HISTORY OF IRELAND 
 
 FOR SCHOOLS 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM FRANCIS COLLIER, LL.D. 
 
 TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN 
 AUTHOR or " BRITISH HISTORY," " HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE," &c. 
 
 IRISH HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, 1782 
 
 XonDon: 
 MARCUS WARD & CO., LIMITED 
 
 ORIEL HOUSE, FARRINGDON STREET 
 
 AND AT BELFAST AND NEW YORK 
 
 1884
 
 DA 
 
 C73 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Notes on the Chief Sources of Irish History, . . .3 
 
 Lost Collections of Bardic Poetry, ... 3 
 
 Existing Manuscripts, . . . . .4 
 
 Irish Annals, ..... 5 
 
 Later Writers on Irish History, . . .6 
 
 FIRST PERIOD. 
 (Earliest Times to 1166 A.D.) 
 
 CHA.P. 
 
 I. The Mythical and Heroic Ages (to 427 A.U.), . . 9 
 
 The Christian Era begins, . . . 15 
 
 Notes on the Pagan Period, . . .20 
 
 II. The First Age of Irish Christianity (427-795), . 24 
 
 Social Life in Ancient Ireland, . . .30 
 
 III. Age of the Danish Invasions (795-1022), . . 40 
 
 IV. Age prior to the Anglo-Norman Invasion (1022-1166), . 49 
 
 Chronology of the First Period, .... 53 
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 
 (1166 A.D. to 1485 A.D. ) 
 
 I. Time of the Anglo-Norman Invasion (1166-1199), . 55 
 II. Ireland under the Plantagenet Kings (1199-1399) 
 
 Reign of King John (1199-1216), . . .65 
 
 Reign of Henry III. (1216-1272), . . 68 
 
 Reign of Edward I. (1272-1307), . . .71 
 
 Reign of Edward II. (1307-1327), . . 73 
 
 Reign of Edward III. (1327-1377), . . 75 
 
 Reign of Richard II. (1377-1399), . 78 
 
 III. Ireland under the Houses of Lancaster and York (1399- 
 
 1485) Reign of Henry IV. (1399-1413), . . 81 
 
 Reign of Henry V. (1413-1422), . . 82 
 
 Reign of Henry VI. (1422-1461), . . .84 
 Reigns of Edward IV. , Edward V. , and Richard III. 
 
 (1461-1485), .... 87 
 
 Chronology of the Second Period, . . . .90
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 THIRD PERIOD. TUDOR MONARCHS. 
 (1485 A.D. to 1603 A.D.) 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 1. Reign of Henry VII. (1485-1509), . . .92 
 
 II. Rei^n of Henry VIII. (1509-1547), . . . 101 
 
 II I. Reigns of Edward VI. and Mary I. (1547-1558), . 106 
 
 IV. Reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1 603), . . 108 
 
 V. The Condition of Ireland in Elizabeth's Reign (Spenser's 
 
 View), 117 
 
 Chronology of the Third or Tudor Period, . . . 124 
 
 Notes on the Meaning of some Irish Names of Places, . 125 
 
 FOURTH PERIOD. STUART SOVEREIGNS. 
 (160SA.D. to 1714 A.D.) 
 
 I. Reign of James I. (1603-1625), . . .128 
 
 II. Reign of Charles I. (1625-1649), . . .135 
 
 III. Time of the Commonwealth (1649-1660), . .144 
 
 IV. Reign of Charles II. (1660-1685), . . .151 
 
 V. Reign of James II. (1685-1688), . . .155 
 
 VI. Reign of William III. and Mary II. (1689-1694), . 157 
 
 Reign of William III. alone (1694-1702), . . 157 
 
 VII. Reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714), . . . 173 
 
 Chronology of the Fourth Period Stuart Sovereigns, . . 177 
 
 FIFTH PERIOD. HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 
 (1714 A.D. to 1883 A.D.) 
 
 I. Reign of George I. (1714-1727), . 180 
 
 II. Reign of George II. (1727-1760), . . 135 
 
 III. Reign of George III. (1760-1820), . . 191 
 
 IV. Reign of George IV. (1820-1830), . . '288 
 
 V. Reign of William IV. (1830-1837), . . .243 
 
 VI. Reign of Queen Victoria (1837 A.D. to the present time), 247 
 
 Chronology of the Fifth Period House of Brunswick, . 262 
 
 Irish Names celebrated in English Literature, . . . 265
 
 NOTES ON THE CHIEF SOURCES OF IRISH 
 HISTORY. 
 
 IRISH HISTORY, in its earliest form, consisted of unwritten 
 Lays, composed and chanted by the bards, whose office a 
 combination of poet and historian was hereditary. These 
 bardic lays were followed by Annals, or Chronicles, which were 
 compiled in the monasteries, the later annalists often copying 
 from earlier works, or from the compositions of contemporary 
 bards. 
 
 LOST COLLECTIONS OF BAEDIC POETEY. 
 
 (1) The Cattle Quest of Quilgny (CAUI b6 CuAitgne) has been 
 
 called " the Iliad of Ireland." It narrated the events of 
 an expedition against Louth, undertaken by Maev, 
 Queen of Connaught, and Fergus MacEoy, in quest of a 
 celebrated dun bull. Connor of Ulster, aided by Coohoolin 
 and the Red Branch warriors, opposed the invaders, who, 
 however, triumphed. Fragments of the Tavrin-Bo, orally 
 preserved, were embodied in writing in the Leour-na-heery 
 (llth century). 
 
 (2) Psalter of Tara, ascribed to Cormac MacArt, was lost 
 
 early. It was partially copied some say into the fol- 
 lowing work (No. 3). 
 
 (3) Psalter of Cashel, said to have been compiled, about 
 
 900 A.D., by Cormac MacCulyenan, King of Munster and 
 Archbishop of Cashel. Copies of this work, existing in 
 the 17th century, were used by Keating, the historian.
 
 NOTES ON THE CHIEF SOUKCES 
 
 It narrated especially the affairs of Minister. The word 
 Psalter (in Irish, SAlc<Mj\) meant simply a book of poems, 
 not necessarily of a religious kind. 
 (4) The Book of Munster was little more than a copy of the 
 l" (No. 3). 
 
 EXISTING MANUSCRIPTS. 
 
 (1) Shanghus More (Great Law). Published in 3 vols. by the 
 
 lii.-ii.m Law Commissioners. Dublin, 1865-1873. 
 
 (2) Wars of Gael and Gail. Edited by Dr. J. H. Todd for 
 
 the " Rolls Series." Dublin, 1867. 
 
 (3) Book of Armagh, written about 807 A.D., contained the 
 
 Latin Testament aud the celebrated Confession of St. 
 Patrick. (lu course of publication by Dean Reeves.) 
 
 (4) Leour-na-heery (LeabAp na Vi-Uintfpe), probably composed 
 
 in the 5th or 6ih century. It contains the oldest existing 
 manuscript of the bardic tales relating to the Ultonian 
 heroes. The Tawin-Bo-Quilgny was transcribed into this 
 work in prose form that in metrical form having been 
 lust. Preserved in the Royal Irish Academy in a MS. of 
 llih century. (Published infac-simile by the Royal Irish 
 Academy in 1870.) 
 
 (5) Book of Leinster MS. of about 1150 A.D. preserved in 
 
 the library of Trinity College, Dublin. (Published in 
 fac-simile.) 
 
 (6) Book of Leacan (barony of Tireragh, in Sligo) narrates 
 
 events from the earliest time to the 15th century. Tran- 
 scribed circa 1416, by the MacFirbises, hereditary poets 
 and historians. 
 
 (7) Book of Ballymote, composed in that monastery during 
 
 tne 14th century, described the affairs of Connaught 
 was sold in 1522 by the MacDonoughs to O'Donnell of 
 Donegall for 140 cows. 
 
 Numbers 2 and 3, which are preserved in the Royal Irish 
 Academy, contain copies of the Books of Cashel, Leinster, 
 Ulster, and Orgial. The library of the Royal Irish Academy 
 also contains the "Annals of Connaught" (from 13th to 16th 
 century).
 
 OF IRISH HISTOKY. 
 
 IRISH ANNALS. 
 
 (1) Teernah (cijeA|\nAc), Abbot of Clonmacnoise and Ros- 
 cuuimou, was the chief of Irish annalists. He wrote 
 partly in Latin and partly in Irish. Eight copies 
 of his "Annals" (but all imperfect) exist two in the 
 Bodleian Library at Oxford, two in the British Museum, 
 two in the Royal Irish Academy, one at Trinity College, 
 Dublin, and one in the Ashburnhatn collection. The 
 "Annals of Teernah" begin with Cimbay, B.C. 299. 
 Teernah died in 1088. 
 
 (2) Annals of Innisfallen, compiled about 1215 and continued 
 
 by another pen to 1320, contain a detailed account of the 
 Battle of Cloutarf. Like No. 1, it is written both in 
 Latin and in Irish. The original is in the Bodleian 
 Library. 
 
 (3) Annals of Boyle, in Roscommon date 1246 written in 
 
 both Latin and Irish. 
 
 (4) Annals of Ulster, by a Maguire of Fermanagh (434-1500) 
 
 continued to 1541. 
 
 (5) Book of Fermoy. In the library of the Royal Irish 
 Academy. 
 
 (6) Annals of the Four Masters, compiled in the Franciscan 
 
 Monastery of Donegall (1632-1636) by 
 
 (1) Michael O'Clery. 
 
 (2) Conary O'Clery (his brother), the copyist. 
 
 (3) Peregrin Clery (his cousin), head of the sept. 
 
 (4) O'Mulconry (of Roscommon). 
 
 Michael O'Clery, born about 1575, at Kilbarron Castle, by 
 Donegall Bay, became a Franciscan iriar at Louvain, in France, 
 and died at Donegall in 1643. The O'Clerys were hereditary 
 bards and historians of the O'Donnells of Tirconell. This 
 work, extending in two parts from 2242 A.M. to 1616 A.D., 
 gives chiefly the Annals of Ulster and Connaught. 
 
 (7) Chronicum Scotorum. Copy in the Royal Irish Academy 
 
 in the handwriting of Duald MacFirbis, born at Lecan, in 
 Co. Sligo. He was the last of a long line of hereditary 
 poets and chroniclers. His services were engaged by Sir 
 James Ware. MacFirbis was killed at an inn in 1670. 
 His work extends to 1150 A.r>. Edited for the "Rolls 
 Series" by W. M. Hennessy. Dublin. 1866.
 
 6 NOTES ON THE CHIEF SOURCES 
 
 (8) Annals of Loch-Ce" (from 1014 to 1590). Compiled in 
 
 the 16ih century for Brian M'Dermott, chief of his name, 
 .n the "Rock of Loch-Ce," near Boyle, Co. Roscommon. 
 Edited lor the "Rolls Series" by W. M. Hennessy. 
 Dublin, two vols., 1871. 
 
 (9) Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald de Barri), born in Pem- 
 
 brokeshire, 1147 educated at Paris Archdeacon of 
 Brecknock lived in Ireland (1184-1186), and acted as 
 tutor to Prince John wrote two Latin works 
 
 1. Topography of Ireland. 
 
 2. Hibernia Expugnata. 
 
 The latter is a history of the Anglo-Norman invasion of 
 Ireland. Its general accuracy is confirmed by an anony- 
 mous Anglo-Saxon poem, written by a friend of King 
 Dermod's interpreter. (Vellum MS. of 13th century in 
 Lambeth Palace.) Gerald was buried at St. David's, in 
 Wales. 
 
 Froissart, the French historian, described Richard the 
 Second's visit to Ireland in 1394. 
 
 Anglo-Irish Chronicles give traditional records of the Eng- 
 lish Pale. Two of these were compiled at Kilkenny. 
 Another is the " Book of Howth" (15th and 16th century). 
 The "Official Records" or "State Papers" of the Govern- 
 ment (trom the 13th century) contain stores of original 
 material. 
 
 LATER WRITERS ON IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 Sir George Carew (1558-1629), born in Devonshire came to 
 Ireland in 1575 President of Munster (1600) reputed 
 author of " Pacata Hibernia," nominally written by Thos. 
 Stafford. Carew was created Earl of Totnes by Charles I. 
 
 Geoffrey Keating, born about 1570 in Co. Tipperary said to 
 have studied at Salamanca, in Spain officiated as a 
 Catholic priest in his native parish (Tubbrid) wrote in 
 Irish the "History of Ireland" previous to the Anglo- 
 Norman invasion. This work was composed chiefly 
 while Keating was hiding from persecution in the Glen 
 of Atherlow. It often refers to manuscripts now lost.
 
 OF IRISH HISTORY. 7 
 
 Sir John Temple (1600-1677), son of a Provost of Trinity 
 College Master of the Rolls (1640) wrote " History of 
 the Irish Rebellion of 1641," from the Protestant point of 
 view. One of his sons, Sir William Temple, was a cele- 
 brated English statesman and author (temp. Charles II.). 
 
 Sir James "Ware (1594-1666), born in Castle Street, Dublin- 
 educated at Trinity College held the post of Auditor- 
 General of Ireland wrote and edited in Latin many 
 works on " Irish History and Antiquities" member for 
 University of Dublin. 
 
 Sir Eichard Cox (1650-1733), born at Bandon adherent of 
 William III. rose to be Lord Chancellor of Ireland 
 wrote " Hibernia Anglicana," to show what benefits Ire- 
 land had derived from the English conquest. 
 
 John Lynch, born about 1600 at Galway Archdeacon of 
 Tuam fled in 1652 to St. Malo, in France author of a 
 Latin work, " Cambrensis Eversus" (published in 1662), 
 to refute the statements of Gerald de Barri. 
 
 Roderic O'Flaherty (1629-1718), born at Moycullen Castle, 
 Galway educated by Dr. Lynch author of the " Ogygia," 
 written in Latin about 1685. 
 
 Silvester O'Halloran (1728-1807), born at Limerick one of 
 the earliest members of the Royal Irish Academy author 
 of a "General History of Ireland" (1774). 
 
 Thomas Leland (1722-1785), born at Dublin Fellow of 
 Trinity College and Vicar of Bray afterwards Rector of 
 Ardstraw, Co. Londonderry author of a "History of 
 Ireland," in 3 vole. (1773). 
 
 Thomas Moore, the lyric poet see notes at the end of the 
 book. 
 
 Charles O'Conor (1710-1791), of Belanagau, wrote "Disserta- 
 tions on the History of Ireland" (1766). 
 
 Among writers and editors of Irish history during the 
 present century, the following names are notable : 
 
 Eugene O'Curry (1796-1862), Professor of Irish History in 
 the Catholic University author of " Lectures on the MS. 
 Materials of Irish History," and also on the " Manners and 
 Customs of the Ancient Irish."
 
 8 NOTES ON THE SOURCES OF IRISH HISTORY. 
 
 John O'Donovan (1809-1861), celebrated Irish scholar 
 author of " Irish Grammar" (1845) translator and editor 
 of " The Annals of the Four Masters." 
 
 George Petrie (1789-1866), artist and antiquary President 
 ol the Royal Hibernian Academy great work, "Ecclesias- 
 tical Architecture of Ireland," comprising an essay on the 
 " Round Towers." 
 
 John Lanigan (1758-1828), author of the "Ecclesiastical 
 History of Ireland" up to 1200 A.D. (published in 1822). 
 
 Dr. J. Henthorn Todd, senior Fellow of Trinity College. 
 His "History ot St. Patrick" (Dublin, 1864) is a good 
 handbook to the sources of Irish ecclesiastical history. 
 
 Dean Reeves' edition of Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," 
 one of the l>est edited books published in recent times, 
 contains invaluable stores of material for the history of 
 Ireland and Scotland. 
 
 John Francis Shearman published "Loca Patriciana" (Dub- 
 lin, 1879). This contains a mass of information on the 
 history of old Irish, Scotch, and Welsh churches, eccle- 
 siastics', and saints, and valuable illustrations of Irish 
 topography. 
 
 The works of the Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society, and 
 the publications of the Royal Irish Academy, should be 
 consulted by students of Irish history.
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 FIRST PEEIOD. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE MYTHICAL AND HEROIC AGES. 
 Ending about 400 A.D. 
 
 Six Cycles Tara Aven Red Branch Feena Errin Finn 
 MacCoole Osheen Niall Names. 
 
 Original Races. The original inhabitants of 
 Ireland seem to have been a thin, small, black- 
 haired people with sallow skin, probably akin to the 
 Basques of the Pyrenees, and derived from the 
 Turanian branch of the human race. These were 
 conquered and enslaved by successive tribes of 
 Scythian or Celtic blood, of a quite different 
 physique large-limbed, blue-eyed warriors, with red 
 or yellow hair. 
 
 The Six Mythic Cycles. The Irish bards de- 
 scribed six mythic cycles or ages of colonisation, in 
 which gods and heroes played their glorious parts. 
 In fact, the heroes of one cycle became the gods of 
 the next cycle.
 
 10 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PER. 
 
 1. Age of Queen Casirh (CeofAijA), who was 
 
 called a niece of Noah, and Finntan 
 (ponticAin), "the Salmon of all knowledge." 
 
 2. Paralone (pAficolon), descended from Japhet, 
 
 led a giant race from Greece to Ireland. 
 
 3. Nevvy (neirinot>), or Nemidius, also descended 
 
 from Japhet, settled in Ireland. His fol- 
 lowers, the Nemidians, were enslaved by 
 African invaders, called Fouree or Fouieans 
 
 4. The Fir-Bolg (PiA-bolj), or Giants, under a 
 
 leader called Deala COCA^A), came also from 
 Greece. Deala's five sons founded five king- 
 doms. This was the age of stone weapons. 
 Last and greatest of the Fir-Bolg was Mac 
 Ere (tttAc'eipc). 
 
 5. The Tooaha De" Danahn (UUACA t)e TDAnArm), 
 
 the gods of the ancient Irish, coming from 
 Scandinavia, overthrew the Fir-Bolg by 
 magical arts, and dwelt invisibly on the 
 green hills and in the silver lakes. Each 
 cycle had its gods. The Tooaha followed the 
 Dahya (T)A$t)A = Zeus) and his son Aeneas 
 Ogue (Aenjuf '05 = Eros) ; Ned (Heit>) was 
 the Fourean Mars ; Cehlenn (Cectenn), their 
 Bellona; Lewy (Lu^Aio), the long-handed 
 hurler of sling-bullets, was an Apollo ; while 
 Manannawn (VTlAnAnnAti = Neptune) ruled 
 the sea. 
 
 6. In 1499 B.C., the Clan Milly (CUn milit>) from 
 
 Spain invaded Ireland. They were descendants
 
 CHAP. I.] THE MYTHICAL AND HEKOIC AGES. 11 
 
 of Millya (ITlilio-o), or Milesius, King of Spain, 
 who (the legend said) had married Scotta 
 (SCOCA), the daughter of Pharaoh, King of 
 Egypt. The leaders of the clan were Aiver 
 A and Erriwone e-ieAriion. Aiver 
 
 STONE WEAPONS AND TOOLS. 
 
 was slain, and Erriwone remained sole King. 
 There was a third brother, Ir (1^); and Ee 
 (1c), uncle of Millya, founded a fourth branch 
 of this clan. 
 
 We may assert, as the first historical fact in Irish 
 history, underlying the legends of the Sixth Colonisa- 
 tion, that a Spanish invasion of Ireland took place 
 "before the Christian era.
 
 12 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1T PER. 
 
 Greek Writers. Phoenician sailors were probably 
 the first to bring information regarding Ireland 
 to Greece, the land which was then the centre of 
 civilisation. Aristotle called the island lerne. The 
 geographer Strabo, writing about 50 B.C., represented 
 Ireland as a cold land inhabited by cannibals. 
 
 Latin Writers. Julius Caesar called the island 
 Hibernia; Juvenal alluded to it as Juverna ; the 
 historian Tacitus, in his Life of Agricola, states that 
 about 82 A.D. an Irish chief implored the aid of the 
 Romans, and that Agricola was preparing to invade 
 Ireland, but relinquished the enterprise. 
 
 Ptolemy's Map. Ptolemy of Alexandria, in his 
 Greek work on geography (about 120 A.D.), laid down 
 a sketch of Ireland, showing the chief rivers, capes, 
 towns, and tribes. A few of the chief names, with 
 their supposed modern representatives, are given 
 below : 
 
 Rivera. Towns. 
 
 Vidua, Foyle. Magnata, Donegal or 
 
 Senos or lernus, Shannon. Sligo. 
 
 Dabrona, Cork Harbour. Eblana, Dublin. 
 
 Birgus, Barrow. Regia, Omagh. 
 
 Modonus, Liffey. Rhaeba, Enniskillen. 
 
 Oboca, Avonmore. lernis, Banagher, in 
 
 Logia, Lagan. King's County. 
 
 A tribe called lerni or Iverni occupied the S.W. 
 and centre of the island. The Manapii and the 
 Brigantes (evidently settlers from Britain) dwelt 
 respectively near the sites of the modern towns 
 Dublin and Wexford.
 
 CHAP. I.] THE MYTHICAL AND HEROIC AGES. 
 
 13 
 
 Ollav Foala (OVUm fo-olA), descended from Ir, 
 son of Millya, was the mythic lawgiver of Irish 
 story, holding a place similar to that of Theseus in 
 Greek mythology. He was hereditary King of Ulla 
 (UUvo), or Ulster. Having seized Tara (UeAtiiAifi), he 
 instituted there a triennial assembly of Kings, Druids, 
 and Chiefs. He also founded, a college there, began 
 a national history, the Psalter of Tara, and estab- 
 lished hereditary offices of heralds, bards, physicians, 
 and harpers. 
 
 Note, The name Tara is a modern pronunciation of Teowra 
 (CeAiri^Ac), the genitive case of Teowar (CeAtriAip), which signifies 
 "a hill commanding a view." The 
 site- of the ancient royal residence 
 lies in Meath, about five miles from 
 Bective. On one of the raths there 
 is an upright block of limestone, 
 which is supposed by many antiquaries 
 to be the genuine Leah Fawil (ViA 
 VAil)> or Stone of Destiny. The Awrd- 
 Ree ('AIVO ftij), or supreme King of 
 Ireland, lived at Tara, guarded by a 
 band of warriors styled "the Pillars 
 of Tara," but widely celebrated in 
 later Irish story as the Feena Errin 
 
 THE STONE OF DESTINY. 
 
 Aven (exMfiAin), now represented by Fort Navan, 
 three miles west of Armagh, was the military capital 
 of Ulster. It was said to have been founded for 
 Chnbay (CimbAec), King of the Ultonians, 
 by the red-haired Maha (THACA), goddess of 
 war, whom he afterwards married. Teernah 
 (Ui^eAjAnAc), Abbot of Clonmacnoise, the greatest 
 of the Irish chroniclers, regarded this event as 
 B
 
 11 
 
 HISTORY OF IKKLANIi. 
 
 [IST PER. 
 
 the beginning of authentic Irish history. The 
 Ultee (UIUA15), or children of Ir, held Tailtan 
 (UAilceAiin) in Westmeath, as the centre of their 
 power, until Aven was founded. What Tara was to 
 the middle of the island, Aven was to the north, a 
 commanding military centre. 
 
 Note. The word Armagh means Awrd-Maha ('Ajvo triA^A), the 
 hill of Maha. 
 
 The Red Branch, or Crave Eua (C^aob Tlu<y6), was 
 
 a military order founded in 119 B.C. by Eurie More 
 
 (HvrojAAi^e 1VI op), a descendant of Ir, the third son 
 
 of Millya. From him they took the name Clan 
 
 Eurie (Clan Ku-ofuuje). It is said that they 
 
 had branches of a red colour embroidered 
 
 as a symbol on their banners. They were 
 
 Ultonians, and occupied a fortress at Aven. Their 
 
 greatest hero was Coo- 
 hoolin (Cucul<unri), King 
 of Dune-Dahlgan (T)un- 
 OeAlgAn^Dundalk). He 
 was nephew to Connor 
 MacNessa (Concob Ap m<\c- 
 tleAfA), King of Ulster; 
 his mother, Dechtera 
 (TDeccepe), being sister of 
 that monarch. He gained 
 laurels in Eire (Ireland) 
 and in Alba (Scotland), 
 but his principal exploit 
 was the defeat of Maev 
 , the great warrior-queen, who ruled west of 
 
 WARRIOR.
 
 CHAP. I.] THE MYTHICAL AND HEROIC AGES. 
 
 15 
 
 the Shannon, and to whom Fergus MacEoy 
 
 rriAcTioij;), tanist of Ulster, 
 
 had deserted. Slain in 
 
 battle two miles from Dun- 
 
 dalk, Coohoolin was buried 
 
 at Tara (A.D. 9). He was 
 
 then only twenty - seven 
 
 years of age. 
 
 Note. Tanist (cAnAifc) meant 
 the successor generally the most 
 serviceable member of the family 
 chosen while the monarch was 
 still alive. 
 
 NAVAN FORT. CO. ARMAGH. 
 
 64 
 
 B.C. 
 
 Clanna Dega (ClAnnA t)e5A). Leaving their fort 
 at Ballyshannon, a tribe called the Clanna Dega, or 
 E'rnai, seized Tara, and made their King, Dega, 
 Awrd-Eee (B.C. 64). Ten years later, Fahtna 
 CpAcctiA) of the Red Branch slew Dega, and 
 drove his clan from the north. The Clanna Dega, 
 however, regained predominance in the centre and 
 south, especially under Conary More (ConAi^e 1TI6p) 
 (B.C. 7), surnamed the Beautiful. He was slain 
 (B.C. 3) on the banks of the Dodder near Dublin. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN ERA BEGINS. 
 
 The chief event in Irish history during the first 
 century of the Christian era was the overthrow of 
 the Milesian monarchy by a revolt of the lower 
 orders, the Aha-Tooaha (ACAC UUACA), or, as usually
 
 16 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [Isr PER. 
 
 named, Attacotti. A massacre of kings and nobles 
 at a feast in Connaught elevated the plebeian leader, 
 Cairbry (CAi^bpe), the Cathead, to the throne. 
 
 Morrawn (tnopAn), son of Cairbry, having re- 
 signed the throne to Farreyeagh (Feof<yoAc), a 
 Milesian, was rewarded with the office of chief 
 Brayhav (bpeiceAm), or judge. He wore a golden 
 collar, which was believed to grow tight on his own 
 neck, if he pronounced an unjust sentence ; and if 
 put on the neck of a guilty person, it choked the 
 criminal to death. 
 
 After another reverse the Milesian line was 
 restored in the person of Toole (UuACAl), whose reign 
 was a time of splendour. He formed the 
 central kingdom of Meath by taking a portion 
 from each of the four existing kingdoms. He 
 also, in reprisal for an insult offered to his daugh- 
 ters, imposed on Leinster a triennial tribute called 
 Bohromean (from bo, a cow). 
 
 Feena Errin (pAnriA eijAeAnn), called shortly the 
 Feenians, were a permanent national military force, 
 consisting of mercenaries from Leinster, Munster, 
 and Connaught, but not from Ulster. Originally 
 organised to maintain the power of the Awrd-Eee, 
 they afterwards assumed a troublesome ascendency 
 in Irish affairs. Their power waxed strongest under 
 four kings Conn, Art, Cormac, and Cairbry. 
 
 Felim Cpei-olim), the Lawgiver, was succeeded 
 (164 A.D.) by his celebrated son Conn, the Hundred 
 Fighter (Conn Ce<vo CACAC). Conn engaged in 
 conflict with Moa (tTlojA), King of Leinster, and
 
 OHAP. I.] 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN ERA BEGINS. 
 
 17 
 
 Ireland was divided between them by a road drawn 
 from Dublin Bay to Galway. The northern por- 
 tion was called La-whin (LeAc-Chtnnn), or Conn's 
 Half; the southern, La-woa (LeAC-TtlViogA), or Moa's 
 Half. Five military roads, branching out from Tara, 
 are ascribed to this reign. Conn was assassinated 
 at Tara by conspirators disguised as women. 
 
 MAP OF TARA HILL. 
 
 Note. The principal remains now visible on the hill of Tara are 
 the concentric earthen rings raised to surround and fortify the 
 royal dwellings ; of the structures themselves no portions remain, 
 owing probably to their having been made of timber, which was 
 formerly very abundant. The extent of the forests which in early 
 times covered Ireland caused it to be named Inish-na-veeva i.e., 
 Island of Woods. Moore observes that the fact of these edifices 
 having been "merely of wood is by no means conclusive against 
 the elegance of their structure, or the civilisation of those who
 
 18 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [Isx PER. 
 
 erected them. It was in wood that the graceful forms of Grecian 
 architecture first unfolded their beauties." 
 
 On one side of the hill may be identified the well (neaniriAC 1 , 
 Chrystalline) whence issues the Nith, the stream upon which was 
 erected, for a bondmaid of Cormac macArt, the first water-mill in 
 Ireland. 
 
 The external diameter of the Rath na Kiogh, or Fortress of the 
 Kings, is 853 feet. 
 
 Towards the end of the 2nd century, a grandson of 
 Conn, Cairbry Eiada (CAipbpe HHVOA), led a colony 
 of Scots over to Argyll, and founded the Scottish 
 kingdom of Dal-Eiada, pronounced Dawl-Eeeda 
 COAI-UIA-OA), the district of Eiada. Another grand- 
 son of Conn, named Cormac (COJUTIAC), was the most 
 splendid of the early monarchs of Ireland. He 
 founded three schools at Tara, and caused the 
 227 Psalter to be re-edited. Having lost one of 
 2 his eyes at the age of thirty-nine, he abdicated, 
 AD and devoted himself to a life of learned re- 
 tirement. He incurred the anger of the 
 Druids by turning from their rites to the adoration 
 of God. His Laws, and a work entitled Tagasg 
 Reeagh (UeAj;A^ ftioj), or Instructions of a King, 
 were read at the installation of early Irish princes. 
 
 Finn macCoole (Vionn mAcCuriiAitt) and his son 
 Osb.een (Oipn), the Fingal and Ossian of James Mac- 
 pherson's epics, were the most celebrated warriors 
 and poets of the Feenian band. Osheen and his son 
 Oscar revolted against Cairbry of the Liffey, King 
 of Ireland, who, during the 3rd century, utterly 
 broke their power, and slew Oscar in the battle of 
 Gowra (5v\t>|\<\), between Tara and the Boyne.
 
 CHAP. I.] THE CHRISTIAN ERA BEGINS. 19 
 
 A century of dim confusion followed. Three 
 brothers named Colla (CoUU), one of whom for a 
 time usurped the throne, destroyed the palace of 
 Aven. In 378 Criffan (CfiiomcAnn) was poisoned 
 by his sister, in order that the throne might de- 
 volve on her son Brian (bjnAn). But her stepson 
 Niall gained the crown instead of Brian. He 
 bears in history the name "Niall of the Nine 
 Hostages" (tliAlt HAOI ^hiAVlAc), because he kept 
 in captivity various chiefs in pledge for the good 
 behaviour of their subjects, whom he had con- 
 quered. Niall led an army into Scottish Dalriada 
 to aid in repelling the Picts. He warred also in 
 Western Britain, and was alleged to have invaded 
 Gaul with so much vigour that a special Norman 
 force was sent to oppose his advance. One of his own 
 soldiers murdered him near Boulogne. Niall (who 
 reigned from 379 to 405 A.D.) left eight sons. Four 
 of these settled in Meath, and four in Ulster : from 
 the former sprang the O'Neills (t1iHeiVl) of the 
 South; from the latter came the more celebrated 
 O'Neills of the North. Conall, one of the latter 
 four, established himself in Donegal, which was 
 called Tier-Conaill (UijA-Chon.&i'l'l), the land of 
 Conall; the territory of his brother Owen was 
 Tier-Owen (1:1^-6054111), the modern Tyrone. 
 
 Dahy (T)4o) succeeded Niall as King of Ireland. 
 Eavaging Gaul, like his predecessor, he AI , 
 penetrated to the foot of the Alps, where 406 
 he was killed by a flash of lightning. A.D.
 
 20 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST FEB. 
 
 NOTES ON THE PAGAN PERIOD. 
 Druids .Ogham Characters Weapons Mounds Tombs. 
 
 Druids in Ireland. Druidism, which probably 
 originated in the East, was supposed by some writers 
 to have come direct to Ireland, and to have then 
 passed over to Mona (Anglesey), where, amid the 
 oak-forests, the British Druids planted their chief 
 station. In the legends of nearly all the six cycles 
 of Irish mythology we find Druids prominently 
 mentioned. But Druidism in Ireland differed from 
 Druidism in Britain. In Ireland the yew, not the 
 oak, was the Druids' sacred tree ; the rowan, the sloe, 
 and the hawthorn also had a part in their magic rites. 
 The Irish Druids did not offer human sacrifices. A 
 knowledge of medicine and the arts of magic gave 
 them a hold upon the people. They explained 
 dreams ; drew omens from the stars and the clouds, 
 from the croaking raven and the chirping wren. 
 Stories were told of their producing clouds of darkness, 
 and causing lunacy by tossing a wisp of hay in a 
 man's face. They kept alive a sacred flame, from 
 which the leading chiefs were accustomed to kindle 
 fire on their own hearths. They acted also as 
 teachers; but they do not seem to have been 
 organised into a distinct priesthood. Many kings 
 and chiefs were Druids. 
 
 The Ogham Characters. What the word Ogham 
 (OjAm), pronounced Owam, means is uncertain. It 
 was applied to an ancient and secret mode of 
 writing, and resembled the runes of the Germans
 
 CHAP. L] NOTES ON THE PAGAN PERIOD. 
 
 21 
 
 OGHAM MEMORIAL. 
 
 and the Scandinavians. It consisted of straight lines 
 placed at various angles, and arranged in rows on 
 different sides of a stem line. There were no curved 
 letters. Originating in Druidic days, it was first 
 used for inscribing on tombs 
 the names of dead kings 
 either by carving the Ogham 
 on a twig, which was. twisted 
 round the tombstone, or, in 
 later days, by cutting the lines 
 on the stone. The inscription 
 was read upwards from the 
 lowest line. Its use on sepul- 
 chres continued in Christian 
 days. Cork and Kerry contain 
 the most numerous existing examples of the Ogham 
 inscriptions, and they are to be found too in West 
 Wales, where the Irish may have settled. 
 
 Weapons. The ancient Irish used in war weapons 
 of stone (1) simply as missiles thrown from the 
 hand; (2) hurled from a sling; (3) when fashioned into 
 the heads of spears, axes, and war-hammers. Similar 
 weapons of bronze, and sgians or swords, were used in 
 later periods ; but a stone axe and a stone hammer of 
 larger size were wielded in battle long after the use 
 of metals began. An iron flail was a favourite 
 weapon. It was similar to the "knout" and the 
 " scorpion " of other lands, and consisted of a central 
 handle, to which were attached chains terminating 
 with iron balls. Shields of various forms oblong, 
 oval, and especially round were made of yew, or
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [1ST PEE. 
 
 wicker, covered with hide, and 
 rimmed with metal; others were 
 made entirely of metal ornamented 
 with an embossed pattern. Though 
 the early Irish chiefs did not as a 
 rule adopt the use of armour, yet 
 some heroes are described as wearing 
 coats of bull-hide seven-ply thick. 
 A scythed chariot, or cardbad (cA]VbAt)), 
 drawn by horses clad in spiked mail, 
 often bore the Irish chiefs through 
 the battlefield. 
 
 Mounds and Tombs. The Pagan 
 period of Irish history has been called 
 the " mound-raising-age," owing to 
 the fact that kings and heroes were 
 interred in stone-chambers, covered 
 with a huge mound or barrow. The 
 Cromleac (CjAomteAc) consisted of 
 upright stones, inclosing a space, and 
 covered with a huge slab. Carns 
 (CAi]An), or heaps of stone, were also 
 used to cover graves. Cremation, or 
 burning the dead, was practised, 
 although simple interment was per- 
 haps the rule. Professional mourners 
 sang the dirge, or " keena " (cAoine), 
 which often described the virtues and 
 achievements of the dead, a practice 
 which has continued till recent times. 
 BRONZE SGIANS. The principal burial-mounds of the
 
 CHAP. I.] NOTES ON THE PAGAN PEEIOD. 
 
 23 
 
 Druidic period are to be seen at Newgrange by the 
 Boyne, not far from Drogheda. Pillar stones, some- 
 times arranged in a circle, also marked a place of 
 burial. Annual games were often held at the tombs 
 of dead heroes a custom from which originated 
 many of the " fairs " of a later day 
 
 CROMLEAC.
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 THE FIRST AGE OF IRISH CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 From the Accession of King Layary in 427 A.D., to the First 
 Incursion of the Danes in 795 A.D. 
 
 Palladius Isle of Saints Columcille Battle of Moira St. 
 Patrick Great Schools Other Saints Rise of Armagh. 
 
 IN 427 A.D. a son of Niall called Layary (LAot^iiAe) 
 became King of Ireland. 
 
 Early in his reign, Pope Celestine consecrated a 
 deacon named Palladius as the first " Bishop 
 
 A Ol A 
 
 to the Irish believing in Christ." This mission 
 
 AD 
 
 failed. Repulsed from Wicklow, Palladius 
 sailed to Scotland, where he died. 
 
 Saint Patrick (VUorii pA-o^Aig), the great Apostle 
 and Patron Saint of Ireland, landed near Bray in 432 
 A.D. Whether he came with a commission from the 
 Pope or not, has been a disputed point. 
 
 Some think Dumbarton on the Clyde to have been ' 
 the birthplace of St. Patrick ; others regard him as a 
 native of Armoric Gaul. It is said that he was made 
 captive at the age of sixteen by King Niall, and was 
 brought from Gaul to Ireland. His mother, Con- 
 chessa, is said to have been a sister of St. Martin of 
 Tours ; his father was Calpurnius, a deacon.
 
 CHAP, ii.] FIKST AGE OF IKISH CHRISTIANITY. 25 
 
 After six years of bondage, spent as a swineherd 
 near the hill called Slieve-Mish in Antrim, the youth- 
 ful Patrick, guided by a dream, escaped to Gaul in a 
 merchant ship. Having studied at Tours, at Auxerre 
 under St. Germain, and in Italy, he became noted as 
 a linguist. 
 
 Some writers state that St. Patrick preached in 
 Ireland before the arrival of Palladius ; others main- 
 tain that he was chosen to be the follower of that 
 unsuccessful missionary. He settled on the south 
 shore of Strangford Lough, where he founded a church 
 at Saul. 
 
 In spite of fierce opposition from the Druids, 
 Patrick preached at Tara before King Layary. He 
 soon converted two daughters of that monarch, and, 
 traversing the island, planted numerous churches 
 and monasteries one account says, three hundred 
 and sixty-five. He founded (about 445) a cathedral 
 at Armagh, close to the site of the ancient Aven. 
 
 On the 17th of March, 465 A.D., St. Patrick died, 
 probably at Saul. He was buried at Down- 
 patrick, a place which commemorates the fact 
 in its name. We have in the Confessio, which 
 all authorities regard as undoubtedly his own work, a 
 remarkable glimpse into this great apostle's life and 
 thoughts. 
 
 Six years before the death of St. Patrick, King 
 Layary had died smitten, some said, by lightning. 
 
 By a victory of Layary's son over a usurper, the 
 race of Niall was firmly fixed on the throne of 
 Ireland.
 
 26 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PER. 
 
 Isle of Saints (OiUeAn nA mom). The advent of 
 St. Patrick laid the foundation of a period in Irish 
 history rich in saintly names. Under the name of 
 Scotia, Christianised Ireland was for two centuries 
 (600 to 800 A.D.) the splendid centre and source of 
 whatever learning and civilisation existed in Europe 
 during the Dark Ages. 
 
 Great Schools were founded ; notably (1) Clonard, 
 in Meath, by St. Finnian ; (2) Lismore, on the Black- 
 water; (3) Clonmacnoise, beside the Shannon, by 
 St Ciaran ; (4) Bangor, in Down, by St. CowaL 
 At the last named school 3,000 monks resided. 
 
 From that part of Antrim north of the Eavel 
 water, once called Dalriada, and still known as " the 
 Eoute," a second emigration of Scots now took place 
 under Lome and Fergus, the sons of Ere. 
 Passing into Argyll, they became rulers of the 
 Scottish Dalriada. Alba (the modern Scot- 
 land) now became known as Scotia Minor, as dis- 
 tinguished from Ireland, or Scotia Major. The name 
 Scotia was applied to the parent country until the 
 11 th century. 
 
 Note. Dalriada is not to be confounded with Dalaradia, a 
 district comprising part of Antrim and Down between the Eavel 
 water and Newry. 
 
 A female disciple of St. Patrick, known as St. 
 Bridget, died, it is said, in 525 A.D., at Kill-dara (the 
 Church of the oak), where, in company with eight 
 nuns of noble birth, she had long tended the sacred 
 fire, which had been probably kept alive from pagan 
 days.
 
 CHAP, ii.] FIRST AGE OF IRISH CHRISTIANITY. 27 
 
 Columcille (Coin mci Vie) or St. Columba. The 
 greatest of the Irish saints in the sixth century was 
 Columcille (Dove of the Church), or St. Columba. 
 His original name was Criffan. Born at Gartan 
 in Donegal (521 A.D.) of a royal race the house 
 of Mall Columcille at the age of twenty-five 
 founded a church at Derry. But his principal resi- 
 dence in early life was Durrow in Queen's County. 
 He copied a psalter lent to him by Finnian of 
 Moville, and Finnian claimed the copy. The dispute 
 being referred to King Diarmid (tHAfttmiro), that 
 monarch decided " that the calf goes with the cow," 
 and therefore a copy must belong to the owner of a 
 book. Columcille's clan the O'Neills took 
 
 c 51 
 
 up his cause, and defeated a royal army at Cool- 
 drevny near Sligo. 
 
 Columcille, with twelve retainers, sailed over to the 
 islet of Hy, or lona, on the west coast of 
 Scotland. There he established a church 
 
 A D 
 
 and a monastery; and from this centre he 
 spread the light of the Gospel so widely that he 
 has been styled the "morning-star of Scotland's 
 faith." 
 
 In the reign of Diarmid, Tara, having been 
 desecrated by a murder, fell under the ban of the 
 Church, and was deserted as a seat of royalty. 
 The assembly of the Irish States met in 575, 
 near Limavady in County Derry. St. Columcille 
 was present, and it was decided that the King of 
 Scottish Dalriada should henceforth be independent 
 of the Irish monarch.
 
 28 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PEU. 
 
 Columcille died at lona, in 597 A.D., while kneeling 
 before the altar. 
 
 Other Irish Saints and Scholars. Columban, 
 a native of Leinster, passed from the -cloisters 
 of Bangor into Burgundy, where he founded the 
 abbey of Luxeuil. Driven thence by Duke Thierry, 
 he established a new monastery at Bobbio in Italy. 
 He died in 615. St. Gall (5*11), a pupil of 
 Columban, founded in Switzerland the abbey 
 and town still called by his name. Cilian, the 
 apostle of Franconia; Awnaun or Adamnan 
 (A-oATiinAn), the successor and biographer of 
 Columcille ; Claud Clemens and John Albin, learned 
 Irishmen who were honoured at the court of 
 Charlemagne ; are also celebrated names. Clemens, 
 at the request of the Emperor, founded a monastic 
 school in France, which prepared the way for the 
 foundation of the Paris University ; Albin went to 
 Italy to preside over the monastery of St. Augustine 
 at Pavia. But the greatest name of the period was 
 Johannes Scotus, or Erigena, the most remarkable 
 layman of the Dark Ages, who resided in France at 
 the court of Charles the Bald, and died about 874. 
 His name, Erigena, points to his Irish birth. His 
 chief work was entitled The Division of Nature. 
 
 During the seventh -century the, breach between 
 
 the two Dalriadas grew wider. In the great battle of 
 
 637 ^ awra ( A 5^ At now Moira in Down), which 
 
 was fought lor seven days between the O'Neills 
 
 of Ulster and the confederate forces of the 
 
 Scottish Dalriada and the Ulidians or men of Down,
 
 CHAP, ir.] FIRST AGE OF IRISH CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 29 
 
 the latter were defeated. The influence of lona in 
 Irish affairs grew constantly weaker ; while Armagh, 
 where the co-aria (CorhA^bA), or successor-designate 
 of St. Patrick, ruled as abbot, now rose to be the 
 ecclesiastical capital of Ireland. 
 
 The rival branches of the royal house of O'Neill 
 the southern O'Neills and northern O'Neills kept 
 Ireland at this time in a state of constant turmoil. 
 
 THE GRIANAN OF AILEACH. 
 
 In 675 a southern O'Neill gained the crown, and 
 Aileach (4\ileAc), the northern palace at Inishowen 
 in Donegal, was ravaged. 
 
 In 684, Egfrid, the Saxon king of Northumbria, 
 invaded Ireland, and carried off a vast amount of 
 plunder and many slaves. 
 
 The following century (700-800) presents a con- 
 fused list of kings and battles. Leinster suffered 
 severely, being constantly invaded for the purpose of 
 exacting the payment of tribute. At the battle of 
 Allen, in 722, King Ferral ("FeAjujAl) was slain by
 
 80 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST FEB. 
 
 the victorious men of Leinster. Hugh Allan (Aoo 
 AlUn), King of Ireland, who died in 738, cherished 
 the predominance of Armagh with peculiar care. 
 
 SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 
 
 Clan and Sept Various Ranks Brehon Laws Houses Furni- 
 ture Food Dress Music Round Towers Illuminating 
 Gold-work. 
 
 Among Celtic races the Clan (meaning "the 
 children or descendants ") included not only families 
 connected by blood and bearing the name of a 
 common ancestor, but also the retainers. Owner- 
 ship of land was vested in the tribe, which had 
 territory allotted to it according to its requirements. 
 The Sept was a subdivision of the clan, resembling a 
 village community. The Toodh (UUAC) were the 
 people of a district, similar to the modern barony. 
 Ballih (bdite) meant a village or demesne, and in the 
 form Bally is widely scattered on the map of Ireland. 
 Names of places on the east coast beginning with 
 Bal, as Balbriggan, are from the Norse &o7, a house. 
 
 Various Ranks. The King, or Eee (1^15), dwelt 
 in a fort or dune. The supreme monarch bore the 
 title Awrd-ree ('Ajvo-pij). The various ranks were 
 as follows : 
 
 1. Freemen Airech (-AijieAc), including owners 
 of land Flah (V^Ait), and owners of cattle 
 only Bo-Airech (b
 
 CHAP, n.] SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 31 
 
 2. Eetainers Caila (Ceite). These included Free 
 
 Cailas and Base Cailas the latter being 
 similar to the Saxon ceorl and the Norman 
 villein. 
 
 3. Indoor and outdoor servants, or labourers 
 
 Shenclayha (Seti-cleice). 
 
 4. Cottiers Bowha (bouAc). 
 
 5. Strangers, tenants-at-will Feeir ("Pui-oi^). 
 Though the third and fourth classes had not the 
 
 political rights of freemen, they belonged to the clan, 
 and were immovable from the land. 
 
