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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e0712d --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62488 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62488) diff --git a/old/62488-0.txt b/old/62488-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c7ea055..0000000 --- a/old/62488-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11550 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Castles of Ireland, by C. L. (Constance Louisa) Adams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Castles of Ireland - Some Fortress Histories and Legends - -Author: C. L. (Constance Louisa) Adams - -Release Date: June 27, 2020 [EBook #62488] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CASTLES OF IRELAND *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Hulse, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - CASTLES OF IRELAND - - [Illustration: - - _Frontispiece._ - - ADARE CASTLE.] - - - - - Castles of Ireland - - Some Fortress Histories and - Legends - - BY - - C. L. ADAMS - - - ILLUSTRATED BY REV. CANON LUCIUS O’BRIEN - - [Illustration] - - - LONDON - ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. - 1904 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -The Castles of Ireland are far too numerous for any single volume -to contain their separate histories, and all that I claim for the -present work is that it includes epitomised accounts of those of chief -interest, as well as some regarding which I had special facilities for -collecting information. It is, I also believe, the first collection -of such records, and therefore I hope but the forerunner of similar -works which may be issued in the future, so that the time will yet come -when all these interesting relics of a troubled and stormy past may -be classified and chronicled, and the present obscurity in which the -history of so many of them is shrouded be entirely cleared away. - -The number of ruined castles in Ireland is always a matter of surprise -to visitors from the Sister Isle, and perhaps they help us, of less -stirring days, to realise more fully the continual state of warfare in -which our ancestors must have lived than printed records can ever do. - -These castles range in dimensions from the few blocks of protruding -masonry on the green sward, which mark the foundation of a ruined -peel tower, or the scarcely traceable line of wall which was once a -fortified bawn, to the majestic ruins of castles like Adare with its -three distinct and separate fortifications one within the other, or -royal Trim, deemed strong enough to be a prison for English princes. - -Yet in the majority of cases little or nothing is known locally about -the builders, owners or destroyers who have left us these picturesque, -if somewhat sad, mementoes of their warfaring existence. Three items of -information will in all probability be supplied to the enquirer--that -they were built by King John, occupied by the Geraldines, and -demolished by Cromwell in person, and indeed if the hill from which -the bombardment was carried out is not shown to the stranger his -informant is lacking in the general art of story-telling. In some cases -the origin of the castles is boldly attributed by tradition to the -Danes, thereby unconsciously introducing the much wider controversy -as to whether such stone fortresses were known in Ireland before the -landing of the Normans at Wexford in 1169. Be this as it may, it was -only subsequent to this date that they were built in any number. Both -invaders and invaded relied chiefly on these strongholds for obtaining -supremacy in their constant struggles. Grants of land were generally -given with the condition of erecting a fortified residence. It was only -when the introduction of gunpowder rendered such buildings untenable -in war, that they were very generally deserted for more comfortable -dwellings, and jackdaws alone keep watch to-day from many a crumbling -battlement that once echoed a sentinel’s tread, and bovine heads -protrude from the doorways from which mailed knights rode forth to -battle. - -I regret to say that space forbids my mentioning by name all those -owners of castles and others who have so generously assisted me in -compiling the following accounts, but perhaps I may be allowed to -specially acknowledge the valuable help I received from the Librarian -and Assistant Librarians of the National Library, Dublin, Lord Walter -Fitzgerald, and Mr. Herbert Wood, of the Public Record Office. - - - C. L. ADAMS. - -LONDON, 1904. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -INTRODUCTION v - -LEGEND OF KILKEA CASTLE xi - -ADARE CASTLE 1 - -ANTRIM CASTLE 9 - -ARKLOW CASTLE 15 - -ARTANE CASTLE 18 - -ATHLONE CASTLE 22 - -BALLYMOTE CASTLE 27 - -BALLYSHANNON CASTLE 31 - -BALLYTEIGUE CASTLE 37 - -BARBERSTOWN CASTLE 39 - -BARGY CASTLE 42 - -BARRYSCOURT CASTLE 45 - -BIRR CASTLE 48 - -BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW 54 - -BLARNEY CASTLE 57 - -BUNRATTY CASTLE 65 - -CARLOW CASTLE 71 - -CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE 77 - -CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE 85 - -CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE 90 - -CASTLE BARNARD 97 - -CASTLE BORO 101 - -CASTLE DONOVAN 104 - -CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY CORK 107 - -CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY WICKLOW 109 - -CASTLE SALEM 114 - -CLOGHAN CASTLE 116 - -CROM CASTLE 121 - -DOE CASTLE 126 - -DRIMNAGH CASTLE 133 - -DUBLIN CASTLE 137 - -DUNDANIEL CASTLE 142 - -DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DOWN 148 - -DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DUBLIN 152 - -DUNLUCE CASTLE 157 - -DUNSOGHLY CASTLE 165 - -ENNISCORTHY CASTLE 168 - -ENNISKILLEN CASTLE 172 - -FERNS CASTLE 177 - -FERRYCARRIG AND SHANA COURT CASTLES 182 - -GEASHILL CASTLE 185 - -GLENARM CASTLE 191 - -GLIN CASTLE 193 - -GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL 198 - -GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN 202 - -HOWTH CASTLE 209 - -KILBARRON CASTLE 214 - -KILBRITTAIN CASTLE 217 - -KILKEA CASTLE 220 - -KILKENNY CASTLE 228 - -KILLIANE CASTLE 235 - -KILLYLEAGH CASTLE 239 - -KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD 244 - -KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK 250 - -LEA CASTLE 257 - -LEAP CASTLE 264 - -LEIXLIP CASTLE 272 - -LISMORE CASTLE 280 - -LOHORT CASTLE 285 - -LOUGH CUTRA CASTLE 287 - -MACROOM CASTLE 289 - -MALAHIDE CASTLE 292 - -MALLOW CASTLE 297 - -MAYNOOTH CASTLE 305 - -MONGEVLIN CASTLE 311 - -MONKSTOWN CASTLE, COUNTY CORK 313 - -PORTUMNA CASTLE 316 - -ROSCOMMON CASTLE 318 - -ROSS CASTLE 325 - -ROSSCLOGHER CASTLE 330 - -SHANE’S CASTLE 336 - -SWORDS CASTLE 344 - -TILLYRA CASTLE 350 - -TIMON CASTLE 351 - -TRALEE CASTLE 353 - -TRIM CASTLE 359 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - -ADARE CASTLE _Frontispiece_ - -ANTRIM CASTLE 8 - -BIRR CASTLE 49 - -BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW 55 - -BLARNEY CASTLE 59 - -BUNRATTY CASTLE 64 - -CARLOW CASTLE 72 - -CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE 79 - -CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE 84 - -CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE 91 - -CASTLE DONOVAN 105 - -CROM CASTLE 120 - -DRIMNAGH CASTLE 132 - -DUBLIN CASTLE 136 - -DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DOWN 149 - -DUNLUCE CASTLE 156 - -DUNSOGHLY CASTLE 164 - -ENNISKILLEN CASTLE 173 - -GLENARM CASTLE 190 - -GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL 199 - -GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN 203 - -HOWTH CASTLE 208 - -KILBARRON CASTLE 215 - -KILKEA CASTLE 221 - -KILKENNY CASTLE 229 - -KILLYLEAGH CASTLE 238 - -KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD 245 - -KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK 251 - -LEA CASTLE (INTERIOR) 258 - -LEA CASTLE (EXTERIOR) 262 - -LEAP CASTLE 265 - -LEIXLIP CASTLE 273 - -LISMORE CASTLE 282 - -MALLOW CASTLE 298 - -MAYNOOTH CASTLE 304 - -ROSS CASTLE 324 - -SHANE’S CASTLE 337 - -SWORDS CASTLE 345 - -TRIM CASTLE 361 - - - - -THE LEGEND OF KILKEA CASTLE. - - - It is seven years since they last awoke - From their death-like sleep in Mullaghmast, - And the ghostly troop, with its snow-white horse, - On the Curragh plain to Kilkea rode past. - For the Lord of Kildare goes forth to-night, - And has left his rest in the lonely rath. - Oh, roughen the road for the silver shoes, - That they wear full soon on his homeward path. - - So thus to his own he may come again, - With a trumpet blast and his warriors bold, - And the spell that was by his lady cast - Will pass away as a tale once told. - For dearly she loved her noble lord, - And she wished that no secret from her he kept, - So she longed to know why in chamber small - He watched and toiled while the household slept. - - But the Wizard Earl would not tell to her - The secret dark of his vaulted cell, - “For fear,” he said, “in the human frame, - Lets loose the power of furthest hell.” - But she feared for naught save his waning love, - And at length to her wish he bent an ear, - So flood, and serpent, and ghost gave place, - For the lady’s heart had shown no fear. - - Then her lord to a bird was soon transformed, - That rested its wing on her shoulder fair; - But the lady screamed and swooned away - When a cat sprang forth from the empty air. - For a woman must fear for the one she loves, - And a woman’s heart will break in twain, - When she knows that her hand has struck the blow - To the man she had died to save from pain. - - And thus the Earl must sleep as dead - Till the silver shoes of his steed are worn, - By which every seven years, they say, - To Kilkea and back to the rath he’s born. - And swiftly they pass, that phantom band, - With the Earl on his charger gleaming white, - So we think ’tis the shade of a cloud goes by, - With a shifting beam of the moon’s pale light. - PEERS HERVEY. - - - - -_ADARE CASTLE_ - - “Peaceful it stands, the mighty pile - By many a heart’s blood once defended, - Yet silent now as cloistered aisle, - Where rung the sounds of banquet splendid.” - - GERALD GRIFFIN. - - -This name is a corruption of Athdare, or Ath-daar, signifying “The ford -of oaks.” The present village is situated on the west bank of the River -Maig, nine miles south-south-west of Limerick. - -Desmond Castle, on the east bank, commands the river pass, and near the -northern entrance to the castle were formerly the remains of a gateway -and wall, traditionally supposed to have belonged to the ancient town -of Adare. - -The ruins of the fortress are extensive. They consist of an outer and -inner ward, separated by a moat, which in former times was crossed by a -drawbridge. - -There are three entrances to the outer ward, the chief being a square -gate tower in the west wall which was defended by a portcullis. There -is another entrance on the north, as well as a doorway opening on the -river. - -The chief buildings are situated near the water’s edge. They consist -of the great hall which is 75 feet long by 37 feet in breadth. It is -lighted by three windows of rough masonry in its south wall and by one -on the west, with fifteenth-century “ogee” heads inserted in the older -workmanship. - -The doorway on the east opens to the river. The chief entrance and -porch were on the north side. The base of one of the sandstone jambs -remains, showing it to have been of thirteenth century date. The walls -are 3 feet thick, and the roof, which had a very high gable, was -supported by four pillars. - -At the eastern end are the buttery and smaller offices, while separated -from them by a passage is the ruined kitchen (45 feet by 19 feet), -which contains the remains of an oven and also a small well of river -water. A curtain wall running west, connects these building with a fine -oblong, two-storey structure, 56 feet by 31 feet, which is remarkable, -inasmuch as the walls of the top storey are thicker than those below, -the extra width being supported by projecting stones. The top room, -which has loops splayed for archery, was reached by an exterior stone -stair. The floor was supported on beams, and the lower room seems to -have been used as a stable. - -Adjoining the building is a small square tower, which projects into the -river that flows under it through an archway in the basement. A wall -connects this tower with the gateway. - -The inner ward is now reached by a small wooden bridge. The gate tower -is connected with the S.E. angle of the keep by a thick curved curtain -with an embrasured and looped parapet. A turret protected the juncture -of the outer and inner walls. A semicircular tower also projects from -the boundary wall on the left of the inner court. It was loopholed, and -divided into two storeys. - -The keep, which is in the inner court, is about 40 feet square and 67 -feet high. Only the north wall and the portions adjoining it remain at -their original height. The side next the river is entirely broken down, -tradition saying it was destroyed with cannon in Cromwell’s time from -the opposite hill. The angles of the remaining wall are crowned with -turrets. - -The doorway leading to the vaults being of later date than the rest -it is supposed they were of more recent insertion. One of the dungeons -seems to have been used as a prison. It is lighted by a loop of -peculiar construction. - -A staircase leads to the chief apartments, and a well of river water -is within the walls. The height of the keep seems to have had a -third added to it after its original construction as is shown by the -old weather-tabling of the roof. The present building was divided -into three storeys above the ground floor, which was vaulted. The -stairway was in the thickness of the west wall. Small cells occupy the -projecting portions at the angles. - -From the objects that have been found in the moat which surrounds the -keep, it has been thought likely that it occupies the site of a rath, -as some of the relics are of much anterior date to the Norman Conquest. -The fortress is supposed to have been formerly a stronghold of the -O’Donovans until they were dispossessed by the invaders. - -The architecture of one of the windows seems to be that in vogue during -the close of the twelfth century. - -Lenihan states that Adare was famous for its castle and church in the -reign of Henry II. - -Geoffrey de Mariscis, Justiciary of Ireland, was granted permission -to hold a fair in his manor of Adare in 1226, but according to the -Spanish historian, Lopez, it had passed into the hands of the “Earls” -of Kildare in 1227, when (still according to him) the Earl of March -came from Scotland to Adare on shipping business, and the “Earls” of -Kildare, not deeming the accommodation at the inn fit for his rank, -insisted that he should come to their castle. During the visit he spoke -in such praise of the Trinitarian order that the Earl’s father said he -would found a priory at Adare. The story is probably inaccurate. In -the first place the Earldom of Kildare was not created until 1316, and -Lopez speaks of “Earls” in the plural. It is also hard to imagine what -shipping business could have been transacted in an inland town. Yet no -doubt there is some foundation for the record, as in 1279, 1315, and -1464 other abbeys were founded at Adare by the Kildare Geraldines. - -In 1290 the manor of Adare was in the possession of Maurice FitzGerald, -5th Baron of Offaly, and his wife, Lady Agnes de Valence, cousin of -the King. Their claim being disputed, a charter was issued in 1299 -confirming the grant. - -The castle was rebuilt in 1326 by the 2nd Earl of Kildare. - -Edward III. granted the lands of Adare to the Earl’s stepfather, Sir -John Darcy, during the Earl’s minority in 1329, and it was probably -at this time that the inquisition was held in the report of which we -find the first authenticated mention of the castle. It is described as -having a hall, a chapel with stone walls and covered with thatch, a -tower covered with planks, a kitchen covered with slates, and a chamber -near the stone part covered with thatch. - -Turlough O’Brien burned it sometime during the fifteenth century. - -The estate was forfeited by Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, for his -adherence to the cause of Perkin Warbeck, but it was shortly afterwards -restored. - -When the 9th Earl of Kildare was summoned to London to answer the -charge of allowing the Earl of Desmond to evade arrest, it is likely -that he set out from Adare, as he was in that part of the country. It -was during this trial in 1526 that Cardinal Wolsey cried out, “The -Earl, nay, the King of Kildare--for, when you are disposed, you reign -more like than rule the land.” - -Upon the confiscation of the estate after the rebellion of “The Silken -Thomas,” in 1536, the Earl of Desmond became possessed of Adare, which -he leased the following year from the Crown. He seems to have done so -with the intention of restoring the lands to his kinsman, the young -Gerald, then in hiding from the Government. - -The castle remained in the Earl of Desmond’s possession (with -intermissions) until his death in 1583, when it reverted to the Kildare -branch of the Geraldines. His name still clings to the ruins, no doubt -because of the stormy scenes that occurred at Adare during his short -ownership. - -Here in 1570 the celebrated Leverus, Bishop of Kildare, sought shelter -with the Earl of Desmond. He had been tutor to the young heir to the -Earldom of Kildare, when a price was set upon his head after the -rebellion of the Lord Thomas. Leverus had saved his pupil, who was ill -with smallpox, by putting him in a basket, wrapped in blankets, and -taking him from Kildare to Thomond. - -In 1578 the castle was taken by Sir Nicholas Malby after a siege of -eleven days, and garrisoned by English under Captain Carew. - -Sir John Desmond, the Earl’s brother, shortly afterwards assaulted it -in vain. The following year saw continual warfare round the town of -Adare between the two parties, and a garrison of English was placed -there by the Lord Deputy, who was accompanied by the Earl of Kildare. - -Desmond made every effort to recover the castle in 1580. He resorted to -several stratagems, one of which was to send a beautiful young woman to -the constable, by whose means he hoped the castle might be betrayed. -But upon hearing from whence she came, the officer tied a stone round -her neck and threw her into the river. - -The following year, however, Colonel Zouch, having disbanded part of -his forces, the Earl gained possession of the castle, and put the -garrison to the sword. Fresh forces arriving from Cork, Zouch marched -on Adare, only to find it deserted; but he pursued the Irish to -Lisconnel, where he defeated them in an engagement. - -Captain Mynce was recommended as custodian in 1585, and in 1598 Mr. -Marshal’s castles of Bruff and Adare were reported to have been taken. - -In 1600 the Sugan Earl of Desmond occupied Adare, but upon the -approach of Sir George Carew, in July, the Irish burnt the castle -and fled. He reports it as “a manor-house belonging to the Earls of -Kildare, wholly ruined by Pierce Lacy.” - -This Lacy was one of the Earl of Desmond’s supporters. - -Insurgents seized the stronghold in 1641, but were driven out by the -Earl of Castlehaven, and the castle is said to have been dismantled in -1657 by Cromwell’s orders. - -The lands remained in the possession of the Earls of Kildare until -1721, when they were purchased by the Quin family, now represented by -the Earl of Dunraven. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Dowd, “The County of Limerick.” - The Countess and Earl of Dunraven, “Memorials of Adare.” - Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.” - M. Lenihan, “Limerick: Its History and Antiquities.” - J. Ferrar, “History of Limerick.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Calendar of State Documents. - Calendar of Carew MSS. - -[Illustration: ANTRIM CASTLE.] - - - - -_ANTRIM CASTLE_ - - “Brown in the rust of time--it stands sublime - With overhanging battlements and towers, - And works of old defence--a massy pile, - And the broad river winds around its base - In bright, unruffled course.” - - -Antrim town is situated in the county of the same name, on the right -bank of Six-Mile-Water just before it enters Lough Neagh, a little more -than thirteen miles north-west of Belfast. - -The castle, sometimes erroneously called Massereene Castle, was erected -in the reign of James I. by Sir Hugh Clotworthy, a gentleman of -Somersetshire. - -Hugh and Lewis Clotworthy were amongst those who accompanied the Earl -of Essex in his expedition to Ulster in 1573, and in 1603 Captain Hugh -Clotworthy was doing garrison duty at Carrickfergus under Sir Arthur -Chichester. In 1605 he received a grant of the confiscated lands -of “Massarine,” and erected a residence on the site of the present -building. This consisted of a moated courtyard flanked by towers. - -Shortly afterwards he was knighted, and married the beautiful Marion -Langford “of the flowing tresses.” - -In 1610 Sir Hugh Clotworthy commenced to erect a castle according to -the undertaking of the grant, and it was completed in three years. -It consisted of a quadrangular pile, three storeys in height, which -enclosed a small courtyard, and was flanked at the angles by square -towers. The walls measured 6 feet in thickness. A short flight of -granite steps led to the entrance hall, which contained a great open -fireplace. On the right of the hall was the “buttery,” where at about -3 feet from the floor was a small square door through which food was -distributed to the poor. The townspeople had the privilege of passing -through the hall by the buttery to a pathway leading to the lake. - -The river protected the castle on the west, while on the other sides -it was surrounded by a moat. The “Mount” to the east of the castle was -furnished with ordnance. Two bastions commanded respectively the town -on the south and the lake on the north. The whole fortress covered more -than five acres of ground. - -Extensive alterations were made in the castle in 1813 by Chichester, -fourth Earl of Massereene. At present it consists of a square embattled -building of three storeys with a long wing at the same elevation -running northward, flanked by two castellated towers near the end. At -its extremity rises a very high tower in Italian style, which gives a -most picturesque appearance to the stables when viewed from the lough. - -The grand entrance hall is square, and the wall which once divided it -from the centre courtyard has been replaced by oak pillars leading -to an inner vestibule and staircase which occupies the site of the -former open space. From this a passage extends the whole length of the -castle to the Italian tower. The oak room is a magnificent apartment, -wainscotted in dark Irish oak, relieved with lighter shades and -exquisitely carved. The panels are painted with armorial bearings. -There is a beautiful carved chimney-piece at the lower end of the -apartment set with the grate in one frame. Upon touching a secret -spring this all swings out and discloses a recess large enough to hide -in. The furniture of the room is also Irish oak. Here is preserved the -“Speaker’s Chair” of the Irish House of Commons. - -The drawing-room and library are both very handsome rooms, and with the -oak room, breakfast-room, parlour, and dining-room, form a splendid -suite of rooms, opening one off the other. There is a very valuable -collection of family portraits in the castle. - -The Italian tower contains the chapel, record-room, and a small study. -The first of these is in Gothic style and beautifully proportioned. -Among the treasures to be seen here are Cranmer’s New Testament and -Queen Mary’s Bible. - -Over the front entrance is a stone screen slightly raised from the -wall and ending in a pointed arch under the parapet wall. It is about -8 feet in width, and is handsomely sculptured with arms, mottoes, and -events connected with the castle and its owners. At the top is a carved -head representing Charles I., supposed to have been placed there by -the first Viscount when he added to the fortress in 1662. Lower down -are the arms of the founder and his wife, with the date of erection -(1613), &c. Immediately over the hall door is a carved shell supported -by mermaids, which represents the Skeffyngton crest. - -The two ancient bastions have been formed into terrace gardens, and the -grounds of the whole castle are most beautifully laid out. A splendid -view is obtained from the old “Mount,” the summit of which is reached -by a winding path. - -The demesne is entered from the town through a castellated entrance, -surmounted by a turretted warder’s lodge, which upon state occasions -in modern times has been sentinelled with warders garbed in antique -costume, battle-axe in hand. - -Near the gatehouse upon the angle of the southern bastion is the carved -stone figure of “Lady Marion’s Wolfdog,” representing that splendid -Irish breed now extinct. At one time this statue surmounted a turret -of the castle, where the great animal appeared to be keeping a “look -out” over the lough. Local superstition said that it had appeared there -without human agency on the night after the incident occurred with -which the legend connects it, and that as long as it keeps watch over -the castle and grounds so long will the race of Lady Marion Clotworthy -continue to live and thrive. - -The story is as follows:--The lovely bride of Sir Hugh Clotworthy -wandered one day in his absence outside the bawn walls along the shores -of Lough Neagh. Hearing behind her a low growl, she turned round to -find a wolf preparing to spring. In her terror she fell to the ground, -and with the force of the animal’s leap he passed beyond her. Before he -had time to return to his victim a large wolf-hound had seized him in -mortal combat. The lady fainted at the sight, and when she recovered -consciousness the dog was licking her hands, while the wolf lay dead. -She bound up the noble animal’s wounds, and he followed her home, being -her constant companion for many a day, until he suddenly disappeared -and no trace of him could be found. - -Shortly after this the castle was built, and one wild, stormy night -the deep baying of a wolf-hound was heard passing round and round -the walls of the fortress. The warders, scared by the unusual sound, -kindled the beacon on the mount, and by its light discovered a band of -natives making preparation for an attack. A few shots dispersed them, -but before they left a howl of pain was heard near the entrance gate, -where a few flattened bullets were found the next morning. Then upon -the castle tower the affrighted warders perceived the stone figure of -the dog. - -It is probable that Sir Hugh had the figure carved to please his lady, -and after the attack considered its mysterious appearance on the -fortress the best protection against a superstitious enemy, who had -most likely destroyed the beautiful original, which had come from the -Abbey of Massarine to warn its former kind friend of danger. - -Sir Hugh Clotworthy was succeeded by his son, Sir John, afterwards -first Viscount Massereene. He sat in both the Irish and English Houses -of Commons, and was one of Stafford’s chief accusers. He was in London -when the rebellion of 1641 broke out. The insurrection was in part -prevented by a retainer of his, one Owen O’Conally, called “the great -informer.” - -Sir John’s brother, James, secured the castle in his absence from -attack, and the owner returned to it at the end of the year, and took -command of the forces in the district. He was imprisoned in 1647 for -three years for censuring (with other Members of Parliament) the -seizing of the King. During this time his mother, the Lady Marion, -occupied the castle. O’Conally commanded Sir John’s regiment in his -absence, and in 1649 it was joined to General Monk’s forces. Oliver -Cromwell made O’Conally commander of the regiment then at Antrim -Castle, and Monro marched against it and killed its leader, but the -castle still remained in possession of the troops. - -Sir John was raised to the peerage by Charles II. in 1660 as Viscount -Massereene. He had no son, and was succeeded in the title and estates -by his son-in-law, Sir John Skeffyngton, and henceforward his surname -was added to the family name of Clotworthy. - -James II. conferred several honourable appointments on him, -nevertheless the “Antrim Association” was formed in the castle upon the -beginning of the revolution, and the Viscount’s eldest son, Colonel -Clotworthy Skeffyngton, was appointed Commander-in-Chief. - -The Jacobite General, Hamilton, pushed on to Antrim after his success -at Dromore, and Lord Massereene fled from the castle at his approach. -The family plate, valued at £3,000, which was hidden before the family -left, was shown to the newcomers by a servant, and was seized by them. - -Colonel Gordon O’Neill, son of the great Sir Phelim, occupied the -fortress in 1688-89, but Lord Massereene recovered his property when -William came to the throne. - -His grandson was created an earl in 1756, but this title expired in -1816, when Harriet Viscountess of Massereene succeeded to the estates, -and through her they passed to the present Viscount. - -The last time that the castle figured in history was during the battle -of Antrim in 1798. The yeomanry bravely held the castle gardens against -all comers, while the great gun of the mount, “Roaring Tatty,” was -drawn from its position and fired on the town. One, Ezekiel Vance, gave -the signal to the military outside the town to advance by waving a -woman’s red cloak from one of the towers of the fortress. - -The present Lord Massereene is the 11th Viscount. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - C. O’Neill, “Antrim Castle.” - O’Laverty, “Diocese of Down and Connor.” - Smith, “Memoirs of ’98,” in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_ARKLOW CASTLE_ - - -The town of Arklow is thirty-nine miles and a half south by east of -Dublin, in the County Wicklow. - -Joyce thinks the name may have a Danish origin, but others believe it -comes from the Irish word _Ardchoch_. - -The ruins of the castle are situated on high ground on the south side -of the Ovoca River, and consist of a ruined and now ivy-clad round -tower, which protected the northern angle. This building is broken on -the riverside to about 12 feet in height, but on the south side it -measures some 46 feet. - -About 10 feet from the ground is a pointed doorway, which leads to a -stone floor formed by the arch of the lower chamber. Thirty-four stone -steps in the thickness of the wall give access to the top of the tower -from this platform. - -This building is one of similar flanking towers which defended the -walls still running south and west, the remains of some of the other -turrets having only disappeared during the last century. - -A barrack for two companies of soldiers was built near the former site -of the castle, and the walls of the latter were incorporated with those -enclosing the yard of the new building. - -A monastery was founded at Arklow by Theobald FitzWalter, hereditary -Lord Butler of Ireland, who also built the castle. - -Lord Theobald Walter le Botiller died in the castle in 1285, and was -buried in the convent of the Friars Preachers in Arklow, beneath a tomb -ornamented with his effigy. - -In 1331 the castle was attacked by the O’Tooles, but Lord de Bermingham -came to its relief with a small party, and drove the enemy off with -considerable loss. The same year, however, the Irish got possession of -it by treachery. - -The Lord Chief Justice again re-captured it in 1332, with the help of -Dublin citizens and the English settlers in Wicklow, so that it was -once more in the King’s hands, and at this time it was partly rebuilt. - -In 1522-24 Sir Piers Butler was accused of being in league with the -O’Mores, and of using the castle of Arklow to rob both by land and sea. - -The following year the Earl of Kildare made a series of charges against -the Earl of Ormond through Lord Leonard Grey, amongst which was that of -keeping a ward of evil persons in Arklow Castle to rob the surrounding -neighbourhood. - -A few years later (1532) the Earl of Ossory and Ormond complained to -Thomas Cromwell that the Earl of Kildare was trying to get some of his -castles into his possession (amongst which he mentioned Arklow), under -the plea of holding them by lease from the Earl of Wiltshire. He states -these fortresses “bee the veray keyes of the cuntrey,” and that the -King ought to prevent Kildare becoming too powerful. Sir Thomas Bullen -had then been created Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire by Henry VIII. - -During the rebellion of “the Silken Thomas” in 1536 the King had to -send “an army royal” to get the castle of Arklow and others into his -possession. - -The following year the manor was re-granted to Peter Butler, Earl of -Ossory and Ormond. - -In 1578, when forming the county of “Wicklo or Arcklo,” the castle of -the latter is mentioned as the chief place, and belonging to the Earl -of Ormond, who was also Lord of Arklow. - -The Lord Deputy placed a garrison there in 1581. - -In March, 1589, Feagh M’Hugh O’Byrne seized the wife of Hugh Duff -O’Donnell, uncle to Sir Hugh O’Donnell, who was a tenant of the Earl of -Ormond in Arklow Castle. In the autumn of the same year O’Byrne tried -to force an entrance into the castle “to execute his malice” upon Hugh -O’Donnell. - -The land was laid waste round the fortress in 1600, but the castle was -held for the Queen by the Earl of Ormond at his own expense. - -In the rebellion of 1641 the Irish surprised the fortress and killed -the garrison. It remained in their possession until 1649, when it was -captured by Cromwell’s forces, of which the following is the account:-- - -“The army marched through almost a desolate country until it came to -a passage of the River Doro, about a mile above the Castle of Arklow, -which was the first seat and honour of the Marquis of Ormond’s family, -which he had strongly fortified; but it was upon the approach of the -army quitted, wherein he (Cromwell) left another company of foot.” - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.” - Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Carew MSS. - State Papers. - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Griffiths, “Chronicles of County Wexford.” - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_ARTANE CASTLE_ - - -The name was originally Tartain, and is probably derived from Tortan, -meaning a diminutive _tor_, being a small knoll or high turf-bank. The -site of the former castle is situated on the southern border of the -Barony of Coolock, in the County of Dublin, about three miles from the -city. - -The Artane Industrial School now occupies the castle grounds, and the -manor house is used as the residence of the Christian Brothers. Lewis -states that this house was built of stones from the old castle, but, at -any rate, the present dining-room is supported by beams taken from the -fortress. - -A hen-run belonging to the school is now on the site of the former -stronghold not far from the present house. - -The manor of Artane was acquired by the family of Hollywood, or “de -Sacro Bosco,” in the fourteenth century, by Robert de Hollywood, one of -the Remembrancers, and afterwards Baron of the Exchequer. - -In 1416 and 1420 the King committed the custody of the lands to -Philip Charles and Richard FitzEustace during the minority of Robert -Hollywood, the King’s ward, son of the late Christopher Hollywood. - -On the 27th of July, 1534, the rash Lord Offaly rose in rebellion, -and threw the Sword of State on the Council table in Dublin, upon the -rumour of his father, the Earl of Kildare, having been murdered in -London. He left the presence of the assembly with armed men to muster -fresh forces for the rising, and Dublin was at once seized with panic. - -John Allen, Archbishop of Dublin, was then in Dublin Castle, and having -been as bitter and relentless a foe of the Geraldines as his patron -Wolsey, he decided to fly when news of the outbreak reached him. He had -with him a trusted servant named Bartholomew FitzGerald, who urged him -to sail to England, and offered to pilot him across. The Archbishop -seems to have had implicit faith in his follower, although a Geraldine, -and it has never been actually proved that it was misplaced. - -The Prelate and his attendants embarked in the evening at Dames Gate, -but owing, some say to adverse winds, and others to the design of the -pilot, the little vessel stranded at Clontarf. - -The Archbishop at once made his way to the house of his late friend, -Thomas Hollywood, at Artane, whose hospitality he had commemorated in -his “Repertorium Viride.” - -At this time the wardship of the heir, Nicholas Hollywood, was in the -hands of Richard Delahide and Thomas Howth. - -It seems hardly possible that the Lord Thomas FitzGerald could have -heard of the mishap so quickly unless treachery had been employed. Be -that as it may, he and a band of armed followers arrived at Artane in -the early morning, being the 28th of July, and surrounded the castle -while the Archbishop still slept. - -Among the party were the young Vice-Deputy’s uncles, Sir James and -Oliver FitzGerald, James Delahide, and about forty men. - -He sent two Dublin yeomen, John Teeling and Nicholas Wafer, into the -house to bring out the Archbishop. They dragged him out of bed, and -brought him before the Lord Thomas “feeble for age and sickness, -kneeling in his shirt and mantle, bequeathing his soul to God, his -body to the traitor’s mercy.” He “besought him not to remember former -injuries, but to consider his present calamity, and whatever malice he -might bear to his person to respect his calling.” - -It seems that the “Silken Thomas” was touched by the appeal of his -helpless foe, and turning his head aside, he said, “_Beir naim an -bodach_,” meaning, “Take the churl away from me,” and, no doubt, as he -afterwards said, he only intended them to imprison him. His followers, -however, put a different interpretation upon his order, and immediately -murdered the Archbishop, who was in the fifty-eighth year of his age. - -Some say he was dragged within the castle hall, and there put to death, -while others say that the spot on which he was slain was hedged in and -shunned as an unholy place for many years. - -Lord Thomas could not have been ignorant of what had occurred, as he -sent Robert Reilly the same day to Maynooth with a casket which had -belonged to the murdered prelate. - -Lord Offaly was excommunicated for the crime in St. Patrick’s Cathedral -with great solemnity. - -Shortly after this Thomas Howth, _alias_ St. Laurence, one of young -Hollywood’s guardians, went to live at Artane. - -This Nicholas Hollywood also died while his son Christopher was a -minor, and in 1570 the wardship and marriage of the boy was granted to -John Bathe, of Drumcondra. In 1585 a Charles Hollywood is referred to -as being of Tartaine. - -Nicholas Hollywood possessed the manor and lands of Artane in 1587. -They contained one castle, six messuages, and one hundred and ninety -acres of land held of the King, _in capite_ by knight’s service. He -died in 1629. - -During the rebellion of 1641 Lord Netterville’s son, Luke, possessed -himself of the castle, and established a body of Royalist troops in -the stronghold. He met with no opposition, as one of the Hollywood -family named Christopher was a partisan, who afterwards sat in the -Council of Confederate Catholics at Kilkenny. - -Nicholas Hollywood forfeited the estate at this time, and John -Hollywood, one of the signers of the Roman Catholic Remonstrance, came -into possession. - -In 1680 the King granted the estate for one thousand years to Sir -Arthur Forbes, one of the Commissioners of the Court of Claims. - -Lewis says the old Castle was pulled down in 1825 by Mathew Boyle, -Esq., who erected the present manor house with the material. He also -says it belonged to the Callaghan family in 1837, while D’Alton states -Lord Maryborough owned it in 1838. The Butler family resided there at a -later date. - -A tomb of Elizabeth, daughter of John Talbot of Malahide, and wife of -Christopher Hollywood, is in the old churchyard adjacent. She died in -1711, and her husband in 1718. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.” - J. D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.” - J. D’Alton, “Memoirs of the Archbishops of Dublin.” - S. Lewis, “Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Fiants of Elizabeth. - - - - -_ATHLONE CASTLE_ - - -The castle of Athlone is situated on the Connaught side of the river -Shannon in the Barony of Athlone, County Roscommon, sixty miles -west-by-north of Dublin. - -The name is derived from _ath_, “a ford,” and _luain_, “the moon,” and -signifies “the ford of the moon,” to which it is supposed to have been -dedicated in pagan times. Some gold lunettes and crescents found in a -neighbouring bog seem to bear out the statement. - -The castle commands the bridge, and is built upon a spur of the hill -upon which the town on the Connaught side is built. It is overlooked by -the houses of the town, while on the river side it is supported by a -great buttress of masonry. - -The entrance is on the road which leads from the bridge up to the town, -and is by a modern drawbridge. - -The fortress consists of a strong curtain wall having circular towers -mounted with cannon at irregular intervals. Most of them have been -restored with fresh blue limestone. - -The Connaught tower, which stands isolated in the courtyard, is -considered the oldest part of the fortress, and usually supposed to -have formed the keep of the first Norman castle built in King John’s -reign. It is decagonal in form, but owing to having been pebble-dashed -and whitened of late years, it does not retain an appearance of -antiquity. - -The English stronghold was erected on the site of an old Celtic -fortress of the O’Connors. It is recorded that the castle and bridge of -Athlone were built in 1129 by Turloch O’Connor, “in the summer of the -drought.” - -The following year they were demolished by Murogh O’Mleghlin and -Feirnan O’Rorke, and in 1153 the castle was burned. - -Between 1210 and 1213 the Norman fortress was erected by John de Grey, -Bishop of Norwich, in his capacity of Lord Justiciary of Ireland. -During its building a tower fell and killed Lord Richard Tuit, who -founded the Cistercian Abbey of Granard, County Longford. - -Athlone Castle was built on abbey land, and in 1214 King John commanded -Henry, Archbishop of Dublin, to give the monks a tenth of the expenses -of the castle in lieu of the land used, in accordance with the -conditions agreed to by the Bishop of Norwich when he was fortifying -it. After this there are several references in the State Documents to -the tithes and other compensation due to the monks. - -In 1221 the King instituted a fair to be held at the castle. - -The fortress being situated on the border of Irish territory, its early -history has an exceedingly stormy record. In 1226 Geoffrey de Marisco, -who was then Justiciary of Ireland, complained that as the King of -Connaught refused to come to Dublin, he had appointed to meet him at -Athlone, although the castle was fortified against the Crown. - -In 1232 an order was issued to Hubert de Burgh to deliver the castle to -Peter de Rivall, and the next year one to Richard de Burgh, who was to -surrender it to Maurice FitzGerald, Justiciary of Ireland. - -Walter de Lacy received twenty marks for the custody of the fortress in -1240, and eleven years later a tax was levied for its repair. - -It was granted to Prince Edward, the King’s son, in 1254; and during -the years 1276-77 it was repaired. - -Richard de Verdon was besieged in the castle in 1288 by Richard de -Burgo, and the same year John, Archbishop of Dublin, took up residence -there to oversee its better fortification, and to try and make terms -with the Irish. - -In 1305 Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, was constable. - -The castle was “obtained” for the King in 1537, having been in the -hands of the Irish for many years. It contained only one piece of -broken ordnance, and there is a request that another piece should be -sent. - -During Queen Elizabeth’s reign it was the residence of the President -of Connaught, and also the Chief Justice and Attorney-General for -Connaught. - -Tradition states that the Earl of Essex frequently stayed in the -castle, and some of his letters to the Queen are dated from Athlone. - -The O’Conor Don was imprisoned in the fortress in 1570 while Sir E. -Fitton was constable, as a hostage for the good behaviour of his sept. -Some of his followers, however, brought a “cot” under the castle walls, -into which the captive stepped, and so escaped. - -In 1585-86 it is described as being a fitter residence for the Chief -Commissioner of Connaught than the Lord Deputy in the following -words:--“That the castle is conveniently furnished with buildings and -other necessaries fit for the said Commissioner, but far too mean for -the Lord Deputy and the train that must follow the state.” - -It was ordered to be garrisoned in 1599, and the following year it -was to be entrusted to none but a “sound Englishman.” In 1606 it was -repaired and added to. - -Two years later it was seized by the Earls Tyrone and Tyrconnell. It -passed again to the Crown, and the Earl of Clanricard was constable in -1610. - -Thirteen years later it was repaired, and a curious tax is mentioned -with regard to the operations, which is, that the sept of Kellyes was -bound to supply three hundred labourers yearly for work in the fortress. - -The Court of Claims sat in the castle during the Commonwealth. - -In 1682 Sir H. Piers writes of it:--“In the centre of the castle is -a high raised tower which overlooketh the walls and country round -about. On the side that faceth the river are rooms and apartments which -served always for the habitation of the Lord President of Connaught -and Governor of the castle, the middle castle being the storehouse for -ammunition and warlike provisions of all sorts.” - -After the battle of the Boyne in 1690, Lieut.