brought up by the river bed, while the lighter craft were conveyed by
road. At any rate the transport and preparation occupied only the short
period of four days, at the end of which time the terrified garrison
perceived a warship being rowed upon the lake.
It is not unlikely that pressure was put on Lord Muskerry by his
superstitious garrison, for no sooner had the vessel appeared than he
notified to Ludlow that he was willing to treat.
Commissioners were appointed on both sides, and after a fortnight spent
in debating the terms the treaty of Ross was signed. Lord Muskerry’s
son and Sir Daniel O’Brien were delivered as hostages.
Fair terms were granted to the Royalist Army, and five thousand horse
and foot laid down their arms.
For a long time Ross Castle gave rank and emolument to a governor. One
of these owed his position to the confusion of names between New Ross,
County Wexford, and the Ross of Killarney, for having rendered valuable
service at the former during the rebellion of 1798, the governorship of
the latter becoming vacant he was at once appointed.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
M. F. Cusack, “History of Kerry.”
I. Weld, “Illustrations of Killarney.”
J. Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.”
C. Smith, “State of County Kerry.”
J. Cook, “Murray’s Handbook for Ireland.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hall, “Ireland.”
Parliamentary Gazetteer.
Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
J. Prendergast, “Surrender of Ross Castle”; A. B. Rowan,
Notes on same, _Journal of
Kilkenny Archæological Society_.
_ROSSCLOGHER CASTLE_
The shores of Lough Melvin comprise part of Leitrim, Fermanagh and
Donegal. The lake is about six miles long and a mile and a half at its
greatest width. The castle of Rossclogher is situated on an artificial
island to the south, near the Leitrim shore, and it gives its name to
the Barony of Rossclogher in that county.
The Four Masters record the miraculous formation of the
lake in 4694 B.C., while during the preparation of the grave of
Melghe Molbhthach the waters gushed forth. He had been King of Ireland
for fourteen years and was killed in battle. The lake was then called
Lough Melghe, from which comes the modern Melvin.
The castle belonged to the M’Clancys, who were chiefs of Dartraigh in
1241 according to the Irish annals. They were a subordinate sept to
the O’Rourkes and the name is variously spelt Glannaghie, M’Glannough,
M’Glanna, M’Glanathie, M’Glanchie, Maglanshie, &c.
The lake fortress of Rossclogher was built by one of this family before
the reign of Henry VIII., but the exact date is unknown.
It is interesting to note that the island next it, to the east, is
called Inisheher (Inis Siar), meaning western island, having evidently
received its name long before the foundations of the castle were laid,
which at the present time form the most western land in the lake.
The structure upon which the fortress is built is like that of the
Hag’s Castle in Lough Mask, and Cloughoghter Castle in Cavan. It
consists of a foundation of heavy stones laid in the lake and filled in
with smaller stones and earth so as to form an island.
The castle consists of a circular tower surrounded by a wall about
five feet in height. It is built of freestone taken from the mainland
near, cemented together with lime and coarse gravel. The walls, which
are very thick, were coated outside with rough cast, which is unusual
in the ancient buildings of the neighbourhood. On the side nearest the
land are the ruins of a bastion with holes for musketry. The water is
very deep between the fortress and the land, which is about 100 yards
distant.
On the mainland opposite the stronghold are the remains of earthworks
which would seem to have been formed by some attacking party possessing
military skill. On a hill above this is situated the ancient
“cattle-booley” of the MacClancy clan. It is a circular enclosure of
earth, faced with stone, and is about 220 feet in circumference.
The ruins of a church are also on the mainland, within hailing distance
of the castle.
The Four Masters record a night attack made by the O’Rourks in 1421, by
which they took MacClancy Oge prisoner, and became possessed of “Lough
Melvin and its castle.” The attack, however, is said to have been
made on the island of Inisheen, in consequence of the guards of the
lake giving up the boats to the attackers. It was on this island the
MacClancy’s wooden crannog was situated, and its plundering again in
1455 by Maguire is recorded.
In 1588 three ships belonging to the Spanish Armada were wrecked on
Streedagh Strand.
In one of these was Captain Cuellar, whose graphic narrative of his
adventures in Ireland, when he had escaped with his life from the sea,
have been published of recent years.