 In all dealings in these times the unit of value 
 was a cow. 
 
 The Brehon Laws. A judge was called Brayhav 
 (bf\eieArh), or Brehon. The Brehon law prevailed in 
 Ireland from the earliest ages. It is embodied in the 
 Shanhus More (SeAncuf m6]i Great Law), a work 
 the compilation of which St. Patrick is said to have 
 superintended. Among the distinctive features of 
 the Brehon code, three deserve special notice : 
 (1) Uric (6i|Mc) the price of a life by which a 
 murderer was bound to pay compensation to the 
 family and sept of his victim. Like the Anglo-Saxon 
 were-gild, the eric varied in amount according to the 
 rank of the slain. (2) Tanistry (UAnAifceAct>), a 
 law by which the successor of a chief was not neces- 
 sarily his eldest son, but was elected during his life- 
 time from among his near relatives, the ablest man 
 being chosen as Tanist (UAnAi-pc). (3) Gavelkind 
 (5AbAil-cirme), a law by which a man's landed estate 
 was divided equally among all his sons. This still
 
 82 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PER. 
 
 prevails in some parts of England The Brayhav 
 acted as arbitrator in all disputes. If he was found 
 to have given a partial decision, he was punished by 
 being branded on the cheek. 
 
 Houses. The Dune in which the Kee dwelt had 
 two earthen ramparts, with a moat between them. 
 
 SITE OF CORMAC'S HOUSE AT TARA (IN SECTION). 
 
 The house of a Flah or prince CplxMc), though 
 generally styled a Lis (tio-p), bore the name Raw 
 (HAC), if it had round it a mound inclosing a court- 
 yard. 
 
 THE FORROO Vo^^AT), TARA. 
 
 i]\) meant a village or enclosure fortified 
 with a dry-stone wall. The lands, with which a 
 monastery was endowed, bore the name of tcrmon- 
 lands, the boundaries being marked with crosses 
 or pillar-stones. Land within such limits, according 
 to the claims of the Church, afforded sanctuary to 
 offenders, and was liable to neither tribute nor tax. 
 The steward, or Erenagh, superintended the labourers,
 
 CUAI>. ii.] SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 33 
 
 collected the rents, and directed the operations of 
 husbandry. 
 
 Crannogues (CjiArmo^A), or wooden island-dwel- 
 lings built on piles in shallow lakes, were frequent. 
 Log-houses, thatched with straw, for the chiefs, and 
 round huts of wood and wattles, plastered with clay, 
 for the lower classes, formed the usual abodes. The 
 accommodation was of the simplest kind. There was 
 only one large room,known as the Ale-house (Ui^-ofOA), 
 and furnished with couches round the wall for persons 
 of rank. Servants lay on the rush-strewn floor. The 
 women had a separate dwelling. The fire was in the 
 centre of the floor, until the use of flues caused it to 
 be placed close to the wall. Ordinary dwellings 
 were about seventeen feet in length. The house 
 of a chief was more than double those dimensions. 
 The kitchen was often built apart from the main 
 dwelling. 
 
 Furniture. Feather pillows and rugs of fur lay on 
 the couches of the ale-house. Chests served both for 
 seats and wardrobes. Leather bottles held ale and 
 mead (me<vo), which were drunk either from the 
 hooped wooden pigeen (pigin) or from the curn (COJATI), 
 a cow's horn rimmed with silver. Weapons hung on 
 the wall. The griddle, the tub, and the big pot 
 slung over the fire, were present, as they are in the 
 Irish cabin of to-day. The quern, or hand-mill (bpo), 
 and the spinning-wheel, spoke of woman's work. 
 
 Food. Oatmeal, in the form of cakes and por- 
 ridge, constituted the usual food. Nutmeal, from 
 acorns and filberts, formed the "Lenten fare."
 
 34 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [1ST PER. 
 
 Mutton-broth was flavoured with leeks. The salad 
 was made of water-cresses. Seaweeds, called dulse 
 and sloke, were eaten by those dwelling near the sea. 
 As cattle formed the wealth of the island, milk, 
 butter, and cheese were plentiful. Salt meat, espe- 
 cially bacon, was most used. Fresh pork formed a 
 dish for a king. Eed ale, flavoured with herbs, and 
 mead, made of fermented honey, were the favourite 
 beverages of the ancient Irish. 
 
 THE QUERN. 
 
 Dress. A coat of deerskin, stitched with gut, 
 formed the dress of the Irish chieftain in early days. 
 The layun (UjAtin) was a sleeveless woollen vest 
 descending like a kilt to the knee, and bound 
 with a cris (cjuof), or girdle. The caimsi (shirt) was 
 either worn under the layun or alone as a blouse. 
 Other garments were the inar (iotiAp), or jacket; the 
 brat (b^Ac), or cloak; and the trews (cfiiuf), or trousers. 
 Women wore a long layun, and a veil to cover the 
 head. A hood or felt hat, or a square cap called
 
 CHAP, ii.] SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 
 
 35 
 
 barr (bAjip), formed the head-dress of a man. Brogues 
 were worn, which were probably cut from the soft 
 hide, and allowed to dry into the shape of the foot ; 
 but highly ornamented shoes, displaying the most 
 careful workmanship, were also used. The latter 
 were probably of tanned leather. Saffron was a 
 favourite dye; certain lichens produced purple and 
 yellow-brown ; the root of bedstraw gave a red ; and 
 woad was used for blue. Fringes of gold thread and 
 embroidery in gold often decorated the dress of kings 
 and ladies. The rank of the different classes was 
 
 SINGLE PIECE SHOES AND SANDAL. 
 
 indicated, according to law, by the number of colours 
 which each was permitted to use in the ornamenta- 
 tion of its garments. 
 
 The ancient Irish displayed considerable artistic 
 taste and culture in metal work, illuminating, and 
 carving on stone. Their chieftains wore the tore 
 (COJAC), or collar of gold ; and sculptured crosses still 
 attest the excellence of their art.
 
 36 H1ST011Y OF IRELAND. [!ST I'EK. 
 
 Amusements. Quoit-throwing and athletic games 
 of all kinds exercised the people in times of peace. 
 Chess was the favourite game of the chiefs. Music, 
 too, employed their leisure, and bardic story-tellers 
 recounted in verse the exploits of the heroes of the 
 past. The following instruments were used : 
 Grit (Cfunc), the harp, triangular in form (like the 
 
 Greek trigonon}. 
 Fidil (iT)il), the violin. 
 Timpawn (UiompAn), a kind of drum. 
 Peepay (piop^i), the bagpipes, played with the 
 
 mouth. 
 
 Curn (Co^n), the trumpet or horn. 
 Stoc (Scoc), the clarion. 
 
 Bells (Clois), of two kinds (1) either an open 
 bell with a tongue, used in churches; or 
 (2) a closed, pear-shaped bell or crotal, with 
 a loose ball in it. The latter were sometimes 
 hung on a "musical branch," which was 
 shaken to produce sound. 
 
 Round Towers. These ancient structures, peculiar 
 to Ireland, are now generally believed to have been 
 erected during the early Christian ages to serve a 
 double purpose (1) as belfries, (2) as strong places 
 for the storage of church manuscripts and plate and 
 other treasures in time of war. Perhaps the highest 
 portion may have served at need to display a beacon. 
 The erection of a great number is ascribed to a 
 celebrated builder known as the Gobhan Saer. 
 
 Illuminating. In the Irish monasteries, which 
 were centres of light in the Dark Ages, the arts
 
 CHAP, ii.] SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 37 
 
 flourished to an extent which appears remarkable, 
 when we consider the period of history and the 
 circumstances of surrounding lands. In connection 
 with learning, the copying and illuminating of manu- 
 scripts were especially cultivated. The Book of Kells, 
 still preserved in the library of Trinity College, 
 Dublin, and ascribed by some to the pen of St. 
 Columcille, at a time about 590 A.D., affords a 
 splendid specimen of this branch of art. On the 
 initial letters in such a work the patient artist 
 lavished all his skill, and the brilliance of the colours 
 green, blue, crimson, scarlet, yellow, and purple 
 attests the excellence of the pigments used even in 
 those distant days. 
 
 Gold Work. The art of smelting gold became 
 known to the Irish at a very early date; and the 
 precious metal was largely used in making jewellery, 
 such as diadems, gorgets, cloak-fasteners ; and in the 
 decoration of weapons and dress. The Minn (pro- 
 nounced Meen) or diadem was formed of a thin 
 gold plate often in the shape of a crescent moon, 
 and richly ornamented. It was probably worn up- 
 right upon the head. Kings were often designed to 
 represent a twisted cord or fillet. They were worn 
 on the fingers, or as armlets, or circlets for the knee. 
 The Tore (Uofvc), a " collar of gold," was worn by 
 chieftains and queens round the neck. Two remark- 
 able specimens of this ornament, supposed from their 
 length to have been used rather as girdles than as 
 necklets, were found near Tara, and are known as the 
 Tores of Tara. They are five feet and a-half in
 
 88 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PER, 
 
 length ; one weighs twenty-seven ounces, the other 
 twelve ounces. The larger tore consists of a bar of 
 pure gold, elegantly fashioned into the form of a 
 quadruple spiral from end to end. 
 
 The Brooch, of gold or silver, was worn on breast 
 or shoulder. Some of extreme size and weight 
 
 THE MINN. 
 
 covered the whole breast; and the Brehon Laws 
 made mention of injury inflicted by the projecting 
 pins. The ring of the brooch was often starred with 
 gems, and enriched by coloured enamels ; a certain 
 kind had no gems set in it, but was carved, and bore 
 small globes resembling the berry of the arbutus.
 
 CHAP. II.] SOCIAL LIFE IN ANCIENT IRELAND. 39 
 
 Special care was naturally devoted to the adorn- 
 ment of the crosier, or pastoral staff borne by prelates. 
 The Bahal Eesa (bAc<xi lo-p), or Staff of Jesus, long 
 treasured among the sacred relics of Armagh, was 
 bright with gold and gems. Originally possessed, it 
 is said, by St. Patrick, it was burned in the days of 
 the Protestant Eeformation (about 1537). 
 
 The perfection to which the arts arrived, during 
 the earlier periods of Irish Christianity, is to be 
 explained by the high civilisation that had dis- 
 tinguished Ireland during remote pagan times. 
 Nowhere did Christianity gain more ready converts, 
 or more devoted missionaries. At Kells in Meath 
 two centaurs are sculptured on a cross ; and in stone 
 carvings figures of birds, dogs, and oxen often 
 mingled with sacred emblems. The wooden churches 
 of the days of St. Patrick and St. Colurncille pro- 
 bably gave way to stone structures before 800 A.D. 
 Early Irish churches are found with circular-vaulted 
 stone roofs. The most primitive stone dwellings in 
 Ireland are circular in plan, and built in the shape 
 of a bee-hive.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 AGE OF THE DANISH INVASIONS. 
 
 From the First Invasion of the Danes in 795 A.D. to the Death 
 of Malachy II. in 1022 A.D. 
 
 Norsemen Turgesius Ostmen Cormac MacCulyenan Munster 
 Dalcassians and Eugenians Brian Borua Clontarf. 
 
 THE Norsemen, who played so important a part in 
 the history of North- Western Europe, began to 
 
 ravage Ireland in 795 A.D., when they 
 795 
 
 plundered an island, probably either Eathlin 
 
 or Lambay. Though usually called Danes, 
 they consisted of two distinct nations the Dhu- 
 Yoill ('Oub jViAiVl Black Strangers), from Denmark 
 proper, and the Finn-Yoill ("Pionn gViAill Fair 
 Strangers), from Scandinavia. Invading Connaught 
 in 807, they penetrated to Eoscommon. The rich 
 monasteries attracted their special attention ; Bangor 
 and Lismore suffered especially. 
 
 Turgesius, or Thorkils, a brother or son of the 
 
 King of Denmark, conquered La-whin, and made 
 
 Armagh his capital. He afterwards obtained 
 
 the sovereignty of Ireland, but was seized by 
 
 conspirators, and drowned in Lough Owel 
 
 near Mullingar. This crime was said to have been 
 
 instigated by the King of Meath (845 A.D.).
 
 CHAP, ill.] AGE OF THE DANISH INVASIONS. 41 
 
 The Danes soon began to take advantage of the 
 constant wars resulting from the subdivision of 
 Ireland into five petty kingdoms, whose monarchs 
 were always contending for supremacy. The five 
 kingdoms were Meath, Ulster, Leinster, Munster, 
 and Connaught. By selling their services as mer- 
 cenaries to the contending princes, the Danes secured 
 both plunder and political advantages. 
 
 A conflict among the invaders themselves, when 
 the Dhu-Yoill were arrayed against the Finn- 
 Yoill, resulted in a battle at Carlingford, which 
 lasted for three days. The Dhu-Yoill were 
 routed, and Amlaff, or Olaf, became King of Dublin. 
 
 Two brothers of Amlaff Sitric and Ivar settled 
 respectively at Waterford and Limerick, ostensibly 
 as merchants. The presence of the Danes, or Ostmen 
 (i.e., East Men), in Ireland accounts for the Scandi- 
 navian word fiord or ford appearing in a few 
 instances in Irish geography. Thus we find Strang- 
 ford., Carlingford, and Wexford, all on the east coast. 
 Another Norse word, stadr (a place), marks the 
 endings of the names of three provinces where 
 the Norse influence was felt Ulster, Leinster, 
 Munster (tUxvo, "LyijeAti, fflutfiA in Irish, Ulla, 
 Leean, Muwa). 
 
 In the days of Turgesius, the Danes began to 
 exact a tribute called Nose-money, because those who 
 refused to pay it were mutilated by the loss of their 
 noses. 
 
 In 863, the O'Neills of Ulster (Ui TleiU) gained 
 the crown of Ireland with the help of the Danes.
 
 42 
 
 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [1ST PER. 
 
 A few years later (878), the remains of St. Colum- 
 cille were removed for safety to Downpatrick, where 
 St. Bridget and St. Patrick had been previously 
 interred. 
 
 The reign of Cormac mac Culyenan (CopiAc THAC 
 CuileATiAti), Bishop of Cashel, who was made King of 
 Munster in 901, was short, though brilliant. When 
 
 THE ROCK OF CASHEL. 
 
 he received the crown, this pious and learned prelate 
 
 was sixty years of age. Listening too much to the 
 rash advice of an abbot named O'Flaherty, he 
 became embroiled in a war with Leinster, and 
 perished in battle at Ballaghmoon near Carlow. 
 
 Cormac is said to have compiled the Psalter of Cashel 
 
 and a Glossary. 
 
 908 
 
 A.D.
 
 CHAP, in.] AGE OF THE DANISH INVASIONS. 43 
 
 Note. CasJiel in Tipperary, now noted for its remarkable rock 
 crowned with ruins, was, at the time of which we write, a centre of 
 royal and ecclesiastical splendour. The ruins now to be seen are 
 1, A round tower ; 2, Corrnac's Chapel, dating from 1127, and 
 founded by a King Cormac, who lived later than MacCulyenan ; 
 3, a cathedral in the pointed style ; 4, a castle ; 5, an ancient 
 sculptured cross. 
 
 Amlaff, Danish King of Dublin, who had married 
 a daughter of Constantine, King of Alban, sailed 
 round by the Orkneys with a fleet of 615 ships, and 
 in the Humber joined a force of Scots and 
 Northumbrian Danes, leagued against Athel- 
 
 A "M 
 
 stane, the Saxon King of England. At 
 Brunanburgh in Lincolnshire, Athelstane inflicted a 
 signal defeat upon these combined foes. 
 
 The Kingdom of Munster was much weakened by 
 its subdivision into two principalities, consequent 
 on the will of Ollill Olum (OitioU Olum), a 
 southern monarch of early times. The subdivisions 
 were : 
 
 1. Desmond ('OeA-p-tTlhtirhAn), or South Munster, 
 comprising the modern counties of Kerry, Cork, and 
 Waterford. 
 
 2. Thomond (UuAc-TnhuriiAri), or North Munster, 
 including Clare, Limerick, and part of Tipperary. 
 
 Those belonging to the princely house of Desmond 
 are known as Eugenians, being descended from 
 Owen (GO^ATI), the eldest son of Ollill Olum, 
 King of Munster; those belonging to that of 
 Thomond, being descended from Cormac Cas, the 
 second son, are named Dalcassians. The latter tribe, 
 under the celebrated Brian Borua (b|\i<Mi V)O|AUTTIA),
 
 44 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1T PER. 
 
 Brian of the Tribute, gained the ascendency, and 
 kept it. 
 
 Brian Borua. Two great central figures, Brian 
 
 Borua and Malachy (ITlAetfcA, ItlAelfeAclArm), 
 
 now shine forth from the confused struggles of 
 
 Irish history. Cinnedy (Cinnei-oe), Prince of the 
 
 Dalcassians, left two sons, Mahon (ITlAcjjArhAin) and 
 
 Brian. The former became King of Munster ; but in 
 
 976 A.D., being enticed to a conference by a treacherous 
 
 foe, he was carried off to a mountain and murdered. 
 
 His brother Brian then exchanged the minor 
 
 crown of Thomond for the throne of Munster. 
 
 A.D, 
 
 One of his earliest exploits was to expel the 
 Danes of Limerick from the islands of the Shannon 
 notably from Inishcathy. 
 
 Malachy II. became King of Ireland in 980 A.D. In 
 the same year he defeated the Danes of Dublin 
 
 QftO 
 
 in the battle of Tara, after three days of 
 
 continuous fighting. 
 
 A collision between these two great warriors was 
 inevitable. Malachy, indeed, courted it by ravaging 
 the Dalcassian territory (now called Clare), and 
 cutting down the sacred tree at Adair, under which 
 the princes of that tribe had been formerly crowned. 
 The warlike fame of Malachy, who, fighting with the 
 Danes of Dublin, slew a chieftain, Tomar, and took his 
 tore, or "collar of gold," probably excited a desire 
 in Brian's breast to oppose his superior in rank. 
 Collecting a great force, in which nearly all the 
 Danes of Ireland served, the King of Munster issued 
 from his palace of Cencora (CeAnn COJA<VO), near
 
 CHAP, in.] AGE OF THE DANISH INVASIONS. 45 
 
 Killaloe, and, marching to Tara, forced Malachy 
 to resign the crown of Ireland, and sink 
 to an inferior position as King of Meath. 
 Then began Brian's splendid reign of 
 twelve years (1002-1014). The Danes paid a 
 regular tribute, which was expended not only in 
 adorning the royal palaces, but in the foundation 
 
 TORCS AND FIBULAE. 
 
 of schools and the making of roads and bridges. 
 These were the days in which as the poets have 
 sung a beautiful maiden, adorned with jewels, and 
 bearing a bright gold ring on her wand, could pass 
 alone through the land, fearless of wrong: so well 
 were the laws obeyed. 
 
 But trouble arose, fostered, it is said, by Brian's 
 D
 
 46 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1ST PER. 
 
 queen, Gormla (5of\mflAic), who was sister to the 
 King of Leinster. 
 
 Battle of Clontarf. A motley but formidable 
 host mustered at Clontarf (CluAin-UAjVb), on the 
 northern shore of Dublin Bay, to give battle to the 
 great Brian. The men of Leinster were led by 
 their King ; the Danes of Dublin were commanded 
 by Sitric, a son of Queen Gormla by her first marriage. 
 Wales and Cornwall, the Orkneys and Scandinavia, 
 sent their warriors to curb the pride of the Irish 
 monarch. The number of the entire host was 
 reckoned at 21,000 men. 
 
 To these King Brian, who was now an aged man 
 of eighty-eight, opposed 20,000 men the flower of 
 Munster, both Dalcassians and Eugenians ; the 
 warriors of Connaught, under their King; Scots 
 from the Lennox; and a thousand men of Meath, 
 under King Malachy. Brian's eldest son, Murragha 
 (fDufACAt)), commanded the allied forces. 
 
 While lying at Kilmainham, Brian despatched one 
 of his sons with a chosen band to plunder Leinster, 
 hoping thus to draw the king of that province from 
 his position. Though thus weakened in numbers, he 
 was obliged to accept the battle, which the Danish 
 leaders forced on at dawn. He engaged with them 
 
 reluctantly, for the day was Good Friday. 
 
 Each army advanced in three divisions; 
 
 but a conflict in these days was, like the 
 Homeric battles, a series of duels. Prince Murragha 
 was the hero of the strife. Wielding a huge battle- 
 axe, he smote down Earl Sigurd of the Orkneys, and
 
 CHAP. ni.J AGE OF THE DANISH INVASIONS. 
 
 47 
 
 many another hardy Norseman; 
 but towards evening a stab from 
 a dying hand laid him low with a 
 mortal wound. At the head of 
 his Dalcassians, he had previously 
 turned the scale of battle by the 
 utter rout of a thousand Norsemen 
 clad in coats of mail a chosen 
 band in whom the foe had placed 
 their strongest hopes. The Danes 
 fled in the dusk some to Dublin 
 the foreigners to their ships at 
 Howth. But most of their chiefs 
 lay dead by the Tolka or along 
 the shores of green Clontarf. 
 
 Death of Brian Borua. The 
 aged Brian was kneeling in his 
 tent to offer thanks for the victory 
 just achieved, when the sea-king 
 Brodar rushed in and slew him. 
 As the Norse warrior was pro- 
 claiming aloud this deed, in the 
 hope that the flying Danes might 
 rally, the royal guards seized him 
 and hanged him on a tree. 
 
 King Brian was interred with 
 splendid and solemn rites beside 
 the great altar at Armagh. His 
 son Murragha, and his grandson BRONZE SPEAR - 
 Turlough (CoijvoeAtbAc), were buried in the 
 cathedral (1014 A.D.).
 
 43 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [1ST PER. 
 
 Malachy restored. After the death of Brian 
 Borua, his old rival, Malachy, King of Meath, 
 was restored to the throne of Ireland. No event 
 of importance marked Malachy's second reign of 
 eight years (1014-1022). In his last year he de- 
 feated the still troublesome Danes at Athboy; but 
 immediately afterwards he retired to an island in 
 Lough Ennel near Mullingar, where he died in 
 seclusion (1022 A.D.). 
 
 Ireland, released from the iron rule of men like 
 Brian and Malachy, was again divided into petty 
 discordant states, whose incessant wars were fatal to 
 the civilisation of which, at an earlier period, the 
 land could justly boast. 
 
 ANCIENT WEAPON.
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 THE AGE PRIOR TO THE ANGLO-NOKMAN INVASION. 
 
 From the Death of Malachy II. in 1022 A.D. to the Accession of 
 Eurie O'Connor in 1166 A.D. 
 
 Danish Ports Hereward Synod of Kath-breasail O'Neills and 
 O'Brians Turlough O'Connor Rurie O'Connor. 
 
 DURING the century which witnessed the Norman 
 Conquest of England, Irish history presents little 
 more than a confused struggle between the Danish 
 settlers and the native chieftains. 
 
 The Danish settlements on the coast of Ireland, 
 but chiefly that at Dublin, had now taken root. 
 Many of the Danish kings of Dublin bore the name 
 Sitric. A constant and close intercourse sprang up 
 with the Welsh. Not seldom, the Irish Danes carried 
 over their prisoners to be sold in England as slaves ; 
 and their boats often returned laden with a human 
 cargo, captured on the banks of Dee or Severn. 
 During the Danish dynasty in England (1017-1041) 
 the Danes of Dublin maintained a close alliance with 
 England and the Isle of Man. 
 
 And, later, we find Harold and Leofwine, sons 
 of Earl Godwin, when banished by Edward the
 
 50 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [1st PER. 
 
 Confessor, taking refuge in Munster, where their 
 sister was married to King Donohoo. Hereward 
 too, the Saxon hero who withstood William the 
 Conqueror at Ely, found a refuge in Ireland in his 
 earlier life. 
 
 In 1111 the King and Clergy of Ireland assembled 
 
 at a great ecclesiastical synod held at Rath-breasail 
 
 (HAc-bpeAfAiL), for the purpose of settling the 
 
 somewhat confused affairs of the Irish Church. 
 
 Twelve bishops, subject to the See of Armagh, 
 
 were appointed to administer in the La- whin ; 
 
 twelve others, subject to Cashel, were to hold power 
 
 in the La-woa. The See of Dublin was to be subject 
 
 to that of Canterbury. 
 
 The fertility of Ireland now began to attract settlers 
 from England and Normandy to the eastern and 
 southern ports. 
 
 Turlough, King of Munster, a descendant of 
 Brian, became Monarch of Ireland in 1064 and 
 reigned until 1086, being thus a contemporary of 
 William the Conqueror. He seized Dublin, and 
 deposed Godfred, the Danish King of that city. 
 
 Wars of the O'Neills and the O'Brians. A con- 
 flict for the crown of Ireland now arose between these 
 two houses the O'Neills (Ui TleiVl) of Ulster being 
 descended from the great Niall, and the O'Brians 
 (O bjMAin) of Munster representing the lineage of 
 Brian Borua. The war lasted for thirty years, 
 although in 1094 there was a nominal settlement of 
 the question, by the assignment of La-woa to Mur- 
 chertach (tTluipce<jfCAc), son of Turlough, and La-
 
 CHAP, iv.] AGE PRIOR TO ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 51 
 
 whin to Donall MacLochlainn ("OorhnAtt HIAC 
 LoclAirm), who dwelt in the " Eagle's Nest " at 
 Iiiishowen. 
 
 In 1101 King Murchertach endowed the Church, 
 as a gift, with the royal city of Cashel, which he 
 dedicated to St. Patrick. This monarch gave his 
 sister as wife to Sigurd, son of Magnus, King of 
 
 THE CROSS OF CONG AND CROZIERS. 
 
 Norway, who had been lately successful in obtaining 
 dominion over the Hebrides. But a quarrel arose ; 
 the Irish princess returned to her brother, and 
 Magnus sailed to Ireland with a large fleet. He was 
 defeated and slain at Moycoba in Down, by the 
 men of Ulster. 
 
 Murchertach, afflicted with illness, retired to the
 
 52 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [Isx PER. 
 
 monastery of Lismore, where he died in 1119. 
 MacLochlainn died two years later at Derry. 
 
 Turlough O'Connor the Great (UoijvoeAlbac 
 ttlop O Concob Aip) was a King of Connaught who, 
 by resolution and valour, forced his way to the 
 crown of Ireland. The O'Brians of Munster 
 Connor and his son Turlough disputed his pre- 
 eminence for years; but he took advantage of 
 the jealousy which had arisen between the two 
 great tribes of Munster Dalcassians and Eugenians. 
 The O'Brians, who were Dalcassians, were keeping 
 the royal power exclusively to themselves. This 
 provoked the wrath of the Eugenians, who deserted 
 the cause of Munster, and aided Turlough O'Connor 
 in his designs. 
 
 The battle of Monewore (TTIoiri-rhop), fought 
 between Cork and the Blackwater, resulted 
 in the defeat of the O'Brians, and the con- 
 quest of Munster by King Turlough O'Connor. 
 But a new rival of Turlough had arisen in the 
 North. This was a scion of the great northern 
 house of the O'Neills Murchertach MacLochlainn 
 (tTlui|iceAjicAc mAc "LocUyinn), King of Tyrone. 
 The struggle between Turlough and this chieftain 
 was proceeding with varying fortune when, in 1156, 
 the great O'Connor died at Dunmore in Galway. 
 1166 ^ urcnertacn tn e n held the crown of Ireland 
 ^^ for a few years ; but, when he was slain near 
 Lough Neagh by revolted chieftains in 1166, 
 Eurie O'Connor (TluAit>jAi O ConcotxMji), son of Tur- 
 lough, became King of Ireland.
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF THE FIRST PERIOD; FROM 
 THE EARLIEST TIMES TO 1166 A.D. 
 
 MYTHIC PERIOD. DATES VERT DOUBTFUL. 
 B.C. 
 
 1499. Arrival of Milesians (the Clan Milly) from Spain. 
 299. Aven, the military capital of Ulster, founded by Cim- 
 
 bay, King of the Ultonians. 
 
 119. The Order of the Red Branch founded by Rurie More. 
 64. Dega, King of the Cianna Dega, seized Tara, and was 
 made Awrd-ree. 
 
 BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA. DATES STILL 
 A D DOUBTFUL. 
 
 9. Coohoolin, greatest hero of the Red Branch, slain at 
 
 Dundalk. 
 
 130. Reign of King Toole. Milesian line restored. 
 164. Conn the Hundred Fighter made King. Ireland 
 
 divided into La-whin and La-woa. 
 227-266. Reign of Cormac. Time of Feenian renown. 
 379-405. Reign ot Niall of the Nine Hostages. 
 406. Death of Dahy, succession of Niall. 
 
 FIRST AGE OF IRISH CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 427. Layary, eon of Niall, became King of Ireland, 
 
 431. Mission of Palladius to Ireland. 
 
 432. St. Patrick landed near Bray. 
 465. Reputed death of St. Patrick. 
 
 506. Emigration of Scots from Antrim to Cantyre. Founda- 
 tion ot Scottish Dalriada in Argyll. 
 
 521. Birth of St. Columcille, or Coiumba, at Gartan in 
 Donegal. 
 
 563. St. Columcille crossed the Movie (i.e., the sea between 
 Ireland and Scotland) to settle at lona.
 
 54 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 575. St. Columcillfc attended the assembly of the Irish estates 
 at Limavady. 
 
 597. Death of St. Columcille. 
 
 637. Battle of Mawra (Moira). The Scots of Dalriada 
 defeated by the O'Neills of Ulster. 
 
 684. Egfrid, the Saxon King of Northumbria, invaded Ire- 
 land. 
 
 738. Death of Hugh Allan, King of Ireland. 
 
 AGE or THE DANISH INVASIONS. 
 
 795. The Danes or Norsemen began to ravage Ireland. 
 832-845. Reign of Turgesius, or Thorkils, the first Danish 
 
 King of Ireland. 
 
 852. Battle of Carlingford. Rout of the Dhu-Yoill. 
 863. The O'Neills of Ulster obtained the crown of Ireland. 
 901-908. Cormac mac Culyenan, Bishop of Cashel, reigned as 
 
 King of Munster. 
 976. Brian Borua,King of Thomond, became King of Munster 
 
 by the death of his brother Mahon. 
 980. Malachy II. became King of Ireland. He defeated the 
 
 Danes at Tara. 
 1002. Brian Borua forced Malachy to resign, and became King 
 
 of Ireland. 
 1014. Battle of Clontarf, in which Brian defeated the Danes. 
 
 He was slain in his tent by Brodar. 
 
 1014. Restoration of Malachy II. (second reign, 1014-1022). 
 1022. Death of Malachy II. in seclusion. 
 
 AGE PRIOR TO THE ANG(LO-NORMAN INVASION. 
 
 1064. Turlough O'Brian, King of Munster, reigned as King of 
 
 Ireland till 1086. Great conflict for the supreme 
 
 power between the Brians and the O'Neills. 
 1101. Murchertach O'Brian bestowed the royal city of Cashel 
 
 on the Church. 
 1111. Synod of Rath-Breasail, in Westmeath, convened to 
 
 settle the affairs of the Irish Church. 
 1151-1156. Turlough O'Connor, King of Connaught, ruled all 
 
 Ireland. 
 1154. Pope Adrian IV. issued a Bull, authorising Henry II. 
 
 of England to take possession of Ireland. 
 1166. Rurie O'Connor, son of Turlough, became King of 
 
 Ireland.
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 1166 A.D.-1485 A.D. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TIME OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 
 
 From the Accession of Rurie O'Connor in 1166, to the Accession 
 of King John in 1199. 
 
 MacMurragha Pope Adrian's Bull Fitz-Stephen Strongbow 
 Archbishop O'Toole Visit of Henry II. Council of Windsor 
 Prince John. 
 
 ABOUT thirteen years before the accession of 
 Rurie O'Connor to the throne of Ireland, a bittei 
 feud had arisen between Diarmid. ^MaeMurragha 
 COiAjuntnt) triAc IDupcA), King of Leinster, and 
 O'Ruairc (O KUAI|\C), Chief of Breffny in Eastern 
 Connaught. Diarmid having abducted Derrevorgaill, 
 wife of O'Ruairc, the injured husband had sought 
 the aid of King Turlough O'Connor, who forced the 
 King of Leinster to restore her to her husband. The 
 quarrel continued during the reign of Rurie, until 
 Diarmid, deserted by his adherents, retired to Ferns, 
 whence he crossed to Bristol, bent on seeking the aid 
 of the English monarch, Henry II. 
 
 Pope Adrian's Bull. In 1154 Nicholas Break- 
 spear, or Adrian IV. the only Englishman that
 
 56 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 was ever Pope had sent to Henry II. a Bull, 
 authorising him to take possession of the island 
 of Ireland; but action had been delayed, until 
 Diarmid's arrival led to an invading force of Anglo- 
 Normans crossing the sea to Ireland. 
 
 The Norman Invasion. Armed with letters 
 patent from King Henry II., which he had 
 obtained by following that monarch to Aquitaine in 
 Southern France, Diarmid sought for help at Bristol. 
 He obtained promises of aid from Eichard Fitz- 
 Gilbert, Earl of Strigul, and heir to the Earldom 
 of Pembroke, who was surnamed Strongbow, and 
 also from the sons of Nesta, formerly the mistress 
 of Henry I. These were named Eobert Eitz-Stephen 
 and Maurice Eitz-Gerald. Of these Fitz-Stephen 
 was the first to cross the sea. Accompanied 
 1169 ky thirty knights, sixty men-at-arms, and three 
 AD hundred archers, he landed at " the Banne" 
 a creek which may have been either Bannow 
 or Baganbun on the coast of Wexford a small rein- 
 forcement under Maurice de Prendergast arriving 
 next day. 
 
 Five hundred Irishmen, under Diarmid's com- 
 mand, joined the Norman forces, and the combined 
 army marched to Wexford, which was distant twelve 
 miles. This town, having surrendered in two days, 
 was made over to Fitz-Stephen as the reward of 
 his services. The plunder of Ossory followed. 
 
 King Eurie resolved to repel the invaders, and 
 raised an Irish army, which was joined by the 
 Danes of Dublin. For a time Diarmid with his
 
 CHAP, i.] TIME OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 
 
 57 
 
 allies lay quiet at Ferns, round which bogs and 
 forests formed a natural fortification. Rurie soon 
 made a private treaty with Diarmid, by which it was 
 agreed that the latter should be reinstated in his 
 kingdom of Leinster, on condition that no more 
 Normans should be brought from Britain. However, 
 the arrival of Maurice Fitzgerald, with ten knights, 
 
 BRONZE WEAPONS. 
 
 thirty horse, and one hundred archers, encouraged 
 Diarmid to break this compact, and boldly to claim 
 the throne of Ireland. 
 
 Strongbow then prepared to visit the scene of 
 action, though the permission which his feudal 
 superior, Henry II., had given him was conveyed 
 in evasive words. Sending over in advance Hay-
 
 58 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PEE. 
 
 mond le Gros, the Earl landed near Waterford with 
 
 a force of two hundred knights, and more 
 
 Aug " than a thousand other troops. His first exploit 
 
 was the reduction of Waterford. Cutting 
 
 A ' I) ' the props of a wooden house, which in its 
 
 fall tore a breach in the wall, he poured his soldiers 
 
 through the gap of ruin, and filled the streets with 
 
 slaughter. Strongbow then received in marriage, 
 
 as had been promised, the hand of Eva (Aeipe), 
 
 Diarmid's daughter, whose dowry was to be the 
 
 crown of Leinster after her father's death. 
 
 Dublin soon fell. The English force, in three 
 divisions, marched through the mountain passes 
 of Wicklow, and arrayed themselves by the Liffey. 
 Kurie retreated in dismay, leaving the defence of 
 ,.-. the city to Hasculf, the Danish chief. Arch- 
 bishop Lorcan O'Toole (Lopcoai O UuACAit) 
 was endeavouring to make terms with Diarmid, 
 when Miles de Cogan forced his way over the wall, 
 and began to slay the panic-stricken defenders. 
 Hasculf sailed away to the Orkneys. 
 
 On the death of Diarmid in 1171, Strongbow 
 assumed the title King of Leinster. His force 
 was thinned by an angry message from Henry II. 
 requiring the immediate return to England of all 
 loyal subjects. The Danes, returning under Hasculf, 
 made an attempt to retake Dublin, but Miles de 
 Cogan repulsed them. A more formidable force 
 then invested the city, in which Strongbow had 
 now taken the command. Eurie O'Connor directed 
 the movements of an army 30,000 strong 

 
 CHAP. I.] TIME OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 59 
 
 which had been mustered by the energy of Arch- 
 bishop O'Toole, while a fleet from the Isle of Man 
 blockaded the city by sea. Eeduced after two 
 months almost to despair by want of food, and 
 alarmed by news of Fitz-Stephen's danger at Wex- 
 ford, the Normans made a sudden sally, and scattered 
 the besieging force. 
 
 Moving rapidly southward, Strongbow found that 
 Fitz-Stephen had surrendered, and was a prisoner in 
 the hands of the Irish. 
 
 The Synod of Armagh, an assembly of the Irish 
 clergy held in 1171, saw in these disasters a judg- 
 ment from Heaven for the practice of dealing in 
 English slaves, and decreed that all such, then in 
 bondage, should be set free. 
 
 Strongbow now returned to England, and made his 
 peace with Henry II. by offering him all the lands 
 he had won in Ireland. 
 
 Arrival of Henry II. Having sailed from Milford 
 
 Haven with 400 knights and about 4,000 
 
 Oct. 18, 
 soldiers, King Henry II. landed at Croch 
 
 near "Waterford. Strongbow accompanied 
 him ; and in his retinue were also William 
 Fitz-Aldhelm, Humphrey de Bohun, Hugh de ,Lacy, 
 Eobert Fitz-Bernard, and Bertram de Verdun. 
 
 The Irish chiefs of Munster submitted at once to 
 the King of England. Fitz-Stephen was surrendered 
 by his captors. Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and 
 Wexford received English garrisons, and Henry 
 marched through Ossory to Dublin, displaying his 
 military array in all its pomp and power.
 
 60 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 English Court at Dublin. In a wooden palace 
 with walls of polished osiers, erected on the southern 
 side of the present Dame Street, King Henry kept 
 his Court at Dublin during the winter of 1171-72. 
 There he received homage from the Irish chiefs, 
 whom he entertained royally at Christmas-tide. We 
 can easily imagine the wonder of these warrior*, 
 when they saw the Norman dish of state a roasted 
 peacock clad in its own feathers served upon the 
 royal board. 
 
 A Synod of the Irish clergy, convened by Henry 
 and held at Cashel in 1172, passed decrees concerning 
 marriage, baptism, and the special privileges of the 
 clergy, who were exempted from payment of the 
 eric, and whose property was declared not liable to 
 any exaction from the chiefs. At a royal council 
 (curia Regis), held at Lismore, the English monarch 
 imposed obedience to English law upon his new 
 subjects in Ireland. 
 
 But Ireland was not conquered. Eurie O'Connor, 
 though unwillingly constrained to promise allegiance 
 still held aloof beyond the line of the Shannon ; and 
 the chiefs of Ulster scorned the idea of submission 
 to the English monarch. 
 
 Departure of Henry II. Before Henry II. left 
 
 Ireland he granted a charter, which gave possession 
 
 of Dublin to the citizens of Bristol. Appoint- 
 
 117 2 ing Hugh de Lacy Governor of Dublin, he 
 
 A D directed that a castle should be built there, 
 
 and that the city should be regarded as the 
 
 seat of government. . The English king then crossed
 
 OHAI-. i.] TIME OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 61 
 
 to Milford Haven, leaving Strongbow behind as Earl 
 Marshal. Raymond le Gros, having grown powerful 
 by victories over the Irish, obtained from Strongbow 
 the office of " Constable of Leinster," and the hand of 
 the Earl's sister Basilia. 
 
 Council of Windsor. Eurie O'Connor now sent 
 three prelates, one of whom was Lorcan O'Toole, as 
 ambassadors to Henry II., who, at a Court held at 
 Windsor, entered into a solemn treaty with the Irish 
 monarch. This important document granted to 
 Rurie jurisdiction over all Ireland except the 
 territories which were afterwards called the 
 English Pale, viz. (1) Dublin, (2) Meath, (3) 
 Wexford, (4) Waterford, (5) Dungarvan, with their 
 appurtenances. A tribute of one hide for every ten 
 oxen killed was to be paid to England. Thus the 
 Sovereigns of England were acknowledged to be 
 Lords Paramount of Ireland. 
 
 Death of Strongbow. The Earl of Pembroke died 
 at Dublin, in 1176, of an ulcer in the foot. His 
 sister Basilia, writing to her husband, Raymond, who 
 was then warring near Limerick, told in her letter 
 how a large tooth, which had long been aching, had 
 fallen out. Raymond, who understood the hidden 
 meaning of these words, hurried to Dublin, where he 
 was installed as temporary Lord Deputy in place of 
 the deceased Earl. 
 
 Fitz-Aldhelm now received from Henry II. the 
 appointment of Viceroy in Ireland. John de Courcy 
 and Miles de Cogan accompanied him. The former, 
 asserting that the King had granted to him the
 
 62 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [2ND PER. 
 
 province of Ulster, proceeded to Downpatrick, 
 1176 which he took after a fierce battle. De Cogan 
 ^^ made a fruitless invasion of Connaught. 
 
 In 1177 Henry II. created his son John Lord of 
 Ireland. Two years later, De Lacy was appointed 
 Viceroy in room of Fitz-Aldhelm, who had been 
 recalled; and in 1180 the celebrated Archbishop 
 Lorcan O'Toole died in Normandy. King Henry 
 obtained the appointment of John Comyn, an Eng- 
 lish churchman, to the vacant See of Dublin. 
 
 TOMB OF STRONGBOW. 
 
 After a troubled reign of seventeen years (1166- 
 1183), Rurie O'Connor retired to the monastery 
 of Cong. Soon afterwards, Prince John, aged nine- 
 teen, landed at Waterford, attended by a 
 splendid retinue. His tutors were Eanulf de 
 Glanville and Gerald Barry, better known as 
 Giraldus Cambrensis, who wrote in Latin a history 
 of the Norman invasion of Ireland, under the title 
 Hibernia Expugnata. 
 
 1185 
 
 A.D.
 
 CHAP. I.] TIME OF THE ANGLO-XOBMAX IXVASIOX. 
 
 63 
 
 Norman Mockery. The retainers of Prince John 
 took delight in mocking the Irish chieftains who 
 came to pay homage, and went so far as to pull the 
 beards of the natives. There arose also a bitter 
 feeling among th*e older Norman settlers against these 
 new-comers ; and thus a new element of discord was 
 added to that already existing in Ireland. 
 
 ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. 
 
 On the death of Hugh de Lacy, who was slain at 
 Durrow in Queen's County, John de Courcy was 
 made Viceroy (1186). Henry II. died in 1189, and his 
 son, Eichard I., was too much engrossed in the third 
 Crusade to care for the affairs of Ireland, which were 
 left to John. The island presented a scene of cease- 
 less conflict. Cahal O'Connor (Cac^l O Concoto<yip),
 
 64 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 grandson of Eurie; MacCarthy (TTlAcCApcAi^) of 
 Desmond, who took Cork from the English; and 
 Hugh O'Neill (Ao-6 tlAlleill) of Tyrone in the 
 North, were the leading Irish chieftains who took 
 part in the confused strife. On the English side the 
 great names were De Courcy, De Lacy the younger, 
 who held Meath, and William de Burgh (ancestor of 
 the Burkes), who got possession of Limerick. These 
 lords, defying the English Government at Dublin, 
 acted as independent rulers, and made war or peace 
 as they pleased. We must not forget the services of 
 Archbishop Comyn to the Church in Ireland ; among 
 his good deeds was the building of St. Patrick's 
 Cathedral in Dublin.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IRELAND UNDER THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 
 
 From the Accession of King John in 1199 to the Deposition of 
 Richard II. in 1399. 
 
 Great Feudatories Fall of De Courcy Visit of King John 
 Twelve Counties Castles built Royal Letter. 
 
 Reign of King John (1199-1216). 
 
 WHEN John succeeded his brother Eichard I, he 
 made Meiler Fitz-Henry, one of the oldest Norman 
 settlers, his Viceroy in Ireland. Three great Anglo- 
 Norman feudatories De Courcy in Ulster, De Burgh 
 in Munster, De Lacy in Meath had now grown so 
 powerful as to assume independent rule. It was 
 clear that they must be curbed. 
 
 Assisted by the King of Connaught and O'Brian 
 of Thomond, Fitz-Henry threatened Limerick, and 
 obliged De Burgh to submit. 
 
 De Courcy kept almost royal state at Downpatrick, 
 where he abode. He incurred King John's anger by 
 declaring his adhesion to the cause of young Prince 
 Arthur, whose throne John had usurped. His bitter 
 foes, the De Lacys, armed with a mandate from the
 
 HISTORY OF IKELALND. [2ND PER. 
 
 66 
 
 King, marched against him, and drove him from 
 
 Ulster. Having married a daughter of God- 
 
 1204 re( ^ -g- ing of jy| aD) ) e c ourc y found a refuge 
 
 A ' D ' there. He was afterwards a prisoner in the 
 Tower of London, but ultimately received a pardon 
 and a pension. 
 
 The Earldom of Ulster was then given to Hugh de 
 Lacy, who trod much the same path of daring 
 ambition, ending in ruin, as his fallen rival had 
 trodden. This Earldom was the first Anglo-Norman 
 peerage created in Ireland (1205). But to control 
 Ulster was no easy task. The conflicts of the 
 O'Donaills (O *O6ifmAitl) and the O'Neills or 
 Tier-Conaill against Tier-Owen convulsed the 
 land. Swollen with pride, De Lacy, who owned 
 broad lands in Wales also, began to defy his king. 
 It happened that Maud, wife of De Braose, a 
 friend and neighbour of De Lacy in Wales, was so 
 proud of her cows and cheeses and so insolent in 
 speech as to excite the jealousy of John, who pro- 
 ceeded to attack her husband's castle. De Braose 
 fled to France; Maud and her son escaped to the 
 protection of De Lacy in Ireland. 
 
 King John visits Ireland. Lauding at Croch 
 
 near Waterford, John entered Dublin, and 
 
 121O ' ^ en P asse ^ i n t Meath to seize the territory 
 
 A D of De Lacy. Cahal Crov-dearg, or Eed Hand 
 
 (CACA!, Cpo'b-'oeAju^), King of Connaught, 
 
 having come thither to pay homage to the English 
 
 King, was presented with a fine horse, ready saddled. 
 
 Accepting the gift, the Irish chief took off the
 
 CHAP, ii.] IRELAND UNDER THE PlANTAGENET KINGS. 67 
 
 IRISH ARCHER. 
 
 saddle, which he regarded as a useless invention, and 
 rode off on the bare back of 
 his prize. 
 
 Hugh de Lacy fled to Carrick- 
 fergus, and thence to France. 
 Maud and her son, seized at 
 Galway, were starved to death 
 at Corfe Castle in Dorset. After 
 undergoing exile in France, 
 where they worked for a time 
 as gardeners, the De Lacys 
 were pardoned and restored. 
 
