making Dermod prisoner, but eventually he was obliged to resign the kingdom to him, and retired into the monastery of Lismore, where he died in 1119. In the same year Nial Mac Lochlann, royal heir of Aileach and of Ireland, fell by the Cinel-Moain, in the twenty-eighth year of his age. The chief ollamh of Ireland, Cucollchoille ua Biagheallain, was killed by the men of Lug and Tuatha-ratha (Tooragh, co. Fermanagh), with his wife, " two very good sons,' and five-and-thirty persons in one house, on the Saturday before Little Easter, The cause of this outrage is not mentioned. Donnell O'Loughlin died in 1121, in the monastery of St. Columba, at Derry. He is styled king of Ireland. In 1118 Rory O'Connor died in the monastery of Clonmacnois. He had been blinded some years previously by the O'Flaherties. This cruel custom was sometimes practiced to prevent the succession of an obnoxious person, as freedom from every blemish was a sine qua non in Erin for a candidate to royal honors. Teigue Mac Carthy, king of Desmond, died, at Cashel, A.D. 1124. From the time of Murtough O'Brien's illness, Turlough O'Connor, son of the prince who had been blinded, comes prominently forward in Irish history. In 1116 he plundered Thomond as far as Limerick. In 1118 he led an army as far as Glanmire (co. Cork), and divided Munster, giving Desmond to Mac Carthy, and Thomond to the sons of Dermod O'Brien. He then marched to Dublin, and took hostages from the Danes, releasing Donnell, son of the king of Meath, whom they had in captivity. He then devoted himself to wholesale plundering and expelled his late ally and father-in-law from Meath. In 1126 he bestowed the kingdom of Dublin on his son Cormac. In 1127 he drove Cormac Mac Carthy from his kingdom, and divided Munster in three parts. In fact, there was such a storm of war throughout the whole country, that St. Celsus was obliged to interfere. He spent a month and a year trying to establish peace, and promulgating rules and good customs in every district, among the laity and clergy. In the year 1128 the good archbishop succeeded in making a year's truce between the Connaught men and the men of Munster.

After the death of Donnell O'Loughlin, Turlough had full scope for the exercise of his ambitious projects; but in 1131 he found serious opposition from Connor O'Brien, who had succeeded his father, Dermod, on the throne of Munster. Connor now carried off hostages from Leinster and Meath, and defeated the cavalry of Connaught. The following year he sent a fleet to the western coast of Ireland. Eventually Turlough O'Connor was glad to make a truce with his opponents. But the good king was soon after treacherously slain in his own house, by Turlough O'Connor and the two sons of the O'Connor of Kerry. In the mean time domestic wars multiplied with extraordinary rapidity. Dermod Mac Murrough, the king of Leinster, now appears for the first time in the history of that country which he mainly contributed to bring under the English yoke. He commenced his career by carrying off the abbess of Kildare from her cloister, killing one hundred and seventy of the people of Kildare, who interfered to prevent this wanton outrage. In 1141 he endeavored to crush the opposers of his atrocious tyranny by a barbarous onslaught,

in which he killed two nobles, put out the eyes of another, and blinded seventeen chieftains of inferior rank. In 1148 a temporary peace was made by the primate of Armagh between the northern princes, who had carried on a deadly feud. Turlough O'Brien was deposed by Teigue in 1151. He was assisted by Turlough O'Connor and the infamous Dermod. The united armies plundered as far as Moin Môr, where they encountered the Dalcassian forces returning from the plunder of Desmond. A sanguinary combat ensued, and the men of Worth Munster suffered a dreadful slaughter, leaving seven thousand dead upon the field of battle. In 1166 the Irish monarch, O'Loughlin, committed a fearful outrage on Dunlevy, prince of Dalriada. A peace had been ratified between them, but O'Loughlin suddenly became again the aggressor, and attacked the northern chief, when he was unprepared, put out his eyes, and killed three of his leading officers. The result was a sanguinary engagement, in which the Cinel-Eoghan were defeated, and the monarch, O'Loughlin, was slain. Roderick O'Connor immediately assumed the reins of government, and was inaugurated in Dublin. Submission was made to him on every side; and had he only possessed the ability or the patriotism to unite the forces under his command, he might well have set all his enemies at defiance. An assembly of the clergy and chieftains of Ireland was convened in 1167, which is said to have emulated, if it did not rival, the triennial Fes of ancient Tara. The traitor already had his plans prepared, and was flying to another country where his meanness was made the tool of political purposes, while the unhappy traitor was probably quite as heartily despised.

