[Illustration:
DANIEL O’CONNELL
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WORLD’S BEST HISTORIES
❧
IRELAND
THE PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF IRELAND
IN TWO VOLUMES
BY
JOHN F. FINERTY
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED IRISH LEAGUE OF AMERICA
ILLUSTRATED
[Illustration]
VOLUME I
THE CO-OPERATIVE PUBLICATION SOCIETY
NEW YORK AND LONDON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
COPYRIGHT 1904
BY P. F. COLLIER & SON
Ireland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HISTORY OF IRELAND
VOLUME ONE
Ireland—1
Vol. I
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_CONTENTS_
BOOK I
DEALING WITH THE STORY OF THE IRISH PEOPLE FROM 1
THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE ADVENT OF THE
REFORMATION IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER I
Prefatory—Territorial Divisions of 3
Ireland—Physical Features of the
Country—Peculiarities of Soil, Climate, and
Scenery
CHAPTER II
Further of the Characteristics and Resources of 12
the Island—Present Form of Government
CHAPTER III
The Original Inhabitants of Ireland 19
CHAPTER IV
The Religion of Ancient Ireland—Many Writers say 24
it was Worship of the Sun, Moon, and Elements
CHAPTER V
Advent of St. Patrick—His Wonderful Apostolic 29
Career in Ireland—A Captive and a Swineherd for
Years, he Escapes and becomes the Regenerator of
the Irish Nation
CHAPTER VI
Ancient Laws and Government of the Irish 35
CHAPTER VII
Period of Danish Invasion 47
CHAPTER VIII
Battle of Clontarf, A.D. 1014—Total Overthrow of 52
the Danish Army and Power in Ireland
CHAPTER IX
Desolating Civil Wars Among the Irish 58
CHAPTER X
The Norman-Welsh Invasion of Ireland—Their Landing 63
in Wexford
CHAPTER XI
Superior Armament of the Normans—Arrival of Henry 72
II
CHAPTER XII
Prince John “Lackland” Created “Lord” of 79
Ireland—Splendid Heroism of Sir Armoricus
Tristram
CHAPTER XIII
Ireland Under the Earlier Edwards—The Younger 86
Bruce Elected King by the Irish—Battle of
Athenry—Death of Bruce at Faughart Hill
CHAPTER XIV
Prince Lionel Viceroy for Edward III—The Statute 91
of Kilkenny
CHAPTER XV
Richard II’s Invasions—Heroic Art MacMurrough 95
CHAPTER XVI
Ireland During the Wars of the Roses 101
BOOK II
TREATING OF IRISH AFFAIRS FROM THE PERIOD OF THE 109
REFORMATION TO THE EXILE AND DEATH OF THE ULSTER
PRINCES IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I
CHAPTER I
The “Reformation”—New Cause of Discord in Ireland 111
CHAPTER II
The Reformation Period Continued—Edward VI, Mary 117
I, Elizabeth, and “John the Proud”
CHAPTER III
The Geraldine War—Hugh O’Neill and “Red Hugh” 123
O’Donnell
CHAPTER IV
Confiscation of Desmond’s Domains—English 130
Plantation of Munster
CHAPTER V
Conditions in Ulster Before the Revolt of O’Neill 133
CHAPTER VI
O’Neill Draws the Sword—Victories of Clontibret 136
and Armagh
CHAPTER VII
Ireland Still Victorious—Battles of Tyrrell’s Pass 141
and Drumfluich
CHAPTER VIII
Irish Victory of the Yellow Ford, Called the 145
Bannockburn of Ireland
CHAPTER IX
How O’Neill Baffled Essex—O’Donnell’s Victory of 149
the Curlew Mountains
CHAPTER X
King Philip Sends Envoys to O’Neill—The Earl of 153
Mountjoy Lord Deputy
CHAPTER XI
Ireland’s Fortunes Take a Bad Turn—Defeat of 158