 Note. Carrickfergus (which means "the rock of Feargus ") has 
 been a stronghold from the earliest times. De Courcy built a castle 
 there. We shall find several historical events connected with this 
 ancient site. 
 
 Departure of John. The visit of King John to 
 Ireland lasted about sixty days (June to August). 
 Dark though his name be in English history, he did 
 something towards consolidating and extending the 
 foundations of law and order in Ireland. 
 
 The Twelve Counties. One of King John's re- 
 forms was the subdivision of the English Pale into 
 twelve counties, each being placed under the jurisdic- 
 tion of a Sheriff. These counties were : 
 
 1 Dublin. 
 
 2. Kildare. 
 
 3. Meath. 
 
 4. Oirgialla (Louth). 
 
 5. Caherlow. 
 
 6. Kilkenny. 
 
 7. Wexford. 
 
 8. Waterford. 
 
 9. Cork. 
 
 10. Kerry. 
 
 11. Limerick. 
 
 12. Tipperary.
 
 68 HISTOHY OF IEELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 The earliest Irish coinage is also ascribed to the 
 reign of King John. 
 
 John de Grey, Bishop of Norwich, was now made 
 Viceroy, with the title of Lord Justice. Bridging the 
 Shannon at Athlone, he built a castle there, intending 
 to make Athlone, which is the key of Connaught, his 
 seat of government alternately with Dublin. He 
 also built a castle at Clones, in order to keep O'Neill 
 in check. True to feudal ideas, the English planted 
 strong castles in all the conquered districts. King 
 John's castle at Limerick still attests the massive 
 strength of these fortresses. Before his reign closed, 
 more than a dozen such stood in Kerry and Cork. 
 
 Henry of London, who succeeded John de Grey, 
 
 received a royal letter from King John, directing 
 
 him to aid Cahal of Connaught against his 
 
 rebellious subjects. John also ordered a 
 
 supply of scarlet cloth to be provided, in 
 
 order to equip Cahal and other Irish chiefs with 
 
 royal robes of the English fashion. 
 
 Reign of Henry III. ( 1216-1272 ). 
 
 Death of Cahal Richard de Burgh Murder of Pembroke 
 Felim O'Connor Battle of Down. 
 
 King John died in 1216, and was succeeded by his 
 son, Henry III. Geoffrey de Marisco, who was then 
 Viceroy or Justiciary of Ireland, continued to hold 
 that office; but in 1221 Henry of London succeeded 
 him. 
 
 The brave and charitable Cahal Crov-dearg, King
 
 CHAP. ii. J IRELAND UNDER THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 69 
 
 1224 
 
 A.D. 
 
 of Connaught, now died, leaving his realm a prey to 
 
 the horrors of a disputed succession. Hugh 
 
 O'Connor (Ao-6 O Conco"b<M|A), son of Cahal, 
 
 and his two uncles, Hugh and Turlough, sons 
 
 of Rurie, were the claimants for the position of King. 
 
 Hugh Cahal was slain at 
 
 Dublin. 
 
 Eichard de Burgh, who 
 was appointed Deputy in 
 1227, set up another son 
 of Cahal, named Felim 
 (Feit>tirn), to be King, 
 but soon dethroned him, 
 and cast him into prison. 
 Felim, however, escaped 
 and regained the throne. 
 
 The death of Hugh 
 O'Neill at this time re- 
 moved a powerful oppo- 
 nent of the English in the North of Ireland. 
 
 Eichard de Burgh, sharing in the disasters of his 
 great kinsman Hubert, was superseded as 
 Lord Justice in 1233 by Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald. 
 
 Richard, Earl of Pembroke, one of the bravest 
 knights of his age, now fell a victim to treachery. The 
 story belongs to Irish history. The daughter of Strong- 
 bow, having married William Mareschal, Earl of Pem- 
 broke, became mother of this gallant soldier. Not 
 only lands in Wales, but the lordship of Leinster, 
 formed the possessions of the Mareschals. When 
 
 ANCIENT DAGGERS. 
 
 1233 
 
 A.D.
 
 70 HISTORY OF IEELA.ND. [2ND PER. 
 
 his elder brother William died in 1231, Richard 
 sought the estates ; but Henry III. refused to grant 
 them, and Eichard fled to Ireland. But his doom 
 was sealed. A royal letter reached Fitz- 
 Gerald, the De Lacys, De Burgh, and De 
 Marisco, giving them power to divide the Irish 
 estates of Pembroke among themselves. When Pem- 
 broke landed, De Marisco joined him, on purpose to 
 betray him. At a conference on the Curragh of Kil- 
 dare, Eichard, deserted by his knights, was attacked 
 by a band of assassins, who gained little but wounds, 
 until they hacked with their axes at the feet of his 
 horse. This brought the gallant warrior to the 
 ground : the stab of a knife gave him a mortal wound. 
 The remainder of Henry the Third's reign presents 
 in Irish history a confused scene of war. John de 
 Marisco, son of Geoffrey, succeeding Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald, became Lord Justice in 1246. Felim O'Con- 
 nor (eix>lim O Concob Aip), who, though often at war 
 with the English, secured Henry's favour by helping 
 him to invade Wales (1244), reigned in Connaught 
 until 1265. O'Donaill of Tirconaill maintained his 
 independence in the North ; but in 1260, when the 
 O'Connors of Connaught and the O'Neills of Tyrone 
 1260 com ^ ne( ^ theii forces against the English, 
 A D they suffered a crushing defeat at the battle 
 of Down, where the Lord Justice, Stephen 
 Longespe'e, commanded the English army. 
 
 In 1254 King Henry III. formally granted the 
 kingdom of Ireland to his son, Prince Edward, who, 
 however, does not appear to have visited the island.
 
 CHAP. II.] IRELAND UNDER THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 71 
 
 Reign of Edward I. (1272-1307). 
 
 Petition Geraldines and De Burghs Wogan First Irish Parlia- 
 ment Counties and Liberties. 
 
 Early in the reign of Edward I. a Petition from the 
 " Commons of Ireland " reached him. It prayed that 
 the petitioners might receive the protection of the 
 English laws. Though the King granted this 
 petition, its provisions do not seem to have been 
 permanently put in force. 
 
 Geraldines and De Burghs. Two of the great 
 Anglo-Norman families kept Ireland in disorder for 
 many years by their feuds. Eichard de Burgh, Earl 
 of Ulster, commonly called " the Eed Earl," grew to 
 such a height of arrogant greatness, that the King 
 was often obliged to consult him in preference to 
 the Lord Deputy. Claiming part of Meath, the Eed 
 Earl besieged the owner, De Verdon, in Athlone. 
 
 William de Vesci became Deputy in 1290. Ere 
 long he had a fierce quarrel with Fitz-Thomas Fitz- 
 Gerald, Earl of Kildare, and each laid a complaint 
 before the King. A combat to decide the matter 
 was arranged, but De Vesci fled to France. 
 
 This increased the pride and power of Fitz- 
 Thomas, who was the head of the Geraldines. 
 Capturing De Burgh, he kept him in custody for 
 a year. 
 
 John Wogan, the Lord Justice, succeeded in 
 arranging a truce for two years between the 
 rivals. Wogan summoned a Parliament at Kil-
 
 72 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 kenny in 1295. It was constituted on the model 
 
 of that recently established in England. 
 
 1295 Kichard, Earl of Ulster, heads the list of 
 
 A D 
 
 members, of whom there were twenty-seven. 
 By this Parliament private wars and truces were 
 forbidden, a limit was put to the number of kerns 
 (Ceicejin) whom a chief might maintain, and severe 
 penalties were enacted against " the degenerate 
 English " who assumed the native dress and fashion 
 of hair in order to escape from the English laws. 
 
 The possessions of the English were now divided 
 into ten counties, and other districts called Liberties, 
 as follows : 
 
 Counties. 
 
 1. Dublin. 6. Cork. 
 
 2. Louth. 7. Limerick. 
 
 3. Kildare. 8. Kerry. 
 
 4. Waterford. 9. Eoscommon. 
 
 5. Tipperary. 10. Part of Connaught. 
 
 Liberties. 
 
 1. Connaught and Ulster, under De Burgh. 
 
 2. Meath, under Mortimer and Verdon. 
 
 3. Wexford, Caherlow, and Kilkenny. 
 
 4. Thomond, under De Clare. 
 
 5. Desmond, under Fitz-Gerald. 
 
 The wise administration of Wogan produced com- 
 parative peace in Ireland. In 1299 he led a body of 
 Irish troops to assist King Edward I. in his Scottish 
 wars. They were royally entertained at Roxburgh 
 Castle.
 
 CHAP. IL] IRELAND UNDER THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 73 
 
 Reign of Edward II. (1307 to 1327). 
 
 Edward Bruce King of Ireland Arrival of King Robert 
 Faughard Hill. 
 
 In 1308 Piers de Gaveston, the favourite of 
 Edward II., was made Viceroy of Ireland, this 
 position being then regarded as a kind of honourable 
 exile from London. After a year of fruitless govern- 
 ment he returned to England. 
 
 Edward Bruce. The Irish of Ulster begged Eobert 
 Bruce, King of Scotland, to send them some aid 
 against the English. Nothing loth, Bruce encouraged 
 his brother Edward a man so fierce and grasping 
 that the Scottish King desired his absence to invade 
 Ireland. Landing at Larne with 6,000 men, Edward 
 Bruce moved southward and seized Dundalk, 
 which was then regarded as the key to Ulster. ay i 
 O'Neill of Tyrone joined his standard. De 
 Burgh, the Eed Earl (lAjVLa Ku<vo), aided by 
 Felim O'Connor, arrayed his forces against the invaders. 
 The two armies marched northward on different sides 
 of the Bann, shooting arrows at each other as they 
 marched, until they met at Coleraine, where Edward 
 Bruce gained a victory. He was then crowned King 
 of Ireland. The siege of Carrickfergus the strongest 
 English post in the North followed. 
 
 Joined by Felim of Connaught and aided by De 
 Lacy, the invader then penetrated to Meath, where 
 he defeated the Viceroy, Lord Edmund Butler, at 
 Kells. But at Athenry in Galway, Felim was slain 
 in battle with the English (August, 1316).
 
 74 HISTORY OF IEELAND. [2ND PEE. 
 
 King Robert Bruce now arrived in Ireland (Sept., 
 1316). The Castle of Carrickfergus yielded to him 
 after a siege of several mouths, and with an army of 
 20,000 Scots, reinforced by a contingent of native 
 Irish, the brothers marched towards Dublin. The 
 inhabitants of that city, however, showed so bold 
 a front that the Bruces turned inland up the Liffey. 
 Marching through Kilkenny, they reached Limerick, 
 but at that point a retreat began. The Scots were 
 
 CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE. 
 
 forced to eat their horses, so dire was the famine in 
 the land. Robert Bruce then (May, 1317) returned 
 to Scotland. 
 
 In the following year Edward Bruce met his fate. 
 Joined by the three Lacys and the Irish of Ulster, he 
 confronted an English force under John de Berming- 
 , 318 tarn, who was accompanied by the Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh. The battle, in which the 
 Scots were routed, took place at Faughard 
 Hill, two miles from Dundalk. Edward Bruce was
 
 CHAP. II.] IRELAND UNDER THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 75 
 
 found dead beneath the corpse of his slayer, John 
 Maupas. After the barbarous fashion of the day, 
 his head, preserved in salt, was sent to King 
 Edward II. The victor, Bermingham, received as a 
 reward the Earldom of Louth. 
 
 Reign of Edward III. (1327-1377). 
 
 "Old" and "New English." Ormond and Desmond Ralph 
 Ufford Lionel of Clarence Statute of Kilkenny. 
 
 Old English and New English. For some time 
 past a new element of discord had been growing in 
 Ireland. Some of the English lords, in order to 
 secure the aid of the native Irish, had adopted the 
 Irish dress and language, had married Irish wives, and 
 had, by selecting Irish sponsors and nurses for their 
 children, bound them to the native race by the ties 
 of gossipred (CAi]ix)eAf-cpio^c) and fosterage (<\icfiom). 
 Thus arose " the degenerate English," as they were 
 called. 
 
 Edward III. struck a severe blow at this system in 
 1342, by sending to Sir John Darcy, the Deputy, a 
 royal ordinance, which declared that all 
 officials, married and settled in Ireland, who 
 possessed no land in England should be dis- 
 missed, and that their places should be filled by 
 Englishmen owning land in England. Thus came in 
 " the new English," bitterly hated by the descendants 
 of the original English invaders. 
 
 Two new Irish titles had been created early in the 
 reign of Edward III. ; James Butler was made Earl
 
 76 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 of Ormond, and Maurice Fitz-Thomas Earl of 
 Desmond. The latter presided at an assembly of 
 Anglo-Irish barons, held at Kilkenny in opposition 
 to a Parliament which had been summoned at 
 Dublin by the Lord Justice. By these discontented 
 lords a Eemonstrance was sent to King Edward III. 
 complaining loudly of the oppressive acts of the 
 "new English." But his French wars turned 
 Edward's thoughts from Ireland. 
 
 The two leading Geraldines, the Earls of Desmond 
 and Kildare, grew so turbulent, that Sir Ealph Ufford, 
 a Viceroy of unusual sternness (1344-1346), was 
 chosen to repress them. Ufford had married the 
 Dowager Countess of Ulster. Desmond, whose 
 estates were seized, surrendered, and was released on 
 giving bail. But he failed to appear. Kildare, 
 induced to attend a council at Dublin, was im- 
 prisoned. However, after the death of Ufford in 
 1346, both earls were restored to royal favour, and 
 accompanied the King to France. 
 
 The repressive policy of Edward III. was renewed 
 by his son, Lionel of Clarence, who reached Dublin 
 as Viceroy in 1361. This prince walled the town of 
 Carlow in order that the exchequer might be kept 
 there safely. He held office for three years, till 
 1364; but twice after that he was recalled to Ireland. 
 
 The Statute of Kilkenny, one of the great land- 
 marks in Irish history, was enacted in 1367. 
 By a Parliament, consisting of both Peers 
 and Commons, summoned to meet at Kil- 
 kenny by Lionel, Duke of Clarence, this ordinance
 
 CHAP, ii.] IRELAND UNDEB THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 77 
 
 was passed. Aimed both at the " degenerate Eng- 
 lish" and the native Irish, it enacted 
 
 1. That alliance with the Irish by marriage, gos- 
 sipred, or fostering was to be punished as high 
 treason. 
 
 2. That any Englishman by birth or blood, who 
 took an Irish name, spoke the Irish language, wore 
 the Irish dress, or adopted Irish modes of life, should 
 forfeit his estates. 
 
 3. That it was treason to adopt or submit to the 
 Brehon law. 
 
 4. That all private wars were forbidden ; that no 
 sword should be drawn without the permission of the 
 English Government. 
 
 5. That the English should not (1) allow the Irish 
 to graze cattle on their lands, (2) grant livings to 
 Irish clergy, or (3) entertain or encourage the Irish 
 bards. 
 
 6. That it was felony to exact "coigne and livery" 
 a kind of tribute levied by the chieftains, and con- 
 sisting of money, food, and entertainment for their 
 soldiers, and fodder for their horses. 
 
 Note. Kilkenny (CiUl-cAinnig) means the " church of Kenny or 
 Cainnigh." The city lies on the Nore, 81 miles from Dublin. The 
 castle founded by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, in 1195 
 and the cathedral are the chief buildings of ancient date. The 
 Butlers, who received the earldom of Ormond, occupied the castle. 
 The Irish Parliaments were often held at Kilkenny until 1641. 
 
 Gerald Fitzmaurice, Earl of Desmond known as 
 the poet succeeded Lionel as Lord Justice ; and in 
 1369 William de Windsor was appointed to the post, 
 with the new title of Lord Lieutenant. 
 F
 
 78 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 At this time the government of Ireland cost 
 
 11,000, while the revenue scarcely reached 10,000. 
 
 Displeased at this, Edward III. summoned 
 
 1 ^7fi 
 
 the Irish clergy and laity to send deputies 
 to the Parliament at Westminster. To this 
 they unwillingly consented. 
 
 Eeign of Richard II. (1377-1399). 
 
 Absentees Mortimer and Gloucester Royal Visits Condition of 
 Ireland The English Pale. 
 
 Early in the reign of Eichard II. a law was passed 
 against absentees i.e., those Irish landlords who 
 resided constantly in England. An enormous tax 
 was levied on such for the defence of their Irish lands. 
 It amounted to two-thirds of the annual revenue, or 
 one-third if the King granted them a license of absence. 
 In 1379 three privileges were granted to the Irish 
 leave to dig for minerals, liberty to coin money at 
 Dublin, and free trade with Portugal in wine and 
 other commodities. 
 
 Among the Lords Lieutenant appointed to rule 
 Ireland during this reign three names are notable. 
 In 1380 Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March who 
 acquired the earldom of Ulster by marrying the 
 heiress of that dignity, the daughter of Lionel of 
 Clarence and Elizabeth de Burgh became Viceroy. 
 In 1385 Eichard II. conferred the sovereignty of 
 Ireland, with the titles Marquis of Dublin and Duke 
 of Ireland, on his favourite, Eobert de Vere, Earl of 
 Oxford, who, however, ruled by proxy. In 1393
 
 CHAP, n.] IRELAND UNDEK THE PLANT AGENET KINGS. 79 
 
 the King's uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of 
 Gloucester, was appointed Viceroy ; but King Eichard 
 suddenly resolved to visit Ireland himself. 
 
 First Visit of Richard II. For nearly a year 
 (1394-95) Richard II. lived at Dublin, with little 
 effect. In a letter to the Duke of York he tells of 
 three races existing in Ireland (1) the wild Irish ; 
 (2) the rebel Irish; (3) the English who are in 
 obedience. News from England recalled the King 
 from Ireland in the summer of 1395. Roger 
 Mortimer, Earl of March, remained behind as Lord 
 Lieutenant. The Irish of Leinster immediately rose 
 in revolt, under the command of Art inacMurragha 
 (-Afic niAcTnujACA), who was then the most formidable 
 foe of the English. In the war that followed, 
 Mortimer, the Lord Lieutenant, was killed by the 
 Irish. 
 
 Second Visit of the King. Landing at Water- 
 ford in June, 1399, Richard endeavoured to follow 
 MacMurragha to his stronghold; but his army, 
 becoming entangled in the denies of Wicklow, 
 suffered severely from want of food. An attempt to 
 arrange a peace did not succeed ; and Richard II. 
 returned to England to find Henry of Bolingbroke in 
 possession of the crown (Sept., 1399). 
 
 Art macMurragha, riding without a saddle on a 
 horse of extraordinary swiftness, valued at 400 cows 
 (for the cow was the unit of value in Ireland then), 
 and wielding a long javelin, which was hurled with 
 such force as to pierce a steel cuirass, may be taken 
 to represent the typical Irish chieftain of this time.
 
 80 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [2ND PEK. 
 
 The English Pale was now reduced from the ten 
 counties of King John to four which were Dublin, 
 Meath, Kildare, and Louth. Most of the revenues 
 were absorbed by the great barons, some of whom 
 claimed independence of the King. The royal 
 exchequer was so poorly supplied that the salaries of 
 the Government officials could scarcely be paid. 
 
 AKT MACMURKAGHA CHARGING.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 IRELAND UNDER THE HOUSES OF LANCASTER AND YORK. 
 
 From the Accession of Henry IV. in 1399, to the Death of 
 Richard III. in 1485. 
 
 Reign of Henry IV. (1399-1413). 
 
 Anarchy Gilt Sword of Dublin Art macMurragha Prior of 
 Kilmainham. 
 
 THE land was sinking deeper into anarchy. Fire, 
 blood, and pillage were everywhere rife. The feuds 
 of the O'Connors desolated Connaught. The Scots 
 descended on the coast of Ulster; the men of Dublin 
 made reprisals on Scotland. 
 
 In 1401 the second son of Henry IV., Thomas of 
 Lancaster, was sent at the age of twelve to rule 
 Ireland. The Mayor of Dublin, having defeated the 
 0' Byrnes of Wicklow near Bray, won for that city 
 the distinction of the sword viz., permission to 
 carry a gilt sword before all succeeding mayors. 
 
 After a time of inaction, Art macMurragha rose 
 again in revolt, but was defeated by Sir Stephen 
 Scroope, the Lord Deputy. 
 
 Note. "We may note here the first mention of "usquebaugh (tnjTje- 
 beACA), or whiskey, in the Irish annals. Kichard macRonnall died 
 from excess in drinking this spirit, which the English called aqua, 
 vitae. " Not so to Richard," says a humorous old chronicler, " but 
 rather aqua mortis/"
 
 82 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 In 1408 Thomas of Lancaster resumed office for a 
 year, but then resigned his troublesome duties to the 
 Prior of Kilmainham, a warlike churchman named 
 Thomas Butler, one of the Ormond family. At a 
 Parliament held at Dublin in 1410, the Prior secured 
 severe enactments against the oppressive practice of 
 "coigne and livery." Henry IV. died in 1413. 
 
 Reign of Henry V. (1413-14%%). 
 
 John Talbot Septs Reduced French Wars Irish Grievances 
 Ormond. 
 
 After the short viceroyalty of Sir John Stanley, 
 who (said the chroniclers), having offended the Irish 
 bards, died from the effect of their satirical verses, 
 Ireland received as her Lord Lieutenant one who 
 achieved renown as the greatest captain of the age, 
 John Talbot, afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury. What 
 King Henry V. did in the French wars, Talbot did 
 for the English dominion in Ireland. 
 
 Landing at Dalkey in 1414, Talbot in three months 
 
 reduced the turbulent Irish septs to submission. 
 
 His plan was, this : Having conquered the 
 
 O'Moores of Leix, he forced them to march 
 
 under his flag against the Mac-Mahons of 
 
 Ulster. And so with the O'Connors, the O'Hanlons, 
 
 the O'Neills, the O'Donaills, the MacGuires. He 
 
 also tamed the Geraldines of Munster. But the 
 
 triumph was temporary, for when the conqueror 
 
 left the island, the turbulence and war began as 
 
 violently as before.
 
 CHAP, in.] IRELAND UNDER LANCASTER AND YORK. 
 
 83 
 
 Art macMurragha, so long a formidable foe to the 
 Government, died, it was said from poison, at New 
 Eoss in 1417. His son, Donnahoo macMurragha 
 COonncAt) rnActTltipcA), taken prisoner two years 
 later by Talbot, was sent over to the Tower of 
 London, where he lay for nine years. 
 
 We read of Irish soldiers, under the command of 
 the Prior of Kilmainham, serving with distinction in 
 the French wars of Henry V. 
 
 During the latter years of this reign (1419-1422), 
 James, Earl of Ormond, was Lord Lieutenant. Under 
 his jurisdiction a Parliament, held at Dublin, for- 
 warded to the King a petition of nineteen 
 clauses, praying for better government in 
 Ireland. The grievances most complained of 
 were (1) coigne and livery, (2) emigration to England, 
 and (3) the bad treatment of Irish students in the 
 English universities and schools of law. 
 
 Ormond wielded a sword almost as terrible and 
 effective as that of Talbot. At the Eed Bog of Athy 
 he vanquished O'Moore ; in Ulster he defeated Mac- 
 Mahon; but away in the West and the North the 
 surges of incurable war among O'Connors, O'Neills, 
 and O'Donaills rose and fell with incessant monotony. 
 
 
 FORTIFIED ISLAND OR CRANNOG.
 
 84 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 Reign of Henry VI. (1 422-1 461). 
 
 Ulster Black Rent Factions Triumph of Ormond Shrewsbury 
 Parliament of Trim Richard, Duke of York. 
 
 During the early part of the reign of Henry VI., 
 the chief troubles of the government in Ireland arose 
 from Ulster. Tirconaill and Tyrone, uniting their 
 strength, descended upon Meath and Louth so 
 fiercely, that the English were compelled to buy them 
 off by paying " black rent." But the stern soldier, 
 Talbot, now in right of his wife called Lord Furnival, 
 crossed from England. Taking O'lSTeill and O'Donaill 
 prisoners, he forced the Irish to abandon their exac- 
 tions of black rent, and even bound them to serve in 
 the English army. 
 
 The English power in Ireland was reduced in 1430 
 
 to so low a point, that the Parliament announced the 
 
 county of Dublin to be the only portion of 
 
 the country that was submissive to English 
 
 rule. In the North the old feuds continued. 
 
 The Scots came to aid O'Neill against O'Donaill : the 
 
 war raged till 1440, when the foes were reconciled. 
 
 The English Government in Ireland at this time 
 was weakened by internal faction. Eichard Talbot, 
 Archbishop of Dublin, and brother to Lord Furnival, 
 headed one party ; the Earl of Ormond, supported by 
 James, Earl of Desmond, the most powerful of the 
 Geraldines, headed the other party. 
 
 Ormond triumphed. One of his first acts, on 
 receiving the position of Lord Lieutenant (1442), was 
 to grant to Desmond a patent which made him
 
 JHAP. in.] IRELAND UNDER LANCASTER AND YORK. 85 
 
 virtual sovereign of Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and 
 Kerry. Desmond also obtained the privilege of 
 attending Parliament by proxy. For these benefits, 
 however, he showed little gratitude, for he afterwards 
 aided the foes of Ormond in securing that Earl's 
 recall. 
 
 John Talbot, now Earl of Shrewsbury, was ap- 
 pointed, for the third time, to the Viceroyalty of 
 Ireland. Wearing the newly-conferred titles, Earl of 
 Waterford and Baron Dungarvan, he landed 
 in Ireland with 700 soldiers. With stern 1446 
 
 A D 
 
 hand he repressed the turbulent septs. 
 O'Connor Faly especially felt his power, being 
 compelled to send in a tribute of beeves to supply 
 the King's kitchen. 
 
 A Parliament which sat at Trim in 1447 enacted 
 that any person who did not follow the Eng- 
 lish fashion of shaving the upper lip might 
 be treated as an " Irish enemy." 
 
 In the struggle known as the " Wars of the Eoses," 
 the Irish were remarkable for their adherence to the 
 cause of the White Rose. One of the most notable 
 Englishmen of his day was Eichard, Duke of York, 
 who, by the death of Edmund, Earl of March, at 
 Trim (1424), had become Earl of Ulster. He had 
 already upheld the English rule in France when he 
 succeeded Bedford as Eegent; but in 1449 he was 
 sent to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant. This 
 appointment was probably a skilful plan for 
 removing him from England, where his power 
 was growing too great for the peace of the land. He
 
 86 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 became virtual King of Ireland, receiving all the 
 revenues, and appointing to all the offices of the 
 State. By his tact and courtesy, York conciliated 
 the great Irish nobles. When his third son, George 
 of Clarence, was born at Dublin, he invited the Earls 
 of Ormond and Desmond to be sponsors at the child's 
 baptism. This united them in gossipred. By Parlia- 
 ments held at Dublin and at Drogheda, laws were 
 passed to limit the number of " kerns," or dependent 
 followers, whom the Irish lords maintained. 
 
 The rising in Kent, under Jack Cade, an Irishman, 
 
 who assumed the name of Mortimer, had for its 
 
 object the placing of York on the English throne. 
 
 The Duke left Ireland, and by the time he 
 
 reached London 4,000 men followed in his 
 
 train. Sir James Butler, the eldest son of 
 
 Ormond, remained in Dublin as his deputy. 
 
 The Wars of the Koses soon began. After suffering 
 a defeat at Ludlow in 1459, York retired to Dublin, 
 where he was loudly welcomed. Collecting a force, 
 he returned to England, won a victory at Northamp- 
 ton, and entered London in triumph. But the end 
 146O Came at Wakefield, where the Duke perished 
 on the field of battle (31st Dec., 1460). It is 
 said that 3,000 Irish, including many chiefs 
 from Meath and Ulster, were slain at Wakefield, 
 fighting for the White Kose. The Irish Council then 
 selected the Earl of Kildare as Lord Lieutenant, and 
 he was in power when the reign of Henry VI. came 
 to an end (1461).
 
 CHAP, in.] IRELAND UNDER LANCASTER AND YORK. 87 
 
 Reigns of Edward IV., Edward V., and Richard III. 
 (1461-1485). 
 
 Rival Roses Edicts of Trim Fall of Desmond Brothers of 
 St. George The Great Kildare. 
 
 King Edward IV. appointed his brother, George of 
 Clarence, who had been born at Dublin, Lord Lieu- 
 tenant of Ireland. 
 
 The struggle of White Eose against Eed was 
 carried on upon Irish soil also. The Butlers wore the 
 red, the Geraldines the white flower. When James, 
 Earl of Ormond, a Lancastrian, was executed after 
 the battle of Towton, his brother, John Butler, 
 assumed the title, and raised an army in Munster. 
 The Earl of Desmond, wearing the White Eose, pro- 
 ceeded against him with a force of 20,000 men. At 
 Pilltown, near Carrick-on-Suir, in the County Kil- 
 kenny, the Butlers were defeated, and a kinsman of 
 Ormond, named MacEichard Butler, was made 
 prisoner. As a part of his ransom, some MS. frag- 
 ments of the Psalter of Cashel, still preserved in the 
 Bodleian Library at Oxford, were handed over to his 
 captors. 
 
 Such services as these were rewarded by the eleva- 
 tion of Thomas, Earl of Desmond, to the Viceroyalty 
 (1463). He kept a splendid court, and assumed 
 almost royal state ; but his military exploits were 
 weak. Having attacked O'Connor Ealy (O'Conco'bAip 
 pAilte) in 1466, he was taken prisoner, and placed in 
 Carbury Castle for a time, during which Meath was 
 plundered remorselessly.
 
 88 HISTORY OF IEELAND. [2ND PER. 
 
 By a Parliament, held at Trim, it was enacted that 
 all Irish, residing within the Pale, should adopt Eng- 
 lish surnames, wear the English dress, and cut their 
 hair in the English fashion. The practice of archery 
 was also made compulsory. A few years later, a 
 Parliament at ISTaas passed a law that Irish merchants, 
 for every twenty pounds' worth of goods imported, 
 should also import twenty shillings' worth of bows 
 and arrows. 
 
 The Earl of Desmond lost his position as Lord 
 
 Deputy in 1467. The office was then conferred on 
 
 John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester. The downfall of 
 
 Desmond was ascribed to the Lady Elizabeth Grey, 
 
 whom King Edward IV. had secretly married. 
 
 Desmond scornfully referred to her as " a tailor's 
 
 widow," and she resented the incautious speech. 
 
 Attainted of high treason by a Parliament held at 
 
 Drogheda, Desmond was beheaded in 1468. 
 
 The Irish chroniclers, with one voice, 
 
 A T\ 
 
 lamented him as a true friend of Ireland. 
 
 The other great Geraldine, Thomas, Earl of Kildare, 
 attainted at the same time, escaped to England, where 
 he not only obtained a pardon from the King, but 
 received the office of Lord Deputy. Tiptoft, being 
 recalled, was executed in 1470 by the Lancastrians, 
 during a brief season of power which the Eed Eose 
 party gained in that year. Thus the Geraldines 
 regained ascendency in the affairs of Ireland. 
 
 Through supporting, whether willingly or of 
 necessity, the various English parties who successively 
 struggled into power, the Irish were made to suffer
 
 CHAP, in.] IRELAND UNDER LANCASTER AND YORK. 89 
 
 severely, at each change of fortune, for having been 
 involved in the quarrels of the rival factions. 
 
 Under the government of Kildare, the nucleus of 
 a small standing army was formed under the name of 
 " The Brothers of St. George." Two hundred men 
 
 120 archers on horseback, 40 other horsemen, 
 
 14 74 
 with their 40 attendants were enrolled 
 
 under thirteen officers. To support this force, 
 a tax of 12d. in the pound was levied on all goods 
 sold in Ireland except hides. The freemen of Dublin 
 and Drogheda were exempt from this tax. 
 
 When Lord Grey arrived at Dublin with a com- 
 mission as Lord Deputy under King Edward's private 
 seal, a conflict for power arose between him and 
 Kildare. Each summoned a Parliament. Edward's 
 tact, however, got over the difficulty. He 
 secured Grey's resignation ; and then, making 
 
 AD 
 
 his brother Eichard Lord Lieutenant, ap- 
 pointed as Lord Deputy Gerald, eighth Earl of 
 Kildare, who had just succeeded his father, Thomas. 
 
 These events bring us to 1485, a turning-point in 
 British history. English power in Ireland was then 
 at a very low point. The native chiefs had broken 
 down the barrier of the Pale, which was now reduced 
 to a single county. Ulster was entirely in their hands. 
 
 CANOB (SHAPED LOG).
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF THE SECOND PERIOD 
 (1166-1485). 
 
 TIME OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION. 
 
 1169. Eobert Fitz-Stepheu, invited to invade Ireland by 
 
 Diarmid macMurragha, landed near Wexford. 
 
 1170. Richard Fitz-Gilbert, Earl of Strigul, surnamed Strong- 
 
 bow, landed near Waterford. Capture of Dublin by 
 the Normans. 
 
 1171. Strongbow became King of Leinster. 
 
 Oct. 18. King Henry II. of England landed at Croch, 
 near Waterford. 
 
 1172. Synod of Cashel convened by Henry II. 
 
 April. Departure of Henry II. to England. 
 
 1175. Council of Windsor, at which Henry II. granted to 
 
 Rurie O'Connor jurisdiction over all Ireland, except 
 the English Pale. Kings of England acknowledged 
 Lords Paramount of Ireland. 
 
 1176. Death of Strongbow at Dublin. John de Courcy seized 
 
 Downpatrick. 
 
 1183. Abdication of Rurie O'Connor. 
 
 1185. Prince John, created Lord of Ireland, landed at Water- 
 ford. 
 
 THE PLANTAGENET KINGS. 
 
 1204. De Courcy driven from Ulster by the De Lacys. 
 
 1205. Hugh de Lacy created Earl of Ulster. 
 
 1210. Visit of King John to Ireland (June to August). 
 
 1224. Death of Canal of the Red Hand, King of Connaught. 
 
 1234. Murder of Richard, Earl of Pembroke, at the Curragh 
 of Ktldare. 
 
 1260. Lord Justice Longespde defeated the O'Connors and the 
 O'Neills in the battle of Down. 
 
 1295, Lord Justice Wogan summoned the first Irish Parlia- 
 ment at Kilkenny.
 
 CHEONOLOGY OF THE SECOND PERIOD. 91 
 
 Fourteenth Century. 
 
 1315. Edward Bruce landed at Larne (May). 
 
 1316. King Eobert Bruce of Scotland arrived in Ireland 
 
 (September). 
 
 1317. Robert Bruce returned to Scotland (May). 
 
 1318. Edward Bruce defeated and slain at Faughard Hill, near 
 
 Dundalk. 
 
 1342. Ordinance of Edward III. which introduced into Ire- 
 land the " new English." 
 
 1361. Lionel of Clarence, son of Edward III., made Viceroy 
 of Ireland. 
 
 1367. The Statute of Kilkenny passed. 
 
 1376. Irish deputies summoned to the English Parliament at 
 Westminster. 
 
 1394. First visit of King Richard II. to Ireland. 
 
 1399. Second visit of King Richard II. He was deposed 
 (Sept., 1399). 
 
 THE HOUSES OF YORK AND LANCASTEK. 
 
 1414. John Talbot made Viceroy of Ireland. 
 
 1417. Death of Art macMurragha. 
 
 1421. Petition of the Irish Parliament to Henry V. for better 
 government. 
 
 1430. The county of Dublin the only part of Ireland submis- 
 sive to English rule. 
 
 1446. Third Viceroyalty of Talbot, now Earl of Shrewsbury. 
 
 1447. A Parliament at Trim enacted that all loyal Irish should 
 
 shave the upper lip, in English fashion. 
 1449. Richard, Duke of York, made Lord Lieutenant. He 
 
 left Ireland 1450 ; returned, 1459. Was slain at 
 
 Wakefield, 1460. 
 
 1474. The " Brothers of St. George" enrolled. 
 1478. Gerald, the eighth Earl of Kildare, made Lord Deputy.
 
 TRIED PERIOD. TUDOR MONARCHS. 
 
 Henry VII began to reign 1485 A.D. 
 
 Henry VIII. (son) 1509 
 
 Edward VI. (son) 1547 
 
 Mary I. (step-sister) 1553 
 
 Elizabeth (step-sister) 1558-1603 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 REIGN OF HENRY VII. 
 
 Kildare Viceroy Lambert Simnel Battle of Stoke O'Donaill 
 Perkin Warbeck Poynings' Acts Kildare's Triumph Battle 
 of Knockdoe. 
 
 ACTING with wise moderation, Henry VII. per- 
 mitted the Earl of Kildare, known as "the Great Earl," 
 to retain the office of Lord Deputy in Ireland, though 
 his Yorkist leanings were so marked. Kildare's 
 brother, Thomas Fitz-Gerald, continued to act as 
 Chancellor. On the Eed Eose side, however, Thomas 
 Butler was restored to the estates and the earldom of 
 Ormond. 
 
 Simnel. Deep sympathy existed in Ireland on 
 behalf of a youthful prisoner of fifteen years, whom 
 King Henry detained in the Tower. This was the 
 Earl of Warwick, son of George, Duke of Clarence.
 
 CHAF. i.] REIGN OF HENRY VII. 93 
 
 An Oxford priest, named Eichard Simons, trained 
 Lambert Simnel, the son of a baker, to personate this 
 prince. 
 
 A report having arisen that Warwick had escaped 
 from prison, Simons conducted Simnel to Dublin, 
 where he was acknowledged by Kildare as the 
 rightful heir to the throne, and proclaimed as 
 Edward VI., King of England and Lord (Dominus) 
 of Ireland. 
 
 King Henry led the true Warwick publicly through 
 London streets from the Tower to St. Paul's, in order 
 to prove that Lambert Simnel was an impostor. 
 Nevertheless, the plot prospered, chiefly owing to the 
 countenance of the Duchess of Burgundy, who, as the 
 sister of Edward IV., cherished the cause of the 
 White Eose. 
 
 Two English nobles, Lord Lovell and the Earl of 
 Lincoln, nephew of the Duchess, repaired to the 
 Court of Burgundy, and in a short time they accom- 
 panied to Dublin a force of 2,000 German soldiers, 
 under the command of Martin Schwartz. 
 
 On Whit Sunday, 1487, the coronation of Lambert 
 Simnel was celebrated in the cathedral at Dublin, 
 and after the ceremony the pseudo-monarch was 
 
 carried to the Castle on the shoulders of a 
 
 148V 
 
 gigantic chieftain called Big Darcy. A Par- 
 liament was then called, and coins were 
 struck, in the pretender's name. The Archbishop of 
 Armagh, the citizens of Waterford, and the family of 
 the Butlers, were almost the only loyal adherents to 
 the government of King Henry VII.
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [3RD PER. 
 
 A large army, composed of Germans and Irish, 
 under the command of the Earl of Lincoln, left 
 
 Dublin in 1487,andlanded 
 at Furness in Lancashire. 
 But the English Yorkists 
 did not rise in aid of the 
 invaders, who found that 
 their only hope of exciting 
 interest lay in winning a 
 battle. The royal army 
 awaited the attack at 
 Stoke. Fiercely but June 6, 
 vainly the Irish 1487 
 troops fought. Sim- A - D - 
 nel's cause was hopelessly 
 lost. Lincoln, Schwartz, 
 Thomas Fitz-Gerald, and Maurice Fitz-Gerald fell on 
 the field. Lovell was missing. Simons went to 
 prison. Simnel was placed in the King's kitchen 
 at first, but was afterwards promoted to the post 
 of falconer. 
 
 At first, King Henry VIL resolved to punish 
 Dublin and reward Waterford, by authorising the 
 citizens of the latter place to seize the goods and the 
 ships of the capital. But milder counsels prevailed. 
 Dublin was forgiven, and the Earl of Kildare 
 was retained in the position of Viceroy, which, 
 with some intervals of disaster and eclipse, he 
 continued to hold till 1513. This nobleman, 
 Gerald eighth Earl of Kildare, notable for his 
 rough wit and his prompt sternness, stands out 
 
 KILLESHIN.
 
 CHAP. I.] 
 
 KEIGN OF HENRY VII. 
 
 95 
 
 prominently as a central figure in the Irish history 
 of this period. 
 
 In 1488 Sir Eichard Edgecomb was sent by the 
 King to receive new oaths of allegiance from the 
 Irish. With 500 men he landed at Kinsale, where 
 Lord Courcy did homage. Passing thence to Water- 
 ford, he arrived next at Dublin ; but Kildare 
 was absent on a pilgrimage. The earl, how- -1400 
 ever, paid homage, though tardily, and , D 
 received a gold chain in token of the King's 
 amity. Dublin, Drogheda, and Trim also took the 
 oaths, after which Edgecomb crossed to Wales. 
 
 King Henry soon summoned the great lords of the 
 Pale to Greenwich, when he rebuked them gently, 
 telling them that he 
 thought they would crown 
 even an ape, unless they 
 saw a real king occasion- 
 ally. He then made for 
 them a royal feast, and 
 Simnel was brought in 
 from the kitchen to serve 
 as a waiter. We find, in 
 the Irish wars of this 
 time, record of the first 
 use of guns and cannon in 
 the island. An O'Eourke 
 of Breffny was killed by BR <> NZE TRUMPETS. 
 
 a shot from a hand-gun. The Lord Deputy, Kildare, 
 employed cannon in besieging the castle of the 
 MacGeoghegans of Westmeath.
 
 96 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3nD PEK. 
 
 Among the Irish septs, O'Donaill of Tirconaill 
 now became the most powerful chieftain. His 
 formidable foes were the O'Neills, and in Connaught 
 the Burkes, who now represented as an Irish sept the 
 Norman de Burghs. In 1489 O'Donaill destroyed 
 the castle of Belfast, and in 1492 he crushed his 
 foes decisively in a battle among the mountains of 
 Down. 
 
 Perkin Warbeck. The second impostor of the 
 reign now appeared. Landing at Cork in 1491, 
 Perkin Warbeck, who called himself Bichard of York, 
 younger of the two princes supposed to have been 
 killed in the Tower, but who really was a boatman's 
 son of Tournay in Flanders, sought aid from the 
 native Irish. His chief supporter was John Water, 
 ex-Mayor of Cork, but it is surmised that the 
 Geraldine chiefs Desmond and ELildare secretly 
 encouraged his expedition. Little success, however, 
 awaited Perkin, who soon left for France (1492). In 
 the same year Kildare was deposed from office. 
 
 Sir Edward Poynings, one of the most celebrated 
 names on the long roll of Irish Viceroys, received 
 office as Lord Deputy in 1494. He came not only 
 with 1,000 soldiers, but with a host of English 
 lawyers in his train. One of his earliest acts was to 
 take the castle of Caherlow, or Carlow, where James 
 Fitz-Gerald, a brother of Kildare, had fortified him- 
 self against the Government. 
 
 Poynings' Acts. By two Acts, passed in the 
 tenth year of Henry VII., in the Irish Parliament 
 which sat at Drogheda, Lord Deputy Poynings made
 
 CHAP. I.] 
 
 KEIGN OF HENRY VII. 
 
 97 
 
 his name memorable. The chief object of these 
 Acts was to break the power of the great 
 lords in Ireland, and the main enactment 
 
 A.D. 
 
 was 
 
 That no future Parliament was to be held in Ire- 
 land until (1) the Lord Lieutenant and Council had 
 certified to the King the causes and considerations of, 
 and the Acts to be brought before, such an assembly, 
 and (2) until these had been approved under the 
 great seal of England. 
 
 Some of the minor articles were 
 
 1. Miscellaneous rates were abolished only a 
 small land-tax was to be 
 
 paid to the King. The 
 King was also to receive 
 the poundage, hitherto 
 payable to the " fraternity 
 of St. George." 
 
 2. The great lords were 
 to maintain no needless 
 kerns, were to give up the 
 use of Irish war-cries in 
 battle, and were required to 
 obtain a viceregal license 
 before they could have 
 
 cannons or hand-guns in IRISH FOOT-SOLDIER. 
 
 their castles. They were ordered also to wear their 
 robes in Parliament. 
 
 3. Archery was to be generally practised. A veri- 
 table paling or stockade, with a ditch outside, was to 
 be placed along the Irish border of the four shires.
 
 98 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3RD PEE. 
 
 4. All recent enactments of the English Parlia- 
 ment were to have force in Ireland. The right of 
 sanctuary afforded to foreigners, by an arrangement 
 of Kichard, Duke of York, was abolished. 
 
 Two of the prohibitions in the Statute of Kilkenny 
 were rescinded. The use of the Irish language was 
 no longer forbidden; and English subjects might, 
 if they chose, ride without a saddle. 
 
 The Earl of Kildare, attainted of high treason, was 
 now sent a prisoner to England ; thither also went 
 Poynings in 1495, having left the Bishop of Bangor 
 in the post of Viceroy. 
 
 But Kildare was a man hard to drown ; his good 
 fortune, seconded by dauntless wit and force of 
 character, bore him again gaily to the surface. 
 When brought before the Council to answer for his 
 misdeeds, he was charged, among other offences, with 
 burning the church of Cashel. " I did it," said he, 
 " because I thought the archbishop was in it." The 
 fact that the said archbishop was present at the meet- 
 ing of Council, taking a lead among his accusers, gave 
 point to the joke, which amused the King greatly. 
 "All Ireland cannot rule this man," cried his accusers, 
 angrily. " Then," said King Henry with a dash of 
 epigram," he shall rule all Ireland." The bold earl was, 
 accordingly, restored to his estates, and re-appointed 
 to the office of Lord Deputy (August, 1496). 
 
 Previous to this date Perkin Warbeck had paid a 
 second and a third visit to Ireland. After he failed in 
 his attempt at Deal, he sailed to Cork, where Desmond, 
 with a host of wild Irish, joined his banner. They
 
 CHAP. I.] 
 
 REIGN OF HENRY VII. 
 
 99 
 
 blockaded Waterford, but were repulsed by a sally of 
 the citizens. Perkin then betook himself to Flanders, 
 whence he came back 
 again to Cork. But per- 
 ceiving, as he thought, a 
 brighter hope of success in 
 the favour of King James 
 IV. of Scotland, he soon 
 passed to that land, where 
 for a time he was so highly 
 honoured that James be- 
 stowed on him the hand of 
 Lady Catherine Gordon, a 
 lady of royal blood. 
 
 We soon find Perkin, 
 "fallen from his high 
 estate," landing at Cork for the fourth time, accom- 
 panied by his Scottish wife. But the Geraldines were 
 now against him, and they would have seized 
 him "in the wylde Irisherie," where he had 
 taken refuge, had he not stolen away into 
 Cornwall, four ships from loyal Waterford chasing 
 him as he fled. When he met his doom at Tyburn 
 (November, 1499), John Water, his earliest Irish 
 adherent, was hanged beside him. 
 
 The O'Donaill sept was weakened for a time by 
 domestic broils between Con and Hugh, sons of the 
 aged chieftain. But the old warrior buckled on his 
 sword again, and became a firm ally of Lord Deputy 
 Kildare. The O'Briens of Thomond and the O'Neills 
 of Tyrone were subdued by the English forces. 
 
