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'Filaherty, his heires or assignes, the full and just sum of seaven pounds fouer shillings ster. currant law full 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. “Being present C. DOWAN testis, &c.”—Orig. “EREVAN O'HALLORAINE (seal). "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, for ever. Witness Thady McNamara-Dominick Halloran-George Halloran—An 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 a. "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.110, 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 Iartas, and from Semians and Fergus the red-sided. "a desid sléacta ele, siol bheotaig mic Iartais, agus siol Semians, agus siol Feargusa leżỏercc 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. NOTE V. See page 82, note, ". "Rats." 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 66 SIR, House in Dublin. "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 "I have made dilligent inquiry about Ratts in this Country: and find, that it is certain (there being no reason why the whole country should deceive me in an affair of this nature, wherein they can have no interest to tell a lye) that there is a considerable tract of Land about Donegall wherein there is not one Ratt, tho' Ballyshannon on the one hand, and Killybeggs on the other, the first ten, and the latter 12 miles distant from it, have enough to send Colonies to the adjacent Countries. This is the more strange, because Donegall is a sea port town, as well as the other two, tho' not near so much frequented by ships: but such as ships come to, even sometimes now, tho formerly (as I am told) it had greater trade. I have seen one or two ships there, which might easily have left some ratts for breed, for they say generally ships have enough of that Cargo to spare. So that notwithstanding Donegall is not so much frequented with Shipping, yet there has not been opportunities wanting for rats to come thither from ships, for tis well known, that in the time of the wars, the Grayhound Man-of-War, which wanted not rats (as is probable) lay sometimes in the river not above halfe a mile from Donegall, which place they might safely goe to from the ship, which is customary to these animals. But it is not only the town of Donegall that is blessed with the absence of that vermin, the whole Parish of Drumholm, and two or three more of the adjacent Parishes, pertake of the same happiness, tho' they have this in common with other places, that they are alike pestered with mice. I was at first doubtfull whither or no Ballyshannon and Killybeggs had Rats, but now I have gott a perticular account from Henry Caldwell Esq'. a considerable merchant who is eldest son to S' James Caldwell, that he has had damage done him by rats in his store-house at Killybeggs, and an intelligent person told me, that about a fortnight before this, at Killybeggs, he was disturbed all night by ratts, and saw severall in the morning, for they were so bold, that they ran about the Bed, and for demonstration that there are many at Ballyshannon Mr. Caldwell told me a very odd story, viz. that the men who take care of a considerable salmon fishing, which he farms from the Lord Folliott, do Prophesie whither there will be few or many salmon catcht that year, by the number of rats they see upon a little Island in the river, where they make up their fish. So if they see many rats, they expect many salmon, if few Rats they Conclude they will take but a few fish. I do not mention this as if there was any thing to be depended on as to the observation of the persons concerned in the fishing, tho they build much upon it, but I give it as an instance that there are Rats in abundance at Ballyshannon, tho they do not come within 2 or 3 miles of my house, which is not above five or six at furthest from Ballyshannon. "As to the other Story which you have heard, concerning some part of the Barony of Boylogh and Bannogh viz, that Cattle cannot live there in summer, I can find no great matter in it. It is sandy ground, as I am told, and I believe little grass grows there |