ART. XIII.—Covenant between Mageoghegan and the Fox, with brief historical Notices of the two Families.

THE

HE following compact or covenant, which was made between Mageoghegan, chief of Cinel-Fhiachach, or Kineleaghe, and the Fox, chief of Muinter-Thadhgain (or, as it is anglicised, Munterhagan), on the 20th of August, 1526, is printed from the original, now in the possession of Sir Richard Nagle, Baronet, of Jamestown House, in the County of Westmeath. It is written on a small piece of parchment, in the handwriting, as stated, of James, the son of Cairbri O'Kinga, who was present at the making of the covenant, and who committed it to writing two days afterwards.

That the reader may understand the exact nature of this covenant, it will be necessary to give here a brief sketch of the history of both families, and a description of the relative situation and extent of their territories.

I. THE FAMILY OF MAGEOGHEGAN.

This sept bore the tribe-name of Cinel or Kinel-Fhiachach, (anglicised Kineleaghe), which name was also applied to their territory; for the custom among the Irish was, not to take their surnames or titles from places and countries, as is usual with other nations, but to give the tribe-name of the family to the seigniory by them possessed. This tribe name of Cinel-Fhiachach, was derived, as the Mageoghegans boasted, from Fiacha, the third son of the Irish monarch Niall of the Nine Hostages; and their claim to this high descent was allowed by King George IV., who, as shall be presently shewn, permitted the head of a branch of this family to take the name of O'Neill, in the sense of descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages. There occurs, however, a story in the Leabhar Breac,

* See Ogygia Vindicated, p. 170.

Breac, fol. 35, b, being a lampoon on the Cinel-Fhiachach by certain satirists, in which it is asserted that they are not descended from Fiacha, the son of the great Niall, but from a plebeian Fiacha, son of Aedh, son of Maelibressi:

"O Kinel Fhiachach behold your genealogy,

Fiacha, son of Aedh, son of Maelibressi."

This lampoon enraged the tribe to such a degree, that, at a place called Rosscorr, they murdered the satirists, although they were under the protection of O'Suanaigh, the patron saint of Rahen; and it is added, that for this sápuġad, or violation of the saint's protection, the Cinel-Fhiachach forfeited two townlands to O'Suanaigh, which formed a part of the possessions of the church of Rahen at the time when the story was written.

Shortly after the period of the English invasion, Mageoghegan was reduced to insignificance and obscurity; but on the decay of the family of De Lacy in Meath, he became more powerful than ever he had been before, and was soon very troublesome to his Anglo-Irish neighbours and the government. In the year 1329 he took the field at the head of his followers in Westmeath, during the government of Sir John Darcy. The Lord Thomas Butler marched, with a considerable force, to check his proceedings, but was routed by Mageoghegan,

b Satires or lampoons of this description have been productive of much mischief in Ireland, giving occasion to family feuds and various outrages. In the reign of James I. Teige Dall O'Higgin lampooned six persons of the sept of O'Hara of Leyny in the county of Sligo, who, in retaliation, cut out the poet's tongue, and murdered his wife and child. See O'Reilly's Irish Writers (Transactions of IbernoCeltic Society), p. clxx. About the year

1713 Egan O'Rahilly wrote a lampoon on an industrious farmer in Kerry, named Teige Duff O'Cronin, in which he traces his pedigree in thirteen generations to the Devil! This is the most outrageous satire in the Irish language, and was intended by its author to ridicule the plebeian families planted in Ireland by Cromwell, and such of the native Irish as united with them in oppressing the old Irish who were permitted to live on the lands of their ancestors.

ghegan, near Mullingar, with great slaughter. In the following year Mageoghegan fought the united forces of the Earls of Ulster and Ormond, but was put to flight after a spirited resistance. His Anglo-Irish neighbours continued their hostilities against him during the next century,but without much effect; for, in the year 1449, when he was summoned by Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York (the father of Edward IV.), to make his submission, he was treated with such honour by that wise and conscientious prince, that Mageoghegan, who regarded this respect as the result of fear, boasted, on returning among his sept, "that he had given peace to the King's Lieutenant."

Campion has published the letter of Richard to his brother, the Earl of Shrewsbury, in which he thus complains of Mageoghegan and his associates:

"Right worshipfull and with all my heart entirely beloved Brother, I commend mee unto you as heartily as I can.

"And like it you to wit, that sith I wrote last unto the King our soveraigne Lord his Highnes, the Irish enemy, that is to say, Magoghigan, and with him three or foure Irish Captaines, associate with a great fellowship of English rebells, notwithstanding that they were within the King our Soveraigne Lord his power, of great malice, and against all truth, have maligned against their legiance, and vengeably have brent a great towne of mine inheritance, in Meth, called Ramored, and other villages thereabouts, and murdered and brent both men, women, and children without mercy. The which enemies be yet assembled in woods and forts, wayting to doe the hurt and grievance to the King's subjects that they can thinke or imagine," &c. &c.

On this letter Campion made the following remark in 1571: "Of such power was Magoghigan, in those dayes, who as he wan and kept it by the sword, so now he liveth but a meane Captaine, yeelding his winnings to the strongere."

c Leland's Hist. of Ireland, V. ii. p. 35. no trace of a town exists.

The

Campion's Historie of Ireland, Dublin reprint of 1809, pp. 146, and 148.

d Ramore, now Rathmore, near Athboy. The castle and church are standing, but

e

The pedigree of Mageoghegan is thus deduced by Duald Mac Firbis, from Niall of the Nine Hostages:

1. Niall of the Nine Hostages, Monarch of Ireland, killed A. D. 406.-2. Fiacha, ancestor of the CinelFhiachach, fought the battle of Drumdargie in 515, and recovered the hill of Uisneach to be a part of his territory.-3. Tuathal of the north, usually called Daimhin Dreach-airgid, i. e. the little ox of the silvery aspect.-4. Amhalghaidh, or Awley.-5. Cosgrach.-6. Eochagan, a quo Mag Eochagain.-7. Inderge.8. Ruaidhri, or Rory.-9. Amhalghaidh, or Awley.-10. Gilla-Coluim.-11. Cremthann.-12. Eochaidh. -13. Flann.-14. Amhalghaidh, or Awley.-15. Murchadh, or Murrough.-16. Donnchadh, or Donough. 17. Congalach.-18. Anluan.-19. Cosgrach.-20. Maeleachlainn.-21. Muircheartach.-22. Congalach. --23. Cucoigriche.-24. Cucalma.-25. Muircheartach.-26. Congalach Mor'.

On an old map, made in the year 1567, published with the third

f In the time of this Congalach Mor, who flourished in the thirteenth century, the family appear to have first recovered from the blow given them by the De Lacys and their followers.

Part

8 The letters C. K. F. stand for Chief of Kinel-Fiachach, or Cinel-Fhiachach. h Ancestor of the sept of Lismoyny, of whom Connell, the translator of the Ann. of Clonmac., was the head in 1627.