 WILD IRISH. 
 
 1497 
 
 A.D.
 
 100 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3uo PER. 
 
 Dungannon and Omagh, strongholds of the O'Neills, 
 were reduced by the cannon of the Viceroy, who, 
 with O'Donaill, espoused the cause of his nephews, 
 for Kildare's sister had married a Con O'Neill. 
 
 The most crushing blow suffered by the turbulent 
 Irish septs for centuries was now inflicted. Kildare, 
 espousing the cause of the O'Kellys of Conuaught, 
 marched to the west against MacWilliam Burke 
 of Clanrickard. A vast array assembled on both 
 sides. East and North were united against West 
 and South at Knockdoe, eight miles from Galway. 
 The O'Briens and the O'Connors rallied round 
 Burke. O'Donaill and the North followed 
 ^504 ' ^ e English banner, round which the great 
 
 A D lords of the Pale and the Mayor of Dublin, 
 with his citizens, also gathered. 
 
 The rush of Clanrickard's men was foiled by 
 incessant showers of Leinster arrows, and the rout 
 of the western tribes was completed by a vigorous 
 charge of the northern warriors. O'Brien was slain. 
 The chroniclers state that 9,000 of the vanquished 
 perished, but that not a single Englishman bit the 
 dust a statement which must not be accepted as 
 literally true. 
 
 Galway and Athenry yielded at once, and for the 
 first time the West was really submissive to the 
 English rule. 
 
 In the following year Hugh O'Donaill died, aged 
 seventy-eight. Four years later, the reign of Henry 
 VII. came to a close, and his second son reigned, with 
 the title of Henry VIII. (1509).
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 REIGN OF HENRY VITL 
 
 Report on Ireland The Silken Knight Monasteries Act of 
 Supremacy Title of King The new Earls. 
 
 AFTER Henry VIII. became King in 1509, the great 
 Earl of Kildare continued to rule Ireland as Viceroy 
 until 1513, when his son Gerald succeeded him. 
 This noble was not held in favour by the all-powerful 
 Wolsey. He was thrice imprisoned in the Tower, 
 but in 1520 was so far restored to favour that he 
 accompanied King Henry to France, to attend the 
 conference known as the "Field of the Cloth of 
 Gold." 
 
 By royal command, a Report on Ireland was pre- 
 pared in 1515. Sixty Irish chiefs of the old blood, 
 and thirty great captains of the noble English 
 folk ninety in all held the land, living by 
 the sword. The maritime counties, from 
 Louth to Wexford, and one inland county, Kildare, 
 partially acknowledged the English law. Along the 
 borders of the Pale, life was made safe and endurable 
 only by payment of " black mail" to marauders. 
 
 After the Earl of Surrey had held the office of
 
 102 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [3RD PER. 
 
 Lord Deputy for two years (1520-22), Kildare 
 received the appointment. Attempts at conciliation 
 were made. An O'Donaill had lately been feasted 
 at Windsor ; an O'Neill now received the gift of a 
 gold coUar. But the O'Donaills and O'Neills still 
 maintained their feuds. 
 
 ALBERT DURER'S IRISH SOLDIERS. 
 
 A fact worth noting here is that the Scots now 
 began to emigrate to Ulster in considerable numbers. 
 
 The Silken Knight. The Earl of Kildare, sum- 
 moned to answer a charge of treason, was committed 
 to the Tower in 1534. Before he departed, he 
 deputed a high-spirited son of twenty-one, Lord 
 Thomas Fitz-Gerald, to act as Viceroy in his stead. 
 Stung to fury by a report that his father had been
 
 CHAP. II.] EEIGN OF HENRY VIII. 108 
 
 beheaded, this rash youth, at a meeting of the 
 Council in St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin, flung 
 the sword of state angrily on the table in 
 defiance of the English king. The Irish 
 bards, chanting the ancient glory of the Geraldines, 
 fanned the flame. Allen, Archbishop of Dublin, who 
 was supposed to be the secret accuser of Kildare, at 
 first sought refuge in the Castle, but afterwards, while 
 attempting to escape, was murdered near Clontarf. 
 Thomas had five uncles, all of whom though three 
 at first held back were involved in his doom. The 
 rebels were driven from Dublin; O'Connor joined 
 them, and the central part of the island was wasted 
 with fire and sword. Sir William Skeffington came 
 to Ireland with a large force, aided by artillery. 
 Lord Leonard Grey went in pursuit of Lord Thomas. 
 Maynooth Castle, the G-eraldine stronghold, fell, and 
 the rebel chief ultimately surrendered on a promise 
 of pardon. Before this, the old Earl, his father, had 
 died of grief in the Tower. The five uncles, 
 treacherously seized at a banquet, were carried over 
 to London, where all uncles and nephew were 
 beheaded in 1537. 
 
 Note. Elizabeth Fitz-Gerald, a sister of Lord Thomas, and 
 daughter of Gerald, ninth Earl of Kildare, and Lady Elizabeth 
 Grey, was "the Fair Geraldine" whose beauty Lord Surrey, one of 
 the earliest English poets, celebrated in his sonnets. It should be 
 noted that there were two distinct families known in Irish history 
 as "the Geraldines," and both were descended from Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald, one of the Anglo-Norman invaders of 1170 (1) the Fitz- 
 Geralds of Desmond, or South Munster ; (2) the Fitz-Geralds of 
 Kildare, to whom the Duke of Leinster belongs. The first sprang 
 from Thomas, the second from Gerald, sons of Maurice Fitz-Gerald.
 
 104 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3RD PER. 
 
 A boy Geraldine still survived Gerald, the 
 youngest brother of Lord Thomas, aged twelve. 
 Carried to Home, he there received a g<J>d education, 
 and in the reign of Mary came back to Ireland 
 to be restored to the estates and honours of his 
 family. 
 
 The Suppression of Monasteries, directed in 
 England by Thomas Cromwell, now began in Ireland. 
 The See of Dublin, vacant by the murder of Allen, 
 was filled by the appointment of George Brown, a 
 friend of Cromwell, who energetically promoted the 
 work of the Eeformation. His 
 chief opponent was Cromer, 
 Archbishop of Armagh. 
 
 In 1536 the Irish Parlia- 
 ment passed an Act which 
 
 (1) proclaimed Henry to be 
 supreme Head of the Church, 
 
 (2) forbade appeals to the 
 Pope, and (3) ordained that 
 first - fruits and twentieths 
 
 should be paid only to the King. This was enacted 
 almost solely by the votes of the Irish nobles, for the 
 clergy opposed the measure so strongly, that the right 
 of voting was taken from the proctors of the Church, 
 of whom two represented each diocese. As had been 
 the case in England, much indefensible violence and 
 destruction accompanied the suppression of the 
 abbeys and monastic houses in Ireland. The ancient 
 churches at Clonmacnoise by the Shannon suffered 
 almost utter ruin. Among the native chieftains
 
 CHAP, ii.] REIGN OF HENRY VIII. 105 
 
 who resisted the spoliation of the ancient church, 
 O'Connor and O'Neill were foremost. 
 
 Title of King assumed. The Kings of England 
 
 had hitherto adopted the style and title of Dominus 
 
 (Lord), not Rex (King) of Ireland. Henry VIII. now 
 
 assumed the higher title, and recognised 
 
 Ireland as a kingdom. At the same time. 
 A.D 
 
 enriching some of the leading Irish chieftains 
 
 and Anglo-Irish lords with the spoils of the sup- 
 pressed monasteries, he obtained from them an oath 
 of fealty, and a consent to hold their lands on the 
 feudal condition of military service. They also 
 attended a Parliament at Dublin, arrayed in their 
 robes as Peers. Ulic de Burgh was created, by letters 
 patent, Earl of Clanricarde ; O'Brien became Earl of 
 Thomond, and Con O'Neill Earl of Tyrone.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 REIGNS OF EDWARD VI. AND MARY I. 
 
 Bellingham Protestant Prelates English Liturgy Catholicism- 
 King's County and Queen's County. 
 
 Edward VI. The short reign of Edward VI. 
 
 (1547-53) witnessed the continuance of the efforts 
 
 to plant the doctrines of the Reformation in Ireland. 
 
 Sir Anthony St. Leger, who had been Viceroy, was 
 
 superseded by Sir Edward Bellingham, a stern 
 
 soldier, who bore down opposition with an iron will 
 
 The Earl of Desmond, for example, refused to 
 
 attend a meeting of Council at Dublin, because he 
 
 desired to keep Christmas at home. Bellingham at 
 
 once proceeded to the castle with a body of horse, 
 
 made him prisoner, and carried him back to Dublin. 
 
 The three principal Protestant prelates at this 
 
 time were Browne, Archbishop of Dublin ; Staples, 
 
 Bishop of Meath ; and Bale, Bishop of Ossory. 
 
 An innovation, which excited great opposition 
 
 among the Irish clergy, was the introduction 
 
 of the Liturgy in the English tongue. " Now 
 
 shall every illiterate fellow read mass," angrily 
 
 cried Dowdall, Archbishop of Armagh.
 
 OHAP. in.] REIGNS OF EDWARD VI. AND MARY I. 107 
 
 The primacy of all Ireland was now attached by 
 Act of Parliament to the See of Dublin. 
 
 Mary I. The complete restoration of the Catholic 
 worship in Ireland was an immediate consequence of 
 Queen Mary's accession. The Protestant prelates 
 were deprived of their positions ; Bishop Bale fled to 
 England ; the mass was celebrated as before. 
 
 We have seen that Henry VIII. adopted the slow 
 policy of trying to win over the Irish nation to the 
 modes of English life and law, by ennobling their 
 chiefs, and using them to the ideas which he desired 
 to implant among the natives in general. He 
 appears to have rejected the plan of colonisation, or 
 " planting." 
 
 This latter policy was adopted by his daughter 
 Mary. The districts of Leix and Offaly, the country 
 of the O'Connors, were given to English settlers, who 
 waged war against the supplanted sept, until the 
 latter was exterminated. These new additions to the 
 English Pale were called Queen's County and King's 
 County, in honour of the Queen and her Spanish 
 husband.
 
 CHAPTER TV. 
 
 REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 
 
 Supremacy and Uniformity Shane O'Neill Desmond's Rebel- 
 lionsSpaniards at Smerwick Raleigh and Spenser Trinity 
 College Hugh O'Neill Earl of Essex Spaniards at Kinsale 
 Lord Mountjoy. 
 
 DURING the reign of Elizabeth, the conquest of 
 Ireland, begun in the reign of Henry II., was virtually 
 completed. 
 
 The work of the counter-Eeformation, which took 
 place in the reign of Mary, was at once undone. 
 The Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, passed in 
 England immediately after the accession of Elizabeth, 
 were placed also upon the Irish statute-book. Such 
 bishops of the Pale as refused to take the oath of 
 allegiance were expelled from their sees. 
 
 The Earl of Sussex was the first Viceroy of the 
 reign. Upon him devolved the heavy task of con- 
 fronting one of the boldest Irishmen that ever 
 rebelled against the English Government. This was 
 Shane (or John) O'Neill, an illegitimate son of the 
 first Earl of Tyrone. The Earl's lawful heir, the 
 Baron of Dimgannon, was murdered, and the sept
 
 CHAP, iv.] REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 
 
 109 
 
 1562 
 
 A.D. 
 
 elected Shane to be their chief. In 1561 the Earl 
 of Sussex occupied Armagh, and sent his troops to 
 ravage Tyrone ; but Shane inflicted a severe defeat 
 on them. 
 
 Shane's visit to London, on the invitation of the 
 Queen, created quite a stir in the streets of the 
 English metropolis, for he was attended by a 
 train of armed galloglasses, whose flowing 
 hair, tunics of linen dyed with saffron, and 
 cloaks of fur, seemed to the English eye like the 
 dress of savages. 
 
 The insatiable ambition of Shane led him to his 
 doom. Having invaded Con- 
 naught, he sent to the Council 
 at Dublin an insolent message 
 that "his sword should keep 
 what his sword had won." 
 
 Sir Henry Sidney, who be- 
 came Viceroy in 1564, invaded 
 Tyrone. Shane, beset by the 
 English forces, and defeated 
 by the O'Donaills, the ancient ULSTER) FROM OLD MAP> 
 enemies of his clan, retreated to the coast of Antrim, 
 where he met with an ignoble end. Having 
 gone to a feast, he was set upon by some Scotch 
 soldiers, who slew him with their swords. 
 
 Sir Henry Sidney was sent to Ireland as Viceroy 
 three times (in 1564, 1568, and 1575). During this 
 period, more than one attempt was made to begin 
 the colonisation of Ireland. The district in Down, 
 known as The Ards, was granted by the Queen to
 
 110 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [3RD PER. 
 
 her secretary, Sir Thomas Smith, and by a circular 
 letter he invited settlers to join him. But he was 
 killed. Walter Devereux, Earl of Essex, also 
 ruined himself in an attempt to plant a settlement 
 at Clannaboye, also in Down. He died at Dublin of 
 poison, it was thought. 
 
 Sidney, in pursuance of a plan which he had 
 formed for local government, appointed Sir Edward 
 Fitton to be President of Munster, and Sir John 
 Perrott to be President of Connaught. Both rulers 
 exercised their power severely in repressing the 
 turbulent septs. Sir Henry Sidney ceased to be 
 Viceroy in 1578. 
 
 Desmond's Rebellion. The Pope and Philip II. 
 of Spain, instigated by an Irish adventurer named 
 Stukely, despatched a small force, in 1579, to the 
 South of Ireland. Stukely deserted at Lisbon ; but 
 the expedition went on under the direction of 
 Fitzmaurice, a brother of the Earl of Desmond, and 
 Dr. Nicholas Sanders, who acted as Papal Legate. 
 Landing at Dingle, they occupied Fort del Ore on 
 Smerwick Bay. 
 
 When, in the following year, a larger Spanish force, 
 numbering 500 men, under San Jose", arrived at 
 Dingle, the Earl of Desmond, and his brother John 
 Geraldine, joined the invaders. Lord Grey of 
 Wilton, who was then Lord-Lieutenant, suc- 
 ceeded, by sending a fleet round the wild 
 Kerry coast and marching rapidly to the spot, in 
 entrapping the foreign troops within their fort at 
 Smerwick. The fort was battered into surrender,
 
 CHAP, iv.] REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. Ill 
 
 and all within it were mercilessly slain. This was 
 but a beginning of slaughter and ravage, which 
 continued until Munster was utterly desolate, and 
 the Southern Geraldines were all but extirpated. 
 Sanders died in a hut. Desmond, hunted for three 
 years like an outlaw, was betrayed, and slain in 
 1583. His head was fixed on the spikes of London 
 Bridge. 
 
 Sir John Perrott then (1584) became Viceroy. 
 More than 500,000 acres of Munster, the forfeited 
 
 QUADRANGLE, TRINITY COLLEGE, A.D. 1884. 
 
 estates of Desmond, were allotted by a Parliament, 
 held at Dublin, to various English settlers, some of 
 whom were called " undertakers," because they 
 undertook to reside on and occupy the lands. Two 
 celebrated Englishmen, who had already figured in 
 Irish affairs in the train of Lord Grey, received 
 grants at this time. They were Sir Walter Kaleigh, 
 who received 42,000 acres, and lived at Youghal, 
 and Edmund Spenser, the poet, who occupied Kil- 
 colman Castle, in the County .of Cork. There,
 
 112 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3RD PER. 
 
 between the years 1586 and 1590, he wrote the 
 " Faerie Queene." 
 
 Perrott devoted time and care to the roads and 
 
 bridges of the island. He also encouraged the idea 
 
 of founding an Irish University at Dublin, which 
 
 was accordingly accomplished by the establishment 
 
 of Trinity College, in the time of his successor, 
 
 1591 Sir William Fitzwilliam, who became Viceroy 
 
 A ' D< in 1588. Perrott, bitterly opposed by Loftus, 
 
 Archbishop of Dublin, died a prisoner in the 
 
 Tower. 
 
 Note. Dr. Adam Loftus, Archbishop of Dublin, was mainly 
 instrumental in founding the University of Dublin, which was en- 
 dowed with the lands of the Monastery of All-Hallows. The first 
 stone of Trinity College was laid on the site of the Monastery (13th 
 March, 1591), by Thomas Smith, Mayor of Dublin, and students 
 were first admitted on the 9th January, 1593. 
 
 The vigour of Sidney, and the death of Shane 
 O'Neill, had given Ireland peace for twelve years 
 (1567-1579). Then arose the Desmond war. Grey's 
 severity secured a second period of comparative quiet 
 for eleven years (1580-1591). The scene of war 
 then shifted to the North, and an O'Neill was the 
 principal performer. 
 
 Hugh O'Neill A new enemy to English rule, 
 more powerful than any who had yet assailed it, 
 now appeared in the person of Hugh O'Neill, the 
 nephew of Shane. Educated at the English court, 
 he came back to Ireland, in spite of his English 
 training, more Irish than ever at heart, to use what 
 knowledge he had gained as a weapon to assail the 
 Government. He sat in Parliament as Baron of
 
 CHAP. iv.J REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 
 
 113 
 
 Dungannon. In 1587 he received the earldom of 
 Tyrone. 
 
 After many years of veiled rebellion, O'Neill, 
 who in 1593 was acknow- 
 ledged head of his clan as 
 " The O'Neill," abandoned the 
 attitude of assumed loyalty 
 which circumstances had im- 
 posed, and, in alliance with 
 Hugh Roe O'Donaill, defied 
 the Queen. He looked for 
 aid to Philip of Spain. He 
 demanded, what Elizabeth 
 
 HUGH O NEILL. 
 
 indignantly refused, the expulsion from Ulster of 
 every English soldier and official, and the restoration 
 of all Church lands to the Catholics. 
 
 The actual war broke out in 1598. In Munster, 
 James Fitzgerald assumed the title of Earl of 
 Desmond, and a horde of rebels swept the land in a 
 desolating torrent. The poet Spenser lost his all, 
 being forced to flee from blazing Kilcolman. 
 
 Tyrone had eloped with the sister of Sir Henry 
 Bagenal, Marshal of Ireland. And to this 
 officer was given the task of facing Tyrone 1598 
 in the North. At the Yellow Ford, two miles 
 from Armagh, the English suffered a signal defeat, 
 and Bagenal was shot through the head. 
 
 Tyrone at once invaded Munster, while his ally, 
 O'Donaill, defeated the President of Connaught. 
 
 Eobert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of Eliza- 
 beth's favourites, then took command of the largest
 
 114 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [3RD FEB. 
 
 English force that had yet mustered in Ireland. It 
 consisted of 20,000 foot and 2,000 horse. In 
 
 Munster, whither he turned at first, he wasted 
 ' time and strength to little purpose ; and when, 
 
 having received a reinforcement from England, 
 he proceeded to Ulster, O'Neill met him in con- 
 ference in Louth, and succeeded in arranging a 
 cessation of hostilities. Essex then suddenly, with- 
 out seeking the Queen's permission, returned to 
 London. His disgrace, his attempt at conspiracy, 
 and his execution (1601), followed in rapid succes- 
 sion. In departing from Ireland he committed the 
 government to the Archbishop of Dublin and Sir 
 George Carew. 
 
 SIGNATURE OF HUGH O NEILL. 
 
 Spaniards at Kinsale. While Charles Blount, 
 
 Lord Mountjoy, was Lord Deputy, and Carew was 
 
 President of Munster, a force of 4,000 Spaniards 
 
 landed at Kinsale, and seized that town. They were 
 
 commanded by Don Juan de Aguila. Mount- 
 
 1601 J y an( * ^ arew at once blockaded the place. 
 
 ^ D> From the North, O'Neill and Hugh O'Donaill 
 
 moved swiftly to the relief of the beleaguered 
 
 invaders, and, by effecting a junction, threatened the 
 
 English army in the rear. It was arranged that the 
 
 Irish army of relief should suddenly assail the
 
 CHAK iv.] REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 115 
 
 English camp, while the besieged Spaniards made a 
 sally in front. A boy from the Irish army secretly 
 informed Carew of the intended attack. The English 
 waited during all the night of the 23rd December; 
 but O'Neill and O'Donaill, having lost their way, 
 were stumbling in the darkness, blinded by the 
 lightning which frequently lit the sky. In the grey 
 of morning they saw the English under arms, and 
 knew that all hope of a surprise was gone. The 
 English then advanced, crossed the river, and drove 
 the dispirited Irish in utter rout from their position. 
 
 Meanwhile Carew, in the trenches before Kinsale, 
 was occupying the attention of the besieged Spaniards, 
 who little dreamed that the firing and waving of 
 flags on the hill at the English camp meant the 
 destruction of the Irish host. Their feeble sally was 
 easily repulsed. 
 
 Aguila then surrendered Kinsale, and was per- 
 mitted to lead his troops back to Spain (March, 
 1602). Hugh O'Donaill escaped to Spain, where he 
 soon died. Tyrone and Eurie O'Donaill retreated to 
 Ulster. 
 
 The struggle in Munster now centred at Dunboy 
 Castle, a stronghold among the mountains of Beare, 
 at the western end of Bantry Bay. Defended by 
 Eichard MacGeoghegan, it was battered into ruins 
 by the cannon of Carew (1602). 
 
 Mountjoy now turned his sword on Ulster. Aided 
 by Docwra, governor of Derry, and Chichester, 
 governor of Carrickfergus, he hemmed in O'Neill, 
 and forced him to take refuge at the extremity of
 
 11 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3fiD PEE. 
 
 Lough Erne. Eurie O'Donaill made submission, and 
 ere long the great O'Neill also humbled himself. On 
 the 30th of March, at Mellifont, in Meath, he sank 
 on his knees before Mountjoy, and implored the 
 mercy of the Queen. Elizabeth had died six days 
 earlier. Tyrone was permitted to retain his earldom 
 and a portion of his lands. 
 
 These events completed the conquest of Ireland.
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 THE CONDITION OF IRELAND IN ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 
 (As depicted by Edmund Spenser.) 
 
 Edmund Spenser Brehon Law Coigny and Livery Glibbe and 
 Cloke Soldiers Arms and Dress Assemblies Billet and 
 Cess Tenancy Spenser's Plan. 
 
 Note. The great English poet, Edmund Spenser, first went to 
 Ireland in 1580, as secretary to Lord Grey of Wilton, the Lord- 
 Lieutenant, who succeeded Sir Henry Sidney. In 1586, Spenser 
 received a grant of 3,028 acres in County Cork, out of the forfeited 
 Desmond estates. He resided at Kilcolman Castle, two miles 
 north-west of Doneraile. His position as " Clerk of the Council of 
 Munster " enabled him to acquire the information contained in 
 his View of the State of Ireland, which was probably written in 
 1596. He afterwards became Sheriff of Cork ; but, at the outbreak 
 of a new rebellion, his house was burned one of his children 
 perishing in the flames and he fled to London, to die of a broken 
 heart, January 1598. The following chapter is founded on his 
 treatise mentioned above. 
 
 THE Irish septs, dwelling apart, unmixed with the 
 English, still clung to the Brehon laws. A murderer 
 still paid an eric, and the tanist was still elected at 
 the same time as the chief. The principle of land- 
 tenure was that the chief held his land only for 
 life, as the representative of the sept. Standing with
 
 118 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [8BD FEB. 
 
 loth feet on a sacred stone, he swore at his election 
 to preserve ancient customs inviolate ; the tanist took 
 a similar oath, placing only one foot on the stone. 
 
 Certain districts, called Counties 
 Palatine, along the borders of the 
 English Pale, had formerly been 
 given special privileges, in return 
 for defending these border lands. 
 Tipperary was the only County 
 Palatine remaining when Spenser 
 wrote. 
 
 A STON'^NEII A DERRV. ON The system of a chief receiving 
 coigny (man's meat) and livery (horse's meat) from his 
 tenants was still in force. Tenants were usually 
 tenants-at-will, paying no fixed rent. Their common 
 saying was, "Spend me and defend me;" that is, "You 
 may take a part of my means, if you afford me protec- 
 tion." The native Irish fed cattle on the mountains 
 and pastures, living in huts called booties, and moving 
 from place to place. These booties afforded a refuge 
 for outlaws. " Making the cows and garrons (horses) 
 to walk," or cattle-lifting, was a practice favoured by 
 the disordered state of the country. The social order 
 induced by native civilisation had been destroyed ; 
 English institutions had not succeeded in getting 
 root or gaining recognition. 
 
 Spenser draws a parallel between the ancient 
 Scythians and the Irish of his day. A thick bush of 
 curled hair, called a glille, fell over the eyes, almost 
 concealing the face. The usual dress was a long 
 cloak or mantle, which he characterises as "a fit
 
 CHAP, v.] CONDITION IN ELIZABETH'S KEIGN. 119 
 
 house for an outlaw, a meet bed for a rebel, and an 
 apt cloak for a thief." It served to hide plunder, 
 to conceal a sgian or a pistol, to keep off gnats 
 in summer, and in a fight, folded 
 on the left arm, to ward off the 
 blows of a sword. 
 
 The left-armed foot soldiers, or 
 kernes (ceicepn), before a battle, 
 drew a cross on the ground with 
 the point of their swords or pikes. 
 They marched in a confused array, 
 clashing their swords, and rushed THE GUBBE. 
 
 on the foe with a wild shout. Each clan had its 
 war-cry. The O'Neills shouted Lauv-Dearg-aboo 
 (The Red Hand to the fore!) the O'Briens, Lauv- 
 Laider (The Strong Hand!). The Old English 
 imitated this : Crom-dboo ! was the war-cry of the 
 Geraldines ; Butler-dboo ! that of the house of 
 Ormond. Another battle - shout was Ferrdgh ! 
 Ferrdgh ! 
 
 They swore on the sword, and muttered prayers 
 when they lit a candle or a fire. 
 
 Arms and Dress. A round target of painted 
 leather defended the kerne. In the North they used 
 long wicker shields that covered the whole body. 
 Under the shirt of mail, a jacke of quilted leather 
 was worn; and Spenser complains that this had 
 become, even in peace, the every-day dress of the 
 fighting men. A horseman rode with a brass bit, 
 no stirrups, and whirled his spear round his head as 
 he galloped along.
 
 120 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3RD PER. 
 
 Women wore a roll of linen on their heads. 
 Among the various classes were galloglasses 
 (^AllosUcA), bearing a broad axe, and wearing a 
 long shirt of mail, reaching to the middle of the 
 leg; and lards, who chaunted the praise of their 
 chiefs, and carried about the news 
 of the day; also horse-boys, who 
 never would work; and carrows, 
 who roamed with cards and dice 
 among the houses. The idle classes 
 were largely recruited from the 
 younger sons of the Irish gentry 
 who had been disinherited. 
 
 It must be remembered that the 
 
 MEDIAEVAL HARP. 
 
 original holders of the land, having very generally 
 been dispossessed, found themselves without means 
 of livelihood, and that their condition and manner 
 of living had been forced upon them from without. 
 Many were driven to the mountainous western 
 districts, in which the population became so dense 
 that a state of chronic starvation, misery, and 
 disaffection was there engendered. Others fled the 
 land, and, finding a welcome abroad, founded in the 
 countries of the Continent noble families, through 
 their ability as statesmen, soldiers, or scholars. 
 
 Large assemblies of the Irish, fully armed, were 
 accustomed to meet on a rath, or hill, for the purpose 
 of discussing local affairs, and especially their wrongs. 
 The poorest classes crowded to these meetings ; and 
 any Englishman who happened to be there ran the 
 chance of being assaulted, perhaps killed.
 
 CHAP, v.] CONDITION IN ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 121 
 
 In time of peace, soldiers were billeted in the 
 villages, a system which led to grievous oppression. 
 For the trooper, never content with the food prepared 
 for him, demanded luxuries, clamoured especially for 
 whisky, and often extorted money. Cess (taxes) of 
 various kinds was levied for the governor's horses, 
 for the victualling of garrisons, &c. 
 
 Yearly tenancy of land being the rule, the tenant 
 had no incentive to make improvements. He lived 
 with his family in one room, lying on foul straw. 
 Land was neither enclosed nor fenced; there was 
 neither shelter for the cattle, nor manure for the 
 exhausted land. The life was but a single step 
 above the nomadic, for the peasants rejoiced in their 
 power to leave when they chose. The old social 
 system had been largely broken up. Continued strife 
 and resultant insecurity prevailed. 
 
 During Tyrone's reoellion, Ireland cost Queen 
 Elizabeth 12,000 a month. This money, paid 
 irregularly, was squandered profusely; and fraud 
 prevailed among the officers, some of whom drew 
 pay for soldiers who had deserted or died. 
 
 Spenser propounded a stern plan for dealing with 
 those Irish who refused to submit to the Government. 
 With 10,000 foot and 1,000 horse he would under- 
 take, by planting garrisons supplied with food for a 
 year and a-half, to reduce the island to submission. 
 Each garrison was to be supported, as had been the 
 case in England during the Roman period, by a 
 Romescot, a tax levied on its district. The Irish were 
 a " fleeing enemy." Hiding in woods and bogs, they
 
 122 HISTORY OF IKELAND. [3RD PER. 
 
 used to make their attack in a narrow pass, or 
 at a difficult ford. Falling on them in winter, when 
 their cattle were lean and gave little milk, Spenser 
 proposed "to tennis them" from 
 one band of English to another, 
 until they submitted, and he 
 laid down an elaborate system of 
 garrisons to be placed in com- 
 manding positions. 
 
 The counties of Ireland, as re- 
 ferred to by Spenser in this 
 
 WOODEN METHER, OR 
 
 DRINKING CUP. scheme, were 
 
 Ulster. 1, Down; 2, Antrim; 3, Armagh; 4, 
 Cavan; 5, Monaghan; 6, Tyrone,.?, Fermanagh; 
 8, Donegall ; 9, Colerane (now Londonderry) ; 10, 
 Loutk (now reckoned in Leinster). 
 
 Connaught. 1, Leitrim ; 2, Roscommon ; 3, Gal- 
 way ; 4, Mayo ; 5, Sligo ; 6, Clare (now reckoned in 
 Munster). 
 
 Meath. 1, East Meath ; 2, West Meath ; 3, Long- 
 ford (lately " the Annaly"). 
 
 Leinster. 1, Dublin; 2, Kildare; 3, Caherlagh 
 (Carlow) ; 4, Kilkenny ; 5, King's County ; 6, Queen's 
 County; 7, Wicklow; 8, Wexford, 9, Femes (part 
 of Wexford). 
 
 Munster. 1, Kerry; 2. Cork; 3, Limerick, 4, 
 Waterford ; 5, Tipperary. 
 
 Spenser winds up his View of the State of Ireland 
 with the following practical suggestions : 
 
 1. There should be at the head of the Government, 
 as heretofore, a Lord Deputy or Lord Justice, and
 
 CHAP, v.] CONDITION IN ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 
 
 123 
 
 over him, as Lord-Lieutenant, one of the chief per- 
 sonages of England. The Deputy should reside, not 
 at Dublin, but at Athy. The Governor of Connaught 
 should reside at Athlone. 
 
 2. Roads, 100 yards wide, should be cut through 
 the woods. 
 
 3. Bridges, with a gate and gate-house, should be 
 
 LIBRARY, TRINITY COLLEGE. 
 
 built across the rivers, and fords should be rendered 
 impassable. 
 
 4. Wooden castles should be erected at narrow 
 passes, or roads through bogs. 
 
 5. Highways should be 40 feet wide, and strongly 
 fenced on each side. 
 
 6. Towns, fortified and provided with gates, which 
 were to be locked at night, should be established 
 on these highways. These corporate towns, the 
 burgesses being governed by a bailiff, would be 
 centres of loyal strength, and, if granted the privi- 
 
 of holding a market, and provided with
 
 124 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [3RD PER- 
 
 suitable inns, would supply places of safe and useful 
 intercourse. 
 
 7. Cattle should be branded with the owner's 
 name, or some other distinctive mark This would 
 check the rampant evil of " cattle-lifting." 
 
 At this period travelling was attended by consider- 
 able danger. It was not an uncommon practice for 
 travellers to make their wills previous to setting out 
 on a journey. 
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF THE THIRD OR 
 TUDOR PERIOD. 
 
 1487. Lambert Simnel crowned at Dublin. Defeated at Stoke 
 
 (June). 
 1491. Perkin Warbeck appeared at Cork. He paid four visits 
 
 to Ireland (1491-97) ; executed at Tyburn, 1499. 
 1495. Poynings' Acts passed at Drogheda. 
 
 Sixteenth Century. 
 
 1504. Irish Septs crushed at Knock-tuah by Kildare. 
 1515. Keport on Ireland drawn up by Royal order. 
 1534. Rebellion of Silken Thomas. He and his five uncles 
 
 executed in London, 1537. 
 1536. Irish Parliament acknowledged supremacy of Henry 
 
 VIII. 
 
 1541. Henry VIII. assumed the title, " King of Ireland." 
 1551. The Liturgy in English used in Ireland. 
 1562. Visit of Shane O'Neill to London. He was slain, 1567. 
 1580. Slaughter of a Spanish force under San Jose, at 
 
 Smerwick, on Dingle Bay. 
 
 1586. Edmund Spenser went to reside at Kilcolman. 
 1591. Trinity College, Dublin, founded ; opened, Jan., 1593. 
 1598. Rebellion of Hugh O'Neill. He made submission at 
 
 Mellifont, 1603. 
 
 Seventeenth Century. 
 1601. A Spanish force of 4,000 landed at Kinsale. It was 
 
 defeated by Mountjoy. 
 1603. Death of Queen Elizabeth.
 
 NOTES ON THE MEANING OF SOME IRISH 
 NAMES OF PLACES. 
 
 IRELAND (ei-pe), Ayera, is probably derived, as has been con- 
 jectured, from eire = west or extreme. The genitive 
 form Eirean = Erin, has been employed as a modern 
 poetical name for the Island. 
 
 ULSTER (UtAt)), Oolah ; LEINSTER (1/A1 jeAn), Lyen ; 
 MUNSTER (ITluriiA), Moowa; CONNAUGHT (CoriAcc), 
 Conacht. Thomond means North 
 Munster ; Desmond, South Munster; 
 and Ormond, East Munster. No 
 certain derivation can now be as- 
 signed to the names of the pro- 
 vinces. It is more than probable 
 that the nation or nations who gave 
 the four kingdoms their titles did 
 not speak the Irish language, as 
 such names as are of undoubted 
 Gaelic origin are perfectly significant 
 at the present day. 
 
 ARMS OF IRELAND. 
 
 NAMES OF IRISH COUNTIES. 
 
 ANTRIM (Aon-t)]Auim) called from a range of hills means 
 the "One-ridge." 
 
 DOWN COtm-pViA'OfiAij), contracted from Down- Patrick = 
 the " Dune-of-Patrick." 
 
 LONDONDERRY COoiiAe-ChotumciUle). Derry means an 
 "Oak-wood." The town was long called Derry Columcille 
 the "Oak-wood-of-Columcille." It was styled Londonderry 
 in the reign of James L, when large estates were granted 
 to some of the London companies of Skinners, Salters, &c. 
 
 I
 
 126 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 DONEGAL ("Dun TlA n-^All) means the " Dune-of-the- 
 
 Foreigners." 
 FERMANAGH Cpiji-ttlATiAc) means the territory of the " Men- 
 
 of-Manach" (a tribe who were driven thither from 
 
 Leinster). 
 CAVAN (CA^ATI) means the " Hollow-place," in allusion to the 
 
 situation of the town. 
 MONAGHAN (tTluineACAn) means the " Place-of-little-hills." 
 
 ARMAGH (A|AX)-1TI ACA), the " Height-of-Macha," the war-god- 
 
 dess. 
 TYRONE (Ui|v-6oJAin) means the "Land-of-Owen," one of 
 
 Xiall's eons. 
 LOUTH (Lu j-niAJ), or Luh-waw, means the "Field-of-Lugh." 
 
 MEATH (1Tlit>e) once the central kingdom has been sup- 
 posed to mean the " Neck" of territory cut out of the four 
 provinces to form the mensal lands of the Awrd-ree. This 
 derivation is only conjectural. 
 
 LONGFORD (Lon^popc-ui-f-eA^Ai'l), the "Camp." The 
 town from which the county has been named was called 
 Longphort 0'Farrell = the " Camp-of-0'Farrell." 
 
 DUBLIN, from the Duvlinn COubbnn) or "Black-Pool" in 
 
 the Liffey near which the original / At . chAe . oubtinne 
 
 city stood. The name was pro- ~ -- 
 
 nounced Duvlin until a compar- 
 
 atively recent period. Dublin's name 
 
 in modern Irish speech is Bla-kleea 
 
 (bAil'-AC-cliAc), the "Town-of- 
 
 the-Hurdle-Ford." 
 KING'S COUNTY, formerly called Offaly, 
 
 the "Land-of-0'Faly" (Ui-VAilje), 
 
 was brought within the Pale in 
 
 Queen Mary's reign, and received its ARMS OF DUBLIM - 
 
 present name in honour of her husband, Philip of 
 
 Spain. The castle of Daingean was called Philipstown 
 
 after the same monarch. 
 
 QUEEN'S COUNTY, formerly Leix (tAOijif), was at the same 
 time called so in honour of Queen Mary' I. The fortress 
 Campa was also named Maryborough.
 
 NAMES OF IRISH COUNTIES. 127 
 
 CARLOW (Cecep>1oc), ancient Ceher-loch = the "Four-fold 
 Loch." The Barrow was supposed to have formed four 
 lochs there. 
 
 KILKEXXT (CiVL-CAinrng) means the cell or "Church-of- 
 
 Kenny," i.e., St. Canice. 
 WICKLOW (CiUl-mAncAin), a Norse name. Probably the 
 
 Danish '"Vik-loe" (Bay-shelter). 
 WEXFORD (Loc-gA^mAn), also Danish, altered from Weis- 
 
 ford, or the " West-tiord" (creek). 
 WATERFORD (pojAC-tAipge) was called by early English 
 
 writers Vadre-tiord. 
 
 TippERARY(UiobpA-o-AjAAnn) means the ""Well-of-Ara," the 
 
 ancient territory in which it was situated. 
 CORK (C o-pcAc) , an cieu tly Corcach-mor-Moo wan, or the " Great- 
 
 Marsh-ot-Munster." 
 LIMERICK (t/mmneAc), formerly called Limenick, means the 
 
 " Barren-Spot-oi-Laud." 
 KERRY (CiAppAToe), so called after Ciar, a son of Fergus 
 
 MacRoy by Queen Maev. It means the " District-of-the- 
 
 Race-of-Ciar." 
 
 CLARE (CVAn) means the ''Plain." The county probably 
 received its name from its topographical features. 
 
 GAL WAY (TjAlVLllfl) got its name from the river Gailliv on 
 which it is situated. 
 
 MAYO (ttl A^-eo), or Magh-eo, means the " Plain-of-the- Yew- 
 tree." 
 
 SLIGO (SVigioc), called from the river Sligioch, means 
 
 the " Shelly-water." 
 
 LEITRIM (l/iAC-'opuiTn) means the " Grey -ridge." 
 ROSCOMMON (Ko|"-comAn) means the " Wood-of-Coman." 
 
 Note. The names in Irish Geotfraphy of Danish origin are 
 "Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, Carlingford, Strangford, Carnsore 
 Point, Ireland's Eye (ey = island), Lambay (lamb-island), Dalkey 
 (thorn-island), Howth, Leixlip (salmon- leap).
 
 FOURTH PERIOD. STUART SOVEREIGNS. 
 
 From 1603 A.D. to 1714 A.D. 
 
 James I. (son of Mary Queen of Scots) 1603 
 
 Charles I. (son) I 625 
 
 Commmonwealth 1649-1660 
 
 Charles II. (son of Charles I.) 1660 
 
 James II. (brother) 1685 
 
 William III. (nephew) ) 1689 
 
 Mary II. (daughter of James II.) \ 
 
 Death of Mary; William sole Euler 1694 
 
 Anne (daughter of James II.) 1702-1714 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 BEIGN OF JAMES I. 
 From 1603 A.D. to 1625 A.D. 
 
 Opposition Carew Chichester Flight of the Earls O'Dogherty 
 Plantation of Ulster Baronets A Parliament Second 
 Plantation. 
 
 THEEE appeared in the south of Ireland opposition 
 to the accession of King James VI. of Scotland to the 
 throne, especially in the cities of Waterford, Cork, 
 and Limerick, where at first the citizens refused to 
 proclaim him. But the firmness and wise forbear- 
 ance of Mountjoy overawed the show of resistance. 
 
 Mountjoy then crossed to England, accompanied 
 by O'Neill and Eurie O'Donaill. The Deputy was
 
 CHAP. I.] 
 
 REIGN OF JAMES I. 
 
 129 
 
 created Earl of Devonshire ; O'Neill was confirmed 
 in his old title, Earl of Tyrone ; while Eurie received 
 the earldom of Tirconaill. 
 
 The country having been subjugated by the ruth- 
 less policy of destroying all crops and means of 
 support, famine and pestilence came to complete the 
 deadly work. In Ulster, thousands died from starva- 
 tion. Heart-rending accounts are given, from official 
 sources, of the bitter ex- 
 tremities to which the 
 natives were reduced. 
 
 Sir George Carew ruled 
 Ireland as Deputy from 
 June, 1603, to Feb., 1604. 
 Circuits of Justice were 
 established in the North ; 
 the subdivision of the 
 island into counties was 
 completed; and an "Act 
 of Oblivion and Indem- 
 nity" was passed in favour 
 of all who had been involv- 
 ed in the late rebellion. 
 
 Under Sir Arthur Chichester, who succeeded Carew 
 as Lord Deputy, further reforms and changes were 
 introduced, all tending to pacify the land and 
 stimulate industry. The Brehon law was abolished, 
 tamstry and gavelkiiid ceased to have force, and the 
 English law was established. A Commission of Grace 
 was appointed to receive the surrender of lands held 
 by the Irish chiefs, who were immediately re-invested 
 
 TOMB OF THE CHIEFTAIN, O'CAHAN, 
 DUNGIVEN PRIORY.
 
 130 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [4xn PER. 
 
 in them with a legal title. The tenants of such were 
 required to pay an annual rent for the portion of 
 land they held, instead of being subject to uncertain 
 exactions. Tribal land was divided into large inde- 
 pendent estates ; the power of the chiefs was thereby 
 weakened, but the mass of the people were shut out 
 from any share in the new distribution. The corpora- 
 tions of towns also surrendered their old charters, 
 and received new ones in more regular form. 
 
 Flight of the Earls. Underlying the apparent 
 peace which these reforms produced, a spirit of dis- 
 content brooded. The Earls of Tyrone and Tirconaill, 
 having learned that the Government were determined 
 to seize them on a charge of conspiracy, apparently 
 groundless, suddenly left Ireland. Sailing from 
 Eathmullen on Lough Swilly, they landed 
 .. '' in France, and passed thence to Rome, where 
 AD they died O'Donaill in 1608, O'Neill not 
 until 1616. 
 
 In the extreme North there was a slight out- 
 break. Paulet, governor of Derry, struck Sir Cahir 
 O'Dogherty, chief of Inishowen. The blow cost 
 blood. Seizing the fort of Culmore, O'Dogherty took 
 Derry and killed Paulet. But the flame of revolt 
 was quickly trampled out. Wingfield and Chichester 
 combined their forces, and the death of O'Dogherty 
 in a skirmish brought the affair to an end. 
 
 By these events over three and three-quarter 
 millions of acres were taken by the Crown the 
 better part of six counties, Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, 
 Fermanagh, Cavan, and Armagh. It was a favourable
 
 CHAP. I.] 
 
 REIGN OF JAMES I. 
 
 131 
 
 1609 
 
 A.D. 
 
 opportunity to try the experiment of a " plantation" 
 on an extensive scale. One-fifth of this area was 
 rich, the remainder barren. The natives dwelling 
 on the rich tracts were migrated to the poor portion. 
 Plantation of Ulster. About three-quarters of a 
 million acres of the most fertile land in Ulster were 
 granted on easy terms to the London Guilds, the 
 protestant episcopal church, and to various classes of 
 settlers (1) Undertakers, protestant colonists from 
 Scotland and England ; (2) Servitors, that is, English 
 who had already served in Ireland ; (3) Irish, 
 under whom the native earth-tillers took ser- 
 vice. This last class, natives " of good merit," 
 received only one-tenth in the new partition. Divided 
 into estates of 2,000, 
 1,500, and 1,000 acres 
 the land of the under- 
 takers was allotted under 
 conditions which obliged 
 them to build, within two 
 or three years, a castle or 
 house with an enclosed 
 lawn (courtyard); to plant 
 forty-eight able colonists 
 of English or Scotch blood 
 on the land in three years ; 
 and to reside on their 
 estates for five years. The GATEWAY, WALLS OF DERRY. 
 citizens of London received large grants of land in 
 the county Derry. Fortifying Derry city, they 
 made it the leading bulwark of the North.
 
 132 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 Division of Land. Irish Acres. 
 Note. 50 English Undertakers, 81,500 
 
 59 Scotch Undertakers, 81,000 
 
 60 English Servitors, 49,914 
 
 286 Irish, 52,279 
 
 London Guilds, 61,437 
 
 Church, towns, etc., 185,335 
 
 Total, 511,465 
 
 Creation of Baronets. King James created a new 
 
 title of nobility the Baronet which was conferred 
 
 on certain gentlemen, each of whom paid for 
 
 the honour enough money to maintain thirty 
 
 men in Ulster, at eightpence a day, for three 
 
 years. The baronets were entitled to bear the red 
 
 hand of O'Neill on their coat of arms. 
 
 In agriculture, manufactures, and commerce the 
 North of Ireland began to thrive. There was still, 
 however, as a result of the Plantation, a number of 
 idle fighting men, sons and retainers of the dis- 
 possessed chiefs, who roamed through the country. 
 In this class lay an element of great danger. King 
 James permitted them to enlist in foreign service, 
 especially that of Spain ; but this only increased the 
 evil by training them to the use of arms, for they 
 soon returned to Ireland. 
 
 The discontent of the Catholics arose from the 
 penal laws, which pressed severely on them, unless 
 they took the Oath of Supremacy. 
 
 No Parliament had been summoned in Ire- 
 land for twenty-seven years previous to 1612. 
 In that year 50 lords and 232 commoners 
 assembled to discuss Irish affairs, and confirm
 
 CHAP. I.] REIGN OF JAMES I. 133 
 
 the forfeiture of the estates of O'Neill, O'Donaill, 
 O'Dogherty, and other Ulster chiefs. After a hot 
 conflict as to the appointment of a Speaker Sir 
 John Davis being the royal nominee and Sir John 
 Everard the catholic candidate the wise concilia- 
 tion of Chichester calmed the heat of parties, and 
 secured the recognition of the King's title, the 
 approval of the Ulster Plantation, and the repeal of 
 various laws enacted against the old Irish and the 
 Scotch settlers. 
 
 A second Plantation took place in 1615, when 
 80,000 acres in Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, 
 King's County, and Queen's County were 
 divided among English settlers. 
 
