From the Works of the best native Authors; and Foreigners, who wrote "THE İSLAND OF SAINTS AND OF LEARNED MEN;" BUT ESPECIALLY From "The Annals of the Four Masters," Keating, Mac Curtin, Mac VOLUME II. Éire, mo ¿irse féin ¿u, DUBLIN: PRINTED FOR AND PUBLISHED BY MARTIN A. O'BRENNAN, LL.D, Of whom the work can be had, Pedigree of all the Milesian families, not State of religion before Council of the church at Preface, iii. and iv. Map of the travels of the Milesians. Origin of the Milesians, Different names of Ireland, p. 9. Description of the island from foreign authors, 13. Produce and weath, 18. Character of the people and the island, 21. Antiquity of the Scoto-Milesians, 25. History of the Gadelians, 32, 66. Nemedians, Firbolgs their arrival in Ireland, 33. Tuatha de Danaans, 34. Religion of the Mile- sians, and trade, manners, habits, dress of the early Irish, 38 to 45. Their government, 45. Warlike practices and weapons. Early division of the island into kingdoms and provinces, 52. Heber, Heremon, Ir, 53. Cathaoir Mór (Caheen More), 57. Oilioll Ollum, Eugene the Great, Conary II., 58. Cormac O'Quinn, Louis Mac Conn (or Mac Cænn) Fergus, &c., 59. The Callas and "Niall of the nine Hostages," 60: Fleet of Niall, and king Dathy, 63. Usher, Ware, and Colgan on Christianity in Ireland in the time of Dathy. 64. Scotia Major, Scotia Minor, 66. Divisions of Ireland into districts by the Firbags, again by the Milesians, 66. one omitted that could be made out. monians, 69, 70. Descendants of Ir, 71. ster, 74, 72. Heberians of Munster, 72. Great, and of Cian, 72, 73. Descendants of Ith, 74. The O'Connors of the different parts of Ireland, 74-5. The terms "Muinster," "Clann,” “ O, Mac, Ciuel, explained, 75. Territories of the ancient tribes, 76 to 84. sketch of his life and mission, 84 to 96. Reigning princes, 97. the Danish invasion, Saints Scholars, and Churches, &c. 103 to 112. Danes, 112. Bishops who attended O'Kennedy, king of Thomond, 120. Brien Boroimbe (Borivey,) 124. Council of Kells, Cardinal Paparo, 135. Limerick, 136. Pretended Bull of Adrian, &c. Arguments showing that such was forged by Henry II, 136 to 148. ENGLISH INVASION, 149. Tara of old, its palaces, Par- liament, &c. COATS of ARMS of early Irish, WEAPONS and KNIGHTS, Stanihurst's character of the bravery of the Irish, and the swiftness of their horses, 164. Eminent writers and poetry of Ireland at the English Invasion, 167. Vivian, the Apostolic Delegate, tells the Irish to resist the English, 170-149. Pedigrees of the Anglo-Irish, 177, and in first vol. Death of Donogh O'Brien, King of Limerick, 187. English colony of Dublin, 189. Quarrels of the Settlers, 190. Defeat of the Anglo Irish, 195. Success of Tuam, and eminent learned men 193. Bruce, 196. Penal laws against the Irish, 203. Learning of Ireland, 206. Kilkenny," penal against the Irish, 209. Struggle of the native chiefs. 212-3, &c Intestine wars of England, 223. two first barons in Ireland, 222. 233. Suppression of Monasteries by Wolsey, 235. tion of the Geraldines, 245. Escape of the surviving member of the family to France, Brown, the apostate Archbishop of Dublin, 247. Confiscation of Church property, 249. Titles of Honor, 251. First earl of Thomond, earl of Clanrickard, 253. Reign of Elizabeth, 265. Connaught Confiscation of Leix and Offaley, 263. into counties, 269. Printing in Irish characters. 273. Cruelty of Cosby and Ormond, struggles of the native chiefs, &c. &c., 275. The names of the confederated chiefs against Persecution of Catholic ecclesiastics. It is scarcely necessary to give a table of contents as the reader will find printed at the top of the pages the remarkable facts in Irish history. PREFACE. Ir was to me, for a long time, a source of regret, that no "School History of Ireland," written by one, who knew the language, manners, and habits of the people, was in the hands of our youth. It is true, there were books, purporting to be abridgments for Schools, but the chief matter in them had reference to other countries. This I thought anomalous. If a pupil is to be taught English history he can read " Lingard's, by James Burke, Esq.," but, for a knowledge of his own country, he should have a work, containing, as much as possible, Irish events. I have said "as much as possible," for two reasons. Firstly because the groundwork of Irish history was either destroyed by the Danes, Normans; and Protestants in the 16th century, or was carried away to the Continent by the Catholic clergy and nobility, who fled from persecution, and is now mouldering under the dust of foreign colleges. In the court of Denmark, I am satisfied, are the most important manuscripts of our ancestors. Secondly--because I am convinced that the brightest eras of our history, arts, and sciences, were before Christianity,—(the Tuatha de Danaans being the most learned people that ever were in Ireland)—and the works of those davs having