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"Donoghe m. Moyller et al. is dede A. D. 1614.

"Be yt knowen to all men by theise presents, that wee Donogh m៰Moyller O'Halloran, Moyller Granae O'Halloran and Teige mac Donoghoe O'Halloran of Bearney, in the county of the towne of Galway, gent. for and in consideration of the some of sixteine poundes ster. currant money in England, to us before the perfectinge hereof payed and contented, of and by the hands of Morough O'Flahertie, alias Morough ne muyer O'Flahertie of Bonowen in the countie of Galway, gent. have graunted, bargainned, sould and confirmed, lyckas by theis presentes wee doe give, graunte, bargann, sell and confirm, unto the said Morough ne muyer O'Flahertie all that the castell, commonly caled the castell of Rinviel-ohuoy, and three cartrones of land thereunto ajoynninge, viz. the cartron of Inveran, whereuppon the said castell is situated, the cartron of Ardenegrevagh, and the cartron of Korrwoher, all situated lyenge and beinge in Ier-connaght, within the barrony of Ballinehinsey in the said county of Galway: To have and to hould unto the said Moroghoe O'Flahertie his heires and assignes for ever; to hould of the chief lords of the ffee, by the services thereof due and by lawe accustomed. And we have appointed our welbeloved in Christ Ffargananym m៰Searvreh of Moerysh gentleman, our true and lawfull attorney to deliver livery, seisin and possession of the said castell and landes with thappurtenances unto the said Moroghoe O'Flahertie, accordinge the purporte, effect and true meaning of this our present deed; hereby ratefienge and confirminge all and whatsoever our said attorney shall doe or happen to be don in the premisses, firmely by theis presentes. In wittnes whereof we have hereto putt our handes and seales, the last day of the month of Aprill Ano. Dom. 1614. "Present when the said Ffarganannim mac Searvreh the attorney, delivered livery, seisin and possession of the castell, towne and landes within specified, unto the said Moroghoe O'Flahertie, wee whose names ensue, Edmond O'Halloran m'Donell O'Halloran, testis-Ffernando Folain-William O'Duan-Rory Oge Duan, testis..-Orig.

"Erevan O'Halloraine his deede of Mullaghglasse.
"A. D. 1645.

"Be it knowne unto all men by these presents that I Erevan O'Halloraine of Mullaghglasse in the countie of Galway, gent. for the sum of seaven pounds fouer shillings ster. currant lawful money of and in England, to me before hand well and truely contented, satisffied and paied, have given, granted, confirmed, bargained and sold, like as by these presents I doe give, graunt, confirme, bargaine and sell, unto Edmond Fflaherty of Roynvoyly in the said county of Galway Esq'. his heires and assignes for ever, all that the cartron of Mullaghglasse, with the appurtenances, being in the barony of Ballynehensy within the county of Galway, and all woods, water-ways, easures, pro

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fitts,

fitts, comodities, houses, lands, tenements, hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anie wise appertaining: To have and to hould all and singuler the foresaid hereditaments before given, graunted, bargained and sold, unto the said Edmond Fflaherty his heires and assignes for ever, to his the said Edmond Fflaherty, his heires and assignes sole and proper use and behoofe for ever, from the cheefe lords of that fee, for such services as are thereout due and accustomed. And I the said Erevan O'Halloraine my heires and assignes, all and singuler the aforesaid hereditaments, before given, graunted, bargained and sould, unto the said Edmond Fflaherty his heires and assignes, against all manner of persones, shall save, warrant, acquitt and defend for ever, by theis presents. And further be it knowne that I the said Erevan O'Halloraine, with my proper hands, have delivered full and peasable possession and seisin of all and singuler the aforesaid hereditaments, unto the said Edmond Fflaherty, according to the true meaning, intent and effect of this my present deed; provided alwaies and uppon condition that, whensoever hereafter I the said Everan O'Hallorain, my heires or assignes, doe well and truely content, satisfie and paie unto the said Edmond O'Fflaherty, his heires or assignes, the full and just sum of seaven pounds fouer shillings ster. currant lawfull money of and in England, of a good, fine and weaghtie coined silver, as at this day is currant in that realme, having five shillings to every ounce troy-weaght, and fouer Irish ounces to every pound therof, in one entheir payment, that then and from thenceforth, it shalbe lawfull for me the said Erevan O'Hallorain my heires and assignes, into all and singuler the said hereditaments to reinter, and the same to have againe and repossesse as in my former estate, anie thing herein contained to the countrary notwithstanding. In wittnes whereof, I the said Erevan O'Hallorain have sett hereunto my hand and seale, the 19th of November 1645.