 In 1615 Chichester retired from the office of Lord 
 Deputy, receiving the title of Baron Belfast. He 
 was succeeded by Oliver St. John, a severe ruler, who 
 made a special example of Waterford by depriving 
 that city of its charter and its revenues. When St. 
 John ceased to be Lord Deputy in 1622, Henry Carey 
 Lord Falkland, received the office. 
 
 During the last year of this reign Ireland was 
 agitated by a proposal for the plantation of Connaught. 
 When the landowners of Connaught, in the time of 
 Elizabeth, had been required to surrender their estates, 
 for the purpose of having them re-granted, they for 
 the most part had not got letters patent, and, when 
 this omission was rectified in the reign of James, 
 the new patents were found to be not enrolled. 
 There being thus a flaw in the titles, the lands were 
 considered to have reverted to the Crown. James
 
 134 HISTORY OF IllELAND. [4xn PER. 
 
 eagerly caught at the idea of planting Connaught, 
 but the proprietors offered to pay a fine of 10,000 
 if he would permit them to purchase a new confirma- 
 tion of their titles. The death of King James in 
 1625 interrupted these plans, which were for the 
 time given up.
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 REIGN OF CHARLES I. 
 From 1625 A.D. to 1649 A.D. 
 
 The Graces Earl of Cork Wentworth Viceroy Plantation of 
 Connaught The Army Recall of Strafford Rebellion of 
 1641 Council at Kilkenny Papal Legate Earl of Glamor- 
 gan Battle of Benburb Peace concluded. 
 
 WHEN Charles I. became King, Lord Falkland 
 continued to rule Ireland as Viceroy. The Irish 
 Catholics, by his advice, approached the throne with 
 an offer of 120,000, to be paid in three annual 
 instalments, if the King would grant them relief from 
 certain restrictions and disabilities. 
 
 The Graces. Under the title of "the Graces," 
 Charles, by a royal proclamation, granted fifty-one 
 privileges, referring chiefly to (1) security of title to 
 land, (2) free trade, (3) the substitution of an oath of 
 allegiance for that of supremacy. It was promised 
 that "the Graces" should be confirmed by 
 the Irish Parliament, in order to make them 
 
 A D 
 
 valid; but this was never done. Put off 
 constantly by promises, those interested were obliged 
 to wait in hope, enjoying in the meantime a brief 
 sunshine of toleration and indulgence.
 
 136 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 When Falkland was recalled in 1629, the viceregal 
 power was vested in the Lord Chancellor, Adam 
 Loftus, Viscount Ely, and in the Lord Treasurer, 
 Eichard Boyle, Earl of Cork. These nobles, both 
 Protestants, were appointed Lords Justices, and ruled 
 for four years (1629-1633). The Earl of Cork, 
 who originally came to Ireland as a poor adventurer 
 in the reign of Elizabeth, had by unscrupulous 
 means secured both rank and wealth. Eepressing by 
 force the service in a Franciscan chapel in Dublin, 
 the Lords Justices seized, besides, sixteen monastic 
 houses, and put down the Catholic college in that 
 city. 
 
 Vice-Royalty of Wentworth (Strafford). Now 
 appeared on the stage of Irish history a man who 
 played a great part in the tragedy of this reign. 
 Acting at first in opposition to the King, especially 
 in aiding to wrest from him the Petition of Eight, 
 Sir Thomas Wentworth, a baronet of Yorkshire, after- 
 wards cast in his fortunes with those of his royal 
 master. Ireland needed a ruler of iron will. Went- 
 worth, now a viscount, was the man selected to deal 
 with the difficult task. 
 
 Wentworth crossed to Ireland, resolved to be 
 absolute master, and to allow no appeal from 
 AD his decisions. To secure the Irish revenues 
 for the use of King Charles, and to maintain 
 a powerful army for the repression of all opposed to 
 his policy, formed the main aims of his government. 
 In order to neutralise the influence of Ussher, Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh, who was a prelate of moderate
 
 CHAP. II.] REIGN OF CHARLES I. 137 
 
 tone, he placed Bramhall, a friend of Laud, in the 
 see of Derry. 
 
 When a Parliament was summoned at Dublin in 
 1634, Wentworth, by holding out a hope that .. 
 "the Graces" would be confirmed, extracted 
 
 A D 
 
 for the King six subsidies of 50,000 each. 
 The Upper House resisted somewhat stoutly, one of 
 the leading objectors being the young Earl of Ormond, 
 who, contrary to orders, insisted on wearing his 
 sword in the House. In spite, however, of these 
 generous grants of money, "the Graces" were not 
 confirmed. 
 
 Wentworth pushed on vigorously a plan which he 
 had formed for planting Connaught. In spite of " the 
 Graces," which permitted 60 years' possession of land 
 to constitute a title superior to all claims of the 
 Crown, four-fifths of Connaught were declared by 
 subservient juries to have reverted to the Crown, 
 owing to defective titles. 
 
 Having gone over to England in 1636, Wentworth, 
 in reply to reports circulated by his enemies, made 
 before the Council a defence of his government in 
 Ireland. He maintained that the revenue had 
 increased that the discipline and equipment of the 
 army were much improved that justice was well 
 administered and especially that trade had begun 
 to prosper. 
 
 One benefit conferred on Ireland by this stern 
 statesman was the establishment in Ulster of the 
 linen trade, which has proved so great a boon. 
 Finding that the soil of Ireland was suitable to the
 
 138 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 FLAX PLANT. 
 
 growth of flax, he purchased in Holland a thousand 
 pounds' worth of seed, and, obtaining workmen from 
 Flanders and from France, he 
 set up six or seven looms as a 
 beginning. At the same time 
 he discouraged the woollen 
 manufactures, for which certain 
 districts in Ireland had become 
 celebrated, lest they should 
 compete with those of England. 
 To increase the royal revenue 
 in Ireland, Wentworth estab- 
 lished there a royal monopoly 
 of salt, an article of absolute necessity, the price of 
 which could be raised at any time. 
 
 The army, his chief engine of government, was 
 studiously cared for, being well drilled, well paid, and 
 well armed. He probably looked forward to a time 
 when these Irish soldiers should see service in Eng- 
 land on the royal side. 
 
 Laud's theories of church government and ritual 
 were enforced in Ireland by Wentworth. The 
 attempt to exact uniformity in religion deeply stirred 
 the Presbyterians of Ulster, of whom a large pro- 
 portion were Scots, sympathising with their fellow- 
 countrymen in the struggle then going on in their 
 mother-land. 
 
 In January, 1640, Wentworth, created Earl of 
 Strafford, returned to Dublin with the higher title of 
 Lord-Lieutenant, which had been disused since the 
 days of Elizabeth.
 
 CHAP. II.] 
 
 REIGN OF CHARLES I. 
 
 139 
 
 1640 
 
 A.D. 
 
 Owing to the increasing fear of a Scottish invasion 
 of England, Stratford collected at Carrickfergus an 
 Irish army of 8,000 foot and 1,000 horse, ready to 
 pour into Scotland or England. At this juncture the 
 King recalled Strafford, who left the govern- 
 ment of Ireland in the hands of Sir Chris- 
 topher Wandsworth ; but, he dying suddenly, 
 Sir William Parsons and Sir John Borlase became 
 rulers of the island. 
 
 It does not belong to Irish history to narrate in 
 detail how the Earl of Strafford, 
 impeached by Pym in the Long 
 Parliament, was tried at West- 
 minster Hall, and executed on 
 Tower Hill (May, 1641). 
 
 Rebellion of 1641. We 
 now reach what an eminent 
 historian characterizes as " the 
 gravest event in Irish history." 
 Forced 
 
 BRASS PUT. 
 
 by his Parliament to 
 disband the Irish soldiers levied by Strafford, and 
 to keep them in their native land, King Charles 
 engaged in secret negotiations with the Earl of 
 Antrim to seize Dublin Castle and establish his 
 cause firmly in Ireland. 
 
 Meanwhile, resulting from the plantations, and 
 due largely to the hopeless feeling that the non- 
 confirmation of "the Graces" had created, a con- 
 spiracy of great magnitude had been striking its 
 roots deeply, especially in the North of Ireland. 
 Owen Koe O'Neill, now in Flanders, being regarded
 
 140 HISTORY OF IKELA5T). >7:-:?i? 
 
 as the head and natural chief of his great family, 
 was invited to join the plot^ and to aid in 
 seeming the assistance which Cardinal Richelieu 
 was alleged to have promised. His cousin, Sir 
 Phelim O'Neill, undertook to lead the Northern Irish, 
 and Lord Maguire of Fermanagh also joined the 
 conspirators. But the life and soul of the plot was 
 Eorie Moore, a gentleman representing one of the 
 most ancient septs of Leinster. 
 
 Dublin Castle, where 9,000 stand of arms were 
 stored, was to be seized. On the same day the 
 fortresses of the North Londonderry, 
 Garrickferir;?, Xewrj wen b fat 
 
 every where the Irish were to rise against the Eng- 
 lish settlers. The Scots of Ulster were not to be 
 injured. On the night before the appointed day 
 which was 23rd October, 1641 MacMahon, one of 
 the conspirators, disclosed the secret of the plot to a 
 man named O'Connolly, while they were drmVing 
 1641 t 8 ether - O'Connolly, though half drunk, 
 carried the intelligence to the Leads Justices, 
 Parsons and Borlase. M^Mahon *nA Magnfn^ 
 were arrested, but B one O'Moore escaped. In the 
 North, Sir Phelim O'Neill treacherously seized 
 Charlemont Castle, and captured Dungannon. Hav- 
 ing found in the castle a patent with the great seal 
 attached, he cut off the latter, which he appended to 
 a forged commission, purporting to be from King 
 Charles. The Irish rebels in many places mmd 
 the name of " the Queen's soldiers. 9 
 
 It would be a uselessly painful task to describe
 
 CHAP. II.] REIGN OF CHARLES I. 141 
 
 the scenes of massacre that occurred during the 
 winter of this awful year. As with one accord, the 
 native Irish rose against the settlers in the planted 
 counties. Men, women, and children were killed. 
 Others, stripped of all clothing, were driven out to 
 die of exposure; shelter was refused. The cities 
 were crowded with naked refugees. As to the 
 number who were slain, and those who perished from 
 exposure, there has been wild exaggeration, but the 
 lowest estimate is between 12,000 and 13,000. 
 
 The flame of rebellion spread over all Ireland, but 
 owing to the English settlers elsewhere having time 
 to prepare for defence, its fierceness was not so 
 severely felt in some districts as in the North. 
 
 The difficulties between King Charles and his 
 Parliament prevented the sending of an army from 
 England to repress the Irish insurrection. Lord 
 Ormond acted for the King. A Scotch army, under 
 General Monro, was despatched into Ulster. Their 
 advent was signalised by the slaughter of the natives 
 in Island Magee. 
 
 No fewer than four parties now existed in the land, 
 each having separate interests. The Catholics were 
 divided into the extreme, or old Irish party, and 
 the Lords of the Pale, who, though distrusting the 
 Government, did not desire a complete rupture with 
 England. There were, in addition, Ormond and the 
 Eoyalists ; and in the .North, Monro and the Scots. 
 
 The Kilkenny Council. An assembly of Oct., 
 Catholics peers, prelates, and commoners 1642 
 calling themselves not a " Parliament" but a A.D. 
 K
 
 142 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 ARMS OF KILKENNY. 
 
 " Provisional Government," and 
 composed of the old Irish and the 
 Anglo-Irish parties, who had fused 
 and now made common cause, met 
 at Kilkenny in October, 1642, and 
 demanded "the complete restora- 
 tion of the Catholic Church in 
 Ireland," but the King could make 
 no concession beyond a promise of unlimited toleration. 
 A Papal Legate then came to Ireland. 
 1R '' Landing at Kenmare, Einucini, Archbishop 
 AD of Fermo, proceeded to Kilkenny. He re 
 
 mained in Ireland for nearly four years. 
 King Charles entered into a secret treaty, through 
 the Earl of Glamorgan, with the Irish Catholics, 
 promising them complete indulgence and an Act of 
 Parliament to secure their rights; but when the 
 existence of this compact was discovered, he dis- 
 avowed its conditions. 
 
 The two military leaders of the native Irish were 
 Colonel Owen Eoe O'Neill, nephew of the late Earl 
 of Tyrone, and Colonel Preston, both of whom had 
 been trained on the Continent. The former, from 
 exile, had come to the summons of fche old Irish 
 party, and sided with the Nuncio; the latter had 
 returned at the simultaneous call of the 
 Irish. 
 
 On the establishment of the provisional govern- 
 ment, Eurie O'Moore and Sir Phelim O'Neill retired 
 from the movement. Owen Eoe was chosen to take 
 the chief command in Ulster. He at once severely 
 
 Anglo-
 
 CHAP. II.] 
 
 REIGN OF CHARLES I. 
 
 143 
 
 ' 
 
 condemned and punished the cruelties which had been 
 committed. 
 
 O'Neill, marching northward, met the army of 
 Monro at Benburb on the Blackwater in 
 Armagh, and won a signal triumph, cap- 
 turing the artillery and baggage of the 
 Scottish general. 
 
 Ormond still held Dublin, and in 1647 he 
 delivered up that city to the English Parliament, 
 betaking himself to England. 
 Colonel Michael Jones, an 
 officer in the Parliamentarian 
 army, then became governor of 
 Dublin. Moving into Meath, 
 he defeated General Preston and 
 the army of the Pale at Dungan 
 Hill. The Nuncio having de- 
 clared against certain acts of 
 the Assembly of Kilkenny, and 
 finding his efforts frustrated, withdrew to Italy, em- 
 barking at Galway (February, 1649). 
 
 The Marquis of Ormond had previously returned 
 to Ireland (Sept., 1648), empowered to conclude a 
 treaty with the Catholics. His proposals being 
 accepted, peace was proclaimed in January, 1649. 
 Before the news reached London, King Charles I. 
 had perished on the scaffold (30th January, 1649). 
 
 OWEN ROE O'NEILL.
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 
 From 1649 A.D. to 1660 A.D. 
 
 Siege of Dublin Landing of Cromwell Drogheda Wexford 
 Departure of Cromwell End of the War Cromwellian Settle- 
 s ment Henry Cromwell. 
 
 THE death of King Charles I. gave the signal for 
 an immediate renewal of the war in Ireland. It was 
 a dying struggle of the Cavalier cause. The Lord 
 Lieutenant, Ormond, hailed with joy the arrival of 
 Prince Eupert at Kinsale. King Charles II. was 
 proclaimed at Cork and at Youghal. 
 
 But Jones still held Dublin, and Coote still held 
 Derry for the Parliament. Moving from Carlow 
 with a strong force, Ormond established his camp at 
 Finglas, on the north side of Dublin, with the inten- 
 tion of besieging that city. Lord Inchiquin, with a 
 portion of the royal army, seized Dundalk, Drogheda, 
 and the castle of Trim. Ormond failed to take 
 Dublin. Moving his camp to Eathmines, on 
 
 1R4Q* ^ e souta s ^ e f the c ity h e attempted to 
 
 A D fortify the old castle of Baggotrath near the 
 
 Liffey. But the garrison, now reinforced by 
 
 Colonels Venables and Eeynolds, who had brought
 
 CHAP, in.] TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 145 
 
 over a considerable force, made a sortie, surprised 
 the troops of Ormond, and drove them in confusion 
 from their lines. 
 
 On 28th March, 1649, Oliver Cromwell received 
 from the English Parliament his commission as Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland. 
 
 Cromwell landed at Dublin in command of 8,000 
 foot, 4,000 horse, and a strong force of artil- 
 lery. He had 20,000, and was accompanied 
 by his son-in-law, Ireton, who held the 
 second place in command. 
 
 Dublin and Derry were the only places now held 
 by the Parliament, and if all parties had united their 
 strength, Ireland might not have been conquered 
 even by Cromwell. His soldiers were to be paid in 
 Irish land; they came to conquer and to settle. 
 One 01 his first actions, after landing, was to issue a 
 general order, directing soldiers to pay for all sup- 
 plies taken from the natives, and forbidding acts of 
 violence. 
 
 Ormond lay near Trim, and Drogheda, an important 
 open port, regarded as a key to the North, was held 
 by Sir Arthur Ashton, with a force of 3,000 troops, 
 almost exclusively English. 
 
 Storming of Drogheda. On the 3rd of Septem- 
 ber Cromwell reached Drogheda. After waiting for 
 a week, in the expectation that Ormond would 
 advance to relieve the town, he opened fire on the 
 churchyard wall of St. Mary's. Next day, after two 
 storming parties had been successively beaten back 
 from the breach, Oliver led a third in person,
 
 146 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 1649 
 
 A.D. 
 
 while the dusk was deepening, and, after a brief 
 struggle, became master of the town. He 
 * pt> 10< punished the refusal to surrender with un- 
 sparing severity. Almost every man found 
 in arms was killed, a very few were sent 
 to the penal colony of Barbadoes ; and even the friars 
 did not escape. 
 
 Cromwell's dealing with Ireland was short and 
 sharp. In nine months 
 he reduced the island to 
 complete subjection. After 
 the storming of Drogheda, 
 Trim and Dundalk sub- 
 mitted at once. t Colonel 
 Venables, marching to the 
 North, aided Coote to re- 
 duce the towns of Ulster. 
 Ormond kept aloof, ill 
 supplied with food and 
 money, and cherishing a 
 
 ST. LAWRENCE'S GATE, DROGHEDA. Vain hope that King 
 
 Charles II. would come to rally the scattered ranks 
 
 of the Irish Cavaliers. 
 
 Oliver's second terrible blow was struck at Wex- 
 
 ford. The governor, Sinnot, alarmed at the first 
 
 sounds of the cannonade, tried to temporise, request- 
 ing terms favourable to the Catholic garrison. 
 But Cromwell demanded the surrender of 
 the town in an hour; and, when that had 
 passed, he stormed the walls, slew 2,000 of 
 
 the inhabitants, and pillaged the town. 
 
 Oct. 11, 
 1649 
 
 A.D.
 
 CHAP, in.] TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 147 
 
 Taafe soon surrendered Eoss. A body of Crom- 
 well's troops, marching along the shore from Dublin, 
 defeated Lord Inchiquin, who tried to intercept their 
 advance to Wexford. Cork and Youghal declared 
 for the Parliament ; and Cromwell, making a bridge of 
 boats across the Barrow, forced Ormond to centralise 
 his dispirited forces at Kilkenny. Then, talcing Dun- 
 garvan (Dec. 4), Oliver fixed his headquarters at 
 Youghal, and rested his army for a winter month or two. 
 
 But, to the wonder and dismay of the Irish, the 
 29th of January, 1650, witnessed the beginning of 
 vigorous operations. Kilkenny and its governor, 
 Sir "Walter Butler, surrendered on the 28th of 
 March; on the 10th of May, Clonmel yielded. 
 This was Cromwell's last victory in Ireland. 
 Embarking at Youghal on the 29th of May, 
 he left the island, having deputed his son-in- 
 law, Ireton now Lord President of Munster 
 to wind up the operations of a war which was 
 virtually at an end. 
 
 The Marquis of Ormond, finding his position 
 untenable, sailed to St. Malo, in France. Clan- 
 rickard then assumed the position of Lord Deputy. 
 
 Siege of Limerick. Ireton began the siege of 
 Limerick, in which Hugh O'Neill, cousin of Owen Eoe, 
 acted as governor. Lord Muskerry made an 
 attempt to relieve the city, but was defeated ] C fi '-,' 
 by Broghill. A Colonel Fennell having AD 
 opened the gates to the soldiers of Ireton, the 
 Parliamentary army became masters of Limerick, 
 the citizens having made a sturdy defence. In
 
 148 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 less than a month Ireton died of the plague in the 
 city which he had conquered. 
 
 The event that brought the war to a conclusion 
 was the reduction of Galway, which surrendered to 
 Sir Charles Coote (April, 1652) after a siege of nine 
 months, having endured great privations. During 
 the two years which followed the surrender, one- 
 third of the population of Connaught were swept 
 away by famine and plague. 
 
 CirY OF GALWAY, A.D. 1651. 
 
 After Ludlow had held command of the army for 
 a short time, Fleetwood, who had become Cromwell's 
 son-in-law by marrying Ireton's widow, arrived from 
 England to undertake the direction of military affairs 
 in Ireland. He held a High Court of Justice at Kil- 
 kenny, and Sir Phelim O'JSTeill, brought to trial at 
 Dublin, was hanged. About 200 others were executed. 
 
 Cromwellian Settlement. It has been already
 
 CHAP, in.] TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 149 
 
 stated that Cromwell's soldiers, who fought in 
 Ireland, were to be paid with the lands they helped 
 to conquer. The Irish catholic gentry, with their 
 servants and cattle, were transported beyond the 
 Shannon, whose broad flood served as "a line of 
 demarcation between Celt and Teuton." Vast num- 
 bers, dispossessed of their lands, carried their swords 
 to France, Austria, and Spain, and entered the mili- 
 tary service of these countries. The lands, thus 
 cleared, were distributed by lot among the soldiers of 
 Cromwell, the native peasantry remaining as tillers 
 of the soil. The only disturbers of the peace and 
 industry, which began almost immediately to prevail 
 under these new arrangements, were the Tories, or 
 robber outlaws, who lurked in the bogs and woods, 
 rushing out on the homesteads, when a chance arose, 
 to plunder and to kill. It became necessary to hunt 
 and slay these unsparingly. 
 
 In 1655, in violation of the conditions upon which 
 the city of Galway had surrendered, 
 it was ordered that all the Irish and 
 catholic inhabitants should be re- 
 moved from the town, that they 
 might be replaced by English pro- 
 testants. The inhabitants, without 
 distinction of rank or sex, were 
 driven out of the town in the 
 midst of a severe winter, and were ARMS OF GALWAY. 
 forced to take shelter by the ditches and in poor 
 cabins in the country, many without fire or sufficient 
 clothing dying in consequence.
 
 150 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [4xn PER. 
 
 The Irish Parliament was now for a time trans- 
 ferred to Westminster. For two years (1655 to 
 1657) Henry Cromwell, a son of the Protector, 
 commanded the army in Ireland; he then became 
 Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 When Oliver Cromwell died, in September, 1658, 
 and it became evident that his son Eichard could not 
 control the nation, the restoration of Charles II. was 
 vigorously promoted in Ireland by Sir Charles Coote 
 and Lord Broghill. The former was strong in Ulster ; 
 the latter, Eoger Boyle, a son of the Earl of Cork, 
 held great command in Munster.
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 REIGN OF CHARLES II. 
 From 1660 A.D. to 1685 A.D. 
 
 Acts of Settlement Protestant Episcopal Church re-established 
 Persecution Irish Trade The Tories The Talbots. 
 
 WHEN, in May, 1660, Charles II. was restored to 
 the throne of his father, the question arose, " How far 
 the dispossessed Catholics of Ireland should be re- 
 placed on their lands ?" A commission sat at West- 
 minster to consider claims relating to this difficulty. 
 
 Coote, made Earl of Monrnouth ; Broghill, created 
 Earl of Orrery, held office as Lords Justices; and 
 Ormond, raised to a dukedom, became Viceroy of 
 Ireland a position which he held, with some inter- 
 vals, during the whole reign. 
 
 Acts of Settlement. A Parliament, composed 
 chiefly of Protestant members, met in Dublin 
 on the 8th of May, 1661. In the following 
 session the first Act of Settlement was passed, 
 enacting that " all confiscations distinctly caused by 
 the rebellion of 1641 should remain in force; but to 
 those who could prove their innocence, their lands 
 should be restored, while the adventurers or soldiers
 
 152 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 in possession of these should be compensated in some 
 other district." 
 
 A Court of Claims having been established to 
 
 receive evidence, the juries displayed a tendency to 
 
 replace the old owners ; and for the ejected settlers 
 
 there was not sufficient land. It became necessary, 
 
 therefore, to pass a second Act, by which the 
 
 Cromwellian settlers gave up one-third of 
 
 their claims in return for the security of a 
 
 title that could not be challenged. 
 
 The result to the Catholic landholders was, that 
 whereas before the rebellion of 1641 they had owned 
 two-thirds of the fertile land 
 in Ireland, now (1665) they 
 held less than one-third. Lords 
 Ormond and Inchiquin re- 
 ceived large grants in reward 
 of their loyalty ; while 120,000 
 acres were bestowed on the 
 Duke of York, the brother of 
 King Charles. 
 
 The re-establishment of the 
 
 FIREPLACE, DONEGAL CASTLE. Protestant Episcopal Church 
 in Ireland was an immediate result of the Bestora- 
 tion. It was a heavy blow to the Cromwellians, who 
 were nearly all Nonconformists, objecting both to a 
 liturgy and to government by bishops. Bramhall, 
 a man after Laud's own heart, who had been Bishop 
 of Derry in the reign of Charles I., was made Arch- 
 bishop of Armagh, and the celebrated Jeremy Taylor 
 received the Bishopric of Down. A second Act of
 
 CHAP, iv.] REIGN OF CHAKLES II. 153 
 
 Uniformity became, in the hands of such prelates, an 
 engine of rigorous persecution, which was directed 
 chiefly against the presbyterian Scots of Ulster. Of 
 seventy ministers, only eight yielded. The others 
 suffered the loss of their pulpits, and in many cases 
 were sent to prison. But the stout spirit of the 
 Scotch settlers held out, and they at length secured 
 terms from the bishops. This persecution had the 
 effect of causing a large number of protestant Non- 
 conformists to emigrate from Ireland, especially to 
 the New England States ; while, on the other hand, it 
 prevented new Scotch settlers from coming to Ireland. 
 
 Restrictions on Irish Trade. In 1663 a new 
 Navigation Act was passed in England, from the 
 benefits of which Ireland was ex- 
 cluded. All colonial goods for 
 Ireland must be sent to England 
 first. No cattle were to be sent 
 from Ireland to the English ports 
 such as Bristol, Milford, and 
 Liverpool with which a brisk 
 trade had already sprung up. Yet 
 in spite of these discouragements, 
 Ireland, in the reign of Charles II., was fairly peaceful 
 and prosperous. The linen trade was taking firm 
 root in the North, and wool became a staple in the 
 South. 
 
 The Tories, however, still haunted the woods, 
 being largely recruited from the idle sons of ousted 
 landowners. Looking on the newly-settled farmers 
 as the usurpers of their own rights, these outlaws
 
 154 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [4TH PJSB. 
 
 often burned the farm-steadings and slew the inmates. 
 This provoked reprisals. The farmers formed into 
 regiments of militia, by whom the Tories were in 
 turn chased to their fastnesses, and killed without 
 compunction. 
 
 During the latter years of this reign, the affairs of 
 Ireland were greatly influenced by Peter Talbot, 
 Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and his brother, 
 Eichard Talbot, who afterwards became Earl of Tir- 
 conaill. Charles II. died in February, 1685, and 
 was succeeded by his brother, under the title of 
 James II.
 
 CHAPTEE Y. 
 
 REIGN OF JAMES H. 
 
 From 1685 A.D. to 1688 A.D. 
 
 Clarendon Viceroy Tirconaill Viceroy. 
 
 DUKING the short reign of James II. (1685-1688), 
 an attempt was made in Ireland, as well as in 
 England, to restore the Catholics to their earlier 
 supremacy. Ormond, now a man of seventy-five, was 
 Lord Lieutenant when Charles died ; but he soon 
 resigned, and James appointed his hrother-in-law, the 
 Earl of Clarendon, to be Viceroy of Ireland. Eichard 
 Talbot, created Earl of Tirconaill, commanded the 
 army. 
 
 Every change pointed to the restoration of the 
 Catholics. The muskets of the militia were taken 
 from them. Catholic officers and men were drafted 
 in large numbers into the army. The new judges 
 and sheriffs were of that creed. 
 
 In 1686 the influence of Clarendon declined, and 
 
 Tirconaill boldly avowed his intention of 
 
 Ififtfi 
 securing the repeal of the Acts of Settlement. 
 
 So unpopular had the Viceroy become, that 
 
 the Catholic priests forbade their people to attend 
 
 the levees.
 
 156 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PEE. 
 
 When, in 1687, Tirconaill became Lord Deputy 
 of Ireland, a terror fell upon the Protestant races, for 
 they expected to be driven from their lands, perhaps 
 from Ireland altogether. The flight of King James 
 to France, and the accession of William III. and 
 Mary II. as joint-sovereigns, gave a new turn to 
 affairs.
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 KEIGN OF WILLIAM III. AND MARY IL 
 From 1689 A.D. to 1694 A.D. 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM HI. ALONE. 
 From 1694 A.D. to 1702 A.D. 
 
 The Siege of Deny The Battle of the Boyne Athlone and Augh- 
 rim The Treaty of Limerick Catholic Penal Laws Woollen 
 Trade Discouraged Molyneux Forfeited Estates Death of 
 William III. 
 
 ALTHOUGH William III. assumed the title of King 
 of Ireland when, in February, 1689, in conjunction 
 with his wife, Mary, he received the crown of Great 
 Britain, yet a sharp struggle was needed to make 
 that title a reality. For Tirconaill still held Ireland 
 for James ; and the power of the English in Ireland 
 had been by his policy reduced to a low point. A 
 haunting fear that the reprisals of 1641 might be 
 repeated in 1689 pervaded the Protestant population. 
 
 Two towns became centres and strongholds of Pro- 
 testantism. Enniskillen, a town of eighty houses, 
 situated on an island between the two Loughs Erne, 
 refused to admit the soldiers of Tirconaill. And 
 when 1,200 soldiers Lord Antrim's regiment moved 
 
 L
 
 168 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4lh PER. 
 
 AD 
 
 from Coleraine to occupy London- 
 derry, thirteen apprentice boys of 
 that city closed the Ferry-Gate in 
 their faces (18th Dec., 1688). The 
 citizens afterwards admitted a 
 small garrison from Mountjoy's 
 regiment, under the command of 
 Colonel Lundy. 
 ARMS OF ENNISKILLEN. Sailing from Brest in France, 
 James II. landed at Kinsale with 100 French officers 
 and 1,200 Irish refugees, under the com- 
 
 mand f Marshal De Eosen ' He had > 
 besides, arms for 10,000 men. The Count 
 
 D'Avaux accompanied him as French am- 
 bassador. Passing by way of Cork to Dublin, James 
 summoned a Parliament. He afterwards proceeded 
 northward to Londonderry, to which a regular siege 
 was laid. 
 
 The Parliament summoned by James sat for less 
 than three months (May 7 to July 20) ; but in that 
 time the Acts of Settlement were repealed, and 2,600 
 owners of land were, by an Act of Attainder, declared 
 to have forfeited their estates by treason, as partisans 
 of the Prince of Orange. An Act was passed, 
 establishing freedom of worship and liberty of 
 conscience. Poynings' Act was also repealed, which 
 was a virtual declaration of Irish independence. 
 To obtain funds, James seized the government 
 coining presses in Dublin, and issued a forced 
 currency of base metal. Money of an actual value 
 of 4d. was made to pass as representing 5. The
 
 CHAP. VI.] 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM III. 
 
 159 
 
 result was ruin to traders, who were compelled to 
 accept the issue in payment for goods. 
 
 Siege of Derry. When a force, under Eichard 
 Hamilton, which had already reached Londonderry, 
 was joined by James, Lundy's 
 heart failed, and he secretly 
 proposed to surrender the city. 
 This the inhabitants would not 
 allow. When Lundy escaped, 
 letting himself down from the 
 wall by night in a porter's 
 dress, the defence was main- 
 tained by Major Baker, Captain 
 Murray, and the Eev. George 
 Walker, rector of Donaghmore. 
 one hundred and five days. 
 
 OLD GUN, WALLS OF DERRV. 
 
 The siege lasted for 
 Placing a strong 
 boom of fir-logs, bound with cables, across 
 
 July 30, 
 
 1689 
 
 the Eiver Foyle at a distance of a mile and A D 
 
 a-half below the city, the besiegers effectually 
 
 stopped all supplies, and reduced the garrison to the 
 
 eating of rats and the gnawing of 
 
 shoe-leather. At last three ships 
 
 from England sailed up from the 
 
 Lough, broke through the boom, 
 
 and relieved the city with food. 
 
 The army of James then retreated 
 
 to Strabane. 
 
 Thus the struggle began a con- 
 
 ARMS OF DERRV. 
 
 flict, in its origin more British than Irish, between 
 the Stuart cause, supported by the catholic Celts 
 and aided by France, on the one side, and the
 
 160 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 protestant colonists, supported by the reigning 
 dynasty of England, on the other. 
 
 King William now began to act. He sent Duke 
 Schomberg over to Carrickfergus with 16,000 men 
 (August 13th), but the winter passed without any 
 blow being struck. Indeed the loose discipline of 
 Schomberg's army encouraged strong hopes of victory 
 on the opposite side. 
 
 Then William crossed to Ireland himself (14th 
 June, 1690) and took the command. With an army 
 of 36,000 men, he left Belfast, on the march to 
 Dublin. James, who had advanced to Dundalk, fell 
 back to the southern bank of the Boyne. The Irish 
 soldiers were spirited and brave, but ill-trained and 
 ill-armed. William's forces were half English, 
 mostly recruits, and half foreign mercenaries, hardy 
 and seasoned. Among the latter were counted 
 French, Fins, Swedes, Swiss, Danes, Dutch, and 
 Brandenburgers. 
 
 Battle of the Boyne. The river Boyne gave its 
 
 name to a battle which historians have regarded as 
 
 one of the decisive conflicts of the world. On 
 
 169O ^ e ^ n f June, William reached the northern 
 
 A j-^ bank with his army. A cannon-shot, fired by 
 
 the artillery of James, grazed his shoulder, 
 
 and the rumour spread in the Irish camp that he 
 
 was dead. On the morning of the 1st of July, 
 
 William's army proceeded in three divisions to ford 
 
 the river. Douglas, leading the right wing, crossed 
 
 at Slane; the famous Blue Guards of the Dutch 
 
 army waded, ten abreast, through the deep ford
 
 CHAP. VI.] 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM III. 
 
 161 
 
 opposite Oldbridge, where James's centre lay. Wil- 
 liam led his cavalry across in person. In vain the 
 Irish troops made gallant efforts to check the 
 advance. The aged Schomberg, trying to rally a 
 body of Huguenots, that had broken under the force 
 of the Irish resistance, received a fatal bullet in the 
 neck. "Change kings," cried Sarsfield, when the 
 day was lost, "and we will fight you again." Seeing 
 all hope of victory gone, 
 James, who had displayed 
 little personal bravery dur- 
 ing the battle, drew off the 
 wreck of his army to the 
 Pass of Duleek, and fled to 
 Dublin. Having entrusted 
 the command of his Irish 
 troops to Tirconaill, he al- 
 most immediately sailed 
 from Kinsale to Brest in 
 France. 
 
 On the 7th of July 
 William entered Dublin. The remainder of the 
 campaign effected little. Drogheda, Kilkenny, and 
 Waterford surrendered; but the troops of William 
 were repulsed at Athlone, and he himself made a 
 vigorous effort to take the city of Limerick. 
 
 In this latter city, the fortifications having yielded 
 to a determined attack, the besiegers poured through 
 the breach, but as the result of a long and desperate 
 struggle, in which even the women took part, the 
 English soldiery were driven back, and, after four 
 
 BATTLE OF THE BOYNE.
 
 162 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 hours' fighting, the retreat was sounded. William 
 then raised the siege and returned to England. 
 Previous to the investment, Sarsfield, having learned 
 that a siege train was expected by William from 
 Dublin, determined to intercept it, and in the dark- 
 ness he, making a sortie from Limerick, so succeeded 
 in the brilliant exploit as to capture and blow up 
 the guns with their own powder while within but 
 seven miles of the English lines. 
 
 In this first siege of Limerick the name of Colonel 
 
 LIMERICK. 
 
 Patrick Sarsfield became conspicuous for military 
 service on the Irish side. He has been styled the 
 most brilliant soldier who fought for the Jacobite 
 cause in Ireland. His tall and splendid physique, 
 his valour, his nobility of character, his wealth, 
 combined to make him the hero and idol of the 
 Catholics, and he deserved his fame. 
 
 Baron de Ginkel, subsequently created Earl of 
 Athlone, remained in Ireland to command the army 
 of William. Tirconaill, who went to France in hope
 
 CHAP. VI.] 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM III. 
 
 163 
 
 of substantial aid from Louis, returned to the 
 Shannon in January, 1691, with three frigates and 
 some warlike stores. A French general, St. Euth, 
 arrived afterwards to take com- 
 mand of the Jacobite army, and 
 the war was renewed. 
 
 William, tolerant by disposi- 
 tion, and " touched by the fate 
 of a gallant nation that had 
 made itself the victim of 
 French promises," offered the 
 Catholics free exercise of their 
 religion, and half of the 
 
 SARSF1ELD. 
 
 Jane, 
 1691 
 
 A.D. 
 
 churches and of their old possessions ; but the Irish 
 held out. 
 
 Battle of Athlone. Strongly situated on the 
 Shannon, and divided by the river into an English 
 and an Irish quarter, this town formed a central 
 rallying point for the forces of Tirconaill and 
 St. Euth. De Ginkel advanced with 18,000 
 men to attack it, but was for a time foiled by 
 the destruction of some arches of the bridge 
 after the Irish army had retreated to the Connaught 
 side. General Mackay, however, in the darkness, 
 waded across unperceived with 2,000 men, seized the 
 bridge, and repaired it so as to enable the whole of 
 De Ginkel's force to cross. St. Euth then retreated 
 to Aughrim. 
 
 Battle of Aughrim. The Irish, commanded by 
 St. Euth, awaited William's army at Aughrim Hill, 
 five miles from Ballinasloe. The battle took place
 
 164 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 on the afternoon of Sunday, the 12th of July a 
 
 day of fog and rain. Not English only, but 
 
 Ifi ' Danes, Huguenots, Scots, and Dutch, marched 
 
 ^P under the English banner. The Irish fought 
 
 with desperate valour, and at one time 
 
 St. Euth cried, "The day is ours;" but his death, 
 
 caused by a cannon-ball, which took off his head, 
 
 turned the day. Late in the evening the Irish 
 
 lines broke into rout, and a massacre of 7,000 men 
 
 rendered all pursuit useless, only some 400 soldiers 
 
 having been taken prisoners. 
 
 A week later, Galway surrendered to De Ginkel, 
 on such terms as permitted the French regiments 
 and other portions of the garrison to march away to 
 Limerick. 
 
 Siege of Limerick. Sarsfield, who had so dis- 
 tinguished himself in aiding to defend Limerick 
 during the previous summer, had 
 now succeeded to the command of 
 the Irish army, which made its 
 last stand at Limerick, where Tir- 
 conaill lay dying. De Ginkel, sup- 
 ported by the English fleet, opened 
 fire on the town with fifty guns. 
 ARMS OF*LIMERICK. The siege having been withstood 
 for about a month, the English general, fearing 
 Octobers tlie danger of" its protraction, suddenly 
 1691 ' attacked tlle Clare end of Thomond Bridge, 
 A D> and cut to pieces a body of 600 Irish troops, 
 who were left behind by the raising of a 
 drawbridge. An armistice being then agreed upon,
 
 OHAP. VI.] 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM III. 
 
 165 
 
 negotiations for surrender began ; and these resulted 
 in the signing of a treaty, which brought the war to 
 a close. The " Treaty Stone/' on which the Articles 
 were signed, is still preserved. 
 
 The Treaty of Limerick, signed on the one side 
 by the Lords Justices Porter and Coningsby and by 
 De Ginkel, and on the other by Sarsfield, on whom 
 James had lately conferred the earldom of Lucan, 
 and confirmed by William by letters patent, con- 
 tained fifty-two articles. In these it was provided 
 that the Catholics should enjoy 
 religious liberty as in the reign 
 of Charles II., and that those 
 in arms for James in the 
 counties of Limerick, Cork, 
 Kerry, Clare, Sligo, and Mayo 
 should retain their estates and 
 personal property, if they took 
 a simple oath of allegiance to 
 
 William and Mary. A few days TREATY STONE, LIMERICK. 
 
 after the signing of the Treaty, 18 Trench men-of-war 
 and 20 transports, with 3,000 soldiers, 10,000 stand 
 of arms, and supplies, sailed up the Shannon ; but 
 Sarsfield stood by the Treaty. These promises, 
 however, were never ratified by the Parliament of 
 1697, consisting, as it did, entirely of the recent 
 English protestant interest. An Act professing to 
 confirm it was passed, from which every stipulation 
 of importance was omitted. The military portion of 
 the Treaty permitted all officers and soldiers of the 
 Irish army, who chose, to emigrate to France. De
 
 166 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [4TH PER. 
 
 Ginkel was desirous of enlisting the Irish soldiers in 
 the service of William. About 3,000 were induced 
 to do so, but more than 20,000 men crossed to 
 Brest and entered the service of France. Thus was 
 formed the "Irish Brigade," which won renown in 
 the wars of the Continent in Savoy, at Blenheim, at 
 Eamillies, at Landen, at Almanza, and at Fontenoy. 
 Sarsfield, after distinguished military service in 
 Flanders, died at Huy of a wound received at 
 Landen, where he commanded the left wing of the 
 French army (1693). Between 1691 and 1745 it is 
 calculated that 450,000 Irishmen died in the French 
 service. 
 
 A Royal Proclamation, issued at Dublin, pro- 
 claimed the war and rebellion to be at an end. The 
 cost had exceeded six millions, which sum 
 ^ n k ^ nc ^ U( ^ e losses in cattle, horses, 
 burned houses, &c. Though some of the 
 forfeited lands were restored to the Catho- 
 lics, large estates were conferred for military services 
 on De Ginkel, Bentinck, and others ; but the grant 
 most condemned was that which bestowed on the 
 Countess of Orkney (Mrs. Villiers) the bulk of King 
 James's estates in Munster, worth 26,000 a-year. 
 
 Louis Crommelin, an energetic Huguenot from 
 St. Quentin, having procured concessions and grants 
 from the Government, induced skilled operatives to 
 come from France and Flanders and settle at Lis- 
 nagarvey, now Lisburn, by which means he greatly 
 stimulated the linen -weaving industry of Ulster. 
 Urged by influences from England, the King dis-
 
 CHAP. VI.] 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM IIL 
 
 167 
 
 couraged the woollen trade, but permitted the linen 
 trade, now firmly rooted in the North, to grow 
 without restriction. 
 
 Between 1692 and the death of William III, the 
 only Viceroys of note were Lord Sydney (1692-93) 
 and Lord Capel (1695-97). 
 
 By the former, who was not popular, an exclusively 
 protestant Parliament was summoned (Oct. 3rd, 
 1692). No Parliament, except that of James II., had 
 sat since 1665, a period of twenty-seven years. The 
 
 LINEN LOOM. 
 
 new Parliament was not a submissive assembly. It 
 certainly granted a sum of money to the King, but at 
 the same time claimed the right of the Irish Parlia- 
 ment to originate their own Money Bills. This 
 sealed the fate of the Assembly, which, prorogued 
 twice, was finally dissolved in September, 1693. 
 
 Early in 1693 the English Parliament presented an 
 address to the King, enumerating several abuses in the 
 condition of Ireland, such as (1) soldiers living at 
 free quarters, (2) enlistment of catholic recruits,
 
 168 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH FEB. 
 
 (3) reversal of outlawries, and (4) embezzlement of 
 stores. This led to the recall of Sydney, upon which 
 Capel and two others became Lords Justices. Two 
 years later (1695), Lord Capel was made sole Viceroy. 
 Capel at once called a Parliament ; but his death 
 in 1696, and that of his successor, Sir Charles 
 Porter, immediately afterwards, disturbed the course 
 of affairs. While William was in Ireland, he had 
 
 TRADE TOKENS. 
 
 granted to the Presbyterian ministers a sum of 
 1,200 a-year, payable out of the Customs Duties 
 at Belfast a grant which was the origin of the 
 Regium Donum. The payment of this being with- 
 held, efforts were made by Capel to pass a Toleration 
 Bill, but without avail. 
 
 In the session of 1697, the Eapparee Act, for 
 the suppression of tories, robbers, and rapparees, 
 became law. The last named were so called from 
 the short pike with which they were armed. 
 
 The Penal Laws. The Irish Parliament, which 
 met in 1695, initiated a series of Penal Laws, under 
 which the catholics suffered severely for more than 
 a century, and annulled the Acts of James the 
 Second's Parliament. The chief enactments of the 
 first session were :
 
 CHAP, vi.] REIGN OF WILLIAM III. 169 
 
 Education. Catholics were forbidden, under pain 
 of outlawry and forfeiture, to employ catholic 
 teachers, or even to send their children abroad for 
 education. 
 
 Arms. Catholics were forbidden to keep arms ; all 
 guns and ammunition were required to be delivered 
 up. Gentlemen who had the benefit of the Treaty 
 of Limerick, on taking the oath of allegiance, might 
 keep a sword, a case of pistols, and a fowling-piece. 
 If a catholic owned a good horse, any protestant 
 might demand it on payment of 5. Gunmakers 
 and cutlers were forbidden to take catholic ap- 
 prentices. No trader could take more than two 
 apprentices, save in the linen trade. 
 
 During the session of 1697, the Irish House of 
 Lords incurred the anger of the English Government 
 and people by rejecting a Bill for the security of His 
 Majesty's person. This rejection, which in England 
 was regarded as an avowal of disloyalty, prepared 
 the way for measures which struck at the root of the 
 Irish woollen manufacture. 
 
 More Penal Laws. Religion. This session con- 
 tinued the penal enactments against catholics. The 
 catholic prelates and all Jesuits and friars were 
 ordered to leave Ireland before the following May ; to 
 remain longer, or to return after having gone, being 
 pronounced high treason. Any catholic clergyman 
 landing in the country was liable to transportation. 
 Any priest turning protestant received a pension of 
 20 per annum. A protestant woman who married 
 a catholic lost her property as completely as if she
 
 170 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [4TH PEE. 
 
 had died ; it went to the next protestant heir. A 
 protestant man who married a catholic fell under 
 the disabilities of her creed, and could not sit in 
 Parliament or hold any Government office. The 
 consequence of the Penal Laws was the destruction 
 of the old Irish gentry. 
 
 Woollen Trade Discouraged. Angry at the cost 
 of the recent Irish war (about nine millions sterling), 
 at the clamours of the Irish Parliament for indepen- 
 dence, and at the rejection of the Security Act, the 
 English Legislature now began to 
 listen to the murmurs of the Eng- 
 lish cloth-dealers, who regarded 
 Ireland as their great rival in 
 trade. It was resolved to check 
 the progress of woollen manu- 
 facture in Ireland. The Irish 
 Parliament, dreading the peril of 
 abolition, and tempted moreover by a promise 
 that the linen trade should be encouraged, 
 laid an export duty of four shillings in the 
 pound on Irish broadcloths, and two shillings 
 on flannels and friezes. At the same time, the ex- 
 port was forbidden of wool or 
 woollens from Ireland to any towns 
 save Milford, Chester, and Liver- 
 pool, and some places in the Bristol 
 Channel ; and this trade was lim- 
 ited to six Irish ports, viz. Dublin. 
 Drogheda, Waterford, Youghal, 
 Kinsale, and Cork. England there- 
 
 ARMS OF DROGHEDA. 
 