-General Douglas, with -ten regiments of infantry, three of horse, two of dragoons, twelve -field-pieces, and two small mortars, endeavoured to take possession of -Athlone. The bridge across the Shannon was broken, and he erected his -batteries on the Leinster side of the river. - -He continued the cannonading for eight days, but his powder running -short he was obliged to retire. In his despatch he stated he had done -his best, and that it was his opinion Athlone Castle was “of the -greatest importance of any in Ireland.” - -Colonel Richard Grace held the fortress for King James. - -The following year the main division of William’s army, under de -Genckell, laid siege to the town. At once seizing that portion of it -that is in Leinster, he began to play his batteries on the north-east -side of the castle on June 22nd. By seven in the evening he had made a -large breach in the walls. - -Firing continued all night, and by five in the morning the side of the -castle next the river was completely broken down, and the garrison was -obliged to go in and out by a hole made in the wall on the western side. - -The following evening the castle garrison raised two batteries above -the castle, and some others, but the firing had little effect. The -bridge was slowly and surely gained by the besieging troops, and their -guns played constantly on the fortress, wrecking the Connaught tower -and walls. - -Two officers deserting from the town informed William’s troops that -the best regiments had been withdrawn by St. Ruth, and thereupon a -concerted and sudden attack was made on the 30th of June, which carried -the bridge, castle, and town by storm. - -Repairs were at once begun by the victors on July 3rd, and in 1697 the -castle was the chief depôt of military stores in the west. - -It is now used as a barrack, and officers’ quarters and other buildings -have been erected inside the walls. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Weld, “Statistical Survey of Co. Roscommon.” - Joly, “Old Bridge of Athlone.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - State Documents. - State Papers. - Carew MSS. - O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - D’Alton, “History of Drogheda.” - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. - In Journal of same, Langrishe, - “Walls of Athlone,” and “Sieges of Athlone.” - - - - -_BALLYMOTE CASTLE_ - - -This fine old ruin is situated in the Barony of Corran, County Sligo, -about twelve miles north-west of Boyle. - -The name signifies the “town of the moat,” and was not used before the -building of the Norman fortress. Some think “mote” is derived from -“mound,” but it is more likely to refer to the ditch which surrounded -the castle until the close of the seventeenth century. The place was -formerly called Athcliath-in-Chorainn, or “the hurdleford of Corran.” - -The castle fell to ruin after the rebellion of 1688. The curtain walls, -which are 9 feet thick, were flanked by six round towers, one of them -still being about 60 feet in height. The courtyard which was thus -enclosed contained 150 square feet. - -A passage about 3 feet wide ran round in the thickness of the walls, -and communicated with the towers and defences. The state-rooms were on -the north side of the courtyard, and some of them were fine apartments. -The Survey of 1633 calls this part “the Court.” A few traces of -outworks remain. - -About twenty years ago the present Rector of Ballymote was told by an -old man that an underground passage was locally supposed to lead from -the castle to the abbey, a distance of about 200 yards. Upon further -investigation Canon Walker discovered two arches, one in the vestry of -the abbey and the other within the castle, apparently leading in the -same direction. Both are now choked with rubbish. The entrance in the -castle is exceedingly narrow, and was reached from the castle yard by -descending steps. - -Ballymote was erected by Richard de Burgo, “the Red Earl,” in 1300. -It was dismantled in 1318, and twenty-two years later it was in the -possession of Turlough O’Conor, King of Connaught, who was besieged in -it by MacDermot. Peace was afterwards concluded. - -In 1346 it was restored and garrisoned by John de Kerrew. - -Two years later it is referred to as belonging to Rory O’Conor, and it -was by that family entrusted to the MacDonoughs to hold against the -Burkes. These MacDonoughs seized the castle of Ballylahan in 1381, and -taking its gate to Ballymote, there erected it. - -In 1470 Brian MacDonough, who was lord of Ballymote, was slain by -Teige MacDonough, who took possession of the castle. It was still in -this family’s possession in 1522 when the famous parchment “Book of -Ballimote” was sold by the MacDonough of the time to Hugh Oge O’Donnell -for the large price of 140 milch cows, he having first obtained the -consent of his family to the transaction. - -The MacDermots laid siege to the castle in 1561, and Cathal and Owen -MacDermot were both slain before the walls. Five years later the castle -was taken by the English and Hugh and Comac MacDonough imprisoned. -Almost immediately, however, the fortress was surprised by Tomaltach -and Duagal MacDonough. - -Sir Richard Bingham recovered Ballymote in 1584 and placed his brother -George in charge with seven warders, while he also carried off -MacDonough as hostage. At this time sixteen quarters of the best land -were set aside for the castle’s maintenance, which seems to have given -rise to a great deal of jealousy regarding its custody. The year after -its capture Sir Richard applied to be made constable, with a lease of -the fortress for sixty years. - -In 1587, writing to Mr. Treasurer Wallop, he states he is willing to -give up Ballymote if he is refunded the money he has laid out upon it. -The following year George Goodman and Thomas Wood seem to have been -constables. - -The Irish burnt the town and drove the garrison back to the castle -in 1593, and two years later O’Conor Sligo petitioned the Government -for the fortress. The next year there was an unsuccessful attempt to -surprise it, and this year O’Conor Sligo occupied it upon his return -from England. - -Bingham managed to victual the castle across the Curlew mountains in -1595, but with the loss of many of his best soldiers, and in 1598 it -was betrayed to the MacDonoughs by two men the constable trusted. The -captors immediately put the fortress up to auction. There seems to have -been sharp bidding between Sir Conyers Clifford and Red Hugh O’Donnell, -but it was finally purchased by the latter for £400 and 300 cows. - -O’Donnell remained in it until Christmas, and he continued to occupy -it at different times until 1601, being six months in residence after -his victory of the Yellow Ford. It was from here he set out for his -disastrous march to Kinsale. - -He left Owen O’Gallagher as Governor, who handed the keys to Roderick -O’Donnell in 1602. - -Two years after it was granted to Sir James Fullerton by James I., and -when he left Ireland to be tutor to Duke Charles (afterwards Charles -I.), the castle passed to Sir William Taaffe. - -It was surrendered to Sir Charles Coote upon articles in 1652, which -are still preserved. - -The chief conditions were that the garrison was to march away with -bag and baggage, and twenty days were to be allowed for the removal -of goods, during which time Major-General Taaffe and his family might -remain at the castle. After this he was to have a free pass to the -Continent, and Lady Taaffe was to be allowed to live at Ballymote, -on condition she did not use it against the State, and that the -Parliamentary forces might garrison it at any time. - -In 1689 the castle was held for King James by Captain M’Donough. A -party under Captain Cooper was sent to reconnoitre the district, and -pursued M’Donough’s men to the drawbridge of the fortress. - -Two years later Lord Granard summoned the castle, but the governor, -named O’Conor, refused to surrender. Thereupon he despatched Baldearg -O’Donnell and a thousand men to lay siege to the place. They brought -with them one 12-pounder and two small field-pieces, and as soon as -O’Conor saw the guns he surrendered, upon condition the garrison might -march out with their belongings and proceed to Sligo. - -After this period the castle was dismantled, and the land subsequently -passed to the Gore Booths. Of late there has been some talk of erecting -a modern institution within the old walls. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Wood-Martin, “History of Sligo.” - O’Rorke, “History of Sligo.” - State Papers. - Atkinson, “Book of Ballimote.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.” - - - - -_BALLYSHANNON CASTLE_ - - -The name used by the early annalists to denote Ballyshannon, was -Athseanaigh, which signified the “Ford of Seanach,” who was ancestor -of the Princes of Tirconnell. “Bel” stands for mouth, and the modern -designation is a corruption of the Celtic name meaning “the entrance to -Seanach’s ford.” - -The town is situated on both sides of the river Erne, about eleven -miles south-south-west of the town of Donegal, to the extreme south of -the county. - -The castle was on the north bank of the river, and commanded the -principal ford. For this reason its possession was of immense -strategical importance, it being the key to the province of Tirconnell. -Of the great fortress of the O’Donnells only a small portion of one of -the walls remains. This is on the north side of the market yard, part -of it being incorporated with a grain store and part with a butter -shed. It is 10 feet high and 5 feet thick. - -The fortress originally occupied the whole of the market square, and it -is most likely that its stones were used in the erection of a cavalry -barracks, which subsequently occupied the present market enclosure, but -which has now been removed. - -Round the castle stretched a beautiful park, the name being still -preserved in some old leases. This extended almost to the summit of the -hill on the north. Quantities of human bones have been found in the -neighbourhood. - -The castle was erected in 1423 by Niall, son of Turlough O’Donnell. In -1435 Naghtan O’Donnell gave it to Brian Oge O’Neill for promising him -assistance against the O’Neill. Brian, however, went treacherously to -his chief without O’Donnell’s knowledge, leaving his warders in the -castle. O’Neill, not approving of such double dealing, took him and -his two sons prisoners, cutting off a hand and a foot from each, under -which treatment one of the sons died. - -The fortress was taken from O’Donnell’s warders in 1496 by his son -Hugh. His brother Con, with the assistance of Maguire, laid siege -to the castle and dislodged him. O’Neill possessed himself of the -stronghold in 1522, and slew the warders. It seems to have remained in -his possession until Sir Henry Sidney came north in 1566 and had it -delivered to him, as well as the castles of Donegal, Beleek, Bundrowes, -and Castle Sligo. All these fortresses he placed in the hands of -O’Donnell and his allies, who were at this time in high favour with -England. - -The next year Shane O’Neill liberated Con O’Donnell and his brother, -who were at the time his prisoners, and the castles of Ballyshannon and -Beleek were delivered to Con. - -About this time the Government began to look with alarm on the growing -power and popularity of the O’Donnells, and the State Papers of -the period contain notes regarding the advisability of garrisoning -Ballyshannon and the other fortresses of Tirconnell. - -The regular military force under O’Donnell consisted of 1,500 foot and -300 horse, out of which the garrison of Ballyshannon numbered 200 foot -soldiers and 40 mounted men. - -In 1584, Lord Deputy Perrot recommended the erection of a castle -and bridge at Ballyshannon, no doubt to counteract the power of -the O’Donnells’ fortress, which could hold the main ford against -all comers. Four years later the Lord Deputy dates a letter from -Ballyshannon, and about this time young Hugh O’Donnell was kidnapped -and imprisoned in Dublin Castle. - -In 1592, Mr. Ralph Lane applied to Burghley, asking for the -custodianship and fee-farm of the castle and lands of Ballyshannon, -&c. The successful escape of Red Hugh, however, from Dublin Castle -seems to have placed the possibility of the Government’s disposing of -his ancestral home quite out of the question, and in 1592 the greatest -of the O’Donnells received a most royal welcome from his father’s -dependents in the north. - -Arriving at Ballyshannon, where the O’Donnell warders still guarded -the fortress, the whole country flocked to meet him and offer their -congratulations on his escape. - -The neighbourhood was in the most fearful state, being entirely overrun -by freebooters, against whom even the English were powerless--the -castles of Ballyshannon and Donegal alone remaining in the hands of the -O’Donnells. - -After a most successful campaign against the marauders, Hugh O’Donnell -returned to Ballyshannon to undergo medical treatment for his feet, -which had been fearfully injured by travelling from Dublin to -Glenmalure in his house-shoes over the mountains and in bitter cold. He -did not recover entirely until the end of the year, as both his great -toes had to be amputated. - -In 1594 Sir Ralph Lane, writing to Burghley, mentions that Hugh Roe -O’Donnell would have broken down Ballyshannon but that his mother -dissuaded him from it, assuring him that it might be defended with his -own forces. Yet this very year it was evidently in the hands of the -O’Donnells, and remained so until its capture in 1602. - -The State Papers of this period are full of letters requesting money -and forces sufficient to take it, alleging that the fortress was the -“key of the province,” and no peace could be hoped for in the north -until it was garrisoned by English. - -In the meantime the O’Donnells lived in royal state, and with lavish -hospitality entertained the surrounding chiefs, while their flag -floated from the battlements. - -Sir George Carew observes of the Prince of Tirconnell: “O’Donnell is -the best lorde of fishe in Ireland, and exchangeth fishe allwayes with -foreign merchants for wyne, by which his call in other countryes is the -kinge of fishe.” - -It was during a great assemblage of chiefs at Ballyshannon to organise -a raid on the English border, that the great Shane O’Neill became madly -enamoured of O’Donnell’s lovely daughter, Helen. He went to her father -and demanded her hand, but was informed that the lady was already -betrothed to Maguire, the young chieftain of Fermanagh, who held his -lands under suzerainty of O’Donnell. This young man had been educated -at the Spanish court, and was all that a maiden could wish in a suitor. - -One evening the lovers left the castle together, for a stroll by the -river side, towards Belleek. Here, while Helen was singing to her harp, -O’Neill, who had followed them, broke in upon their happiness. Maguire -drew his sword to defend the lady, but he was no match for the great -chief from whom he quickly received his death wound. O’Neill placed the -fainting form of the fair Helen before him on his horse, and, with a -few followers, rode to Dungannon Castle. Her father at once called his -forces together, and followed to revenge the injury. The end of the -story has several variations, but the most probable seems to be that -O’Neill, finding the beautiful girl irreconcilable to the loss of her -handsome lover, returned her to her father. The world had, however, -lost its charm for her, and the rest of her short life was spent in -seclusion. - -In 1597 the first determined attack was made on Ballyshannon. Sir -Conyers Clifford, Governor of Connaught, with four thousand men, foot -and horse, marched on the stronghold, accompanied by Donough, the -son of Connor, Murragh, Baron of Inchiquin, and other Irish nobles. -O’Donnell having all the fords guarded, they were obliged to cross the -river about half a mile west of Belleek. Here the Baron of Inchiquin -was shot through his armour, while his horse was standing in the deep -water below the ford, where he was encouraging the soldiers and saving -them from drowning. - -The ordnance was landed by water and planted against the castle. The -siege lasted three days, but when the little garrison were thinking of -surrendering, help arrived from Tyrone, and the English were driven off -with great loss. The defenders of the castle numbered only eighty men, -and were commanded by a Scotchman named Owen Crawford. - -During Red Hugh’s absence in Spain in 1602 the English took the -opportunity to again attack the fortress. The warders, seeing no hope -of relief, fled, after the walls had been battered by a big gun, and -Captain Digges took “that long desired place.” - -Ballyshannon, with 1,000 acres, was reserved to the King in 1603, and -five years later Sir Henry Folliot was appointed Governor. In this year -the plot to seize the King’s castle of Ballyshannon was one of the -charges in the indictment against the Earls of Tyrone and Tirconnell. -In 1610 the castle, lands, and fishings were granted to Sir H. Folliot -for twenty-one years. He was raised to the peerage under the title of -Baron Folliot of Ballyshannon, 1619. - -During the Jacobite troubles the castle was still used as a military -headquarters, and the town was for a time in the hands of the Royalists. - -The land on which the ancient fortress stood is now part of the -Connolly estate, and was acquired by purchase from the Folliots. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Allingham, “Ballyshannon, its History and Antiquities.” - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Calendar of State Papers. - “The Donegal Highlands.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_BALLYTEIGUE CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated in the townland of the same name upon the -shore of Ballyteigue Lough, in the County Wexford. The name signifies -“O’Teige’s town.” - -The old fortress forms part of a modern dwelling-house, and the keep -has always been kept roofed and in good repair. - -It was erected by Sir Walter de Whitty, one of the Norman settlers, the -name being spelt variously--Whythay, Whythey, Wytteye, Whittey, Wythay, -in old documents. - -Sir Richard Whitty was summoned to Parliament as a baron by Edward -III., and his son Richard held three carucates of land in Ballyteigue -in 1335. - -In 1408, as we learn from a MS. in the British Museum, the Castle -of Ballyteigue was burnt by Art M’Murrough Kavanagh on Tuesday, the -morning after the Feast of St. Barnabas. - -Richard Whitty, of Ballyteigue, died in 1539, and his son Robert being -only fourteen at his father’s death, the custody of Ballyteigue was -granted to John Devereux during his minority. The estate contained 3 -manors, 3 carucates, and 523 acres. - -The manor and castle of Ballyteigue were in the possession of Richard -Whittie in 1624 and 1634. - -The estate was forfeited in the time of the Commonwealth, and was -granted to Colonel Brett. It afterwards passed into the hands of the -Sweenys, and subsequently to the Colcloughs, a branch of the family of -Tintern Abbey. - -In 1798 the castle was the residence of John Colclough, one of the -leaders of the Wexford insurgents. He was only twenty-nine when the -rebellion broke out. - -As soon as Bagnal Harvey heard that Lord Kingsborough’s terms for the -surrender of Wexford would not be ratified, he hastened to Ballyteigue, -but Colclough and his wife and child had already fled to one of the -Saltee Islands, about ten leagues from Wexford. He followed them, but -the island was searched, and the fugitives taken in a cave. They were -conveyed to Wexford, and Harvey and Colclough were immediately tried -and hanged. Colclough’s head is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, -Wexford. - -His little daughter and only child inherited Ballyteigue. She -afterwards married Captain Young, and both lived in the castle until -their death. Their only daughter sold the house to Mr. Edward Meadows, -from whom it passed to Mr. Thomas Grant. - -A legendary tale of “Sir Walter Whitty and his cat,” published some -years ago by the late M. J. Whitty, editor of the _Liverpool Post_, may -have originated from the lion which is represented in the Whitty arms. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Book of Inquisitions of Leinster. - R. Madden, “United Irishmen.” - “Balliteigue Castle,” in _The People_. - Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - - - - -_BARBERSTOWN CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated in the parish of Straffan, County Kildare, in -the barony of North Salt, about a mile north of the village of Straffan. - -The name is spelt variously Barberstowne, Barbeston, Barbieston, -Barbiestowne, Barbiston, Barbitstowne, Barbyeston. - -The present building consists of a battlemented rectangular keep -considered by experts to be of thirteenth-century construction, and -measuring at its greatest height 52 feet. It is divided into three -floors. The lower room, which is vaulted to the height of 17 feet, is -18 feet long by 15½ feet wide, and the walls are 4½ feet in thickness. - -The entrance is situated at the north-west angle, above which are two -grooves of sufficient width to stand in, and evidently intended for the -protection of the doorway. - -The room above the vault is of slightly greater proportions than that -below, owing to the walls being of less thickness. - -Two small rectangular towers are joined to the main building on -the south side’s western angle, and west side’s northern angle -respectively. The latter contains a winding stone stair of fifty-three -steps leading to the now slated roof. The original crenelated loops for -musketry have here and there been enlarged to admit more light. The -summit of the watch tower is reached from the roof by a short flight of -nine steps. - -A man is said to be interred between the top of the main stair and the -roof of the tower. His family having held the castle by a lease which -expired when he was put underground, determined to evade relinquishing -their hold on the property by keeping him always above the earth. - -The southern tower consists of three storeys corresponding with those -in the keep, and had formerly doors opening from the main rooms. Next -the southern wall is a curious slit in each floor just wide enough to -permit of a ladder giving access to the apartment above or below. The -ground floor in this tower is of very small dimensions, being about 3 -feet square. - -The walls of the keep slope considerably at the outside base so as -to prevent an enemy getting out of gun shot by closing up to the -building. Large modern windows now light each floor, and the whole is -in excellent preservation. - -A flue runs in the thickness of the wall on the north side, which -is crowned by a handsome brick chimney, evidently added when the -Elizabethan dwelling-house which adjoins the castle was erected. A -still more modern house has been added to the north of this building, -so that at present three distinct periods are represented by the castle -and houses, which are all joined together. - -The remains of an old wall near the fortress points to its having once -been of larger dimensions. Tradition states that an underground passage -leads from the castle to a lodge near the roadway. Some fine old yews -of great age adorn the lawn, similar to those which are to be seen near -Maynooth Castle. - -Locally it is believed that Barberstown was once the residence of the -King of Leinster, but its architecture does not bear out the tradition. - -In 1622 William Sutton, of Barberstown, is mentioned in an inquisition, -and in 1630 it is stated that he held it as tenant of the Earl of -Kildare. - -Nicholas Sutton was in possession of the castle in 1641, and at a -subsequent date it must have passed to the Crown, who granted it in -1666 to John King, first Lord Kingston. - -His son Robert, the second Baron, was exempted from mercy by -Tyrconnell’s proclamation, and his estate sequestered in 1689. - -Richard, Earl of Tyrconnell, then became possessed of the fortress, -and, strange to say, that although he could only have retained it until -he was attainted in 1692, yet it was known for many years as Tyrconnell -Castle. Lady Tyrconnell retained some of her husband’s lands in the -neighbourhood to a much later date. - -Bartholomew Vanhomrigh, Esq., of Dublin, father of the famous Vanessa, -bought Barberstown from the Crown in 1703 for £1,300. James Young was -the tenant at the time, and the property is thus described: “In the -parish of Straffan, distant from Dublin ten miles, Naas 5, and Manooth -3; is Arable Medow and Pasture, on it 1 Castle in repair, with a large -stone House adjoyning, and Orchard, also 8 Cabbins, with Gardens.” - -At the beginning of the next century it was occupied by a family named -Douglas, and it was purchased by the Bartons, of Straffan, in 1826. -They restored and re-castellated it, and it still remains in their -possession. - -Subsequently it was occupied by Admiral Robinson, and the present -tenant is S. F. Symes, Esq. - -A most extensive view is obtained from the summit. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - A Book of Postings and Sale of the Forfeited and other Estates, &c. - Book of Survey and Distributions. - Book of Inquisitions, Province of Leinster. - S. Lee, “Dictionary of National Biography.” - - - - -_BARGY CASTLE_ - - -This castle takes its name from the Barony of Bargy, County Wexford, on -the borders of which it is situated, about eight miles south-west of -the town of Wexford, on the margin of Lake Tucumshane. - -The fortress is in excellent preservation, having been several times -restored. It consists of a square keep, to which two wings have been -added at more recent dates, probably in the fifteenth and seventeenth -centuries. - -The chief entrance to the Castle was formerly by the central tower, -where a stained-glass window bearing the Harvey Arms is now to be seen. -On the outside of the embrasure is a stone carved with figures supposed -to represent Queen Elizabeth and her court, and far above this slab may -be seen a large machicolation, once used for hurling missiles for the -defence of the door. The tower is ascended by a winding stone stair, -off which are openings commonly known as “murdering holes.” The keep, -in which are several rooms, is separated from the rest of the mansion -by a large door at the foot of the stairway. A beautiful view can be -had from the battlements. - -In the north wing of the castle is a small panelled room, and not far -from it a carved oak partition bears with a cross and shamrock the -following on the reverse side: “I.H.S. 1591. R.R. M.S.” - -A beautiful oak staircase leads from the chief apartments. - -The castle grounds were formerly entered from the south, where the old -piers and gateway still remain. At the back of the castle is part of -the old moat or fosse, which now contains large cellars. - -The fortress is usually supposed to have been erected by the Rossiter -family at the beginning of the fifteenth century, though some -authorities state it owes its origin to Hervey de Montmorency, one of -the first Norman invaders. - -William Rowcester, of Bridge of Bargie (Bargie Castle), was pardoned -for felony in 1540. He is described as a “horseman,” which, according -to Hollinshead was a position next to that of captain or lord. About -1553 Nicholas Roche was granted the wardship and marriage of his son -Richard. - -The Most Rev. Michael Rossiter, Bishop of Ferns, is supposed by some to -have been born in Bargy Castle, in 1648, but the Down Survey maps of -1657 describe the castle as being in ruins. - -The last Rossiter to own Bargy was William Rossiter, who took part in -the defence of Wexford against Cromwell. His lands were confiscated in -1667, and Bargy Castle was granted to William Ivory, Esq. - -After this it passed to the Harvey family, and here Beauchamp Bagnal -Harvey was born, who commanded the Wexford insurgents in 1798. - -Bargy was confiscated to the Crown, after the suppression of the -rebellion; and Bagnal Harvey, who owned the castle, and Colclough were -captured on the Saltee Islands and executed at Wexford. - -Troops were quartered at Bargy from 1798 to 1808, when the property was -restored to James Harvey, brother of the late owner. - -It is said that when a detachment of soldiers was sent to take -possession of the fortress in 1798 they indulged so freely in the -contents of the great wine cellars, that some of them injudiciously -disturbed the hives in the garden, whereupon the bees attacked their -tormentors with such force that some of the soldiers died from the -effects, and others were pursued by the irate insects to the very town -of Wexford. - -Mr. Harvey lived in London, and the castle gradually fell into -dilapidation until his death, when it passed to Councillor John Harvey, -who restored it. Major Harvey, who died in 1880, is entombed in a -mausoleum before the hall door. The castle was afterwards let to Mr. -Leared, who re-roofed and improved it. - -Ghostly tappings are reported to be heard on the castle windows between -10 and 11 p.m., while a phantom carriage is said to be sometimes -audible driving up the disused avenue, when the horses’ hoofs cease -before the old entrance in the keep, and a minute or two later the -coach is again heard returning by the old drive. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Act of Settlement. - Down Survey Maps. - Fiants of Edward VI. - Doyle, “Notes and Gleanings of Co. Wexford.” - Madden, “The United Irishmen.” - Article and letter in _The People_. - - - - -_BARRYSCOURT CASTLE_ - - -The fine ruins of this fortress are situated about half a mile south of -Carrigtohill, in the County Cork. - -It consists of a rectangular structure about 70 feet in height, flanked -by three towers, which open into the main building at each storey. - -A small oblong shaft in the south-east angle of the keep runs from -the upper to the lower rooms. A passage in the main north wall is now -filled up. - -The arches are of good workmanship and well preserved. In some of the -smaller apartments the marks of the wattle frames used in the building -are still easily traced on the ceilings, which show an early date of -construction. - -In the chamber above the chapel appears the date 1588, as well as an -inscription stating the castle was erected by “D.B.” and “E.R.,” which -initials stand for David Barry and his wife, Eliza Roche. In another -room the date 1596 is inscribed. - -The lands of the Barrys in Cork were confirmed to Philip Barry by King -John in 1206, and he later became possessed of Barry’s Court. The -present castle is, however, supposed to have been built during the -fourteenth century. - -Tradition states it was erected upon the site of an older fortress -belonging to the Lyons or Lehanes of Castle Lyons, and that during the -excavations for the present foundations an inscribed stone was found -stating that “O’Lehan hoc fecit MCIII.,” but O’Donovan does not think -the story probable. - -Geraldus Cambrensis is credited with having written part of his history -of the conquest in the earlier castle. - -In 1490 the head of the Barry family was summoned to Parliament as Lord -Barry of Barry’s Court, and 1588 “James Barry of Barrescourt, Viscount -Barrymore, otherwise James, called Barrymore and Barryroo,” was in -possession. - -The Commissioners who were appointed to govern Munster while the Earl -of Desmond was in prison, wrote, after arriving in Cork, in 1568: “Wood -Kerne, under Gerot Bracke, one of the Earl of Desmond’s near kinsmen, -intercepted our letters, certain Kerne lay in ambush for us, but Lord -Barrymore and John FitzEdmund, Dean of Cloyne, met us, and led us to -Barry’s Court.” - -In 1580 Sir Walter Raleigh started from Cork to make complaint to Lord -Grey in Dublin that the Barrys and Condons were in league with the -rebels. He received orders to besiege Barry’s Court, but Lord Barry, -hearing of his intention, set the castle on fire, while he and his -friend, Fitzgerald, the seneschal of Imokilly, lay in wait for Sir -Walter at the ford near the old abbey of Midleton. - -In the encounter so little expected, Raleigh only saved his life by his -somewhat foolhardy daring. - -In the account of his doings in Ireland in 1583, Sir Henry Sydney -writes: “I was well entertained at the Viscount Barrie’s house, called -Barrie’s Court.” - -During the Desmond rebellion of 1585, David Lord Barry, whose initials -are carved over the mantelpiece of the castle, was associated with the -disaffected. He afterwards submitted and sat on the Council of Munster -under Sir George Carew. He was present at the relief of Kinsale in -1602, and died at Barry’s Court in 1617. He was the second son of James -Barry, and his wife, Ellen Roche, was a daughter of Lord Fermoy. - -Writing of him in 1606, Sir John Davys says: “From Youghall we went -to Cork, and dined by the way with the Viscount Barrie, who, at his -castle at Barriecourt, gave us civil and plentiful entertainment.” - -Barryscourt was regranted by James I. to his grandson David, who -succeeded him. - -The castle seems to have again been consumed by fire after James II.’s -visit to Ireland, as it is stated that the velvet bed hung with gold -brocade in which he slept at Sir James Cotter’s, of Ballinsperrig, was -then at Barryscourt, and so destroyed by the conflagration. - -The castle was in possession of the Coppinger family for many years, -William Coppinger being the owner in 1861. - -It now belongs to Lord Barrymore. - -A member of the Wakeham family informs me that it was in possession -of her ancestors several centuries ago, and that the Lord Barrymore -of that day gave the owners, John and William Wakeham, the estates of -Springhill and Water-rock instead of it, which their descendants still -possess. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Gibson’s “History of Cork.” - Carew MSS. - Patent and Close Rolls, Chancery, Ireland. - State Papers. - “Local Names” and “Notes and Queries” in _Journal - of Cork Archæological Society_. - - - - -_BIRR CASTLE_ - - “Lords to whom great men submit, - Are the O’Carrolls of the plain of Birr.” - O’HEERIN. - - -This fortress was one of the numerous strongholds of the O’Carrolls -of Ely O’Carroll. The derivation of the name, formerly Biorra, is -doubtful. _Bir_ signifies “water,” _birra_ = “abounding in wells,” -or “fountains of water,” _bir_ = “a spit,” _bior_ = “the brink of a -river,” and the name may have originated from any of these words. - -The town is situated on the right bank of the Little Brosna River at -its juncture with the Birr rivulet. It is in the barony of Ballybrit, -King’s County, sixty-two and a half miles west-south-west of Dublin. - -The O’Carroll’s stronghold, called the “Black Castle,” stood some sixty -yards north-west of the present building on the high bank of the river. -The principal tower was raised on an artificial mound, and in 1627 Sir -Laurence Parsons added a watch tower, which stood on thirteen corbels, -projecting on the outside, and was higher than all the other buildings. -The dungeon of the stronghold was situated in the Black Castle, but -this older fortress has long since been demolished. - -In 1620-21 Sir Laurence Parsons made a great many additions to the -castle. He erected a tower 46 feet long and 25 feet broad, at each -end of which an arch of hewn stone gave entrance to the fortress. The -present hall, which is reached by a flight of stone steps under a -vaulted vestibule, is the centre part of this tower, as it is also -that of the present mansion. - -In the following two years Sir Laurence also built a porter’s lodge, -known as the “Garden House,” fitted up a drawing-room and made a garden -and orchard. - -In 1624 he built a new line of offices, which formed one side of -the courtyard, and in which was a kitchen, &c. Another side of the -enclosure was occupied by the stables, which extended along the river, -south of the Black Castle. - -[Illustration: BIRR CASTLE.] - -On the north was a double wall filled up with earth, and having a -gateway in the centre. - -Sir William Parsons threw all these buildings down in 1778. - -The castle was enlarged and remodelled under the direction of Mr. J. -Johnstone, architect, who altered the entrance to the back of the -building, away from the town. - -Sir Laurence Parsons had also added a “French Flanker” in 1627, but on -what site is not known. - -The Annals of Clonmacmoise record that Byrre Castle was besieged in -1207 by “Moriertagh Mac Bryen an Sleyve,” who burnt the whole town. - -Ely O’Carroll was granted to FitzWalter by Henry II., nevertheless King -John re-granted it to William de Braosa in 1200, and FitzWalter had to -buy it back to regain possession. - -It shortly afterwards passed into the hands of Hugh de Hose or Hussey. - -The English rebuilt and enlarged the stronghold in 1213. - -In 1432 the Earl of Ormond went to war with O’Carroll of Ely, and -demolished his two chief castles, which most likely were Birr and Leap, -for in spite of Royal grants the stronghold remained in the possession -of the O’Carrolls. - -A dispute arose about the chieftainship of the sept in 1532, the senior -branch of the family holding Birr Castle. - -Ferganainm O’Carroll, the son of the late chief, enlisted the aid of -the Earl of Kildare, whose daughter he had married, and together they -laid siege to Birr. The Earl received a bullet in his side from the -garrison. It is said that a soldier, hearing him cry out in agony, -remonstrated with him, remarking he himself had been wounded three -times and was none the worse, to which the Earl replied he was sorry he -had not received the fourth bullet in his stead. The ball was extracted -the following spring, but it is said to have hastened his end. - -In 1537 Lord Leonard Grey took Birr Castle, and is reported to have -received submission from O’Carroll, who was created Baron of Ely in -1552. - -At the time of the plantation of Ely, Birr and its castle were granted -to Sir Laurence Parsons in 1620, and the same year his steward arrived -to make preparations. Shortly afterwards O’Carroll appealed in vain. - -In 1641 Sir William Parsons was made Governor of Ely O’Carroll and the -Castle of Birr, which latter he garrisoned with his tenants. - -He put the place at once in a state of defence. He raised a flanker -behind the stables, and erected scaffolds inside the castle for the -garrison to fight from. - -After some skirmishing the fortress was closely besieged in 1642, and -of the nine hundred people in town and castle many died of starvation, -while others were reduced to eating dogs and cats. - -At length the Earl of Ormond sent a detachment to its relief, but early -the next year General Preston approached the stronghold with artillery -and troops. - -He reconnoitred the town from Drumbawn Hill, and after firing a few -shots encamped in the neighbouring woods. On the second day of the -siege he sent a messenger to the Governor to inquire if he held the -castle for the King or the Parliament, and asking to be allowed to -garrison it for his Majesty’s use. - -Sir William replied that he had not heard of any difference from his -Majesty or from the Parliament, and that he held his commission as -Governor of Ely O’Carroll. - -At this reply Preston entrenched, and next day began to bombard the -fortress in earnest. The following night a mine was commenced under the -direction of a mason who had been employed in the castle. The garrison, -hearing the noise, fired on the sappers, but the darkness prevented the -shot taking effect, and in the morning they were underground. - -Preston continued firing, and destroyed much of the wall and one of the -flankers. He said he would break down the fortress about the Governor’s -ears. Some of the balls found in the masonry weighed 9 lbs. each. - -Under cover of a parley the defenders of the mill were withdrawn, and -the garrison held out for two days after they had been undermined. A -conference was held and the besieged were granted honourable terms. - -Lord Castlehaven conducted them to Athy. They numbered about eight -hundred men, women, and children. - -Preston seems to have retained possession of Birr until 1645, when for -five years it was held by the Confederate Catholic forces. - -It was taken from the Irish in 1650 by General Ireton, the enemy having -burnt it before retreating. The Marquis of Clanrickarde tried to retake -it in vain. - -In 1688 Birr was so infested with robbers that Sir Laurence Parsons -took some of his neighbours and tenants inside the castle and closed -the gates. This act was magnified to the Government by his enemy, -Colonel Oxburgh, who obtained an order from the Lord Lieutenant to put -a garrison in the castle. - -Oxburgh demanded admittance, and Sir Laurence refused until he should -hear from Lord Tyrconnel. A siege then began, and when they attempted -to undermine the fortress terms of capitulation were agreed upon. - -Both terms of surrender (1643-1688) are preserved in the castle and -have been published in the Report of the Historical MSS. Commission. - -Sir Laurence and some of his tenants were imprisoned in the fortress. -He was tried for high treason and several times reprieved. He was -liberated after the Boyne, and appointed High Sheriff for the King’s -County. - -In 1690 the castle garrison, being English, was summoned, but after a -parley the enemy retired. - -Later the same year it was attacked by Sarsfield, who fired all day -on the stronghold. The marks of the shot are still to be seen upon -the castle walls. The besieged, under Captain Curry, held out until -reinforcements arrived. - -The English army, passing through Birr in 1691, left four hundred -wounded men in the castle for two months. - -Sir Laurence Parsons died in 1698. - -The second Earl of Rosse succeeded to the estates in 1841. His -experiments towards improving the reflecting telescope had been begun -in 1827 at Birr Castle. He employed local workmen, and the tools, -machinery, furnaces, ovens, &c., were all constructed on the spot, many -of which are still to be seen. - -At length, after many failures, two specula were cast in 1842-43. They -each measured 6 feet in diameter, weighed 4 tons, and were of 54 feet -focus. - -The tube in which one was mounted is 58 feet long and 7 feet in -diameter. It is slung on chains between two piers of masonry, and the -telescope is moved and supported by a complex system of cast-iron -platforms, triangles, and levers. - -It is the largest telescope in the world, and cost about £20,000 to -construct. Observations were commenced in February, 1845. There are -several smaller telescopes at the castle as well. - -The present Earl of Rosse is the third Earl, and, like his father, is -an eminent scientist. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - T. Cooke, “History of Birr,” &c. - Cooke, “Picture of Parsonstown.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - S. Lee, “Dictionary of National Biography.