O’Neill and O’Donnell at Kinsale
CHAPTER XII
Sad Death of O’Donnell in Spain—Heroic Defence of 166
Dunboy
CHAPTER XIII
Wane of Irish Resistance—O’Neill Surrenders to 170
Mountjoy at Mellifont
CHAPTER XIV
Treachery of James I to the Irish Chiefs—“The 174
Flight of the Earls”
BOOK III
RECORDING THE DOINGS OF THE ENGLISH AND IRISH, IN 183
IRELAND, FROM THE TIME OF JAMES I TO THE
JACOBITE WARS IN THE DAYS OF JAMES II AND
WILLIAM III
CHAPTER I
Confiscations and Penal Laws—The Iron Rule of Lord 185
Strafford
CHAPTER II
Irish Military Exiles—Rory O’More Organizes a 192
Great Insurrection
CHAPTER III
Horrors of Civil War in Ulster—Battle of 200
Kilrush—Rory O’More Disappears from History
CHAPTER IV
Proceedings of the Confederation of 208
Kilkenny—Arrival of Owen Roe O’Neill and
Rinuccini
CHAPTER V
Treason of Ormond to the Catholic Cause—Owen Roe 218
O’Neill, Aided by the Nuncio, Prepares to Fight
CHAPTER VI
The Famous Irish Victory of Benburb—Cruel Murder 221
of the Catholic Bishop of Ross
CHAPTER VII
Ormond’s Treacherous Surrender of Dublin—Ireland’s 226
Choice of Two Evils
CHAPTER VIII
“The Curse of Cromwell”—Massacres of Drogheda and 230
Wexford—Death of Sir Phelim O’Neill
CHAPTER IX
Sad Fate of the Vanquished—Cruel Executions and 236
Wholesale Confiscations
CHAPTER X
Ireland Further Scourged Under Charles II—Murder 240
of Archbishop Plunket—Accession of James II
CHAPTER XI
Well-Meant but Imprudent Policy of King 245
James—England Invites William of Orange to
Assume the Throne
CHAPTER XII
Irish Soldiers Ill-Treated in England—Policy of 253
Tyrconnel—King James Chosen by the Irish Nation
BOOK IV
CHRONICLING IMPORTANT EVENTS IN IRELAND FROM THE 259
ARRIVAL OF JAMES II IN THAT COUNTRY UNTIL THE
DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE OF BERWICK TO FRANCE AFTER
THE FIRST SIEGE OF LIMERICK, IN 1690
CHAPTER I
King James in Ireland—Enthusiastic Reception of 261
Him by the Irish People—Military Operations
CHAPTER II
Jacobites Foiled at Londonderry—Mountcashel 264
Defeated at Newtown Butler—King James’s Irish
Parliament
CHAPTER III
King James’s Imprudent Acts—Witty Retort of a 268
Protestant Peer—Architectural Features of Dublin
CHAPTER IV
Composition of the Hostile Armies—King William 271
Arrives in Ireland—Narrowly Escapes Death on Eve
of Battle
CHAPTER V
Battle of the Boyne—Death of Marshal 277
Schomberg—Valor of Irish Cavalry—Inexcusable
Flight of King James
CHAPTER VI
Irish Army Retires on “The Line of the 286
Shannon”—Douglas Repulsed at Athlone—King
William Begins Siege of Limerick—Sarsfield’s
Exploit
CHAPTER VII
William’s Assault on Limerick Repulsed with 294
Slaughter—Heroism of the Irish Women—Irish
Humanity to the English Wounded
CHAPTER VIII
Fall of Cork and Kinsale—Lauzun, the French 302
General, Accused by Irish Writers—Sarsfield’s
Popularity—Tyrconnel Returns to Ireland—Berwick
Departs
BOOK V
RECORDING IMPORTANT EVENTS FROM THE ARRIVAL OF 311
GENERAL ST. RUTH IN LIMERICK TO HIS GLORIOUS
DEATH AT THE BATTLE OF AUGHRIM, IN JULY, 1691
CHAPTER I
General St Ruth Arrives at Limerick to Command the 313
Irish Army—His Marvelous Activity—Brave and
Able, but Vain and Obstinate
CHAPTER II
De Ginkel Besieges Athlone—Memorable Resistance of 318
the Irish Garrison—The Battle at the Bridge—St.