 ARMS OF WATERFORD.
 
 CHAP. VI.] REIGN OF WILLIAM HI 171 
 
 fore had a monopoly of the best wool at whatever 
 price she chose to give. 
 
 Smuggling. Eestrictions such as these caused a 
 system of smuggling on an enormous scale to spring 
 up on the Irish coasts. Combed wool in Ireland was 
 valued at Is. a pound ; in France it was worth 2s. 6d. 
 and 4s. 6d. Brandy, claret, and silk were imported 
 in payment of the contraband wool. The land- 
 owners, dependent on their tenants' prosperity, winked 
 at the trade and sympathised with it. This wild, 
 adventurous life had charms for many. In addition, 
 the system established a bond between Ireland and 
 France, which encouraged, in a large portion of the 
 Irish, a ranking enmity towards the Government, 
 and a constant looking to France for aid. 
 
 William Molyneux. At this time (1698) William 
 Molyneux, one of the members for the University of 
 Dublin, wrote a book, The Case of Ireland being 
 bound by Acts of Parliament in England Stated, 
 maintaining that Ireland was an independent king- 
 dom. This work was hotly discussed, and was 
 condemned by the English Parliament to be burned 
 by the common hangman. Molyneux, a man of 
 great scientific attainments, was an intimate friend 
 of John Locke, the English mental philosopher. He 
 held for a time the difficult post of Commissioner of 
 Forfeited Estates. Born at Dublin in 1656, he died 
 therein 1698. 
 
 Forfeited Estates. In 1700, a bill to resume 
 possession of the estates forfeited in Ireland, which 
 had been granted to friends and favourites of William
 
 172 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4ra PER. 
 
 III., was passed by the Parliament of England. 
 This triumph of the Legislature over the Sovereign 
 embittered the closing years of his life. 
 
 The confiscations of landed property left, at this 
 period, about one-seventh of the area of Ireland in 
 the hands of catholic proprietors. 
 
 An accidental fall from his horse, by which his 
 collar-bone was broken, gave such a shock to a 
 system already weakened by chronic ailments, that 
 the King died at Kensington on the 8th of March, 
 1702.
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 KEIGN OF QUEEN ANNE. 
 From 1702 A.D. to 1714 A.D. 
 
 Petition for Union Popery Act Test Act Jonathan Swift 
 Phipps Schism Act. 
 
 THE bulk of the people in Ireland being dis- 
 inherited and disfranchised, what was known as 
 the Protestant Ascendency was established. 
 
 Petition for Union. The second Duke of Ormond 
 was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1703. 
 The Irish Parliament, representing exclusively the 
 "new English" interest, rinding the limited and 
 dependent position to which they were reduced in 
 legislative matters, owing to English jealousy, on 
 
 being summoned, presented an address to the 
 
 1703 
 Queen, imploring her to promote a Legislative ' 
 
 Union between Ireland and England. This 
 request, though strongly urged and supported, proved 
 unavailing. 
 
 Penal Laws Continued. Land Tenure. During 
 the same session (1703) the severest of all Penal Laws 
 against catholics was proposed, entitled a " Bill to 
 prevent the further growth of Popery." It became
 
 174 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [4TH PEE. 
 
 law in the following year. Its most important clause 
 declared, that if the eldest son of a catholic 
 ' landlord became a protestant, the father, being 
 thereby reduced to the position of a tenant for 
 life, ceased to have any power of selling or otherwise 
 dealing with his own estate. If the sons of a catholic 
 were catholic, the family estates descended in equal 
 shares among them. If the eldest son was a protes- 
 tant, he inherited the whole. No catholic could 
 purchase land, or take land by bequest. 
 
 To the Popery Act, as this measure was shortly 
 called, a clause equivalent in meaning to the English 
 Test Act was added. This clause operated also 
 against the Presbyterians and other Nonconformists, 
 and made the taking of the sacrament according to 
 the rites of the Established Church indispensable as 
 a preliminary step towards holding any office, civil 
 or military, in the country, or even voting at 
 elections. The taking of the oath of allegiance, and 
 subscription to a declaration against transubstanti- 
 ation, were also required. 
 
 In 1707, Thomas Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, 
 became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; and in 1709, 
 the Earl of Wharton succeeded him in that office. A 
 great object with the latter was to unite all protes- 
 tant sects in Ireland, and especially to secure the 
 repeal of the Test clause. However, he did not 
 succeed in doing so. 
 
 Jonathan Swift. One of Wharton's bitterest 
 political opponents was the celebrated Jonathan 
 Swift, then Vicar of Laracor, in Meath. Swift, an
 
 CHAP. VII.] 
 
 REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE. 
 
 175 
 
 Irishman by birth and education, had been recom- 
 mended by Lord Somers to the patronage of Wharton, 
 but had not received any pro- 
 motion from that nobleman, 
 In a well-known pamphlet, 
 Swift compared the Catholics 
 to a chained lion, the Presby- 
 terians to an angry cat. The 
 former, he said, were now 
 reduced to the feebleness of 
 women and children, and the 
 peasantry of Ireland had sunk SWIFT. 
 
 to be " mere hewers of wood and drawers of water." 
 
 When, in 1710, after the trial of Dr. Sacheverell 
 had taken place at Westminster, the Whig Govern- 
 ment of Godolphin and Sunderland went out of 
 office, and the Tories, under St. John, came into 
 power, Wharton was recalled, and the Duke of 
 Ormond, a noted Jacobite, was appointed to the 
 Viceroyalty of Ireland in his stead. The spirit of 
 faction then burned fiercely among the English 
 governing classes in Ireland. Jacobites opposed 
 Hanoverians, and the Commons engaged in conflict 
 with the Lords. 
 
 Corporation of Dublin. A contest also arose 
 
 between the Irish Government and the Cor- 
 
 1712 
 poration of Dublin regarding the appointment 
 
 of a Mayor. The latter had elected a Whig, ' ' 
 whom the Government refused to acknowledge. For 
 two years Dublin had no Mayor. 
 
 When Ormond left Ireland in 1712, though the
 
 176 
 
 HISTORY OF IKELAND. 
 
 [4TH PER. 
 
 Duke of Shrewsbury became Lord Lieutenant, the 
 ruling spirit of the Irish Government for two years 
 was the Chancellor, Sir Constantine Phipps, a man 
 of Jacobite opinions. 
 
 Schism Act. The last notable event of Queen 
 Anne's reign was the passing of the Schism Act, " for 
 the further security of the Churches 
 of England and Ireland." This 
 measure, framed by St. John, now 
 Lord Bolingbroke, enacted that no 
 person should be allowed to teach 
 in a school, or act as a teacher, 
 without a license from the bishop 
 of the diocese ] and this license 
 
 ARMS OF NEWRY. 
 
 could be obtained only by taking the sacrament 
 after the form of the English Church. A special 
 clause extended the operations of the Act to 
 Ireland. Nonconformists were driven from Belfast 
 and Derry, and expelled from the magistracy. Their 
 marriages were declared void, and they were arraigned 
 before the ecclesiastical courts. The Eegium Donum, 
 too, was withheld. The practical aim of the measure 
 was the entire abolition of Dissent. 
 
 The death of Queen Anne by apoplexy (Aug. 1, 
 1714) brought the Stuart dynasty to an end. In 
 accordance with the Act of Settlement (1701), the 
 Hanoverian party, now in the ascendant, called to 
 the throne George Guelph, Elector of Hanover, 
 whose grandmother had been the daughter of King 
 James I.
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF THE FOURTH PERIOD. 
 STUART SOVEREIGNS. 
 
 SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 REIGN OF JAMES I. (1603-1625). 
 
 1607. Flight of the Earls of Tyrone and Tirconaill. 
 1609. Plantation of Ulster. 
 
 1611. Creation of Baronets. 
 
 1612. Meeting of an Irish Parliament after an interval of 
 
 twenty-seven years. 
 1615. A Second Plantation, chiefly in Leinster. Chichester 
 
 retired from the office of Lord Deputy. 
 1625. Death of King James I. 
 
 REIGN OF CHAKLES I. (1625-1649). 
 
 1628. Granting of "the Graces." 
 
 1632. Viceroyalty of Wentworth (Stratford) began. 
 
 1640. Wentworth made Earl of Stratford and Lord Lieu- 
 
 tenant. 
 
 1641. 23rd October. Outbreak of Rebellion, followed by 
 
 terrible bloodshed. 
 
 1642. A Council of Catholics held at Kilkenny. 
 
 1645. Arrival in Ireland of Rinuccini as Papal Legate. 
 
 1646. Owen Roe O'Neill defeated Monro at Benburb. 
 1649. Jan. Termination of the war. 
 
 Jan. 30. Execution of King Charles I. 
 
 Feb. Rinuccini left Ireland, embarking at Galway.
 
 178 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 THE COMMONWEALTH (1649-1660). 
 
 1649. Charles II. proclaimed in Ireland. War renewed. 
 Aug. 2. Failure of Ormond to take Dublin. 
 Aug. 15. Cromwell landed in Dublin. 
 
 Sept. 10. Storming of Drogheda by Cromwell. 
 Oct. 11. Wexford taken by Cromwell. 
 Dec. 4. Reduction of Dungarvan. 
 
 1650. May 10. Clonmel yielded to Cromwell. 
 
 May 29. Cromwell left Ireland, embarking at Youghal 
 
 1651. Limerick reduced by Ireton, who died there ot the 
 
 plague. 
 
 1652. May. Conquest of Ireland completed by Coote, who 
 
 took Galway. 
 1654. Cromwellian Settlement. Irish Catholics transported 
 
 beyond the Shannon. 
 1655-57. Henry Cromwell in Ireland. 
 1656. Irish members of Parliament sit at Westminster. 
 1658. Sept. 3. Death of Oliver Cromwell. 
 
 REIGN OP CHARLES II. (1660-1685). 
 
 1662. First Act of Settkment passed at Dublin. 
 
 1663. Ireland excluded from the English Navigation Act. 
 1665. Second Act of Settlement passed. 
 
 1685. Death of Charles II. 
 
 REIGN OF JAMES II. (1685-1688). 
 
 1686. Catholics forbidden to attend Clarendon's levees. 
 
 1687. Tirconaill made Lord Deputy. 
 
 1688. Flight of James II. to France. 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM III. AND MART II. (1689-1702). 
 
 1688. Dec. 18. Gates of Derry shut. 
 
 1689. March 12. James II. landed at Kinsale. 
 July 30. Relief of Derry. 
 
 1690. July 1. Battle of the Boyne. 
 James II. embarked at Kinsale. 
 
 July 7. William III. entered Dublin. 
 
 1691. Athlone stormed by Ginkel and Mackay. 
 July 12. Battle of Aughrim. 
 
 Oct. 3. Surrender of Limerick. Treaty signed.
 
 CHEONOLOGY OF THE FOURTH PERIOD. 179 
 
 1693. July 23. Death of Sarsfield at Huy. 
 
 1697. Penal Laws against Catholics begun. 
 
 1698. Woollen Trade of Ireland discouraged. 
 
 William Molyneux published his book, entitled Case 
 of Ireland being bound by Acts of Parliament made in 
 England Stated. He died in the same year. 
 1700. Act passed to resume Forfeited Estates. 
 
 1702. March 8. Death of William III. Queen Mary had 
 
 died in 1694, leaving William sole ruler. 
 
 KEIQN OF QUEEN ANNE (1702-1714). 
 
 1703. The Irish Parliament petitioned for a Legislative Union 
 
 with Great Britain. 
 
 1704. Severe Penal Laws enacted. Popery Act. 
 
 1713. Swift made Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin. 
 Schism Act passed. 
 
 1714. Death of Queen Anne (Aug. 17), and end of the Stuart 
 
 Dynasty.
 
 FIFTH PERIOD HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 
 
 (1714 to the present day.) 
 
 George I. (great-grandson of James I.) began to reign 1714 
 
 George II. (son) 1727 
 
 George III. (grandson) 1760 
 
 Eegency began 1811 
 
 George IV 1820 
 
 William IV. 1830 
 
 Victoria (niece) 1837 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 KEIGN OF GEORGE THE FIRST. 
 From 1714 A.D. to 1727 A.D. 
 
 Hanoverian Succession Foreign Enlistment Annesly Case 
 Wood's Halfpence Drapier Letters Dr. Hugh Boulter 
 Dean Swift. 
 
 Change of Dynasty. Immediately after the 
 accession of George I. to the throne of the British 
 Empire in 1714, Sir Constantine Phipps and the 
 Archbishop of Armagh ceased to be Lords Justices of 
 Ireland. In the following year the Duke of G-rafton 
 and the Earl of Galway were placed at the head of 
 the Irish Government. At the same time the Irish 
 Parliament uttered its voice in favour of the
 
 CHAP, i.] KEIGN OF GEORGE THE FIRST. 181 
 
 Hanoverian succession, and against the Jacobites; 
 and the people of Ireland accepted the change of 
 dynasty without opposition. 
 
 Foreign Enlistment. During the whole of this 
 reign, in spite of the fact that numbers of offenders 
 against law were hanged, Irish recruits for the 
 armies of France and Spain enlisted, and were 
 shipped off in large numbers. These were after- 
 wards known as " Wild Geese," from having been 
 so described to the, authorities in the freight lists. 
 The Duke of Ormond, who had fled to France, and 
 was engaged at Avignon in organising a Jacobite 
 expedition against England, received many of these 
 recruits. 
 
 The Annesly Case. A dispute concerning an 
 estate having arisen in Ireland between persons 
 called Hester Sherlock and Maurice Annesly, the 
 Irish House of Lords, having been appealed to, gave 
 a decision in favour of the former. This decision 
 being reversed by the English House of Lords, to 
 which Annesly appealed, a conflict as to dignity and 
 privilege arose between the Houses. The Irish 
 
 House took the extreme step of committing 
 
 1719 
 to prison the Barons of Exchequer, who had 
 
 carried out the decision of the English Lords. 
 But they gained nothing by this ; for a Bill was 
 passed in the English Parliament, enacting that the 
 Kingdom of Ireland was subordinate to and depen- 
 dent upon the Crown of Great Britain, and that the 
 Irish House of Lords had no independent jurisdiction. 
 This Act became known as the 5th of George I.
 
 182 HISTORY OF IKELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 Bills were also passed in 1719 to relieve Protestant 
 dissenters from some of the disabilities and penalties 
 under which they lay. 
 
 Wood's Halfpence. A subject of agitation, which 
 for a time stirred Ireland deeply, now arose. As 
 Ireland had been of late without a small-copper 
 coinage, and as much inconvenience had arisen from 
 
 o * 
 
 the want of halfpence and farthings, 
 Walpole, as the head of the Treasury, 
 issued a patent to William Wood of 
 Wolverhampton, who had extensive 
 iron and copper works, authorising 
 him to coin 90,000 in copper for 
 circulation in Ireland. A cry arose 
 in Ireland against these coins. The 
 profits of the undertaking were 
 WOOD'S HALFPENCE, calculated to put some 40,000 
 
 into the pockets of the King and the Duchess of 
 
 KendaL 
 
 1(7O o It was asserted that they were so small and 
 of such base metal that the ninety thousand 
 
 AD 
 
 would be worth little more than nine. Both 
 Houses of the Irish Parliament presented to the 
 King addresses on the subject, maintaining that the 
 issue of this fraudulent coinage would diminish the 
 royal revenue, and ruin the trade of Ireland. These 
 addresses were unavailing; Wood continued to prepare 
 his coins. 
 
 The Drapier Letters. Among many pamphlets 
 written in the heat of this agitation, the Drapier 
 Letters occupy the most conspicuous place. They
 
 CHAP. I.] REIGN OF GEORGE THE FIRST. 183 
 
 were from the pen of Jonathan Swift, who had been 
 appointed Dean of St. Patrick's in 1713 ; and they 
 appeared under the fictitious signature of a Dublin 
 draper M. B. "Drapier." In five letters, addressed 
 (1) to farmers and tradesmen, (2) to the middle 
 classes, (3) to the nobility and gentry, (4) to all 
 Ireland, and (5) to Lord Molesworth, Swift inveighed 
 in homely, powerful language against the evil results 
 of the Wood coinage. "As for the true value of 
 these halfpence," said he, " any person may expect to 
 get a quart of two-penny ale for thirty-six of them." 
 
 On the other hand, Sir Isaac Newton, Master of 
 the Mint, issued a favourable report on these coins, 
 as being rather above weight, and made of much 
 better copper than any that had been previously 
 circulated in Ireland. 
 
 Though every one knew that Swift had written 
 the Drapier Letters, and though a reward of 300 
 was offered by Lord Carteret, the Lord Lieutenant, 
 for the discovery of the author, the Dean was not 
 arrested. The printer, Harding, was imprisoned; 
 but the Grand Jury would not return him for trial. 
 
 In the end, the King found it prudent to cancel 
 the patent granted to "Wood, who received as 
 compensation a grant of 3,000 a-year for 
 twelve years. This victory over the Govern- 
 ment helped greatly to consolidate and strengthen 
 the party in opposition, who were now beginning to 
 be known as "patriots." Previous to the cancelling 
 of Wood's patent, the King's chaplain, Dr. Hugh 
 Boulter, was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, and
 
 184 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5ra PER. 
 
 one of the Lords Justices. The cancelling of the 
 obnoxious patent was largely due to this prelate's 
 pressing recommendations. 
 
 When George I. died (June, 1727), Lord Carteret 
 was permitted to retain his position of Viceroy of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Dean Swift, who wrote many political papers on 
 Irish affairs at this time, ascribed the troubles of the 
 country chiefly to the following causes : (1) absen- 
 teeism i.e., the practice adopted by many rich Irish 
 landlords, of living in England, and spending there 
 the money drawn from their rents in Ireland ; (2) bad 
 tillage and bad roads ; (3) too much land lying in 
 grass; (4) the vexatious restrictions laid on Irish 
 commerce and manufactures; (5) the ignorance of 
 the English and Irish nations as to each other's 
 mode of life and prevailing ideas. 
 
 The leading questions which agitated and divided 
 Ireland at this time were Jacobitism and the tolera- 
 tion of Dissenters.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE II. 
 From 1727 A.D. to 1760 A.D. 
 
 Coinage Question Famine Lord Chesterfield Charles Lucas 
 Privilege Dublin Riots French plans Quiberon Thurot. 
 
 The Government. In 1730, Carteret was suc- 
 ceeded as Lord Lieutenant by the Duke of Dorset, 
 whose recall, in 1737, was followed by the appoint- 
 ment of the Duke of Devonshire. But the conduct 
 of Irish affairs was left very much in the hands of 
 Archbishop Boulter, until his death in 1742. 
 
 Coinage. Among the questions discussed by the 
 first Irish Parliament of George II. was the con- 
 dition of the coinage in Ireland. Silver was lower 
 than its value : gold was excessively high. Copper 
 coin was very scarce. James I. had contemplated the 
 issue of his English farthings as pence in Ireland. 
 Dean Swift bitterly opposed the Government pro- 
 posals on the subject of coinage : and on the day (in 
 1738) when a proclamation was issued fixing the value 
 of gold, he caused a black flag to be hoisted on 
 the steeple of St. Patrick's, and a muffled peal of 
 bells to be rung. In 1733, an attempt to secure the
 
 186 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 repeal of the Test Act was defeated by the action of 
 the " country party." 
 
 Famine. When a severe frost, in 1739, almost 
 
 destroyed the potato crop, a famine, unprecedented 
 
 in severity, fell on the unhappy land. One- 
 
 1739 f t k O f t h e population were said to have 
 
 A ' D< perished, for the lower orders of the people 
 
 were now compelled to depend for food almost 
 
 entirely on the potato ; which has been well called 
 
 " Kaleigh's fatal gift to the Irish race." 
 
 The Scottish rebellion of 1745, in favour of the 
 young Pretender, did not extend to Ireland. For 
 this two reasons have been given the poverty 
 of the Catholics, and the remembrance of the past 
 disasters which their former allegiance had entailed. 
 
 The Earl of Chesterfield, appointed Lord Lieu- 
 tenant in 1745, succeeded the Duke of Devonshire in 
 that position. A cry having arisen that it was time 
 to increase the severities that already pressed so hard 
 on the Catholics, and to enforce the existing laws 
 more rigorously, Chesterfield resisted all efforts to 
 make him yield to the clamour of the times. Moder- 
 ation was his constant study ; and during the time of 
 his administration he won the respect of all parties. 
 The Earl of Harrington succeeded him in 1747. 
 
 Foreign Enlistment. The work of secretly en- 
 listing recruits in Ireland for the French army went 
 on briskly during these years, though now and again 
 a detected emissary was hanged. Such a drain out 
 of Ireland of "landless resolutes," created by bad 
 policy in the past, cleared the island of many who
 
 CHAP. II.] 
 
 REIGN OF GEOEGE II. 
 
 187 
 
 would otherwise have swelled the ranks of the 
 Eapparees. 
 
 Charles Lucas, a physician, and member of the 
 Dublin town council, now became a prominent leader 
 of the " country party." His books and pam- 
 phlets on the rights of Ireland proved so A ' 4 ^ 
 powerful, and so hostile to the Government, 
 that the Commons voted him an enemy of his 
 country, and disfranchised him. He left Ireland to 
 avoid a trial, but afterwards returned, and served as 
 member for Dublin (1760) in the popular interest. 
 Lucas, who was born in 1713, died in 1771. He 
 established The Freeman's Journal, of Dublin. 
 
 OR 
 
 Freeman's 
 
 THE 
 
 Journal. 
 
 SATURDAY, September the loth 1763. 
 
 jl AN , 
 
 Ml World, 
 
 1 (he weakeft of nil Cnati 
 'ft md, .Me l <ot.ir.ua in it, 
 
 EHHBj '* fho """ft dependent N. 
 "^ lure neither clottbs MB lih 
 
 he ttm HeecB of the Stteep. nor tfw gay 
 
 wrefted ourof lu Hards. 
 
 than whit thai World ode.-? f 
 
 Bird and the Bruce. * Clotlhing *<th *hidi 
 
 TMDJ Mjn, feehifi. ignorani, ud diep- 
 ly deprived, ind che kaft fufflcicni tit him- 
 
 Mtam mil Invennon can devift. fc, difW: 
 Ing and tuftaning rhe Intelligence Ww^Awr. 
 thai maj hapfulj be produaUe of Remedy 
 
 "THE FREEMAN'S JOURNAL." 
 
 Question of Privilege. When the Duke of Dorset 
 returned to Ireland as Viceroy in 1751, his son, Lord 
 George Sackville, received the position of Irish 
 Secretary. George Stone was then Archbishop of 
 Armagh. During the time that Sackville and Stone 
 controlled Irish affairs, the Irish Parliament was 
 stirred by a conflict with the English Government
 
 188 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5iH PER. 
 
 regarding a question of privilege. Good trade having 
 left a surplus in the Irish revenue, a Bill was brought 
 forward, proposing to apply a portion of this balance 
 towards the reduction of the National Debt. The 
 Court party insisted that the consent of the Crown 
 must be got before the money could be so used. The 
 "patriots" denied this; and ultimately (1753) they 
 rejected a Bill which embodied the views of the 
 Court. The Earl of Kildare (afterwards first Duke 
 of Leinster, 1766), who took a leading part in the 
 opposition, presented to the king a daring 
 remonstrance against the administration of 
 Sackville and Stone. When Dorset was re- 
 called, Lord Hartington (afterwards Duke of Devon- 
 shire), a friend of Kildare, became Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 Towards the end of this reign, the Catholics of 
 Ireland began to organise means of obtaining some 
 relief from the Penal Laws ; but the attainment of 
 their object was not fully achieved till about seventy 
 years later. 
 
 Union proposed. The proposal of a Union, 
 
 which was again mooted at this time, excited an 
 
 outburst of the Dublin mob while the unpopular 
 
 Duke of Bedford was Lord Lieutenant. It had been 
 
 rumoured that the Irish Parliament was about to be 
 
 removed to London, and that Ireland was to pay 
 
 taxes as heavy as those of England. An armed 
 
 _JL C ' ' mob, numbering thousands, broke into the 
 
 A D House of Lords in College Green ; put on the 
 
 throne, in mockery of Bedford, an old woman 
 
 with a pipe in her mouth ; guarded the doors, and,
 
 CHAP, ii.] REIGN OF GEORGE II. 189 
 
 before a Peer or Commoner was allowed to enter, 
 made him swear to oppose the Union. It became 
 necessary to call out the cavalry, nor did the mob 
 disperse until sixteen of them had been killed. 
 
 Projected Invasion of Munster. England had 
 been at war with France since 1756 ; and in the 
 autumn of 1759, while Bedford was Lord Lieutenant, 
 a French invasion of Munster, and an attack on 
 Limerick, were expected. French troops had been 
 collected at Yannes, in Brittany, and a French fleet, 
 under Conflans, lay at Brest, waiting to convey them 
 to Ireland. Sir Edward Hawke, who was watching 
 the French expedition, being obliged by storms to 
 take refuge at Torbay, the French admiral put 
 to sea. However, Hawke sailed to meet him, 17 1 Q ' 
 and in the darkness of a stormy November 
 night, so shattered the French fleet off Qui- 
 beron Bay that all idea of invading Ireland was for 
 the time abandoned. 
 
 Thurot's Expedition. At the same time, a small 
 armament of five ships the largest being the 
 Marshal Belleisle carrying about seven hundred 
 sailors and fourteen hundred soldiers, was prepared 
 at Dunkirk. Fra^ois Thurot was the commander, 
 and the expedition was destined for a descent upon 
 Scotland. 
 
 Avoiding an English squadron under Boys, Thurot 
 left Dunkirk in October, 1759, was driven by storms 
 to Bergen in Norway, and after nearly three months' 
 struggle with the storms of the Hebrides, arrived off 
 Carrickfergus, with only three ships and a starving
 
 190 HISTORY OP IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 force. The Castle of Carrickfergus, which had not 
 
 then even one mounted cannon, was garrisoned 
 
 I7fin* ^7 one hundred and fifty men of the 62nd 
 
 regiment, under the command of Colonel 
 
 Jennings. After a slight defence, the Castle 
 
 was surrendered; the French plundered the town, 
 
 and sent a message to Belfast, threatening to march 
 
 thither unless a large supply of provisions was 
 
 CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE. 
 
 despatched to them at once. However, the rumour 
 of approaching troops obliged Thurot to re-embark 
 his men in haste (26th February). 
 
 Captain Elliot, of H.M.S. JEolus, having sailed 
 from Kinsale with that vessel and two other ships, 
 came up with the French squadron in the Irish Sea, 
 to the north of the Isle of Man. After a sharp 
 action, lasting for an hour and a-half, Thurot was 
 shot, and his three ships were taken. 
 
 In October, 1760, King George II. died suddenly 
 of heart-disease, aged seventy-seven. .
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE HI. 
 From 1760 A.D. to 1820 A.D. 
 
 American "War Irish Volunteers Legislative Independence 
 Grattan and Flood Hoche Rebellion of '98 The Union- 
 Robert Emmet Regency. 
 
 THE Earl of Halifax, who, as Lord Lieutenant, 
 met the first Irish Parliament of George III., had to 
 deal with a country weakened by recent famine in 
 1757, and exhausted by heavy claims on its revenue, 
 in the shape both of taxes and of pensions. 
 
 English Privy Council. In 1762 the " patriots " 
 began to agitate vigorously against the continuance 
 of Poynings' Law. This agitation was stirred up by 
 what had always been considered by that party to 
 be a grievance viz. : the changes which the English 
 Privy Council constantly made in the Irish Bills, 
 which, according to the statutes, were sent to London 
 for approval before being laid before the Irish 
 Parliament. 
 
 Whiteboys. The discontent prevailing in Ireland 
 during the earlier years of this reign fostered the 
 growth of secret societies. It was due largely to the
 
 192 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH FEB. 
 
 existence of a law by which taxation' for the State 
 Church was levied solely on those who cultivated the 
 soil and raised crops, while owners of pasture land 
 went scot free. It therefore resulted that, if the 
 landlords took inlands no cultivation, they were 
 able to throw the. wyment of tithe on the shoulders 
 of the farmer, and 01 those who had to exist by culti- 
 vating the soil. Lord Chesterfield, in recognising the 
 miserable condition of the people as the true cause of 
 the unrest, said that " the poor people of Ireland are 
 worse used than negroes by their masters." 
 
 In 1761, bands of midnight marauders, called 
 Whiteboys, because they wore shirts over their clothes 
 for the purpose of disguise, began to disturb the 
 counties of Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary. 
 They began by throwing down the walls or fences 
 with which the commons had been enclosed, 
 and by digging up pasture land. Growing bolder 
 and more numerous, they adopted a kind of 
 military discipline, and obeyed a chieftain known 
 as Sive. They gave signals with a horn, and 
 marched to the sound of the bagpipe. Those who 
 refused to take the Whiteboy oath were mutilated, 
 or, being stripped naked, were buried to the neck 
 in a pit full of furze bushes. No encouragement was 
 offered to the breaking up of pasture land, and no 
 curb was given to the undue extension of grass lands, 
 with its resulting extirpation of the cultivator. Stern 
 repression by the military only served to aggravate 
 popular spirit, and to prepare the way for future 
 rebellion.
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 193 
 
 In 1762, Lord Drogheda concentrated at Clogheen, 
 in Tipperary, the soldiers under his command, 
 and from that centre waged war on the 
 
 A D 
 
 Whiteboys. The parish priest of Clogheen, 
 Father Nicholas Sheehy, arrested on a charge of 
 treason, was at first acquitted, $ut was afterwards 
 (1766) hanged at Clonmel- for* complicity in a 
 murder. To the last he asserted his innocence, 
 and, owing to the irregularities of his trial, was 
 regarded by his own party as a martyr, rather than 
 as a criminal. 
 
 Oakboys and Hearts of Steel. If Whiteboys 
 disturbed the South, the North was troubled by the 
 Oakboys and Hearts of Steel. The original grievance 
 of the former lay in the custom that required every 
 peasant to give six days in the year of forced labour 
 for the maintenance of the roads, and six days' 
 use of a horse, while the rich contributed nothing. 
 They took their name from wearing sprigs of oak in 
 their hats. They objected also to tithes. This 
 northern rising was easily quelled, and the chief 
 grievance was removed by an Act which provided 
 for the repair of the roads by a tax levied on all 
 classes alike. The Hearts of Steel were excited to 
 lawless action, such as the wrecking of houses and 
 the maiming of cattle, by the conduct of certain 
 absentee landlords. Lord Donegal and others were 
 in the habit of demanding from their old tenants, on 
 the expiration of their leases, a heavy fine ; it'- being 
 beyond the power of the farmers to pay this, their, 
 holdings got into the hands of speculators, who/paid
 
 194 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 the fine, and recouped themselves by re-letting the 
 farms at a doubled rent. Such landlords were 
 denounced as " forestalled." It should be noted that 
 the Oakboys and the Hearts of Steel were pro- 
 testants. 
 
 Emigration to America. No redress was given 
 to the just grievance of the Steelboys, the result 
 being that great streams of emigration began now to 
 pour from Ireland to America, especially from Ulster. 
 By thousands, both farmers and weavers sought a 
 new home beyond the Atlantic, and when the 
 American colonies revolted against the mother 
 country, owing to the imposition of taxes, the Irish 
 colonists of New England, especially the protestant 
 Irish who had migrated from Ulster, were among the 
 most formidable antagonists of the English troops. 
 
 The Octennial Bill. After several changes in 
 the Viceroyalty, Lord Townshend became Lord 
 Lieutenant in 1767. Convivial, witty, and frank, 
 he won popularity at first. The balance of power in 
 the House between Government and Opposition was 
 swayed by a junto, who, if the patronage and offices 
 were only secured to them, were ready to join the 
 Ministerialists, and who, if the bargain could not be 
 struck, joined the Opposition. Members being prac- 
 tically elected for life one of the last parliaments 
 having lasted for thirty-three years the Viceroy 
 hoped, by getting a Bill passed limiting the length 
 of each parliament, to break up the permanent 
 combination of dictators. The "patriots" demanded 
 a Septennial Bill such as existed in England,
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 195 
 
 limiting the duration of parliament to seven years. 
 
 This was not granted, but an Octennial Bill , 
 
 1V67 
 was passed, to the great joy of the Irish people. 
 
 The Viceroy's coach was drawn from the 
 Parliament House to the Castle by an exulting crowd. 
 
 Rejected Money Bill. Two years later, Lord 
 Townshend and the Irish House of Commons 
 engaged in a sharp conflict. The Privy Council 
 having originated a Money Bill, this was rejected 
 by the House of Commons, because " it did not take 
 its rise in that House;" the representatives of 
 the people alone having a right to tax the 
 people. The Lord Lieutenant protested, and 
 suddenly (December 26) prorogued the Parliament. 
 His protest was enrolled in the journals of the Lords, 
 but the Commons declined to permit their journals to 
 receive it. 
 
 By repeated proclamations of the Lord Lieutenant, 
 the Irish Parliament was prorogued from time to 
 time until February, 1771. A powerful opposition 
 to the Government existed. Foremost among its 
 members were the Duke of Leinster (who from 
 being Earl of Kildare had become a Marquis in 
 1761 and a Duke in 1766); Lord Shannon; John 
 Ponsonby, Speaker of the House of Commons ; and 
 such orators as Hely Hutchinson, Sexton Pery, and 
 Henry Flood. Lord Townshend skilfully employed 
 the interval of prorogation in sapping the strength 
 of this powerful opposition. Hutchinson and Pery 
 he detached by granting them pensions. The latter 
 was chosen to be Speaker when Ponsonby resigned,
 
 196 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 after protesting against a vote of thanks to Lord 
 Townshend. 
 
 The rejection by the Irish House of Commons of 
 another Money Bill, which had been altered when 
 sent to England, excited considerable feeling in the 
 Session of 1771. The Commons, in order to mark 
 the cause of their rejection, brought in a second Bill 
 to the same effect, which was passed at once. Lord 
 Townshend, growing tired of a struggle which never 
 seemed to end, returned to England in 1772, and 
 in the October of that year, Simon, Earl of Harcourt, 
 was made Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 Corruption in Parliament. During the adminis- 
 tration of Townshend in Ireland, a notable change 
 had been wrought in the mode of conducting the 
 affairs of the Irish Parliament. Formerly, as has 
 been explained, a few men of the great families had 
 formed an oligarchy, by which Irish patronage was 
 directed. By conferring sinecures and pensions, 
 Townshend had secured a majority, which broke the 
 power of this oligarchy. Henceforth it was instituted 
 that the Viceroy was to reside for the most part in 
 Dublin, and be the fountain of honour, while the 
 Lords Justices were no longer permitted to usurp 
 the functions of his office. 
 
 Harcourt and De Blaquiere. When Harcourt 
 became Viceroy, Colonel de Blaquiere came with him 
 to Ireland as Secretary (Nov., 1772). The Duke of 
 Leinster, Lord Shannon, Ponsonby, and Henry Flood, 
 the orator, received the Lord Lieutenant with cordial 
 welcome ; but it soon became manifest that their
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE IIL 197 
 
 support depended on their demands being satisfied. 
 De Blaquiere soon won popular favour by his cool 
 courage in a duel with Bagenal, member for Carlow. 
 The Parliament did not meet until October, 1773. 
 
 Proposed Tax on Absentees. In the Parliament 
 of 1773 the question of an Absentee Tax was warmly 
 debated. It was proposed to impose a tax of 
 two shillings in the pound on the net rents 1773 
 and annual profits of all Irish landlords who 
 did not reside in Ireland for at least six months of 
 the year. Five English noblemen, who had property 
 also in Ireland, wrote a remonstrance to Lord North, 
 the Premier; but he replied that the proposal was 
 part of a scheme to restore the financial prosperity of 
 Ireland, and must be supported. Nevertheless, the 
 Bill was rejected by a majority of fourteen votes 
 (120 to 106). 
 
 The American War of Independence, between 
 Great Britain and her colonies beyond the Atlantic, 
 began in 1775. It was caused mainly by an attempt 
 on the part of the mother country to enforce taxation 
 on portions of the Empire without consulting those 
 who had to pay the money. The army in Ireland was 
 increased, and over 4,000 Irish troops were ultimately 
 sent to aid the English forces across the Atlantic. 
 We have already seen how the linen trade of Ulster 
 was injured by the emigration of good workmen to 
 America. This drain still continued ; and when, later 
 on, an Embargo was laid on the Irish ports, forbidding 
 the exportation of provisions, with the object of 
 lowering their price that the English troops might be
 
 198 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PER. 
 
 EDMUND BURKE. 
 
 cheaply victualled, the value of cattle and wool fell, 
 and rents were paid with difficulty. 
 
 Edmund Burke. Bom at Dublin in 1730, Ed- 
 mund Burke entered on political life as Secretary to 
 Lord Rockingham, and, as member for Wandover, 
 delivered his maiden speech in the 
 British Parliament in 17B5. His 
 brilliant speeches on the Stamp 
 Act and the American question 
 soon attracted notice. He repre- 
 sented Bristol in 1774 On topics 
 connected with Ireland, this cele- 
 brated statesman advocated mea- 
 sures far in advance of his day, 
 such, for example, as the justice of Catholic Emanci- 
 pation. 
 
 Removal of Troops. In 1775, Lord North in- 
 structed De Blaquiere to propose to the Irish Parlia- 
 ment the removal of soldiers from Ireland for service 
 in America, offering at the same time to fill 
 their place with troops from Germany, whose 
 maintenance was to be charged on the English 
 treasury. It had been formerly arranged that a force 
 of 12,000 men should be always kept in Ireland, as 
 tha minimum necessary for the defence of the island. 
 The Irish Parliament consented to the removal of 
 the 4,000 troops, but flatly refused to admit the 
 Hessians. North had his difficulties in the Imperial 
 Parliament also, for violent complaints were made 
 there against his proposal to garrison Ireland at 
 Britain's cost. 
 
 1775 
 
 A.D.
 
 CHAP. III.] REIGN OF GEORGE HI. 199 
 
 Henry Grattan. The Parliamentary session of 
 1775 is memorable in Irish history, for it witnessed 
 the entrance upon public life of Henry Grattan, one 
 of Ireland's greatest patriots. Grattan was the son 
 of the Eecorder of Dublin, 
 who also represented the capi- 
 tal in Parliament. Born at 
 Dublin in 1750, he studied at 
 Trinity College, was then called 
 to the Irish bar, and in 1775 
 while still a very young man 
 entered the Irish Parliament 
 as member for the borough of 
 
 Charlemont. His VOice, Which 
 
 soon began to speak like a trumpet-note in the 
 assembly at College Green, was first raised in protest 
 against granting pensions to absentees. 
 
 New Parliament. During the last months of the 
 Parliament, which ceased to exist in April, 1776, a 
 proposal was made to embody a force of militia, and 
 so provide a means of defence for Ireland. However, 
 the matter fell through. During the election of the 
 New Parliament, peerages, pensions, and places were 
 freely bestowed in order to secure a majority for the 
 Government. A contest for the position of Speaker 
 between Pery, the nominee of the Castle, and 
 Ponsonby, the choice of the " patriots " resulted in 
 the election of Pery. 
 
 Privateers and Smugglers. When, in 1777, the 
 Earl of Buckinghamshire succeeded Lord Harcourt 
 as Lord Lieutenant, he found a smuggling trade in
 
 200 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5lH PER. 
 
 salt meat and other provisions briskly flourishing 
 along the deep-bayed coasts of Cork and Kerry. 
 This was one result of the Embargo. 
 
 Privateering. American privateers, that could 
 outsail any of the British cruisers, haunted St. 
 George's Channel, pouncing on British merchant- 
 ships, which, when captured, they carried off to 
 sell in France. How real this danger was, let the 
 narrative of one week's marauding show. Paul Jones, 
 who was a native of Kirkcudbright, in Scotland, after 
 having served his apprenticeship at Whitehaven, 
 emigrated to Virginia, in America. Gaining dis- 
 tinction by privateering in the American War, he 
 now appeared in British seas in command of 
 1778 the Ranger, a swift sloop, armed with eighteen 
 
 ' ' six-pounder guns. After descending on White- 
 haven, where he burned the shipping, and plunder- 
 ing the shores of Kirkcudbright Bay, he crossed to 
 Carrickfergus, where the Drake, an English brig of 
 twenty guns, lay at anchor, and he audaciously sailed 
 round it. The Drake gave chase, but was beaten in 
 an hour's fight. Paul got safely off to Brest with 
 his prizes and his plunder. 
 
 Concessions. A policy of relaxation, both in the 
 severity of commercial restrictions and of penal laws, 
 now began. The Embargo was taken off, and Ireland 
 was permitted to export all her goods free, except 
 woollens, then a merchandise of much importance. 
 The English Parliament having passed a Bill for 
 the repeal of penal laws against catholics, a 
 similar measure was proposed for Ireland, where
 
 CHAP, ill.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 201 
 
 both catholics and nonconformists were oppressed. 
 Luke Gardiner (afterwards Lord Mountjoy), by his 
 Catholic Belief Bill, got the Act of Queen Anne 
 abrogated, which forbade catholics to purchase free- 
 hold property, and gave to an eldest son, who became 
 a protestant, the power of reducing his father to the 
 position of tenant-for-life. Instead of power to 
 purchase, the right of taking leases for 999 years was 
 conceded to the catholics. Not until the following 
 year (1779) did the repeal of the Test Clause give 
 relief to the presbyterians. 
 
 The Volunteers. Meanwhile, both French and 
 American privateers infested the east and south 
 coasts, darting like hawks upon their prey. Their 
 swiftness made them safe, and in the Irish smugglers 
 they found sympathetic friends. As neither regulars 
 
 VOLUNTEER SWORD. 
 
 nor militia were available for defence, the country 
 gentlemen began to arm their tenants, and drill them 
 in the military fashion. At Belfast the movement 
 originated, when the Viceroy sent thither sixty 
 dragoons all he could spare in response to a 
 request for protection. At first the Viceroy 
 frowned upon the enrolment of Volunteers, 
 but the resolve of the nation, too strong for 
 him, obliged him to supply the force with muskets.
 
 202 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [5rH FEB. 
 
 By October, more than 40,000 Volunteers bore 
 arms. 
 
 Paul Jones, the daring Scotch adventurer, now 
 approached the Irish coast again, with a squadron 
 of six armed vessels, obtained at L' Orient in France, 
 but the news of the Volunteer enrolment deterred 
 him from landing to plunder. In the North Sea 
 he captured two English frigates. 
 
 Free Trade demanded. When the Parliament 
 met, Grattan moved as an amendment to the Address, 
 " that it was by free export and import only that the 
 Nation was to be saved from impending ruin ;" and 
 a corps of Volunteers, commanded by the Duke of 
 Leinster, lined Dame Street as the Speaker and the 
 Commons walked in procession to the Castle. Another 
 demonstration of Volunteers in College Green excited 
 Dublin a little later on, and (15th November, 1779) 
 a riotous mob clamoured for Tree Trade at the very 
 doors of the House. Within, notes of defiance rang 
 loud. The Prime Sergeant, Hussy Burgh, declaiming 
 against the idea of Ireland being then at peace, cried, 
 "England has sown her laws as dragons' teeth, and 
 they have sprung up as armed men." Then amid a 
 wild tumult of cheers he publicly resigned his office. 
 "The gates of promotion are shut," cried Grattan; 
 " but the gates of glory are open." 
 _ . Repeal of Trade Laws. These events 
 
 UGC. lo, . 
 
 1779 resu l te( i m immediate success. Lord North 
 
 A.D. proposed in the British Parliament three 
 
 articles of relief to Irish trade (1) to allow 
 
 free export of wood, woollens, and wool-flocks ; (2) to
 
 CHAP. IIL] REIGN OF GEORGE HI. 203 
 
 allow a free export of glass ; (3) to allow, under 
 certain conditions, a free trade to all the British 
 colonies. When the news reached Ireland, excessive 
 joy prevailed, the popular mind being filled with 
 gratitude. Dublin was illuminated. 
 
 Grattan's two Resolutions. But this was only a 
 beginning. Poynings' Law, and the 6th of George I., 
 required to be swept away too, so that Ireland might 
 enjoy not only Free Trade, but also Self-government. 
 Grattan moved his two famous resolutions : 
 
 1. That the King, with the consent of the Lords 
 and Commons of Ireland, is alone competent to enact 
 laws to bind Ireland. 
 
 2. That Great Britain and Ireland are inseparably 
 united under one Sovereign. 
 
 In supporting these resolutions, Grattan cited 
 England's dealings with America, to show what 
 Ireland too might effect by claiming her 
 just rights. A tempest of enthusiasm shook . ' 
 the House. Only two members were found A D 
 willing to oppose Grattan: but the House 
 adjourned, both Government and Opposition being 
 afraid to face a division, and so no record of the 
 proceedings was entered on the journals. 
 
 A Mutiny Bill, promoted by Bushe, demanded 
 that the army in Ireland should be controlled in 
 Ireland, and that the country should be no longer 
 subject to the British Mutiny Act. The measure 
 ultimately passed, its action being made biennial 
 instead of perpetual, as had been desired by the 
 English ministry.
 
 204 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 The Earl of Carlisle became Viceroy in 1781, 
 with Mr. Eden as Secretary. Viewing England's 
 embroilment in war in America, in India, with 
 France, and Spain, and Holland the Irish Volun- 
 teers, whose numbers had swelled, Grattan said, to 
 well-nigh 100,000 men, held meetings and reviews 
 in various parts of the country. Lord Charlemont, 
 riding at the head of the Ulster corps, displayed his 
 force to the admiring eyes of Belfast, and in his 
 address hailed the spirit of freedom which was now 
 beginning to brighten a land, secure by its own efforts 
 against invasion, and cherishing the hope of freedom 
 from the trammels of a stranger parliament. 
 
 Session of 1781. The principal orators of the 
 Irish Parliament at this time were Henry Flood, 
 Hely Hutchinson, John Fitzgibbon, and the incorrup- 
 tible patriot, Henry Grattan. Flood, now approach- 
 ing fifty years of age, had been for years attached to 
 the Court party by the gift of a vice-treasurership, 
 which he now resigned. Fitzgibbon, born in 1748, 
 and Grattan, born in 1746, had been fellow-students 
 at Trinity, and at the Temple, in London. 
 
 Flood, desirous of winning back his old place and 
 fame as leader of the patriots, strove to rival Grattan. 
 Poynings' Law, and the 6th of George I., were assailed. 
 A Catholic Relief Bill was brought forward by 
 Gardiner, with the object of extending to the catho- 
 lics in Ireland the same privileges in the holding of 
 land as had been lately granted in England. 
 
 Volunteer Meeting at Dungannon. In conse- 
 sequence of the corrupt House of Commons, Grattan,
 
 CHAP. IXI.J 
 
 KEIGN OF GEORGE III. 
 