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"EREVAN O'HALLORAINE (seal).

Being present C. DoWAN testis, &c."-Orig. "Indenture, 9th Jan. 1681, between Nicholas Lynch fitz-Marcus of Barney in the county of the town of Galway, gent. and Ffinyne Hallorane of Galway, gent. recites that John Whaley of Newford co. of Galway, esq. (Grantee under the Act of Settlement) in consideration of £644 138. 9d., to him paid by the said Nicholas Lynch, by deeds dated 15th and 16th October 1681, released unto the said Nicholas Lynch, among others the lands following: and that the said Ffinyne Hollerane paid unto the said Nicholas £83 48. 2d. sterling, part of the said larger sum, and in trust received from said Ffinyne towards the same: the deed therefore witnessed, that the said Nicholas Lynch, in consideration thereof, granted and released unto the said Ffinyne, one-third part of the lands of Pollneromy, Gortetlevey, Parke ne Toriny, part and parcell of the quarter of land of Cnocknecaragh, and a rateable proportion of the said John Whaley's

Whaley's interest in the moiety of Mincloone, (Domnick Browne of Carrabrowne & Richard Martine's interest therein always foreprized and excepted) and also a proportion of the quarter of land of Rahune, lying on the left hand of the King's high-way leading to Barney; and then in the occupation of Lisagh Hallorane, all situate in the west liberties of Galway. To hold the same to the said Ffynine his heirs and assigns, Witness Thady McNamara-Dominick Halloran-George Halloran-An

for ever.

drew Ffrenche.

"On 15th Feb. 1709, the same Feenine Halloran demised to William Brock of Glanineagh, Co. Clare, one-third part of Poulnaruma and Tiefgarraff; which the said Feenine held in common with his nephew Myles Halloran, together with the said Feenine's proportion of Mincloone, for 31 years at the yearly rent of £6 108. sterling.-Regd. 13th May 1718."

Since that time, the O'Halloran family has lost even those remnants of its ancient inheritance. Individuals of the name still abound in Iar-Connaught and the western islands; but, with very few exceptions, they are all reduced to a state of poverty.

NOTE U. See page 69, Note 9. "The Craft of evill spirits."

"William Sacheverell, Esq. late Governour of Man," who was contemporary with our author,in his account of that island (London, 8vo., 1702), and of "some remarkable things there, in a letter to Mr. Joseph Addison of Magdalen College, Oxon" (the wellknown writer in the Spectator), speaking of the "light generally seen at People's Deaths," says, p. 15, "I have some Assurances so probable, that I know not how to disbelieve them." The Governor then gives an instance, of the truth of which he was "assured by a Man of great Integrity," and thus continues: "Whether those fancies proceed from Ignorance, Superstition, or Prejudice of Education, or from any traditional or heritable Magic, which is the opinion of the Scotch Divines concerning their second sight, or whether Nature has adapted the organs of some Persons for discerning of Spirits, is not for me to determine, since I design the whole for an Introduction to a Story which happened in the year 1690, upon the late King's going into Ireland, of a little Boy then scarce 8 years old, who frequently told the Family in which he lived, of two fine Gentlemen who daily Convers'd with him, and gave him Victuals, and something out of a Bottle, of a greenish Colour, and sweet taste, to drink. This making a Noise, the present Deemster, a Judge of the Island, a Man of good Sense and probity, went into the Mountains to see if he could make any Discovery what they were; he found the Boy, who told him they were sitting under a Hedge about a Hundred Yards from him. The Deemster bid the Boy ask them, why he could not see them, accordingly the Boy went to the Place, put off his Cap, and made his Reve