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Report of Historical MSS. Commission. - - - - -_BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW_ - - -Wicklow is situated about twenty-five miles south-south-east of Dublin, -and the ruins of the Black Castle occupy an isolated rocky promontory -east of the town, and on the south side of the Leitrim river. The name -Wicklow is likely to have been of Norwegian origin, but the meaning -is uncertain. The Irish name Kilmantan signified S. Mantan’s Church. -The castle followed the natural shape of the dark rock on which it was -built, and from which, no doubt, the designation “Black” is taken. It -was divided from the mainland by a chasm, which was probably bridged in -former times. A few fragments of walls, with window openings, are all -that remain. - -The fortress can never have been of large dimensions if it was confined -to the rock on which the ruins now stand. - -In 1176, after Maurice FitzGerald had been recalled by Strongbow, he -received a grant of the Castle of Wicklow, among other possessions, in -lieu of his lands in Wexford, which King Henry wished to retain. From -this it would appear to have been the site of an older fortification. - -Maurice FitzGerald began to erect a Norman stronghold on the -promontory, but he died before it was completed. - -Soon after his death William FitzAdelm managed by falsehood to get -possession of the Black Castle from his son Gerald, first Baron of -Offaly, and surrendered him instead the unprotected Castle of Ferns. - -The Earl of Ormond being arraigned for treason in 1422, one of the -charges against him was that he had retained William Edward, Constable -of Arklow, in his service after he had assisted the O’Byrnes in -seizing the King’s Castle of Wicklow. They killed John Liverpoole, the -constable, and sent his head to the O’Byrne. They also imprisoned a -priest, whom they found in the fortress, to hold for ransom. - -[Illustration: BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW.] - -The O’Byrnes seem to have been in possession of the castle in the -early part of the sixteenth century, but in 1534 it had again passed -to the Crown, and Thomas Stevyns was appointed constable. In 1567 Sir -Thomas Fytzwylliams began his suit for the fortress, which, in 1575, he -offered to re-edify, though his doing so does not seem altogether to -have worked in his favour. - -It seems generally believed that the present ruins represent the -stronghold he built, but in 1580 it was reported that Wicklow Castle -was razed by the enemy. - -Nineteen years later the terrible disaster took place in June, 1599, -in which the English troops were utterly routed between Rathdrum and -Glenmalure by the combined Irish septs of the district. It was this -that caused Essex such a sharp reprimand from Oueen Elizabeth. - -Sir Henry Harrington was in command, and his troops fell back upon -Wicklow Castle in the wildest disorder, chased by the Irish within half -a mile of the town. - -Captain Adam Loftus seems to have been the only one who endeavoured to -redeem the day. He was wounded in the leg and conveyed to the castle. A -surgeon was sent for, though the wound was not considered dangerous at -first; but he shortly afterwards succumbed to the effects. - -In 1610 Sir William Usher, Knight, was made constable of the fortress, -and in 1641 Luke O’Toole and a band of insurgents laid siege to the -town and castle, but retreated upon the approach of Sir Charles Coote -with some English troops. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Gilbert, “History of Viceroys of Ireland.” - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - O’Toole, “History of the Clan O’Toole.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - State Papers. - Book of Howth, Carew MSS. - - - - -_BLARNEY CASTLE_ - - “There is a stone there whoever kisses, - Oh, he never misses to grow eloquent, - ’Tis he may clamber to a lady’s chamber - Or become a member of Parliament. - A clever spouter, he’ll sure turn out, or - An ‘out an’ outer’ to be let alone, - Don’t hope to hinder him or bewilder him, - Sure he’s a pilgrim to the Blarney Stone!” - FATHER PROUT. - - -Appropriately built on an isolated limestone rock, the castle of the -Blarney (Blarna meaning “little field”) was the chief stronghold of the -chiefs of the sept Carty, from Cartheigh, “an inhabitant of the rock.” -It is situated some three and a half miles north-west of Cork, near the -junction of the Comane (_i.e._ crooked stream) and the Awmartin River. -The present ruins show three distinct periods of construction, of which -the oldest is a slender tower, or peel, situated at the north-west -corner of the larger block of masonry that was built to it, the whole -being the great keep of the fortress. - -A stone bearing the inscription “Cormac M’Carthy, Fortis -Me Fieri Facit, A.D. 1446,” forms the sill of one of the -machicolations on the south side of the tower, and being damaged during -the siege in Cromwell’s time, has been supported with iron. - -The keep is gnomon in shape, the later rectangular tower being 60 feet -by 36 feet, while the peel, which is half built into the north-west -corner, forms a projection of 18 feet by 12 feet. The tower is about -120 feet high. The original entrance to the peel, which was 10 feet -above the ground, is now built up, and access is gained by the large -newel stair in the later building. What are called “the back stairs,” -were the original flight belonging to the first tower. Here is situated -the “Earl’s bedroom,” with a more modern bay window, and remnants of -the tapestry which once covered the walls may still be seen. In the -very top storey is situated a kitchen with two great fireplaces, and -one of the now floorless rooms in this tower was probably the chapel. - -In the later portion of the keep is the store-room and guard chamber -near the entrance, which is a low-pointed doorway once defended from -above. The apartment in the third floor was most likely used as a -reception room, above which the great banqueting hall is situated, with -an elaborately-worked chimney, and a fireplace 12 feet wide. The tower -on the south and east is finished by machicolated parapets, resting -on fourteen corbels, and having a corresponding number of opens or -crenelles above. - -The keep represents the fifteenth-century masonry, except where it is -surmounted by the ogee parapet of brick work, which was seemingly added -at the time the now ruined mansion to the east of the tower was built. -This dwelling, erected by the Jeffreys family, was unroofed and its -timber sold in 1821. - -What are locally called “the dungeons” are merely divisions in the well -cavern, which was at one time connected with the castle by a covered -passage now filled up. - -There seems to be great uncertainty as to the identity of the famous -kissing stone, said to give a persuasive tongue to whoever touches it -with his lips. The power of conferring this accomplishment appears to -have been unknown in the early part of the nineteenth century. - -The inscribed stone already mentioned is generally supposed to be the -true “Blarney stone,” chiefly, it seems because it has been carefully -propped, and most likely had the mystic reputation conferred upon it -when a slightly water-worn hollow stone situated on the parapet of the -east side of the turret disappeared more than a quarter of a century -ago. - -Again a stone bearing the date 1703, on the highest part of the -north-east angle, and another engraved with a shamrock in relief have -each been asserted to be the original stone. - -[Illustration: BLARNEY CASTLE.] - -The origin of “Blarney,” meaning flattery, is said to have been from an -exclamation of Queen Elizabeth upon receiving a very plausible letter -from M’Carthy, to the effect that it was all “Blarney” and he did not -intend to carry out his promises. - -The castle at one time covered eight acres. In a quarry near a large -number of human bones have been found. - -Cormac MacCarty, surnamed Laider, or the Strong, came into the -lordship of Muskerry three years after he had built Blarney Castle, -and such was his power that English settlers paid him a yearly tribute -of £40 to protect them against the attacks of the Irish. He was fourth -lord, and direct descendant of the former Kings of Desmond and Cork. He -died in 1494. - -Teige MacCormac Carty signed an indenture of allegiance to the English -laws in 1542, and this was faithfully adhered to by his descendants, -who, unlike the other great Irish septs, never went eagerly into -rebellion. At this time the clan could raise three thousand fighting -men. His son Dermod was knighted in 1558. - -The Manor of Blarney, Twhoneblarney, the entire country of Muskerry, -with all its lordships and possessions, were granted to M‘Dermod to -hold by military service in 1589. - -His cousin Charles, however, was page to Sir Walter Raleigh, and -through his interest procured from the Privy Council a sequestration of -the rents. - -In 1596 Cormack M‘Dermot M‘Carthy asked for a new grant of the Manor of -Blarney with a release of all conditions. - -When war broke out, although Lord Muskerry remained with the English -forces, he was seized as a traitor (1600) because his brother had -joined the rebels, and a relative informed the Council that he himself -was plotting against them. - -Tyrone at this time encamped with all his forces near Blarney, which is -described as one of the strongest castles in the province of Munster, -“for it is four piles joined in one, seated upon a main rock, so as it -is free from mining, the wall 18 feet thick, and flanked at each corner -to the best advantage.” - -Sir Charles Wilmot and Captain Roger Harvey endeavoured to surprise the -garrison after the arrest of Lord Muskerry, but the warders, suspecting -their motive, made them partake of the food they asked for, outside the -castle walls. - -When Lord Muskerry was put upon his trial he indignantly denied the -charges made against him. The President replied that he had better -either confess his guilt and ask pardon, or deliver up Blarney Castle -until the accusations were proved false. This Lord Muskerry hesitated -to do, and so was committed to prison. At length he consented to give -up Blarney to Captain Taafe, on condition that it would be restored to -him unaltered. - -Shortly after this he escaped, in 1602, but seeing the struggle against -the Crown was hopeless, he asked leave to make submission to Sir George -Carew, which was granted. - -In 1628 he was created Baron of Blarney and Viscount Cartie of -Muskerie, and as such went to Parliament. - -Charles I. appointed him President of Munster, but in 1646 Lord -Broghill, afterwards Earl of Orrery, took the castle of Blarney and -made it his headquarters. Lord Muskerry was the last Royalist in -Ireland to lay down arms, and he was tried for his life by Ludlow and -others. He was permitted to pass to Spain, while his wife was allowed -to receive his income from the estate, except £1,000 a year granted to -Lord Broghill for his services (1656). - -Two years later Lord Muskerry was recalled, after the Restoration, and -created Viscount Muskerry and Earl of Clancarty. His property was given -back to him, except the portion allowed to Lord Broghill, who was now a -supporter of the King. - -When James landed at Kinsale, Blarney Castle was used as one of the -prisons for the Protestants of Cork, the fourth Earl of Clancarty being -one of the King’s chief supporters. - -Upon the succession of King William the Clancarty estate, worth about -£150,000, was confiscated and sold, a pension of £300 being allowed to -the Earl, who died at Hamburg, 1734. - -The Rev. Dean Davies, of Cork, was tenant of the castle for some years -after the Hollow-Sword-Blade Company of London bought it. Upon leaving -he took away many of the oak beams of the castle for his new residence -at Dawstown. - -Chief Justice Pyne then purchased it, and held it for a short time, but -in 1703 Sir James Jeffreys bought the castle and lands, and from him -the present owner, Sir George Colthurst, is descended. - -There is in the possession of The O’Donovan, at Liss Ard, Skibbereen, -a dadagh, or Irish skean, with which an O’Donovan killed M‘Carty Reagh -about the middle of the sixteenth century. The dispute arose about some -plundered cattle which M‘Carty wished to drive into the bawn of Blarney -without division. Being opposed by O’Donovan, he attacked him and threw -him down, but O’Donovan, although on the ground, snatched the dadagh -from him, and slew him with his own weapon. - -About a quarter of a mile south-west of the castle, in the park is -the lake, where it is supposed the plate chest of the last Earl of -Clancarty was thrown before the castle was surrendered to William’s -forces, and a legend says that the Earl rises from the lake every seven -years, and walks two or three miles in the hope that some one will -speak to him, so that he may tell them where it lies. Another version -says that as soon as the estate is restored to the MacCartys the chest -will be discovered. A little silver ring has been found in the lake. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Calendar of State Papers. - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Croker, “Fairy Legends,” and “Researches in the South of Ireland.” - Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.” - Windele, “Notices of the City of Cork and Vicinity.” - Smith, “History of Cork.” - C. C. Woods, “Blarney Castle” (_Journal of the Cork - Archæological Society_). - Proceedings of Archæological Association of Ireland. - -[Illustration: BUNRATTY CASTLE.] - - - - -_BUNRATTY CASTLE_ - - -The village of Bunratty is situated in the Barony of Lower Bunratty, -County Clare, and the castle stands on the banks of the Ougarnee River, -a little above its juncture with the Shannon on its northern bank, -about six miles below Limerick. - -The former name of the river was Ratty, and the name, therefore, -signifies the end or mouth of the Ratty. - -The fortress is still in a very fair state of preservation and shows -many signs of alterations during its existence. - -It consists of an oblong structure, flanked by four square towers built -into the angles, which are joined at the head by depressed arches. - -The north-east tower contains an oratory. It has a piscina, and the -ceiling is a handsome specimen of richly moulded seventeenth-century -stucco work, probably executed when the “great Earl” of Thomond -restored the castle in 1610. Out-offices and servants’ quarters -formerly surrounded the main building, but were removed by the late Mr. -Studdert to supply material for the modern manor house. - -An inscribed stone at the summit of the castle states that the present -building was erected by O’Brien in 1397. There are marks of shot still -visible on the walls. - -The cantred of Tradee was granted in fee farm to the Norman Robert de -Muscegros, at a yearly rent of £30. - -Henry III. remitted him two years’ rent in 1251 to enable him to -fortify Bunratty Castle, which he had built. Shortly after he -surrendered it to the King on condition he was allowed for the -repairing, provisioning, and defending of it. It was taken by the Irish -in 1257. - -De Muscegros exchanged his lands of Tradee, in Thomond, with Sir -Richard de Clare in 1275 for property in England, and the following -year Bunratty Castle was taken for the King by Geoffry de Gyamul, Lord -Justice. - -The same year King Brian the Red granted to de Clare the district he -had acquired by exchange, and he at once began to repair the castle. -It is recorded he built “a defensive thick-walled castle of lime -and stone, which was a sheltered, impregnable fortress, and a wide -white-washed mansion which he founded in the clear-harboured Bunratty,” -and that he resided here with English retainers whom he purchased “for -love or money.” - -Torlough O’Brien invaded Thomond, and its King, Brian, fled to -Bunratty. Among those who opposed the invaders was de Clare’s -brother-in-law, Patrick Fitz-Maurice, who was slain in the conflict. -When news of his death reached Bunratty there was great lamentation, -and his sister, de Clare’s wife, denounced King Brien, who was then at -dinner, as the cause of the disaster. - -He was thereupon dragged from the table, bound to wild horses, and -literaly torn to pieces. This act of treachery was rendered even more -horrible from the fact that he and de Clare had sworn friendship with -the most solemn rites. - -Among the State Documents of 1298 is an entry for expenses and wages -of horse and foot soldiers in an expedition to relieve Bunratty, which -was besieged by Turlough O’Brien. This attack probably took place at an -earlier date. - -The castle was besieged again in 1305 by Coveha MacConmara and the -outworks burnt, which is thus picturesquely described: “Yea, at this -bout, the open-spaced Bunratty, when it was gutted, fed the flames; -and by the Wolf-dog’s pertinacity, not once, but twice, were many of -the lime-white towers burnt.” - -The fortress was not taken, and Lord Burke persuaded MacConmara to -raise the siege. - -At this time Maurice de Rochford was custodian. - -The Earl of Ulster marched into Clare with a great army in 1311 to -besiege Bunratty. Richard de Clare sallied out to meet him on the hill -behind the fortress, but was obliged to retreat. William de Burgo, -pressing too far in pursuit, was taken prisoner, as well as John, son -of Walter de Lacy. - -In 1313, de Clare was about to hang O’Brien’s son, who was hostage -for the tribe of Coileau, but his wife, with the clergy and nobility, -interceded for him. - -De Clare and his son Thomas were killed in 1318 in the battle of Dysert -O’Dea, and upon his wife, Lady Johan de Clare, hearing of the disaster, -she set fire to the castle and sailed for England. - -The following year it was spoiled by King Mortogh. - -It was immediately repaired, and the Government assigned it to -Matilda, wife of Robert de Wills, and Margaret, wife of Bartholomew de -Badlesmere, sisters to Richard de Clare, and appointed Robert Sutton -constable. - -In 1326 it was held for the Crown by James de bello Fago, and in 1332 -it was besieged and taken by the Macnamaras. - -There is an order dated 1356 to liberate Thomas, the son of John -FitzMaurice, who had been imprisoned as accessory to the loss of the -castle. - -The Lord Deputy recovered the fortress in 1558 by firing across the -river until the garrison of Donnell O’Brien surrendered it. - -The Earl of Thomond was proclaimed rebel in 1570, and fled to sea; the -Earl of Ormond meantime garrisoned Bunratty with his own men, but in -1585 the castle was confirmed to the Earl of Thomond. - -The “Great Earl” of Thomond restored it in 1617. - -Some authorities say Lord Forbes seized the castle in 1642 in a -buccaneering expedition. - -When the rebellion broke out in 1641 the Earl of Thomond of the time -found himself in a difficult position, for by religion he might have -been supposed to side with the Government, while at the same time -he was closely related to many of the prominent Confederates, being -uncle to Lord Muskerry who commanded their troops in the south. He, -therefore, remained quietly at Bunratty taking neither side, but he was -too powerful to be allowed to presevere in neutrality. - -The Supreme Council of the Confederates entrusted the seizure of -both the castle and Earl to his relatives, the O’Briens, but in the -meantime the Earl of Ormond had entered into a treaty with the Earl of -Thomond whereby the latter was to surrender the castle of Bunratty to a -governor they mutually agreed upon. - -The choice fell upon Colonel Adams, “a stout officer,” who, with -upwards of six hundred men, took possession of the stronghold in 1645. -The governor was a Scotchman whose family name was Adam, but upon -settling in Ireland he seems to have been called Adams, and sometimes -MacAdam. He was married to the Hon. Catherine Magennis, granddaughter -of Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, therefore his wife was first cousin to Owen -Roe O’Neill, which, no doubt, guided his selection as commander of -Bunratty garrison. - -Before the castle was surrendered the Earl of Thomond built all his -plate and money into the walls to the amount of £2,000, and had the -place plastered and rough cast. Some of the servants betrayed the fact -to the soldiers, and they seized the Earl and threatened to kill him -unless he showed them the treasure, whereupon they took it before his -face. He afterwards tried to recover it as a debt from the Government -in vain. - -The castle was provisioned at the cost of £1,200 by John Davies. - -The Earl of Thomond left his fortress in the hands of the soldiers and -sailed for England. Colonel Adams at once set to work to put the place -in a state of defence by raising earthworks and fortifying outlying -positions, as well as mounting cannon in the garden, his was much -helped in his operations by the marshy character of the surrounding -country. - -The Confederates sent an army to besiege the castle, which encamped in -the park. They were shortly afterwards joined by Lord Muskerry, who -seems to have been only half-hearted in attacking his uncle’s property, -and it required the persuasion and presence of the Nuncio to push the -siege to a victorious issue. - -Cardinal Rinuncini must have been much impressed by the beauty of the -spot, as later he had scenes of the siege painted on the walls of his -Italian palace. - -After some weeks a dam about half a mile from the castle was captured, -but only held a few hours when deserted by its guards, who were hanged -for the offence. - -Two pieces of cannon were then directed upon a small outlying castle, -and at the end of two days’ firing Colonel Adams repaired to the place -to see if it could be held any longer. A chance shot at the upper -window mortally wounded him, and being carried out he died that night. - -When Muskerry heard this he decided to attack in force, “knowing how -much discouraged they were at the loss of so valiant a person.” - -The Irish gradually gained position, and at length the garrison -capitulated for their lives, and the officers their swords, and -returned to Cork by water. This was in 1646. - -In 1712 Henry, 8th Earl of Thomond, disposed of his estate, and the -castle passed to the Studdert family, who lived there until the -neighbouring mansion was built. - -For some years afterwards it was partly used for a police barrack, and -now it is in the hands of a caretaker. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Frost, “History of the County Clare.” - White, “History of Clare.” - O’Donoghue, “Memoirs of the O’Briens.” - B. Adams and M. Adams, “History of the Adams Family.” - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Dwyer, “Diocese of Killaloe.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Gilbert, “Affairs in Ireland, 1641-52” (Apporismical - Discovery of Treasonable Faction). - Gilbert, “History of the Irish Confederation by Richard Bellings.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - State Documents. - State Papers. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. - Westropp, “Normans in Thomond;” Macnamara, “Inchiquin, - Co. Clare;” Shirley and O’Brien, “Extracts - from the Journal of Thomas Dineley,” - all in _Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland_. - Westropp, “On the Churches of County Clare,” in Proceedings of R.I.A. - “Bunratty,” _Dublin Saturday Magazine_. - - - - -_CARLOW CASTLE_ - - -The town of Carlow, Catherlough or Catherlogh, is situated on the banks -of the Barrow, five and a half miles south-by-west of Castledermot near -the junction of the above river with the Burren. The name signifies -“the city on the lake,” but the sheet of water from which it derived -its name has disappeared. - -The castle stands on a slight eminence to the west of the town on the -east bank of the river, where it commanded the ford. - -The present ruins consist of two round towers, and the western wall, -which measures about 105 feet in length and some 70 feet in height. One -of the towers is joined to this structure, and a small portion of the -north and south walls adhere to both turrets respectively. - -The doors were remarkably low and narrow, and light was admitted almost -entirely by loopholes. - -In Thomas Dineley’s quaint diary he states that the fortress was built -of freestone, and a picture in the same work represents it with gables -and a high-pitched roof. It is flanked by round towers and has many -tall chimneys. It appears to be surrounded by a low battlemented wall, -and to have numerous little out-houses. - -Like so many castles in Ireland, local tradition ascribes its erection -to King John, but Eva, Strongbow’s wife, Isabel, their daughter, Hugh -le Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk, and Bellingham, Lord Deputy of Ireland, -have been mentioned by other authorities. Ryan, in his history of -Carlow, deals with the likelihood of each claim, and thinks that it -was most probably built by Hugh de Lacy. He is said to have erected it -about 1180, but the architecture is rather that of the beginning of the -thirteenth century. - -The castle is mentioned in the charter of William, Earl Marshal. - -In 1283 we find the repairing of the old hall, kitchen, and tower among -the accounts of Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, in whose possession -it then was. Among the items of expenditure are 700 nails and canvas, -which were probably for the roofing of the great hall, which was -covered with wooden shingles, and seems to have been difficult to keep -in repair. - -[Illustration: CARLOW CASTLE.] - -Carlow Castle was at this time the centre of government. The courts -were held in the hall mentioned, and the Exchequer House was probably -situated in one of the towers. The income of the lordship was £750 a -year. - -After all this expenditure, however, when the Earl’s possessions -passed to the Crown in 1306, the castle and hall were so ruined that no -value was placed upon them. - -J. de Bonevill, of his Majesty’s Castle of Carlow, was appointed -seneschal of Carlow and Kildare in 1310 to put down the robberies and -outrages in the country. - -It is stated that the castle was seized in 1397 by Donald MacArt -Kavanagh, the MacMorrough, but the authority is not considered very -reliable. - -In 1494 James Fitzgerald, brother to the Earl of Kildare, having gone -into rebellion, seized the castle and hoisted his standard on its -battlements. Sir Edward Poynings marched to Carlow, and after a siege -of ten days recovered the fortress. - -Carlow Castle was in the hands of Thomas, 10th Earl of Kildare, better -known as the “Silken Thomas,” during his rebellion in 1535. After his -imprisonment in 1537 Lord (James) Butler, eldest son of the Earl of -Ossory, appealed to the Crown for compensation for having defended the -Castles of Carlow and Kilkea, “standing on the marches,” close to Irish -territory. He was granted his expenses, and appointed constable of both -castles. - -At the same time the Deputy wrote to the Lord Privy Seal advising him -to let the King keep the “manors of Carlagh, Kylea, and Castledermont” -in his hands to prevent Lord Ossory and his son from becoming too -powerful. - -Sir Robert Hartpole applied for the custodianship of the fortress in -1567, it being at that time in possession of Frances Randall, widow of -its late keeper. - -Rory Oge O’More, Chieftain of Leix, burned the town and Sir Robert -Hartpole made a sally from the castle with fifty men and released -Harrington and Cosby, who were his prisoners, but O’More escaped in the -dark. - -Oueen Elizabeth desired the Lord Deputy to exchange some of the crown -lands with Henry, Earl of Kildare, for the castle and lands of Carlow -in 1589. During the unfortunate Essex’s rule in Ireland, in 1598 to -1600 the Queen’s warders held the fortress, but the Kavanaghs laid the -surrounding country waste. - -By the State Papers of 1604 the manor of Carlow was granted to Donagh, -Earl of Thomond, with the exception of the castle, of which, however, -he and his son were made constables. The following is taken from a -document setting forth the conditions of the grant:-- - -“In all works made within the castle, the inhabitants of Carlow are to -find six workmen or labourers daily, during the said work, at their -own expense; also each tenant and cottager to weed the demesne corn -yearly for three days, and a woman out of every house in Carlow to bind -the sheaves for one day; each tenant and cottager to cut wood for the -use of the castle for three days in summer, and each of them having -a draught horse to draw the wood to the castle for three days, also -to draw the corn out of the fields to the area of the said castle for -three days; to give one cartload of wood, and one truss of straw at -Christmas and Easter.” - -Shortly after this the castle and bawn was granted to Sir Charles -Wilmot. - -Five hundred English were besieged in the castle in 1642, and were in -a starving condition when relieved by Sir Patrick Wemys, who had been -despatched to their relief by the Earl of Ormond. The rebels burned the -town and fled at his approach. - -In 1647 the King’s garrison was so hard pressed that the Earl of Ormond -borrowed £60 for its relief, and forwarded it by Major Harman, but the -fifty men who came to reinforce the garrison could not get in, as the -stronghold was closely invested. The siege lasted about a month, and -then the castle surrendered. - -In Dr. Jones’ diary he states that the Cromwellian army arrived before -the castle on the 18th of March, 1649. That the garrison of two hundred -men refused to surrender it until the battery played on the place, and -preparations were made for storming. - -The next day the castle was surrendered, and two companies left to -garrison it. The officers in command being Colonel Hewson, Sir T. -Jones, and Colonel Shelburn. - -Again we learn that Ireton arrived to take the castle on July 2, 1650, -and that he spent the whole day in preparing for the attack. The troops -encamped on the Queen’s County side of the river, the field still being -pointed out. They had to erect a temporary bridge of ropes, hurdles and -straw to cross the river, and the soldiers passed over one by one. - -In Edmund Ludlow’s “Memoirs” he describes the place as “a small castle, -with a river running under its walls,” and ascribes its importance to -the fact of the neighbourhood being in sympathy with the garrison. - -Just before sunset Ireton sent a letter to the governor offering terms -to the defenders if they surrendered. The officer he sent returned to -say Ireton should have an answer the next morning. - -Accordingly, Captain Bellew sent a courteous reply to him asking for a -truce of three days, so that he might communicate with the Bishop of -Dromore. This was granted, and Ireton went on to Waterford, leaving Sir -Hardress Waller in command. - -After a short cannonade he took the town, and the castle surrendered -upon articles. The garrison received a safe convoy to Lea Castle, and a -pass of ten days to reach Athlone. - -In Carte’s “Life of Ormond,” he attributes the castle’s loss to -treachery, but except in a local tradition this does not appear. - -It is said that the garrison running short of water sent an old woman -to the river to fetch some, but that she was taken prisoner by some of -the soldiers, and brought to the hostile camp. She was promised her -life and a reward if on the following night she would show by a torch -on the battlements the position of the stairway where the walls were -thinnest. The legend runs she fulfilled the conditions and that, the -cannonade at once beginning, she was the first to lose her life through -her own treachery. - -The manor passed from the Earl of Thomond’s family, on account of an -unredeemed mortgage, to a Mr. Hamilton, M.P., who, in 1729, brought -his case before Parliament for having been deprived of the castle yard -during the time of privilege. - -The castle was leased in 1814 to a Dr. Middleton. This gentleman -intended to convert it into a lunatic asylum, and endeavoured to -enlarge the windows and lessen the thickness of the walls by the then -little known process of blasting. The results were disastrous. One -morning, at about nine o’clock, while the workmen were fortunately at -breakfast, the huge pile began slowly to totter to its fall. - -An eye-witness who had time to escape from the threatened destruction -said: “After viewing the portentous and amazing nodding of the towers, -the immense pile gradually disparted into vast masses, which broke with -difficulty into fragments less mighty.” - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Ryan, “History of County Carlow.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - State Documents. - State Papers. - Book of Howth, Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Lord Walter Fitzgerald, “Kilkea Castle,” - in _Journal of Kildare Archæological Society_. - R. Malcomson, “Cromwell at Carlow”; J. O’Meagher, - “Diary of Dr. Jones”; E. Shirley, “Extracts - from Journal of Thomas Dineley”; and J. Mills, - “Accounts of the Earl of Norfolk’s Estates - in Ireland”: all in _Journal of - Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland_. - MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland. - - - - -_CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE_ - - -It is popularly believed that Carrickfergus derived its name from -a king called Fergus having been lost there in a storm about -320 B.C., whose body was washed up on the rocky peninsular -where the castle stands. The name is, however, more likely to be a -corruption of _Carraig na Fairge_, signifying “rock of the sea.” It is -often erroneously called Knockfergus in ancient documents. The town -is situated on the northern shore of Belfast Lough, about ten miles -distant from that city. - -The castle occupies the whole of a tongue of rock at the south end of -the town, which was at one time surrounded on three sides by water. - -The entrance to the fortress on the north, or landward direction, -was by a drawbridge across a dry moat. This was protected by two -semicircular towers, and a portcullis which still exists. Above the -entrance is an aperture, from which missiles and lead could be poured -upon besiegers. - -From the gate towers a high curtain follows the formation of the rock -that gradually rises to about 30 feet in height towards the south. -The wall is at present mounted with ordnance used by the militia. The -enclosed space is divided into two yards. The outer one, which is -entered immediately from the gateway, contains a number of buildings -and offices erected in 1802, at which time the castle was used as a -barrack. There are also vaults, which were supposed to be bomb proof. -In the line of wall is situated a small projecting tower known as the -“Lion’s Den.” The inner yard is approached through a round arched -gateway, and contains storehouses and keep. This latter is 90 feet -high, and divided into five storeys. Its western side forms part of the -outer wall. It was formerly entered by a doorway on the second floor, -and a winding stone staircase in the wall of the west angle led to -the top. Loopholes admitted light and air, and there was a small door -at each storey. At present the ascent is made partly by wooden stairs -inside. There are two towers at the summit of the keep, one on the -south-east corner covering the top of the stairway, and the other at -the south-west corner, which was intended for a sentry-box. - -On the third storey is the large room known as “Fergus’s Dining-room,” -being 40 feet long by 38 feet broad and over 25 feet high. It was made -into a barrack in 1793, but is now employed as an armoury. Over the -chimneypiece was once a stone inscribed in Irish, which was removed in -1793. - -The former draw-well of the castle, 37 feet deep, was situated in the -keep. It was famous for medicinal qualities. The lower portion of the -building is now used as a magazine. The walls of the tower are 9 feet -thick, and the corner stones, or quoins, are of yellowish limestone, -which was probably quarried in the County Down on the opposite shore of -the Lough. - -The building of the castle is generally ascribed to John de Courcy, -and, although there is no direct proof that this was the case, many -facts tend to support the supposition. In the first place, as De -Courcy settled a colony in Carrickfergus shortly after his conquest -of Ulster, it is most likely that he would provide some means for its -protection. Again, it was for a long time the hereditary property of -the Earls of Ulster, who were descended from De Courcy. The ancient -seal of the mayor of the town bears a spread-eagle, which was the De -Courcy crest, and several coins of Henry II.’s time have been found -near the building. In a preface to State Papers the editors say that -“the oldest fort in Ulster is Carrickfergus, built in the days of De -Courcy, and never out of the possession of the English.” - -In 1605, the Lord Deputy applying for means to have it restored, -remarks it was “founded by his Majesty’s ancestors, and much needing -repair.” - -[Illustration: CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE - -(From an Engraving made in 1838.)] - -It is likely King John stayed in the castle during his visit to -Carrickfergus in 1210, and an order is preserved to the Bishop of -Norwich to buy supplies for it that year. It appears to have passed -into the hands of Hugh de Lacy when King John granted him Ulster, but -in 1223 a garrison was to be placed in the castle lest it should be -attacked by De Lacy, who was then plotting against the King. - -The following year a band of knights and soldiers were despatched by -the Earl of Pembroke for its further defence. Although it was being -besieged by Hugh they managed to get into the fortress safely, and the -siege was then raised. - -Two years afterwards the custody of the castle was granted to Hugh de -Lacy’s brother Walter. - -In 1245 an order was issued for its repair, and later (1253) it was -assigned by the King as part of the dowry of Eleanor, Queen Consort. - -In 1315 the castle was besieged by Edward Bruce, and Lord Mandeville, -who endeavoured to relieve it, failed to do so. The gallant little -garrison held out for more than a year, and it is said they were -reduced to eating eight Scotch prisoners who had died within the walls. -Upon the arrival of King Robert Bruce to aid his brother, the fortress -was surrendered. After the death of Edward Bruce the castle passed -again into the hands of the English, and it appears to have been the -only place in Antrim not in the possession of the O’Neills after the -assassination of the Earl of Ulster, 1333. - -In 1337 the King appointed a constable to the castle under the belief -that he was the owner of the stronghold, instead of holding it only -during the minority of the Earl of Ulster, and as there was a constable -already in office, compensation had to be found for the disappointed -custodian. From this time there was a long list of constables, the -last being Stewart Banks, Esq., of Belfast, who used merely to attend -annually to see the Mayor sworn in the outer yard of the castle. In -1461 an Act of Parliament decreed that none but Englishmen should hold -the office of Governor. The position is now a mere sinecure. - -In 1390, in an order for repair, the castle is described as being -“totally destitute and desolate of defence,” and sixteen years later -its state does not seem to have been much improved. - -For the next two years it was kept for nothing by Sir James Whyte, who -then (1408) petitioned the Crown to give him aid against the threatened -attack of O’Donnell and his Scots. - -After the order for English custodians, James, Earl of Douglas, was -appointed Governor of Carrickfergus Castle in 1463. - -At the beginning of the next century Clannaboy Niall, son of Con of -Belfast, was prisoner in the castle on account of a row between his -servants and some soldiers (1507). He exchanged his freedom for sixteen -hostages, but no sooner was he liberated than he returned with his -followers and took the castle and the Mayor, and rescued his pledges. -In 1552 Sorley Boy MacDonnell surprised Carrickfergus and carried off -Walter Floody, the constable of the castle. In consequence of these -disturbances the Earl of Sussex marched to relieve the town in 1555. -Two years later Hugh O’Neill Oge and some other prisoners in the castle -escaped to join James M’Donnell. In 1559 the fortress was walled in and -repaired. The building seems to have been much dilapidated in 1567, and -upon Sir Henry Sidney coming north the following year, he had the keep -roofed and restored. When the Earl of Essex arrived by sea in 1573, -he reports that he discharged the ward of the castle, for it “doth -not serve of any use, having in it very few rooms, and none of those -covered, so as I have no apt place to employ her Majesty’s munition and -other store but in wet vaults.” - -From 1583 to 1598 Carrickfergus was the only town held by the Queen -in the district, and in the latter year the castle was but poorly -provisioned. - -General Monroe, with four thousand Scotch auxiliaries, landed and took -the castle in 1642, but four years later he was surprised by General -Monk, who occupied the stronghold for the Parliament, being made -Governor of it shortly afterwards. - -The next year, but small resistance was offered to Lord Inchiquin, who -then held it for the King for a few months, and it was retaken by Sir -Charles Coote, who appointed a Governor for the Commonwealth. - -In 1666, while the Duke of Ormond was at the head of affairs, so -great was the dissatisfaction that the castle was seized by mutinous -soldiers, and a strong force was required to quell the disturbance. - -Eight years later the fortress was ordered to be furnished with twenty -cannon. - -The adherents of James II. sustained here a siege for six days from the -troops of the Duke of Schomberg in 1689, after which they surrendered. -It was on the 14th of June in this year that King William III. landed -at Carrickfergus from the yacht _Mary_. - -In 1711 50 feet of the outer wall fell down, and the tower was roofed -with lead. - -The castle was taken by the French Commodore Thurôt with three ships -of war in 1760, but his squadron was captured a few days later by the -English fleet. - -In 1797 the United Irishmen laid a plot to seize the castle, which was -discovered by one of the garrison turning informer. - -The year after the rebellion State prisoners were confined at -Carrickfergus, having been sent from Belfast. At one time the fortress -was used as a prison for all Antrim. - -In 1814 a small square tower on the south side was taken down and -rebuilt. - -The castle is now in the possession of the Crown. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - State Papers. - Russell and Prendergast, Preface to State Papers. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - M. Haverty, “History of Ireland.” - Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club Guide. - S. M’Skimin, “History of Carrickfergus.” - Calendar of Patent Rolls. - Sweetman, Calendar of Documents. - Carew MSS. - “Notes on a Plan of Carrickfergus.” - J. Bell, “Origin of the Name of Carrickfergus” - (_Ulster Journal of Archæology_). - -[Illustration: CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE.] - - - - -_CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE_ - - “The court of Carrick is a court well fortified. - A court to which numbers of the noble resort, - A court noted for politeness--a court replete with pleasures, - A court thronged with heroes, - A court without torchlight, yet a court illumed; - A court of the light of wax tapers! - A plentiful mansion--so artistically stuccoed - With sun-lit gables and embroidery-covered walls.” - Translated from Irish by J. O’DALY. - - -Nineteen miles south-by-west of Kilkenny, in the Barony of East Iffa -and Offa, County Tipperary, stands the old town of Carrick on the left -bank of the Suir. The name Carrick is derived from a rock in the Suir -at the point where the town is built. The castle was erected by Edmond -le Bottiller in 1309, he being created Earl of Carrick six years later. -Upon his son receiving the title of Earl of Ormond the old title fell -into disuse. - -The present remains consist of two great towers of the Plantagenet -castle, rising behind the Tudor mansion which was erected by Thomas, -10th Earl of Ormond, in the reign of Elizabeth. Although not now -inhabited it is preserved from further decay. - -The two quadrangular towers of the older fortress stand on the river -bank, and are separated by a courtyard which was entered on the north -by an arched gateway from the river front. In one of these towers is -situated the chapel, which is connected with the banqueting hall by a -narrow passage. A strong light from a double window falls upon the -altar, round which is the remains of a carved stone canopy supported by -the figures of angels. - -The Tudor house which connects the older buildings is a many-gabled -mansion, and said by O’Donovan to be the most perfect specimen of that -period’s architecture in Ireland. - -The ceiling of the Great Hall is a beautiful example of stucco work. -It is divided by richly-moulded ribs enclosing Tudor emblems, and arms -and mottoes relating to the Ormond family. This apartment is 63 feet in -length by 15 feet in breadth, and is lighted by mullioned windows, that -on the north side being large and deeply recessed. It also contains -several handsome chimney-pieces. - -The walls were richly hung with tapestry, which was removed at the -beginning of the nineteenth century, some of it being transferred to -Kilkenny Castle. - -Little is known of the history of the early feudal fortress. Several -charters granted by the Ormonds as Lords Palatine of Tipperary are -dated from Carrick, showing that the family were occasionally in -residence. - -There is a tradition that Anne Boleyn was born in the castle. Thomas, -Earl of Carrick and Ormond, who died in 1515, had two daughters, one -of whom married Sir William Boleyn, a London merchant, and she was -grandmother to the future Oueen. History is uncertain where Anne -Boleyn was born, as several places are mentioned; it is, therefore, -not impossible that at Carrick Elizabeth’s mother first saw the light. -Henry VIII. created Anne’s father Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire, but the -former title afterwards reverted to the Butlers. - -In 1571 Perrott visited Carrick Castle during his campaign in Munster, -and it was plundered by the seneschal in the Desmond rebellion of 1582. - -In the time of Thomas, 10th Earl of Ormond, it became the chief -residence of the family. Thomas Dubh, or the Black Earl, was the -favourite of Queen Elizabeth, who used to call him her “black -husband,” to the annoyance of his rival the Earl of Leicester. He -was a great statesman and chivalrous nobleman, and enjoyed the full -confidence of his Sovereign during her long reign. - -In the latter years of his life he lived almost entirely at Carrick. A -glimpse of his loyal love for England is given by Sir John Davys in the -following observations of his on a journey in Munster in 1606:-- - -“And because I was to pass by the Carricke, a house of my Lord of -Ormond, where his lordship hath lain ever since his last weakness, I -went thither to visit his lordship and to rest there upon Easter Day; -but because the feast of St. George fell out in the Easter holidays, I -was not suffered in any wise to depart until I had seen him do honour -to that day. I found the Earl in his bed, for he was weaker at this -time than he had been for many months before; so that upon the day of -St. George he was not able to sit up, but had his robes laid upon his -bed, as the manner is. From thence I returned to Dublin at the end of -Easter week.” - -Towards the end of his life, Earl Thomas was quite blind, and a quaint -old MS., discovered at Brussels in 1822, gives a graphic account of a -prophecy supposed to have been delivered by him at a Christmas family -gathering in Carrick Castle shortly before his death, which took place -in 1614. - -Among those present at the feast were Sir Walter Butler, of Kilcash, -brother to the Earl, and also his son and grandson, James. The latter -was only four years old, and there being no room at the table, he -was let play about, and “being a sprightly boy, entertained himself -with a whipping of his gigg” (a kind of top) behind his great-uncle’s -chair. Black Thomas asked what the noise was, and being told, he took -the child (afterwards the great Duke of Ormond) between his knees and -said:-- - -“My family shall be much oppressed and brought very low; but by this -boy it shall be restored again, and in his time be in greater splendour -than ever it has been.” - -Viscount Tullogh, who was the Earl’s son-in-law and heir, pushed back -his chair angrily from the table, and again the blind Earl asked who -made the noise. Upon hearing, he said-- - -“Ah! he is a flower that will soon fade.” - -Shortly afterwards the Viscount died without children, and later events -proved the strange truth of the prophecy. A long law suit, manipulated -for political purposes, impoverished the earldom, but it was brought -to a satisfactory termination by James Butler of Kilcash marrying -Lady Elizabeth Preston, the other claimant to the estates through her -mother’s rights. - -The young couple began their married life at Carrick, where Walter, -Earl of Ormond, joined them, and died in the castle in 1632. - -When civil war broke out in 1646, James, then Marquis of Ormond, was -appointed Chief Governor and hastened from France. He landed at Cork, -and proceeded to Carrick. Here a deputation from the Confederate -Assembly of Kilkenny waited on him. - -Three years later Cromwell’s troops, under Colonel Reynolds, took -the town of Carrick, and about a hundred of the garrison fled to the -castle, but surrendered the following day. It was well provisioned with -stores, and Cromwell, it is said, intended to winter there. Ormond, -hearing of its capture, despatched Lord Inchiquin to retake it. He was, -however, repulsed with great loss. - -In the time of the Commonwealth Carrick Castle, with its demesne, -deer park, and 16,000 acres, were granted to Sir John Reynolds, -brother-in-law to Lord Henry Cromwell. Upon the Restoration it reverted -to its former owner, who was created Duke of Ormond. He spent much time -at Carrick, and did a great deal to improve the trade of the town. - -In 1816 Mr. Wogan was the tenant of the castle, and he carried out -some restoration. After he left the place was dismantled, and for many -years was allowed to go entirely to decay. It is now, however, better -preserved. - -In 1876, when the present Marquis married Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor, -daughter of the Duke of Westminster, a great feast for the Ormond -tenantry was held in the castle. - -The fairy “Leather Apron” is said formerly to have haunted the kitchen -department and chastised servants who did not do their work. - -A local legend foretells the fall of the fortress upon the wisest man. -An underground passage is said to connect the building with Edenderry -Castle. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Mason, “Parochial Survey of Ireland.” - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.” - State Papers. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - In Journal of _Kilkenny Archæological Society_, - “Panegyric on Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond.” - Graves, “Ancient Tapestry of Kilkenny Castle.” - Graves, “Anonymous account of the early life - and marriage of James, 1st Duke of Ormond.” - In _Journal of Waterford and South-East of Ireland - Archæological Society_, Hurley, - “Was Anna Boleyn born in the Castle of Carrick-on-Suir?” - In _Clonmel Chronicle_, “Carrick-on-Suir and its Ancient Castle.” - - - - -CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE - - “A sort of strength, a strong and stately hold - It was at first, though now it is full old. - On rock alone full farre from other mount - It stands, which shews it was of great account.” - THOMAS CHURCHYARD. - - -This fortress, sometimes called Carrickaquicy, is situated five miles -west-south-west of Limerick City, in the same county, in the barony of -Pubble Brien. It stands on an abrupt basaltic rock which has forced -itself through the limestone, and is surrounded by low marshy ground -called Corkass land which stretches away to the Shannon. - -O’Donovan states that the name signifies “rock of the O’Connolls,” -but it is more popularly believed to mean “rock of the candle,” and -several versions of the following legend are related to account for the -designation:-- - -The site of the castle was formerly supposed to be inhabited by a hag -of gigantic form called Grana, and every evening she lighted a candle -in her habitation, which from its elevated position was visible for -miles round, and every one who saw its light died before morning. - -The great Finn hearing of this scourge ordered a man called Ryan to -go and extinguish the light, and presented him with a charmed cap to -accomplish the mission. This covered his eyes until he had scaled the -rock, seized the candle, and thrown it into the Shannon. - -The witch in a fury was about to grasp him when he took a jump of two -miles westward, and she was only able - -[Illustration: CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE.] - -to vent her rage by hurling a rock after him, which is still pointed -out with the marks of her fingers on it to indicate the “Hag’s Throw.” - -The castle ruins comprise one or two towers and part of the ramparts. -It was finally destroyed by gunpowder, and huge masses of masonry lie -about in all directions, indicating its once extensive proportions. - -A great ash-tree adorns the centre of the pile. - -William de Braose had large estates in Ireland when he was driven into -exile in 1210, his wife and son starved to death, and his Castle of -Carrigogunnel granted to Donogh Cairbreach O’Brien for a yearly rent of -60 marks. - -This O’Brien had done homage to King John at Waterford, but he seems to -have been shortly afterwards deprived of his land. - -In 1535 Lord Leonard Grey marched to Limerick and Mathew O’Brien -surrendered him the Castle of Carrigogunnel on condition it should only -be garrisoned by Englishmen. It was said at this time to have been in -undisturbed possession of the O’Briens for over two hundred years. - -The Deputy garrisoned it under the command of George Woodward, “an -honest and a hardy man.” - -In the meantime the fortress was given by indenture to Donough O’Brien -to hold for the King. He was son-in-law to the Earl of Ossory, and had -long been fawning on the Government with offers to besiege the castle -for them, if provided with a hundred men and a piece of ordnance. - -The governor of the castle, no doubt regarding this arrangement as a -violation of the conditions on which the castle had been obtained, -handed it back to its former owner, Mathew O’Brien, which the State -Papers describe as losing it “by treachery.” - -This was in 1536, and the same year Lord Butler appeared before it to -regain it for his relative, Donough O’Brien. - -It was garrisoned partly by followers of Desmond and partly by those of -Mathew O’Brien. - -A messenger was sent to them offering them their lives, but otherwise -no quarter. They returned no answer, but imprisoned the bearer. - -A breach was soon made with a battering piece, and after several -attempts, the castle was carried by storm. - -The besiegers lost thirty killed and wounded, while seventeen of the -defenders were killed in the attack, and forty-six were afterwards put -to death. - -A few of the principal O’Briens were conveyed to Limerick, tried for -high treason, and executed. Large ransoms were offered for these men -but were refused. - -The fortress was then committed to Lord Butler, and he transferred -it to Donough O’Brien, who, it is stated, “became a scourge to the -citizens of Limerick.” - -James of Desmond besieged Carrigogunnel in 1538, and the following year -great complaints were lodged about the plundering of the neighbouring -country by the castle garrison. - -Towards the close of the year these charges became so serious that -Donough O’Brien was deprived of his possession. - -The castle was in the hands of Brien Duff O’Brien, chieftain of -Pobblebrien, in 1590, and is described as being very strong and “a most -dangerous place if the enemy were seized thereof.” - -Donough O’Brien is mentioned as of Carrigogunnel in 1607, yet Brien -Duff O’Brien surrendered his possessions and the castle to the Queen -and received a patent for the same. He was knighted, and died in 1615. - -Daniel O’Brien forfeited the castle and lands for taking part in the -rebellion of 1641. Charles II. granted Carrigogunnel and four plowlands -to Michael Boyle, Lord Archbishop of Dublin. - -In Thomas Dineley’s Journal he states that it belonged to His Royal -Highness, and was at the time rented by the Primate and Chancellor of -Ireland. - -Archdale says that it at one time belonged to the Knights Templars. - -In 1691, during the second siege of Limerick, after the battle of -Aughrim, it was garrisoned by a Jacobite ward of a hundred and -fifty men. Baron Ginle sent a strong party and four guns, under the -command of Major-General Scravemore, to summon the castle, which was -relinquished without a blow. An historian of the time, commenting upon -this, says: “Which seems to have been rather from want of instructions -what to do than courage to defend it; for, to give the Irish their due, -they can defend stone walls very handsomely.” - -The garrison were marched as prisoners of war to Clonmel, and the -following month both the Castle of Carrigogunnel and Castle Connell -were blown up. Dean Story received £160 to purchase gunpowder for their -demolition. - -During the Whiteboy disturbances frequent meetings were held amid the -ruins. - -Mr. and Mrs. Hall relate at length a sad tradition about the daughter -of a Palatine who was in love with one of the conspirators, and whose -father, having tracked her to the ruins, was only saved from being put -to death by her lover, whom she shortly afterwards married against her -parents’ wish. - -Upon returning to bid farewell to them before going into exile with her -husband, who was obliged to fly for his life, her father detained her. -Her husband was unable to come openly to the house, and so she never -saw him again, but gradually pined away, and died under the ash-tree -growing among the castle ruins, where she used to meet him before their -marriage. Since then her ghost is said to frequent the spot after -nightfall. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Frost, “The County of Clare.” - Croker, “Researches in the South of Ireland.” - Croker, “Fairy Legends.” - Ferrar, “History of Limerick.” - Lenihan, “History of Limerick.” - Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.” - Hall, “Ireland.” - State Papers. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Shirley (with note by O’Brien), “Extracts - from the Journal of Thomas Dineley,” - in _Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society_. - - - - -_CASTLE BARNARD_ - - “Where Castle Bernard sees with glad surprise, - At every wish successive beauties rise.” - - -The former name for this stronghold was Castle Mahon. It is situated -on the River Bandon not far from the town. The present castle is said -to occupy the site of the former royal rath of the O’Mahonys, Kings -of Munster. It was called Rathleann, and the great Saint Fin Barr was -born there. This was much anterior to the English invasion, although an -inquisition held in 1584 states that the O’Mahonys came from Carbery in -1460, and seized the Crown lands, which had been forfeited by the Barry -Oges in 1399. - -They were, however, only returning to the country over which they had -formerly ruled. The fortress is supposed to have been built by an -O’Mahony. - -Francis Bernard, who succeeded to the estate in 1660, threw down the -ancient bawn walls, and enlarged the windows. His son, Judge Bernard, -rebuilt the castle after it came into his possession in 1690. - -A new brick front was added on the river side, the bricks having been -made in the neighbourhood. - -He was succeeded by his son Francis (usually known as Squire Bernard) -in 1731, who added an eastern front to the fortress, and planted the -great beech avenue. Smith, who collected his information in 1749, -describes the castle as having two regular fronts of brick, with -Corinthian pilasters and coignes and beltings of Portland stone. - -In 1788 Francis Bernard, afterwards the 1st Earl of Bandon, pulled down -the two fronts which had been added by his predecessors, and connected -the old castle by a corridor (some 90 feet in length) with a mansion he -erected a little to the east of the stronghold. This new part has large -rooms, the library being a very handsome oval apartment. - -This forms the present beautiful country seat of the Earl of Bandon. It -is situated in a park about four miles in circumference, through which -the Bandon River flows. - -The O’Mahonys were not a powerful sept: their regular field force only -numbered twenty-six horse, no gallow-glasses, and a hundred and twenty -kern. - -In 1575 the O’Mahony paid his respects to Sir Henry Sidney during his -visit to Cork, of whom Sir Henry writes that he was “a man of small -force although a proper countrie.” - -Conoher O’Mahony, of Castle Mahon, threw in his lot with the Earl of -Desmond during his rebellion, in which rising he was killed at the age -of twenty-three. - -In 1587, an inquisition held at Cork found that Conohor O’Mahownye, -late of Castle Mahown, entered into rebellion with Gerald, late Earl of -Desmond, and was slain therein and that he was seized of Castle Mahown -and of the barony or cantred of Kineallineaky. - -The following year the castle and lands were conferred by patent on -Phane Beecher, son of Alderman Henry Beecher, of London. - -Mr. William Weever, in his “discourse” on the Munster rebellion of -1598, records that Mr. Beecher deserted Castle Mahon during the rising. - -In 1611 it seems the grant to Phane Beecher was confirmed. - -The first Bernard to settle in Ireland during Elizabeth’s reign had -a son Francis, who was lord of the manor of Castle Mahon, where he -lived before the rebellion in 1641. He had one son, Francis, who was in -possession of the castle in 1690 when Bandon was surprised and taken by -Colonel M’Carthy’s men. After the town had fallen into their hands they -proceeded to Castle Mahon and demanded the fortress and its stores to -be given up to King James, and the garrison to surrender as prisoners. - -Mr. Bernard had served many years with the Bandon Militia, and had -been rewarded with a grant of land from Cromwell for military service, -so that he was not likely to surrender without a struggle when the -trumpeter appeared on the esplanade in front of the castle. - -He had gathered his retainers and the neighbouring farmers into the -stronghold, and flew the red flag from King John’s Tower. - -Having received a negative to their demand, the besiegers attempted to -batter in the great gate, but a discharge of musketry killing some of -their number they desisted. They shook the windows and doors to try and -effect an entrance. - -A line of sentries were posted in front of the castle with orders to -shoot any one who appeared at the windows, but the deadly fire of the -besieged killed them nearly all. - -Seeing that their numbers were rapidly thinning they sought cover -from the out-houses in the rear, and from there they carried on an -ineffectual fusilade for some time. - -Finding, however, this was of no avail they retreated to the river, -crossing by the ford. A pike blade and some swords of this date were -recently found in a pond which lay in their route. - -The brave garrison had many killed and wounded, Mr. Bernard being among -those who lost their lives. - -The dead Irish were collected and covered with straw in a stable -until the next day, when they were buried in a disused graveyard at -Killountain. - -Judge Bernard succeeded his father, having been born in the castle in -1663. He changed the name from Castle Mahon to Castle Barnard. - -His son, “Squire Bernard,” did much for the neighbourhood until a -dispute with the townspeople about trees caused him to go and live in -England. - -In 1760 a sad accident took place which led to the death of little -Robert Bernard, one of the sons of the house. He had climbed to the top -of King John’s Tower, and as the bats and swallows flew in and out he -tried to strike them with his battledore, but overbalancing, he stepped -back to recover himself and fell through the trapdoor which gives -egress to the summit. He died of the injuries received. - -Francis Bernard was created Earl of Bandon in 1800, and Castle Barnard -is still the principal residence of the Earls of Bandon. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - G. Bennett, “History of Bandon.” - C. Smith, “County and City of Cork.” - Calendar of State Papers. - Calendar of Carew MSS. - - - - -_CASTLE BORO_ - - -Lord Carew’s demesne of about a thousand acres is situated in the -townland of Ballyboro, six miles west-south-west of Enniscorthy, and -is bisected by the River Boro. The ancient name for this stream was -Bel-atha-Borumha, and was derived from the Borumha, or cow tribute, -which the Kings of Leinster had to pay to the High Kings of Ireland. - -To the south-east of Castle Boro mansion, on the other side of the -river, is the ivy-clad ruin, formerly known as Ballyboro Castle. It -now stands in the farmyard, and is 42 feet long by 27 feet wide when -measured from the outside. Two gables are still to be seen, and the -windows are built of brick. - -Local tradition states that it was formerly the residence of Brien -Boroimhe, but the site is all that could possibly have belonged to a -dwelling of his. - -About the year 1628 Robert Carew, younger son of Carew of Haccombe in -Devonshire, obtained through his kinsman, Sir George Carew, afterwards -Earl of Totnes, a grant of lands in the County Wexford, which had -formerly belonged to the Desmonds. Charles II. confirmed the grant in -1663 to his son. This Carew is generally supposed to have built the now -ruined castle, which was occupied by the family until near the close of -the eighteenth century. By others, however, the date of architecture -is considered to be that of the beginning of the seventeenth century, -and the castle believed to have been the residence of “James Hoar -of Bellaborow, constable of the Barony of Bantry” in 1608, who is -mentioned thus in the Carew MSS. - -When James II. was fleeing to Duncannon, after the battle of the Boyne, -he stopped to water and rest his horses at the ford of Aughnacopple, -near the castle. The Carew of that time sent provisions to the -fugitives, and the pair of gold sleeve links given by the fallen -monarch as a mark of his gratitude are still preserved as an heirloom -at Castle Boro. There is some doubt as to whether they were presented -at the river bank or sent later from Duncannon. - -Towards the close of the eighteenth century the head of the family -wished to have a more modern house than the old fortress, but not -deeming it worth while to go to the expense unless he had a son to -succeed him, he delayed the commencement of the work until the very day -when his son and heir was born. - -The insurgents of 1798 attacked the residence, and a picture hangs in -the hall of Castle Boro which has holes in it that were made by the -rebels’ pikes. - -Mr. Robert Carew was raised to the peerage in 1834, and in 1840, during -the absence of the family, the newly-erected house was burned down, -the fire having originated in a chimney. The west wing containing the -library was the only portion saved. - -Building operations were at once commenced under the direction of Mr. -Robertson. The present mansion is in Classic style, having a centre -block four storeys in height with wings at either side of a storey -less. The drawing-rooms are especially handsome apartments, and are -being decorated by the present Lady Carew with embroidered panels of -Early English design. - -In the gardens are a number of trees which have been planted by -distinguished visitors, amongst whom were the late Duke of Clarence, -the present Prince of Wales, the Duke of Aosta, the Count of Turin, -the Earl of Halsbury and the late Sir H. M. Stanley. - -A very handsome granite gateway gives access to the grounds. - -The present Lord Carew is the 3rd Baron. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - W. Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.” - MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - - - - -_CASTLE DONOVAN_ - - -This stronghold is situated in a wild romantic district among the -mountains, to the north of the village of Drimoleague in the eastern -division of West Carbery, about seven miles east of Bantry, County Cork. - -Above it rises the hill of Mulraugh-Nesha. The country round is -destitute of trees, and from its elevated position the castle is -visible from a wide area. - -The fortress consists of a tall, square keep with crenelated -battlements and defences projecting from the angles. It is built on a -rock, the rough surface of which forms the floor of the lower room in -the castle. - -There seems to have been no attempt to make the ground even, as great -indentations, nearly two feet in depth, extend the whole length of the -apartment. - -The first floor is supported by a vault, and this state apartment -measures about 26 feet by 20. The windows and loops are exceedingly -small, the former being surrounded by label mouldings well cut in the -dark freestone. - -A spiral stair leads to the hall above the vault, and this is open to -the heavens, but the high-pitched gables of the roof still remain. -Great cracks in the masonry run down the centre and through the -south-west angle. - -It belongs to the earliest type of castle which succeeded the peel -tower. The outworks, of which little remain but the foundations, are -situated close to the keep. - -The O’Donovans were descended from a long line of Munster kings. -Cahill, the son of Donovan, was killed in 1254, and from him the -district round the stronghold took its name, and also the clan of which -he was chief. - -It is likely that he erected the fortress. - -[Illustration: CASTLE DONOVAN.] - -James I. granted the castle (then called Sowagh) to Donell O’Donovan, -of Castle Donovan, Gent., and with it a large tract of country, part -of which was created the manor of Castle Donovan, with 500 acres of -demesne. - -Donell O’Donovan died in 1639, and his son forfeited the estate in the -rebellion of 1641. - -Tradition states that the castle was reduced by Ireton during the -Parliamentary wars. - -Charles II. bestowed the lands of Castle Donovan by letters patent on -Lieutenant Nathaniel Evanson in 1679. - -There is a legend regarding a mysterious drip of water which apparently -comes from the upper masonry of the tower, and which it is said will -continue as long as there is an heir to the chieftainship of O’Donovan. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Windele, “Notices of City of Cork.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - “Rides through the County Cork” (_Dublin Penny Journal_), 1828. - - - - -_CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY CORK_ - - -This name was formerly written Castle Kiffin, and the fortress is -situated between Doneraile and the Blackwater in the County Cork. - -The castle has been much altered and modernised since its first -erection. It contains thirty-two rooms, though some of them are -exceedingly small. There are 365 windows, one, therefore, for every day -in the year. The hall of black and white marble is L shaped and much -worn by age. From this a very handsome oak staircase leads to the first -landing, which is lighted by a beautiful old stained-glass window upon -which the Thornhill arms are emblazoned. - -During repairs in 1810 a number of skeletons were discovered under the -steps. They were supposed to be those of soldiers, and beside one a -gold piece of James II. and a number of copper coins of various dates -were found. These are now in the possession of Colonel Badham-Thornhill. - -During a siege, of which the fortress stood many, the water supply -was a serious inconvenience. Not only was the well some distance from -the castle, but it was apt to run dry when largely drawn upon. It is -situated in the limestone rock at a great depth, and when being cleaned -in 1825 the key of the portcullis was found at the bottom and carefully -preserved by E. Badham-Thornhill, who was then owner. - -The castle originally belonged to the O’Keeffs, from which, no doubt, -the name is derived. Their territory being seized, was given to the -Anglo-Norman family of de Rupe, or Roche, and in 1583 David and Maurice -Fitz John Roch are mentioned as of Castlekevin. - -Cromwell’s troops besieged and took the castle for the Commonwealth, -tradition stating that the soldiers placed the late owner’s head on a -lance over the “Bell Gate,” near the present stables. - -The castle was then granted to Sir Richard Thornhill, who also -possessed considerable property in the neighbourhood by purchase, so -that the estate was about 10,000 acres in extent in the counties of -Cork and Limerick. - -The Thornhills occupied the castle until 1853, when it was sold in the -Encumbered Estates Court, and the building was purchased by Mr. E. -Reeves. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - C. Smith, “County and City of Cork.” - Fiants of Elizabeth. - Colonel Badham-Thornhill MS. - - - - -_CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY WICKLOW_ - - “The halls where mirth and minstrelsy - Than Fertire’s winds rose louder, - Were flung in masses lonely, - And black with English powder.” - - -In 1216 King Henry III. granted the manor of Swords with increased -privileges to Henry de Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin, on condition -that he should build and maintain a castle on his manor of Castle -Kevin. Nearly two centuries later, Swords was seized by the -Commissioner of Forfeitures on the plea that this had not been done, -but it was afterwards returned to the Archbishop of the time as having -been unjustly taken. - -The fortress was intended for protection in this direction against the -invasions of the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles. The site was some three and -a half miles north-east of Glendalough, the ancient cathedral city -of that diocese. Its natural defences were the bog, on the edge of -which it stood, and thick woods that stretched almost from Dublin to -Glendalough. Quite close to it ran a stream, which joined the Avonmore -about a quarter of a mile lower down, near the present village of -Annamoe. - -It appears to have been a square building, flanked by towers at each -corner. The foundations, which still remain, measure some 120 feet each -way. They are elevated about 20 feet, and are now covered with grass. - -The castle was built of rubble stone and excellent mortar, which -is shown by the huge blocks of the walls which still lie round the -foundations. - -The Archbishops held courts and exercised jurisdiction here through -their officers, and had their own gallows. - -In 1277-78 the Treasurer’s account for the year contains £60 to John -de Saunford for the custody of the new castle of Mackinegan and -Castle Keyvin. The stronghold was often used by the Archbishops as a -hunting-lodge, the woods around being well stocked with deer. It was -also strongly garrisoned. - -At the beginning of the next century (1308) the Viceroy Wogan marched -against the O’Tooles, but was defeated with the loss of several -knights. Castle Kevin was captured and the garrison killed, while the -towns near were sacked and plundered. - -Later Piers de Gaveston successfully subdued the rising, and made -a thanksgiving offering at the Church of St. Kevin, Glendalough. -The following year he built New Castle in the O’Byrnes’ country and -repaired Castle Kevin, at the same time cutting a pass through the -woods, from it to Glendalough. - -Thirty years later Alexander de Bickner received royal orders to repair -his fortifications at Castle Kevin, so that at this time it was still -connected with the See of Dublin, but it subsequently passed into royal -keeping. - -It appears that Henry VIII. by letters patent “made grants to Arte -O’Toole and heirs the manor of Castle Kevin and the Farrtree” (hence -Vartry) “on conditions they used the English habit, language, -education, hostings, aidings, and the like, and that he should keep -Castle Kevin in repair as a bulwark against the rebels.” - -Phelim O’Toole was the representative of the family in 1591 when Hugh -Roe O’Donnell escaped from one of the gate towers of Dublin Castle, -where he had been confined as a hostage for over three years. - -O’Toole having visited him in prison, as a friend, during this time, -he naturally thought he was safe in seeking shelter at Castle Kevin. - -Phelim’s loyalty was not, however, above suspicion, and he was divided -between his wish to help the young fugitive and fear for his own head. -In this difficulty a woman’s wit apparently solved the problem. His -sister Rose, wife to the great O’Byrne of Ballinacor, was at Castle -Kevin at the time, and she advised him to send a slow messenger -to Dublin advising the Lord Deputy of O’Donnell’s arrival, and a -fast messenger to her husband in Glenmalure (who was in a state of -open rebellion), telling him to come and carry off Hugh before the -Government officials arrived. - -Phelim followed the advice given, but the “wine-dark” Avonmore becoming -flooded the party of rescuers, at once despatched by O’Byrne, could -not cross the river, and the King’s men arrived first upon the scene. -Whereupon Hugh O’Donnell was escorted back to Dublin, and was confined -in the Wardrobe Tower in irons, from which, however, he escaped the -following year. - -Captain Charles Montague, writing to the Lord Deputy in 1596, states -that Feagh M’Hugh O’Byrne had threatened to besiege the castle with -three hundred men, and that he had provisioned it for a month. The -same year a ward was placed in it during the rebellion, while in 1599 -a commander was appointed to the forts of Rathdrome, Castlekeavyn, and -Wicklowe, at ten shillings a day. - -No doubt the O’Tooles were implicated in the rebellion referred to, for -in 1609 we find John Wakeman, who had received the confiscated estate -of the O’Tooles, selling Castle Kevin back to Luke (or Feogh) O’Toole. -In the deed recording the transaction it is remarked that the castle -for some years past “hath been waste and in utter decay.” - -An inquisition of 1636 found that the son of Arte O’Toole, to whom the -lands were first granted, had gone into rebellion and died, and that -his son Feogh O’Toole who represented the family at the time of the -inquiry, had bought back Castle Kevin from the man to whom it had been -granted after the confiscation of the O’Toole property. Castle Kevin -had at this time been uncovered for thirty years, and this was deemed -sufficient for forfeiture, as it had been granted on condition that it -should be kept in repair. - -Accordingly in July of the same year an ordinance was issued by the -King taking possession. The castle and lands were then granted to Sir -John Coke, Knight, Secretary of State. Dr. Alane Cooke, writing to -him from Dublin in August describing his new property, says:--“Castle -Kevin, the town where the castle doth stand; this hath a goodly wood, -but no great timber and very fine young oaks;” and again:--“Castle -Kevin is the fittest place to build the manor, because of the strength. -The bawn is very good, very near 20 feet high. All the castle is down -and the bounds are very nearly 50 yards square, a fine small river -running at the foot of the castle.” - -The grant of land consisted of 15,441 acres of all sorts, English -measure, 12 miles from Dublin, with a castle called Kevin, and a fine -river full of salmon and trout. - -It does not appear, however, that Luke O’Toole was easily dislodged, -and when Oliver Cromwell left Dublin to march to Wexford in 1649 he -proved a source of constant annoyance to the troops. At this time he -was encamped at Glenmalure with his four sons, one of whom managed to -seize Cromwell’s favourite steed. Its owner offered £100 to Luke for -its return, “but for gold or silver he would not give him back, but -preferred to keep him as a monument.” - -It is said that in revenge for this Cromwell ordered his cannon to -level Castle Kevin. Local tradition supports this statement by pointing -out a furze-covered rath from which the castle is supposed to have -been shelled by Ludlow, while the blocks of adhering masonry round the -foundations are unlike the crumbling of age alone. - -Against this it is remarked that Castle Kevin does not appear in the -list of Leinster castles reduced by Cromwell. This, however, might be -accounted for from the fact that (as it appears) only a part of the -castle walls were standing at the time, and that its final destruction -had no strategical value, but was merely private revenge for the theft -of a horse, and so was not recorded. - -Luke O’Toole was afterwards captured and executed. - -The land upon which the remains of the castle stand is now in the -possession of the Rev. Charles Frizell, who also owns the modern manor -house of Castle Kevin, some quarter of a mile distant, on a hill above -the ancient building. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D’Alton, “Archbishops of Dublin.” - O’Toole, “Clan of O’Toole.” - State Papers. - Carew MSS. - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - O’Clery, “Hugh Roe O’Donnell.” Introduction by Murphy. - Gilbert, “History of the Viceroys.” - Stokes, “Anglo-Norman Church.” - Reeves, Pamphlet on Swords. - Rev. W. Stokes, Pamphlet on Derrylossory. - - - - -_CASTLE SALEM_ - - -Benduff, signifying the black peak or gable, was the former name of -this fortress, which was built on a rock in the centre of a small -valley about a mile north-west of Ross, in East Carbery, Co. Cork. - -The present ruins consist of the castle and a more modern -dwelling-house, which was added to the back of the fortress and -communicated with it by the ancient doorway of the keep, about 12 feet -from the ground, and which gave access to the first landing of the more -modern staircase. The castle had three arches, the walls being 11 feet -thick, and containing passages and recesses. A stone stair led to the -summit, which originally was reached at about 70 feet from the ground. - -When in possession of the Morris family the old covering was replaced -by a slated roof, the material for which was, no doubt, procured at the -neighbouring slate quarry. - -The situation is so enclosed by the surrounding hills that figs grew -plentifully here in former days. The pleasure grounds were at one time -laid out in the Dutch style; yew, beech, and laurel grew to great -perfection, and in a grove of the latter a rookery was established. The -remains of a deer-park wall are still to be seen. - -The fortress is generally supposed to have been erected by the -O’Donovans, but it is also ascribed to the Lady Catherine Fitzgerald, -daughter of Thomas, 8th Earl of Desmond, and sister-in-law to the -long-lived Countess. This would place its building at the later end -of the fifteenth century. There are various legends told about “the -black lady” in connection with Benduff, and they may refer to the above -Geraldine. - -Later the castle belonged to the M’Carthys, and at the time of the -Commonwealth confiscation it was in the possession of one Florence -M’Carty. - -The estate was granted to Major Apollo Morris, an officer in Cromwell’s -army, during the seventeenth century, and upon the restoration of -Charles II. he retained his lands through the interest of the King’s -secretary, to whom he was related. - -The grant was preserved in the castle until the middle of the -nineteenth century, when Mr. William Morris sent it to a Cork -bookseller for publication, and it was lost through the failure of the -firm. - -Major Morris was succeeded by William Morris, who was an intimate -friend of the great William Penn. - -On the right-hand side of the avenue is an old Quaker burial-ground, -which was established by him, and to which “Friends’” funerals came -from all parts of Cork. He was himself interred there, but against all -the rules of the order a tomb was erected to his memory, which may -still be seen, and after that the Quakers ceased to bring their dead to -Benduff for interment. - -The property passed from the possession of the Morris family into that -of the Fitzgibbons. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D. Donovan, “Sketches in Carbery.” - Smith, “County and City of Cork.” - Townsend, “Statistical Survey of the County of Cork.” - Book of Survey and Distribution. - - - - -_CLOGHAN CASTLE_ - - -This fortress is situated between the Shannon and Little Brosna River, -on the banks of the latter, about three miles south of Banagher, in the -King’s County. This part of the country was formerly joined to Galway. - -Joyce gives the meaning of the name Cloghan as “stepping stones,” but -Cooke states that the full appellation is Cloghan-na-geaorach, or “the -stony place of the sheep,” Cloghan Hill being still famous for rearing -these animals. - -When a tennis-court was being made some years back a number of human -bones and cannon shot were found, while inside the castle a hand was -discovered in the wall covered by the plaster. - -The castle is supposed to have been built in the reign of King John and -to be one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland. - -In 1249 we have a mention of “MacCoghlan of the castles” of which -Cloghan was one, but it subsequently passed to the O’Maddens. The -fortress was usually called “Cloghan O’Madden,” but on Sir William -Petty’s map it is marked “Poghan.” - -It was destroyed in 1548 for fear it might fall into the hands of the -English, but it must have been afterwards restored, as in 1595 Sir -William Russell, Lord Deputy, laid siege to it. A quaint account of the -taking of the castle is given in a journal of the time which is, no -doubt, accurate in the main. - -It appears O’Madden was absent “in rebellion,” but he had garrisoned -the castle with his chief men. - -The Lord Deputy arrived on Thursday, 11th of March, and upon his -approach the garrison set alight three of their houses near the castle, -and opened fire on the troops, wounding two soldiers and a boy. - -When surrender was demanded they replied to Captain Lea that even if -every soldier was a Deputy they would hold out. - -Captain Izod was detailed to see none of them escaped by the bog. Sir -William visited the watch at midnight, and hearing there were women in -the castle sent the garrison word that he would begin the attack next -morning with fire and sword, and told them to send the women away, but -they refused. - -In the morning one of the soldiers threw a fire brand on the thatched -roof of the castle, which set it alight, and at the same time a bonfire -was lighted at the door, which smothered many of the inmates. A breach -was soon made in the walls, and those who had not been suffocated were -hurled over the battlements. - -Forty-six persons were killed, two women and a boy being alone saved -by the Deputy’s command. Most of the garrison were O’Maddens, but a -Captain M’Coleghan and his two sons were also amongst the slain. - -Some accounts give the number executed as 140. - -The O’Madden’s territory was forfeited after the rebellion of 1641, -and in 1683 Cloghan was granted to Garrett Moore, who claimed to be -descended from Rory Oge O’Moore, Chief of Leix. - -His almanac, or diary, was found in the castle, dated 1699. It contains -entries of lead got for repairing the fortress. It also records methods -of making expanding bullets and noiseless powder, as well as other -strange information. - -After the battle of Aughrim troops from Birr took possession of the -castle, and it was garrisoned under the command of Lieutenant Archibald -Armstrong. - -In the middle of last century it was purchased by Dr. Graves, and is -at present in the possession of his descendant, Robert Kennedy Crogan -Graves, Esq. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Cooke, “History of Birr.” - J. Wright, “King’s County Directory.