 205 
 
 
 Lord Charlemont, and Flood now united their strength 
 to secure a declaration of the popular will. A meet- 
 ing of 242 delegates from 143 Ulster companies of 
 Volunteers assembled in the church at Dun- 
 gannon, and voted the adoption of thirteen 
 resolutions drafted by these three statesmen. 
 These asserted, in the spirit of Grattan's 
 former resolutions in Parliament, that the King, Lords 
 and Commons of Ireland alone could 
 make laws for Ireland, and that the 
 action of the English and Irish 
 Privy Councils, based on Poyn- 
 ings' Law, was unconstitutional. A 
 further resolution, at the instance of 
 Grattan, approved of the relaxation 
 of the Penal Laws against catholics. 
 A Catholic Belief Bill, which con- 
 
 ARMS OF DUNGANNON. 
 
 cerned property, was immediately carried. In the 
 following month, Lord North's Government came to 
 an end, and a Whig Adminis- 
 tration, under the Marquis of 
 Eockingham, was formed. Lord 
 Carlisle was removed, and the 
 Duke of Portland became Vice- 
 roy of Ireland. 
 
 Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence. The 16th of April, 
 1782, was a memorable day 
 for Dublin. On that date, in 
 
 DUNGANNoN CHUKCU. 
 
 a city thronged with Volunteers, with bands playing, 
 and banners blazoned with gilded harps fluttering
 
 206 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5iH PER. 
 
 in the wind, Grattan, in an amendment to the 
 Address which was always presented to the King 
 at the opening of Parliament, moved, " That 
 Ireland is a distinct Kingdom, with a separate 
 Parliament, and that this Parliament alone has a 
 riqht to make laws for her" On the 17th 
 
 A il * y 
 
 1782 ' ^ ^- a y> ^ e two Secretaries f State Lord 
 A D Shelbourne in the Lords, and Charles James 
 Fox in the Commons of Great Britain 
 proposed the repeal of the 6th of George I., a statute 
 which declared the right of the English Parliament 
 to make laws for Ireland. The English Government 
 frankly and fully acceded to the demands of Ireland. 
 Four points were granted (1) an Independent 
 Irish Parliament; (2) the abrogation of Poynings' 
 Law, empowering the English Privy Council to 
 alter Irish Bills ; (3) the introduction of a Biennial 
 Mutiny Bill; (4) the abolition of the right of 
 appeal to England from the Irish law courts. These 
 concessions were announced to the Irish Parliament 
 at once : in their joy the Irish Houses voted 100,000, 
 and 20,000 men to the navy of Great Britain. 
 Ireland had at last achieved political freedom. Peace 
 and prosperity seemed about to bless the land. 
 
 Grant to Grattan. It was at once proposed to 
 make a grant of 100,000 to Grattan, in gratitude for 
 his patriotic services; but he objected to this sum 
 as too great, and ultimately was induced to accept 
 50,000. 
 
 Flood. The success which had crowned the 
 labours of Grattan stirred up the jealousy of Flood,
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE HI. 207 
 
 who now sought to take up a more advanced position, 
 in the hope of supplanting the Irish leader in popular 
 favour. Flood, born in 1732, was now a man of fifty. 
 While Grattan was still a law student at the Middle 
 Temple, Flood had been leader of the Irish Commons 
 first "patriot" of his day a veritable thorn in the 
 flesh to Lord Townshend. But he soon found he 
 had not the confidence of any section in the House. 
 He now insisted that the British Parliament should, 
 by a special Act, formally renounce for ever all right 
 to legislate for Ireland. Grattan maintained that 
 " simple repeal " of the obnoxious 6th of George I. 
 was enough. In this contest Grattan triumphed; 
 but the two friends were friends no more. 
 
 That there might be no misunderstanding as to 
 the deliberate intention of the English Parliament in 
 granting Irish legislative independence, Lord Shel- 
 burne had passed an Act of Eenunciation, declaring 
 that " the Right claimed by the people of Ireland, to lie 
 "bound only by laws enacted "by His Majesty and the 
 Parliament of that Kingdom, is hereby declared to be 
 established and ascertained for ever, and shall at no 
 time hereafter be questioned or questionable." 
 
 Relief Bills. During the same session (1782), the 
 two Catholic Belief Bills proposed by Luke Gardiner, 
 who afterwards became Viscount Mountjoy, were 
 passed. These measures gave catholics the right to 
 buy freeholds, to teach schools, and to educate their 
 children as they pleased. The Habeas Corpus Act 
 was now extended to Ireland; and marriages by 
 presbyterian ministers were made legal.
 
 208 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 Viscount Temple succeeded the Duke of Port- 
 land as Viceroy in September, 1782, and held office 
 until June, 1783. His brother, William Grenville, 
 acted as Secretary. By the death of Eockingham 
 (July, 1782) Lord Shelbume had become Prime 
 Minister, with William Pitt as Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer. Temple's only notable work during his 
 nine months of office was the institution of the 
 Knights of St. Patrick, with the insignia of which 
 order the leading Irish nobles were decorated on St. 
 Patrick's Day, 1783. 
 
 When Lord Shelburne retired from office, and the 
 Duke of Portland became Premier, the Earl of North- 
 ington was sent to Ireland as Viceroy in place of 
 Temple, whom Portland thought to be too yielding 
 for the post. 
 
 Parliamentary Reform. The question of Par- 
 liamentary Eeform now arose. The lower House was 
 largely recruited by the representatives of pocket 
 boroughs. The House of Stuart 
 had created a great number of con 
 stituencies for the purpose of gain- 
 ing Government majorities. Eighty- 
 six members were elected, each by 
 the votes of some little corporation. 
 One hundred and sixteen seats were 
 in the hands of twenty-five landed 
 proprietors. The Volunteers, who 
 looked upon the recent recognition of the rights of 
 Ireland as due mainly to their efforts, now began 
 to agitate for a reform of the Irish Parliament. 
 
 EARL UP CHARLEMONT.
 
 CHAP. III.] 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE III. 
 
 209 
 
 Their commander was* James Caulfield, Earl of 
 Charlemont. 
 
 This nobleman, who played a distinguished part in 
 Irish affairs, was born at Dublin in 1728. Eefined 
 by foreign travel, he became one of that brilliant 
 literary circle in which Burke, Johnson, and Gold- 
 smith shone. He was elected 
 first President of the Eoyal 
 Irish Academy, an institu- 
 tion founded in 1785, to give 
 direction to the awakening 
 intellect of the country after 
 its long night of bondage. 
 
 A preliminary meeting of 
 Volunteers, held at Dungan- 
 non in September, 1783, made 
 arrangements for a great con- 
 vention at Dublin, which was to sit during the 
 Parliamentary session. 
 
 An eccentric figure among the Volunteers was 
 that of the protestant Bishop of Derry Frederick 
 Hervey who had, since assuming the mitre, become 
 Earl of Bristol by the death of his brother. In all 
 the splendours of a purple robe and diamond buckles, 
 he drove, in a carriage drawn by six horses, to the 
 Eotunda, surrounded by grenadiers and 
 dragoons in gleaming uniforms. One 
 hundred and sixty delegates marched two 
 abreast, wearing green sashes. The Dublin 
 corps of artillery, led by their colonel, Napper 
 Tandy, a city tradesman, were there, each cannon 
 
 ARMS OF THE ROYAL IRISH 
 ACADEMY. 
 
 Nov. 10, 
 
 1783 
 
 A.D.
 
 210 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PER. 
 
 wreathed with ribands. Peal upon peal, these guns 
 
 thundered a salute as the 
 delegates entered the round 
 hall at the end of Sack- 
 ville Street known as the 
 Rotunda. 
 
 In the Convention, Char- 
 lemont, who was elected 
 chairman, advocated with 
 success moderate measures; 
 the Bishop of Deny and 
 his followers being for 
 Catholic Emancipation and 
 separation from England. 
 
 On the question of Eeform, Flood took the lead. He 
 at once introduced in the House of Com- 
 
 THE ROTUNDA. 
 
 Nov. 29, 
 1783 
 
 mons a Bill, which gave the franchise in 
 both cities and boroughs to protestant forty- 
 shilling freeholders, and leaseholders for 
 thirty-one years, of which fifteen were unexpired; 
 but to the catholics, who constituted the bulk of 
 the population, it did not extend. 
 
 On this Bill a very hot debate ensued. The fact 
 that Parliament was being dictated to by a body of 
 armed men, roused in most of the members feelings 
 of indignation, especially among those whose seats 
 the Bill would have endangered. The most effective 
 speakers against the Bill were the Attorney-General, 
 Barry Yelverton, afterwards Lord Avonmore, and 
 John Fitzgibbon, afterwards Earl of Clare. The Bill 
 was rejected by 150 votes to 77 ; among the minority
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 211 
 
 were Grattan and John Philpot Curran, the cele- 
 brated wit, who, as member for Kilbeggan, made his 
 maiden speech on this occasion. 
 
 On the defeat of their Eeform Bill, the Volunteers 
 might have appealed to arms, but, rather than 
 cause civil war, they wisely retired from their 
 position, and the Convention was at once adjourned 
 sine die. 
 
 The Duke of Rutland, appointed to succeed 
 Lord Northiugton as Viceroy, arrived in Ireland in 
 February, 1784. He was a young man of twenty- 
 nine. No Irish goods could be imported into Eng- 
 land, owing to prohibitive import duties. It was a 
 troubled time ; not only were soldiers hamstrung by 
 the mob, but traders of Dublin were tarred and 
 feathered by the populace as a result of the clamour 
 raised against English imported goods. The mob 
 surrounded the Parliament House, and even entered 
 the galleries, threatening unpopular members with 
 death. A Congress of Volunteers and representatives 
 of the counties was attempted, but the decided attitude 
 of Fitzgibbon, now Attorney-General, rendered such 
 an assemblage impossible. The remnant of the Volun- 
 teers, under Napper Tandy, held secret meetings and 
 planned reforms. The movement was still kept 
 alive in Belfast and the North, where it had been 
 initiated, and resulted at a later day in the formation 
 of the Whig Club and the Society of the United 
 Irishmen. 
 
 Pitt's Proposals. William Pitt, now Prime 
 Minister, submitted a measure, divided into eleven
 
 212 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5rn PER. 
 
 propositions, for the equalisation of commercial duties 
 in Great Britain and Ireland. Free commerce 
 with the English colonies was offered to 
 A ' D ' Ireland. The linens of Ulster were to enjoy 
 the protection already existing in English markets, 
 and, as a set-off to these and other privileges, Ireland 
 was to contribute any surplus revenue beyond the 
 sum of 650,000 to the support of the British navy. 
 The question excited, in the English Parliament, 
 opposition so determined (petitions from all the 
 leading Scotch and English manufacturing towns 
 pouring in), that Pitt withdrew the eleven proposi- 
 tions, and sent back a remodelled scheme of twenty, 
 which were less favourable to Irish commerce. 
 Sheridan and Eox opposed the measure in the Eng- 
 lish House. In the Irish Parliament, Flood led the 
 opposition ; Fitzgibbou spoke in favour of the measure, 
 which, however, was withdrawn. Grattan added his 
 influence and voice to the rejection of the scheme. 
 
 Whiteboys again. The arms of the Volunteers, 
 owing to the disorganised condition of that body, 
 often passed, especially in the South, into the hands 
 of lawless men. In Kerry the Eightboys became 
 feared for their acts of lawlessness, led by a shadowy 
 Captain Eight. Their wrath fell chiefly upon the 
 tithe-proctors, who, acting for absentee clergymen, 
 were wont to extort exorbitant sums from the poorest 
 peasants. Such men were slain or mutilated, and the 
 resident clergy too were often grievously injured. 
 
 Police Bill. In 1786, Fitzgibbon, the Attorney- 
 General, introduced a Police Bill for Dublin. Seven
 
 CHAP. Hi.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 213 
 
 paid magistrates were to be appointed, and forty 
 constables were added to the staff of city watchmen. 
 After some opposition from Grattau the Bill passed. 
 Such was the modest beginning out of which 
 was to grow the splendid force of the Eoyal Irish 
 Constabulary. 
 
 Insurrection Bill. To cope with the outrage and 
 riot in Munster, Fitzgibbon now brought in a Bill, 
 which treated conspiracy as felony, punishable by 
 death. In opposing it, Grattan denounced the 
 payment of tithes, and advocated, instead of 
 coercion, as a remedy for the disturbance, the 
 use of the " engine of redress ;" but Fitzgibbon argued 
 that the widespread misery that prevailed arose 
 chiefly from the extortions of the "Middlemen." 
 These were speculators who took leases from 
 absentee landlords, and then sublet their holdings 
 to annual tenants at what is called a "rack-rent," 
 i.e., a rent extortionately high. This Bill, which 
 ultimately passed, bore two names the Insurrection 
 Bill and the Tumultuous Assemblies Bill. It embodied 
 the main provision of the English Eiot Act (passed 
 in 1715), viz., that a magistrate, after reading the Act, 
 could disperse by force any disorderly assembly of 
 more than twelve persons. In October, 1787, the 
 Duke of Eutland died of fever, at Dublin. His 
 administration of nearly four years resulted in a 
 short time of tranquillity. Bribery by pensions, 
 however, had been largely used. The Pension List 
 in Ireland, which had previously amounted to 
 1,000,000, was now increased by 20,000 a-year.
 
 214 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 Temple, now Marquis of Buckingham, was 
 recalled to the Castle as Viceroy. He incurred 
 much odium by his vigorous searching into the 
 accounts of various public offices, where a system of 
 fraud and plunder had long existed. 
 
 In retaliation for Eightboy outrages in the South, 
 where the protestants had been disarmed and the 
 clergy attacked, an association was formed at Antrim 
 for the purpose of seizing the guns of the catholics. 
 These called themselves Peep o' Day Boys. The 
 catholics organised a rival society, under the title 
 of Defenders. 
 
 Regency Question, The mind of King George 
 III. having become deranged, a question arose as to 
 the nature of the Eegency. Fox maintained that 
 the Prince of Wales should have full royal power; 
 Pitt insisted that Parliament should control and 
 limit his power. In the Irish Parliament, which 
 opened its session in February, 1788, Grattan 
 advocated the views of Fox ; and on his 
 
 T ITQ Q * 
 
 proposal the Irish Parliament prepared an 
 Address, offering the Eegency of Ireland to 
 the Prince, without limit or restriction. When this 
 Address was read at the Castle, the Viceroy refused 
 to receive it, because the Prince was not yet English 
 Eegent. A deputation, including the Duke of 
 Leinster and the Earl of Charlemont, was then 
 appointed to see the Prince and make the offer 
 personally; but the recovery of King George III. 
 ended the matter. 
 
 The Whig Club. Grattan, Charlemont, and their
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE IIL 215 
 
 friends, the leading men of the Volunteer movement, 
 anxious to stem the tide of political corruption, then 
 formed the Whig Club, in which they could utter 
 their sentiments freely. Napper Tandy and Hamilton 
 Eowan were among the members, as were also Curran 
 and Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Fitzgibbon had now 
 become Lord Chancellor of Ireland : in 1795 he was 
 created Earl of Clare. 
 
 When Buckingham left Ireland in 1789, the Earl 
 of Westmoreland became Lord Lieutenant, with 
 Major Hobart as Secretary. 
 
 In the new Parliament, which met in 1791, 
 Robert Stewart, afterwards Lord Castlereagh, sat 
 for Down; Arthur Wellesley, afterwards Duke 
 of Wellington, sat for Trim ; and Arthur O'Connor, 
 afterwards a leading member of the United Irishmen, 
 sat for Philipstown. Grattan was then member for 
 Dublin. 
 
 Northern Whig Club. Belfast, stirred by the 
 influences of the French Eevolution, had now become 
 a centre of political activity. Lord Charlemont and 
 Lord Moira established the Northern Whig Club, 
 and Theobald Wolfe Tone was elected a member. 
 
 Wolfe Tone, the chief founder of the body known 
 as the United Irishmen, was born at Dublin in 
 1763. Having studied at Trinity, and dallied a 
 little with literature, he was called to the bar in 
 1789. In a paper all aglow with a generous 
 patriotism, he laid down the principles of a new 
 Society, which was to unite all creeds in Ireland on 
 the basis of a common nationality. It was to take
 
 216 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PER. 
 
 BADGE OF THE UNITED 
 IRISHMEN. 
 
 the place of the Whig Club, which seemed to Tone 
 and his friends insincere and timid. The first 
 lodge of the United Irishmen was formed by Tone 
 and Eussell at Belfast, in 
 October, 1791. The Emanci- 
 pation of Ireland from English 
 Kule, the Eeform of Parlia- 
 ment, and the cordial Union 
 of all creeds, were the initial 
 objects of this Society. 
 
 Belfast had meanwhile been 
 the scene of a great demon- 
 stration, in celebration of the 
 anniversary of the storming 
 of the Bastile. The revived Volunteers, with 
 flags and drums, marched before a picture of 
 
 o ' -t 
 
 Mirabeau and a canvas depicting the open- 
 ing of the Bastile. The Whig Club walked 
 in procession, wearing green cockades. A 
 dinner at the Linen Hall wound up the 
 day's proceedings. "Washington" and "Franklin," 
 who freed the American Colonies ; 
 "Mirabeau," the master-spirit of 
 the French Bevolution; "Molyneux" 
 and "Grattan," as representatives of 
 Irish nationality, were the great 
 toasts of the evening. Newry and 
 Downpatrick were ablaze with the 
 new democratic spirit. 
 
 Immediately after Tone's visit to 
 Belfast, he formed a lodge of United Irishmen at 
 
 July 14, 
 1797 
 
 A.D. 
 
 ARMS OF BELFAST.
 
 CHAP, in.] EEIGN OF GEOKGE HI. 217 
 
 Dublin, with the Hon. Simon Butler as Chairman, 
 and Napper Tandy as Secretary. 
 
 The Catholic Question was much before the 
 public during the session of 1792. Eichard Burke, 
 son of the great Edmund, came to Ireland to reconcile 
 the conflicting elements, but his rashness gave great 
 offence. A Catholic Convention, promoted chiefly 
 by Keogh, a Dublin merchant, drew up a petition 
 for the franchise, which was presented by five dele- 
 gates to the King. In the following year (1793), 
 a movement, supported by Dr. Troy, catholic Arch- 
 bishop of Dublin, was successful in obtaining --Q- 
 the following instalments of the catholic de- 
 mands, viz., their admission to the franchise, 
 both parliamentary and municipal, permission to 
 hold civil and military offices, and leave for the 
 establishment of colleges not exclusively catholic to 
 be affiliated to Trinity College. In 1795, Maynooth 
 College was founded for the education of the catholic 
 clergy. 
 
 Hamilton Eowan and Tandy now raised two 
 regiments of National Guards, with the avowed 
 
 O * 
 
 purpose of supporting the catholic claims. A green 
 coat, with a harp on the buttons, formed the uniform 
 of these men. The National Guards were put down 
 by proclamation, none but Tandy, Eowan, and 
 another venturing to appear on parade (December, 
 1792). A few Volunteers at Belfast, attempting 
 to appear in arms, were also dispersed ; and so that 
 notable force came to an end. 
 
 Unhappily, the United Irishmen and the Defenders
 
 218 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5fH PER. 
 
 now began to promote rebellion, and to encourage 
 hopes of aid from France. During the summer of 
 1793, Connaught, Munster, and the southern portion 
 of Leinster were ravaged by mobs, armed with guns 
 obtained either from the disbanded Volunteers or 
 from plundered houses. A cry arose for a new 
 Catholic Convention, which should meet at Athlone 
 to demand their rights; but a Bill introduced by 
 Fitzgibbon declared any such assemblage to be illegal. 
 Hamilton Rowan, whose name has just been 
 mentioned, was the son of a landed proprietor at 
 Killyleagh. Educated at Cambridge, he visited 
 America, but, settling in Ireland in 1784, became 
 conspicuous, first as a Volunteer, then as a United 
 Irishman. He was now (January, 1794) brought to 
 trial at Dublin for distributing an address to the 
 Volunteers which had been written by Dr. Drennan. 
 In spite of Curran's eloquent defence, he was sentenced 
 to two years' imprisonment and a fine of 500. 
 About two months after his imprisonment, Eowan 
 was visited in Newgate by an emissary from France, 
 named Jackson. Tone, who was present, produced 
 a paper on the condition of Ireland, for the considera- 
 tion of the French Directory; Eowan copied the 
 paper. When Jackson was afterwards arrested, Eowan, 
 knowing that his handwriting would certainly con- 
 demn him to death, bribed a gaoler to allow him 
 to visit his wife, and so escaped to France. About 
 a year later, Jackson, who had been chaplain to the 
 Duchess of Kingston, was tried, but he died in the 
 dock, having taken arsenic.
 
 CHAP, in.] KEIGN OF GEOKGE III. 219 
 
 At the end of 1794 Lord Westmoreland was 
 recalled, and Lord Fitzwilliam was made Viceroy. 
 He arrived at Dublin on the 4th of January, 1795 : 
 he was recalled on the 19th of March. For this 
 sudden change of administration there were two 
 reasons (1) Fitzwilliam excited the anger of the 
 powerful family of the Beresfords by dismissing 
 John Beresford, Chief Commissioner of Customs ; and 
 (2) he displayed an evident tendency to advocate 
 the admission of Catholics into Parliament. His 
 successor, Lord Camden, entered Dublin amid signs 
 of mourning for the departing Viceroy. 
 
 A Bill for the complete abolition of all religious 
 distinctions, brought in by Grattan at this time, 
 was ultimately lost ; but the Chief Secretary, Pelham, 
 passed a measure endowing the Catholic College at 
 Maynooth with a grant of 8,000 a-year. 
 
 In August, 1794, at the solicitation of a deputation 
 consisting of Grattan, Sir John Parnell, chancellor 
 of the exchequer, and others, the English minister, 
 Pitt, determined to adopt the policy advocated by 
 Burke, and give to the catholics complete emancipa- 
 tion. Parliamentary reform was to follow, and the 
 aggravating system of coercion, hitherto the sole 
 resource of the Government, was to be abandoned. 
 A new viceroy, Lord Fitzwilliam, appointed to in- 
 augurate the new era, on his arrival (January 4th, 
 1794) was accorded the most enthusiastic reception. 
 On the 12th February, Grattan introduced a bill 
 admitting catholics to Parliament, but the king inter- 
 posed with a veto, which left Pitt the option of
 
 220 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 abandoning his policy or resigning. The Government 
 changed front ; Fitzwilliam was recalled, Lord Cam- 
 den appointed in his place, and the ascendency policy 
 became again the rule. 
 
 The recall of Fitzwilliam completely dashed the 
 hopes of those who sought the peace and prosperity 
 of the country, while it exasperated the peasantry, 
 who had trusted in the promises made. The Society 
 of United Irishmen having been suppressed, it was 
 reorganised as a secret body by its most active 
 members, at this date. Arms were seized on all sides. 
 The prospect of a union of creeds, which Tone had 
 cherished, grew dim, and its realisation became consi- 
 derably retarded when a bloody conflict, known as the 
 Battle of the Diamond, occurred at a village 
 
 '' in Armagh, between the protestants and the 
 
 Defenders. The latter were defeated ; and 
 the protestant victors banded themselves 
 into a secret society, and styled themselves Orange- 
 men, having as their declared object the expulsion of 
 the catholics from Ulster. Euthless persecution and 
 terrorism were unfortunately employed. General 
 Craddock was despatched to repress the lawless 
 bands which harried the country districts. 
 
 General Luttrell, sent into the West to quell the 
 disturbances of the Defenders, summarily cleared the 
 prisons of those awaiting trial, and transported them, 
 with large numbers of others whom he arrested on 
 suspicion. 
 
 In the summer of 1795 Wolfe Tone sailed with 
 his family to America. Previously he had taken
 
 CHAP. III.] 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE III. 
 
 221 
 
 three of his chosen Belfast friends, Eussell, Neilson, 
 and M'Cracken, to a solitary mound on the top of 
 the Cave Hill, known as M' Art's Fort, and had there 
 made them swear to strive to the last for the inde- 
 pendence of Ireland. On the 1st of January, 1796, 
 Tone went from New York to France for the purpose 
 of soliciting French aid. 
 
 Meantime, in Ireland, by the union of the 
 Defenders and United Irishmen, and under the pres- 
 sure of recent events, the spirit_of insurrection had 
 grown more determined. A 
 brother of the Duke of Leinster, 
 Lord Edward Fitzgerald who 
 had served with credit in the 
 American war, and was a 
 strong advocate of reform and 
 Arthur O'Connor, sought an 
 interview in Switzerland with 
 Hoche, the celebrated French 
 general, on the subject of a 
 
 LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD. 
 
 French invasion, which should aid in erecting Ireland 
 into a Eepublic independent of Great Britain. The 
 peasantry in some places were secretly supplied with 
 arms. The protestant landowners, distrusting the 
 militia, obtained leave from Government to raise 
 companies of yeomanry. Everything portended an 
 approaching struggle. 
 
 The French Expedition. On the 15th of 
 December, 1796, a fleet of forty-three French war- 
 ships, carrying 15,000 men and a great store of artillery 
 and arms, left Brest under the command of General
 
 222 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5xn FEB. 
 
 Hoche, with Grouchy second in command. Tone 
 sailed on board of the Indomptdble. The authorities 
 at once set about meeting the attack. The country 
 generally was unprotected, but the peasantry, at 
 least in the South and West, were quite disposed to 
 assist the military operations of the Government. 
 No British ships impeded the expedition, but storms 
 scattered the fleet. Sixteen vessels found a perilous 
 shelter in Bantry Bay, where they anchored for about 
 a week ; but whirling snow-storms lashed the sea into 
 so wild a rage that it was impossible to land, and the 
 great fleet returned to Brest, with the loss of four 
 ships, having achieved nothing. 
 
 Martial Law. The Government having secret in- 
 formation as to the conspiracy, proclaimed martial 
 law in Antrim, Down, Derry, Tyrone, and Donegal. 
 The organ of the United Irishmen, the Northern Star, 
 was suppressed, and a number of members of that 
 body, sitting in committee, were arrested at Belfast. 
 
 Early in 1797, Arthur O'Connor was imprisoned 
 in Dublin for printing a defiance of the Government. 
 The cruelties of the troops, and the brutal excesses of 
 the yeomanry, who flogged and tortured the peasantry 
 to extort confessions as to concealed arms, exasperated 
 large numbers, and drove them into the ranks of the 
 conspiracy, while acts of retaliation were a natural 
 consequence. The United Irishmen were growing 
 every day more dangerous to the Government. 
 Ulster was disarmed by General Lake, who seized 
 50,000 muskets, twenty-two cannon, and 70,000 
 pikes. Lord Camden, the Viceroy, found it necessary
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 223 
 
 to issue a stern proclamation, warning all loyal 
 subjects against joining the United Irishmen. 
 Disunion had already begun to sap the strength 
 of the Society. The Ulster lodges, formed at 
 an early period, advocated an instant rising; the 
 Southerns held back, awaiting the arrival of promised 
 help from Holland. Gradually the North lost con- 
 fidence and withdrew ; and Dublin, not Belfast, then 
 became the centre of the plot. 
 
 Secession of Grattan. The opposition to the 
 Government party in the Irish Parliament was led 
 by Grattan, the Duke of Leinster, Lord Moira, 
 and the two Ponsonbys. They had ascertained 
 from the leaders of the United Irishmen what 
 concessions would satisfy them, and their demands, 
 at that date, were found to be reduced to a full 
 parliamentary representation of the people of Ire- 
 land, irrespective of creed. When, as an expiring 
 effort, George Ponsonby proposed a series of resolu- 
 tions in favour of abolishing all religious disabilities, 
 he was defeated by 170 to 30. Grattan and his 
 party, grown hopeless, then seceded from Parliament. 
 
 During the year 1797 Wolfe Tone's expectations 
 received two disastrous blows. A great Dutch fleet 
 under De Winter, which had collected in the Texel 
 for an invasion of Ireland, was all but annihilated 
 off Camperdown by Admiral Duncan ; and General 
 Hoche, Tone's best friend, died. 
 
 Rebellion of 1798. On information supplied 
 by informers, Arthur O'Connor and a priest named 
 O'Coigley were arrested at Margate on their way
 
 224 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PEE. 
 
 to France. They were tried at Maidstone. O'Coigley 
 was hanged, but O'Connor was sent to prison in 
 Dublin. On the 12th of March the police seized 
 eighteen members of the United Irishmen, sitting 
 in committee in a house in Bridge Street, Dublin. 
 But the master-spirit, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, 
 was not captured till two months later, a reward 
 of 1,000 having been offered for his apprehen- 
 sion. Four days previous to the date on which the 
 intended rising was to take place, the Government 
 received information as to the place of his conceal- 
 ment. Acting on secret information, Major 
 179S 7 ' ^ wan > Maj r Sirr, Captain Eyan, and some 
 soldiers, in plain clothes, entered the house 
 of a feather merchant in Thomas Street. 
 Dublin, and found Lord Edward lying on a bed. 
 Leaping up, the rebel lord closed with Swan, whom he 
 stabbed with a dagger. The same fate befel Eyan, 
 But Major Sirr, firing his pistol, shot Lord Edward 
 in the shoulder, and made him prisoner. He died 
 in Newgate a fortnight later, aged only thirty-four. 
 Two brothers named Sheares, barristers, who had 
 joined the plot, were also immediately arrested: tried 
 and found guilty, they were executed in front of 
 Newgate (July, 1798). 
 
 Although the leaders of the insurrectionary move- 
 ment were thus cut off, the flames of rebellion broke 
 out wildly. Dublin was saved by the stern discipline 
 of martial law. It having been preconcerted that 
 the signal for revolt for the country districts should 
 be the non-arrival of the mail-coaches, on the 24th of
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE HL 225 
 
 May, about two in the morning, these were stopped. 
 A body of rebel pikemen set fire to the barracks at 
 Prosperous in Kildare, and killed, almost without 
 exception, such soldiers as succeeded in escaping 
 from the building, including many Welsh yeomanry, 
 who had recently made themselves dreaded for 
 their savage acts. Lord Gosport repulsed a rebel 
 attack on Naas ; and at Tara, Carlo w, and the Curragh, 
 the insurgents were also defeated. 
 
 Rising in Wexford. The county of "Wexford, one 
 in which the United Irishmen had no organisation, 
 witnessed the only notable success gained by the 
 rebels. Here the outbreak had mainly been caused 
 by the excesses of the soldiery. On Saturday evening, 
 the 26th of May, at twilight, a tongue of flame a 
 beacon fire grew red on the summit of Corrig-rua 
 Hill, ten miles west of Ferns. An answering light 
 began to blaze at Boolavogue, where Father John 
 Murphy was priest. These were signals of rebellion. 
 The murder of a clergyman and the destruction of the 
 bishop's palace at Ferns marked the next morning. 
 By noon, Father John and another Murphy, Father 
 Michael, had assembled a crowd of 5,000 at Oulart. 
 A body of soldiers, sent from Wexford under Colonel 
 Foote to disperse the gathering, were repulsed. 
 Moving next day on Enniscorthy, a town on the 
 Slaney, which was garrisoned by 300 men, chiefly 
 yeomen, under Snowe of the North Cork Militia, 
 Father John divided his force and assailed the town. 
 He drove a herd of maddened oxen in front of his 
 men, to disturb and break the lines of the royal troops.
 
 226 HISTORY OF IRELAND. r5 T H PER. 
 
 In spite of a brave defence, Snowe was obliged 
 to evacuate Enniscorthy, and to march his men, 
 accompanied by a host of refugees, away to Wex- 
 ford. 
 
 Vinegar HilL On the 29th of May the rebel 
 camp was fixed on Vinegar Hill, a grassy summit 
 on the left bank of the Slaney, opposite Enniscorthy. 
 The weather was fine. The carpets and blankets of 
 Enniscorthy were used to make tents. Wine and ale 
 were plentiful ; harps and pianos were carried from 
 the plundered mansions to make music. A wind- 
 mill, which crowned the hill, was filled with 
 prisoners, some of whom were murdered daily. 
 
 Rebels take Wexford. Father John, forming 
 another camp at Three Eocks, four miles from 
 Wexford, forced the garrison of that town to abandon 
 it. The green flag was then hoisted on the barracks; 
 the prison was opened; three days of riot ensued. 
 Among the released prisoners was a protestant gentle- 
 man, Bagenal Harvey, who took command of the 
 rebel force. 
 
 As the rebel leader was evidently preparing to 
 direct all his efforts towards the ultimate capture 
 of Dublin, the leading approaches from Wexford at 
 Newton-Barry, Carnew, and Arklow were occupied 
 by the military. At the first place Colonel 
 L'Estrange defeated the insurgents. The central 
 column, under Colonel Walpole, moving southward 
 from Carnew, was defeated by Father John, Walpole 
 being killed in the encounter. 
 
 A vast multitude of rebels, under Bagenal Harvey
 
 CHAP. III.] 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE III. 
 
 227 
 
 and Father Koche, assailed New Eoss on the Barrow 
 
 (June 5). During all the long summer day the fight 
 
 raged ; but the discipline of the royal forces, under 
 
 General Johnstone, at last prevailed, the insurgents 
 
 leaving 3,000 men upon - . 
 
 the field. Among the dead 
 
 was Lord Mountjoy, for- 
 
 merly known as Luke 
 
 Gardiner, who was in 
 
 command of the Dublin 
 
 Militia. On the same day, 
 
 at Scullabogue, six miles 
 
 from New Eoss, some fugi- 
 
 tive rebels, acting, as they 
 
 falsely represented, under 
 
 orders from Harvey, insti- 
 
 gated an atrocious massacre 
 
 of prisoners. About 30 
 
 were shot or piked on the lawn ; 184 were burned 
 
 alive in a barn. 
 
 The safety of Dublin now depended on Arldow, 
 a town in County Wicklow at the mouth of the 
 Avoca. General Needham, with 1,600 men, took 
 up his position there to resist the advance of Father 
 John, whose force amounted to 27,000 men. 
 Here, after a desperate encounter, especially 
 hottest at the bridge, the rebels were foiled, 
 one of their leaders, Father Michael Murphy, 
 being killed by a cannon-ball at the close of the day. 
 Dublin was saved. 
 
 It was now decided to subdue the remaining centre 
 
 WEXFORD AND WICKLOW. 
 
 
 A D
 
 228 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 of rebellion at Vinegar Hill. Four converging columns, 
 consisting of 15,000 men, under the chief command 
 
 O * 
 
 of General Lake, moved into County Wexford, 
 contracting the curve of their positions as they 
 advanced. Enniscorthy was first cleared of its in- 
 surgent garrison. The hill was then stormed in three 
 divisions. The rebels, 14,000 strong, fought 
 
 ^ rom seven i n fc ke mom i n & tiU about nine, 
 A D and then poured in headlong flight from the 
 southern side of the hill. Next day Lake 
 entered Wexford, which had been evacuated by the 
 rebels. Father John Murphy, with a band of the 
 most desperate of the insurgents, crossed the Barrow 
 into Kilkenny, where they murdered and destroyed as 
 they went. Arrested in disguise, Murphy was hanged 
 on the 26th of June, at Tullow. His followers, 
 scattered among the Wicklow mountains, were 
 gradually hunted down. Roche, Harvey, and other 
 rebel leaders, were also hanged at Wexford. 
 
 When Lord Cornwallis became Viceroy (June, 
 1798), he found the strength of the rebellion broken ; 
 but throughout the counties of Wexford and Wicklow 
 were still scattered bands of armed marauders. He 
 found also that the yeomanry and militia, to whom 
 the suppression of the outbreak had been entrusted, 
 had given way to fierce atrocity in their treatment 
 of the disbanded rebels. He saw with pain the spirit 
 which prevailed among the members of the legis- 
 lature, making them " averse to all acts of clemency." 
 Lord Cornwallis brought to the gibbet a few of the 
 leading conspirators, but offered a pardon to the
 
 CHAP. III.] REIGN OF GEOKGE III. 229 
 
 general body of the insurgents, if they would lay 
 down their arms. 
 
 Some leading United Irishmen Thomas Addis 
 Emmet, Arthur O'Connor, M'Nevin, and others who 
 had been meanwhile (most of them since the 12th of 
 March, 1798) detained in prison, now proposed to 
 make a full confession, if the lives of some of their 
 fellow-leaders were spared, and their own fate miti- 
 gated by banishment. Having done so, they were 
 sent to Fort George in Scotland, and were not 
 released until 1802. Arthur O'Connor afterwards 
 became a general in the French service, and died 
 at Bignon in 1852. 
 
 Outbreak in the North. While the rebel camp 
 was on Vinegar Hill, the northern United Irishmen, 
 under Henry Joy M'Cracken, had attacked Antrim 
 (June 7th), but were repulsed by the military after 
 some severe fighting. Newtownards and Saintfield 
 were seized by the Down insurgents, who formed a 
 camp near Ballynahinch in Lord Moira's grounds. 
 Their leader was Henry Munro of Lisburn. At- 
 tacked by General Nugent (June 13th), these 
 rebels were defeated and scattered, after a deter- 
 mined stand, at what is called the battle of 
 Ballynahinch. Munro was hanged at Lisburn; 
 M'Cracken, at Belfast. 
 
 French at Killala. The French Directory, at the 
 solicitation of some Irish refugees, at last decided to 
 attempt a descent on the Irish coast. On the 22nd of 
 August, a French expedition of about 1,000 men, 
 under General Humbert, landed at Killala in Mayo.
 
 230 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PEE. 
 
 Aug. 22, 
 1798 
 
 A.D. 
 
 General Hardi and 3,000 men were to follow. 
 Teeling and Matthew Tone accompanied 
 them as representatives of the Irish cause. 
 Pushing on to Castlebar, Humbert defeated 
 General Lake, whose forces, being chiefly 
 militia, would not face the French. Lord Cornwallis 
 then hurried from Dublin with soldiers, and so beset 
 Humbert that the latter was forced to surrender at 
 Ballinamuck (September 8). Teeling and Matthew 
 Tone were hanged at once. 
 
 Death of Wolfe Tone. Having sailed from Brest, 
 with General Hardi, in the Hoche, a Trench ship of 
 seventy-four guns, which was the 
 leading vessel of Bompart's squad- 
 ron, "Wolfe Tone arrived off Lough 
 SwiUy (October 10th). A British 
 fleet, under Sir John Warren, came 
 sailing down. Tone, refusing to 
 escape, as he might have done, in 
 a French frigate, commanded one 
 of the batteries with great bravery. 
 The Hoche fought nobly for six hours against heavy 
 odds, but had to strike her flag at last. Arrested in 
 French uniform, Wolfe Tone was taken to Dublin, 
 tried by court-martial, and sentenced to be hanged 
 next morning, having begged vainly to be accorded the 
 death of a soldier. That night, with a penknife, he 
 inflicted on his throat a wound, of which he died in 
 a week (November 19, 1798). He had reached the 
 age of thirty-four. Curran had succeeded in delaying 
 the sentence, on legal grounds. 
 
 DEFENCE TOWERS, 
 CO. DONEGAL.
 
 CHAP. III.] 
 
 KEIGN OF GEORGE III. 
 
 231 
 
 Legislative Union with Great Britain. We now 
 
 reach the greatest event in the modern history of 
 Ireland. William Pitt, the Prime Minister, resolved 
 to do what the Irish Parliament had, ninety-five years 
 earlier, demanded in the hope of obtaining for 
 Ireland the abolition of English 
 prohibitions against Irish com- 
 merce. On the 22nd January, 
 1799, on the opening of the Irish 
 Houses of Parliament, the speech 
 from the throne alluded to the 
 question of a legislative union. 
 The opposition moved an amend- 
 ment to the address, declaring UNION JACK OF 1606-1800. 
 
 " CROSSES OF ST. GEORGE 
 
 ' that the undoubted birthright of AND ST. ANDREW. 
 the people of Ireland, a resident and independent 
 legislature, should le maintained" The debate 
 lasted twenty-two hours. On a division being taken, 
 the voting was found to be equal (106 to 106). 
 When the Parliament met at College Green on 15th 
 January, 1800, the question of Union already dis- 
 cussed and recommended in the British Parliament 
 again arose. Grattan, though worn with illness, 
 appeared in his old place, having, in view of the 
 coming conflict, allowed himself to be elected member 
 for Wicklow. Dressed in the blue coat faced with 
 red which formed the famous uniform of the Volun- 
 teers, he lifted a powerful voice against the proposed 
 Union. On the 5th of February Lord Castlereagh, 
 the Chief Secretary, asked leave to introduce the 
 Government measure, and, in spite of eloquent opposi-
 
 232 
 
 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PEK. 
 
 tion from George Ponsonby and others, obtained a 
 majority of 43 votes (158 to 115). Most of these 
 votes, unhappily, had been secured by bribery. 
 Pensions, peerages, promotions, places were freely 
 offered to those who would support the Ministry. 
 In money alone 1,260,000 was spent to gain over 
 advocates for the scheme, and the national debt of 
 Ireland increased by that amount. Lord Chancellor 
 Clare (Fitzgibbon) laid the measure before the 
 D Lords, getting for it a majority of 50 votes (75 
 to 25). Wild excitement filled Dublin. The 
 cavalry and the mob contended in the streets. Within 
 the Commons the Anti-Unionists had fought inch by 
 inch, article by article, but all in vain. The rejection 
 of Sir John Parnell's proposal, that a new Parliament 
 should be convoked before a decision on the Union 
 question was come to, brought the contest to an end. 
 On March 27th, 
 1800, the Irish 
 Houses of Par- 
 liament agreed 
 upon a joint Ad- 
 dress to the King 
 
 ] which consented 
 
 to the Act of 
 
 Union. The Bri- UNION J ACK OF l801 - 
 
 National Banner of Ireland. 
 Cross of St, Patrick. 
 
 tish Parliament completed the work by accepting the 
 resolutions of the Irish Houses. The royal assent 
 was given (July 2, 1800), and the Union was 
 formally proclaimed (January 1, 1801). By blending 
 the cross of St. Patrick with those of St. George and
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 233 
 
 St. Andrew, a new Union Jack representing the three 
 kingdoms was formed. 
 
 The Irish Legislature ceased to exist. It had 
 been at all times a corrupt assembly, and was never 
 truly representative of the Irish nation. 
 
 Articles of Union. The following were the heads 
 of the Articles of Union : 
 
 1. The two kingdoms are henceforth to be styled 
 " The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." 
 
 2. The succession to the Imperial Crown shall 
 continue in the same manner as before the Union. 
 
 3. There shall be one Parliament representing the 
 United Kingdom. 
 
 4. Four spiritual Peers by rotation of sessions 
 twenty-eight temporal Peers elected for life by 
 the Peers of Ireland and one hundred Commoners 
 (afterwards by the first Eeform Bill increased to one- 
 hundred and five), are appointed to represent Ireland 
 in the Imperial Parliament. 
 
 5. The Established Churches of England and 
 Ireland shall be formed into one Protestant Epis- 
 copal Church, with the same doctrine, worship, and 
 discipline. All members of the United Parliament 
 shall take the oaths excluding Eoman Catholics. 
 
 6. Irish subjects of the United Kingdom shall be 
 entitled to full privileges as to trade, navigation, and 
 foreign commerce. 
 
 7. The taxes and expenditure of the United 
 Kingdom are to be levied and defrayed according 
 to a fixed proportion, Ireland to furnish two-fifths. 
 
 8. All the laws and courts of each kingdom are
 
 234 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5xn PER. 
 
 to remain as before, subject to any alteration which 
 Parliament may enact, the final court of appeal being 
 the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. 
 
 Emmet's Rising. In 1803 an enthusiastic and 
 gifted young barrister, Eobyrt Emmet, brother of the 
 Thomas Addis Emmet already mentioned, made an 
 attempt at insurrection, which was at once put 
 down. While in France during the year 1802, 
 Emmet had been encouraged to hope for aid from 
 Napoleon. Having forty men constantly employed 
 in making pikes and rockets, he planned the seizure 
 of Dublin Castle and the Pigeon House. An 
 explosion in one of his stores led to a premature 
 rising. On the 23rd of July, 1803, hearing that the 
 soldiers were approaching his hiding-place 
 in Marshalsea Lane, Emmet sallied out into 
 Thomas Street, with about eighty men, bent 
 on seizing the Castle. The murder of Colonel Brown 
 and of Lord Kil warden, the Chief Justice, marked the 
 attempt. About a month later, Emmet was arrested 
 in the suburbs of Dublin, and after a short trial, 
 when he defended himself with eloquence, he was 
 hanged at Thomas Street, 20th September, 1803. 
 Emmet had been secretly engaged to Sarah Curran, 
 a daughter of the celebrated wit. Her constancy 
 to his memory supplied the poet Moore with the 
 theme of his pathetic song 
 
 " She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps." 
 
 Catholic Petition. Henry Grattan entered the 
 English Parliament, as member for the borough
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE III. 235 
 
 of Malton, in 1805, his main object being to 
 support the claims of the Irish catholics for a 
 removal of their disabilities. A catholic petition 
 afforded him a congenial theme for his eloquence; 
 but he was not successful in gaining a majority for 
 his views. 
 
 Death of Pitt. William Pitt died at the age of 
 forty-six (January, 1806). As Prime Minister (from 
 1783 to 1806), he had influenced Irish politics during 
 many years of peril and difficulty. Fox, his great 
 rival, died seven months afterwards. After the 
 Duke of Bedford had been Viceroy for a short time, 
 he was succeeded by the Duke of Eichmond (1807). 
 The Irish Secretary was Sir Arthur Wellesley, soon 
 to become famous as the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 The Catholic Question. With steady persistence 
 the Catholic Committee kept their claims for relief 
 before the Houses of Parliament. George III. was 
 so obstinate in his refusal to concede anything to the 
 catholics, as to require from the members of Lord 
 Grenville's ministry a written pledge that they would 
 never name the subject to him again. Refusing to 
 give such a promise, they were dismissed in 1807. 
 The catholic bishops appended to the Petition 
 of 1808 a proposal to give the Crown a power of 
 veto in the election of catholic prelates. The 
 bishops were first to choose their man, and then 
 submit the name to the King. If he objected to 
 the person chosen, they were to select another name. 
 This proposal was rejected. 
 
 While the Catholic Question was ripening to a
 
 286 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 solution of its difficulties, a leader of men was 
 girding on his armour for the fray. This was 
 Daniel O'Connell, whose life concentrates in its 
 current all the main streams of Irish history 
 during the first half of the 
 present century. Known to 
 his adherents as the "Liber- 
 ator" to the Irish populace 
 by the affectionate short name 
 of " Dan " he stands out pro- 
 minently as the central figure 
 of the agitation which won 
 the cause of Catholic Emanci- 
 
 DANIEL O'CONNELL. pation. 
 