After various wanderings, sufferings and ill-treatment in the
neighbourhood, he met a priest who directed him, in Latin, to a
castle six leagues off. “It was very strong, and belonged to a savage
gentleman, a very brave soldier and great enemy of the Oueen of England
and of her affairs, a man who had never cared to obey her or pay
tribute, attending only to his mountains, which made it strong.”
On the road he fell in with a blacksmith who forced him to work at his
forge until the same clergyman, passing that way, promised to ask the
chief to send an escort for him.
The following day MacClancy despatched four of his own people and a
Spanish soldier to fetch him. He states they were much grieved at his
sore state and assisted him in every way, and he adds: “I remained
there three months, acting as a real savage like themselves.”
He describes his hostess as “beautiful in the extreme,” and very kind
to him. One day while sitting with her and some of her women friends
he began to tell their fortunes by palmistry, and “to say to them a
hundred thousand absurdities.” Soon this got abroad, with the result
that hundreds of people flocked to him to have their hands told. At
length he said he would have to leave, and then MacClancy ordered that
no one should molest him in future.
While Captain Cuellar was thus spending his time at Lough Melvin, news
arrived that the Lord Deputy, Fitzwilliam, had marched from Dublin with
a great force, and was hanging all the Spaniards he could find and
punishing those who had succoured them.
MacClancy (Cuellar calls him Manglana) decided to fly to the mountains
with his people, most likely by a bridlepath still to be traced from
the “cattle-booley.” It was two feet wide, and the paving was enclosed
by a kerb. He asked Cuellar and eight other Spaniards what they
wished to do. After a conference they offered to defend the castle
against the Lord Deputy. MacClancy was delighted, and at once made
all provision. They then retired to the castle, taking with them the
church valuables, three or four boat-loads of stones, six muskets, six
crossbows, and other arms.
Captain Cuellar describes the stronghold thus: “The castle is very
strong, and very difficult to take if they do not (even though they
should) attack it with artillery, for it is founded in a lake of very
deep water which is more than a league wide at some parts, and three or
four leagues long, and has an outlet to the sea; and, besides, with the
rise of spring tides it is not possible to enter it, for which reason
the castle could not be taken by water nor by the shore of the land
that is nearest to it. Neither could injury be done it, because (for)
a league round the town, which is established on the mainland, it is
marshy, breast-deep, so that even the inhabitants (natives) could not
get to it except by paths.”
As the Spanish captain never mentions the name of the fortress, its
identification with Rossclogher has been called in question, chiefly
because the measurements are much greater than those of Lough Melvin (a
league equalling 3·66 miles), but all the distances in the narrative
are greatly overstated. Again, Lough Melvin has not been open to the
sea within the historic period. A map, however, of 1609 in the British
Museum represents the river which drains it as being nearly as wide
as the Erne, and we do not read that Cuellar personally explored its
outlet.
In all other matters the castle accurately answers to his description,
and no other building has ever been put forward as the probable scene
of the siege.
When the Lord Deputy appeared upon the shore (with, Cuellar says, one
thousand eight hundred men) he could not get nearer than a mile and a
half on account of the marshy ground. From this it would seem that he
arrived at the point of Rossfriar on the north-west shore of the lough.
He then hanged two Spaniards as a warning, and demanded by a trumpeter
the surrender of the castle, promising the garrison a free pass to
Spain. This they pretended not to understand.
The siege lasted seventeen days, when a great snowstorm obliged the
Deputy to return south.
Upon this episode the State Papers are silent; the Lord Deputy merely
giving the following account of his northern expedition. “First,
therefore, it may please your lordships, I undertook the journey the
4th November, and finished the same the 23rd of this instant, December,
being seven weeks and one day, returning without loss of any one of Her
Majesty’s army.”
When the English forces had retired MacClancy returned in great delight
and fêted the Spaniards. He offered his sister to Cuellar in marriage,
but this was declined. The chief decided to keep the foreigners as his
guard, by force if necessary, but they hearing this left secretly.
After much hardship Cuellar eventually crossed to Scotland from
Dunluce, and from thence to Antwerp.