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Proceedings of Kilkenny Archæological Society. - -[Illustration: OLD CROM CASTLE.] - - - - -_CROM CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated in the parish of Galloon, Barony of Coole, -County Fermanagh. It stands on the east bank of Lough Erne, about -sixteen miles from Enniskillen. - -The name Crom, or Crum, signifies “sloping” or “crooked.” - -The remains of the chief walls form a square of about 50 feet, which -does not coincide with the measurements given in several inquisitions. -Some of the stones have evidently been carried off for building -purposes since the building was burnt in 1764. - -The position of the castle was commanded by wooded hills, and it is -built so near the shore that the waves dash against it in winter time. -It seems to have had no outer ring of defences, and it is therefore -even more wonderful how it should have been successfully defended in -two sieges. - -The marks of the cannonading are now covered by a heavy growth of ivy. - -Michael Balfour, laird of Mountwhany in Fifeshire, began to erect the -fortress in 1611, when granted the manor of Crum, under the plantation -scheme of Ulster. - -In 1616 he sold the property to Sir Stephen Butler, and in 1619 -Nicholas Pynnar describes Crum as follows: “Upon this proportion there -is a bawne of lime and stone, being 60 feet square, 12 feet high with -two flankers. Within the bawne there is a house of lime and stone.” - -The Rev. George Hill states that the castle was built by Butler and -Balfour at great expense, so it is likely to have been added to after -it changed hands. - -In 1629 another inquisition describes it as “One bawne of stone and -lime, containing 61 feet every way and 15 feet in height; and within -the same is one castle, or capital messuage, built in like manner of -lime and stone containing 22 feet each way.” - -Crum was leased to Dr. James Spottiswood, Bishop of Clogher, in 1624. - -It must for a short time after this have been possessed by the -M’Manuses, who offered it for sale at £100 and 100 cows. Among the -State Papers of 1646 is preserved Sir William Cole’s petition to -the Commissioners to be advanced £160, so that he might become the -purchaser. He promises to return the money if unsuccessful, and says it -is the only hold the rebels have in the country and “a place of good -strength.” The money appears to have been sent. - -We find, however, in 1645, that it is mentioned in Bishop Spottiswood’s -will, and through his daughter marrying Colonel Abraham Creichton the -leasehold passed to that family. - -It was afterwards converted into a perpetuity, subject to a small head -rent, which was bought out by the Earl of Erne in 1810 from Brinsley, -4th Earl of Lanesborough, a descendant of Francis Butler. - -In the struggle for the Crown between James and William, Crum was twice -unsuccessfully besieged. - -It was a place of considerable importance, as it commanded the waterway -between Enniskillen and Belturbet. - -The first attempt was made in March, 1689. - -Colonel Abraham Creichton, although an old man, had fortified the -castle and garrisoned it with his tenants and retainers. Lord Galmoy -arrived at Belturbet with a considerable force belonging to King -James’s army, but found the roads so boggy as to be impassable for -cannon. He therefore decided to make some mock guns by which to -frighten the garrison into submission. - -They were manufactured out of tin, measured about a yard long and 8 -inches in the bore. They were bound together with fine cord twisted -round them, and the whole covered with a kind of buckram to represent -the colour of a real cannon. - -To this sham artillery sixteen horses were harnessed and they were -brought to Crum with a great show of difficulty and much apparent -urging of the animals. - -As soon as they were within ordinary range of the fortress Lord Galmoy -demanded its surrender, and upon being refused he tried to fire one -of his fraudulent guns with a wooden bullet, but it burst and nearly -killed the gunner. - -He then began a systematic siege and sent messengers to Enniskillen to -demand that garrison’s surrender too. - -The governor of the town at once despatched two hundred firelocks to -relieve the castle of Crum. Some were sent by water and some by land -during the night, but daylight had arrived before they reached their -destination. - -The besiegers opposed their landing, but nevertheless they forced their -way into the castle with the loss of only one boatman, while Lord -Galmoy’s party lost several. - -A sally was at once made from the fortress, and the besiegers were -driven from their trenches with a loss of thirty or forty men, and -the garrison captured the mock guns and took two suits of armour and -several other valuable things. - -Lord Galmoy then retreated to Belturbet. - -Colonel Creichton’s son David, then a lad of eighteen, greatly -distinguished himself during the conflict. - -Although the castle was unprovided with cannon, great execution was -done by the long fowling-pieces generally used for wild fowl on the -lake. - -Lord Galmoy was standing on a hill about an English mile distant from -the castle, with a glass of wine in his hand, which he was about to -drink to the confusion of the garrison, when a fowler from the fortress -shattered the glass he was raising and killed the man beside him. - -At this time a Captain MacGuire was prisoner at Crum, and Lord Galmoy -proposed to Colonel Creichton to exchange Captain Dixey for him. This -was agreed to, but when MacGuire was sent, Lord Galmoy, instead of -returning Dixey, had him hanged with a cornet named Charleton. - -Captain MacGuire was so disgusted with the treachery that he returned -to Crum and threw up his commission in James’s army. - -Lord Galmoy also enticed Colonel Creichton to a parley, and would have -put him to death, too, had not Lord Mountcashel rescued the old man and -conducted him safely back to his castle. - -The following year Crum was again besieged, and Colonel Creichton sent -an urgent message to Enniskillen to say that the besiegers had brought -cannon with them. The next day he sent another message saying that -Lieutenant-General MacCarthy had begun to batter the fortress. - -This was Monday, and Colonel Wolseley returned answer that they should -be relieved on Wednesday, and in the meantime he despatched orders for -reinforcements to Ballyshannon. - -A strong detachment set out, therefore, from Enniskillen to the -castle’s relief, but upon their approach the enemy withdrew to -Newtownbutler, where a great engagement was fought that shattered the -cause of James II. in the north of Ireland. The garrison of Crum Castle -greatly distinguished themselves in this engagement. - -The David Creichton, who was eighteen at the time of the siege, -finally succeeded his nephew in the estate. He left an only son, who -was created Lord Erne, and it was in his lifetime that the castle was -burnt. - -A letter from Lord Shannon, dated September 1, 1764, is still in the -family’s possession, in which he condoles with his kinsman for the -destruction of his castle. “Unhappy indeed to be consumed by a few -accidental sparks of fire when it had so bravely withstood the firing -of 6,000 men so many years ago.” - -To the south of the fortress along the side of the lake lay the castle -gardens, in the centre of which still grows a magnificent yew-tree, -under which tradition records an O’Neill and his lady-love parted in -the reign of Oueen Elizabeth upon the former being attainted for high -treason. - -Henry, however, writing in 1739, says it was only planted about seventy -years previously. It is 25 feet in height, while the trunk is 12 feet -in girth. The circumference of the branches is 120 feet. - -It was the custom for many years for sportsmen on the lake to fire -a salute when passing the ruined fortress, which produced a most -wonderful echo, as if the shot had been answered by a volley. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - The Earl of Erne, “Crom Castle” in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_. - King, “Henry’s Upper Lough Erne in 1739.” - Latimer, “Actions of the Enniskillen Men.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - State Papers. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries. - - - - -_DOE CASTLE_ - - -This fortress is situated at the extremity of a small Donegal bay -called Sheephaven, in the Barony of Kilmacrenan, about a mile east of -Creeslough. It was the chief stronghold of the MacSweenys, and derives -its name from MacSweeny Doe or MacSweeny “of the districts.” - -The castle is built on a projecting rock, surrounded by the waters -of the inlet upon the north, east, and south, while on the west its -entrance was guarded by drawbridge and portcullis, as well as a fosse -filled with sea-water. - -A modern house is attached to the old fortress, which has a rectangular -tower, and a circular donjon used as a dairy in modern times. - -M’Parland, writing in 1802, in his statistical survey, records that the -castle was fortified with a strong tower by the grandfather of the then -MacSweeny of Dunfanaghy. - -There seems to be no record of the erection of the fortress, and -different authorities ascribe its building to various persons. Manus -Oge says Doe was erected by Nachton O’Donnell for one of his seven sons -at the same time that the castles of Burt, Inch, and Ramelton were -built, while M’Parland accredits a lady named Quinn with its erection, -who married a M’Swine, shortly before Elizabeth came to the throne. - -Dr. Allman believes it dates from about the beginning of Henry VIII.’s -reign, and tradition states that Doe passed to the MacSweenys in the -fifteenth century, when a peace was concluded between O’Neill and -O’Donnell in 1440. - -Red Hugh O’Donnell lived at Doe Castle with his foster father, Owen -Oge MacSweeny, and it was while in his care that he was kidnapped at -Rathmullen by Sir John Perrott in 1588. - -Sir Hugh MacSwine na Oge, surnamed the Red, was one of Queen -Elizabeth’s chief favourites, and a polished courtier. Very different, -however, was the last of the MacSwines who occupied Doe Castle. -This was Sir Miles MacSweeny of the Club, who was knighted by Oueen -Elizabeth, and about whom tales of great brutality are recorded. - -He was called “of the club” from his bludgeoning the better classes of -his clan to death with his own hand if they offended him, while the -poorer ones he consigned to a retainer called Furey and his satellites -to hang from the castle walls. - -A legend is told of how his beautiful daughter, Eileen, fell in love -with Turlogh Oge, son of The O’Boyle, against her father’s wish. The -lovers used to meet on the beach and in the woods near the castle. -Her father discovered their trysts and confined her to the fortress -under the care of a worthy matron. The young people were thus reduced -to signalling to each other--the maiden from the battlements, and her -lover from his canoe in the bay. This became known to The MacSweeny, -and with two boats of armed men he waylaid the young man and a few -retainers on their way back from Lackagh, and brought them prisoners to -the castle. - -Here he starved them to death, and as the bodies were being carried to -the graveyard the fair Eileen saw and recognised her lover. She never -recovered the shock and grief, and not long afterwards she was found -dead on the top of one of the castle towers. - -Fishermen say that the spirits of the ill-fated pair haunt the bay, and -by moonlight a phantom skiff may sometimes be seen skimming the waters -containing the two ghostly lovers. - -The castle was included in a grant of lands made by James I. to the -Earl of Tyrconnell. - -In 1607 it was seized by Caffer O’Donnell and Neale M’Swine with some -followers. These young discontents alleged as their reason an old -grievance against the Earl, who was given authority by the Lord Deputy -and Council to march against them. - -Accordingly Sir Richard Handson, the Earl, and Sir Neale O’Donnell -arrived before the stronghold, when some of the offenders submitted, -and some were taken and hanged. Sir Neale O’Donnell was badly hurt in -the fray. - -In the State Papers Sir Arthur Chichester advises that the troublesome -youths should be given grants of lands as the best way of making them -peaceful subjects. It is also recommended that the castle should be -garrisoned by the King’s men. - -The latter was evidently done, as shortly afterwards the Earl of -Tyrconnell lodged a complaint against Captain Brook and his men being -quartered in the castle with privileges, after he (the Earl) had in -person expelled the discontents. - -The following year (1608) Doe was again lost to the English in the -rebellion of Sir Cahir O’Doherty. It was in charge of a man named -Vaughan and six warders, when a cowherd and a friar arriving with the -tale that a body of wolves had set upon the cattle, they easily managed -to draw six of them from the stronghold, who were at once killed, and -the castle seized and garrisoned for the enemy. - -A party was organised to retake it, and in the encounter with the -rebels Sir Cahir was killed. - -The castle was captured by Sir Oliver Lambert, and it was said to be -“the strongest hold in all the province, which endured a hundred blows -of the demi-cannon before it yielded.” - -Captain Elling was then appointed constable, and £76 13s. 4d. was -granted him towards repairing the damage done by the cannon in the -siege. - -At this time it had a garrison of fifty men. - -Sir Richard Bingley was appointed constable in 1610, and at the same -time received a grant of land in the county. After this there seems to -have been a succession of constables until it was captured by the Irish -in 1641. Owen Roe O’Neill landed here the following year from Dunkirk, -and, being met by Sir Phelim O’Neill with other chiefs and one thousand -five hundred men, proceeded to Ballyshannon. - -In 1646 Quartermaster Harrison asked for the possession of the castle, -which the enemy had deserted, and offered to garrison and maintain it -with thirty warders. - -Sir Charles Coot captured it in 1650, and Colonel Miles M’Sweeny tried -to retake it the same year. - -The Harrisons sold it to the Harte family during the eighteenth century. - -General Harte was present at the battle of Seringapatam, and the -capture of Tippoo Sahib, whose servant was also taken prisoner at the -same time, and afterwards came to Ireland with General Harte. - -He lived at Doe Castle, and was devotedly attached to his new master. -He always wore his native dress, and is reported to have slept fully -armed on a mat at the General’s door. - -He did not long survive his master, the General meeting with a sad -death by falling down the stairway leading to the tower. - -Cannon captured at Seringapatam were mounted on the lawn of the castle. - -The Hartes subsequently let Doe to a Mr. Maddison, but it remained in -the possession of the family until 1866, when it was purchased by Mr. -Ards. - -The history of Doe Castle is not altogether as clear on many points as -could be wished, for the authorities seem to be greatly confused over -many important points. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - State Papers. - Harkin, “Scenery and Antiquities of North-West Donegal.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - M’Devitt, “Donegal Highlands.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - -[Illustration: DRIMNAGH CASTLE.] - - - - -_DRIMNAGH CASTLE_ - - -About three miles from Dublin, between Crumlin and Clondalkin, is -situated the old fortress of Drimnagh or Druimneach, which signifies -the “ridged lands,” so called from the proximity of the sand ridges -called the Green Hills. - -The castle is an oblong building with pointed battlements at the -corners. A passage with an arched entrance high enough for a loaded -cart to enter is visible from the road, above which rises three -storeys, with a modern window in each. - -A turret stairway also projects on this side and rises above the -battlements. An ancient chimney flue is to be seen crowned by a modern -addition. - -A small turret rises above the battlements on the north side as well, -at which side a strong, modern house has been added. - -The castle is covered by a modern slated roof. Some outhouses bear -marks of antiquity, and a little distance from the main building is -a small, square tower, which, no doubt, formed an outpost for the -garrison. The fortress was surrounded by a moat at the beginning of the -nineteenth century, and its position can still be traced. - -In 1215 the lands of Drimnagh were granted by King John to Hugh de -Bernivall, and he is supposed to have built the castle early in this -reign. - -The lands were confirmed to his brother in 1221, and they remained in -his descendants’ possession for four hundred years. - -In 1435 Wolfran Barnewall had licence to entail his estates, and in -1613 the family leased the castle to Sir Adam Loftus, a nephew of the -Archbishop, with the reservation that no timber was to be cut. - -Some time later a Peter Barnewall succeeded to the property, and he -was unwilling to renew Sir Adam’s lease, whereupon that gentleman -endeavoured with some members of the Barnewall family to prevent his -inheriting the estate, and proceeded at the same time to cut down the -great trees which surrounded the fortress. After much litigation the -King at length intervened on behalf of Barnewall, and Sir Adam was -restrained from doing any more damage. - -In 1649, after the battle of Rathmines, the Duke of Ormond seriously -contemplated fortifying Drimnagh and making it his headquarters, but he -was dissuaded by General Purcell. - -Colonel Nicholas Walker, a Cromwellian officer, lived in the castle -after the Restoration. It was said that he was present on the scaffold -at the execution of Charles I. with his face covered by a vizor. The -Hearth Money Returns of 1664 state that Drimnagh was occupied by -“Lt.-Col. -----,” and had three “smooks” or chimneys. - -In 1841 the fortress was the property of the Marquis of Lansdowne. It -was one of the castles of the Pale, and the scene of Mr. R. D. Joyce’s -romance entitled “The Rose of Drimnagh” is laid there. - -Until lately it was inhabited by Mrs. Mylott, but it is now empty. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.” - P., “Drimnagh Castle,” in _Irish Penny Journal_. - E. Ball, “Descriptive Sketch of Clondalkin, Tallaght,” - &c., in _Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries_, Ireland. - Dix, “Lesser Castles in the County Dublin,” in _Irish Builder_. - Joyce, “Rambles Round Dublin,” in _Evening Telegraph_ Reprints. - -[Illustration: DUBLIN CASTLE.] - - - - -_DUBLIN CASTLE_ - - -The situation chosen by the Norsemen for the first fortress of -“Duibhlinn” (A.D. 840) was naturally strong, being on a -hill at the junction of the Liffey and the Poddle. After this date we -read of several raids upon the dun, or castle of Dublin, including the -treacherous entry into the city of Milun DeCogan and Meyler Fitz-Henri -during a truce, when all the defenders of the stronghold were put to -the sword. This was shortly after the landing of Strongbow. The present -area covered by Government buildings includes the ancient site. - -When Henry II. came to Dublin a large wooden hall, covered with -wattles, was erected in Dame Street, that he might entertain the Irish -chiefs who came to pay homage. Upon his return to England he committed -“Dublin with its castle and donjon to Hugh de Laci, Fitz-Stephen, and -Morice Fitz-Gerald.” Hugh de Lacy became the first Viceroy. It was -while he was in England that Meyler Fitz-Henry, who had been appointed -Lord Justice in his absence, wrote to King John complaining that he had -no safe place to store the King’s treasure, and asking for leave to -erect a proper fortress. This he received in the form of a patent dated -1204, which says:-- - -“But you are first to finish one tower, unless afterwards a castle and -palace, and other works that may require greater leisure, may be more -conveniently raised, and that we should command you so to do.” - -The grant consisted of 300 marks, which was owed to the King by -G. Fitz-Robert, and there are no records to show whether FitzHenry -ever collected the debt, or even began the castle in the three years -afterwards for which he held office. It seems to be a very general -opinion that the castle was built about 1220 by Henry Loundres, -Archbishop of Dublin, either at his own expense, or that he advanced -the money as a loan. A State paper, however, dated 1217, grants the -Archbishop two cantreds without Dublin for damage done to his churches -in fortifying the castle, and later there are many entries regarding -compensation to be paid in money to Henry Loundres in lieu of land -which had been encroached upon when extending the fortifications. - -In 1242 an entry records that the windows of St. Edward’s Chapel -belonging to the castle were to be glazed, and divine service held. -This building seems to have been outside the fortress walls, on the -site of the present Chapel Royal which was erected in 1814. In 1243 a -hall was to be built 120 feet long and 80 feet wide. It was to have -glazed windows, with a round one at the gable end 30 feet in diameter. - -The entrance to the castle was by a drawbridge on the north side, the -site now being occupied by the gate to the Upper Castle Yard. This -bridge was flanked by two towers, and defended by a portcullis, and -later by ordnance as well. From the gate towers, often used as State -prisons, a high curtain or wall extended east and west. In the westward -direction it joined what in later years was known as Cork Tower, -because it was rebuilt by the great Earl of Cork in 1629, it having -fallen in 1624, and been only partly restored. He spent £408 on it. - -From this the wall was continued south to the Birmingham Tower, which -is said to have derived its name from its having been erected either -by John Birmingham, Earl of Louth, Lord Justice 1321, or Walter -Birmingham, who held office in 1348. It is more likely, however, that -this tower is identical with that known as the high tower, and that -it received the name Birmingham after William Birmingham and his son -Walter had been imprisoned there in 1331, otherwise the fortress would -have been incomplete prior to 1321, and the side with least natural -defence unprotected. From Birmingham Tower the curtain extended -eastward (intersected by two smaller towers) to Wardrobe Tower. From -this the wall was continued northward to the Store Tower near Dame’s -Gate, which was in its turn connected with the eastern gate tower. -There were two sallyports in the wall. - -Of the eight towers which once protected the fortress only the Wardrobe -Tower now remains, often erroneously called Birmingham Tower. This, -as its name implies, is where the royal robe, cap of maintenance, -and other furniture of state were kept. The sword of state is still -preserved there, and also the records which were removed from -Birmingham Tower. The lower portion is the original masonry, but an -upper storey was added when the Chapel Royal was built. The Birmingham -Tower was rendered unsafe by an explosion of gunpowder in Ship Street -and had to be taken down. A lighter structure was erected on the site, -which contains the present kitchen and viceregal supper-room. The other -towers were gradually removed to make room for new buildings. - -The Anglo-Irish used to decorate the gate and walls of the castle with -the heads of the slain, and in 1316 some four hundred heads were sent -from Wicklow for this purpose. - -The castle did not become a permanent residence of the Viceroy until -1560 by order of Elizabeth, and in 1565 Henry Sydney took up his abode -in it. He also enlarged and beautified it, and placed the State papers -there in safe keeping. - -The castle has stood several successful sieges. In 1478 Gerald, 8th -Earl of Kildare, was superseded as Lord Deputy by Lord Grey of Codnor. -He refused to resign, and Keating, Prior of Kilmainham, and Constable -of the Castle, sided with him, and fortified the stronghold against -the new Deputy. He destroyed the drawbridge, and Lord Grey, finding -his numbers too small to force an entrance, returned to England, and -Kildare was shortly afterwards reinstated. - -Again, in 1534, young Lord Offaly, known as “Silken Thomas” from -the splendour of his horses’ trappings, hearing a false report that -his father had been treacherously executed in England, returned the -Sword of State to the Council, which he held as Deputy in the Earl of -Kildare’s absence, and commenced hostilities against the castle. - -It is said the citizens readily admitted him within the walls of -Dublin. His chief attack was from Ship Street, but the Constable of the -castle getting the thatched houses there set on fire, the besiegers -fell back into Thomas Street. - -Lord Offaly having been obliged to commence hostilities against Ossary, -the siege was not carried on with much heart. Many of the arrows sent -into the castle were headless, and others bore letters saying some of -the besiegers were really in sympathy with the King’s party. - -Upon the rumour of help from England, the citizens closed the gates and -made prisoners of the attackers. - -Lord Thomas hurried back, and at once laid siege to the city itself, -but his force was too small to have any effect. - -As he had seized the Dublin children who had been sent to outlying -villages on account of the plague, the citizens agreed to liberate his -party if the little ones were restored. This was done, and shortly -afterwards aid from England quelled the rebellion. - -Several exciting escapes have been made by prisoners from the castle. -In 1587 Hugh O’Donnell was confined in one of the gate towers for three -years, when he and a companion managed to escape on to the drawbridge -by a rope. He was, however, treacherously sent back to Dublin by -O’Toole of Castlekevin, upon whose hospitality he had thrown himself. -At this time a partly dry and partly wet moat surrounded Dublin Castle, -and O’Donnell was now imprisoned in the Wardrobe Tower round which the -Poddle flowed. He, however, escaped again the next year through the -water, and, arriving after much hardship at Glenmalure, eventually -reached the North in safety. - -In 1697 Lord Delvin was imprisoned in one of the gate towers for taking -part in a conspiracy against the King. The Lord Deputy hearing that he -meditated escape, desired Tristram Ecclesten, Constable of the Castle, -to remove his prisoner from the upper to a lower storey. Not only -did Ecclesten neglect to do this, but he allowed Lord Delvin to have -visitors, who managed to convey him a rope, by which he escaped. Next -year he surrendered himself and was pardoned. - -Law Courts and Parliaments have at different times been held in the -castle. - -In 1689 King James made a State entry, and stayed one night there after -the battle of the Boyne. - -In 1783 St. Patrick’s Hall was built. In 1784 the Viceregal Lodge was -bought, and since then the State apartments of the castle have only -been used during the Dublin season. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Calendar of Irish State Papers in England. - Wright, “Historical Guide to Dublin.” - Harris, “History of Dublin.” - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - M’Gee, “History of Ireland.” - Joyce, “History of Ireland.” - Gilbert, “Castle of Dublin” (_University Magazine_). - Haverty, “Ireland.” - Collins, “Sydney State Letters.” - - - - -_DUNDANIEL CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated on the western margin of the Barony of -Kinnelea, in the townland of Skevanish, County Cork. It stands on the -left bank of the Bandon River, in the angle formed by the influx of -the Brinny. It is half a mile above Innishannon, and three miles below -Bandon. - -The present name seems, from ancient documents, to be a corruption of -Dundanier, or a word of the same phonetic sound. Different suggestions -have been put forward as to the probable meaning of the original -name, including “Dane’s Fort,” or “the fort of the foreigner,” and -“the fort of the two rivers.” This latter would be a very appropriate -appellation, its south and west sides being protected by the converging -streams. - -Nothing now remains of the castle save the keep, which measures 32 feet -east and west, and 44 feet north and south. - -The entrance is in a ruined state on the east side, and between it -and the river on the south the masonry has almost wholly disappeared. -The walls on the north and west are 6 feet thick, while on the south -and east they measure 8 feet, although these sides have otherwise -apparently less provision for defence. - -Mr. Herbert Gillman gives a most interesting suggestion regarding this -fact. He says that in all probability a winding stair was situated -in the thickness of the walls at the south-east angle, the building -of which has now disappeared, and that this stairway terminated at -the hall or chief apartment of the castle usually occupied by the -castellan. Upon the north-east angle of the tower is now the remains -of a ruined turret, and Mr. Gillman thinks this is most likely to have -been the protection for the egress to the _allur_ or battlemented walk, -which was reached from the main chamber by a second stairway in this -part of the wall. By such an arrangement no watchman could leave his -post of duty without passing through the room in question, and thus a -greater protection would be secured. - -We learn from the Lismore papers that the top of the fortress was -reached by a very narrow “pair of stairs.” - -The tower is about 55 or 60 feet high. The stone arch which is usual -in such buildings covering the internal space, is in this instance -situated singularly high up, being immediately beneath the top storey, -and there is no mark on the lower walls to show that a second ever -existed. The ground floor was used for defence as well as for the usual -store, and above it beams, on stone corbels, supported two oak floors -between the basement and the arch. Light and air were chiefly admitted -by long openings splayed for archery. It is interesting to note also -the later apertures introduced after musketry superseded the bow and -arrow. - -Of the former outworks of the fortress little trace remains. On the -east of the tower, at about a hundred yards distant, is what an old -inhabitant stated to be a disused channel of the River Manghane or -Brinny. This fact is borne out, and contradicted, respectively by -several maps. The fact that the field lying west of the river is still -called “Castle Garden” seems to point out that the channel of the -Brinny has been changed. Also the north and west walls of the fortress -have the greater number of crenellated openings, which show that they -were considered the most vulnerable sides. - -The Down Survey map of 1656 shows a dwelling-house to the east of the -castle. - -In the mortar on the inside surface of the arch, the marks of the twigs -are still visible which formed part of the temporary support used when -building. The mortar has much less lime than is usual in such work, no -doubt from the distance it would have had to be brought. - -These markings, as well as the general architecture, indicate that the -date 1476, which is usually stated as the time of its erection, is -likely to be accurate. - -It is supposed to have been built by Barry Oge, or Barry the Younger, -whose family displaced the O’Mahons in this district, being a -descendant of Philip de Barry, the Anglo-Norman invader. - -The lands of Innishannon were granted to the Barry Oge family either in -Henry III.’s or Henry IV.’s reign. - -In 1449 Barry Oge forfeited the confidence of the Crown, and his lands -were seized for the King. But a letter of the time states that he was -there “upon the King’s portion, paying his Grace never a penny of -rent.” At this time wars at home and abroad had weakened the English -power in Ireland, and it is most likely that Barry Oge built Dundaniel -Castle to protect the lands he was holding in spite of the forfeiture. - -In 1548 mention is made of a pirate called Colle coming to Kinsale in -a pinnace and marrying Barry Oge’s aunt, living in his castle, and not -allowing any one to enter Kinsale. Probably this castle was Dundaniel, -where the honeymoon was being spent, but the Barry Oge himself does not -seem to have shared the odium in which his uncle-in-law was held. - -Pirates were a very grave trouble to the south coast for many years -following. - -After the Desmond rebellion Barry Oge’s land was again forfeited in -1588, and bestowed upon MacCarthy Reagh, and in 1599 “Downdandier” is -referred to as being in his possession. - -After the siege of Dunboy Castle, in 1602, Sir George Carew relates -having sent some companies of foot soldiers to MacCarthy’s Castle of -Dundaniel, to remain there until the army was leaving Munster. - -Eight years later the estate was purchased by the East India Company -for the sum of £7,000. They constructed a dock, where they built two -ships, and colonised three villages with some three hundred English -settlers. - -They garrisoned the castle with “four light horse, six corslets, and -ten muskets, trained at the Company’s charge.” - -But this form of industrious innovation was not at all to the liking of -the native inhabitants, and they so harassed the company’s workers that -they were obliged to appeal to the Government for protection in 1613. -This does not appear to have been accorded, as a second petition in the -same year asks for leave to place three or four pieces of ordnance in -the castle for defence against the “wylde Irish.” - -The Company, still receiving no Government aid, relinquished their -enterprise. In the “Castle Garden” slag, like the refuse of ironworks -is still found, which is most likely the remains of the East India -Company’s industry. - -After this the MacCarthys seem to have again taken possession of the -castle, and a scion of the old house, named Teige O’Connor, occupied -Dundaniel upon the breaking out of hostilities in 1642. - -This O’Connor seems to have been a man of unqualified barbarity. A MS. -in Trinity College records a most unwarrantable attack by him on five -peaceful fishermen who were whipping the rivers near the stronghold. By -his orders they were seized by some of the garrison and carried within -the castle. Four of them were hanged at once, and the fifth offered -£10 for his life. This was accepted, and some of them accompanied -him to his house to receive it. Upon finding where he kept his money, -they seized the whole of it, amounting to £35, and then hanged the -unfortunate owner. - -John Langton, writing to the Earl of Cork, gives a most graphic -description of the assault upon Dundaniel Castle on the 20th of April, -1642, when the English forces marched from Bandon under the command of -Lord Kinalmeaky and Captain Aderly of Innishannon. - -It appears a party of rebels had seized some cattle and brutally killed -four children and wounded a fifth, who were minding them near the town. -The distracted parents traced the crime to the garrison of Dundaniel -Castle, “neere the ould iron worke.” So horse and foot marched out, -recovered the cattle save one animal, and attacked the castle. - -Three of the besiegers were killed and six wounded by shot and stone -from the fortress, but the musketeers posted themselves round the -castle and on the neighbouring hill, and kept up a fire of small shot -so that each of the defenders who looked out was killed. - -They next tried to drive in the door with sledges, and these failing -they set it on fire, but they had to undermine the wall in the -neighbourhood before the fire became sufficient to make the door yield. - -They rushed into the lower room, and the enemy fled to the top of the -castle above the vault. - -The attacking party then loaded themselves with corn and oatmeal which -was stored in the lower chambers, and having provided themselves with -plunder they set fire to the wooden floors of the lower rooms. Night -came on, and they returned to Bandon with their booty. - -Next morning they came back to view the scene, and found that the -rebels (who had escaped the fire which did not penetrate the vault), -had let themselves down from the battlements in the night time by means -of ropes and other contrivances. Many lay dead on the top of the -castle, and round about it. - -The victors found four or five muskets and fowling pieces, some brass -and iron pots and pans, and some money hidden in the oatmeal bins. - -About forty of the enemy escaped and joined the Roches. They were -pursued, and an encounter took place where over a hundred were killed, -but the chiefs escaped. - -After this the MacCarthy property was confiscated, and Dundaniel -Castle was granted to Richard Earl of Cork, by whom it was leased to -various tenants, and through whom it descended to the present Duke of -Devonshire. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - H. Gillman, “The Castle of Dundanier, - miscalled Dundaniel” - (_Cork Archæological Society’s Journal_). - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Calendar of State Papers. - G. Bennett, “History of Bandon.” - Grosart, “Lismore Papers.” - - - - -_DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DOWN_ - - -Situated three and a half miles north by east of Newcastle, County -Down, this donjon fortress commands an extensive view of Dundrum Bay -and the surrounding district of Lecale. The castle was built on the -site of an older fortification known as _Dun Rudhraidhe_, or Rury’s -Fort, which is said to have been the scene of the great feast given by -Bricrin of the Poisoned Tongue, to King Connor MacNessa and the Red -Branch Knights at which he induced them to make war on one another, -as is chronicled in “The Book of the Dun Cow.” The present village of -Dundrum (Dundroma, signifying the fort on the ridge) lies between the -castle and the shore, while to the east of the fortress are the ruins -of an Elizabethan mansion erected by a former owner of the castle. - -The circular keep or donjon is built upon a rock, and has an external -diameter of some 45 feet, the walls of which are 8 feet thick above the -projecting base. The tower at present stands about 50 feet in height. -The cellar below is hewn out of the rock on which the building was -erected, and is said at one time to have contained 200 tuns of Spanish -wine belonging to O’Neill. - -To the east of the entrance is a circular newel stair 3 feet 3 inches -in diameter, constructed in the thickness of the wall and leading to -the parapet. From this there are openings at each storey, and it is -most likely from the position of the offsets in the wall that the -floors were of wood supported on beams, the holes for the latter being -still visible at different levels. - -Round this tower was the courtyard or bawn, encircled by a high wall 4 -and 5 feet thick, which was again protected by a fosse or moat, still -to be seen on the north and west sides. The bawn was occupied by the -buildings for the retainers, and perhaps the family in times of peace, -and is of a roughly circular form about 150 feet across. - -[Illustration: DUNDRUM CASTLE, CO. DOWN.] - -South-east of the donjon, in the line of wall, are the two ruined -towers which protected the barbican gate, the corbel blocks of which -still remain over the archway, and originally supported the defences of -the gateway. From these, numerous rebels were hanged in the rebellion -of 1798. - -The castle was built of stone quarried to form the fosse, mixed with -land stones of the district. Little has been done to alter the twelfth -or thirteenth century architecture, except the opening out of windows. -On the side of the ruined manor the outer fortifications would seem to -have been levelled to make terraced gardens to the later dwelling. - -It is generally supposed that Dundrum Castle was built by John de -Courcy at the end of the twelfth century for the Knights Templars, -after his daring conquest of Ulster in 1177 with only a force of about -a thousand men. The stronghold remained in the possession of the order -(which was bound by vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience) until -the suppression of the Knights Templars in 1313. It then passed into -the hands of the Prior of Down, and is mentioned by Archdall in his -“Monasticon Hibernicum” as a religious house. Upon the abolition of -the monasteries the reversion of the castle and manor, with a yearly -rent of £6 13s. 4d. reserved out of it, was granted to Gerald, Earl of -Kildare. - -In 1516, however, it appears to have been in the possession of O’Neill, -who fortified it, with a boast he would hold it against the Earl of -Kildare, at the same time sending to the King of France to come and -help him to drive the English out. - -The following year Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and Lord Deputy, -marched into Lecale and took Dundrum by storm, but it seems almost -immediately to have reverted to the Magennises, who repaired it. In -1538 it was retaken along with seven other castles by the English, -commanded by Lord Deputy Grey, who says: “I took another castell, -being in M’Geeon’s countrie called Dundrome, which, I assure your -lordship, as it standeth is one of the strongest holds that ever I saw -in Ireland, and most commodious for defence of the whole countrey of -Lecayll, both by sea and land, for the said Lecayll is invironed round -about with sea, and no way to go by land into the said countrey but -only bye the said Castle of Dundrome.” - -After this the castle appears to have remained in the hands of the -Crown for a few years. In 1551, we learn from the records of the Privy -Council that Prior Magennis was seized and imprisoned in Dundrum -Castle by Roger Broke without order of law. Six years later Lord Deputy -Sussex asked that Lecale with the Castle of Dundrum might be granted to -him in fee-farm for ever. - -But again in 1565 it was occupied by the great Shane O’Neill, who -placed his own ward in it for defence, and the Magennises (with whom -O’Neill was intimately connected) were in possession of the stronghold -in 1601, when Phelim Magennis surrendered it to Lord Mountjoy. - -O’Neill is said to have been a constant visitor at the castle while it -was possessed by the Magennises, Lords of Iveagh, and after a night of -revelry would indulge in a strange kind of bath, by being buried to his -neck in the sands on the shore of the bay. - -Four years subsequently to the stronghold passing into the hands of the -Crown, Lord Cromwell was commissioned to be governor and commander of -Lecale and the tower and castle of Dundrum. - -In 1636, Lord Cromwell’s grandson, Thomas, Lord Lecale and 1st Earl of -Ardglass, sold it to Sir Francis Blundell, from whom it descended by -marriage to its present owner, the Marquis of Downshire. - -Sir James Montgomery fought the Irish on the shore at the foot of the -castle hill 1642, and placed a garrison in the fortress to protect -the district. At this time Dundrum belonged to the Blundells, who -afterwards built the now ruined mansion adjoining, and the ancient -stronghold was finally dismantled in 1652 by the order of Oliver -Cromwell. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Phillips, “Dundrum Castle.” - Praeger, “Guide to County Down.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.” - Harris, “History of County Down.” - Calendar of State Papers. - “Notes to Sir Henry Sidney’s Memoir,” and - “Facsimiles of Signatures of - Irish Chieftains” in _Ulster - Journal of Archæology_. - - - - -_DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DUBLIN_ - - -This fortress was one of the long chain of the Pale castles which -defended the metropolis, but having been inhabited until the beginning -of the nineteenth century it is in a much better state of preservation -than most of these old buildings. - -It is situated about three miles south of Dublin on a rise of ground -above the Dundrum River, a tributary of the Dodder, at the junction of -the Ballinteer and Enniskerry roads. - -It is probable that the castle was built on the site of a more ancient -stronghold, as Dundrum signifies “the fort on the ridge.” - -The principal ruin of the present castle is a keep which is -battlemented in a slightly projecting form on the south-east, while the -south-west wall rises in rather a high gable. The building is oblong -in shape, and the entrance, which is on the south side, is evidently -of more modern construction. A gate now gives egress to the interior, -which is occupied by a flower bed. - -Two large windows on the ground floor also point to later alterations, -especially as they occur simultaneously with the remains of earlier -openings. - -The stairs are likely to have been situated in the south-west side. -There are numerous small chambers and passages in the thickness of the -walls. - -Of the three fireplaces in the north-west wall that on the ground -floor is the largest, measuring 9 feet long by 5 feet high, and as -the flagstones of the hearth are covered by some inches of gravel its -height was once greater. At the back of the fireplace and slightly to -one side is an aperture about two feet square, which is framed in cut -stone, and was probably used as an oven. - -On the south-west end of the keep are the ruins of a smaller building -several storeys high, which is connected with the main building by a -square topped doorway. The dividing wall is nearly 6 feet in thickness. - -Both buildings are largely covered with plaster, and on the south-east -the keep has been partly rough cast. - -The situation of a third building can be seen adjoining the tower on -the north-east side, where the pitch of its roof may be traced about -three-fourths of the way up, but very little of the walls remain. - -The castle is partly covered with ivy. - -The fortress seems to have been built soon after the Norman invasion, -and as the lands of Dundrum were held by Hugh de Clahull, it was -probably erected for their defence. It subsequently passed to the -Fitzwilliams of Merrion, from whom it descended to the Earls of -Pembroke, and it forms at present part of the Pembroke estate. - -Robert le Bagod, ancestor of the Fitzwilliams, had license to convey -the manor of Dundrum to his son William, and in 1332 Thomas Fitzwilliam -was found seized of the lands round. - -From this time on it is likely the fortress was occupied by cadets of -the Fitzwilliam family. - -In 1542 Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam was in possession of the manor, and -in 1616 his grandson Thomas, afterwards first Viscount Fitzwilliam, -recovered the lands of Dundrum and Ballinteer, with the castle and -water mill. - -His brother William, who had married Archbishop Ussher’s widow, lived -at Dundrum Castle about this time. - -The building was slated and in good repair during the Commonwealth. It -is stated to have had three hearths and a barn, with a garden. - -It was tenanted by a Mr. Isaac Dobson during the reign of Charles II. -He was a Nonconformist, and probably a trader in Dublin. When James II. -came to the throne he left the country, and was attainted by Parliament -in 1689. - -His son, who was a bookseller, succeeded him at the castle. He greatly -improved the grounds, and when he died in 1720 he left the use of the -castle to his wife for her life, after which it went to his sons. - -The last Dobson who lived in it died in 1762, and when Mr. Cooper -visited it in 1780 it was most likely inhabited by a farmer, who was -then cutting down the grove of ash which grew between it and the river. - -He speaks of the inhabited part as a modern addition to which older -remains were adjoining. He states that the principal entrance was from -the courtyard by stone steps. - -It soon afterwards fell into ruin, and at the beginning of the -nineteenth century the present modern dwelling-house was erected. This -was at first inhabited by the Walsh family, and later Dr. Reichel, -Bishop of Meath, lived in it. Miss Hume is the present occupier. