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After the foregoing precipitate flight of the Anglo-Normans before the provincial force, called by the Leinster Annalist the“ invincible army of Sil-Muredhyb," these invaders were for some years deterred from venturing into Connaught. But in A. D. 1185, Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Thomond, who was one of the first to join them, taking advantage of the violent dissensions and wars then raging between the members of the house of O'Conor, made an incursion on the western parts of the province, "accompanied by a party of English," who pillaged and destroyed the country, and burned houses and churches in their progress. After the lapse of a few years we find the English again in the province, led on by Cathal Crovedearg (or the red-handed) O'Conor, King of Connaught. The old territorial disputes subsisting between the O'Conors and O'Flaherties were again revived. Cathal, the son of Hugh O'Flaherty, was slain by the son of Mortogh Midhe O'Conor. Roderic O'Flaherty lord of West Connaught, was taken prisoner by Cathal Crovdearg, who delivered him over to the English, by whom he was put to death'. Thus these infatuated men, by their dissensions hastened their own impending doom, and entailed irretrievable bondage on their posterity.

The thirteenth century introduced a new set of characters on the arena of Irish history. Of these one of the most remarkable was the Anglo-Norman De Burgo, William Fitz-Adelm". The posterity and followers of this man supplanted the O'Conors, O'Flaherties, and the other Celtic tribes of Connaught; whose descendants, with very few exceptions, were reduced to the condition of "hewers of wood and drawers of water." In A. D. 1201, Cathal Crovdearg, and this William Fitz-Adelm, led an army of Irish and English into Iar-Connaught. This was the first appearance of the

osities," buried in it from the most remote antiquity, were collected by the people of the fort and surrounding country. Similar "antiquities" may very likely be found on the drainage of the neighbouring lake, Corrib, now [1846] in contemplation.

b The O'Conors. Annals of Leinster, at A. D. 1174. c Four Masters.

d Id. A. D. 1185.

e Id. A. D. 1197.

f Extracts from the Annals of Loughkee, in the library of the Royal Dublin Society, A. D. 1200. For this Roderic, see the Gen. Table, II., No. 25. He was called "pean Ruapiż na puaz o loċ Cime," old Rory or Roderic, of the onslaughts

De

or excursions from lough Kime; for which place

see ante.

See Cambrensis, Hibernia Expug. lib. ii. c 16, for the character of this vicious adventurer. With him the Irish annalists agree; yet Mac Geoghegan, in his translation of the Annals of Clonmacnoise, and Mac Firbis, in his account of the English families of Ireland, preserved in the library of the Royal Irish Academy, endeavour to defend him, on the plea of enmity in Cambrensis, and prejudice in the Annalists: but the arguments made use of in his defence would be just as applicable to the exculpation of Judas.

De Burgos in this province. They passed the Easter at Cong, and while there, the sons of that Roderic O'Flaherty (who, as we have seen, had been previously betrayed by Cathal to the English, by whom he was put to death) conspired with Fitz-Adelm against Cathal; "but," say the Annalists, "God saved him from their treachery", through the intercession of the ecclesiastics, who were witnesses to their league of mutual fealty'." Enraged at the escape of the Irish prince, Fitz-Adelm spread destruction over his devoted kingdom. The Annals of Clonmacnoise record, that in A. D. 1204, "William Burke took the spoyles of all the churches of Connoght, viz., of Clonvicknose, Clonfert, Milick, Killbyan; the churches of O'Fiaghragh, Twayme (Tuam), Kill-Beneoine, Killmaoyne (Kilmain), Mayo of the English (Cong) of St. Ffechine, the Abbey of Athedalaragh (Boyle), Ailfynn, Uaran, Roscommon, with many other churches. God and the patrons of these churches shewed their miracles upon him, that his entrails and fundament fell from his private place, and it trailed after him even to the very earth, whereof he died impenitently, without shrive or extream unction, or good buryall in any church in the kingdom, but in a waste town.” The same year Mortogh O'Flaherty, lord of Iar-Connaught, died, whereupon Cathal Crovdearg expelled Mortogh's son, Hugh, out of his territory of Moy-Seola, which he conferred upon his (Cathal's) own son, Hugh*. This was followed by the death of Brian, the son of Roderic O'Flaherty'. Richard de Burgo, Lord of Connaught and Trim, son of William Fitz-Adelm, obtained grants of the entire province; and on the 12th June, A. D. 1225", King Henry III. commanded William, Earl Marshall, lord justice of Ireland, to seize on "the whole country of Connaught, and deliver it to Richard de Burgo."

