order to Ireland. 
 
 Mr. Gladstone, however, did not yet despair of 
 satisfying the Irish with English rule. He now re- 
 leased from prison Mr. Parnell and his companions, 
 and Michael Davitt. He recalled Mr. Forster, the 
 chief secretary for Ireland, under whose auspices 
 
292 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 coercion bad been rigorously carried out ; and ap- 
 pointed lord Frederick Cavendish, a younger son of 
 the duke of Devonshire, in Mr. Forster's place. At 
 the same time earl Cowper was succeeded as lord- 
 lieutenant by earl Spencer. It was clear that Mr. 
 Gladstone had made up his mind to adopt a concili- 
 atory policy towards Ireland. Just at this moment 
 an appalling crime startled the world, and forced 
 Mr. Gladstone to abandon, for the while at least, his 
 generous intention. As lord Frederick Cavendish, 
 the new chief secretary, and Thomas Burke, a promi- 
 nent official of the Irish government, were walking, 
 „ ^ - one day, throu!ih Phoenix Park, Dublin, 
 
 Murder of y ' o ' ' 
 
 Cavendish they wcrc set upon by a band of ruffians, 
 and murdered (May 6, 1882). There could 
 be no doubt that this hideous crime had been com- 
 mitted by Irish conspirators. It at once deprived 
 Ireland of the sympathy of Englishmen, and was 
 speedily followed by a more severe coercion act than 
 that which had preceded it. 
 
 The new coercion act empowered three Irish judges 
 to try conspirators without a jury ; and authorized the 
 lord-lieutenant to cause houses to be searched ; to 
 have any suspicious persons who were abroad after 
 dark arrested ; to suppress newspapers ; and to order 
 brief and summary trials of suspected persons. With 
 this severe measure, however, Mr. Gladstone carried 
 through Parliament a bill to partially relieve the 
 poorer Irish tenants of their arrears of rent. In 
 cases where rent was due for the three years in which 
 
THE LAND LEAGUE. 2g3 
 
 the harvest had failed (1878-9-80), the tenant paid 
 one year's rent, the treasury one year's j^^^.^j ^^ 
 rent, and the landlords were required to Irish 
 remit one year's rent. This measure *^"^°*^- 
 brought relief to large numbers of the Irish farmers. 
 Coercion, on the other hand, failed to restore order 
 in Ireland. An attempt was made upon the life of 
 justice Lawson, and upon that of a juryman named 
 Field, who had favored the conviction of Irish pris- 
 oners. Once more the government arrested and im- 
 prisoned Michael Davitt and two other Irish leaders 
 for treasonable speeches. 
 
 The murderers of lord Frederick Cavendish and 
 Mr. Burke were at last discovered, and suffered the 
 penalty of their crime upon the scaffold. It was 
 found that a secret band, called the " In- The invinci- 
 vincible Society," had not only planned ^^^ society, 
 and carried out the killing of Cavendish and Burke, 
 but had also attacked justice Lawson and the jury- 
 man Field. The Invincible Society was betrayed, 
 and its operations were revealed, by James Carey, who 
 was its founder and leading spirit. James Carey had 
 been a member of the Dublin common council, and 
 was a man of good social position. In return for his 
 betrayal of his confederates, he received a free par- 
 don. Five of the Invincibles were convicted and 
 hung, mainly upon Carey's evidence ; and several 
 others were sentenced to varying periods of impris- 
 onment. James Carey, with his family, left Ireland, 
 to take up his aboile at the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
294 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Just before landing at the Cape, he was killed on 
 board ship by an Irishman named O'Donnell. 
 O'Donnell was taken to England, tried, and exe- 
 cuted. 
 
 Soon after these events, secret societies, composed 
 of Irish extremists, began to resort to the use of 
 Dynamite dynamite, as a means of striking terror 
 explosions. Jj^^q ^j^g hearts of the English. A suc- 
 cession of explosions by dynamite took place in 
 various parts of London, and in other English towns. 
 Several of the London railway stations were the 
 scenes of more or less violent destruction. The 
 most considerable of the dynamite explosions were 
 those which took place, on the same day, in Westmin- 
 ster Hall and the Tower of London (January-, 1885). 
 In most cases the perpetrators of these acts escaped 
 capture. They at least succeeded in causing a feel- 
 ing of alarm and suspense throughout England. Al- 
 though the criminals were not always brought to 
 justice, it was well known that the dynamite explo- 
 sions were the work of Irishmen, and that this 
 method of creating terror was supported, in the 
 main, by funds collected in America. 
 
GLADSTONE PROPOSES HOME RULE. 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 GLADSTONE PROPOSES HOME RULE. 
 
 THE Irish leaders were not dismayed by the sup- 
 pression of the Land League. Within a year 
 another association, called the " National League," 
 took its place, with Mr. Parnell at its head. The National 
 The objects of the new league were an- league. 
 nounced to be, to make the tillers of the soil its 
 owners, and to secure an Irish Parliament for the 
 making of Irish laws. It was not long before the 
 National League had become as large and as for- 
 midable as the Land League had been. Branches of 
 it were formed in every part of Ireland, and in the 
 United States. The support of the Irish agitation 
 by Irishmen in America, indeed, had now become a 
 very important feature of its progress. Funds 
 poured in from across the Atlantic, and the move- 
 ment was to a large degree sustained by American 
 money. Mr. Parnell found himself at the head of a 
 small but resolute group of young, eloquent, fearless 
 Irish members in the House of Commons. The 
 ** Nationalists," as they were called, resorted to ob- 
 struction of the business of the House, w^henever 
 
296 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 they thought it useful to the Irish cause to do so. 
 They kept up an active agitation in Ireland ; and so 
 indefatigable had the Irish party grown in pursuit 
 of its ends, that branches of the league were formed 
 and flourished in many English cities and towns. 
 
 The time had now come, in the judgment of Mr. 
 Gladstone, the prime minister, to extend the right of 
 suffrage to large numbers of the subjects of the 
 queen, who had hitherto been excluded from it. 
 Household suffrage was already enjoyed by the 
 dwellers in the towns and villages of England, Scot- 
 fhe third land, and Wales. Mr. Gladstone now pro- 
 reform bill, posed that household suffrage should be 
 extended to those who lived in the counties, that is, 
 in the rural districts ; and also that it should be given 
 to the people of Ireland, both in the towns and in 
 the country. He introduced a reform bill, with this 
 purpose in view, into the House of Commons (1884). 
 The bill was strenuously opposed by the Tories, and 
 was once rejected by the House of Lords. But it 
 was re-introduced in the autumn, and then became a 
 law. Its main provision was, that every subject of 
 the queen in Great Britain and Ireland, who was 
 twenty-one years of age, and who lived in a dwelling 
 owned or rented by himself, should have the right to 
 vote for members of Parliament. 
 
 Immediately after the passage of this great and 
 beneficent measure, a bill to ''redistribute" the seats 
 of the House of Commons also became a law. This 
 bill made the electoral districts more equal in popu- 
 
GLADSTONE PROPOSES HOME RULE. 297 
 
 lation, and thus formed a House of Commons more 
 completely representative of the will of the people. 
 In the summer after these reforms had been carried, 
 the Gladstone ministry was defeated on a financial 
 question, by a combination of the Tories and Irish 
 Nationalists ; and the marquis of Salisbury, with a 
 Tory ministry, came into power (June, 1885). Par- 
 liament was accordingly dissolved ; and a general 
 election for a new House of Commons, held under 
 the new extension of the suffrage, took place in the 
 autumn. Nearly two millions of voters had been 
 added to the electoral lists in the three kingdoms. 
 The greatly increased number of voters in Ireland 
 made it certain that Mr. Parnell's party would be 
 much stronger in the new Parliament than ever be- 
 fore. The result of the election was, that . 
 
 ' Increase of 
 
 neither of the two great English parties Nationalist 
 
 1 • '^ • ^1 TT T^i members. 
 
 secured a majority m the House. I he 
 Liberals elected 333 members ; the Tories, 251 ; and 
 the Home-Rule followers of Mr. Parnell, 86. Thus 
 Mr. Parnell and his followers held the balance of 
 power between the Liberals and Tories ; since, by 
 uniting with either, they would make a majority of 
 the House. 
 