mixed up in them principles and practices of Paganism, were burned by the first missionaries, who, as not thoroughly understanding the native tongue, consumed what was good or harmless as well as what was immoral. Hence I may say that we have but little materials for a regular history, if I except church affairs. For an ecclesiastical work we have rich and abundant materials, such as no nation on earth can lay claim to. But as regards secular history, it might be safely penned, that we have not, at our disposal, documents from which to compose one. The deeds are yet to be achieved to form the foundation of such a thing. The records of the noble achievements of the early colonists were made away with by their successors; and from the arrival of the English up to this day there has been an effort on their part, to annihilate ancient documents, which would stimulate youth to noble deeds, to rival their forefathers, and to make them feel that they were, by divine right, born to freedom. Instead of these, spurious books, calculated and intended to make them suppose, that they were inferior to their taskmasters, were given them. When I was a child, "slang" books, written in England, apt to impress us with the notion that our ancestors were robbers and freebooters, because they dared to assert their natural rights, were circulated; legends were framed by lying scribes, and bribed novelists (and it is so still), to debase the tender minds of Catholic youth, forcing them to hug the chains of slavery, and to burn the brand more deeply into their souls. The descendants of the royal blood of Ireland were described as barbarous brutes, fit only to be shot down, and Catholics as unworthy of credit on their oath. To remedy this scandal to morals and religion, to make youth love the old faith, the old tongue, and the old iv land of their progenitors, ―to excite in them a rivalry of the men of by-gone days, to make them look through the vista of past ages, by means of a clear telescope,--to induce children of all denominations to beget and cherish fraternal love,-to place before their minds the grand principle of mutual toleration in religious and political views,-to point out the dreadful evil of national division, the benefit of cordial union (as in the reign of Malachy I. when for once Irishmen united and drove out the wicked Danes),—to do all this was my motive. Whether my effort will be rewarded or not I cannot say, nor though I could, will I attempt to do so. I am fully aware of the great task I undertook a task which, though the volumes be small, and perhaps not worthy of the name, demanded immense research and vast mental and physical labor. Another circumstance which rendered the task difficult was, that most readers are inclined to hasten to passing occurrences. However, it was an ease to my mind to turn aside, for a time, from the contemplation of political subjects, the consideration of which, though it might not deflect me from writing truthfully, would, at least, disturb the current of thought. The reader of these volumes will find that the perusal of them will shew him what a glorious people our ancestors were. I have labored diligently to place before the pupil the leading points. I have so arranged these facts, that they may serve as mile-stones to mark the journey of his mind through history. In these pages, I flatter myself, will be found no intolerant sentiment, no narrow-minded opinion, no embittered language against those who differ from me in faith. I have crushed into a very small compass a wonderful amount of national records. Some one, who had more time, talents, and means at his disposal, I thought, would have produced such a book as this. I saw publications to that effect; but the non-appearance of such a history urged me to the work. I cannot be certain whether my labors will be approved or disapproved by the public. Be that as it may, I will console myself with the reflection, that I have risked a capital of over four hundred pounds, to supply a want-that I essayed an effort which few, (circumstanced as I am, unable to write until after ten o'clock at night), would have imposed on themselves. I have this other pleasing thought, that, however worthless these pages are, I have contributed my small rivulet to the great river of knowledge which is returning to the source whence it came to the Eternal fountain of divine intelligence. From the moment I took up my pen to my* laying it down, truth has been my aim—the defence of my mother tongue, my native land, and the Catholic faith my sole motive. I gave very little as my own. I have not aimed at ornamentation, florid style, or pompous diction. I wrote to be understood by youth. The narrative is, therefore, simple. I will not, at the same time, be so fastidious as not to think that the work has some merits. I place it before my countrymen, and await their verdict. MARTIN A. O'BRENNAN. |