The Connaught chieftains were at length awakened to a sense of the dangers which surrounded them, but even that did not prevent their unnatural dissensions. The whole country soon became a scene of confusion and blood. In these proceedings, which will be found fully detailed by our Annalists, Hugh O'Flaherty", chief of IarConnaught, acted a conspicuous part. He joined the sons of Roderick O'Conor against Hugh, king of Connaught (son of Cathal Crovdearg), who was leagued with the English

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English. These latter confederates, in A. D. 1225, invaded the country of O'Flaherty, and compelled him to surrender the islands of Inis-Creamha and Oilen na Circe, in lough Orbsen, together with all the vessels on the lake, to Hugh O'Conor. O'Flaherty then fortified himself in the fort at Bun na Gaillmhe (i. e. at the mouth of the river of Galway), but he was soon after taken prisoner by O'Conor, and delivered up to the English. This was followed by his total expulsion out of Moy-Seola, which was seized by Richard De Burgo and his followers; who also possessed themselves of the castle at the Gaillimh, where they erected another strong fortress. Hugh O'Flaherty and his people crossed Lough Oirbsen, and took possession of those western districts, to which the name of Iar-Connaught has, in after-times, been exclusively given. He was, therefore, the first of the O'Flaherties who could properly be called the chief of the territory now known by that nameo. In course of time his descendants acquired greater power in their new possessions, than perhaps their ancestors ever attained in their ancient inheritance.

But the De Burgos thinking themselves insecure, as long as O'Flaherty maintained his independence in the West, they resolved to subdue him, or secure his adhesion. Accordingly, on the return of the English to Connaught with an army, in A. D. 1235, he was the first they determined to attack. Abandoned on all sides, and unable to contend with their superior force, wishing moreover to prevent the further effusion of blood and the plunder of his people, the humbled chief at length yielded, and entered into a treaty with them". He afterwards consented to assist them againt his old allies, the O'Conors. This was the last and only disgraceful act of his life. He did not long survive it. After his death the English followers of Richard de Burgo erected several castles throughout the territory of Muintir-Murchada and the adjoining districts.

Henry III., King of England, in A. D. 1244, directed letters to several Irish chiefs, among others, as is said, to O'Flaherty', to attend the Lord Justice of Ireland and his forces to Scotland, "ad inimicos nostros ibidem gravandos." A reconciliation having taken place with Scotland, the Connaught auxiliaries, under Felim O'Conor, joined Henry

It is probable that the O'Flaherties possessed some local jurisdiction in these western districts anterior to the above period, but there is no direct evidence on the subject. The destruction of so many of our domestic records has necessarily left several matters of this local nature inexplicable in Irish history.

P See p. 57, ante, where our author alludes to

the assistance given on this occasion; also p. 50, note, and the Annals of the Four Masters, A. D. 1235.

4 See ante, p. 4, note ", for further particulars of these proceedings; and some account of the descendants of those who settled here at the time.

Sir William Betham's Antiq. Researches, p. 124. These letters may be seen in Rymer, vol. I. 246;

Henry in an expedition to Wales, whence they returned victorious. Soon after which, Morogh O'Flaherty, and his brother Roderic', laid their complaint before the King, stating, that their ancestors and themselves, though mere Irish, always shewed their fealty and service to him and his predecessors, by assisting the English to reduce the Irish. That they had, notwithstanding, been unjustly expelled from their territory, to which they humbly prayed to be restored. This appeal was favourably received by the King, who directed his letters to John Fitz-Geoffry, the Lord Justice, in the following words: "Rex Justiciario Hibern. Salutem: Monstravit nobis Mamorch Offerthierum' et Rothericus Frater ejus, quod antecessores sui, et ipsi (licet Hibernenses), semper tamen firmiter fuerunt ad fidem et servitium nostrum, et predecessorum nostrum [it should be nostrorum], Regum Angl. ad conquestum una cum Anglicis faciendum super Hibernenses, et ideo vobis mandamus quod si ita est, tunc non permittas ipsos M. et R. repelli, quin possint terras vindicare in quibus jus habent, sicut quilibet Anglicus, quia si ipsi et antecessores sui sic se habuerunt cum Anglicis, quamvis Hibernenses, injustum esset licet Hibernenses sint quod exceptione qua repelluntur Hibernenses, à vindicatione terrarum et aliis repellantur.”—Prynne, 255. Upon this writ Cox observes, "the King did design that all the Irish, who would live as subjects, should have the benefit of the English laws"." It is probable that the King did so design, but it is certain that his rulers here designed otherwise. Happy would it have been, had the just feeling expressed in that letter, been always observed in Ireland. But the O'Flaherties derived no benefit from the royal mandate. On the contrary, their new territories, as if in despite of it, were soon plundered by the English. Walter de Burgo marched against them with an army, but was routed with considerable slaughter. He soon after made another excursion against Roderic O'Flaherty; plundered his territory of Gnomore and Gnobeg (now called the barony of Moycullen), and seized upon Lough Orbsen with its islands". The persecuted chief was, at length,

and in Leland, Vol. I. 220; but O'Flaherty does not appear in either. Sir William Betham, however, refers to a "Close Roll in the Tower of London."