 Upon their accession to office, the marquis of 
 Salisbury and his colleagues had refused to renew 
 the severe coercion act of their predecessors, and 
 had declared their intention to try to keep order in 
 Ireland by the ordinary law. But very soon after the 
 meeting of the newly elected Parliament (January, 
 
298 YOUNG people's HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 1886), the ministry declared that they should revive 
 coercion. Upon this, the Nationalists united with 
 the Liberals, and defeated the ministry on a resolu- 
 tion relating to the English land question. The 
 marquis of Salisbury thereupon resigned office, and 
 ^, , , for the third time Mr. Gladstone became 
 
 Gladstone 
 
 declares for prime minister. No sooner had the Lib- 
 
 Hcme Rule. ■, i ^ 1 • ^ i 11 
 
 erals, under their great and venerable 
 chief, returned to power, than it became known that, 
 at last, Mr. Gladstone was ready to yield to the de- 
 mand of the Irish Nationalists for an Irish Parlia- 
 ment. Several of Mr. Gladstone's colleagues in the 
 ministry — chief among whom was Mr. Joseph Cham- 
 berlain, the leader of the radical section of the Lib- 
 erals — resigned office, because they could not support 
 the prime minister in his new Irish policy. Already 
 several eminent Liberals — lord Hartington, lord Sel- 
 borne, the duke of Argyll, and Mr. Goschen — had 
 refused to join the ministry, foreseeing that, if they 
 did so, they would probably be called upon to support 
 Home Rule. 
 
 Mr. Gladstone promptly filled up the vacant posts 
 in his ministry, and on an ever memorable night 
 (April, J 886) brought a bill into the House of Com- 
 mons, which, if passed into law, would establish a 
 Parliament in Dublin, with power to legislate on Irish 
 affairs. He proposed that the Irish Parliament 
 should consist of two ''orders," but of only one 
 house or chamber. One of the orders was to con- 
 sist, at first, of the Irish peers, and afterwards of 
 
Gladstone explaining his Scheme for the Government of Ireland. 
 
 — Page 298. 
 
GLADSTONE PROPOSES HOME RULE. 299 
 
 members elected by a restricted suffrage. The other 
 order was to be composed of members chosen, as 
 now, by household suffrage. The first order was to 
 have the right to suspend an act passed by the House, 
 for the period of three years. Other safeguards were 
 added, to protect the Protestant minority in Ireland. 
 To the Parliament so formed, Mr. Glad- ^^ 
 
 ' The pro- 
 
 stone proposed that all powers should be posed irish 
 
 given which would not conflict with the ^^ lamen . 
 preservation and unity of the British empire. It 
 would have control of the police, of education, and 
 of Irish finances. The British Parliament, however, 
 would still levy and collect customs and excise in 
 Ireland ; and Ireland would pay a tribute to Great 
 Britain of ^4,000,000 a year, as her share in sup- 
 porting the empire. 
 
 With his Home-Rule bill, Mr. Gladstone proposed 
 a measure to purchase, with funds from the British 
 treasury, the estates of the Irish landlords, and to 
 parcel out and sell the land thus acquired ^^^ ,^^^_ 
 to the tenants and farmers. This meas- purchase 
 ure, however, did not compel the landlords 
 to sell their estates ; it only enabled them to do so if 
 they wished. The object of the bill was that which 
 the Nationalists had long demanded, — the ownership 
 of the Irish land by those who cultivate it. The de- 
 bates on the Home Rule bill were prolonged through 
 the spring, and were earnest, eloquent, and exciting. 
 Never did the British House of Commons witness 
 more thrilling scenes and episodes. Never did the 
 
300 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 sturdy old leader of the Liberals rise to loftier heights 
 of fervent eloquence and heart-stirring appeal. He 
 pleaded that Ireland had hitherto been ruled by 
 force, and that the time had come to win her by jus- 
 tice and by love. He exhausted every resource of 
 argument, persuasion, and historical illustration, and 
 employed every weapon of forensic warfare, to carry 
 his bill. The parliamentary conflict raged for weeks, 
 as probably it had never raged before. 
 
 The vote on the Home-Rule bill resulted in its 
 defeat by a majority of thirty. The Nationalists 
 Defeat of uudcr Mr. Parnell, who had accepted Mr. 
 Home Rule. Gladstone's measure with gratitude and 
 delight, and who had freely declared that it would 
 satisfy the aspirations of Ireland, unanimously sup- 
 ported the prime minister by speech and vote. But 
 nearly a hundred Liberals joined the Tories in their 
 inveterate hostility to the bill, and thereby caused its 
 overthrow. Mr. Gladstone would not accept the vote 
 of the House of Commons as final. He had adopted 
 the policy of Home Rule, and was determined to 
 stand resolutely and loyally by it. Although Parlia- 
 ment was less than a year old, he promptly dissolved 
 it, and appealed to the people on the issue of Home 
 Rule for Ireland. An election ensued which was 
 notable for its brevity and its excitement (July, 1886). 
 The Liberals who had deserted Mr. Gladstone in the 
 struggle over Home Rule, and had joined his antago- 
 nists, made an alliance with the Tories throughout 
 the electoral districts. 
 
GLADSTONE PROPOSES HOME RULE. 3OI 
 
 The result of the election was, that a majority 
 opposed to Mr. Gladstone's Irish policy was chosen 
 to the new House of Commons. The Tories won 
 317 seats ; the anti-Gladstone Liberals, y8 ; the Glad- 
 stone Liberals, 190; and the Irish Nationalists, 85. 
 No one of these parties, therefore, could command 
 an absolute majority of the House, which was com- 
 posed of 670 members. But the Tories, combined 
 with their allies, the anti-Gladstone Liberals, had a 
 majority of one hundred and twenty over their Home- 
 Rule opponents ; since the whole force in favor of 
 Home Rule, including the Gladstone Liberals and 
 the Nationalists, numbered only 275 votes. As soon 
 as the result of the election was fully known, Mr. 
 Gladstone and his colleagues resigned office ; and for 
 the second time, the marquis of Salisbury, ^^^ Tories 
 at the head of a Tory cabinet, came into return to 
 power. The new Parliament was promptly ^°^ 
 called together (Aug. 5, 1886), and entered upon its 
 career attended by the watchful interest of the world. 
 Ireland was still the uppermost, almost the exclusive, 
 political topic before the people of the united king- 
 dom ; and all men looked forward earnestly to see 
 what new phase that great and pressing question 
 would assume. 
 
 At this engrossing and critical point in Irish his- 
 tory, this narrative must be brought to a close. 
 After an almost continuous struggle for liberty ex- 
 tending through more than seven hundred years, 
 durins: which Ireland has never consented to rest 
 
302 YOUNG PEOPLE S HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 contented under the rule of the Englishman, the 
 Irish people seem at last to have reached a posi- 
 in which the right of self-government cannot be 
 much longer refused to them. The masterly con- 
 ^ , duct of the Irish aiiitation by Charles 
 
 Prospects of o y 
 
 the Irish Stcvvart Pamcll and his patriotic lieuten- 
 ants ; the patient attitude of the mass of 
 the Irish people during the conflict for Home Rule; 
 their instant appreciation of and gratitude to the 
 great English statesman, who not only championed, 
 but absorbed himself in devotion to their cause, — 
 have raised that cause to a dignity and an importance 
 which foreshadow its not distant triumph. Whether 
 the task of according full justice to Ireland shall be 
 finally intrusted to Mr. Gladstone or not, his name 
 must always be held in the highest reverence, honor, 
 and affection by the Irish people, as one who has 
 spent, in their behalf, the later period of a life fruitful 
 and illustrious beyond that of any English statesman 
 of the present century. 
 
 THE END. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 432 Arrival in Ireland of St. Patrick. 
 
 444 Foundation of the see and priory of 
 Armagh by St. Patrick. 
 
 450 Foundation of the abbeys of Innis- 
 cathery, Downpatrick, Saul, 
 Trim, Ardagh, Duleek, Driim- 
 shallon, and Louth by St. Pal- 
 rick. 
 