In 1590 MacClancy’s death is officially recorded as follows:
“M’Glannaghe ran for a lough which was near, and tried to save himself
by swimming, but a shot broke his arm, and a gallowglass brought him
ashore. He was the best killed man in Connaught a long time. He was the
most barbarous creature in Ireland, and had always 100 knaves about
him. He would never come before any officer. His country extended from
Grange beyond Sligo till you come to Ballyshannon. He was O’Rourke’s
right hand. He had some 14 Spaniards, some of whom were taken alive.”
Thus in trying to reach Rossclogher fortress MacClancy lost his life,
his head being exhibited in triumph.
The estates of the sept were forfeited in 1641, and the island fortress
now belongs to St. George Robert Johnston, Esq., of Kinlough House, the
village of Kinlough being near the ruins.
Upon approaching Lough Melvin from one direction at about a mile
distant the castle of Rossclogher bears a most remarkable resemblance
to a ship in full sail upon the lake.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
H. Allingham, “Captain Cuellar’s Adventures in Connaught and
Ulster,” with Translation of Narrative, by R. Crawford.
Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”
O’Reilly, “Remarks on Captain Cuellar’s
Narrative,” in Proceedings of Royal Irish Academy.
_SHANE’S CASTLE_
“In th’ historic pages of Erin’s green isle
How bright shines the name of old Phelim the brave,
Who lived where the groves of Shane’s Castle now smile,
And Neagh’s crystal waters the green meadows lave.”
J. S. M. C.
The ancient name of this fortress was Edan-dubh-Cairrge, meaning “the
front or brow of the black rock.”
It is situated near the village of Randalstown, about two miles and a
quarter north-west of Antrim. The present demesne, which extends for
two miles along the northern shore of Lough Neagh, is bisected by the
river Main.
The castle has not been inhabited since it was burnt down on the 15th
of May, 1816. A large addition was being erected at the time, and it
as well as the older buildings were all consumed. Only the beautiful
conservatory and the fortified terrace escaped uninjured. Several
turrets and towers still stand to indicate its former extent and
grandeur.
A passage about a hundred yards in length runs underground from the
castle to the adjacent graveyard, and was the servants’ entrance to the
mansion. Connected with this are great vaults which were built at the
same time as the conservatory and the rooms near, so as to raise the
addition above the level of the Lough, and give the building a better
frontage.
An old safe is still to be seen in one of the castle walls, and not far
from it a curious figure-head, supposed by
[Illustration: SHANE’S CASTLE.]
some to have been brought from the East and to belong to a much earlier
date than the ruins among which it stands. Tradition states that when
it falls the family of O’Neill will come to an end.
It is recorded that in 1490 Edan-dubh-Cairrge, the castle of Niale,
the son of Con, son of Hugh Boy, was taken and demolished by Felim,
grandson of Niale Boy. It is probable that the present ruins are the
remains of a castle which was erected in the sixteenth century upon
the site of an older fortress, though the exact date of building is
uncertain.
Edenduffcarrick belonged to the O’Neills of Clandaboy, and a younger
branch of the great Tyrone family.
They were descendants of Hugh O’Neill, surnamed _buide_ or
_boy_--yellow-haired, from which fact the district got its name.
In Queen Elizabeth’s reign Sir Brian MacPhelim O’Neill usurped the
O’Neill estates with the help of the English, but they were shortly
afterwards confiscated and bestowed by the Crown on Sir Thomas Smith.
In 1573 there is a memorandum by Secretary Smith offering to give up to
the Earl of Essex upon certain conditions “Belfast, Massareen, Castle
Mowbray _alias_ Eden Doucarg (now Edenduffcarrick or Shane’s castle, in
the county of Antrim) and Castle Toome.”
After the treacherous seizing and execution of Sir Brian in 1574 a
fierce struggle for possession of Clandaboy began between his son
Shane MacBrian and a cousin, Neal Oge. In 1583 Captain Thomas Norreys
captured the castle of Edenduffcarrick from Hugh Oge and handed it over
to Shane as Captain of Lower Clandaboy.
A writer about 1586, describing Antrim, states that Edenduffcarrig and
Belfast were the only wardable castles at that time.
In 1588-89 Lower Clandaboy was divided between Shane M’Brian M’Felim
O’Neill, and Neale M’Hue, son of Hue M’Felim. The latter was granted
the castle with a fourth of the country and followers, but as he
was unable to provide the pledges required for the safe delivery
of the castle and the payment of rent, he was imprisoned in Dublin
Castle until he could find them. In the meantime his men garrisoned
Edenduffcarrick.