rence,

rence, and returning said, It was the Will of God they should not be seen, but the Gentlemen were sorry for his Incredulity. The Deemster pull'd a Crown-piece out of his Pocket, and ask'd the Boy what it was; the Boy answer'd he could not tell, he bade him ask the Gentlemen; the Boy went as before, and returning told him, they said it was silver, but that they shew'd him a great deal of such silver, and much yellow Silver besides. Another day a Neighbouring Minister went into the Mountains, the Boy told him they were in a Barn hard by, exercising the Pike; he went to the door of the Barn, and saw a Pitch-fork moving with all the proper Postures of Exercise, upon which rushing into the Barn the Fork was struck to the roof, and no Person to be seen. Another day the Boy came and told Captain Stevenson that one of 'em came with his hand Bloody, and said he had been in a Battle in Ireland; the Captain mark'd the day, and tho' they had no News in near a Month after, it agreed exactly with the time Colonel Woolsley had given the Irish a considerable Defeat. I could give you an hundred other Instances during their stay, which was above a Month, but at last the King came with his Fleet into Ramsey Bay, which one of them telling the other before the Boy, he answer'd, it was well the King was there in Person, for had he sent never so many Generals, his Affairs would not Prosper; and speaking to the Boy, told him they must now go with the King into Ireland; that he might tell the People of the Island, there wou'd be a Battle fought betwixt Midsummer and St. Columbus Day, upon which the future Fortune of Ireland would depend, which exactly agreed with the Action of the Boyne. That the War would last 10 or 11 Years, according to one Information, or 12 or 13 according to another, (which is the only Variation I could observe in the whole Story) the Boy being so very young, and having forgot great Part of it himself before I came into the Island; but that in the end King William would be Victorious over all his Enemies. He that considers the Youth, and Ignorance of the Boy, which render'd him incapable of carrying on an Imposture, must needs allow there is something uncommon in it, except there had been a Conspiracy of all the best of the People to deceive me, and every Person mentioned is still living, and ready to attest (if need require) upon Oath what I have alledg'd. For myself I can assure you I have transmitted it with the utmost fidelity, tho' much short of my Original Information, and only beg you to accept of the whole as a Testimony of the Real Esteem of Sir, your most humble servant, WTM Sacheverell."

Boldly as our good governor had inveighed against "Ignorance, Superstition, and Prejudice of Education" in the beginning of his letter, it is evident that, towards the end of it, his own credulity became sadly bewildered. From Spectator No.1 10, it may be inferred that the enlightened Addison himself believed the narrative, and even alluded to it in

the

the following words. "Could I not give myself up to this general testimony of mankind, I should to the relations of particular persons who are now living, and whom I cannot distrust in other matters of fact." The learned priest Verstegan, who belonged to the generation before our author, in his "Restitution of decayed Intelligence," p. 85, has related an occurrence which he also seems to have firmly believed, viz. "A most true and maruelous strange accident of the pide piper, that hapened in Saxony not many ages past; which great wonder hapned at Hamel in Brunswicke on the 22 day of July in the yeare of our Lord 1376." These instances may suffice to shew that other learned men have agreed with our author in opinion, that "the craft of evill spirits is more than our judgements can sound out." Ware gravely ridicules O'Brasil, and those, qui "oleam et operam perdiderunt" in search of it.-Antiq. c. xxviii.

See ante, p. 20, note (") for the celebrated Mananan, the son of Lir, who gave name to the isle of Man, as we are informed by some of the learned historians of that "kingdom;" and who further state, that the old Statute Book of Man describes him thus: "Mananan Mac Ler, the first man who held Man, was ruler thereof, and after whom the land was named, reigned many years, and was a paynim: he kept the land under mists by his necromancy. If he dreaded an enemy, he would of one man cause to seem one hundred, and that by art magic." But see Mac Firbis's account of the Belge of Ireland, preserved in MS. in the library of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, which states, that old authorities relate, that the inhabitants of the isle of Man sprung from Beothach, son of lartas, and from Semians and Fergus the red-sided. “a derid sléaċta ele, siol bheoraig mic Iartais, agus siol Semians, agus siol Feargusa le¿dercc isead fuil i Manuinn.” According to Orosius, Man was first inhabited by the Scots of Ireland. Even still, many of their adventurous descendants resort thither, and, no doubt, are much indebted to the "Mists." But this appears to have been the case from the earliest period, "in eam tamquam in asylum Ultonienses confluxerunt.”—Gratian. Luc. 12.

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The following curious communication, on the subject of this note, is taken from the original, preserved in the Manuscript Library, Trinity College, Dublin. B. I. 1. 3. p. 316. "To Dr. Molineaux at his

House in Dublin.

66

SIR,

66

Donegall the 9th of June 1708.

"Altho I have delayed writing to you, yet I have not forgot my promise: I thought it better that the account I send you should be slow than lame, rather tedious

when it comes, than imperfect.

"I have

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