 465 Death of St. Patrick. 
 
 500 Foundation of a monastery at Swords 
 by St. Columbkill. 
 
 546. Foundation of abbeys at Derry and 
 Diirrow by St Columbkill 
 
 555 Foundation of the abbey of Kells by 
 St. Columbkill. 
 
 563 St. Columbkill preaches Christianity 
 in the Western Isles. 
 
 572 St. Columbanus. 
 
 590 Foundation of a monastery at Drum- 
 cliffe by St. Columbkill. 
 
 650 Irish missionaries on the Continent. 
 
 745 Feargal (Virgilius) flourished. 
 
 795 The Northmen invade Ireland. 
 
 815 Arrival of Purges. 
 
 844 His death. Massacre of the North- 
 men by the Irish. 
 
 849 Fresh incursions of Northmen. 
 
 853 Arrival of Amlaf Nose-money is 
 collected. 
 
 872 The Northmen invade Scotland from 
 Ireland. 
 
 900 Reign of Cormac McCulinan, King 
 of Leinster. 
 
 948 Conversion of the Northmen in Ire- 
 land. 
 
 968 Battle of Sulchoid. 
 
 Brian Boru succeeds to the throne of 
 Munster. 
 
 980 The Northmen defeated at Tara by 
 Malachy, king of all Ireland. 
 
 983 Brian extends his rule over Lemster. 
 
 997 Struggle between Brian and Mala- 
 chy. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1CX31 Seizure of the throne of Tara by 
 Brian. 
 
 1013 Rebellion of Leinster in conjunction 
 
 with the Northmen. 
 
 1014 Battle of Cloniarf. Death of Brian. 
 Restoration of Malachy. 
 
 1016 .Malachy defeats the Northmen. 
 
 1022 Death of Malachy. 
 
 1023 Teige and Donchad, sons of Brian, 
 
 joint rulers of Minister. 
 Murder of Teige by Donchad. 
 
 1051 Harold takes refuge with Donchad 
 after his rebellion against Ed- 
 ward the Confessor. 
 
 1058 Donchad becomes titular king of all 
 Ireland. 
 
 1063 Donchad defeated by Turlough, son 
 
 of leige 
 
 1064 Turlough titular king of all Ireland. 
 I 1086 Death of Turlough. 
 
 I nil Synod of Rath Bresail. 
 
 II 19 Death of Murkertach. 
 
 1121 Death of Donald O'Loghlin. 
 
 1 132 Struggle between Connor O'Brien of 
 Munster and Turlough O'Con- 
 nor of Connaught. 
 
 1151 Battle of Moinmor. 
 
 Turlough O'Connor titular king of 
 all Ireland. 
 
 1152 Synod of Kells. 
 
 1153 Abduction of O'Rourke's wife by 
 
 McMurrough. 
 H54 Conflict of Turlough O'Connor with 
 
 O'Lochlin of Ulster. 
 1156 Death of Turlough O'Connor. 
 Ii6t O'Lochlin titular king of all Ireland. 
 I166 Death of O'Lochlin. 
 
 Rory O'Connor titular king of all 
 
 Ireland. 
 
 1168 Flight of Dermot McMurrough. 
 
 1 169 His bargain with Strongbow. 
 Arrival of Fitzstephen Capture of 
 
 Wexford. 
 
304 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 A.D. 
 II69 
 
 1170 
 
 1171 
 1 172 
 
 "74 
 "75 
 
 "77 
 1 184 
 
 "93 
 1205 
 
 1210 
 Z2l6 
 
 1221 
 1234 
 "59 
 
 1264 
 
 1272 
 
 1277 
 1280 
 
 1290 
 
 1308 
 1314 
 
 1315 
 
 Invasion of Ossory. Arrival of Ray- 
 mond le Gros. 
 
 Capture of Waterford. 
 
 Arrival of Strongbow. His mar- 
 riage with Eva McMurrough. 
 
 Capture of Dublin. 
 
 Synod of Armagh and manumission 
 of Engl ish slaves. Death of Der- 
 mot McMurrough. 
 
 Siege of Dublin. 
 
 Strongbow returns to England and 
 makes his peace with Henry. 
 
 Henry II. arrives. 
 
 He receives the submission of the 
 chieftains. 
 
 Synod of Cashel. 
 
 Government organized by Henry at 
 Dublin. 
 
 He returns to England. 
 
 Capture of Limerick. 
 
 Treaty between Henry and Rory 
 O'Connor. 
 
 Prince John Lord of Ireland. 
 
 Prince John lands at Waterford. 
 
 Mutiny of the chieftains. 
 
 Death of Rory O'Connor. 
 
 Surrender of two-thirds of Connaught 
 by Caihal O'Connor to King 
 John. 
 
 Disgrace of De Courcy. 
 
 Kmg John in Ireland He divides 
 it into counties. 
 
 The privileges of the Great Charter 
 extended to Irish subjects. 
 
 Grant of Connaught to De Burgh by 
 Henry III. 
 
 Richard, Earl Marshal, declared a 
 traitor and treacherously killed. 
 
 Rising of the McCarthys of Des- 
 mond. 
 
 Massacre of the Geraldines. 
 
 Contest between the Geraldines and 
 the De Burghs. 
 
 The Irish petition for the extension 
 to them of the English laws. 
 
 De Clare invades Thomond 
 
 Feuds between the Geraldines and 
 De Burghs. 
 
 Quarrel between De Vesci and the 
 Baron of Offaly. 
 
 Piers Gaveston lord lieutenant. 
 
 Robert Bruce takes refuge in Ire- 
 land. 
 
 Battle of Bannockburn. 
 
 Edward Bruce lands at Carrick- 
 fergus. 
 
 Rising of the Ulster Irish and the 
 discontented English of Meath. 
 
 Bruce's successes. Rising in Con- 
 naught. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1315 Bruce is crowned at Dundalk. 
 
 1316 Battle of Athenry. 
 Arrival of Robert Bruce. 
 
 He advances to Dublin. Famine. 
 He retires into Scotland. 
 1318 Battle of Dundalk. Death of Ed- 
 ward Bruce. 
 1320 A university at Dublin projected by 
 
 Archbishop Bicknor. 
 1327 Civil war between the De Burghs 
 and the Butlers and the Fitz- 
 geralds of Desmond. 
 Rising of the McMurroughs. 
 
 1329 Unsuccessful petition by the Irish 
 
 for recognition by English law. 
 Risings in Thomond, Westmeaih, 
 and the south. 
 
 1330 Maurice Fitz-Thomas Fitzgerald cre- 
 
 ated earl of Desmond and 
 granted the palatinate of Kerry. 
 
 He renders assistance to the lords 
 justices against the Irish. 
 
 Risings in Leinster. 
 
 1331 Arrest of Desmond, De Bermingham, 
 
 and Mandeville. 
 
 1333 Murder of the earl of Ulster. Par- 
 tition of his estates. 
 
 1336 Release of the earl of Desmond. 
 
 1339 Risings in Munster subdued by 
 Desmond. 
 
 1341 The king proposes to resume the 
 
 estates of the great land-owners. 
 
 1342 Parliament summoned to meet at 
 
 Dublin. 
 Convention held at Kilkenny. 
 Petition to the king, who gives way. 
 1344 Sir Ralph UfTord seizes some ot 
 
 Desmond's estates. 
 Desmond surrenders, and is bailed. 
 Kildare is arrested. 
 
 1348 Kildare and Desmond pardoned. 
 
 1349 The black death. 
 
 1361 Lionel, duke of Clarence, lord lieu- 
 tenant. 
 Rising in Munster. 
 
 1367 Statute of Kilkenny. 
 
 1369 Risings in Wicklow and Limerick, 
 
 1379 Ordinance against absentees. 
 
 1385 Robert De Vere, the king's favorite, 
 made marquis of Dublin and 
 duke of Ireland. 
 
 1387 The king comes of age. 
 
 1392 Rising of Art McMurrough in Lein- 
 ster. 
 
 1394 Richard II. lands at Waterford. 
 Submission of the chieftains. 
 
 1395 Richard at Dublin. Reforms the 
 
 judicial bench. Returns to Eng- 
 land, leaving the carl of March 
 lord lieutenant. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 305 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1395 Rising of McMurrough and the 
 O'Byrnes of Wicklow. 
 Defeat and death of the earl of 
 March. 
 
 1399 Richard's second expedition to Ire- 
 
 land. 
 
 1400 Immigration of Scots into Antiim. 
 
 1401 Risings in Wicklow. 
 
 141 3 Fresh struggles between the English 
 
 and the natives. 
 1418 Art McMurrough captured. 
 1421 Risings in Lei.\. 
 1433 Wars between the O'Xeils and 
 
 O'Donnels. 
 
 1438 Statutes against absentees. 
 
 The sixth earl of Desmond marries 
 Catharine McCormac, and is ex- 
 pelled from his estates by his 
 uncle. 
 