Shane M’Brian O’Neill endeavoured to get possession of North Clandaboy
in 1591 for himself and his heirs, and the Government received warning
that it would be best for them to keep Shane’s Castle in their own
hands, especially as it could be used to guard the fisheries of Lough
Neagh, where a “civil English plantation” might be formed.
The same year Shane and his cousin Neale agreed to submit to
arbitration regarding the division of North Clandaboy. Commissioners
were, therefore, appointed by the Lord Deputy, and Shane’s Castle was
reserved to the Crown according to advice.
The Earl of Tyrone formed a camp near the castle in 1593-94, and the
Sheriff of Antrim appealed to the Lord Deputy for a guard to be put in
Edenduffcarrick, saying that otherwise the country was unprotected, and
that it “is the only mark that these fellows shoot at.”
After this the castle seems to have been allowed to fall into decay,
for in 1596 Mr. Francis Shane, discoursing about the rebellion in
Ulster, states that upon the edge of Lough Neagh “standeth a ruinated
pile called Edendowcarrick,” which being made wardable could be
converted into a store for provisioning Blackwater and Coleraine in
case of sea storms.
Later it was evidently taken possession of by Shane M’Brian O’Neill,
who had joined with his great namesake and kinsman, the Earl of Tyrone,
for in 1597 Sir John Chichester, with the help of Neale M’Haghe (the
other claimant to Clandaboy) took the castle from him. It was a
somewhat unexpected victory, as Sir John did not at first intend the
capture. He had divided his forces into three companies of a hundred
men each. One party he sent to seize some horses of the enemy, the
second was detailed to harass the rebels, and the third, which he
himself commanded, was intended to prevent a sally from the castle. The
garrison did make an attempt to issue forth, and he presently came up
“pell mell with them,” and entered the bawn.
After two assaults the English came so near that they set the building
on fire. It was said to have contained large stores, and that its loss
was a great bridle to the Earl of Tyrone.
After this the chieftains of both the Clandaboys laid down their arms
and gave hostages.
The castle had not long been in Government hands when the warders,
although well provisioned by the help of Shane M’Brian (now siding with
the English), made a raid upon the country people, and carried off a
number of horses.
Neill M’Hugh M’Phelim, having escaped from prison, took up the people’s
cause and assaulted the castle. They broke the bawn and burned the
door of the main keep, whereupon the garrison killed their prey in the
cellar, and as it is reported, “by this wilful accident put the house
in danger.”
A new door was ordered, and also a more plentiful stock of provisions
for the garrison.
In 1598 Sir Hugh O’Neill resided at Edenduffcarrick, it having passed
again out of the hands of the Government.
In 1607 King James I. finally settled the castle and estate upon the
descendants of Shane MacBrian O’Neill. It is most likely that the
present name of Shane’s Castle is derived from this man. Richard Dobbs
uses this designation in 1683, so that the popular belief that the name
was altered by French John who came into possession in 1716 is clearly
erroneous. He was called “French” John because, being of a younger
branch, he had made his own way in the world engaged in the wool trade
abroad. When he came into possession of the estate he displayed in the
castle hall the very wool-cards he had used in his poorer days to show
he was not ashamed of his calling. It was he who built the family vault
in the adjacent graveyard in 1722.
In 1798 the first Viscount O’Neill, who was then the family
representative, rode into Antrim on the day of the battle of that town.
He received a mortal wound from a pike in his side, and being conveyed
by boat to Shane’s Castle, he lingered for a fortnight. It is supposed
that it was at his wife’s instigation that he enlarged the castle
demesne and removed the ancient village of Edenduffcarrick.
A most interesting note from Mrs. Siddon’s diary, mentioning her visit
to the castle in 1783, is as follows:--
“When my Dublin engagement concluded I made a visit to Shane’s Castle,
the magnificent residence of Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill. I have not words to
describe the beauty and splendour of this enchanting place, which, I
am sorry to say, has since been destroyed by a tremendous fire. Here
were often assembled the talent, and rank, and beauty of Ireland.