Ruth’s Fatuous Obstinacy—Town Taken by Surprise
CHAPTER III
The Irish Army Falls Back and Takes Post at 326
Aughrim—Description of the Field—Disposition of
the Irish Forces—Baal Dearg O’Donnell’s Apathy
CHAPTER IV
De Ginkel Marches After St. Ruth—The Latter 332
Prepares to “Conquer or Die”—His Speech to the
Irish Army on the Eve of Fighting
CHAPTER V
Decisive Battle of Aughrim—It Opens Favorably for 336
the Irish—Desperate Fighting in the Centre and
at Urachree—Fortune or Treason Favors De Ginkel
CHAPTER VI
Battle of Aughrim Continued—Its Crisis—The English 342
Turn Irish Left—St. Ruth Killed by Cannon
Ball—Confusion and Final Defeat of Irish Army
CHAPTER VII
Mortality Among Officers of Rank on Both 350
Sides—Acknowledged English Loss at
Aughrim—English and Irish Comments on Conduct of
Battle
BOOK VI
TREATING OF THE PERIOD FROM THE SECOND SIEGE OF 361
LIMERICK, IN 1691, TO THE DISSOLUTION OF THE
EXILED FRANCO-IRISH BRIGADE A CENTURY LATER
CHAPTER I
Second Siege of Limerick—Terrific Bombardment—The 363
English, Aided by Treachery, Cross the
Shannon—Massacre of Thomond Bridge
CHAPTER II
Capitulation of Limerick—Terms of the Famous 371
“Violated Treaty”—Cork Harbor Tragedy
CHAPTER III
The Irish Troops, as a Majority, Enter the French 383
Service—King James Receives Them Cordially—His
Testimony of Their Devotion and Courage
CHAPTER IV
Early Exploits of the Irish Brigade in the Service 388
of France—At Landen, Cremona, and
Blenheim—Tribute Paid it by an English Historian
CHAPTER V
The Irish Brigade in the Campaigns of North Italy 393
and Flanders—Its Strength at Various
Periods—Count Dillon’s Reply to King Louis XV
CHAPTER VI
The Austrian Succession—Campaign of 399
1745—Magnificent Achievement of the Irish
Brigade at Fontenoy—Prince Louis’s Adieu to the
Heroes
BOOK VII
NARRATING THE MANY PENAL STATUTES AGAINST THE 409
CATHOLICS, AND CARRYING THE STORY DOWN TO THE
ACQUIREMENT OF A FREE COMMERCE BY THE IRISH
PARLIAMENT, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF GRATTAN,
A.D. 1780
CHAPTER I
Anti-Catholic Penal Laws—Their Drastic, Brutal and 411
Absurd Provisions—Professional Informers,
Called “Priest-Hunters”
CHAPTER II
Restrictions on Irish Trade and Manufactures—All 424
Creeds Suffer—Presbyterian Exodus to
America—Death of Royal Personages—Accession of
George I
CHAPTER III
Further Commercial Restrictions—Continued Exodus 431
of Working People—Jonathan Swift—“The Patriot
Party”—Tyranny of Primate Boulter
CHAPTER IV
Official Extravagance—Charles Lucas, Leader of 439
Irish Opposition—Chesterfield Viceroy—His
Recall—Dorset’s Vile Administration
CHAPTER V
More Persecution of Catholics Under George 447
II—Secret Committee Formed—Snubbed by the
Speaker—Received by the Viceroy—Anti-Union Riot
in Dublin
CHAPTER VI
Accession of George III—His Character—Boasts of 452
Being “a Briton”—Death of Dr. Lucas—Lord
Townsend’s Novel Idea of Governing
Ireland—Septennial Parliament Refused
CHAPTER VII
The Peace of Paris—Agrarian Warfare in 457
Ireland—Judicial Murder of Father Sheehy—All who
Swore Against Him Die Violent Deaths—Secret
Societies
CHAPTER VIII
Flood and Grattan—Sudden Rise of the Latter—Speaks 462
for a Free Commerce—The Volunteer
Movement—England Yields to Irish Demand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOOK I
DEALING WITH THE STORY OF THE IRISH PEOPLE FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO
THE ADVENT OF THE REFORMATION IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER I
Prefatory—Territorial Divisions of Ireland—Physical Features of the
Country—Peculiarities of Soil, Climate, and Scenery
THAT famous English Republican, Thomas Paine—whose political pamphlets
have been admired quite as much as his theological works have been
censured—uttered in “Common Sense,” published in 1776, while he was
serving under Washington in the Continental Army, this striking
aphorism: “Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America.”