 1439 Fitzstephen's moiety of the kingdom 
 
 of Cork granted to the ^eventh 
 earl of Desmond. 
 
 1449 Richard, duke of York, lord lieu- 
 
 tenant. 
 
 1450 Risings in Westmeath. 
 
 1459 Duke of York takes refuge in Ireland. 
 1461 The eighth earl of Desmond founds 
 
 the College of Youghal. 
 1467 The earl of Desmond is charged 
 
 with treason, and executed. 
 1472 Institution of the Brotherhood of St. 
 
 George. 
 1478 Gerald, eighth earl of Kildare, lord 
 
 deputy for fourteen years. 
 
 1487 Lambert Simnel crowned in Dublin. 
 Kildare j>uspected of treason. 
 Battle of Stoke. 
 
 1488 Kildare is pardoned. 
 
 1489 Fighting in Desmond. 
 Fighting in Ulster. 
 
 1490 Perkin Warbeck arrives in Cork. 
 1492 Fall of Kildare. 
 
 1494 Sir Edward Poyning lord deputy. 
 Crushes the adherents of Warbeck. 
 Parliament at Drogheda, Poyning's 
 Act. 
 
 1496 Arrest of Kildare. 
 
 He is pardoned and made lord dep- 
 uty, and governs Ireland till 
 1513. _ 
 
 1497 Warbeck agam m Ireland. 
 Fighting between the natives and the 
 
 Burkes of Connaught. 
 Battle of Knockdoe. 
 1513 Death of Kildare. His son is elected 
 
 lord justice in his place. 
 1516 Feuds in Desmond. 
 
 Feuds in the Ormond family. 
 Feuds between Ormond and Kildare, 
 and Ormond and Desmond. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 I519 
 I52I 
 
 1523 
 1324 
 
 1526 
 1528 
 
 1529 
 1530 
 
 1534 
 1535 
 
 1536 
 1537 
 
 1538 
 1539 
 
 1540 
 
 I54I 
 
 1542 
 1544 
 
 Kildare summoned to London. 
 
 Risings in Leix and Offaly. 
 
 Kildare returns. 
 
 Desmond holds a treasonable corre- 
 spondence with Francis I. of 
 France. 
 
 Kildare lord deputy. He is ordered 
 to arrest Desmond, and fails to 
 do so. 
 
 Kildare again summoned to England, 
 and lodged in the Tower. 
 
 Rising of (^'Connor of Offaly. 
 
 He captures lord Delvin, the lord 
 deputy. 
 
 Desmond's treasonable correspond- 
 ence with Charles V. 
 
 His death. 
 
 Kildare sent back to suppress O'Con- 
 nor's lining. 
 
 Kildare made lord deputy. 
 
 He makes a treaty with O'Connor 
 and O'Carrol. 
 
 He is summoned to England, and 
 lodged in the Tower. 
 
 His son, lord I'homas, rebels. Be- 
 sieges Dublin Castle. 
 
 Skeffington captures Maynooth. 
 
 Flight of lord Thomas. Submission 
 of O'Connor. 
 
 Lord Thomas surrenders. 
 
 Lord Leonard Gray, lord deputy. 
 
 Lord I'homas Fitzgerald and his five 
 uncles executed. 
 
 Lord Leonard Gray's campaign in 
 Limerick. 
 
 He destroys O'Brien's Bridge. 
 
 The supremacy supported in Ireland 
 by Archbishop Brown, and op- 
 posed by Archbishop Cromer. 
 
 The proctors are expelled from Par- 
 liament. 
 
 Act of Supremacy (Irish). 
 
 Act for Suppression of Religious 
 Houses (Irish). 
 
 Destruction of relics, etc. 
 
 Lord Leonard Gray's expedition into 
 Ulster. 
 
 Battle of Belahoe. 
 
 His campaign in Munster. 
 
 Commission for the suppression of 
 
 religious houses. 
 Sir Anthony St. Leger negotiates 
 with the chieftains. 
 
 Submission of the Irish chieftains 
 and Anglo-Irish lords. 
 
 Distribution of Church lands. 
 
 Title of king of Ireland conferred on 
 Henry. 
 
 Submission of O'Neil and O'Donnel. 
 
 General peace in Ireland. 
 
^06 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1547 Disturbances in Leix and Offaly. 
 
 1548 O'More and O'Connor sent to Eng- 
 
 land as prisoners. 
 Civil war between the chieftains and 
 the Tanists in Tyrone, Tyrcon- 
 nel, and Clanricarde. 
 
 1551 Introduction of the new liturgy. 
 Conference with the clergy in St. 
 
 Mary's Abbey. 
 Pillage of Clonmacnoise. 
 
 1552 Arrest of the earl of Tyrone (Con 
 
 Mor). 
 War between the baron of Diingan- 
 non and Shane O'Neil. 
 
 1553 Archbishop Dowdal recalled. 
 Dismissal of the Conforming bishops-. 
 Operations against Leix and Ofialy. 
 Restoration of the young earl of 
 
 Kildare. 
 
 1555 Fighting in Thomond for the suc- 
 
 cession. 
 Continued immigrations of Scots into 
 Antrim. 
 
 1556 Act in explanation of Poyning's Act. 
 
 1558 De ith of the baron of Dungannon. 
 Reduction and Plantation of Leix 
 
 and Offaly. 
 
 1559 Death of Con Mor, earl of Tyrone. 
 Shane O'Nei) assumes the sov- 
 ereignty of Ulster. 
 
 Sir Henry Sidney marches against 
 
 him. 
 NegotiTtions ensue. 
 
 1560 Act -of Uniformity (Irish). 
 Continued strife in Thomond. 
 Shane captures O'Donnel and his 
 
 wife. 
 
 1561 Su.ssex is defeated by Shane. 
 Plots to secure his murder. 
 Shane goes to England. 
 
 Death of secondbaron of Dungannon. 
 Elizabeth and Shane come to terms. 
 
 1562 Shane returns to Ireland. 
 
 1563 Peace signed between Elizabeth and 
 
 Shane. 
 Shane mas>acres the Scots of Antrim. 
 Struggle between Desmond and Or- 
 
 mond. 
 Desmond is taken prisoner. 
 
 1566 Renew.il of ihe war with Shane. 
 Hugh O'Donnel joins the English. 
 
 1567 Shniie defented at Letterkenny. 
 Is muidered by the McDonrels. 
 'I'ur lough Luinagh becomes "the 
 
 O'Neil." 
 Sidney makes a progress through 
 
 Munster and Connaught. 
 He arrests Desmond and his brother. 
 
 Sir John, and the sons of the 
 
 eai 1 of Clanricarde. 
 
 A D. 
 1568 
 
 5569 
 
 1570 
 
 1571 
 1572 
 
 1573 
 
 1574 
 1576 
 
 1577 
 
 1579 
 
 1580 
 
 Scheme for planting Desmond. 
 
 Sir Peter Carew claims estates in 
 Cork and Carlow. 
 
 Rising of Sir James Fitzmaurice 
 Fitzgerald; lord Clancarty; and 
 Sir Edmund, Sir Piers, and Sir 
 Edward Butler in Munster. 
 
 Attainder of O'Neil, and confiscation 
 of his Ulster territory. 
 
 Ormond detaches his brothers from 
 the Munster insurgents. 
 
 Sir Edward Fitton President of Con- 
 naught. 
 
 Rising of the Burkes. 
 
 Sir James Fitzmaurice captures Kil- 
 mallock. 
 
 Ormond reduces Munster. 
 
 Sir Thomas Smith endeavors to make 
 a plantation in Down. 
 
 Sir John Perrot hunts Fitzmaurice 
 into the vale of Aberlow. 
 
 Clanricarde is liberated and Con- 
 naught pacified. 
 
 Surrender of Sir James Fitzmaurice. 
 
 Walter Devereux, earl of Essex, ob- 
 tains a grant of territory in Ul- 
 ster, and endeavors to make a 
 plantation. 
 
 Massacre of Rathlln Island. 
 
 Escape of the earl of Desmond from 
 Dublin. 
 
 Deith of Essex. 
 
 Sir William Drury President of Mun- 
 ster. 
 
 Sir Nicholas Malley President of Con- 
 naught. 
 
 Sidney levies illegal taxes on the 
 Pale 
 
 Remonstrance of the loyal English. 
 