See Gen. Table, II. No. 27. Neither this Morogh nor his brother is named in it.

This writ is given at A. D. 1253 by Cox, I. 66, from Prynne. The orthography shews that the Anglo-Normans of that day were sad bunglers at Celtic surnames. But Offerthierum is not farther from O'Flaherty, than Vinzaniozer is from Winchester, (Wintanceastra) for which see Milner's valuable

history of that city. Vol. II. p. 294.
" Cox, loc. cit.

▾ Four Masters, A. D. 1248.

forcibly

w Id. A. D. 1256. In this year, the same Annalists relate, that the son of Somairle (Sorly) Mac Donnell, sailed with a fleet from the Hebrides,

(a n-insib gall) to Conmaicne-mara, in IarConnaught, where he captured a merchant ship, and plundered its cargo of wine, cloth, copper, and iron. Jordan de Exeter, sheriff of Connaught, pursued him to a neighbouring island, where his ships

forcibly expelled from Iar-Connaught, but his expulsion was only temporary; for he found, by experience, that it was safer to rely on the battle-axes of his bold Galloglas, than on appeals to the sovereign against Anglo-Norman outrage in Ireland. In his time the Joyces, a family of British extraction, settled in the northern part of the territory, by the permission and under the protection of the O'Flaherties.

Before the close of the thirteenth century, the O'Flaherties became masters of the entire territory of Iar-Connaught, extending from the western banks of Lough Orbsen, to the shores of the Atlantic. Separated from the rest of the kingdom, in that peninsulated', and then almost inaccessible district, they interfered but little in the external transactions of the province, and are, therefore, but seldom noticed in our Annals for the two succeeding centuries. With their neighbours, the ancient ClanMailly, or O'Mailleys of Umhaill (Umallia) or "the Owles," they lived on terms of amity and mutual defence. But this friendly, and for both "nations" necessary alliance, was interrupted by an untoward occurrence. In A. D. 1314, at a meeting or conference between the chiefs of both clans, a dispute took place, in which Owen O'Mailly, Cormac Cruim O'Mailly, and several others, were slain by the people of O'Flaherty". In some time after, Connor, the son of Owen O'Mailly, made a descent on Iar-Connaught, which he plundered, and loaded his vessel with the spoils and riches he had taken. But on his return home, his ship was cast away 66 between Ireland and Aran," and all the crew, except one man, perished. Amongst the O'Flaherties themselves, feuds were frequent and violent during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Many of these will be found detailed in our Annals, where the reader will be enabled to identify several individuals named in the annexed Genealogical Tables.

a Four Masters.

were at anchor. An engagement took place, in
p. 216.
which the sheriff and one of his knights were slain ;
and Mac Sorly returned home in triumph with his
booty.

* Id. A. D. 1273. On the Roll of the Pipe, 13,
15, Edw. I. the following entry occurs:
64 Rothery
O'Flaverty reddit x. marcas de fine, pro pace haben-
da."-Berm. Tower, Dublin.

y Vide ante, p. 1, note b, and p. 57, note P.

This term was usually applied by the settlers to express the Irish clan, tribe, or family. "Chief of his nation," which occurs so often in the Anglo-Norman records, meant chief of his clan. It was sometimes applied to the settlers themselves. Thus, "William Blake and the rest of his nation."—Ante,

Until

Id. A. D. 1396. Our author, Roderic O'Flaherty, in his MS. notes to the Annals of the Four Masters, preserved in Trin. Col. Lib. Dublin, states, that on this occasion, the son of Cathal buidhe O'Flaherty was killed; and that thirty-three of the O'Malleys were drowned. It would appear that the strife did not end with this, for the same Annals further relate, that in A. D. 1418, Roderic, son of Morogh O'Flaherty (Gen. Table, II. No. 32). Roderic, son of Dermott duff O'Flaherty (Id. No. 31), and sixteen others of the O'Flaherties were drowned in the bay of Umallia," probably when on a similar plundering excursion.

See the Annals of the Four Masters. ad an. 1410,

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