His object was to stimulate the patriotic pride of such American
colonists—and they were many—as were not of English birth or descent,
and to proclaim that the other great branches of the human race, settled
in America, must, of necessity, have a vital interest in the successful
issue of the War for Independence. No other great country of the world
has a population made up of so many divers “previous nationalities,” all
combined into one gigantic political whole, as the United States of
America. Most of the notable nations of the Old World are here
represented not by hundreds or thousands, but by millions of citizens,
“racy of the soil,” and proud to call themselves Americans. A French
patriot once said, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies: “There is no
French race. France is a grand political entity which all true
Frenchmen, of whatever race, worship.” This fine sentiment can be even
more logically applied to America and Americans, for both are still in
the formative period. Several centuries hence, perhaps, a race of people
distinctively American in all respects may occupy this country, but
while the great stream of European immigration continues to flow toward
the setting sun there can not exist such a racial condition in this
Republic, except in those remote districts in which the immigrant rarely
seeks a home.
Most Americans have read something of the political misfortunes of
Ireland, but very many among us have not made her history even a partial
study, and have often taken their views of it, at second hand, from
sources that could not fail to be partial and, therefore, prejudicial.
We do not need to apologize for seeking to throw more light, in a simple
yet comprehensive manner, on the history of that beautiful island the
blood of whose exiled children flows in the veins of not less than
20,000,000 of the American people. The Irish race owes much to America,
and America, in turn, owes much to it. Truly has it been said of the
American Irish that they were with the Republic at its birth, guarded
its infancy, rejoiced in its growth and prosperity, and will endure with
it until the end, which comes, in the fulness of time, to even the
greatest among nations. Thomas Francis Meagher (Mä’her or Marr)—the
young Irish patriot and orator of 1848, and afterward a famous Union
general of the Civil War—in one of the brilliant speeches he delivered
in this country, said: “When, in 1849, I was a political captive on
board an English battleship, I beheld, one bright morning, through the
porthole of my cabin, while we were anchored in an Australian harbor,
the Stars and Stripes floating from the mast of a stately American
frigate and hailed Liberty at my prison-gate!” And this is the sentiment
of every honest immigrant who seeks the shelter of our flag.
Ireland, called poetically, because of its perennial verdure, the
Emerald Isle, lies in the Atlantic Ocean, immediately westward of the
larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by, in most
parts, a wide and deep strait, varying in width from 14 miles, where the
headlands of Antrim approach the western coast of Scotland, to about 125
miles, which is the maximum distance from the coast of England. This
strait is called, running from north to south consecutively, the North
Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George’s Channel. The high shore of
Scotland is always visible, in clear weather, from the northeast coast
of Ireland, and the mountains of Wales, about 65 miles distant, may be
seen, under similar conditions, from Bray Head and other points on the
Leinster coast, but no part of England can be seen at any time from the
Irish shore. Ireland, considered geographically, is of an irregular
rhomboidal shape, by some writers compared to an oblong shield, and is
situated between Latitude 51° 26´ and 55° 21´ North, and Longitude 5°
21´ and 10° 26´ West, projecting farther into the Atlantic Ocean, to the
westward, than any other portion of European soil. Its total area,
including many small islands close to the coast, is about 32,500 square
miles, or 19,000 less than England, 2,000 more than Scotland, 25,000
more than Wales, and nearly 2,000 less than our inland State of Indiana.
Ireland would make, almost to a fraction, thirty-two States the size of
Rhode Island, which has a Legislature of its own—a privilege the Green
Isle does not, at present, enjoy.