 Rory O'More, the outlaw, in Leix 
 and Kild.ire. 
 
 Massacre of Mullaghmast. 
 
 Sir James Fitzmaurice lands at Smer- 
 wick. 
 
 Rising of the southern Geraldines. 
 
 Death of Sir James Fitzmaurice. 
 
 Successes of the rebels. 
 
 Death of Sir William Drury. 
 
 Desmond joins the rebels. 
 
 Youghal is burned. 
 
 Campaign of Ormond and Sir Wil- 
 liam Pelham in Munster. 
 
 Risings in Wicklow. 
 
 Lord Grey de Wilton defeated at 
 Glenm dure. 
 
 The Spaniards land at Smerwick. 
 
 lx)rd Grey's campaign in Munster. 
 
 Massacre of the Spaniards. 
 
 Risings m the Pale. 
 
 Executions in Dublin. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 3O7 
 
 AD. 
 
 1581 Death of Dr. Saunders, the Pope's 
 
 legate. 
 
 1582 Death of Sir John and Sir James of 
 
 Desmond. 
 Suppression of the Munster rebellion. 
 
 1583 Death of Desmond. 
 
 1586 Attainder of the Munster rebels, and 
 confiscation of their estates. 
 Plantation of Munster. 
 Seizure of Red Hugh. 
 
 1588 Arrest of Sir John O'Dogherty and 
 
 Sir Owen McToole 
 
 1589 Confiscation of Monaghan. 
 
 1591 Tyrone marries Bagnal's sister. 
 
 1592 Escape of Red Hugh. 
 
 1595 Confederation of the Ulster chief- 
 tains. 
 Death of Turlough Luinagh. Ty- 
 rone assumes the title of the 
 ONeil. 
 
 1597 Fighting on the Blackwater. 
 Anarchy in Connaught. 
 Death of lord Burgh. 
 
 1598 Blockade of the Blackwater fort. 
 Battle of the Yellow Ford. 
 General rising. The Sugan earl in 
 
 Munster. 
 
 1599 Lord Essex arrives with a large 
 
 army. 
 His campaign in Munster. 
 Concludes a truce with Tyrone. 
 Is recalled. 
 
 1600 Mountjoy lord deputy. He reforms 
 
 the army. 
 
 Sir George Carew President of Mun- 
 ster. 
 
 Sir Henry Docra occupies Derry. 
 
 1601 Capture of the Sugan earl. 
 Arrival of the Spaniards at Kinsale. 
 Battle of Kinsale. 
 
 1602 Flight of O'Donnel. 
 Carew reduces Munster. 
 
 Famine brought on by the wholesale 
 destruction of the crops. 
 
 1603 Tyrone surrenders. 
 Death of Elizabeth. 
 
 1603 The Catholic clergy ordered to leave 
 
 Ireland. 
 1605 Abolition of the laws of Tanistry and 
 
 gavelkind. 
 
 1607 Flight of Tyrone and Tyrconnel. 
 
 1608 Rising of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty. 
 Confiscation of six counties m Ulster. 
 
 1*110 Abolition of the Brehon law. 
 
 1611 Persecution of Roman Catholics. 
 .The plantation of Ulster. 
 Creation of the order of baronets. 
 
 1612 The plantation of Wexford 
 
 1613 Parliament summoned. Creation of 
 
 boroughs. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1614 Attainder of Tyrone and the Ulster 
 chieftains. 
 Repeal of the old statutes against the 
 Irish. 
 1619 Plantation of Longford and Ely 
 O'Carroll. 
 Plantation of VVestmeath. 
 1622 Plantation of Leitrim, and parts of 
 
 King's and Queen's counties. 
 1624 Transplantation of native septs to 
 Kerry. 
 Confiscations in VVicklow. 
 Projected planting of Connaught. 
 1626 Composition made by the Connaught 
 land-owners. 
 " The Graces " promised. 
 1632-1636 Compilation of the " Annals of 
 Ireland" by the Pour Masters. 
 
 1633 Wentworth is appointed lord deputy. 
 
 1634 Wentworth dragoons the Irish Par- 
 
 liament. 
 
 1635 Commission of " defective titles " in 
 
 Connaught 
 Sentence on lord Mountnorris. 
 
 1636 Introduction of the linen manufacture. 
 
 1640 Wentworth created earl of Strafford 
 
 and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. 
 Augmentation of the Irish army. 
 
 1641 Ormond and Antrim plot to seize the 
 
 Irish government in support of 
 
 Charles. 
 Rory O'More's plot to seize the 
 
 Castle. 
 Rising and massacres in Ulster. 
 The Roman Catholic Anglo-Irish 
 
 join the rebels. 
 Siege of Drogheda. 
 
 1642 Risings in Connaught and Munstei. 
 Arrival of Colonel Owen O'Neil and 
 
 Colonel Preston. 
 Synod at Kells. 
 Battle of Kilrush. 
 Confederation of Kilkenny. 
 
 1643 Battle of Ross. 
 Ormond made a marquis. 
 Cessation agreed upon between Or- 
 mond and the rebels. 
 
 The war continued on behalf of the 
 Parliament by the Scots in Ul- 
 ster, by Broghill and Inchiquin 
 in the south, and by Sir Charles 
 Coote in Sligo. 
 
 1644 Ormond lord lieutenant. 
 Negotiations with the rebels. 
 
 1645 Glamorgan despatched by Charles to 
 
 make terms with the rebels. 
 
 Arrival ofRinucini, the Pope's legate. 
 
 Glamorgan concludes a secret treaty. 
 
 Its discovery. Glamorgan is ar- 
 rested. 
 
308 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 A.D. 
 1646 
 
 1647 
 
 1648 
 
 1649 
 1649 
 
 1650 
 
 1651 
 1652 
 
 1653 
 
 1654 
 1656 
 1660 
 
 1660 
 
 1662 
 1663 
 
 1665 
 1670 
 1671 
 
 Z678 
 
 He is liberated. 
 
 Divisions among the Confederates. 
 
 A treaty signed between Ormond 
 and the Confederates. 
 
 Battle of Benburb. 
 
 Rinucini and Owen Roe seize the 
 government at Kilkenny. 
 
 Ormond surrenders Dublin to the 
 Parliament. 
 
 Battle of Dungan Hill. 
 
 Inchiquin takes Cashel. 
 
 Battle of Knocknanoss. 
 
 Inchiquin deserts to the Confeder- 
 ates. 
 
 Rinucini takes refuge with Owen 
 Roe's army. 
 
 Strife among the Confederates. 
 
 Return of Ormond. 
 
 Rupert and his fleet arrive at Kin- 
 sale. 
 
 Peace published between the king 
 and the Confederates. 
 
 Prince Charles proclaimed at Cork. 
 
 Flight of Rinucini. 
 
 Ormond besieges Dublin. 
 
 Battle of Rathmines. 
 
 Arrival of Cromwell. 
 
 Capture of Drogheda. 
 
 Capture of Wexford. ^ 
 
 Death of Owen Roe. - 
 
 Campaign in the south. 
 
 Revolt of the southern garrisons to 
 Parliament. 
 
 Capture of Kilkenny and Clonmel. 
 
 Cromwell returns to England. 
 
 Surrender of Waterford. 
 
 Flight of Ormond and Inchiquin. 
 
 Capture of Ath'one. 
 
 Capture of Limerick. 
 
 Death of Ireton. 
 
 Surrender of Galway, 
 
 Survey of Ireland. 
 
 Banishment of the Irish soldiery. 
 
 Transplantation of the Irish beyond 
 the Shannon. 
 
 The plantation of Ireland continues. 
 
 Henry Cromwell lord lieutenant. 
 
 Coote and Broghill seize the com- 
 missioners in Dublin Casile. 
 
 Re-establishment of the Church. 
 
 The king's declaration for the settle- 
 ment of Ireland. 
 
 Act of Settlement. 
 
 Court of Claims op)ens in Dublin. 
 
 Blood's Plot. 
 
 ^ct of Explanation. 
 
 Toleration of Roman Catholics. 
 
 Petition to review the Act of Settle- 
 ment. 
 
 The Popish plot. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1678 
 1679 
 1685 
 
 1687 
 
 1688 
 1689 
 
 1690 
 
 1691 
 
 1692 
 
 1696 
 
 1698 
 
 1699 
 1701 
 1704 
 1706 
 1708 
 1710 
 
 Arrest of Archbishop Talbot. 
 