 Born 6th August, 1775, at Carhen (near Caher- 
 civeen) in Kerry, Daniel O'Connell, son of Morgan 
 O'Connell, went to school at the expense of his 
 uncle Maurice, the owner of Derrynane Abbey. It 
 is a fact, full of significance, that he attended a 
 school near Cove (now Queenstown) which was the 
 first catholic seminary kept by an Irish priest 
 after the relaxation of the Penal Laws. He studied 
 afterwards at St. Omer's and Douay in France. 
 Called to the bar in the eventful year 1798, he made 
 his first public protest against the Union in a speech 
 delivered at the Eoyal Exchange, Dublin, in 1800. 
 He attained remarkable success at the bar, and was 
 soon recognised as a leader of that advanced section 
 of the Catholic Committee which resolved to carry 
 out a policy of " constant agitation." 
 
 It is worth noting that the agitation for a Repeal of
 
 CHAP, in.] REIGN OF GEORGE HI. 237 
 
 the Union in which O'Connell afterwards became 
 the leader began in 1810, when a meeting of Dublin 
 freeholders and freemen assembled in the Koyal 
 Exchange to frame a petition on the subject. 
 .O'Connell was one of the foremost speakers at this 
 meeting. A proposal to form a Catholic Convention, 
 composed of delegates from every county in 
 Ireland, met with such opposition from the ^ 
 Government that the plan was not carried 
 out. In the same year Sir Kobert Peel became Chief 
 Secretary for Ireland. 
 
 The Prince of Wales, afterwards King George IV., 
 was appointed Eegent in the year 1811. King 
 George III., whose later days were darkened by 
 blindness and insanity, died on the 29th January, 
 1820. During the greater portion of the intervening 
 years, Earl Whitworth and Earl Talbot served as 
 Viceroys of Ireland. O'Connell actively urged on 
 the operations of the catholic organisations, though 
 often with failing hopes of success. The fall in 
 prices, which succeeded the cessation of the long 
 European war, caused much distress in Ireland ; and 
 agrarian outrages became, unhappily, very numerous.
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE IV. 
 From 1820 A.D. to 1830 A.D. 
 
 Grattan's Death The King's Visit Castlereagh O'Connell 
 Catholic Association Emancipation. 
 
 Death of Grattan. During the first year of George 
 IV.'s reign, Henry Grattan died in London, at the age 
 of seventy-three (4th June, 1820). Since 1805 he had 
 advocated in the Imperial Parliament the cause of 
 Catholic Emancipation. William Plunket, after- 
 wards for many years (1830-1841) Lord Chancellor 
 of Ireland, and now (1820) member for the University 
 of Dublin, became, after Grattan's death, the great 
 parliamentary champion of this cause. 
 
 Visit of George IV. to Ireland. King George IV. 
 
 spent a month in Ireland, where he was 
 
 * received with enthusiasm. Loyal addresses 
 
 AD 
 
 poured in from all sides; but the effect of 
 the visit was transient. Outrage and murder still 
 stained the land. 
 
 Death of Lord Londonderry. Viscount Castle- 
 reagh, who succeeded his father in 1821 as Marquis 
 of Londonderry, enjoyed this honour for little more
 
 CHAP. IV.] REIGN OF GEORGE IV. 239 
 
 than a year. His mind gave way, and he com- 
 mitted suicide by cutting his neck with a penknife 
 (12th August, 1822). He had been the ruling spirit 
 of the War office from 1807 to 1809, and became 
 Secretary for Foreign Affairs in 1812. He gave 
 Wellington the command in Portugal, which led to 
 our victory in the Peninsula. He measured his 
 strength in European politics with the keenest minds 
 in France. He directed the Grand Alliance, which 
 overthrew Napoleon at Waterloo. It is little wonder 
 that his brain gave way. 
 
 The splendid body of police, now known as the 
 Royal Irish Constabulary, date from the year 1822, 
 when an Act of Parliament constituted the force. 
 
 The Catholic Association. In 1823, mainly by 
 the efforts of O'Connell, the Irish Catholic Association 
 was formed. Forty- seven names were inscribed in 
 the first list. A weekly fund, called the Catholic 
 Bent, was collected to defray the cost of the agitation. 
 But Lord Liverpool carried a Bill, called by O'Connell 
 "the Algerine Act," for the suppression of this 
 Association as an illegal body. However, O'Connell 
 was not daunted. Evading the clause in 
 Liverpool's Act, which forbade meetings for 1B ^ 5 
 more than fourteen successive days, he 
 organised a new Association, which met annually for 
 exactly fourteen days. 
 
 When Lord Liverpool died, early in 1827, George 
 Canning, who had been Foreign Secretary since the 
 death of Londonderry, became Prime Minister ; but 
 he, too, soon died, worn out with the cares of office
 
 240 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5xn PER. 
 
 (August, 1827). Lord Goderich held power for a few 
 months; and then (in January, 1828) the Duke of 
 Wellington, our greatest soldier, formed a Ministry, 
 under which the great problem of Catholic Emanci- 
 pation, so long testing and troubling the Imperial 
 Parliament, found a successful solution. In the 
 Wellington Ministry, Mr. Eobert Peel was the Home 
 Secretary, and the Marquis of Anglesea went to 
 Ireland as Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 O'Connell returned for Clare. In 1828, when 
 Mr. Fitzgerald, member for Clare, was made Presi- 
 dent of the Board of Trade, O'Connell contested the 
 county, and was returned by an enormous majority. 
 But, as he refused to take the oaths of supremacy 
 and abjuration, he could not occupy his seat. 
 
 When Parliament met (February, 1828), Lord John 
 Eussell secured the repeal of those Acts of Charles 
 II. known as the Test and Corporation Acts, thus 
 giving relief to the Dissenters of Great Britain, and 
 preparing the way for the Catholic Relief Bill. 
 
 In a letter to a catholic prelate, named Archbishop 
 Curtis, the Duke of Wellington advised the cessation 
 of agitation; but the Lord Lieutenant distinctly 
 stated his opinion that relief should be granted at 
 once to the catholics, as the peace of Ireland de- 
 pended on the speedy settlement of the question. 
 For this clear utterance Anglesea was recalled, and 
 the Duke of Northumberland was installed as Viceroy. 
 
 Eobert Peel had hitherto opposed Catholic Emanci- 
 pation ; and, as his change of views on the subject 
 was not pleasing to the University of Oxford, which
 
 CHAP, iv.] KEIGN OF GEORGE IV. 241 
 
 he represented, he resigned, and, failing to secure 
 re-election for that seat, was returned for Westbury. 
 He was now free to bring in his Bill for Catholic 
 Emancipation, which he accordingly did (March, 
 1829). The Catholic Association had been previously 
 suppressed. 
 
 Catholic Relief Bill passed. On the 17th of 
 March Saint Patrick's Day Peel moved the second 
 reading of the Bill. After several days of debate, 
 during which Mr. Sadler, member for Newark, spoke 
 powerfully against a measure which Lord Palmerston 
 defended, it passed by a majority of 155 (335 ayes, 
 180 noes). On the third reading there was a 
 majority of 142 in favour of the Bill. 
 
 In the Lords there was hot debate. The Earls of 
 Winchelsea and Shaftesbury, and the ex-Chancellor, 
 Lord Eldon, opposed the Bill in the Protestant 
 interest ; but the Duke of Wellington, who declared 
 his fear that the flames of civil war would break 
 forth in Ireland should the Bill be lost, carried the 
 measure through its third reading. It then 
 received the royal assent, and thus became , fl o^ ' 
 law. By this Act catholics obtained the ^ D 
 right of sitting in either the Lords or the 
 Commons, upon taking a certain oath; and became 
 entitled to hold any civil, military, or corporate office, 
 except the positions of Kegent, Lord Chancellor, and 
 Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 O'Connell appeared in the House (15th May) to 
 take his seat. As his election had taken place before 
 the passing of the Act, the old oath was tendered to
 
 242 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 him. This he declined to take. When a new writ 
 for Clare was issued, he was immediately returned 
 for that county (July 30). 
 
 George IV. died on the 26th of June, 1830, and 
 was succeeded by his brother William, Duke of 
 Clarence,
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM IV. 
 From 1830 A.D. to 1837 A.D. 
 
 Friends of Ireland Reform Bills National Schools Tithes 
 and Cess. 
 
 The Grey Ministry. In the November following 
 the accession of William IV., the Duke of Wellington 
 and Mr. Peel resigned office. A Whig ministry was 
 then formed by Earl Grey. The Marquis of Anglesea 
 became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, with Mr. Stanley 
 as his Secretary. Plunket was made Lord Chancellor 
 of Ireland. Parliamentary Eeform was then the 
 burning question of the day. 
 
 O'Connell, having won the cause of Catholic 
 Emancipation, now cried loudly for " Eepeal of the 
 
 Union." Having revived the Catholic Associ- 
 
 1831 
 ation under such new names as the Friends of 
 
 Ireland and the Anti-Union Association, he 
 was arrested, with seven associates, was tried for 
 seditious practices, and was found guilty. But no 
 sentence was passed. Hailed as the "Liberator" 
 by the peasantry, he passed like a triumphant hero 
 through the land.
 
 244 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5TH FEB. 
 
 English Reform Bills. Lord John Eussell brought 
 in the first of these Bills on the 1st of March, 183L 
 The second reading passed by one vote (302 to 301). 
 Parliament was then dissolved, in order to test the 
 feeling of the country. Passing the Commons by 
 109 votes, the measure was lost in the Lords by 41 
 on the second reading. 
 
 Lord John at once brought in a second Bill (12th 
 December, 1831), which passed out of the Commons 
 in the following March with a majority of 116. But 
 the real battle raged in the Lords. There was a 
 majority of nine for the Bill on the second reading ; but 
 in committee the Government sustained a defeat 
 so severe that Grey resigned. Wellington 
 failed to form a ministry ; Grey was recalled 
 to office. The King appealed to the "waverers" 
 among the Lords, and the Bill ultimately passed. It 
 received the royal assent on the 7th June, 1832. 
 The leading features of the measure were (1) the 
 suppression of rotten boroughs, and (2) the fixing of 
 the franchise qualification at 50 of annual rent, or 
 10 of freehold, in counties, and 10 of rent or hold- 
 ing in cities and boroughs. 
 
 Irish Reform Bill. A Bill of similar scope was 
 proposed for Ireland by Lord Stanley (22nd May). 
 O'Connell, and his eloquent associate, Eichard Lalor 
 
 ^ Sheil, member for Milborne in Dorsetshire, 
 1832 
 
 spoke strongly in favour of the forty-shilling 
 
 freeholders, but to no purpose. On the second 
 reading, the Bill had a majority of 130 votes (246 
 to 116), and it received the royal assent on the
 
 CHAP, v.] REIGN OF WILLIAM IV. 245 
 
 7th of August, 1832. Ireland thus received five 
 additional members, the number being raised to 105. 
 
 The first Parliament under the Eeform Act met in 
 January, 1833. O'Connell had now obtained a 
 " following " of 34 members, all advocates of Eepeal. 
 
 Tithes and Church Cess. The Tithe-proctor 
 who, in default of the tithe or tenth payable for the 
 support of the established clergy, would seize a cow, 
 a pig, the tenth sheaf or stone of potatoes, or even the 
 pot and blankets of the cabin had long been hateful 
 to the Irish peasants, who now refused to pay any 
 tithes. Many of the clergy thus became destitute ; 
 others, attempting to levy the tithes with the help 
 of police and soldiers, provoked conflicts, as at 
 Newtown-Barry in Wexford, in which police and 
 peasants were killed. To relieve the clergy, Lord 
 Stanley in 1832 proposed an advance of 60,000; 
 and afterwards 1,000,000 was advanced, to be re- 
 funded by a rent-charge in the shape of a land-tax. 
 While Earl Grey was in power, Lord Althorpe carried 
 the Church Temporalities Act, by which (1) 
 Church cess was abolished, (2) the four Arch- 1834 
 bishoprics were reduced to two, (3) the 
 eighteen bishoprics were reduced to ten, and (4) 
 tithes were made payable by the landlord, not the 
 tenant. The revenue of the suppressed sees was to 
 be devoted to general church purposes. 
 
 National Schools. Early in this reign Lord 
 Stanley (later known as the Earl of Derby) carried a 
 Bill for the institution of National Schools in Ireland, 
 on the principle of united secular and separate reli-
 
 246 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [5ra PER. 
 
 gious education. A series of school-books, written to 
 carry out these views, was prepared by the Commis- 
 sioners of National Education. 
 
 Ministerial Changes. The Grey ministry gave 
 way in 1834, owing to the resignation of Lord 
 Althorpe, who disagreed with Lord Grey regarding 
 an Irish Coercion Bill For a short time Lord 
 Melbourne held office; but the King (Dec., 1834) 
 called the Duke of Wellington and Sir Eobert Peel 
 to the head of affairs. This arrangement lasted for 
 only four months. In 1835 Lord Melbourne resumed 
 office as Prime Minister; Lord Mulgrave being 
 appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Lord 
 Morpeth, Chief Secretary. 
 
 The agitation promoted by O'Connell still con- 
 tinued to convulse Ireland. To the question of 
 tithes, still burning fiercely, two others were now 
 added municipal reform in Ireland, and provision 
 for the Irish poor. Among the last enactments of 
 this reign was one introduced by Lord Morpeth for 
 the settlement of the tithe question. The obnoxious 
 impost was converted into a money rent-charge, 
 payable by proprietors, one-fourth being deducted 
 for the cost of collection. The amount was to be 
 settled from time to time by a valuation based on 
 the average price of corn. 
 
 William IV., " the sailor-king," died on the 20th 
 of June, 1837, having reigned for seven years. He 
 was succeeded by his niece Victoria, daughter of 
 Edward, Duke of Kent.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 
 From 1837 A.D. to the present time. 
 
 Eepeal Agitation Famine O'Brien and Meagher Peaceful Years 
 Fenians Irish Church First Land Bill Education- 
 Second Land Bill. 
 
 Irish Poor Law. The Melbourne Government 
 continued to hold power. A Bill legalising a com- 
 pulsory rate for the maintenance of the helpless poor, 
 instead of letting them depend on alms, was passed 
 during the first session of the reign ; and money was 
 voted for the erection of poorhouses throughout 
 Ireland. 
 
 Municipal Reform. In 1834 a Bill had been 
 passed for England, which gave the election of 
 town-councillors to owners and occupiers of property 
 in each borough, on the conditions of franchise fixed 
 by the Eeform Bill. After several unavailing efforts 
 a similar measure of Municipal Eeform was passed 
 for Ireland (1839). 
 
 Repeal Agitation. An Administration, at the 
 head of which was Sir Eobert Peel, came to power 
 in 1841. The Eepeal agitation continued to gain
 
 248 HISTOEY OF IRELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 force. O'Connell organised the Repeal Association, 
 composed of associates who subscribed a shilling 
 a year, and members who subscribed a pound a year. 
 Monster meetings took place at Trim and Mullingar. 
 The Eepeal rent rose to 600 or 700 a-week. At 
 Tara, the most celebrated site in the ancient history 
 of Ireland, a vast multitude of perhaps 
 184 V 250,000 persons gathered to hear from the 
 Liberator's lips what a glorious destiny 
 awaited Ireland, if only the Union were 
 repealed. A crisis had arisen, when it seemed as if 
 O'ConnelTs nod could have roused the island to 
 rebellion. The Government promptly interfered. A 
 meeting, arranged to be held on Sunday the 8th of 
 October at Clontarf a site famous for Brian's 
 victory over the Danes was forbidden by proclama- 
 tion; and on the appointed day a strong force of 
 military took up their position on the strand, and 
 the guns of the Pigeon House were pointed so as 
 to command the roads of approach. This quiet 
 display of power had its effect. The meeting was 
 not held. 
 
 Trial of O'Connell. Six days later (October 
 14th), O'Connell, his son John, Eay the Secretary of 
 the Kepeal Association, Dr. Gray of the Freeman's 
 Journal, Charles Gavan Duffy of the Nation news- 
 paper, and five others, were arrested on charges of 
 sedition and conspiracy. The trial began on the 15th 
 January, 1844, having been delayed by the difficulty 
 of forming a jury. During four-and-twenty days it 
 lingered. In spite of an eloquent defence by Sheil,
 
 CHAP, vi.] REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 249 
 
 a verdict of "guilty" was pronounced. O'Connell 
 was sentenced to be imprisoned for a year, 
 to pay a heavy fine, and to give security for -1044 
 his good behaviour in the sum of 5,000. 
 The others suffered nine months' imprison- 
 ment and a fine of 50 each. This quite broke 
 O'Connell's spirit. Though the judgment of the 
 Irish Court was reversed by the House of Lords, and 
 O'Connell was released from Eichmond Bridewell 
 after less than four months' imprisonment, he soon 
 went abroad, and died at Genoa, May 15th, 1847, 
 aged seventy-one. Sheil, who became Master of the 
 Mint, and afterwards Minister at the Court of 
 Tuscany, died at Florence in 1851. 
 
 Father Mathew. Theobald Mathew, a catholic 
 priest, gained deserved renown by advocating total 
 abstinence, and inducing many thousands to take 
 the pledge. Commencing at Cork in 1838, he 
 shattered his health and embarrassed his circum- 
 stances by his devoted efforts in this patriotic cause. 
 He died in 1856. 
 
 Famine. The wet summer of 1845 produced a 
 disease, which rotted immense quantities of the 
 potatoes, on which the Irish peasant mainly depended 
 for food. This caused famine, and a pestilence of 
 fever followed. Large quantities of corn and Indian 
 meal were provided ; but the poorhouses were over- 
 crowded, and, in spite of all that could be done, 
 great numbers of the people perished. Between 
 famine and emigration the population was at this 
 period reduced by 2,000,000.
 
 250 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5xn PEE. 
 
 Repeal of the Corn Laws. These sad events 
 
 hastened the passing of a measure for abolishing the 
 
 duties on foreign grain. Sir Eobert Peel, who had 
 
 long opposed such a step, now completely changed 
 
 his policy, and carried a Bill which practically 
 
 1R4R ave un ^ axe( l b rea( l to the nation. Scarcely 
 
 had this triumph been won, when Peel's 
 
 ministry came to an end, having suffered a 
 
 defeat on a Bill to repress outrage in Ireland. Lord 
 
 John Eussell then formed a Government, which 
 
 lasted for nearly six years (1846-1852). 
 
 Remedial Efforts. Under the Eussell Govern- 
 ment, the Earl of Bessborough became Viceroy, and 
 Mr. Labouchere Chief Secretary for Ireland. By 
 the institution of public works such as the making 
 of roads and the reclaiming of waste lands 
 by the constant supply of bread stuffs by the 
 establishment of out-door relief for paupers by the 
 advancing of capital to complete unfinished lines of 
 railway by the promotion of emigration, and by 
 facilitating the sale of Encumbered Estates the 
 Government strove to abate the disasters which 
 a thrice-repeated failure of the potato crop had 
 brought upon Ireland. 
 
 The Queen's Colleges. The Government of Sir 
 Robert Peel, besides increasing to 26,000 the annual 
 sum granted to the Catholic College at Maynooth, 
 had, at a cost of 100,000, founded three colleges for 
 purely secular education. These, placed at Belfast, 
 Cork, and Galway, began their teaching operations 
 in 1849.
 
 CHAP, vi.] REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 251 
 
 The Young Ireland Party. An offshoot from the 
 Repeal Association became notorious, even before 
 O'Connell's death, for the advocacy of more violent 
 measures than the Liberator had ever contemplated. 
 William Smith O'Brien, a son of Sir Edward O'Brien, 
 and owner of estates in Clare, was the leader of this 
 party. A barrister named Meagher, John Mitchel, 
 editor of the United Irishman, and MacManus, who 
 had been engaged in a shipping business at Liverpool, 
 were his chief associates. The success of the French 
 Eevolution in February, 1848, excited wild hopes of 
 Irish independence in the breasts of these men. 
 O'Brien and Meagher visited Paris to exchange 
 fraternal greetings with Lamartine, the President of 
 the new French Republic. John Mitchel, convicted 
 of treason-felony, was transported to Tasmania. A 
 conflict in the North, at Dolly's Brae near Castle- 
 wellan, between Orangemen and Catholics, greatly 
 exasperated party feeling. Lord Clarendon, now Lord 
 Lieutenant (for Bessborough had died), demanded 
 increased powers; and the Habeas Corpus Act was 
 suspended. The insurrection proved a wretched 
 failure. O'Brien and MacManus, after vainly 
 attempting to raise the peasantry of Kilkenny 
 and Tipperary, made a stand with 200 rustics 
 at a farmhouse in Ballingarry. A few shots from the 
 police decided the fate of their enterprise. O'Brien, 
 who hid on the mountains for a while, was arrested 
 on the railway platform at Thurles. Tried for high 
 treason at Clonmel, and sentenced to death, O'Brien, 
 Meagher, and MacManus were spared by the mercy
 
 252 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [5rn PER. 
 
 of the Queen, and were finally transported to 
 Tasmania. O'Brien was afterwards pardoned, and 
 allowed to return to Ireland. Meagher and Mac- 
 Manus escaped to the United States, where the 
 former served as a general in the Federal army 
 during the Civil War (1861-65). O'Brien died at 
 Bangor in Wales (1864) ; Meagher was drowned in 
 the Mississippi (1867) ; and MacManus died in 
 California (1861). 
 
 In August, 1849, the Queen paid her first visit to 
 Ireland. . The London Exhibition of 1851 gave 
 so keen an impetus to Irish enterprise, that similar 
 Exhibitions, of course on a smaller scale, were held 
 at Cork in 1852, and at Dublin in 1853. The latter 
 was honoured by a visit of the Queen. 
 
 Defeated on a Militia Bill, Lord John Eussell 
 resigned office (1852), and the Earl of Derby formed 
 a Government, which, however, did not last for a 
 year. Lord Aberdeen's ministry followed (1852-55). 
 Under the Derby Government, Lord Eglintoun was 
 Viceroy, and Lord Naas Chief Secretary for Ireland. 
 
 In 1853 Mr. Gladstone, the Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer, relieved Ireland of 4,500,000 due to the 
 Consolidated Fund since the time of the famine, and, 
 by imposing the Income Tax on that country, 
 assimilated the Irish taxation more nearly to that of 
 Great Britain. 
 
 Penianism. After some years of growing pros- 
 perity, treasonable plotting began once more to 
 undermine the peace of Ireland. One of Smith 
 O'Brien's associates in 1848, named John O'Mahony,
 
 CHAP, vi.] KEIGN OF QUEEN VICTOKIA. 253 
 
 who had fled in time to escape arrest, organised a 
 society in America called the Fenian Brotherhood. 
 Its object was the establishment of an Irish Republic; 
 and the Society possessed a secret machinery of 
 circles, pass-words, and oaths. In five years, 80,000 
 were raised by the Fenians in America ; and, when 
 the Civil War there ceased (1865), Ireland was sud- 
 denly flooded with disbanded American soldiers, keen 
 for a new war. In September, 1865, Lord Wode- 
 house caused the ringleaders of the plot to be 
 arrested in the office of the Irish People. Luby, 
 O'Leary, and O'Donovan Eossa were convicted. 
 James Stephens, the head-centre, was not arrested 
 until November, 1865, when he was lodged in 
 Eichmond Prison at Dublin. From this he escaped 
 in ten days, and has since been living chiefly at Paris. 
 
 Fenian outrages have occasionally occurred in 
 England. At Manchester a sergeant of police, in 
 charge of a prison-van, was shot. At Clerkenwell 
 in London, a prison wall was blown down with gun- 
 powder. 
 
 A Conservative Government, with the Duke of 
 Abercorn as Lord Lieutenant, and Lord Naas as 
 Chief Secretary for Ireland, came into power in 1866. 
 The failure of Lord Derby's health raised Mr. Disraeli 
 (afterwards Earl of Beaconsfield) to the head of affairs. 
 Under this Government a Eeform Bill was passed, 
 conferring the franchise in boroughs on the occupiers 
 of all dwelling-houses rated for the relief of the poor, 
 and on lodgers, who rented unfurnished rooms at 10 
 a-year as a minimum. In counties, 5 yearly value 
 R
 
 254 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. [5iH PEE. 
 
 of property, and 12 a-year of rent, gave a vote to 
 holders and occupiers. The Irish Eeform Bill was 
 passed in 1868. 
 
 In the same year Disraeli resigned, and Mr. Glad- 
 stone formed a Liberal Government, which held office 
 until 1874. 
 
 Disestablishment of the Irish Church. Mr. 
 Gladstone brought in a Bill, entitled " An Act to put 
 an end to the Establishment of the Church of Ireland." 
 Having passed the Commons, it was so altered in the 
 Lords that the Lower House rejected the amend- 
 ments of the Peers. Lord Granville and 
 
 IftfiQ 
 
 00 Lord Cairns, however, effected a settlement 
 
 A.D 
 
 of the difficulty, and the Bill was passed, three 
 Commissioners being appointed to carry out its pro- 
 visions. A General Convention of the Church met 
 at Dublin, in 1870, to frame a new constitution. The 
 chief governing body is now a General Synod. It is 
 composed of 208 clergymen and 416 laymen. 
 
 By the same Act the Presbyterians lost their 
 Eegium Donum, and the Catholic College of May- 
 nooth its annual grant, compensation being given to 
 both denominations. 
 
 After the 1st of January, 1871, the Church of 
 Ireland ceased to enjoy the dignity of a State 
 Establishment; her prelates ceased to sit in the 
 House of Lords ; and the surplus of her revenues was 
 set apart for the relief of " unavoidable calamity " in 
 Ireland. 
 
 Gladstone's First Land Bill was introduced on 
 the 15th of February, 1870. It altered the relations
 
 CHAP. VI.] KEIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 255 
 
 which had long existed between landlord and tenant, 
 by giving the tenant a legal right to compensation 
 for improvements, and to damages for eviction, except 
 in consequence of non-payment of rent. The 
 " Ulster custom," which, though varying on "*70 
 different estates, had long g^n the outgoing 
 tenant both compensation and the value of the good- 
 will, was made "law" instead of "custom." The 
 Bill received the royal assent on the 1st of August, 
 1870. Lord Beaconsfield's Government (1874-1880) 
 carried two important measures dealing with educa- 
 tion in Ireland. 
 
 1. The Intermediate Education Act (1878) 
 allotted one million sterling from the surplus 
 revenues of the Irish Church for the encouragement 
 of secondary education in Ireland, by giving prizes to 
 students and results fees to their teachers. 
 
 2. The Royal University Act (1879) was rapidly 
 carried at the end of a parliamentary session. In- 
 troduced by Lord Cairns, it offers its prizes and its 
 degrees to all persons, male or female, who may pass 
 the appointed examinations. As a consequence of 
 this measure, the Queen's University has been dis- 
 solved, after a useful existence of thirty years. 
 
 Home Rule. During the earlier years of the 
 decade which closed in 1880, the " National" party 
 in Irish politics, under the leadership of Isaac Butt, 
 demanded a repeal of the Union under the new name 
 of "Home Eule;" and a large number of Irish 
 members, pledged to support this claim, were 
 elected, especially in the South and West of Ireland.
 
 256 HISTOKY OF IKELAND. [5TH PER. 
 
 In 1877, some of the more advanced champions of 
 this cause began a system of obstructing parliamentary 
 business, in the hope of securing 
 more attention to their demands. 
 Of these members Mr. Charles 
 Parnell has become the leading 
 spirit. In April, 1882, the Legis- 
 lature of the Dominion of Canada 
 presented to the Queen a peti- 
 tion, praying that self-government 
 ARMS OF CORK. similar to what Canada enjoyed 
 might be granted to Ireland. 
 
 The Irish National Land League. An associa- 
 tion bearing this name was formed, with the avowed 
 intention of forcing the landlords to reduce the rents 
 of land. But the agitators in the end advanced 
 beyond this moderate programme. They advised 
 tenants to withhold their rent. A bad season 
 caused partial famine. The Duchess of Marl- 
 borough, wife of the Lord Lieutenant, was con- 
 spicuous amongst those who exerted themselves to 
 relieve the prevailing distress. But, unhappily, 
 owing to the discontent of the peasantry, bands of 
 lawless men, now called " moonlighters," committed 
 a succession of those agrarian outrages which have 
 so often disturbed the peace of Ireland. 
 
 After a general election in 1880, Lord Beaconsfield 
 resigned office, and Mr. Gladstone once more became 
 Prime Minister. Earl Cowper was made Lord 
 Lieutenant, and Mr. Forster Chief Secretary for 
 Ireland,
 
 CHAP. VI.] REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA, 257 
 
 Gladstone's Second Land Bill. Previous to the 
 introduction of this important measure, Mr. Forster 
 carried a Bill " for the better protection of life and 
 property in Ireland." This " Coercion Bill" gave the 
 Government the power of arresting on suspicion, and 
 detaining in prison, those who promoted or committed 
 agrarian outrages. 
 
 Mr. Gladstone introduced his Land Law Act for 
 Ireland on the 7th of April. The main objects of 
 the measure are to give relief to tenants, 
 (1) by giving the tenant a right to sell his 
 interest in the open market, and (2) by con- 
 stituting a Land Court, armed with power to 
 fix a judicial rent for a term of fifteen years. The 
 Bill passed its second reading in the Commons by 
 352 votes to 176 (May 19). Lord Carlingford pro- 
 posed the measure in the Lords, where it met with 
 violent opposition, and was so altered in committee 
 that the Commons rejected the amendments of the 
 Upper House. By making concessions, Mr. Glad- 
 stone removed this difficulty; the Bill passed the 
 Lords, and at once received the royal assent. 
 
 A HOT 
 
 Three commissioners were appointed; the -QQI 
 Land Court opened in Dublin (Oct., 1881), and ^ D> 
 a number of sub-commissioners have since, in 
 various parts of Ireland, been fixing a judicial rent 
 in cases where the tenants petitioned to have this 
 done. Hitherto a reduction of the previous rent 
 often to the extent of 25 per cent. has been made 
 in the majority of cases. 
 
 In October, 1881, the Government found it neces-
 
 258 HISTORY OF IRELAND. [6TH PER. 
 
 sary to suppress the Land League, by proclamation, 
 as an illegal association, and its leading members 
 Messrs. Parnell, Sexton, and Dillon being the chief 
 were committed to prison at Kilmainham near Dublin. 
 Several hundreds of "suspects" were also arrested in 
 various parts of the country. Mr. Michael Davitt, 
 who had been implicated in the Fenian conspiracy, 
 and had been released, was re-arrested early in 1881, 
 and committed to penal servitude in Portland, from 
 which he was again liberated. 
 
 Such was the situation of affairs in the early part of 
 1882. Subsequently, the Cabinet, by a sudden change 
 of policy, decided to try conciliation once more. Mr. 
 Parnell and the leading prisoners were released, 
 against the will of Mr. Forster, who accordingly 
 resigned his office. Earl Spencer returned to the 
 Castle as Lord Lieutenant. 
 
 It is painful to add to this outline of Irish 
 
 history the record of a terrible crime, which 
 
 startled and shocked the nation. On Saturday, the 
 
 6th of May, the new Chief Secretary, Lord 
 
 1882 Frederick Cavendish, who had arrived from 
 
 D "* England that morning, took the oath of 
 allegiance at the Castle, and then proceeded to 
 walk through the Phoenix Park to his residence. 
 Mr. Burke, the Under-Secretary, overtook him. 
 About seven in the evening, in broad daylight, with 
 people walking about not far off, the two gentlemen, 
 assailed by men who leapt off a car, were left dead 
 on the path, stabbed with repeated strokes of a 
 sharp knife.
 
 CHAP, vi.] REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 
 
 259 
 
 On the 15th of May Mr. Gladstone introduced an 
 Arrears Bill, to enable tenants who owed 
 arrears of rent to take advantage of the recent Aug< 
 Land Act. This bill passed into law in an 1882 
 amended form on the 10th of August. Shortly 
 after this date (August 15) there was opened in the 
 
 EXHIBITION OP IRISH ARTS AND MANUFACTURES, 1882. 
 
 grounds of the Eotunda, at Dublin, an Exhibition of 
 Irish Arts and Manufactures, 
 which drew together the most 
 comprehensive display of what 
 Ireland could produce that had 
 yet been made, and showed 
 evidence of a marked indus- 
 trial advance in many direc- 
 tions. A monument, executed 
 by the sculptor Foley, to 
 commemorate the labours of 
 O'Connell, was unveiled in 
 Sackville Street, on the same day, amid popular 
 rejoicing.
 
 260 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 [5TH PER. 
 
 On the 17th October Mr. Parnell founded an 
 association known as the "Irish National League," 
 advocating further measures of land reform and 
 Home Eule. 
 
 The perpetrators of the Phoenix Park murders 
 were arrested on the 13th January, 1883. The 
 ringleader of the plot, Carey, having turned informer, 
 
 the principal agents in the 
 crime were hanged. Carey 
 was shot on his way to the 
 Colonies. 
 
 On the 3rd July, 1883, 
 an Industrial Exhibition 
 was opened at Cork. Fol- 
 lowing in the wake of that 
 held in Dublin, it did much 
 service by directing public 
 attention to native products, 
 and was remarkable for the 
 large and varied exhibits 
 of woollen manufactures. 
 
 In the autumn of this year an electric tramway, 
 
 running between Portrush and the Giant's 
 
 e ;P '' Causeway, was opened. It was the first 
 
 which had been constructed in the three 
 
 A.JJ. 
 
 kingdoms. The Lord Lieutenant, Earl 
 Spencer, presided at the ceremony. 
 
 In spite of untoward circumstances which long 
 retarded the advancement of Ireland, there are few 
 spheres in the world of the nineteenth century in 
 which her sons may not be found to have won
 
 CHAP. VI.] REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 261 
 
 leading positions, whether as soldiers or statesmen, 
 scientists or scholars, authors or advocates, poets, 
 painters, or composers. 
 
 The Irish Celt, though dispersed abroad in many 
 lands, cherishes an ever-living love for the old 
 country, and anticipates for her a high and noble 
 future, animated by the thought that " one in fame 
 and in name is the sea-divided Gael."
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF THE FIFTH PERIOD- 
 HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE I. (1714-1727). 
 
 1719. The Annesly Case produced a conflict between the 
 English House of Lords and that of Ireland. 
 
 1723. Agitation regarding Wood's halfpence. Publication of 
 the Drapier Letters. 
 
 1725. Wood's patent cancelled. 
 
 REIGN OP GEORGE II. (1727-1760). 
 
 1733. Repeal of the Test Act defeated. 
 
 1738. Agitation on the Coinage question. 
 
 1739. Failure of the potato crop. Terrible famine. 
 1745-47. Viceroyalty of Lord Chesterfield. 
 
 1749. Dr. Lucas condemned by the Commons for his works. 
 1753. Earl of Kildare's remonstrance. 
 
 1759. Anti-Union riots in Dublin. 
 
 French invasion of Ireland prevented by Hawke's 
 victory at Quiberon. 
 
 1760. Francois Thurot's descent on Carrickfergus. 
 Death of George II. (October). 
 
 REIGN OP GEORGE III. (1760-1820). 
 
 1766. Execution of Father Nicholas Sheehy. 
 
 1767. Octennial Bill passed. 
 1773. Absentee Bill rejected. 
 
 1775. Irish troops proposed for service in America. 
 
 Henry Grattan entered on public life as member for 
 
 Charlemont. 
 1778. Paul Jones, an American privateer, appeared on the 
 
 Irish coast.
 
 CHEONOLOGY OF THE FIFTH PEKIOD. 263 
 
 1779. Enrolment of Irish Volunteers. 
 Kepeal of the Trade Laws. 
 
 1780. Henry Grattan moved his famous Resolutions. 
 
 1782. April 16. Declaration of Bights. Ireland received 
 
 legislative independence. 
 
 1785. Pitt's proposals in i'avour of Irish commerce. 
 1787. Insurrection Bill passed. 
 1789. Formation of the Whig Club. 
 1791. Society of United Irishmen formed by Wolfe Tone. 
 
 Demonstration in Belfast in celebration of the French 
 
 Revolution. 
 1793. Catholics received the franchise. 
 
 1795. Battle of the Diamond, near Armagh. 
 
 1796. General Hoche vainly tried to land a French force at 
 
 Bantry. 
 
 1797. Grattan seceded from Parliament. 
 
 1798. Irish Rebellion. 
 
 1798. May 19. Arrest of Lord Edward Fitzgerald. 
 
 May 24. Attack on the barracks at Prosperous. 
 
 May 26. Father John Murphy headed a rebel force in 
 
 County Wexford. 
 
 May 29. Rebel camp on Vinegar Hill. 
 June 5. Rebels repulsed at New Ross. 
 June 9. Repulse of rebels at Arklow. 
 June 21. Storming of Vinegar Hill. 
 Aug. 22. Humbert landed at Killala. He surrendered 
 
 (Sept. 8). 
 
 1800. June 2. Legislative Union between Great Britain and 
 Ireland completed. It was proclaimed (Jan 1, 1801). 
 1803. Robert Emmet's rebellion. 
 
 1810. Beginning of Repeal agitation. 
 
 1811. Prince of Wales made Regent. 
 1820. Jan. 29. Death of George III. 
 
 REIGN OF GEORGE IV. (1820-1830). 
 
 1820. June 20. Death of Grattan. 
 
 1821. Visit of George IV. to Ireland. 
 
 1822. Aug. 12. Suicide of Castlereagh. 
 
 1823. Catholic Association formed by O'Connell. 
 1825. Catholic Association suppressed. 
 
 1828. O'Connell returned as member for Clare. 
 
 1829. April 13. Catholic Emancipation passed. 
 
 1830. June 26. George IV. died.
 
 264 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 REIGN OF WILLIAM IV. (1830-1837). 
 
 1831. O'Connell tried for sedition. 
 
 1832. First Eeform Bill passed. 
 National Schools established. 
 
 1834. Church Temporalities Act passed. 
 1837. June 20. Death of William IV. 
 
 REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA (BEGUN IN 1837). 
 
 1839. Municipal reform in Ireland. 
 
 1843. Aug. 15. Monster Repeal Meeting at Tara. 
 Oct. 8. Meeting at Clontarf forbidden. 
 
 1844. Trial and imprisonment of O'Connell. 
 
 1845. Failure of the potato crop by disease. 
 
 1846. Repeal of the Corn Laws. 
 Terrible famine in Ireland (1846-47). 
 
 1848. Futile outbreak of the Young Ireland party. 
 
 1849. First visit of the Queen to Ireland. 
 
 1853. Visit of the Queen to the Dublin Exhibition. 
 1865. Seizure of Fenian conspirators. 
 
 1868. Second Irish Reform Bill. 
 
 1869. Disestablishment of the Irish Church. 
 
 1870. Gladstone's first Land Bill. 
 
 1878. Irish Intermediate Education Act. 
 
 1879. Royal University Act. 
 
 1881. Gladstone's second Land Bill. 
 
 1882. Exhibition of Irish Arts and Manufactures at Dublin. 
 
 1883. Industrial Exhibition at Cork.
 
 IRISH NAMES CELEBRATED IN ENGLISH 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 BANIM, JOHN (1798-1842), novelist born at Kilkenny wrote 
 "Tales by the O'Hara Family" in conjunction with his 
 brother Michael. 
 
 BERKELEY, GEORGE, Bishop of Cloyne (1684-1753) born at 
 Dysert Castle, Thomastown great philosophical work, 
 " Principles of Human Knowledge" emigrated to Rhode 
 Island (1728-32) friend of Steele, Addison, and Swift. 
 
 BOYLE, ROBERT (1627-1691), natural philosopher born at 
 Lismore lived much at Oxford one of the founders of 
 the Royal Society wrote, besides scientific treatises, a 
 religious work, " Seraphic Love." 
 
 BROOKE, HENRY (1706-1783) born at Rantavan, four miles 
 from Virginia, Co. Cavan novelist and dramatic writer 
 friend of Pope for a time, barrack-master at Mullingar 
 chief work, "The Fool of Quality" wrote also the 
 tragedy of " Gustavus Vasa." 
 
 BURKE, EDMUND (1730-1797), orator and statesman born at 
 Dublin chief works, " Essay on the Sublime and Beauti- 
 ful," and "Reflections on the French Revolution" 
 entered Parliament for Wendover in 1766. 
 
 CARLETON, WILLIAM (1798-1869) born at Prillisk, near 
 Clogher, Co. Tyrone Irish novelist author of " Traits 
 and Stories of the Irish Peas- 
 antry," "Black Prophet," &c. 
 
 D A vis,THOM AS (1814-1845), essayist, 
 poet, j ournalist born at Mallow 
 after a distinguished career at 
 Trinity College he was called to 
 the bar. Travelled abroad, and 
 in 1842 founded, with Gavan 
 Duffy and John Dillon, " The 
 Nation." His historical ballads 
 marked a new era in Irish popu- 
 lar literature. Among his essays 
 are "The Keltic Tongue" and 
 " Our Round Towers."
 
 266 HISTOKY OF IRELAND. 
 
 DENHAM, JOHN (1615-1668), poet and dramatist born at 
 Dublin devoted adherent of Charles I. author of " The 
 Sophy," a tragedy, and "Cooper's Hill," a descriptive 
 poem. 
 
 DUFFERIN, LADY (1807-1867), afterwards Countess of Gifford, 
 was originally Selina Sheridan, grand-daughter of the 
 great dramatist she wrote several Irish ballads, " The 
 " Irish Emigrant," " Katie's Letter," &c. A sister, Caroline, 
 the Hon. Mrs. NORTON (afterwards Lady Stirling- 
 Maxwell), gained reputation also as a poetess and novelist. 
 
 FARQUHAR, GEORGE (1678-1707), dramatist born at London- 
 derry author of " Recruiting Officer," " The Beau's 
 Stratagem," " The Constant Couple," " Sir Harry Wild- 
 air." 
 
 GOLDSMITH, OLIVER (1728-1774), poet, novelist, dramatist, and 
 essayist born at Pallas, Co. Longford studied at Trinity 
 College, Dublin chief poems, " The Traveller" and 
 "The Deserted Village" (Lissoy, in Westmeath) author 
 of "The Vicar of Wakefield," "The Citizen of the 
 World," and two comedies, "She Stoops to Conquer" 
 and " The Good-Natured Man." 
 
 GRIFFIN, GERALD (1803-1840), novelist born at Limerick 
 friend of Banim author of " Tales of the Munster 
 Festivals" and " The Collegians." 
 
 KNOWLES, SHERIDAN (1784-1862), dramatist born at Cork 
 author of " Caius Gracchus," " Virginius," "William Tell," 
 "The Hunchback," &c. 
 
 LEVER, CHARLES (1809-1872), novelist born at Dublin 
 originally a physician editor (1842-45) of the " Dublin 
 University Magazine" afterwards Vice-Consul at Spezzia 
 and Trieste author of "Harry Lorrequer," "Charles 
 O'Malley," &c. 
 
 LOVER, SAMUEL (1797-1868), lyric poet and novelist author 
 of "Rory O'More" and "Handy Andy" originally a 
 miniature painter by profession. 
 
 MACCARTHY, DENIS F. (c. 1820-1882), poet author of 
 the " Bell-founder" translated Calderon's plays from the 
 Spanish. 
 
 MAGINN, WILLIAM (1794-1842), essayist and critic born at 
 Cork connected at first with " Blackwood's," but espe- 
 cially with " Fraser's Magazine." 
 
 MAHONY, FRANCIS (1805-1866), poet and journalist born at 
 Cork educated to be a Catholic priest his contributions 
 to "Fraser" were re-published as "The Reliques of
 
 IRISH NAMES IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 267 
 
 Father Prouf one of his best songs is "The Bells of 
 Shandon." 
 
 MANGAN, CLARENCE (1803-1849), poet born at Dublin- 
 author of "Dark Rosaleen" and "A Lament for the 
 Princes of Tyrone and Tirconnell" noted also for his 
 Translations from the Irish, and his " German Anthology." 
 
 MATURIN, CHARLES (1782-1824), dramatist born at Dublin 
 a clergyman of the Irish Church author of " Bertram," 
 a tragedy, which was greatly praised by Scott and 
 Byron. 
 
 MAXWELL, WILLIAM H. (1794-1850), novelist born at Newry 
 author of " Stories of Waterloo," " Hector O'Halloran," 
 " History of the Kebellion (1798)" died at Musselburgh. 
 
 MOORE, THOMAS (1779-1852), lyric poet born at 12, Aungier 
 Street, Dublin student at Trinity College acted for a 
 time as Admiralty Registrar at Bermuda chief poems, 
 u The Irish Melodies" and an Eastern tale called " Lalla 
 Rookh" author, in prose, of "The Epicurean" and a 
 "History of Ireland" resided much at Sloperton near 
 Devizes. 
 
 MORGAN, LADY (Sydney Owenson) born about 1785, died 
 1859 author of several novels, of which the most 
 popular was "The Wild Irish Girl" (1806) derived her 
 title from her marriage with Sir Charles Morgan, an 
 eminent physician. 
 
 PARNELL, THOMAS (1679-1717), poet born at Dublin 
 Archdeacon of Clogher and Vicar of Finglas, near Dublin 
 chief work, "The Hermit" wrote essays in the 
 " Guardian" and the " Spectator." 
 
 SHERIDAN, RICHARD BRINSLEY (1751-1816), dramatist and 
 orator born at 12, Dorset Street, Dublin married Miss 
 Linley, a singer wrote " The Rivals," " The School for 
 Scandal," "The Duenna" (an opera), "The Critic" (a 
 farce) patentee and manager of Drury Lane Theatre 
 M.P. for Stafford (1780), and Secretary of the Treasury 
 (1783) greatest speech, "The Impeachment of Warren 
 Hastings." Sheridan was the grandson of the Rev. Dr. 
 Thomas Sheridan, an intimate friend of Swift, and was 
 the son of Thomas Sheridan, an actor the "Sherry" of 
 Boswell's " Life of Johnson." Brinsley's mother, Frances 
 Sheridan, wrote a novel, " Sidney Biddulph." 
 
 STEELE, RICHARD (1675-1729), essayist and dramatist born 
 at Dublin educated at Charterhouse School in London 
 wrote comedies, and a religious work, "The Christian
 
 268 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Hero," but gained his chief celebrity by essays in the 
 " Tatler" and the " Spectator." 
 
 STERNE, LAURENCE (1713- 1768), novelist born at Clonmel 
 rector of Sutton and prebend of York author of 
 "Tristram Shandy" and "The Sentimental Journey." 
 
 SWIFT, JONATHAN (1667-1745), satirist in prose born at 
 Dublin studied at Trinity College appointed Dean of. 
 St. Patrick's (1713) resided during some years (1689-94) 
 with Sir William Temple, whose wife was related to 
 Swift's mother. Swift wrote (1) "The Battle of the 
 Books," (2) the " Tale of a Tub," (3) the " Drapier Letters," 
 (4) " Gulliver's Travels." 
 
 USSHER, JAMES (1581-1656), chronologer Archbishop of 
 Armagh born at Dublin studied at Trinity College a 
 noted Royalist left Ireland in 1641 owing to the war 
 author of a work of sacred history, the "Annals," and 
 many other treatises. 
 
 WOLFE, CHARLES (1791-1823), poet born at Dublin studied 
 at Trinity, College curate of Donaghmore noted chiefly 
 for his short poem, " The Burial of Sir John Moore." 
 
 Marcus Ward & Co., Limited, Royal Ulster Works, Belfast,