The island is divided into four provinces—in ancient times it had five;
namely, Leinster in the east, Ulster in the north, Connaught in the
west, and Munster in the south. These are, again, divided into
two-and-thirty counties—a system of Anglo-Norman, or English, invention,
and, according to the learned Doctor Joyce, savant and historian, they
generally represent the older native territories and sub-kingdoms. King
John, “Lord” of Ireland, formed twelve of them in the twelfth
century—Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Uriel (or Louth), Carlow, Kilkenny,
Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary. Henry VIII
divided Meath proper into two counties and called one Westmeath. King’s
and Queen’s Counties were formed in the reign of Mary I, who married
Philip II of Spain, out of the old districts of Leix and Offaly. Hence
their capitals are called, respectively, Philipstown and Maryborough.
The county Longford was formed out of the territory of Annaly, by Deputy
Sir Henry Sydney, about 1565. The same official divided Connaught into
six counties—Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Clare. The
latter county, although situated on the Connaught bank of the river
Shannon, was subsequently given to Munster, because it had formed a part
of that province in ancient times. Antrim and Down were organized into
counties early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and Lord Deputy Perrott,
about 1584, formed seven others out of Ulster; namely, Armagh, Monaghan,
Tyrone, Coleraine (now Derry), Donegal, Fermanagh, and Cavan. Dublin
County, at first, included Wicklow, but, in 1605, during the reign of
James I, Sir Arthur Chichester made the latter a separate county.
The existing division of the counties among the provinces is as follows:
Munster comprises Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and
Waterford; Ulster contains Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Down,
Fermanagh, Derry, Monaghan, and Tyrone; Connaught has Galway, Leitrim,
Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo; Leinster comprises Carlow, Dublin, Kildare,
Kilkenny, King’s County, Longford, Louth, Meath, Queen’s County,
Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow.
The reader ought to know, however, that a majority of the Ulster and
Connaught counties, and some in Leinster and Munster, did not recognize
their English designations, or yield to English law, in any shape, until
after the accession of James I to the British throne, in 1603. They were
governed by their own princes, chiefs, and judges, under the old Brehon
law, until “the Peace of Mellifont” in that year.
While the Irish counties differ very materially in extent, the provinces
show the following proportions: Munster, 6,064,579 acres; Ulster,
5,475,458; Leinster, 4,871,118; Connaught, 4,392,043. The island is
further subdivided into 316 baronies, 2,532 parishes, and 60,760
townlands, which average about 300 acres each. These are figures with
which every student of Irish history should be familiar.
The country is, in general, very fertile, and grows cereals luxuriantly.
The green crops, such as turnips, parsnips, cabbages, and kindred
vegetables, are unexcelled. Its grazing capacity is very great, and
Irish horses, homed cattle, sheep, and swine are among the choicest in
Europe. Apples, pears, plums, and the smaller fruits grow abundantly in
the mild, moist climate, but the Irish sun will not ripen peaches,
grapes, or tomatoes, unless they are under glass. Poultry thrive
wondrously, and there is a large exportation of fowl and eggs to the
British markets. Irish butter ranks high also. Yet the country is poor,
chiefly because of the scarcity of manufactures, and for other reasons
that will be explained as we proceed.
The Irish climate is equable, but, in general, damp, when compared with
that of America. Neither summer heat nor winter cold produces
discomfort, except at very rare intervals. Violent storms are
infrequent, except along the western coast, and electrical disturbances
are much rarer than in our atmosphere. Only one cyclonic storm, that of
January 6, 1839, visited Ireland during the nineteenth century, and it
is known to this day as “the Big Wind.”
Irish scenery is peculiar in character—soft, yet bold of outline, as
regards its mountain regions. The cliffs on the Connaught, Ulster, and
Munster coasts are tall and beetling—those of Moher, in Clare, and those
that flank the Giants’ Causeway—a remarkable basaltic formation in
Antrim—being the most notable. All the elevations that rise above a
thousand feet are clothed with the heather, which is also peculiar to
Scotland, and this plant changes its hue with every season so that there
is a constant shifting of color, which adds much to the charm of the
landscape. The Irish sky, too, is changeful, so much so that an Irish
poet, in paying tribute to the beauty of his wife, wrote:
“Eyes like the skies of dear Erin, our mother,
Where shadow and sunshine are chasing each other!”