 Arrest of Archbishop Plunket. 
 
 Richard Talbot made Lieutenant- 
 General. 
 
 Reconstruction of the army. 
 
 Reconstruction of the corporations. 
 
 Tyrconnel lord lieutenant. 
 
 Persecution of Trinity College, Dub- 
 lin. 
 
 Flight of Protestants to England. 
 
 Closing of the gates of Derry and 
 Enniskillen. 
 
 Tyrconnel raises regiments for 
 James. 
 
 William proclaimed at Derry. 
 
 Siege of Derry and Enniskillen, 
 
 James lands at Cork. 
 
 Holds a Parliament at Dublin. 
 
 Siege of Derry raised. 
 
 Battle of Newtown Butler. 
 
 Arrival of Schomberg. 
 
 He is besieged at Dundalk. 
 
 Charlemont captured 
 
 William lands at Carrickfergus. 
 
 Battle of the Boyne, 
 
 Flight of James. 
 
 Abortive siege of Limerick. 
 
 William returns to England. 
 
 Capture of Cork and Kinsale by 
 Marlborough. 
 
 Capture of Athlone. 
 
 I'attle of Aughrim. 
 
 Surrender of Galway. 
 
 Second siege of Limerick. 
 
 Articles of Limerick. 
 
 Emigration of Irish Roman Catho- 
 lics. 
 
 Exclusion of Roman Catholics from 
 Parliament. 
 
 The House of Commons resist the 
 initiation of Money Bills by the 
 Privy Council. 
 
 Act for disarming the Roman Cath- 
 olics. 
 
 Penal act against foreign education. 
 
 Molyneux's book on the independ- 
 ence of the Irish Parliament. 
 
 Penal act against mixed marriages. 
 
 Irish act laying prohibitive tariff on 
 the export of wool. 
 
 Act disqualifying Roman Catholic 
 solicitors 
 
 Penal act against the Roman Catho- 
 lics. 
 
 Increase of Jacobitism. Domination 
 of the High Church party. 
 
 Further act against Roman Catho- 
 lic solicitors. 
 
 Penal act against the Roman Cath- 
 olics. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 309 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1711 Agrarian disturbances. Ever Joyce. 
 The Houghers. 
 Persecution of the Presbyterians. 
 Sir Constantine Phipps leader of the 
 Jacobites. 
 1719 Conflict between the English and 
 Irish Houses of Lords. 
 Toleration Act. 
 
 1723 Wood's patent granted. 
 
 1724 The Drapier's letters. 
 Prosecution of Swift's printer. 
 
 1725 The patent cancelled. 
 Potato famine. 
 
 1726 Archbishop Boulter lord justice. 
 
 1727 Act disfranchising the Roman Cath- 
 
 olics. 
 Tillage Act. 
 1734 Further stringent Act against Roman 
 
 Catholic solicitors. 
 1740 The Kellymount gang outrages. 
 1742 Death of Archbishop Boulter. 
 1744 Lord Chesterfield lord lieutenant. 
 1747 Death of Archbishop Hoadly. 
 1749 Lucas stands for Dublin. 
 
 Threatened with prosecution, he flies 
 
 to England. 
 Rivalry between Primate Stone and 
 
 Speaker Boyle. 
 Contest in Parliament about the ap- 
 propriation of surpluses. 
 1753 Prosecution of Nevill. 
 
 Petition of the earl of Kildare. 
 Death of Morty Oge O'SuUivan, the 
 smuggler. 
 1755 Fall of Primate Stone. 
 1757 Formation of the Roman Catholic 
 Committee. 
 
 1759 Riots in Dublin on the rumor of a 
 
 contemplated union. 
 
 1760 Thurot's descent on Carrickfergus. 
 
 His defeat and death. 
 
 1761 Insurrection of the Whiteboys. 
 
 1762 Insurrection of the Oakboys. 
 
 1763 Attacks on the pension list 
 
 1764 Roman Catholic Relief Bill thrown 
 
 out. 
 
 1765 Act to Regulate the Law of Highways. 
 
 1766 Execution of Father Sheehy for 
 
 Whiieboyism. 
 
 1767 Lord Townshend lord lieutenant. 
 Octennial Act. 
 
 1768 Rising of the Steelboys. 
 
 1769 Contest about the Money Bills. Aug- 
 
 mentation Bill passed. 
 
 1771 Extensive emigration to America 
 
 from Leister. 
 Contest about the Money Bills. 
 
 1772 Resignation of Townshend. 
 
 1773 The Irish national debt amounts to 
 
 ;{J 1 ,000,000. 
 
 A.D. 
 1775 
 
 1776 
 1778 
 
 1779 
 
 1781 
 
 1782 
 
 1783 
 
 1784 
 1785 
 
 1786 
 1787 
 
 1788 
 1789 
 
 1791 
 
 1792 
 
 1793 
 
 1794 
 
 Continuation of the Whiteboy out- 
 rages. 
 
 Irish troops are sent to America. 
 
 Increase of the debt and of the pen- 
 sion list. 
 
 Flood is made a vice-treasurer. 
 
 The embargo. 
 
 First Roman Catholic Relief Bill 
 passed. 
 
 Agitation in favor of freedom of trade. 
 
 Formation of the Volunteers. 
 
 Agitation for legislative independ- 
 ence. 
 
 The Perpetual Mutiny Bill passed. 
 
 Further Roman Catholic Relief Act. 
 
 Meeting of the Volunteers at Dun- 
 gannon. 
 
 Amendment of Poyning's Act. 
 
 Habeas Corpus Act. 
 
 Agitation for parliamentary reform. 
 
 The Volunteer National Convention. 
 
 Rejection of Flood's Reform Bill. 
 
 Rise of the Peep-o'-day Boys and 
 Defenders. 
 
 Orde's commercial resolutions. 
 
 Orde's Bill abandoned. 
 
 Agitation for reform. 
 
 Rightboy disturbances. 
 
 Dublin Police Act passed. 
 
 Growth of the Rightboy disturb- 
 ances. 
 
 Debates on the tithe question. 
 
 Increase of Defenderism. 
 
 The Regency question in the Irish 
 Parliament. 
 
 Agitation for Roman Catholic Eman- 
 cipation. 
 
 Formation of the Society of the 
 United Irishmen. 
 
 Roman Catholic Relief Act. 
 
 Accidental burning of the House of 
 Commons. 
 
 Meeting of the Roman Catholic Con- 
 vention. 
 
 Petition of the Roman Catholics pre- 
 sented to the king. 
 
 Increase of Defenderism. 
 
 Further Roman Catholic Relief Act. 
 
 Convention Act. 
 
 Gunpowder Act. 
 
 Ponsonby's motion on reform re- 
 jected. 
 
 Activity of the United Irishmen. 
 
 Secret committee of the House of 
 Lords to inquire into the dis- 
 turbed state of the country. 
 
 Flight of Napper Tandy 
 
 Prosecution of Hamilton Rowan and 
 irr.prisonment of Simon Butler 
 and Oliver Bond. 
 
310 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1794 Arrest of Jackson. 
 
 Suppression of the United Irishmen. 
 The society is reconstructed as a se- 
 cret association. 
 
 1795 Arrival of Lord Fitzwilliam as Vice- 
 
 roy. 
 
 Grattan's bill for complete emanci- 
 pation of the Roman Catholics. 
 
 Recall of Lord Fitzwilliam. 
 
 Trial and death of Jackson. 
 
 Rejection of Grattan's Bill. 
 
 Tone goes to America. 
 
 Battle of the Diamond. 
 
 Formation of Orange lodges. 
 
 1796 The Insurrection Act. 
 
 Extension of the United Irishmen to 
 
 Leinster. 
 French expedition to Bantry. 
 
 1797 Arthur O'Connor is arrested, and 
 
 released on bail. 
 Martial law in Ulster. 
 Grattan's Reform Bill rejected 
 Secession of the opposition. 
 Increase of the United Irishmen. 
 Execution of Orr. 
 Grattan retires from public life. 
 
 1798 Sir Ralph Abercrombie succeeds 
 
 Lord Carhampton as command- 
 er-in-chief in Ireland. 
 He resigns his command. 
 Martial law in leinster. 
 Mar. II. Arrest of the executive 
 committee of the United 
 Irishmen at Oliver 
 Bond's. 
 May 19. Arrest of lord Edward 
 Fitzgerald. 
 " 23. Risings round Dublin and 
 in Kildare and Carlow. 
 