VII.

THE NORMANS IN IRELAND.

(1166-1201.)

NTIL this period (A.D. 1168) the most friendly relations appear to have existed between England and Ireland. When the Norman had won the Saxon crown, and crushed the Saxon race under his iron heel, the restless spirit of the old Viking race looked out for a new quarry, and long before Dermod had betrayed his country, that country's fate was sealed. William Rufus is reported to have said, as he stood on the rocks near St. David's, that he would make a bridge with his ships from that spot to Ireland. His speech. was repeated to the king of Leinster, who inquired "if the king, in his great threatening, had added, 'if it so please God'?" The reporter answered in the negative. "Then," said he, "seeing this king putteth his trust only in man, and not in God, I fear not his coming." When Dermod Mac Murrough was driven in disgrace from Ireland, he fled at once to Bristol. There he learned that Henry was still in Aquitaine, and thither he followed the English king. Henry was only too happy to listen to his complaints and forward his views; letters patent were incomparably more convenient than men-at-arms, and with letters-patent the renegade was fain to be content. Dermod asked help to recover the kingdom from which he had been expelled for his crimes; Henry pretended to give the assistance asked, and for reward only wished that Dermod should pay a vassal's homage to the English king. Henry may have intended to annex Ireland to the British dominions (if he could), or he may merely have hoped for some temporary advantage from the new connection. Whatever he knew or whatever he hoped, he received Dermod "into the bosom of his grace and benevolence," and he did but distantly insinuate his desires by proclaiming him his " faithful and liege subject." The royal letter ran thus:-" Henry, king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and earl of Anjou, to all his liegemen, English, Norman, Welsh and Scotch, and to all the nations under his dominion, sends greeting. As soon as the present letter shall come to your hands, know that Dermod, prince of Leinster, has been received into the bosom of our grace and benevolence: wherefore, whosoever, within the ample extent of our territories, shall be willing to lend aid toward this prince as our faithful and liege subject, let such person know that we do hereby grant to him for said purpose our license and favor."

After some fruitless negotiations with the needy and lawless adventurers who thronged the port of Bristol, Dermod applied to the earl of Pembroke, Richard de Clare. This nobleman had obtained the name of Strongbow, from his skill in archery. Two other young men of rank joined the party; they were sons of the beautiful and infamous Nesta, once the mistress of Henry I., but now the wife of Gerald, governor of Pembroke and lord of Carew. The knights were Maurice FitzGerald and Robert FitzStephen. Dermod had promised them the city of Wexford and two cantreds of land as their reward. Strongbow was to succeed him on the throne of Leinster, and to receive the hand of his young and beautiful daughter, Eva, in marriage. There is considerable uncertainty as to the real date and the precise circumstances of Dermod's arrival in Ireland. According to one account, he returned at the close of the year 1168, and concealed himself during the winter in a monastery of Augustinian canons at Ferns, which he had founded. Robert FitzStephen landed at Bannow, near Waterford, in May, 1169, with an army of three hundred archers, thirty knights and sixty men-at-arms. A second detachment arrived the next day headed by Maurice de Pendegrast, a Welsh gentleman. Dermod at once assembled his men and joined the allies. He mustered five hundred followers. They laid at once siege to Wexford. The inhabitants set forth to meet them, but fearing to attack the force in the open field they burned the suburbs and intrenched the town. Next morning the assaulting party prepared for a renewal of hostilities, but the clergy of Wexford advised an effort for peace terms of capitulation were negotiated, and Dermod was obliged to pardon. It is said that FitzStephen burned his little fleet, to show his followers that they must conquer or die. Two cantreds of land, comprising the present baronies of Forth and Bargy, were bestowed upon him. And thus it was that the first English colony was established in Ireland. The other Irish princes seemed to regard it as of no serious account.