Snow generally disappears from the summits of the Irish mountains about
the second week of May. The mildness of the climate in a latitude so far
toward the north is due to the powerful influence of the warm Gulf
Stream, and this also explains the verdure of the country at almost all
periods of the year. A striking characteristic of the Irish mountains is
that they, in general, rise abruptly from the plain, which gives them an
appearance of greater altitude than they really possess; the highest
peak in the island—that of Carn Tual in Kerry—being only a trifle over
3,400 feet. There is still another peculiarity of the Irish mountain
system which strikes all tourists—the highland chains, for the most
part, rise near the coast, and follow its course, thus making it one of
the boldest and grandest in Europe, while some detached groups, such as
the Galtee and Slieve Bloom ranges in Munster and Leinster, the Curlews
in Connaught and Slieve Snacht (Snowy range) in Ulster, seem to be
independent formations.
The Irish lakes are numerous and, in general, picturesque. Lough Neagh
(Nay) in the north, Lough Corrib in the west, and Lough Dearg—an expanse
of the Shannon—are the largest, but the most famed for scenery are those
of Killarney in Kerry, Lough Dan in Wicklow, and Lough Gill in Sligo.
The Irish rivers are many, and, in the main, beautiful streams. The
Shannon is the greatest river in the realm of Great Britain and Ireland,
while the Suir, the Barrow, the Nore, the Slaney, the Corrib, the Erne,
the Foyle, the Boyne, and the Liffey are also considerable rivers and
possess enough waterpower, were it scientifically utilized, to turn the
wheels of the world’s machinery. The Munster Blackwater, celebrated,
like its sister river, the Suir, in the charming poetry of Edmund
Spenser, is called, because of its peculiar loveliness, “the Irish
Rhine.” After a winding and picturesque course through the south of
Munster, it falls into the ocean at Youghal—a town of which the famous
Sir Walter Raleigh, of Queen Elizabeth’s Court, was once mayor.
One-seventh of the surface of Ireland is computed to be under
bogs—semi-spongy formations, claimed by some naturalists to be the
decomposed relics of mighty forests with which Ireland was covered in
remote ages. The aspect of these “moors,” as they are called by the
British, is dreary enough in winter, but at other periods they have
their charms; the heather and mosses with which they are, in many
places, thickly clothed, changing hue, as on the mountains, with every
season. Nearly all of these bogs are capable of being reclaimed for
agricultural uses, but the people do not desire their reclamation, for
the reason that they furnish cheap fuel to most of the rural districts,
where there is neither coal nor timber supply. Owing to the mildness of
the climate, the cut and dried sods of “peat,” called “turf,” which
resemble brown bricks, take the place of coal and wood, and make quite a
comfortable fire. “Stone turf,” produced by artificial pressure, and an
extra drying process, makes almost as hot a fire as anthracite, but is
much dearer than the ordinary article, which is softer and lighter.
Indeed, the common Irish turf would be almost useless in our fierce
winter weather. These fuel “reservoirs” can not be exhausted for ages to
come. It is claimed that, by some mysterious process of nature, they
renew themselves from time to time, after they have been “given a rest”
by the turf-cutters. Many large bogs occupy the summits and sides of the
mountains, and seem to be of the same character as those on the level
land. Occasionally the high morasses shift their positions, like
glaciers, only with a much quicker movement, and overwhelm, like the
avalanche, everything in their path. These are called “the moving bogs.”
The last phenomenon of the kind occurred in the County Kerry a few years
ago, when much property was destroyed and several lives were lost.
Scientists claim that these bogs are undermined by bodies of water,
which, when flooded, lift the crust and carry it with them, in their
effort to find their natural level. It is well known in Ireland that
several small, but deep, lakes now occupy places that were formerly
covered by these strange formations. We will devote a separate chapter
to other features of this interesting country.
------------------------------------------------------------------------