 25. Risings in Wicklow. 
 27. Risings in Wexford. 
 
 June 4. Battle of New Ross. 
 " 7. Risings in Down and An- 
 trim. 
 " 9. Battle of Arklow. 
 
 21. Capture of Vinegar Hill. 
 
 22. The French ai Killala. 
 
 26. Battle of Castlebar. 
 8. Battle of Ballinamuck. 
 
 10. French expedition to Lough 
 Swilly. Capture of 
 
 Tone. 
 Proposal of the Union. 
 
 1799 Opposition to the Union. 
 Defeat of the government. 
 
 1800 The Act of Union. 
 
 1803 Robert Emmet's revolt and execu- 
 tion. 
 
 
 Aug. 
 
 Sept. 
 Oct. 
 
 the agitation for 
 " Nation " news- 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1808 Daniel O'Connell first comes into 
 notice. 
 
 1822 Famine in Ireland. 
 
 1823 Agitation for Catholic Emancipation. 
 1825 Suppression of the Catholic Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 1829 Catholic Emancipation won. 
 
 O'Connell takes his seat for Clare. 
 1838 Tithes imposed upon landlords. 
 
 Father Mathew's temperance re- 
 vival. 
 O'Connell begins 
 Repeal. 
 
 1842 Founding of the 
 
 paper. 
 Rise of the Young Ireland Party. 
 
 1843 Suppression of the proposed meeting 
 
 at Clontarf. 
 1845 Beginning of the three years' fam- 
 ine. 
 
 1847 Increased emigration of the Irish. 
 
 1848 Capture of Young Ireland leaders. 
 1858 Rise of the Fenians. 
 
 1866 The Fenians undertake active opera- 
 
 tions. 
 
 1867 Rescue of Fenians at Manchester. 
 The Clerkenwell explosion. 
 
 1868 Mr. Gladstone the first time Prime 
 
 Minister. 
 i86g Disestablishment of the Irish Church. 
 
 1870 Mr. Gladstone's first land bill. 
 
 1871 Formation of the Home Rule 
 
 League. 
 
 1873 Bill for Irish University Education 
 
 defeated. 
 
 1874 Fifty-one Home Rulers in Parlia- 
 
 ment. 
 
 1875 Charles Stewart Parnell enters Par- 
 
 liament. 
 
 1879 Mr. Parnell becomes the Home Rule 
 
 leader. 
 Michael Davitt founds the Land 
 League. 
 
 1880 Mr. Gladstone a second time Prime 
 
 Minister. 
 
 1881 Mr. Gladstone's second land bill. 
 
 1882 M.irder of lord Frederick Caven- 
 
 dish and Thomas Burke in 
 Phoenix Park. 
 
 1884 The third reform bill passed. 
 
 1885 The Tories come into power. 
 Dynamite explosions in London. 
 
 1886 Mr. Gladstone a third time Prime 
 
 Minister. 
 Mr. Gladstone proposes his Home 
 
 Rule bill, which is defeated. 
 Parliamentary election. 
 Return of the Tories to power. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 AbERCROMBIE, Sir Ralph, 246. 
 
 Absentees, 216, 223, 225. 
 
 Adventurers, the, 187. 
 
 Adrian the Fourth, bull cf, 50. 
 
 Agrarian outrages, 150. 
 
 Arch-king, the, 7. 
 
 Argyll, duke of, 298. 
 
 Arklow, battle of, 250. 
 
 Association, the Catholic, 263 ; the 
 
 Repeal, 268. 
 Athlone, capture of, 114 
 Aughrim, siege of, 203. 
 
 BaLTINGLASS, lord, 131. 
 Bannockburn, battle of, 80. 
 Bards, Irish, i, 12, 45, 94, 160. 
 Barry, James, 227. 
 Berkley, bishop, 226, 227. 
 Berwick, duke of, 198. 
 Bishops, the, 22, 99. 
 Books, religious, 158. 
 Boulter, archbishop, 227. 
 Boyne, battle of the, 201. 
 Brehons, the, 12, 94. 
 Brian, king, 39. 
 Bristol, earl of, 236, 240. 
 Brooke, 226. 
 Browne, provost, 226. 
 Bruce, Edward, 81. 
 Bruce, Robert, 81. 
 Burke, Edmund, 226. 
 Burke, Thomas, 292. 
 Butlers, the, "j"]. 
 Butt, Isaac, 285. 
 
 UaMDEN, lord, 246, 253. 
 Carew, Sir Peter, 128. 
 Carey, James, 293. 
 Carolan, 228. 
 
 Castlereagh, lord, 251, 255. 
 Cavendish, lord Frederick, 292. 
 Celts, the, 4. 
 
 Chamberlain, Joseph, 29S. 
 Charlemont, earl of, 236, 240. 
 Charles the First, king of England, 
 
 161. 
 Charles the Second, king of England, 
 
 180, 190. 
 Charter schools, 222, 232. 
 Christianity in Ireland, 22. 
 Church, the Irish, 58, 91, 115, 118, 
 
 195. 
 Church, the Protestant, 165, 192, 257, 
 
 258, 281. 
 Clare, lord, 242, 253, 255. 
 Clarence, the duke of, 84. 
 Classes, the Irish, 153. 
 Clerkenwell explosion, 278, 
 Clontarf, battle of, 41 ; meeting at, 
 
 269. 
 Coercion laws, 272, 289, 292. 
 Colonists in Ireland, 153. 
 Colonization of Ireland, 127, 135. 
 Columkill, 26. 
 
 Commerce, Irish, 44; decline of, 186. 
 Connaught, planting of, 151, 165; 
 
 Irish expelled to, 184. 
 Cornwallis, marquis, 253, 255 
 Counties, division into, 70. 
 Cowper, earl, 292. 
 
 Cromwell, Oliver, 180-189; settle- 
 ment of Ireland by, 186 193. 
 Curran, John Philpott, 243, 260. 
 
 Danes, the, invade Ireland, 35; 
 
 religic n of, 37 ; defeat of, 41. 
 Davis, Thomas, 273. 
 Davitt, Michael, 288. 
 De Courcy, John, 67. 
 
 31J 
 
312 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 De Lacy, Hugh, 70. 
 Dermid of Leinster, 50. 
 Desmond, earls of, 84, 104, 130. 
 Dillon, John, 290. 
 Dillon, John Blake, 273. 
 Donald the Second, 32. 
 Donogh the First, 34. 
 Drogheda, carnage at, 181. 
 Druids, the, 11, 19. 
 Dublin, 229; surrender of, 179. 
 Dublin Philosophical Society, 226. 
 Dublin Society, 227. 
 
 Education, Irish, 283. 
 
 Edward the First, law of, 80. 
 Edward the Second, king of England, 
 
 80. 
 Edward the Third, king of England, 
 
 83. 
 Elections of chiefs, 29. 
 Elizabeth, queen of England, 120. 
 Emancipation, Catholic, 263, 264. 
 Emigration of the Irish, 220, 272. 
 Emmet, Thomas Addis, 243, 247. 
 Emmet, Robert, 260. 
 Essex, Robert Devereux, earl of, 142. 
 Essex, Walter Devereux, earl of, 127. 
 Execution of Irish chiefs, 183. 
 Exports, Irish, 271. 
 
 Falkland, lord, 162. 
 
 Famine, 223, 270. 
 
 Farmers, Irish, 93. 
 
 Fenians, the, 276. 
 
 Feudal system, introduced into Ire- 
 land, 57. 
 
 Firbolgs, the, 2. 
 
 Fitzgerald, James Fitzmaurice, 128. 
 
 Fitzgerald, lord Edward, 243, 247, 
 248. 
 
 Fitzgerald, Margaret, 97. 
 
 Fitz James, tlie prior, 198. 
 
 Fitzwilliam, lord, 242. 
 
 Fitzwilliam, Sir William, 137. 
 
 Flood, Henry, 233, 240. 
 
 Formosians, the, 2. 
 
 Forster, William E., 292. 
 
 Fusion of races, 190. 
 
 GaLWAY, fallof, 183. 
 Garrick, in Dublin, 229. 
 Gavelkind, 9. 
 
 Geraldines, the, "]"], 113. 
 
 Gladstone, William Ewart, 280-302. 
 