Among the persons of the Leinster family whom I met here was poor Lord
Edward Fitzgerald, the most amiable, honourable, though misguided,
youth I ever knew. The luxury of this establishment almost inspired
the recollections of an Arabian Night’s entertainment. Six or eight
carriages, with a numerous throng of lords and ladies on horseback,
began the day by making excursions around this terrestrial paradise,
returning home just in time to dress for dinner. The table was served
with a profusion and elegance to which I have never seen anything
comparable. The sideboards were decorated with adequate magnificence,
on which appeared immense silver flagons containing claret. A fine
band of musicians played during the whole of the repast. They were
stationed in the corridors which led into a fine conservatory, where we
plucked our dessert from numerous trees of the most exquisite fruits.
The foot of the conservatory was washed by the waves of a superb lake,
from which the cool and pleasant wind came to murmur in concert with
the harmony from the corridor. The graces of the presiding genius, the
lovely mistress of the mansion, seem to blend with the whole scene.”
The great fire already alluded to occurred in 1816, and is supposed to
have originated in a chimney where jackdaws were building. It quickly
spread to the drawing-room, and nothing was saved except the family
papers and plate. A most valuable library and many pictures were
destroyed.
The sky was crimson for miles round, and people flocked to all the
adjacent hills to witness the magnificent sight.
The present family residence is about a quarter of a mile from the old
castle. The owner, Lord O’Neill, is the 2nd Baron, the former title
having become extinct in 1855.
“The Rockery,” formed from an ancient quarry and stocked with rare
plants, is one of the attractions of the demesne.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
Calendar of State Papers.
Calendar of Carew MSS.
G. Hill, “Macdonnells of Antrim.”
W. S. Smith, “Shane’s Castle.”
Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”
Parliamentary Gazetteer.
W. S. Smith, “Memories of ’98”; G. Hill,
“Shane’s Castle”; “Origin and
Characteristics of the Population
in the Counties of Down and Antrim,”
and Notes, all in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_.
_SWORDS CASTLE_
About seven miles from Dublin, on the chief highway to the North,
is situated the town of Swords, Sword, Surd, or Swerdes, as it is
variously termed in ancient manuscripts. From the earliest ages of
Christianity the church founded by St. Columbkille, with its attendant
offices and monastery, made the neighbourhood a powerful ecclesiastical
centre; so that, when in later years the church lands of Swords became
joined to the see of Dublin, they formed no inconsiderable part of the
Archbishop’s revenue.
In the Bull of Pope Alexander III. in 1179 to St. Laurence O’Toole,
Archbishop of Dublin, confirming his archiepiscopal see, Sword is
placed second on the list of churches in importance.
Therefore it is not surprising that the Englishmen who succeeded
O’Toole in the see of Dublin should have erected their country
residence in a town, from the surrounding lands of which they derived
so much of their income.
The site for the castle or palace was chosen on the east bank of Swords
River, and the area covered by the buildings was more extensive than is
usual for a Norman fortress, while the defences were somewhat less, as
we hear no mention, nor see any remains, of the keep, which forms so
universal a feature of the chief baronial strongholds.
Authorities place the date of building variously between 1184 and 1282,
which gives a somewhat wide margin, but its erection is most generally
assigned to John Comyn, the first English Archbishop of Dublin, who
was elected at Evesham, 1181, and who was one of those to welcome
Prince John at Waterford in 1185. An inquisition of 1265 finds that
there was a constable of the castle in this Archbishop’s time.
The palace was built in castellated style, and the range of embattled
walls flanked with towers is still complete. The warders’ walk is yet
easy to trace. Over the gateway were the apartments for the guard, and
just below is still visible the bakehouse chimney, of which mention
will be made later.
[Illustration: SWORDS CASTLE.]
Like so many of the castles of Leinster, Swords provided for years
a convenient quarry for the neighbourhood, and what had once been
corner stones of a palace went to support the thatched roofs of the
surrounding cabins, so that few of the buildings which stood inside the
battlements are now traceable.
In the line of walls is a large window which once occupied the gable
end of what is likely to have been the great hall. The mullions of this
window, which remained intact until recently, were remarkable for being
of red sandstone, which is unknown in the country.
The situation of the chapel may still be discerned by the remnants of
some of the stone carving which once adorned its sacred walls.
In 1192 Archbishop Comyn obtained a patent authorising him to hold an
annual fair in his manor of Swords, and in 1387 this privilege was
confirmed to Robert de Wikeford.