Ireland was seldom in a better position to resist foreign invasion. But unity of purpose and a competent leader were wanting. Finding so little opposition to his plans, Mac Murrough determined to act on the offensive. He was now at the head of three thousand men. With this force he marched into the adjoining territory of Ossory, and made war on its chief, Donough FitzPatrick; and after a brave but unsuccessful resistance, it submitted to his rule. The Irish monarch was at length aroused to some degree of apprehension. He summoned a hosting of the men of Ireland at Tara; and with the army thus collected, assisted by the lords of Meath, Oriel, Ulidia, Breffni, and some northern chieftains, he at once proceeded to Dublin. Dermod was alarmed, and retired to Ferns. Roderic pursued him thither. But dissension had already broken out in the Irish camp: the Ulster chiefs returned home; the contingent was weakened; and he agreed to acknowledge Mac Murrough's authority. Mac Murrough gave his son Cormac as hostage for the fulfillment of the treaty. A private agreement was entered into between the two kings, in which Dermod pledged himself to dismiss his foreign allies as soon as possible, and to bring no more strangers into the country. Maurice FitzGerald

arrived at Wexford a few days after, and the recreant king at once proceeded to meet him; and with this addition to his army, marched to attack Dublin. The Dano-Celts, who inhabited this city, had elected a governor for themselves: but resistance was useless. After a short contest they were forced to sue for peace, which would doubtless have been granted if Dermod Mac Murrough had not had designs in another direction. Donnell O'Brien, prince of Thomond, who had married a daughter of Dermod, had just rebelled against Roderic, and the former was but too willing to assist him in his attempt. Thus encouraged his ambition became boundless. He played the favorite game of traitors; and no doubt hoped, when he had consolidated his own power, that he could easily expel his foreign allies. Strongbow had not yet arrived, though the winds had been long enough "at east and easterly." His appearance was still delayed. The fact was, that the earl was in a critical position. Henry and his barons were never on the most amicable terms, and there were some especial reasons why Strongbow should prove to be no exception to the rule.

EARL RICHARD IN IRELAND.

Strongbow had been collecting forces in South Wales; but, as he was on the very eve of departure, he received a peremptory order from Henry, forbidding him to leave the kingdom. After a brief hesitation, he determined to bid defiance to the royal mandate, and set sail for Ireland. The day after his arrival he laid siege to Waterford. A breach was made in the wall; the besiegers poured in; and a merciless massacre followed. Dermod arrived while the conflict was at its height, and for once he has the credit of interfering on the side of mercy. Reginald, a Danish lord, and O'Phelan, prince of the Deisi, were about to be slain by their captors, but at his request they were spared, and the general carnage was suspended. But Mac Murrough had his daughter Eva with him; he wished to have her nuptials with Strongbow celebrated at once. The following day the nuptials were performed. The English earl, a widower, and long past the prime of manhood, was wedded to the fair young Celtic maiden; and the marriage procession passed lightly over the bleeding bodies of the dying and the dead.

Immediately after the ceremony, the army set out for Dublin. Roderic had collected a large force near Clondalkin, and Hosculf, the Danish governor of the city, encouraged by their presence, had again revolted against Dermod. The English army having learned that the woods and defiles between Wexford and Dublin were well guarded, had made forced marches along the mountains and succeeded in reaching the capital long before they were expected. The people of Dublin offered to submit and the city was taken by the allied armies. Miles de Cogan was invested with the government of Dublin, and Dermod marched to Meath, to attack Roderic and O'Rourke. Meanwhile Mac Carthy of Desmond had attacked and defeated the English garrison at Waterford, but without any advantageous results. Roderic's weakness now