 Goldsmith, Oliver, 226, 
 
 Goschen, G. J., 298. 
 
 Graces, the, 162. 
 
 Grattan, Henry, 233, 237, 239, 257, 
 
 261. 
 Gray, lord Leonard, 113. 
 Grey of Wilton, lord, 131. 
 
 Handel, 229. 
 
 Hartington, lord, 298. 
 
 Heart-of-steel Boys, the, 218. 
 
 Henry the Second, 50. 
 
 Henry the Fourth, 89. 
 
 Henry the Seventh, 102. 
 
 Henry the Eighth,' iii. 
 
 Highways, 45. 
 
 Home Rule league, the, 285 ; bill, the, 
 
 298. 
 Hugh the Second, 31. 
 Hugh the Fifth, 34. 
 Hutcheson, 226. 
 
 Industries, crippled, 213. 
 
 Intermarriages, 79. 
 
 Invincibles, tlie, 293. 
 
 lona, settlement of, 26. 
 
 Ireland, invasion of, by Britons, 33 ; 
 invasion of, by Danes, 35 ; colo- 
 nization of, 127 ; plantation of, 
 144-152; conquest of, by Crom- 
 well, 182; settlement of, by 
 Cromwell, 186-193. 
 
 Ireton, Henry, 182. 
 
 Irish, the ancient, 9. 
 
 Ironsides, in Ireland, 181, 187. 
 
 James the First, 145. 
 James the Second, 195. 
 John, king of England, 6g. 
 Jones, John Paul, 236. 
 
 KiLDA RE, Gerald, earl of, 102, loS ; 
 Gerald the Second, 112; Thomas 
 of, 112. 
 
 Kilkenny, parliament of, 85 ; conven- 
 tion of, 177. 
 
 King, archbishop, 226. 
 
 Kings, early Irish, 28 ; rights of. 30. 
 
 Kinsale, fall of, 145. 
 
 Knockdoc, battle of, 109. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 313 
 
 Lake, general, 247. 
 
 Land, the Irish, 59, 92, 134, 147, 166, 
 
 1S6, 192, 210, 282, 286, 290. 
 Land court, established, 191. 
 Land league, the, 288. 
 Land-purchase bill, the, 299, 
 Law courts, 58. 
 
 Laws, Irish, 10, 29, 44, "jt,^ 85, 90. 
 Lawyers, Irish, 211. 
 League of the chiefs, 140. 
 Learning in Ireland, 47, 96. 
 Legends, Irish, i. 
 Leinster, confiscations in, 150. 
 Leinster, duke of, 236. 
 Limerick, treaty of, 203. 
 Londonderry, siege of, 199. 
 Lucas, Charles, 233. 
 
 Madden, 227. 
 
 Manchester, rescue at, 278. 
 Martin, John, 273. 
 Mary the First, 118. 
 Mary the Second, 196. 
 Mathew, Father, 268. 
 McCarthys, the, 28. 
 McMurrough of Leinster, ^ly. 
 Meagher, Thomas Francis, 273. 
 Mitchel, John, 273. 
 Molesworth, 227. 
 Monasteries, 25, 95, 114. 
 Mortimer, Roger^ 07. 
 Mountjoy, lord, 144. 
 Munster, planting of, 128. 
 M irphy. Father, 249. 
 
 "Nation," the, 274. 
 
 National league, the, 295. 
 Nemedhians, the, 2. 
 Normans, the, invade Ireland, 49 ; vic- 
 tory of, 56. 
 
 OaKBOYS, the, 217. 
 Gates, Titus, plot of, 194. 
 O'Brien, Smith, 273. 
 O'Brien, William, 290. 
 O'Briens, the, 28. 
 O'Connell, Daniel, 262. 
 O'Connor, Arthur, 243. 
 O'Connor, Cathal, jt,. 
 O'Connor, Conor, 66. 
 O'Connor, Roderick, 50, 64. 
 O'Connors, the, 28. 
 
 O'Doherty, Kevin I., 274. 
 
 O'Donnel, the chief, 136. 
 
 O'Donnel, Red Hugh, 136, 138. 
 
 O'Kelly, Mr., 290. 
 
 O'More, Rory, 171. 
 
 O'Neil, Donald, 80. 
 
 O'Neil, Hugh, earl of Tyrone, 138- 
 
 147. 
 O'Neil, Phelim, 171, 183. 
 O'Neil, Red Owen, 176. 
 O'Neil, Shane, 121-125. 
 O'Neils, the, 28, 43. 
 Orange, William of, king of England, 
 
 iq6, 201. 
 O'Reilly, the chief, 174. 
 Ormond, earl of, 175, 178. 
 
 Pale, the English, 83, 116, 176. 
 Parliament, the Irish, 105, 164, 198, 
 
 205. 
 Parnell, Charles Stewart, 287. 
 Parnell, Sir Henry, 262. 
 Parnell, Sir John, 256. 
 Parnell, the poet, 226. 
 Parties, three Irish, 180. 
 Patrick, Saint, 14-21. 
 Patriot party, the, 219. 
 Penal laws, the, 208-214. 
 Pensions, 232. 
 Perrot, lord-deputy, 136. 
 Physico-Historical Society, the, 227. 
 Plantation of Ireland, 144-152. 
 Poyning, Sir Edward, 106 ; act of, 
 
 107, 198, 231. 
 Priests, proscribed, 189. 
 Prior, 227. 
 Provinces, ancient Irish, 12. 
 
 QuEEN'S colleges, the, 284, 285. 
 
 Rebellion, of Shane o'Neii, 
 
 121— 125 ; of Hugh O'Neil, 139- 
 143; the ten years', 169-177. 
 
 Religion in Ireland, 46. 
 
 Rent, arrears of, 292. 
 
 Rent, the Catholic, 263. 
 
 Revival, temperance, 268. 
 
 Revolution, the English, 196. 
 
 Richard the First, 71. 
 
 Richard the Second, 85. 
 
 Robin Hoods, the, 135. 
 I Roche, Father Pliilip, 249. 
 
314 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Roses, wars of the, 89. 
 Rowan, Hamilton, 241. 
 
 St. NICHOLAS, college of, 159. 
 
 Saint Ruth, general, 203. 
 
 Saints, Irish, 25. 
 
 Salisbury, marquis of, 297, 301. 
 
 Sarsfield, general, 202 
 
 Schomberg, general, 199. 
 
 Schools, ancient Irish, 23 ; charter, 
 
 222, 232 ; elementary, 268. 
 Selborne, lord, 298. 
 Septs, the, 8. 
 Sexton, Mr., 290. 
 Shaw, Mr., 2S6. 
 Sheehy, Father, 289. 
 Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 226. 
 Shiel, Richard Lalor, 262. 
 Ship-building, suppressed, 214. 
 Sidney, Sir Henry, 124, 128. 
 Simnel, Lambert, 103. 
 Skelton, 226. 
 Slavery in Ireland, 44. 
 Smuggling, 220. 
 Somerset, the protector, 118. 
 Spencer, earl, 292. 
 Stevens, James, 276. 
 Sterne, Lawrence, 226, 
 Strongbow, 52, 62. 
 Suffrage, household, 296. 
 Swift, Jonathan, 218, 219, 226, 232. 
 Synge, 227. 
 
 Tandy, james, 241. 
 
 Tithes, 222, 267. 
 Tone, Wolfe, 241, 244, 245, 252. 
 Tories, the Irish, 185, 188, 196. 
 Trinity College, 157, 284. 
 Truce, the three years', 178. 
 Tuatha de Danans, 2. 
 'J '.urges, 38. 
 
 Tyrconnel, O'Donnel, earl of, 124; 
 Richard Talbot, earl of, 195. 
 
 Ulster, tenant right, 149; war in, 
 
 United Irishmen, the, 240, 247. 
 Union, act of, 258. 
 
 Vinegar hiii, battle of, 250. 
 
 Volunteers, the Irish, 236. 
 
 WaRBECK, Perkin, 104. 
 Wellington, duke of, 264. 
 Wentworth, Sir Thomas, earl of Straf- 
 ford, 163-168. 
 Wexford, massacre at, 182. 
 Whiteboys, the, 217, 261. 
 Windsor, treaty of, 65. 
 Wood, William, patent of, 218. 
 Workhouses, 224. 
 Writers, Irish, c,6, 159. 
 
 Young Ireland party, the, 273. 
 
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