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - E. Dix, “Dundrum Castle,” in “The Lesser Castles in the - County Dublin”; F. Ball, - “Dundrum Castle,” both _Irish Builder_. - Ball and Hamilton, “The Parish of Taney.” - -[Illustration: DUNLUCE CASTLE.] - - - - -_DUNLUCE CASTLE_ - - -The ruins of this stronghold are picturesquely situated upon a rocky -promontory about three miles east of Portrush, in the County Antrim, -which is divided from the mainland by a chasm 20 feet wide and 100 feet -deep. - -The name Dunluce, or _lis_, signifies “strong fort,” and in all -probability the castle is built on the site of an ancient _lis_. - -The walls of the fortress are constructed of local basalt, and as the -columnar structure has been taken advantage of in the dressings of -windows and doors, it makes it a difficult matter to compare the date -of its erection with other castles by the style of architecture. - -It seems likely that the fortress was built in the sixteenth century by -the M’Quillans (formerly M’Willies), who derived their title from De -Burgo, one of De Courcy’s followers. Experts think that no part of the -building is of fifteenth-century workmanship. - -The castle was originally confined to the isolated rock, which was -connected with the mainland by a drawbridge. Now this part is reached -by a footway about 18 inches wide and 20 feet long, supported by an -arch. - -The strongest walls are on the south and east sides. The drawbridge -formerly led into a small enclosed courtyard, at the lower end of -which stands the barbican, containing the main entrance, and with -an embrasure at one side commanding the bridge. This has corbelled -bartizans at the angles of the south gable, which are a Scotch type of -architecture. - -A strong wall, following the cliff, connects the barbican with a -circular tower at the south-east angle called M’Quillan’s Tower. The -walls of this building are 8 feet thick, and a small staircase in them -leads to the top of both tower and wall. - -Formerly another curtain extended from M’Quillan’s Tower along the edge -of the rock northward to Queen Maud’s Tower, which is also circular but -of smaller dimensions. - -On the west and north the castle walls are not so thick as elsewhere, -and here the principal domestic offices are situated. - -On the north side, over the mouth of the cave which penetrates below, -are the remains of the kitchen, where a terrible accident happened -during a storm. The date is placed at 1639. The young Duchess of -Buckingham, who had married the 2nd Earl of Antrim, was giving a great -entertainment, when suddenly the kitchen gave way, and eight servants, -including the cook, sank into the waters of the cave below, and were -drowned. It is said a tinker, who was sitting in a window mending pots -and pans, was the only survivor of those present, and “the tinker’s -window” is still pointed out. - -The state rooms of the castle are situated behind the towers at the -eastern side. The great hall measures 70 feet by 23 feet, and has -a large fireplace and three bay windows, which were probably later -improvements made by Sorley Boy M’Donnell for his son Sir James, when -he took up his abode at Dunluce. - -The castle yard is situated between the hall and the parapet wall, and -measures 120 feet by 25 feet. - -A small vaulted room at the east side of the castle called the Banshee -Tower, is pointed out as a haunted chamber. - -The oak roof of the chapel, which had been restored in the Duchess of -Buckingham’s time (1637-40), was afterwards used to cover a barn in the -district. - -The buildings on the mainland are of much later date than those on the -rock. It is probable that they are later than 1640, though whether -they were built, as tradition states, because the domestics refused -to inhabit the older castle after the subsidence of the kitchen, -or whether the increase of the family’s importance required more -accommodation, it is hard to say. - -In 1513 a dispute arose between the descendants of Garrett MacQuillin -and those of Walter MacQuillin for Dunluce, then in the former’s hands. -O’Donnell seems to have placed the Walter MacQuillins in possession. - -Sir Thomas Cusake mentions the castle in his account of the expedition -against the MacDonnels in 1551, and four years later a fierce dispute -arose between the MacQuillins and MacDonnels for the chieftainship of -the Route district. - -These MacDonnels were of Scotch descent, and in 1565 the famous Shane -O’Neill set out to expel the Scots from Antrim. - -A great fight ensued, in which James and Sorley Boy (yellow or swarthy -Charles) MacDonnel were taken prisoners. - -Dunluce held out for three days longer, but Shane kept Sorley -Boy without food until the garrison should surrender, which they -accordingly did for his sake as well as their own. - -O’Neill then put his men in the castle, and is reported to have “kylled -and banyshed all the Skottes out of the north.” - -James MacDonnel died in Tyrone Castle in 1567--probably from poison. -Two years later his death was avenged by one of the clan, who -assassinated Shane, and after this Sorley Boy was set at liberty. - -At this time an English garrison was in possession of Dunluce, and -Sorley Boy crossed to Scotland, and returned with eight hundred picked -Redshanks to demand his castles and lands returned by a grant from the -Crown. - -This request not being at once acceded to, he commenced hostilities, -and in a year had re-possessed himself of all his strongholds and -lands, except Dunluce. He then renounced all allegiance to the Oueen, -raised some more Scotch troops, and took the surrounding country -without opposition. - -In 1573 he made a partial submission to the Crown, and asked to have -the part of the Glynns, which he claimed through the Bysetts, confirmed -to him by letters patent, but when the title deeds arrived he cut them -up and threw them in the fire, saying-- - -“By my sword I got these lands, and by the sword I will hold them.” - -The next year Mr. Francis Killaway was granted Dunluce under Essex’s -scheme of plantation, but in those days possession was more than “nine -points of the law,” and when the Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrott, set out -with a great army against the Scots of Ulster, in 1584, Sorley Boy’s -warder occupied Dunluce. - -In the official despatches it is styled the “impregnable” fortress. - -The MacDonnels were unprepared for the attack. Cannon was landed at -the Skerries and drawn up by men, but when the castle was summoned to -surrender, the Scotch captain replied he would hold the fortress to the -last man for the King of Scotland. - -The siege lasted nine months; the ward of forty men, mostly Scotch, -surrendering in September, 1585. - -St. Columkill’s Cross was found amongst the treasure by Perrott, who -forwarded it, with a jeering letter, to Burghly. It has since been lost -sight of. - -The Lord Deputy appointed a pensioner called Peter Carey as constable, -and a ward of English soldiers. - -Perrott reports that Carey dismissed them, and re-filled their places -with Northerns, some of whom were in league with MacDonnel, and that -one night fifty men were drawn up the rock by ropes made of wythies. He -also says they offered Carey his life, but he refused, and retired to a -tower with a few men, where he was eventually slain. - -This seems a rather unlikely story, and another account states a good -many of the garrison were slain, and that Carey being hanged over one -of the walls of the stronghold, the English soldiers fled. Carey’s -widow was granted a pension. - -Having recovered his castle, Sorley Boy made overtures of peace to the -Government, which were eagerly accepted, and he travelled to Dublin -and prostrated himself before Elizabeth’s portrait. The Indenture, -dated 1586, amongst other things, states he was appointed Constable or -Keyholder of Dunluce Castle. - -His son, Sir James MacDonnel, occupied the stronghold in 1597, and -the Governor of Carrickfergus lodged numerous complaints against him, -amongst which were his refusal to give up the ordnance he had taken -from Don Alonzo’s ship of the Spanish Armada, and his having fortified -himself in Dunluce. - -The following year Tyrone’s two sons and their tutor were lodged in the -castle, and Sir Geffrey Fenton had suspicions that they were placed -there as hostages to the Scotch King. - -Shortly afterwards open hostilities began between MacDonnel and the -Government until Sir James died suddenly at Dunluce in 1601. - -The castle was granted to his son, Randel, by letters patent in 1614, -to be surrendered if required for a garrison, and he was created Earl -of Antrim in 1620. - -His son, who succeeded in 1636, married the widowed Duchess of -Buckingham. The castle was summoned by the Irish in 1641, and they also -burned the town. - -The Earl did not join the Rebellion, though many of his relations -were in arms. In 1642 Munro came to Dunluce on pretence that some -of the Earl’s tenantry were implicated. After having been well -entertained, he treacherously seized Lord Antrim and sent him prisoner -to Carrickfergus, at the same time plundering Dunluce. - -The Earl escaped to England, and his lands, which had been confiscated -during Cromwell’s time, were restored to him in 1663; but in the -meantime Dunluce had fallen to decay, and does not seem to have been -inhabited since. - -The Antrim family at present reside at Glenarm Castle. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - G. Hill, “Macdonnells of Antrim.” - Calendar of State Papers. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Proceedings of Archæological Association - of Ireland, Papers by R. Young and - J. O’Laverty. - Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - “The Description and Present State of - Ulster,” in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_. - -[Illustration: DUNSOGHLY CASTLE.] - - - - -_DUNSOGHLY CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated eight miles north-by-west of Dublin, near the -village of St. Margaret’s, off the Ashbourne road. - -It consists of a splendidly preserved keep about 80 feet high, flanked -by four square towers which rise above the roof at each corner. One of -these contains a winding stair leading to the battlements, at the top -of which a flight of ten steps gives egress to the summit of the watch -tower. - -The other three towers have little rooms opening off the different -storeys. - -The ground floor, which was most likely a kitchen, is a large vaulted -apartment into which a door has been quarried in later years. - -The first floor was once a fine wainscotted room, the walls of which -were yet hung with family pictures when D’Alton visited it in 1838. - -A flight of wooden stairs connects this apartment with the ground. - -The two upper storeys had wooden floors, and the building is still -covered by a good slated roof, which is evidently a modern addition. So -too are the large square windows, some of which are glazed and others -protected by wire netting. The doorways are Gothic. - -In the south-west tower is the prison with no entrance except through a -hole in the roof by which captives and their food were let down. - -Tradition states an underground passage connects the castle with St. -Margaret’s Church, as well as having many hidden vaults. - -Beside the keep is the ruined chapel with an arched doorway, which -has been used as a cowshed. At the side towards the castle is a low -built-up archway over which is a slab carved with the symbols of the -crucifixion, and having under it the inscription:--“J.P.M.D.S., 1573,” -which is supposed to mean Johannes Plunket Miles de Dun-Soghly, 1573. - -There seems to be no record of the building of the castle. - -In 1288-89 it is noted that the rent paid for Dunsoghly by Geoffrey -Brun was 74s. and fivepence. Nearly two hundred years later (1422) the -King granted to Henry Stanyhurst the custody of all the messuages which -had belonged to John Finglas to hold rent free during the minority of -the heir. Two years later Roger Finglas is forgiven his arrears of -Crown rent out of the lands and tenants of Dunsoghly and Oughtermay. - -Soon after this the land seems to have passed to Sir Roland Plunkett, -the younger son of Sir Christopher Plunkett, Baron of Killem, and Lord -Deputy of Ireland, 1432, this family being a branch of the Fingall -family. - -In 1446 Sir Rowland Plunkett, of Dunsoghly Castle, was appointed Chief -Justice of the King’s Bench, and later his son, Sir Thomas Plunkett, -became Chief Justice of Common Pleas. - -The Crown leased, in 1547, to John Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, gent., all -the tithes in Dunsoghly and Oughtermay, in the Parish of St. Margaret -of Dowanor, part of the possessions of the Chancellor of the late -Cathedral of St. Patrick, at a rent of five marks. He was also to -provide a chaplain for the church of Dowanor. - -This John Plunkett was grandson to Sir Thomas, and also received -knighthood. He was made Chief Justice of the Queen’s Bench in 1559. He -died twenty-three years later, seized of the manors of Dunsoghly and -Oughtermay. - -Sir John built the private chapel belonging to the castle, and also the -chantry of St. Margaret’s. - -In 1590 Christopher Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, is included in the list of -the English Pale; and twenty years later he surrendered Dunsoghly to -the King, who re-granted it to him with additional lands on account of -his own and his family’s service to the Crown. - -Colonel Richard Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, was an active supporter of the -Lords of the Pale in 1641, and a reward of £400 was offered for his -head by the Lords Justices and Council. - -In 1657 the Down Survey says that the “chiefest places in the Barony -of Coolock are Malahide and Dunsoghly.” “There is in Dunsoghly a good -castle, and a house adjoining it (James Plunkett).” - -The House of Commons granted Sir Henry Tichbourne £2,000 in lieu of his -wardship of Nicholas Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, in 1666. This Nicholas was -succeeded by his son, at whose death the property was divided between -his three daughters, and the castle is still in possession of their -descendants. - -The fortress is said to have been bombarded in Cromwell’s time from a -mound near, which is now occupied by a dwelling-house, and a long crack -made in the south wall by the cannon is still visible. - -The castle was inhabited up to the middle of the eighteenth century. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.” - Proceedings of Royal Archæological Association of Ireland. - W. Wakeman, “Rambles near Dublin,” in Dublin _Evening Telegraph_ Reprints. - Carew MSS. - State Documents - - - - -_ENNISCORTHY CASTLE_ - - -Situated on the Slaney, about twelve miles north-by-west of Wexford, -in the Barony of Ballaghkeen, is the town of Enniscorthy. The origin -of the name does not seem to admit of a satisfactory explanation. Some -writers say that it was originally Corthæ, and the capital of Ptolemy’s -Coriandi. Hence the prophesy, “Enniscorthy was, Dublin is, and Drogheda -will be.” Again Enis-scorteach, signifying “the stud-house pastorage,” -has been mentioned as a possible explanation. - -The castle is a massive square structure, flanked by three round -towers. It is in good preservation. Two of the towers can still be -ascended. - -It is built of hard blue slate, dug on the spot, and the cases of the -doors and windows are of grey grit stone. - -It is believed that the manor of Enniscorthy was granted by Strongbow -to Maurice de Prendergast, and that he commenced to erect the castle in -1199, it being finished by his son Philip in 1205 or 1206. - -Again, it is stated to have passed to the De Prendergasts through the -De Quincey family, and that it was originally erected by Raymond le -Gros. - -Between 1225 and 1228 it was walled in and entrenched by Gerald -Prendergast, who died in 1251. - -The Rochfords held it from 1252 to 1327 through Maurice Rochford -marrying Matilda Prendergast. - -The land had formerly been part of the MacMurroughs’ territory, and -they regained it in 1328, although their claim was fiercely disputed by -the Rochfords. - -Donogh MacMorrough, King of Leinster, resided in the castle from 1368 -to 1375, in which year he was slain near Carlow by Geoffrey Wall. Two -years later Art MacMurrough, King of Leinster, recovered the castle, -and held it until his death in 1418. - -Donald Kavanagh, King of Leinster, lived in state in the castle from -1428 to 1476, and he it was who founded the Franciscan monastery close -to the stronghold in 1460. - -Murrough, King of Leinster, died in the castle in 1518. - -In 1550 it passed to the Crown after Cahir MacArt Kavanagh relinquished -the title “MacMurrough.” - -Richard Kettyng complained in 1551 that the Council would not confirm -the King’s letters, which granted him the castles of Ferns and -Enniscorthy. He requested that they might be granted by patent. - -The following year Enniscorthy was leased to Gabriel Blake. - -In 1566 a ruined castle and the manor of “Innescortye” was leased to -Nicholas Hearon, Esq., for twenty-one years, and the following year -it was surrendered by his assignee, Thomas Stucley, Esq., who then -received a lease of it. - -It was sacked by Sir Edmund Butler in 1569, and remained uninhabited -for thirteen years, though it was leased to Richard Synnot for -twenty-one years in 1575, and in 1581 the great poet Edmund Spenser -received it upon like condition. - -“Lease (under commission, 15 July, XXII.) to Edmund Spenser, gent., of -the site of the house of friars of Enescortie, with apputences; the -manor of Enescortie, a ruinous castle, land, and a weir there, lands of -Garrane, Killkenane, Loughwertie, Barrickcrowe, and Ballineparke, and -the customs of boards, timber, laths, boats bearing victuals, lodgings -during the fair, and things sold there, and fishings belonging to the -manor, and all other appurtenances as well within the Morroes country -as without. To hold for 21 years. Rent, £13-6-4. Maintaining one -English horseman. Fine, 20s.” - -It is stated that fear of the Kavanaghs prevented his coming into -residence, for the year afterwards his lease was transferred to Sir -Richard Sinnot, of Ballybrennan, and ratified by the Crown for a term -of forty years. - -In 1595 Queen Elizabeth granted the estate to Sir Henry Wallop, -Treasurer of War, by letters patent. - -He restored the castle, but his son preferred to reside in the more -modern dwelling of the Franciscan monks, which was close to the -fortress. He died here in 1624, and was succeeded by his son Robert. - -Sir Henry’s grandson was one of the judges at the trial of Charles -I., and after the Restoration he was imprisoned in the Tower of -London, where he died in 1667. His great grandson was created Earl of -Portsmouth in 1743. - -The castle was in the hands of the Confederates in 1642. - -In 1649 (whilst in the possession of Mr. Robert Wallop) the army of -the Commonwealth laid siege to the stronghold. It was well manned and -provisioned. - -Close to its walls was the “fair house,” formerly the largest -Franciscan monastery in Ireland, and then the residence of the Wallop -family, who deserted it upon the approach of the army. - -When the castle was summoned the garrison refused to surrender, but -they shortly afterwards reconsidered their decision and left their -great guns, arms, ammunition, and provisions in the hands of the -victors. - -Shortly afterwards the castle was, however, re-taken by a trick. Some -Royalist supporters feasted the men of the garrison and sent women -to them to sell whiskey. When they were helplessly drunk the Irish -overpowered them and took possession of the castle. - -The Governor, Captain Todd, and his wife, as well as the officers -under him, were all put to death. Only four of the soldiers were -spared, they having betrayed the fortress for the sum of £7. - -As soon as Colonel Cooke, the Governor of Wexford, heard of the outrage -he marched to Enniscorthy and took the castle by storm, killing every -one of the Irish garrison. - -The first Earl of Portsmouth repaired the building and leased it to -Adam Colclough in 1745. - -During the rebellion of 1798 it was used as a prison by the insurgents -during the period that Enniscorthy remained in their hands. - -They greatly defaced the place, but the Earl of Portsmouth restored -it between 1806 and 1812, altering it to the requirements of a modern -residence for his agent. After this period it had many tenants. - -From 1852 to 1863 it was used as an estate office, and a printing -press was also erected within the walls. It was from here that the -_Enniscorthy News_ was first issued. - -It fell into a state of dilapidation about 1863, though in 1867 it was -used as a temporary barracks for the extra police required in the town -during the Fenian rising. - -In 1898 it was sold to Mr. P. J. Roche of New Ross. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.” - D. Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - State Papers. - Calendar of Patent and Close Rolls, Ireland. - Fiants of Elizabeth. - - - - -_ENNISKILLEN CASTLE_ - - -The chief part of the town of Enniskillen is situated on an island in -Lough Erne, seventy-five miles west-by-south of Belfast, in the County -Fermanagh. - -The name is supposed to be derived from a small islet near to the -eastern bridge where the heroic wife of a great chief is buried, and -which was called Enis-Cethlenn or “the Island of Cethlenn.” - -The castle stands at the western side of the town, where it commanded -the lake. - -It is now incorporated with the Castle Barrack, but the original -quadrangular keep (a storey lower than in former times) is still to -be seen, while the curtain wall and towers, which were erected in -1611, and figure in the arms of the town, are in a good state of -preservation. The ditch which once surrounded it has now been filled -up. The castle was the chief fortress of the Maguires, lords of -Fermanagh. In 1439 it was surrendered to Donall Ballach Maguire, and -three years later Thomas Oge Maguire gave it to Philip Maguire. - -In 1593 Maguire had the houses round the castle burnt for fear of -attack. Nevertheless, early the following year, during his absence, -Captain Dowdall laid siege to the fortress. - -On the ninth day he attacked the castle “by boats, by engines, by sap, -by scaling.” He placed 100 men in a great boat covered with hurdles and -hide, which, with - -[Illustration: ENNISKILLEN CASTLE.] - -Connor O’Cassidy as guide, drew up close to the wall of the barbican. - -Here a fierce onslaught was made, and the garrison retreated to -the keep. This, Captain Dowdall threatened to blow up unless they -surrendered, which they accordingly did. - -The steersman of the boat gives the number as thirty-six fighting men, -and nearly the same of women and children; whereas Captain Dowdall -states he put a hundred and fifty to death, which is most likely an -exaggeration. - -He says it came into her Majesty’s hands with small loss, though it was -very strong, with walls seven feet thick and “soundrie secret fights -within it of great annoyance uppon the barbican.” - -He remained ten days mending the breaches, gates, and doors, and laid -in three months’ provisions. He elected a constable, and, garrisoning -it with thirty soldiers, took his departure. - -Marshall Bagnall was on his way to ward the castle, but Dowdall -reported that he was too ill to await his coming. - -The same year Maguire laid siege to the fortress, it is said, at the -instigation of the Earl of Tyrone. The relieving party was defeated, -and the Lord Deputy himself set out to the rescue of the garrison. - -They had been reduced to eating horseflesh, and had only one more -animal when they were relieved. The ward was then reduced from forty to -thirty, and the castle victualled for six months, which supply was to -be augmented by fishing for eels under the walls. - -Shortly after this the bawn was seized and seven warders killed; and -in 1595 the whole fortress surrendered. In the State Papers the Lord -Deputy declares he cannot understand why this should have been, as the -castle was well provisioned. He says that he hears the constable and -fifteen warders were promised life and goods, but that when they came -out they were all put to death. It does not seem that this report was -confirmed. - -In 1596-97 the Lord Deputy asks for three falcons with their carriages -and ladles, to replace those which Maguire had taken with the castle, -and which had belonged to Dublin. - -Maguire’s brother held the fortress in 1598. - -It was again in English possession in 1607, and Captain William Cole -was constable in 1610, when he asked for some land to be allotted -to his office. That immediately round the castle was in the hands -of Scottish settlers, and there was no demesne land attached to the -building. - -In 1611 he built “a fair house” on the old site, adding numerous -outhouses. - -A moat surrounded the bawn, and the river was crossed by a drawbridge. -He also erected a wall 26 feet high with flankers and parapet, which -still remains. - -The castle was granted to Sir William Cole in 1620 on a lease for -twenty-one years, and he was responsible for its repair. The Earl of -Enniskillen at present represents the family. - -Four hundred pounds was granted for State repairs in 1646, some of -which had been expended on the castle of Enniskillen. - -During the famous siege of the town in 1689 the Governor, Gustavus -Hamilton, took up his residence in the castle, which belonged to Sir -Michael Cole, who was absent in England. - -In 1749 the fortress was in ruins. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - State Papers. - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. - King, “Henry’s Upper Lough Erne.” - Witherrow, “Derry and Enniskillen.” - Earl of Belmore, “Governor Hamilton and Captain Corry,” - and Ancient Maps of Enniskillen, both in _Ulster - Journal of Archæology_. - - - - -_FERNS CASTLE_ - - -This ancient seat of royalty is situated five miles and three-quarters -north-by-east of Enniscorthy, on the River Bann, in the County of -Wexford. The name comes from Fearna, meaning alders, or “a place -abounding in alders.” - -The erection of the first stone castle is ascribed to Strongbow, and it -is supposed to have been built upon the site of the fortress or dun of -his father-in-law, Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster. - -The present ruins are the remains of four round towers, which were -joined by high curtain walls enclosing a courtyard. The building is one -of great strength, and occupies an imposing situation above the town. - -The most perfect of the towers contains a chapel, with a beautifully -groined roof springing from consoles. Richard Donovan, who inherited -the property in 1773, is said to have converted the sanctuary into an -Orange Lodge, where high revel was held, and a visitor in 1864 states -that an equestrian statue of William III. occupied the site of the -altar beneath the east window. - -Mr. Baranger, however, writing in 1780, says that the chapel was -without a floor, and made one with the under apartment. He describes -the room above it as arched, and also remarks that the edges of the -stones of the long loophole windows had been cut underneath as if for -cannon to be pointed through. A brass fieldpiece found in the castle -was used for the defence of Wexford, 1641. - -Three kinds of masonry are visible in the construction of the tower, -each occupying about a third of its height. The bottom layer consists -of small stones, the middle part of larger ones, while those at the top -are hewn. - -At one time part of the wall connecting the towers was used as a -ball-alley (the ground being flagged for this purpose), until the owner -of the castle enclosed the ruins with a wall for their preservation. - -In 1865 part of the fortress on the north side fell in a thunderstorm, -and the tenant of that date procured leave to blast the rest of this -wall for fear of accident. The ground is littered with broken masonry. - -After Strongbow’s death in 1177, Henry II. bestowed the manor and -castle of Ferns upon William FitzAdelm de Burgo. The same year -FitzAdelm seized the Black Castle of Wicklow from the three sons of -Maurice Fitzgerald, giving them Ferns by way of compensation. - -The brothers at once began to rebuild and strongly fortify their -new possession, but it was hardly completed before Walter Allemand, -a nephew of FitzAdelm, attacked the castle and left it in a ruined -condition. - -William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, who married the grand-daughter -of Dermot MacMurrough, began to erect a much larger fortress on the -same site in 1192. He was succeeded by his son, who had married the -daughter of King John, and he completed the stronghold in 1224. He then -presented it to the Bishop of Ferns as restitution for Church land -which his father had seized. - -It remained in the possession of the Church from 1224 to 1364, during -which time it was used as an Episcopal Palace. - -In 1243 Geoffrey St. John, Vicar-General of Ferns, and Escheator of -Ireland, came into residence, and was succeeded by Bishop Lambert in -1282, who died in the castle. - -He was followed by Richard of Northampton, who had been Canon of -Kildare, while in 1304 Robert Waldrond was consecrated, and took up his -abode at Ferns. During this time the neighbourhood was much disturbed, -and the next Bishop was arraigned for high treason in 1317, but was -pardoned the following year. - -In 1331 the clan of O’Toole seized the castle, pillaged, and burned it. -Next year the Crown took possession again, and three years later they -thought it expedient to appoint Lord Gerald Rochford constable of Ferns -Castle. He held office for ten years, and was summoned to Parliament as -a Baron. - -In 1347 Bishop Esmond came into possession of the stronghold, and was -succeeded by Bishops Charnels and Denn. The latter prelate was the last -Bishop to reside in the castle, for from 1402 to 1530 the stronghold -was in possession of the MacMurroughs. - -At the end of this period it was captured by Lord Deputy Grey. He was -on his way from Kilkenny to Dublin, when he sent word from Leghlyn to -Stephen FitzHenry at Kilkea, to meet him at Ferns Castle with his guns -and men. - -Lord Grey marched by night, and arrived in the morning before the -fortress. He demanded its surrender, which was refused by the garrison, -“using very spiteful language.” The day was spent in preparing for the -attack. He posted his men round the building in the ditches and other -cover, so that none of the besieged should escape, and the troops broke -down the gate leading to the drawbridge. A Mr. Thomas Allen, who was -with the attacking party, noticed that one of the garrison kept watch -every now and then from one particular place, and he sent a gunner to -hide himself where he could cover the spot with his weapon. This was -successful, and the man was shot as soon as he returned. He was the -governor and chief gunner of the castle. - -The rest of the garrison then asked for a parley, which was granted. - -Lord Grey told them that unless they surrendered before the arrival -of the ordnance, which was within a mile of the stronghold, he would -not accept a surrender, but kill them all. They then agreed to give the -castle up, and two of the English were stationed in it during the night. - -The next day the Lord Deputy appointed a garrison of the MacMurroughs -to guard the stronghold, taking their chief with him to Dublin as a -hostage. - -A writer of this time describes the castle as the old inheritance -of the Earl of Shrewsbury or the Duke of Norfolk, and “oon of the -auncientis and strongest castells within this lande.” - -In 1536 Cahir Maclnnycross Kavanagh, the MacMurrough, was appointed -constable by the Crown, but two years later he was superseded by Sir -Richard Butler. - -At the time great anxiety was felt for fear of an attack from the -Kavanaghs; and in 1550, we learn from the State Papers that Cahir -M’Arte Kavanagh had managed to get possession of the castle by -treatment. - -The next year Richard Kettyng asked the Privy Council to confirm the -King’s letter granting him the stronghold, but they refused. - -It was considered necessary to have English captains in the castles -of the districts to hold the Kavanaghs in subjection, so that a list -of constables to Ferns Castle is recorded, the most remarkable being -the Mastersons, father and son, the former being accused of conspiring -against the Queen in 1569. - -Thrilling traditions are related regarding his wife, Catherien de -Clare, who was said to decoy the neighbouring chiefs and Irish -gentlemen within the fortress under the guise of hospitality and murder -them by pushing them down a trapdoor. - -In 1588 Masterson entered a petition for land, as recompense for -thirty-four years’ service. - -His son spent large sums on rebuilding the castle; nevertheless it was -granted to Lord Andley in 1608. - -Sir Charles Coote occupied the stronghold in 1641, but finding he was -unable to hold it against the insurgents, he dismantled the outworks, -blew up part of the building, and left the neighbourhood. - -It must, however, have been partly repaired, for eight years later, -when Cromwell’s commander, Colonel Reynolds, appeared before it, the -garrison fled, leaving their arms, ammunition, and provisions behind -them. - -In 1669 Charles II. granted the castle to Arthur Parsons; while in 1689 -it seems to have been in the possession of Alderman Thomas Keiran, who -gave it to his brother-in-law, Richard Donovan, in 1694, from whom -it descended to its present owner, Richard Donovan, Esq., D.L., of -Ballymore House, Camolin. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Calendar of State Papers. - Calendar of Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - W. G. Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.” - G. Bassett, “Wexford.” - G. Stokes, “Ireland and Anglo-Norman Church.” - G. Griffiths, “Chronicles of County Wexford.” - Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.” - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. - - - - -_FERRYCARRIG AND SHANA COURT CASTLES_ - - -The chief interest attaching to the castles of Ferrycarrig and Shana -Court is the fact that one or other of them was the first Anglo-Norman -fortress erected in Ireland. - -The sites of the two strongholds occupy positions one on each side of -the Slaney, a little more than two miles west of Wexford. The parish -of Carrig lies on the right bank of the river in the Barony of West -Shelmalier, and here on an isolated rock commanding the ferry is -situated Ferrycarrig Castle--Carrig signifying a rock. - -It is a square tower of great age and occupies the whole summit of the -rocky point on which it stands, and does not seem, therefore, to have -ever been of larger dimensions than at present. The masonry is rough -and massive and the loopholes unusually small, while the door is so low -and narrow that it is necessary to stoop when entering. - -An opening in the wall is usually called the “murdering hole,” but as -there is another aperture to correspond with it in the exterior at the -base they are likely to have had some other use. - -The close resemblance which this tower bears to Trajan’s Tower at -Paboquaipass on the Danube, even to a similar entrance, has been the -subject of remark. - -On the south bank of the river, where the Crimean monument now stands, -were traceable some years ago the fosse and outworks of Shana Court. -They occupied about half an acre, but the walls of the fortress had -been demolished to supply stones for the building of the old mansion -of Belmont. - -Tradition asserts that Ferrycarrig was erected by FitzStephen, who -landed in Ireland in 1169, and that Shana Court was built by King John, -it deriving its name from his having held court there as Viceroy. - -We know FitzStephen de Marisco erected a castle at Carrig from the -following passage in Giraldus Cambrensis: - -“MacMorogh marched to besiege Dublin, but left FitzStephen behind, who -was then building a hold or castle upon a certain rocky hill called -the Carricke, about two miles from Wexford, which place, although it -was very strong of itself, yet by industry and labour it was made much -stronger.” - -From the same source we also learn that it was environed on two sides -by the river, but this might apply equally to either fortress. - -A further description says: “It was at first made but of rods and -wiffes, according to the manner in those daies, but since builded with -stone, and was the strongest fort then in those parts of the land; but -being a place not altogether sufficient for a prince, and yet it was -thought too good and strong for a subject, it was pulled down, defaced, -and razed, and so dooth still remane.” - -The most likely assumption, on the whole, seems to be that King John -erected on the ruined site of FitzStephen’s stronghold the castle known -as Shana Court, the stones of which were used in building Belmont, and -that Ferrycarrig was an outwork of the larger fortress or else was -erected by the Roches of Artramont as a watch-tower to protect the -ferry. - -FitzStephen suffered a memorable siege in his castle in 1170. He had -weakened his garrison by sending a detachment to serve with Strongbow, -when the men of Wexford and Kinsellagh rose and laid siege to Carrig -Castle with a force of about three thousand. - -Several desperate assaults were successfully repulsed before the -attackers asked for a parley. This was granted, and they informed -FitzStephen that Strongbow and his followers had been utterly routed, -and that King Roderic was marching with a great army to annihilate his -garrison, but that out of respect to his person they wished him to -escape. - -FitzStephen could not be induced to believe the tale until three -bishops took a false oath as to its truth, whereupon he capitulated -upon honourable terms. These were at once violated, and, against the -conditions, he was made prisoner and sent to Beggery Island, while many -of those with him were killed. - -Donald Kavanagh, with great difficulty, arrived in Dublin to inform -Strongbow that FitzStephen could not hold out more than three days. It -was on this occasion that Maurice FitzGerald made his famous speech, -in which he said: “FitzStephen, also, whose courage and noble daring -opened to us the way into this island, is now with his small force -besieged by a hostile nation. What should we, therefore, wait for?” - -Stirred by his eloquence, the English forces, though of small numbers, -set out and carried victory before them, but in the meantime Carrig had -surrendered. - -Strongbow was warned that if his forces marched on Wexford all the -prisoners would be at once slain, so that FitzStephen was not liberated -until King Henry arrived in Ireland in 1172. - -Ferrycarrig is situated on the Earl of Donoghmore’s estate. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Ryan, “History and Antiquities of Carlow.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Giraldus Cambrensis. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries. - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - “Ferrycarrig,” in _The People_. - - - - -_GEASHILL CASTLE_ - - “Oh, sweetly rural is the scene - Where Geashill Castle stands; - Beneath the line of green old hills - This lovely vale expands.” - E. EGAN. - - -The village of Geashill is situated in the barony of the same name, -about eight miles south-east of Tullamore, in the King’s County. On a -long ridge near are the ruins of the castle, adjoining a modern lodge -usually occupied by the agent of the Digby estate. The ancient fortress -is three storeys high, and a spiral stairway still leads to the summit, -where there is an iron chair. An underground passage is said to run to -the ruined Abbey close by. - -The date of the castle’s erection by the Fitzgeralds is ascribed to -the twelfth century, and in 1203 or 1204 the King commanded it to be -delivered to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, as the guardian of -Maurice, second Baron of Offaly, who was heir to Gerald FitzMaurice. - -In 1305 the sept of the O’Dempseys slaughtered a great number of the -O’Connors near the castle, and the following year the stronghold was -destroyed by these native Irish. The Book of Howth says: “The Lord of -Offalye builded the castle of Geschell” in 1307, so it was, no doubt, -rebuilt this year by Thomas FitzMaurice, “the crooked heir,” who died -in 1298, and who is supposed to have been prevented from inheriting as -head of the family on account of some deformity. Juliana FitzGerald -granted the castle to his son, who was her cousin, and afterwards 1st -Earl of Kildare. - -An inquisition was held at Kildare in 1282 upon the estate of the late -John FitzThomas, when his heir, Thomas FitzMaurice, came of age. It -was shown that the former had held lands from Maurice FitzGerald “for -a moiety of the service of one knight whenever royal service should be -summoned, rendering suit nevertheless at the court of the said Maurice -FitzGerald at Geashill.” - -Lord Leonard Gray and the chieftain O’Mulmoy seized the castle, and -abbey of Killeigh in 1538. In both they found great stores of corn, -part of which they burnt and part carried off. - -On an ancient map of Leix, dated about 1563, both the castles of Lea -and Geashill are marked as ruins, but in Sir Henry Sydney’s account of -Ireland shortly afterwards he writes: “Geshell, in the King’s County, -is very necessary to be had of the Earl of Kildare; it is a matter of -consequence for her Majesty’s service in that county.” - -James I. granted the barony of Geashill in 1619 and 1629 to Lady -Lettice Digby, widow of Sir Robert Digby, of Warwickshire, as -compensation for not inheriting as heir-general of the house of -Kildare, she being the only child of the eldest son of the 11th Earl of -Kildare. At the same time he created her Baroness of Offaly, and she -lived quietly at Geashill from that date until 1642, when the great -rebellion broke out and the Confederate Catholics laid siege to her -stronghold. - -A kinsman of hers named Henry Dempsy, brother of Lord Clanmalier, was -in command, and despatched a letter “To the Honourable and thrice -virtuous Lady, the Lady Digby,” demanding that she should surrender the -castle to his Majesty and offering her and her household a free pass -to wherever they wished, threatening at the same time if she did not -comply to murder every Protestant in the town. - -To this demand the Baroness sent the following answer: “I received your -letter, wherein you threaten to sack this my castle, by his Majesty’s -authority. I have ever been a loyal subject and good neighbour among -you, and, therefore, cannot but wonder at such an assault. I thank -you for your offer of a convoy, wherein I hold little safety; and, -therefore, my resolution is, that being free of offending his Majesty, -or doing wrong to any of you, I will live and die innocently, and -will do the best to defend my own, leaving the issue to God. And -though I have been, and still am desirous to avoid the shedding of -Christian blood, yet, being provoked, your threats shall no wit dismay -me.--LETTICE OFFALY.” - -The castle was surrounded by bog and wood, and was, in consequence, -somewhat difficult of access, so that upon receiving her letter the -enemy retired to make more elaborate preparations for attack. - -They collected a number of pots and pans, with which a man from Athboy -constructed a cannon. It had to be cast three times before it was -successful. - -After two months the attackers returned to the castle with Lord -Clanmalier in command. He despatched another letter demanding surrender -to the brave lady, which received a spirited reply, reiterating her -determination to endeavour to hold her own against all comers. - -Upon its receipt they discharged the gun, which burst at the first -shot, but a fusilade of muskets was kept up until the evening. - -As the Baroness was looking out of one of the windows a ball struck -the wall near her, and taking out her handkerchief, she contemptuously -dusted the spot. - -It is said that one of her sons, having fallen into the enemy’s hands, -was brought before the castle in chains, with a threat that they would -kill him unless she surrendered. She, however, replied that if they -touched a hair of his head she would at once put to death a Roman -Catholic priest who was within the walls. - -At dark the enemy retired, again sending her a letter offering her -terms, which received the same refusal as the others had done, and the -messenger she sent was kept a prisoner. - -Lady Offaly managed to let Sir Charles Coote, then at Naas, know that -she needed assistance, and Philip Sydney, Viscount Lisle, at once -set out from Dublin to her relief, accompanied by Sir Charles Coote, -Sir George Wentworth, Lord Digby, the Baroness’s eldest son, and a -considerable force of horse and foot. - -Lady Offaly had also despatched an appeal for help to the FitzGeralds, -but the letter fell into the enemy’s hands instead, who at once renewed -the siege when they learnt of her straits. - -As the English forces advanced the besiegers skirmished and retreated. -The relieving party supplied the fortress with food and ammunition, but -at Lady Offaly’s request she remained in the castle. - -The following October she was again attacked by Charles Dempsie, but -this time was shortly relieved by Sir Richard Grenville, and after this -she retired to Cole’s Hill, in Warwickshire, where she died in 1658. - -Her eldest son, Lord Digby, inherited the castle, and it is still in -the family’s possession. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - J. Wright, “King’s County Directory.” - State Documents. - Carew MSS., including Book of Howth. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Hore, “Rental Book of Gerald, 9th Earl - of Kildare,” and “Notes on a - Fac-Simile of an Ancient Map - of Leix,” both in _Journal - of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland_. - -[Illustration: GLENARM CASTLE.] - - - - -_GLENARM CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated in the Barony of Lower Glenarm, a little more -than twenty-five miles north of Belfast, in the County Antrim, where -the Glenarm rivulet enters the bay. - -The original stronghold was erected by the Byset family about the -middle of the thirteenth century, and came into the MacDonnell family -through the marriage of Margery Bisset. - -The castle stood on the southern side of the river at the head of the -street which leads from the barbican, and on the opposite bank from the -present building. - -In 1278 an inquisition was held after the death of two John Bysets to -determine if the Earl of Ulster was right in making the fortress over -to the Bishop of Connor as ecclesiastical property, and it was decided -that the Bysets had not held the castle from the church. - -Captain Pers and Malbie placed Randal Oge in possession of the -stronghold in 1568, but the same year his ward surrendered it. - -In 1597 it is reported James and Randal M’Donnell “broke” the castle, -and it does not appear to have been afterwards rebuilt, although the -ruins were standing for many years. - -Sir Randal MacDonnell was granted the estate in 1603, and began to -erect the present castle. - -Sir Awla M’Awla petitioned against his possession of Glenarm in 1610, -but apparently without effect. - -Sir Randal greatly enlarged the dwelling in 1636, and the following -inscription was placed over the entrance:-- - -“With the leave of God this castle was built by Sir Randal McDonnel, -Knight, Erle of Antrim, having to wife Dame Aellis O’Neill, in the year -of our Lord God, 1636. Deus est adjutor meus.” - -Shortly after this the family made Glenarm their chief place of -residence instead of Dunluce Castle. - -The fortress is approached by a barbican standing on the northern side -of the bridge, while an avenue of limes leads to the hall door. The -building is flanked by towers crowned with cupolas and vanes, and the -gables are decorated with heraldic devices. - -An embattled wall guards the terrace on the river side. - -The hall, which is also used as a billiard-room, is especially -handsome, while the dining-room and drawing-room are also fine -apartments. - -Some treasure chests said to have belonged to the Spanish Armada are -preserved in the castle, but a doubt has been thrown upon their being -of such a date. - -During the rebellion of 1798, the castle was used as the headquarters -of the Yeomanry. The rebels had decided to attack it on the 8th of -June, and the wives of the Yeomen, whom they had captured, were to be -placed in front of the insurgents in their advance. - -This diabolical plan was frustrated on the very morning of the intended -attack by news of the defeat at Antrim, whereupon the camp was broken -up. - -Glenarm is the seat of the Earl of Antrim, the present representative -being the sixth peer. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Hill, “MacDonnells of Antrim.” - State Documents. - State Papers. - Thomson, “Highways and Byeways in Donegal and Antrim.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - “Guide to the Giant’s Causeway,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - Drew, “Old Iron Treasure Chests”; Smith, - “Memories of ’98,” in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_. - - - - -_GLIN CASTLE_ - - -The origin of the title Knight of Glin, or Knight of the Valley, seems -not to be accurately known, but the designation has been recorded as in -use during the reign of Henry III. The Knights of Glin, also called the -Black Knights, belong to the great Geraldine family, and owed a certain -allegiance to the Earls of Desmond, which is described as follows: -“Divers customs of meat and drink, together with rising of men at the -Earl’s calling to the number of 60 kearne.” - -The housing and feeding of some of the Earl’s men were also included. - -Glin is a small market town and seaport in the Barony of Shanid, in -the County Limerick, at the junction of a rivulet with the Shannon, -twenty-six miles west by south of Limerick City. - -Of the ancient fortress situated in the town, nothing now remains but -the keep. It measures 38 feet by 35 externally, and the walls are 8 -feet in thickness. It is at present about 40 feet in height, but was -at one time crowned by a turret in the eastern corner. The courtyard -walls were 102 feet in length and 92 in breadth. The chief entrance, to -the north, was defended by a semicircular outwork. The great hall was -situated on the western side of the courtyard, while the keep was in -the south-west corner. The two eastern angles were defended by small -towers. A moat surrounded the castle filled with water from the Shannon -tributary. - -The Knight of Glin was a very important chieftain in Limerick, -maintaining an ordinary force of ten horsemen and a hundred and forty -foot soldiers. During the Desmond wars he shared the fortunes of the -Earl, and in 1569 both the Knight and the son were attainted, the -latter being executed. - -The estates were, however, very shortly afterwards restored, and in the -rebellion of the Northern Earls and the “Sugan Earl” of Desmond, the -Knight of Glin was again amongst the disaffected. - -In the summer of 1600 Sir George Carew started on an expedition to the -west to restore peace in that quarter. He had with him a force of one -thousand five hundred men, and was accompanied by the Earl of Thomond. - -The army marched through Kerry to Askeaton, where there was a halt -for four days awaiting provisions, which had been sent by water from -Limerick. On the 4th of July they marched twelve miles to Ballintare, -the enemy moving in front within view. The next morning’s march brought -them before Glin Castle, the rebels still offering no opposition. - -The Four Masters describe the route taken as having been from Limerick -along the northern bank of the Shannon through Clare, the troops -ferrying themselves across the river at Glin, but it is most likely -that Sir George Carew’s biographer gives the correct line of march. - -Captain Gawin Harvey’s ship, with the ordnance on board, had been -anchored in the Shannon for fourteen days awaiting their arrival, and -the guns were at once unshipped upon the arrival of the troops. - -That night the forces entrenched themselves between the castle and the -river, and the next day, under the guise of a parley, they managed to -plant the cannon without opposition. - -The next day the Knight of Glin, who was not within the castle, -asked for a safe conduct to the English camp, which was granted. Upon -arrival he demanded to see the President, but was refused unless upon -an unconditional surrender. This he would not consent to, and was, -therefore, ordered to depart. Seeing his son in the camp, whom he had -delivered as a hostage some time previously, he seemed to hesitate, -but as he still held out for terms the Earl of Thomond broke off -the negotiations, and the Knight and his attendants retired to a -neighbouring hill to watch the attack. - -Later the Constable of the fortress sent a message to the Earl of -Thomond begging an interview, which was granted. He began by stating -that the love he bore the Earl, being a Thomond man himself, had -induced him to warn the English to depart, as the Earl of Desmond with -three thousand Connaught men were only two miles off, and would most -likely attack the camp and drive them all into the river. The Earl -laughed at his forebodings, and told him to deliver the castle and so -save himself and the warders from death. This offer he refused, and the -President, hearing he had done so, sent a message to say that he hoped -to place his head on a stake in two days’ time. - -One of the cannon becoming clogged, Sir George Carew ordered it to be -filled with a charge in inverted order and the fire put to the mouth, -so as to clear the touch-hole by the explosion. This was carried out -with great success, much to the relief of the besiegers. - -A fire of small shot was kept up from the castle at the ordnance, and -the President, placing the Knight’s son on one of the cannon, sent a -message to the garrison to say he had given them a mark to aim at. The -Constable replied that the Knight of Glin might have more sons, and -that the child should not deter him from firing. - -Sir George Carew, however, removed the child, and commenced the -battery. A breach was made into the cellar under the great hall, one -gunner only being killed. - -Captain Flower then led the attack and entered the hall through the -breach, forcing the ward to retire. The flag of the besiegers was -hoisted from the turrets of the hall, and night coming on Captain -Slingsby was ordered to hold the position until the morning. - -A dropping fire was kept up all night. The Constable, seeing that to -successfully hold the castle was impossible, tried to escape with some -of the warders, but he and others were killed in the attempt, one only -getting away. His head was placed upon a stake in the camp as the -President had said. - -The rest of the garrison retired to the keep. In the morning the -attackers burned the heavy wooden door which guarded the stairway, but -they had to wait two hours for the smoke to clear away. As soon as it -had done so, one of the garrison appeared to ask for the lives of his -comrades if they surrendered, but it appears he gave himself up before -an answer was returned. - -The officers and men then ascended the stairs in single file as the -width of the passage necessitated, but met with no opposition, the -garrison having retired to the battlements, which were protected only -by one door. - -Here a terrible hand to hand encounter took place. Some of the warders -were killed, while the rest jumped from the parapet into the water -below, and were either drowned or killed by the guards stationed -beneath the tower. - -The English lost ten soldiers and one ensign, while about twenty-one -men were wounded. Of the defenders of the castle about eighty men were -killed, while the Four Masters state that some women and children also -lost their lives. They remark that the place would not have been so -easily won had not the “Earl of Desmond’s people dispersed from him.” - -The rebels had burned the town of Glin upon the approach of the Royal -troops. - -During the rising the castle had been used as a storehouse for the -“Sugan Earl’s” forces, and a Limerick merchant called Anthony Arthurs -seems to have dispensed his goods from it. - -Sir George Carew placed a guard of twenty-one soldiers in it under the -command of Captain Nicholas Mordant. - -Edmund FitzGerald, Knight of the Valley, was restored to most of his -estates in 1603, and six years later he appealed to the Lords of the -Council against Patrick Crosby obtaining Glin Castle by the King’s -letter, on the pretext that it was kept from the Knight to prevent his -rebelling. Crosby had undertaken to repair and fortify the fortress at -his own cost. The Knight stated he had been pardoned by Lord Mountjoy, -that his lands had been restored, and shortly afterwards the castle as -well. - -The next year Sir Arthur Chichester explains that the building was -occupied only by Anthony Arthur, who sold wines in it, and that he had -therefore given it to Crosby. He also stated that the Knight’s eldest -son was abroad. - -In 1681 the castle was in the possession of Major FitzGerald. - -The present Glin Castle, seat of Desmond FitzJohn Lloyd FitzGerald, -Knight of Glin, is situated about a mile west of the town. Over the -yard gate is an engraved stone bearing the following inscription: -“Edmond Gerrald, Knight of the Vally. Onnor Cartie, his wife. Fear God -always and remember the Poor. I.H.S. Anno Domoni, 1615.” - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Pacata Hibernia (Dublin reprint, 1810). - J. Dowd, “County of Limerick.” - Calendar of State Papers. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Carew MSS. - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Journal of Thomas Dineley (_Kilkenny Archæological Society’s Journal_). - - - - -_GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL_ - - -This castle is situated on the west side of the entrance to Lough -Foyle, two and a half miles north-east of Moville, in the Barony of -Innishowen. - -It was erected upon a rock and defended by two towers which contained -the chief apartments, while a third tower defended the northern end. - -It is built of green fire stone, from which its present name may have -been derived. - -In Macator’s map, which was published in 1629, it is marked as “New -Castle,” and it is still known in Irish by that name. - -Hanmer’s “Chronicle” and Grace’s “Annals” state that Arx Viridis in -Ultonia was thrown down in 1260, so that it is likely that the present -building, which was erected by Richard de Burgo, the Red Earl of -Ulster, in 1305, replaced a former fortress. - -In 1332 William de Burgo, or the “Dun Earl,” owned the fortress, which -he had inherited from his father, and having taken prisoner Walter, -son of Sir Walter de Burgo, he starved him to death in the castle. Sir -Arthur Chichester excavated one of the pillars of the dungeon in which -it is supposed he was confined, and a mark was discovered that most -likely had held a ring to which the prisoner was chained. The “dreary -and dismal” prisons are still to be seen. - -The Dun Earl was stabbed to death the next year in revenge for the -murder. - -The following legend is told regarding Walter de Burgo’s death. The -Earl had a beautiful daughter who one day, in - -[Illustration: GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL.] - -crossing the sands on the shore under Benevenagh, became engulfed in -quicksands, and was nearly losing her life when Sir Walter Burk’s son, -who was serving in the army of O’Neill and O’Donnell, seeing her danger -from the heights above rushed down and saved her from the peril. - -The same year this young man was taken prisoner by the girl’s father in -his war with the O’Donnells and starved to death at Greencastle. The -Earl one day, during his unfortunate victim’s captivity, discovered his -daughter carrying food to the prisoner, and seizing her by the hair, -dragged her to the battlements and hurled her over on to the rocks -below. - -The fortress was for many years in possession of the O’Dohertys. - -In 1555 Calvagh O’Donnell went to Scotland to raise forces with the -help of Mac Calin (Gillaspick Don), and returning with them and a -cannon called _gonna cam_, or “crooked gun,” he set to work and -demolished the New Castle. - -It was, however, reported as wardable in 1586. The last of the -O’Dohertys to hold the fortress was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, but -shortly afterwards he went into rebellion, and his estate was forfeited. - -In 1610 it was granted with other property to Sir Arthur Chichester -with an allowance to maintain the garrison. Two years later he asked -to be allowed for horsemen at Greencastle instead of the ten warders, -and in 1615 Lord Chichester was granted Greencastle for three lives by -letters patent. - -In 1752 it was on the Earl of Donegal’s estate. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Stokes, “Pococke’s Tour in Ireland in 1752.” - State Papers. - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Blackley, “A Tour through Innishowen.” - - - - -_GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN_ - - -Upon the northern shore of Carlingford Lough, in the Barony of Mourne, -four and a half miles south-west of Kilteel, County Down, are situated -the ruins of this castle. It is a very fine specimen of Norman -architecture, and was erected soon after the landing of the first -English settlers so as to secure communication between the Pale and -the outlying district of Lecale, as well as to command the entrance to -Carlingford Lough. - -At present the remains chiefly consist of the keep, which was a high -rectangular building, with square towers at the angles. A winding stair -in the south-west turret leads to the top. The stone floor of the great -hall, measuring 70 feet by 40, is supported by arches which form vaults -in the basement. The upper floors have disappeared, and were probably -of wood. - -The traces of extensive outworks can be seen round the building. On the -west side stands a house which is at present inhabited by a farmer, but -which for many years formed the chief residence of the Bagnall family -during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. - -The castle belonged to the Du Burgos or Burkes, Earls of Ulster, and -in 1312 Sir Maurice, the son of Thomas, married Catherine, daughter of -the “Red Earl” of Ulster, and the next day, being the 16th of August, -Thomas, the 2nd Earl of Kildare, “a prudent and wise man,” married her -sister, Lady Joan de Burgh, also in the castle. The Lady Joan had two -other married sisters, one being the - -[Illustration: GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN.] - -wife of King Robert Bruce, and the other Countess of Desmond. - -In 1335 there was an order to send six “balistas” to furnish “Viride -Castrum,” or the Greencastle. The same year William de Logan was -ordered to pay Henry de Maunderville 20 marks out of the rents of the -late Earl of Ulster, which were in the King’s hands, on account of -the minority of the heir. This reward was for De Maunderville having -twice relieved the castle of Greencastle with men-at-arms when it was -besieged by the “felons” of Ulster. - -It was again attacked by the Irish in 1343, and this time it was -carried by storm and dilapidated, but was shortly afterwards restored. - -The late Constable, William de Doun, received pardon in 1356 for having -seized and imprisoned Rosea, daughter of Richard Foy. - -During Henry IV.’s reign there was only one constable between the -castles of Carlingford and Greencastle. It is reported that Stephen -Geron received £20 a year for the guardianship of Greencastle and £5 -for Carlingford. - -In 1403 John Moore, who was then constable, petitioned for a rise -of salary, and he was granted £40 a year on condition he spent 10 -marks of it on repairs. The amount was to be paid out of the rents of -Carlingford, Cooley, and “le Mourne.” - -None but Englishmen were permitted to hold the appointment in 1495. - -Notwithstanding this, when M’Donell made his submission in 1542 he -requested to be granted Greencastle, and the lands lying waste around -it, for which favour he promised military service. - -The Government did not evidently see their way to accede to his -request, and seven years later it is reported that the fortress was in -a “wretched condition.” - -In 1552 it was granted to Sir Nicholas Bagnall, in whose family’s -possession it remained for many years. - -Sir Arthur Chichester was granted means to provide ten warders for -Greencastle in 1612, but this does not seem to have interfered with -the Bagnall possession, as in 1620 Arthur Bagnall held the manors and -lordships of Greencastle and Mourne. - -Three years later it is recommended that the ward be moved from Culmore -to Greencastle, and the stronghold was garrisoned during the rebellion -of 1641. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. O’Laverty, “Diocese of Down and Connor.” - W. Harris, “County of Down.” - R. Praeger, “Official Guide to County Down.” - State Papers. - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - -[Illustration: HOWTH CASTLE.] - - - - -_HOWTH CASTLE_ - - -About seven miles east-north-east of Dublin, in the Barony of Coolock, -is situated the village of Howth, on the promontory of the same name. - -A short way from the town, nestling under the lee of the hill is the -castle, the seat of the Earls of Howth. - -It is a long battlemented building, with square towers at each end. - -A large flight of steps gives admission to the hall, which extends -along the whole length of the building. Here is preserved the -two-handed sword of Sir Amoricus Tristram (the founder of the St. -Laurence family in Ireland) with which he is said to have fought his -first Irish battle. Also three inscribed bells, which were removed from -the Abbey, are preserved in the castle. - -The fortress seems to have undergone much alteration since its first -erection, and the great gateway tower, which now flanks the main -building on one side, appears to be of sixteenth-century architecture -and is no doubt part of the original building. - -The stronghold was erected in 1564 by Christopher, the twentieth baron, -but whether it was built on the site of an older castle or whether Corr -Castle, also situated on the peninsular, was the ancient fortress of -the St. Laurence family, does not seem to be known. - -The mortar of the early building, like the Tower of London, is reported -to have been mixed with blood. Until far into the nineteenth century -the castle was surrounded by a fosse. - -There are several inscribed and figured stones over the entrance to the -stable-yard, and also one built into the wall near the garden gate. - -Sir John de Courcy and his sister’s husband, Sir Amoricus Tristram, -arrived at Howth in 1177. Their companionship in arms is said to have -been the outcome of a compact to share each other’s fortunes made in -the Church of St. Mary at Rouen. - -Upon the arrival of the ship at Howth, De Courcy, being ill, remained -on board, while Sir Amoricus took command of their forces in the first -engagement with the Danes, who fiercely opposed their landing. - -After a great battle, in which Sir Amoricus lost seven blood relations, -the enemy were completely defeated at the bridge of the Evora, and the -lands of Howth were granted to the victor as a reward of prowess. - -He then accompanied Sir John de Courcy to Down, where he also gained -possessions and did great deeds of valour. A story is told that after -the first battle in the north Sir Amoricus was found leaning on his -shield under a hedge, bleeding from three large wounds, and having -sustained himself by eating the wild roses and honeysuckle which grew -within his reach. His life was despaired of for nine days, but he -eventually recovered, and lived to die heroically among a group of -outnumbered infantry, having slain his horse so that he could not save -himself by flight. - -The St. Laurence coat of arms is a shield with cross swords and roses -in a bloody field, which may have originated from the wild flowers Sir -Amoricus gathered. - -An early chronicler says of him that he might “be chosen from amongst a -thousand knights for beauty and heroic courage, as well as for humility -and courtesy to his inferiors, yielding to none but in the way of -gentleness.” - -After his death his sons gradually lost his northern possessions, and -King John confirmed the grant of the lands of Howth to the third baron -by charter. It may have been at this time that the family name was -changed from Tristram to St. Laurence. There seems to be no historical -evidence for the tradition that the name was altered to commemorate a -victory gained upon St. Laurence’s Day. - -In 1575, as Grace O’Mailley was returning from her famous visit to -Queen Elizabeth she landed at Howth, but found the castle gates closed, -the reason assigned being that it was the dinner hour. Shocked at such -want of Irish hospitality she seized the young heir, who was playing on -the strand, and carried him off to her castle in Mayo. She refused to -restore him until she received a promise that the gates of Howth Castle -should never again be closed at dinner hour. This child was Nicholas, -afterwards twenty-first baron. A picture at the castle is supposed to -represent the incident. - -Lord Mountjoy, as Lord Deputy, and Sir George Carew, as Lord President -of Munster, landed at Howth in 1599, and spent a night at the castle -before proceeding to Dublin. - -In 1607 the State Papers report that the old Countess of Kildare -and Lady Dowager of Delvin and her children were at Howth in Sir -Christopher St. Laurence’s house, and the following year it is -mentioned that Sir John Talbot’s house is near the castle of Howth. - -King William slept a night in the castle in 1690, and his room was kept -unaltered from the time he had used it. - -Dean Swift was a constant visitor at Howth, and an original portrait of -him, painted by Bindon in 1735, hangs in the castle. - -Near the garden stands the old elm known as “The Tristram Tree,” which -has been carefully propped and preserved in every way on account of the -tradition attaching to it. It is said that as long as this tree lives -there will be an heir to the noble house which was founded by Sir -Amoricus Tristram. - -To “follow as closely as Lord Howth’s Rat” was at one time a common -simile for any faithful or attached animal, and the legend which gave -rise to the saying is the following:-- - -One of the former Lords of Howth had retired to his castle to retrench -a somewhat diminished heritage, and one night while living thus in -solitary state there was a fearful storm. - -Word was brought to the fortress that a ship was being wrecked under -the cliffs near the Abbey, and every one rushed off to the spot to -render what assistance was possible, and amongst them Lord Howth. - -Every effort was, however, unavailing, and the ship went down -apparently with all hands. But as morning broke the eager watchers -espied a frail, roughly-put-together raft floating towards them, and on -this was a beautiful woman, with a wooden chest beside her. - -As soon as she landed Lord Howth courteously offered her the -hospitality of the castle, and ordered his servants to carry the heavy -coffer thither. - -She continued to live at Howth Castle, and her host became passionately -enamoured of her, and wished to marry her, but she persistently refused -his offers, and urged him daily to seek another bride. - -At last he gave way to her entreaties, and became affianced to the -daughter of a neighbouring nobleman. - -As the time for the marriage drew near the fair stranger presented Lord -Howth with a ribbon wrought with strange characters, which she told him -to wear on his wrist and guard as his luck. Then she left the castle -and was heard of no more. - -In due course Lord Howth brought home his bride, and with true womanly -curiosity she wanted to know why he never removed the ribbon from his -arm. - -One night, while he was asleep, she untied it, and took it over to the -fire to decipher the inscription, but it accidentally ignited, and was -burnt to ashes. - -Lord Howth was terribly distressed at its loss, declaring that his good -fortune would now forsake him. - -Shortly after this there was a great feast in the castle. In the midst -of the festivities the dogs in the courtyard began to give tongue, -as if in pursuit of game, and in a minute a terrified rat had jumped -on the banqueting table, and, pausing before Lord Howth, looked up -piteously in his face for protection. - -He ordered the dogs to be called off, and from that hour the rat never -left him. - -His wife and family did not approve of his faithful attendant, and his -brother persuaded him to go to the Continent, and by thus crossing the -sea rid himself of the animal. However, the morning after his arrival -in France the rat was found sleeping on his bed. He then pushed on to -Marseilles, but not long after his arrival the rat entered his room wet -and draggled from its long journey. - -The animal approached the fire to dry itself, when the nobleman’s -brother took up the poker in a rage and killed it with one blow. - -“You have murdered me,” cried the Earl, and, falling back, he died. - -The rat is sometimes said to have been white, and to reappear when evil -is about to befall the house of St. Laurence. - -The present Lord Howth is the fourth earl. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D’Alton, “History of Co. Dublin.” - Proceedings of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Calendar of State Papers. - R. A., “The Abbey of Howth,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - - - - -_KILBARRON CASTLE_ - - “Broad, blue, and deep the Bay of Donegal - Spreads north and south, and far a-west before - The beetling cliffs, sublime and shattered wall, - Where the O’Cleary’s name is heard no more.” - T. D. MCGEE. - - -This castle is situated on the shores of Donegal Bay about three miles -from the town of Ballyshannon, in the Barony of Kilbarron, County -Donegal. - -The name Cill-Barrainn signifies “the Church of St. Barrfhionn.” - -The fortress was built on a high and nearly insulated cliff, and from -its romantic and wild situation a tradition falsely sprang up that -it had been the stronghold of freebooters. The promontory is nearly -circular in form and rises a hundred feet above the sea, along the edge -of which a wall was built, while on the landward side a thick wall, the -whole width of the neck protected this direction from attack. - -To the north of the small open courtyard thus enclosed was the keep, -and here are traces of a subterranean passage, now filled up, which was -used for “distillery purposes” in the eighteenth century. - -The remains of two chambers at the cliff side seem older than the other -buildings. The sea wall is pierced by an oblong passage with a small -square mouth popularly known as “the murdering-hole.” - -The castle was probably erected in the thirteenth or fourteenth -century by the O’Sgingins, who were ollaves or historians to the great -O’Donnells. - -In 1391 the Four Masters tell us it was demolished by Donnell, the son -of Murtough (O’Conor of Sligo). - -The last of the O’Sgingins to be chief historian to O’Donnell in the -fourteenth century had no son, and only one beautiful daughter, with -whom Cormac O’Cleary, who was on a visit to the Abbey of Assaroe, from -Galway, fell in love. - -[Illustration: KILBARRON CASTLE] - -O’Sgingin gave his consent to the marriage, and instead of the wedding -gift which it was usual for the bridegroom to present to his wife’s -father, O’Sgingin asked that if a son were born of the marriage he -should be brought up with a knowledge of literature and history. - -Hence Kilbarron passed into the O’Cleary family, and this great race of -historians occupied it for several centuries. - -It is likely Cormac O’Cleary re-edified it, but the “stone houses,” of -which the building is recorded, were erected by Diarmaid, one of the -celebrated sons of Tadhg Cam (or The Stooped) O’Cleary. - -The fortunes of the Ollaves of Tirconnell began to wane with that of -their patrons, the O’Donnells, although the last O’Cleary to hold lands -was not dispossessed until 1632, yet many of their possessions were -lost to them at the flight of the Northern Earls in 1607. Most of the -estate passed to Lord Folliott and the Bishop of Raphoe. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Allingham, “History of Ballyshannon.” - P., “Kilbarron Castle,” in _Irish Penny Journal_. - Donovan, “Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. - - - - -_KILBRITTAIN CASTLE_ - - -The castle is situated about five miles south of Bandon, at the -Kilbrittain inlet from Courtmacsherry Bay, in the County of Cork. - -Smith says the castle before being rebuilt “was a stately building -environed with a large bawn, fortified with six turrets on the walls.” -Mr. Jones Stawell erected the present mansion, with which a portion -of the ancient castle is incorporated. The kitchen, servants’ hall, -and housekeeper’s room have vaulted roofs, and date from the twelfth -century or earlier. There is also a tower and adjoining wall which -belonged to the former fortress, as well as the steps leading from the -old courtyard. There are supposed to be vaults underneath the building, -which are not now accessible, as well as an underground passage leading -to the sea. - -The castle is pleasantly situated on rising ground between hills. It -is usually supposed to have been erected by the Lords Courcey, who -received a grant of the lands shortly after the Anglo-Norman landing, -but in 1743 Robert Clayton, Bishop of Cork, sent copies of two -inscribed stones, found at Kilbrittain, to John, Earl of Egmont. These -stones bore the date 1035 in the Arabian characters, which seems to -indicate an earlier date of erection. He says: “The stone from which -the inscription was taken was found by Mr. Stawell in an old castle, -which he has since pulled down, called Kilbrittain, which signifies -in Irish the ‘church or cell,’ or rather the ‘burial place of the -Britains.’ Mr. Stawell says there was likewise the figure of a woman -carved in _bas-relief_ on another stone, the workmanship of which being -most curious. He neglected it, and it has since been lost.” - -The manor of Kilbrittain passed into the King’s hands in 1295 upon the -death of John de Courcey, who was slain on the Island of Inchydonny by -M’Carthy. Walter de la Haye, the King’s escheator, delivered the lands -to James Keating in keeping for De Courcey’s heir. - -Lord Courcey, it is said, borrowed a white weasel or ferret from -M’Carthy, and pledged his castle as surety for its safe return, but the -animal dying M’Carthy claimed Kilbrittain, and it thus passed out of De -Courcey’s hands. - -In 1430 M’Carthy Reagh and James, Earl of Desmond, “The Usurper,” began -hostilities, and the castle was stormed by the Earl and given to his -brother Donough, who had assisted at its capture, but it subsequently -returned to the M’Carthys. - -In 1537 Lady Eleanor M’Carthy resided in the castle after her husband’s -death. She was sister to Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and, therefore, -aunt to Thomas, the “Silken Lord,” and his half brothers. After Lord -Offaly’s rebellion, and execution, and the attainting of the house of -Kildare, the young heir Gerald escaped from the Government by the aid -of his tutor Thomas Leverous, afterwards Bishop of Kildare, who wrapped -him in a blanket, and fled with him although the lad was sick with -smallpox. After a hot pursuit they reached Kilbrittain where the Lady -Eleanor took charge of her nephew. She subsequently married O’Donnell -of Ulster to gain protection for the boy, but finding her husband was -treating with the Government to betray him, she sent the future Earl to -France and returned to her son’s territory in the County Cork. - -In 1572 Kilbrittain is spoken of as M’Carthy Reagh’s chief -dwelling-place, and it is mentioned that he paid a yearly rent of 67 -beefs for it to the Earl of Desmond, besides rendering him military -service at times. Eighteen plough lands are mentioned as attached to it -in 1599. - -During the great rebellion of 1641 it was the scene of much bloodshed, -a gallows having been erected before the castle windows “for hanging -the English.” One morning a Richard Mewdon was hanged after two days’ -imprisonment, having been bound to a Mrs. Stringer with great cruelty. -The rope was then put round her neck, but M’Carthy’s mother looking out -of the window, and thinking to save her, sent a priest to know what -religion she was. She, however, boldly declared she was a Protestant. - -The castle was shortly afterwards taken by the Bandonians. - -Some ancient fir-trees are still to be seen called “M’Carthy’s -Bagpipes,” where the executions took place, and the ground beneath -having been cursed by one of his victims no grass will grow on it, -although there is plenty of light and air. - -After the confiscation of the M’Carthy estates the castle passed to -Colonel Thomas Long, who was left at the head of affairs when Henry -Cromwell retired. At the Restoration it reverted to the Crown and James -II. bestowed it on Donough M’Carthy, Lord Cloncarty, a relative of its -former owner. - -It was sold in Oueen Anne’s reign to the Hollow Sword Blades Company, -and it is now in the possession of Colonel W. St. Leger Alcock-Stawell. - -To the castle belonged privileges of fairs and markets. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Smith, “State of the County and City of Cork”; - also Copenger, “Historical Notes in New Edition” of same. - Gibson, “History of the County and City of Cork.” - Bennett, “History of Bandon.” - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_KILKEA CASTLE_ - - “And, oh! through many a dark campaign - They proved their prowess stern, - In Leinster’s plains and Munster’s vales, - On king, and chief, and kern. - But noble was the cheer within - The halls so rudely won, - And generous was the steel-gloved hand - That had such slaughter done. - How gay their laugh, how proud their mien, - You’d ask no herald’s sign-- - Amid a thousand you had known, - The princely Geraldine.” - - -This castle was built by Hugh de Lacy, Chief Governor of Ireland, -for Walter de Riddlesford, Baron of Bray, who had been granted the -surrounding district of Omurethi by Strongbow. De Riddlesford’s -granddaughter, Emelina inherited the manors of Kilkea and Castledermot -through her mother, and she, marrying Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of -Offaly, the property passed to the Geraldines who still possess Kilkea -Castle, which is one of the seats of the Duke of Leinster, where some -of the family at present reside. - -Kilkea signifies the Church of St. Kay, or Caoide, and the barony -derives its name from the churchyard situated a few perches north-west -of the castle. - -The fortress is built on the banks of the River Greese, a tributary of -the Barrow, about five miles south-east of Athy. Its position was a -particularly exposed one, being - -[Illustration: KILKEA CASTLE.] - -situated in the Marshes which lay between the English pale and the -territories of the native Irish. During the centuries since its -erection it has undergone many alterations and enlargements down to its -final restoration in 1849. - -In 1356 Maurice, 4th Earl of Kildare, was commanded by the king -to “strengthen and maintain his castles of Kilkea, Rathmore, and -Ballymore, under pain of forfeiting the same.” In 1426 the castle was -enlarged by John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare. Again, about the year -1573, Gerald, the 11th Earl, repaired Kilkea after he was restored to -the title and estates of which his half-brother, the “Silken Thomas,” -had been dispossessed. Three sculptured stones are still in existence -belonging to a chimney-piece placed in the dining-hall by this Earl, -and have, after various vicissitudes, been replaced in somewhat their -original positions. - -This Earl was called the “Wizard Earl,” and the haunted room of the -castle (which also contains a carved stone) is said to have been the -place where he practised the Black Art. A legend regarding him runs -thus:--His wife, not liking that he should have any secrets from her, -begged him to let her be witness to some of his transformations and -sorcery. At length he consented to give her three trials, but warned -her that any sign of fear on her part would be fatal to him. First, the -river Greese rose and flowed through the castle; secondly, an animal, -half fish, half serpent, crept out of the water and twined round the -lady’s feet; and thirdly, a ghost flitted to and fro, but all these -failed to frighten the Countess. Then the Earl was transformed into a -little black bird, which lit on her shoulder; but the devil, in the -form of a cat, springing at it, she stretched forth her hand with a cry -to protect her lord. Hence he and all his knights were spirited away -to the Rath of Mullaghmast, where they sleep by their horses’ sides, -fully clad in armour, and from thence they ride to Kilkea Castle every -seven years. The Earl’s steed is shod with silver shoes, and as soon as -they are worn out the spell will be broken, and he will return again -to Kilkea, when, after about half a century, he will drive the ancient -enemies of Ireland out of the country. - -A lady writing of the castle in 1817, mentions the grand staircase -being of massy oak, and amongst other things speaks of the ancient -kitchen containing seven ovens. The building seems to have been -somewhat dilapidated when the 3rd Duke of Leinster began to restore -it (1849). Nearly all the battlements were thrown down, and its last -tenant had made matters worse in searching for treasure. This same man, -writing to the Duke in 1839, speaks of a carved oak ceiling in what had -once been the castle chapel. This is said to have been on the north -side. - -During restoration a few quaint-shaped bottles containing liquid were -found in a recess, and previously it is stated that an old gentleman -sitting at a table, had been discovered built up in some part of the -walls, but that he fell to dust at once when air was admitted. - -Two underground passages are believed to connect the castle with the -churchyard on the one hand, and a pagan tumulus or burial moat on the -other. - -The grooves of the portcullis by which the main entrance was protected -are to be seen at the hall-door, and also the square holes for fixing -beams of timber, which added to the security. The hall had a stone -vaulted ceiling at the time of restoration, which was removed to give -greater height. A new storey was also added to the building at this -time. - -The “Evil Eye Stone” is carved with a group of grotesque figures, and -is situated 17 feet above the ground, in the quoin of the “Guard Room,” -near the entrance-gate of the ancient bawn of the castle. - -Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of Offaly, seems to have parted -temporarily with his interest in Kilkea to Christiana de Marisco, -a niece of his wife’s, through whom a royal claim on the manor was -established. In 1317 it appears to have been in possession of the Wogan -family. Sir Thomas de Rokeby, Lord Justice of Ireland, died in the -castle in 1356. - -In 1414, the O’Mores and O’Dempseys, having invaded the pale, Thomas -Cranly, Archbishop of Dublin, and Lord Deputy, accompanied the Royal -troops as far as Castledermot, where he and his clergy remained praying -for the success of the arms. The opposing forces met at Kilkea, where a -battle was fought, in which the Irish were defeated. A great many human -bones having been found in a field south of the castle, it is likely to -have been the scene of this conflict. - -John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare, nicknamed “Shaun Cam,” or -Hump-back John, again defeated the native Irish at Kilkea in 1421. - -It was here, too, that the “Great Earl,” Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl -of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, got his death wound. In August, -1513, he started on an expedition against a castle belonging to the -O’Carrolls, and now known as Leap Castle, in the King’s County. While -the Earl was watering his horse at the River Greese, near Kilkea, -attended by the Mayor of Dublin and a splendid retinue, he received -a wound from one of the O’Mores of Leix, which in a few days proved -fatal. He was moved by gentle stages to Kildare, where he died. He was -thirty-three years Chief Governor of Ireland. - -During the rebellion of the “Silken Thomas,” 10th Earl of Kildare, in -1535, Kilkea seems at first to have formed one of the headquarters of -his native sympathisers. The surrounding country having, however, been -laid waste by the Earl of Ossory, we read that he made an appointment -with Sir William Skeffington, the Lord Deputy, to meet him at Kilkea. -He waited with his army for three days, but the Lord Deputy being ill, -he did not arrive. - -In 1537 the King appointed Lord (James) Butler to be Constable of the -Castles of Catherlagh (Carlow) and Kilkea. Some years later a Walter -Peppard, one of the gentlemen ushers of the King’s chamber, seems to -have been in possession of the castle. - -The 11th Earl lived largely at Kilkea after the restoration of his -title and lands. In 1575, when apprehended on suspicion of treason, one -of the charges was that he had interviewed and entertained rebels at -Kilkea. - -Elizabeth, widow of the 14th Earl of Kildare, was granted the Manors -of Kilkea and Graney by the King, as she had no jointure. She was a -daughter of Lord Delvin, and had married the Earl by dispensation of -the Pope, she being a Roman Catholic. In 1618 she wrote a most touching -letter from Kilkea to the Privy Council, beseeching them to allow her -the guardianship of her little son Gerald, the 15th Earl--then just -over six years old--until he should be older and stronger, urging that -he was “the only son of his father.” The infant Earl died some two -years later at Maynooth, being succeeded by his cousin George, known as -the “Fairy Earl.” - -In 1634 the Countess gave Kilkea to the Jesuits, who retained -possession of the castle until 1646, in which year the Superior of the -Order entertained the Pope’s Nuncio sumptuously at the castle. - -During the civil war, which began in 1641, Kilkea was taken and -re-taken several times; but on the restoration of peace, both the 16th -and 17th Earls seem chiefly to have resided there. - -In 1668 it was leased to Lord Brabazon, and afterwards, for nearly two -centuries, the castle was inhabited by strangers, to whom it was let at -different times. - -In 1797 it passed into the hands of Thomas Reynolds, the ’98 informer -through the influence of Lord Edward FitzGerald. He somewhat repaired -and furnished the castle. His son gives a graphic description of the -wanton destruction of property by the soldiers sent from Dublin -to arrest his father. It appears they tore up floors and down -wainscotting, in a search for Lord Edward, who it was thought was -hidden in the castle. - -Shortly after this it became a regular garrison and a refuge for the -Loyalists. It was attacked by the insurgents without success. - -The castle was leased once more, in 1799, before the family again took -possession of their ancient home. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Lord Walter FitzGerald, “Kilkea Castle” - (_Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal_). - Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.” - State Papers. - - - - -_KILKENNY CASTLE_ - - -There seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the derivation of -this name. The most popular belief is that it signifies the Church of -St. Canice or Kenny. Again it is put forward that a settlement of the -Gaels having been along the banks of the Nore, the high ground towards -the present castle was wooded, and so called Coil or Kyleken-uï, “the -wooded head” or “hill near the river,” and so it became Cillcannegh or -Kilkenny. - -The city is situated seventy-two miles south-west of Dublin, in the -county of the same designation. - -The fortress is said to occupy the site of the ancient Irish castellum -of the kings of Ossory. It is built on high ground above the town, and -the present entrance is through a handsome gate-house of Caen stone -which was brought up the River Nore in boats. The 2nd Duke of Ormond, -who succeeded in 1688, spent £1,500 on its erection, but the carving -has only been completed in later years. A massive wooden door gives -admittance from the Parade. - -The castle seems formerly to have been a quadrangular building flanked -by towers, having its entrance on the south side opposite the present -gate-house. The building now forms three sides of a square, but in -1861 the foundations of the south curtain and the two bastions which -protected the entrance were uncovered during alterations. - -Thus up to the beginning of the eighteenth century the castle -practically had its back to the town, and it is therefore - -[Illustration: KILKENNY CASTLE.] - -likely that the architects of the Norman stronghold followed the ground -plan of the old Irish fort, where King Donnchadh held his court during -the greater part of the tenth century, and which existed long before -the English town was built. - -In the northern side of the building is situated the hall, billiard -room, ante-room, library, and drawing-room. The west wing is occupied -by the private rooms of the family, while the picture gallery forms the -eastern block. This wing was added by the 2nd Duke of Ormond. It is 120 -feet long by 30 broad, and contains some valuable portraits by Vandyck, -Holbein, Lely, Kneller, &c. - -The dining-room is part of the original building, and its walls measure -some 15 feet in thickness. - -The tapestry in the castle is very handsome. Some of it is supposed to -have been manufactured in Kilkenny, where Piers, Earl of Ormond, and -his wife, Margaret FitzGerald, started a tapestry industry, some of the -records of which are still preserved. A set of panels representing the -“History of Deceus” is the most valuable tapestry in the castle. - -Of the three towers, that on the south being the largest is called “The -Tower.” The small turret in the north-west angle is part of the oldest -masonry in the castle, and is supposed to belong to the twelfth-century -fortress. - -The Evidence Chamber contains an immense number of valuable historic -documents and family records, among which are some deeds executed by -Strongbow. - -The first Norman fortress is supposed to have been erected by Richard, -Earl of Pembroke, better known as Strongbow, shortly after his arrival -in Ireland. In 1173 Donald O’Brien, King of Thomond, descended and -seized the castle, its garrison of Flemings retreating to Waterford. -They returned when the Irish had withdrawn and occupied what remained -of the stronghold until William, Earl Marshal, arrived with Isabel, his -bride, in 1191. She was the daughter and heiress of Eva and Strongbow, -and had been brought up at the English Court. They were married in -1189, and he began to rebuild the Castle of Kilkenny in 1192. Thomas, -10th Earl of Ormond and favourite of Queen Elizabeth, repaired -the castle. James, the 1st Duke of Ormond, remodelled the whole -building after his return from exile with Charles II., in a style of -architecture then common in France and Holland. Dr. Molyneux, writing -in 1709, says: “There is not one handsome or noble apartment. The Rooms -are Darke, and the stairs mighty ugly.” - -It is at present in castellated Tudor style. In 1826 the change of -architecture was entrusted to Mr. William Robertson, and during -the minority of the present Marquess his mother carried out many -improvements. - -A passage is reported to exist from the castle to Dunmore cave. - -In Earl Mareschal’s charter he granted the tenth part of the provisions -in the castle to the Brotherhood of St. John. They were also to -officiate in the castle chapel while the Earl was absent, but when at -home his chaplain took their place. - -The stronghold was inherited in succession by the Earl’s five sons, -who all died without heirs, and Kilkenny passed to his third daughter -Isabel, who married Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Clare, Hertford and -Gloucester, and in 1290 we find him surrendering Kilkenny Castle to the -King to hold at his pleasure. - -In 1334 the 9th Earl of Clare died without issue, and was succeeded by -his sister Eleanor de Clare, whose husband became Earl of Gloucester -through her right. His grandson Spencer, Lord of Glamorgan and -Kilkenny, sold the castle in 1391 to James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. - -Theobald Walter had been made Chief Butler of Ireland by Henry II., -which appointment granted him a tun of wine out of every nine brought -to Ireland, and this privilege remained in the family until 1810, when -the Government purchased it from Walter, the 1st Marquess of Ormond. - -The gilt key which was worn at the girdle when the Butlers attended the -King is still preserved at the castle. - -A few years after the fortress had changed hands, King Richard II. -spent a fortnight at Kilkenny as the guest of the Earl of Ormond. - -The Carew MSS. inform us that the Earl of Ormond made Kilkenny Castle -his chief residence in 1596. - -The 1st Duke of Ormond was born in 1610, and is generally known as the -“Great Duke.” He was for many years Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. - -In 1642 the castle was taken by the “Council of Confederate Catholics,” -and was held by them for some years. - -Oliver Cromwell besieged both town and castle in March, 1650. On the -23rd he opened fire on the castle, and two days following a breach was -made at noon, but the garrison twice beat off the besiegers and quickly -repaired the damage. - -Cromwell’s time being short for the work before him, he was about to -retire when the mayor and the townspeople offered to give up the town, -and he was shortly reinforced by Ireton. - -Sir Walter Butler had received instructions from Lord Castlehaven to -surrender, in case no help arrived before a given time, so considering -the weakness of his garrison he made terms with the Parliamentarians -which were of an honourable nature. As the garrison marched out -Cromwell complimented them on their gallantry, saying he had lost more -men in the storming of Kilkenny than in the taking of Drogheda. - -The estate was restored to the Duke upon the Restoration. The Count de -Lauzun had been commander for James II. at Kilkenny, and the castle -had been carefully preserved by him. - -The Duke died in 1688, and was succeeded by his son, who also was Lord -Lieutenant of Ireland. William III. dined in the castle in August, -1690, as the Duke’s guest. - -In 1715 he was accused falsely of conspiring against the Crown, and in -anger at the charge he crossed to France, and joined the Stuarts. - -His estates, valued at £80,000 a year, were forfeited and he died at -Avignon, supported by a pension from the Court of Spain. - -The Irish House of Lords restored part of the estates and the Irish -Earldom to another branch of the Ormonds, and John Butler became 17th -Earl of Ormond. - -Walter, the 18th Earl, was created Marquess in 1816, and from him the -present representative is descended, who in 1904 entertained King -Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra at the castle. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Hogan, “Kilkenny.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - J. Robertson, “Antiquities and Scenery of Kilkenny.” - P. Egan, “Kilkenny Guide.” - E. Ledwidge, “History of Irishtown and Kilkenny” - in “Collectanea de Rebus Hibernices.” - J. Graves, “Journey to Kilkenny, 1799” (_Journal - of Kilkenny Archæological Society_). - MacMahon, “Kilkenny Castle” in “Historic Houses.” - Calendar of State Documents. - Calendar of Carew MSS. - - - - -_KILLIANE CASTLE_ - - -This fortress is situated in a parish of the same name in the Barony -of Forth, about three miles south-east of Wexford. The name, which is -written Killyan in the _Liber Regalis_ visitations, signifies “The -Church of St. Liedania.” - -The building consists of a castellated rectangular keep, to which a -modern house has been attached. There is also an enclosed bawn with -most excellently preserved walls. Near the castle stand the ruins of -its chapel. - -In the notes attached to the Down Survey Maps, dating from about 1657, -it is stated that at Great Killiane is “a Castle with a slate house -adjoining, a decayed windmill, and seven cabbins.” - -The castle is supposed to have been erected by the family of Hay, whose -first representative in Ireland was Richard de Hay, Lord of Hay in -Wales, who crossed with the Normans in 1196. From this family Killiane -passed to a younger branch of the house of Chevers, of Ballyhally, -early in the sixteenth century. Hamond Chevers, of Killiane, was one of -the jurators to hold an inquisition on Tintern Abbey in 1543. He held -his castle and lands from the Mayor of Wexford. - -In 1627 Killiane was still in possession of a Hamond Chevers, and his -son George held it with 237 acres when the rebellion broke out in 1641. -He was present at the siege of Duncannon Fort in 1645, when it was -defended against the Confederate Catholics by Laurence, Lord Esmond, -and in consequence of the part he took in the insurrection Killiane was -confiscated. In 1666 it was granted to Francis Hervey, Esq., with 220 -acres, and it has remained in this family’s possession ever since. - -One of the daughters of the house, who married the Very Rev. Samuel -Adams, D.D., Dean of Cashel, in 1809, was so famous for her beauty that -she was called “The Rose of Killiane.” The family has not lived in -the castle for some years, and it is let by the present owner, Arthur -Hervey, Esq. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - MSS. Ordnance Survey. - Down Survey Maps. - Inquisitions of Leinster. - Hore, “History of Wexford.” - Lewis, “Typographical Dictionary of Ireland.” - B. Adams and M. Adams, “History of the Adams Family.” - Proceedings Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland. - Chancery Patent Rolls, Act of Settlement. - -[Illustration: KILLYLEAGH CASTLE.] - - - - -_KILLYLEAGH CASTLE_ - - “Downpatrick too may boast - Of the great fort by its side, - Where a monarch may have lived, - And have rul’d in savage pride; - But what is Patrick’s grave, - Or cathedral old and grey, - To the proud baronial castle - That adorns Killileagh?” - - -This castle stands on rising ground above the town of Killyleagh, -five miles north-east of Downpatrick, in the County of Down. It was -the principal fortress of seven which formerly guarded the shores of -Strangford Lough. - -About a mile distant is _Loch Cleath_, or “The Lake of the Hurdles,” so -it is probable that Killyleagh signifies “the Church of the Hurdles.” - -The gate tower of the castle is entered under a Gothic arch of Glasgow -stone from the main street of the town. It is 59 feet in height, and -crowned with turrets. Curtain walls on each side connect it with -flanking towers, which are again joined by other castellated walls to -the castle itself, thus enclosing a rectangular courtyard, which is -laid out in grass and flower-beds. - -The mansion has an imposing frontage, flanked at both sides by circular -towers. One of these dates from the castle’s erection, and the other, -which is a copy, from the year 1666. The centre block of masonry was -entirely restored in the middle of the nineteenth century. Some of the -walls, which were removed at that time, were 15 feet thick, being -composed of rubble and excellent mortar. - -The old carved stone over the door was copied in Caen stone. The Royal -Arms are surmounted by a figure of Charles I., while below are the -family arms. The original stone, which was much weather worn, has been -placed over a small door at the side. - -Most of the stone used at the restoration was quarried on the estate, -but the facing stones were brought from Scotland. - -One of the special attractions of this charming residence is the -beautiful terraced gardens lying to the south. They consist of -three tiers of cultivation beginning with the “Box Garden” of trim -flower-beds, from which you descend by a flight of rustic steps to -“the Rockery Garden” abounding in Alpine plants. Here some beautiful -and extremely ancient yew-trees are to be seen, their branches being -120 feet in circumference, while below a small lake in the centre of -rose-beds leaves nothing to be desired in its delightful effect. - -The castle was erected by Sir John de Courcy shortly after his conquest -of Ulster, and in 1356 Edward III. appointed John de Mandeville warden. - -After this it fell into the hands of the O’Neills, who retained it up -to 1561, when Queen Elizabeth granted the territory to Hugo White. He -rebuilt the castle and removed the ward from Dufferin Castle near, to -garrison it. After this it was known as “White’s Castle” for many years. - -In 1567 the fortress was gallantly defended against a fierce attack -made by the great Shane O’Neill, and he was successfully repulsed. -The strength of the White family gradually decreased, and in 1590 -they could only muster a hundred and twenty foot soldiers and twenty -horsemen to defend their lands, while eight years later twenty footmen -was the total of their fighting strength. - -The M’Artans and O’Neills joined together and dispossessed them, the -former family taking possession of Killyleagh. Their estates were, -however, forfeited at the close of the sixteenth century for the part -they took in the rebellion of the Northern Earls, and some time after -this the lands were granted to the Hamiltons. - -General Monk partly demolished the castle in 1649, and the Hamiltons -began to rebuild it in 1666. - -James I. had created the head of the family Earl of Clanbrassil and -Viscount Clandeboye, but the last to hold the title died in 1676. It is -said he was poisoned by his wife, Lady Alice of Clanbrassil, a daughter -of the Earl of Drogheda, who was a beautiful and vicious woman, and -after plunging the estate into debt desired to contract a wealthy -marriage. - -At this time the Earl’s mother, Lady Anne, resided at Killyleagh Castle -in accordance with the wishes of her husband’s will. - -As Earl Henry left no children the estate was divided amongst his -cousins, Killyleagh falling to the lot of James Hamilton. When James -died in 1683 his lands were divided between his brother Gawin, ancestor -of the present Colonel Rowan-Hamilton, D.L., of Killyleagh Castle, -and his daughter Anne, whose granddaughter, Dorcas, married Sir John -Blackwood, and was created Baroness Dufferin and Clandeboye. - -The division of the estate was accurately made and decided by lot, -which had the effect of putting one branch of the family in possession -of the half of the courtyard of the castle which lay nearest the town, -while the other part was attached to the castle. - -This division caused a family feud of some two hundred years in -duration. A house was built on the disputed land between the town and -castle, and it was only upon the coming of age of the late Marquis of -Dufferin, who said it should never be said of him that he kept any man -out of his own hall-door, that the contention ended. - -The young nobleman presented the land to his kinsman of the castle, to -be held by the tenure of the annual tribute of a red rose to the lady -of Clandeboye, or should there be no such person, a pair of gilt spurs -to the Lord Dufferin of the time. He added to his gift a castellated -gate-house, which was erected from designs by Mr. Ferrers. - -The last stone was laid by Lord Dufferin upon the morning of his -marriage with Miss Rowan Hamilton on the 23rd of October, 1862. - -It bears an inscription to that effect, as well as the name of its -sculptor, Mr. Samuel Hastings, of Downpatrick. - -In 1688-89 Sir Robert Maxwell resided in the castle, having married the -widow of the Earl of Clanbrissal. Captain Savage asked to be allowed to -garrison the gate-tower so as to be some check upon the disturbances -the Protestant party were making in the North. Sir Robert took two days -to consider the matter, but in the meantime the soldiers were attacked -by Hunter, and the captain and lieutenant taken prisoners. - -Soon after the castle was reduced by the Royalists, and in the -investigation which followed much credit was taken from the fact that -no plundering was allowed. It was stated that such forbearance was -wonderful in the face of great provocation, inasmuch as the very day -the castle was taken part of Colonel Mark Talbot’s wig was shot off by -a bullet from the fortress. - -The celebrated United Irishman, Archibald Hamilton Rowan, owned -and lived in the castle. He was secretary of the Dublin Society of -United Irishmen in 1791, and in 1794 he was sentenced to two years’ -imprisonment for seditious libel. - -The embroidered lavender dress coat, which he wore at his presentation -to Marie Antoinette in 1781 or 1782, when in attendance on the Duchess -of Manchester, is still preserved as an heirloom in the castle. A pair -of pistols presented to Captain Hamilton, R.N., C.B., after the battle -of Navarino, by the French Admiral De Rigny, for his gallant services -to the French squadron, are also to be seen at Killyleagh. - -In 1842 Captain Archibald Rowan Hamilton married Miss Caldwell, of -Cheltenham, and seven years later they began to restore the castle. - -In 1862 the marriage of the late Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye, with -Hariot Georgina, eldest daughter of the late Captain Archibald Rowan -Hamilton, 5th Dragoon Guards, was celebrated in the evening of October -23rd, in the drawing-room of the castle. - -When the present owner of the castle, Colonel Gawen Rowan Hamilton, -came of age in 1864, Lord Dufferin handed him the keys of the -gate-tower, to which reference has already been made, saying, “The -time is now come for me to hand over to you this gate-house, a gift -which I had originally destined for your father, but which, with equal -pleasure, I now make to you. I trust that you and your descendants may -long continue to enjoy it.” - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Lowry, “The Hamilton Manuscripts.” - Knox, “History of County of Down.” - Praeger, “Official Guide to County Down.” - S. M. S., “Killyleagh Castle, County of Down,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - Hanna, “The Break of Killyleagh,” in _Ulster Journal of Archæology_. - Newspaper Cuttings lent by Mrs. Rowan Hamilton. - - - - -_KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD_ - - -This is one of the few names in Ireland which clearly show a Danish -influence. The Irish designation was Cairlinn, and the present name -simply means the “_fiord_ of Cairlinn,” or Carlingford. - -It is situated in the County of Louth, on the southern shore of the bay -at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, about eleven miles east-north-east -of Dundalk. - -It was a most important town of the Pale, and at one time nearly every -building of any size was of a fortified type. There are still to be -seen the remains of three strongholds called at the present time King -John’s Castle, Taffe’s Castle, and Lee’s Castle. - -King John’s Castle is traditionally supposed to have been erected by -that monarch’s orders in 1210 to protect the mountain pass of Goulin. -We know that King John was at “Kerlingford,” but Grose considers that -it is more likely the fortress was built by De Lacy or De Courcy. - -It is situated on a rocky promontory which projects into the sea, and -having been built in accordance with the natural formation of the rock -is triangular in shape. It is divided in the centre by a “cross wall” -nearly 12 feet thick. On the southern side the divisions of apartments -are still to be seen, and there are also the remains of galleries with -recesses for archers. The walls are about 11 feet in thickness, and -on the sea side there is a small underground passage some 20 feet in -length. - -The chief entrance from the water was protected by a - -[Illustration: KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD.] - -platform or battery, which also commanded the harbour. It is said the -promontory once extended further into the sea, and being covered with -soft grass was called the “Green Quay.” - -In 1215 the King commanded Roger Pipard to deliver up the castle to -any one the Archbishop of Dublin appointed to receive it. Richard de -Burgh was ordered to give up the fortress to Geoffrey de Mariscis in -1216 or 1217, but this order was immediately followed by a similar -one to William de Lacy, who had evidently taken the King’s Castle at -Carlingford. - -In 1388 Stephen Gernon, the constable of the time, was licensed by -the King to take corn tithes in the lordship of Cooley to supply -the castles of Carlingford and Greencastle. Five years later Esmond -de Loundres was appointed Warden of Carlingford, Greencastle, and -Coly, with the profits due to the office. The O’Neill of that day so -pillaged the country round that De Loundres was unable even to meet his -expenses, and he petitioned that, the seignory being laid waste, he -might be either relieved of office or properly supplied with means to -meet the charges attached to it. Whereupon an order to provision the -castles under his command was issued. - -Fishing rights seem to have been attached to the castle in 1425, and -more than a hundred years later they still formed a Government revenue. -In 1535 the Treasurer went to Carlingford to inspect the King’s castle. -He reported that it and Greencastle with the country round had been -almost destroyed, and that if the war was to continue English workmen -would have to be sent over to put the castle in repair. He suggested -that the expenses should be defrayed by the fishing dues. - -This does not seem to have been done, for in 1549 both castles were -in a dilapidated condition. Three years later Sir Nicholas Bagenall -was granted “the Manor of Carlingford and an old castle there, and the -whole demesne and manor of Mourne and Greencastle, the castle and -demesne of the Black Friars in Carlingford.” Ten years later it was -still in his hands. - -In 1596 the Earl of Tyrone, after having pretended to submit to the -Government, made an incursion into the Pale. It seems that his foremost -troops were commanded by his son-in-law, Henry Oge, who endeavoured to -surprise the castle at Carlingford. This he was unable to accomplish, -but, “missing of his principal purpose, there were carried away as -prisoners, in lamentable manner, two gentlewomen, daughters of Captain -Henshaw, the one married and the other a maid.” - -The Earl, who was following, had intended to reinforce the troops after -the seizing of the town and fortress, but the failure of the enterprise -prevented his doing so. He acknowledged having carried off the ladies -from the castle “in time of peace,” and refused to return them until -O’Hanlon’s son was liberated in exchange. - -Marmaduke Whitechurch was constable of Carlingford in 1610, and had six -warders under his command. - -In 1641 “Sir Con Maginse tooke the forte and castle of the Neurie and -Carlingfoorde.” - -The next year it was captured by a ruse graphically described as -follows: “5th of May. Newes came from Dundalk to the Lords Justices -by Captaine Cadogan (who came thence through Maday with ten horse-men -only) that the Newry was not only retaken by the Lord Conway and -Munroe, the Scots commander, from the rebels, but also that the -towne and castle of Carlingford were taken by a ship that came from -Knockfergus. Their policy was to put up the Spanish colours, which the -rebels discerning, sent a fisher-boat, with ten or twelve of their -commanders, to goe aboard the ship, supposing that some ammunition -was come unto them; but the captaine of the ships, instead of shewing -them any such commodities, clapt them up under decks, and so landing -his musketiers, they took the towne, which they of the castle soone -perceiving, fled away, and left both unto our forces.” - -In 1648 Lord Inchiquin marched on Carlingford after capturing Dundalk, -and seems to have had little difficulty in getting possession of the -town and fortress. The following year Colonel Venables appeared before -the walls with Parliamentary forces. Upon his making preparation for -the landing of cannon the town and castles were surrendered. In a -letter to Oliver Cromwell he speaks with great praise of Captain Ferns, -who “came to the harbour’s mouth with his fregot, and upon a signal -agreed between us, came gallantly in under fire,” although his mainmast -was split by a shot from the castle. He captured a small Wexford vessel -then in the bay. - -Carlingford was no mean prize, as it formed the chief storehouse of -their opponents’ arms in Ulster. - -The three castles and the sea-fort contained in all seven pieces of -ordnance, nearly 40 barrels of powder and the same of small shot, over -a thousand muskets, and 480 pikes. - -They did not find much provision in the town. The next day Newry -surrendered. - -The fortress must have been subjected to bombardment at some time, as -cannon-balls have been found among the ruins. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Grose, “The Antiquities of Ireland.” - Gilbert, “Affairs in Ireland, 1641-1652.” - Graves, “King’s Council in Ireland.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Calendar of Carew MSS. - State Documents. - State Papers. - Reeves, “Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, &c.” - D., “Carlingford,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - - - - -_KING JOHNS CASTLE, LIMERICK_ - - -Limerick City is situated on the Shannon, ninety-four miles south-west -by west of Dublin. The name is a corruption of Luimneach, signifying -“barren spot of land.” - -King John’s Castle is one of the finest examples of Norman military -architecture in the country. It was erected to guard Thomond Bridge, -and was the citadel of the English town of Limerick. - -The curtain wall by the river is about 200 feet long, and is flanked at -both ends by round towers, each having a diameter of 50 feet, and with -walls 10 feet thick. A third tower protects the north-east angle, while -the corner towards the town had a square platform raised to the level -of the battlements and capable of mounting five or six cannon. In the -lower part of this structure was the sally port of the fortress. - -The modern entrance is in Nicholas Street, but the former gate led into -Castle Street, and was protected by a drawbridge. It was exceedingly -narrow, and flanked by two massive towers, one circular and the other -semicircular. The arms of the city surmount the gate. A wet ditch -surrounded the castle, and was supplied with water from the Shannon. - -The oldest part of the structure is the tower nearest the bridge, which -shows marks of bombardment. - -The dilapidations caused by the guns have been - -[Illustration: KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK.] - -renovated with red brick, which was a happy idea of the contractor so -as to preserve the old war marks. - -The ancient battlements were not removed until the close of the -eighteenth century, up to which time they were a favourite city -promenade. - -The castle, as its name indicates, was constructed at the command of -King John, and the builders were ruthlessly encroaching on church land -until the bishop remonstrated with the King, who issued a proclamation -in 1207, ordering that the work should cease until his return, which -was in 1210. He furnished the stronghold with every requisite of -defence, and appointed a constable and chaplain. - -There was a long uninterrupted line of constables from 1216, when -Godfrey de Rupe, or Roche, was appointed, until the office was -prospectively abolished by Act of Parliament in 1809 to cease with the -life of the constable of that date, the Right Hon. Colonel Vereker, -afterwards Viscount Gort, who died in 1842. - -The chaplaincy was also an office of importance. - -In 1217 Reginal de Breouse received the custody of the castle and city -for a stated period of years, and in 1226 it was the only castle in -Ireland which was not fortified against the King, Richard de Burgh -holding it for him. - -Twenty pounds were granted to Thomas de Winchester in 1326 to repair -the walls, which were much decayed; and six years later the followers -of the Desmonds, who were prisoners in the fortress, took possession of -it, after killing the constable. The citizens soon recovered possession -and put all the occupiers to death. - -The Earl of Desmond was made constable for life in 1423, with leave to -discharge the duty by deputy. He was granted £10 and some fishing dues -to repair the building as “the greater part of it had fallen to the -ground.” - -We learn from the State Papers that, Mr. Zouche having liberated -O’Sullivan Beare, who had been captive at Limerick in 1582, the castle -no longer required a ward. But the following year it is stated that -John Sheriff having let Patrick Fitzmaurice and his brother out of the -castle cost the Queen £20,000. - -Three years later the fortress was occupied only by a constable and -porter, and was in much need of repair and a garrison. - -Sir George Carew received an order to repair the building and provide a -ward in 1600, so that it would be a fit residence for the President. He -reported that unless part of the town were removed it was impossible to -make the fortress really strong, and so he was merely able to add some -storehouses, which he regretted, “for that this insolent town has need -of a straight curb.” - -The death of the President prevented the intended repairs being carried -out, and two or three hundred pounds were needed shortly after to -roof the towers and the Great Hall, which had been begun, so that the -assizes might be held in it. The arms were being much injured through -the stronghold not being weather-proof. - -In 1602 Father Archer informed the Spaniards of a way they could -surprise the castle, he having learned it in Limerick during the -previous rebellion. - -The plan consisted of two or three Irish galleys coming up the river at -night with the tide, and carrying about three hundred men, who would -at once force the northern gate by breaking the wooden door with a -“pittarr,” as no watch was kept there. The castle once in their hands, -attacks could be made from all the other sides of the town. - -King James I. granted a charter to the city of Limerick in 1609, from -which the castle is exempted. - -In 1608 it was stated that a cellar existed under the stronghold, which -could be entered from the town without observation. The following year -great dilapidations are reported by Sir Josias Bodley. He said that -the round towers near the river were so undermined by the water that -a cart might pass below their foundations. He repaired the walls and -towers, and built the square platform for cannon on the town side. -He surrounded the whole with a moat and erected the drawbridge. A -constable’s house was still needed. - -Repairs were again required in 1618 and 1624. - -Captain George Courtenay with two hundred men maintained a most gallant -siege in 1642. Though short of provisions, and with a garrison who were -not all regulars, he managed to keep the Irish forces at bay for a -considerable time. - -The besiegers threw a great boom across the Shannon, formed of aspen -trees fastened together with iron links, so as to prevent Sir Henry -Stradling provisioning the castle by the water gate. - -A steady fire from the fortress delayed the work for some days, but the -boom was eventually fixed and the remains of it could be seen at low -water so late as 1787. - -The castle was next bombarded from the cathedral, but still the brave -defenders held out. Then mines were begun in three places, the roofs -being propped with dry timber smeared with tar. When completed this was -ignited and the cavern falling made a large breach in the wall of the -castle. - -Seeing defence was no longer possible Captain Courtenay capitulated -on the 21st of June, obtaining honourable terms for himself and the -garrison. Lord Muskerry took possession the next day. - -The captured cannon were used to reduce the neighbouring castles. It is -said that the great gun which was mounted on the platform next the town -took 35 yoke of oxen to draw it. - -Ireton arrived at Limerick in 1651, and began to bombard the castle -from the foot of Thomond Bridge. As soon as a breach was effected -twenty dragoons, in complete armour, led by Captain Hackett, rushed -in, followed by infantry. The Irish fled across the bridge into the -further town, breaking two of the arches to prevent pursuit. Barrels of -gunpowder were found in the vaults of the castle with lighted matches -ready to ignite them. - -It seems from the following inscription which was inserted in the -south-west tower near the platform that repairs were carried out -after these sieges: “Contrived by Lef. Vanderstam, General of their -Majesties’ Ordnance, Anno 1691-2.” - -In 1787 infantry barracks for about four hundred men were erected -within the old walls. - -The castle is now used as a Government ordnance store. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - M. Lenihan, “Limerick: Its History and Antiquities.” - J. Ferrar, “History of Limerick.” - J. Dowd, “Limerick and its Sieges.” - FitzGerald and M’Gregor, “History of Limerick.” - Proceedings of Kilkenny Archæological Society. - Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - State Papers. - Carew MSS., with Book of Howth. - State Documents. - - - - -_LEA CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated on the banks of the Barrow in the north-east -corner of the Barony of Pornahinch, in the Queen’s County. - -The name is sometimes spelt Ley or Leagh, and is said to signify “grey” -or “grey land,” though a legend traces its origin to the name of a -great chieftainess who lived, and was treacherously slain, on the plain -of Lea. - -The fortress consisted of a three-storeyed rectangular building 60 -feet by 46 feet, flanked by round towers and having walls varying in -thickness from 8 to 10 feet. The west side of the structure has been -blown up, but the remaining tower contains five rooms, one of them -having thicker walls than the rest, _i.e._, 13 feet instead of 12. - -The centre of the castle was built on arches, and the projecting angles -of the towers were connected by a curtain wall nearly 8 feet thick. - -The approach was by a causeway 100 feet in length. It was surrounded by -a ditch 25 feet wide, which could be filled by water from the Barrow. -From this it was called Port-na-hinch, or the “Castle of the Island,” -from which the barony takes its name. Inside the moat was a low wall, -which can still be traced. All the arches are round except one leading -from the causeway to the bawn, which is pointed. - -Two drawbridges and two bastions defended the gate into the inner -ballium, which measured 140 feet by 130 feet. The remains of the -barbican can still be seen. - -The outer ballium includes the bawn, and the inner one contained a -tennis court and tilt yard. - -Some authorities state the castle was erected by Baron Offaly, while -again it is said to owe its origin in about 1260 to William de Vesey, -who had married the Earl of Derby’s daughter, whose mother was heiress -to William Mareschal, Lord Palatine of Lea. The daughter of O’More, -Prince of Leix, is also said to have built Lea Castle on the Barrow in -the marches of Inch, 1260. - -[Illustration: LEA CASTLE (INTERIOR).] - -It appears, however, to have been in existence in 1203, as there is an -order to the Justiciary of Ireland to have the castle delivered, as -well as other possessions, which had belonged to Gerald FitzMaurice, -and in 1257 William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, received a grant of the -wardship of Maurice, 2nd Baron of Offaly, and also his castles of Lea -and Geashill. - -In 1264 a meeting was held at Castledermot to settle some dispute about -land in Connaught, but at it Maurice, Baron of Offaly, and his nephew, -John FitzThomas, seized Richard de Burgh, heir to the Earl of Ulster, -the Lord Justice Richard de Capella, Theobald Butler, and John Cogan, -and imprisoned them in Lea. - -Thomas de Clare sold the wardship of Maurice Fitz-Gerald’s heirs and -the guardianship of Lea Castle to Sir William de Valence in 1270 for -3,500 marks. The wardship had been granted to De Clare by the King’s -eldest son. At this time, the Book of Howth states, it was the only -fortress held by the English in Offaly. In 1274, however, an order -was issued to restore the custody of FitzGerald’s heirs to Roger and -Matilda de Mortimer, who had, it seems, inherited the privilege, and De -Valence only having paid 2,300 marks was not held liable for the rest -of the money in consequence. - -The castle was burnt by the O’Dempseys, O’Dunnes, and O’Carrols in -1284, and Theobald Verdon going to avenge the outrage was entirely -routed. It was shortly afterwards restored by De Vesey, the Lord -Justice of Ireland. - -Here, with the assistance of Baron Offaly, he imprisoned the Red -Earl of Ulster and his brother in 1294, but they were liberated the -following year by order of the Parliament at Kilkenny, and the Pearl’s -sons were surrendered as hostages instead. It is said De Vesey then -quarrelled with John FitzThomas FitzGerald, Baron Offaly, and fled to -France to avoid meeting him in single combat, and by this means Lea -Castle lapsed again to the Geraldines. - -John FitzThomas was ordered to repair to the King abroad in 1297, and -£40 was granted to him to fortify his Castle of Ley. - -The castle was besieged and the town burnt in 1307 by the “tories” of -Offaly, but the former was relieved by John FitzThomas and Sir Edmund -Butler, afterwards Earl of Carrick. - -Baron Offaly restored the fortress and erected a church with steeple -and bells, but in 1316 Robert Bruce burnt the castle and town, and -carried off the bells. - -Sir Walter Eustis is said to have been stabbed to death in the castle -by his wife’s sister, daughter of the O’More, who had formerly rejected -his addresses, but upon the birth of her sister’s child, she murdered -Sir Walter in a fit of jealousy, and retired to the convent at Kildare, -where she confessed her crime and died penitent. - -The O’Dempseys’ seized the fortress in 1329, but the next year it was -surrendered to Sir John Darcy, Lord Justice, who restored it to the -Earl of Kildare to keep for the King. The O’Dempseys again laid siege -to the castle in 1339, but were driven off by the Earl. - -O’More, Chief of Leix, burnt Lea in the spring of 1346, but in the -following November he was defeated by the Earl of Kildare, who rebuilt -the town, castle, and church, but not the steeple. - -The fortress was again taken by O’More and O’Dempsey in 1414. Seven -years later they were defeated near Kilkea Castle by the 6th Earl of -Kildare, nicknamed “Shaun Cam,” or Hump-backed John. - -Lea Castle was restored to the Earl after the battle of the Red-bog of -Athy. - -The Four Masters mention the castle in 1452. - -In 1533 the Earl of Kildare furnished the stronghold with guns and -ammunition out of the King’s store, and in direct opposition to his -commands, which the Master of the Rolls pointed out to him in the -presence of the Bishop of Meath. - -The following year it is reported to have been one of the six best -castles of the Geraldines, and it was the chief stronghold of Lord -Offaly, the “Silken Thomas,” during his rebellion, after the fall of -Maynooth. - -There is a letter from the former constable of this latter fortress, -written in 1535, to Cromwell, saying that Lord Thomas had removed the -Countess’s apparel to Ley, as well as other valuables, and that he, -Boyce, had resigned his office in consequence of the insurrection. - -The Carew MSS. record the Castle of Ley was of “no value” in 1537, and -state it was granted to James FitzGerald after the attainting of the -Earl. In 1548 he required two gunners at the King’s charge, and powder -and shot. - -Thomas Scotte petitioned to lease it in 1549. - -In 1554 the Lord Deputy, Thomas Earl of Sussex, is said to have taken -it from Patrick O’More, but it was regained by Anthony O’More in 1598, -after which he defeated Essex at the Pass of Ballybrittas, called the -“Pass of Plumes” from those worn by the gay English soldiers. - -Lea was held by the Irish in 1641 upon the breaking out of the -rebellion, but afterwards the loyalists took possession under the -command of Lord Lisle. They planted an ash-tree to commemorate the -event which lived 170 years, and had a girth of from 29 to 33 feet, -while its shade had a diameter of 60 feet. - -In 1642 Lord Castlehaven retook Lea, and at this time some of the brass -money known as St. Patrick’s halfpennies was struck here. These coins -have the letter L on them and are very rare. - -O’Neill is said to have lodged in the castle. - -The Parliamentary Colonels, Hudson and Reynolds, took and dismantled -the fortress in 1650. - -It was repaired and held by lease under the Crown by an O’Dempsey until -confiscated after the fall of the Stuarts. In 1695 it was granted to -the Earl of Meath as part of Sir Patrick Trant’s estate. - -A horse stealer called O’Dempsey and nicknamed “Shamas a Coppuil,” or -“James the Horse,” inhabited it at the beginning of the eighteenth -century until the Government interfered. - -Hampden Evans owned it in 1791, and it afterwards passed to Viscount -Carlow. - -The following legend was related by Widow Gorman in 1818 to Miss -French of Glenmolire, and noted by her:-- - -Redmond M’Comon O’Byrne, chief of Donamace and Leagh, had two gigantic -sons named Roderick and Maurice. The latter was married to a daughter -of The O’Neill and had one son called Connell. - -Upon the death of the old chieftain O’Byrne, he divided his territory -between his sons, leaving Donamace to the elder, Roderick, and Leagh to -the younger, Maurice. - -Roderick, believing he should have inherited all his father’s -possessions, determined to murder his brother. - -[Illustration: LEA CASTLE (EXTERIOR).] - -One stormy night he set out alone from Donamace, and having tied his -horse beneath a grove of ash-trees near the castle of Lea, he let -himself in by the postern, with the key of which his unsuspecting -brother had entrusted him. - -Reaching Maurice’s chamber he murdered him in cold blood, but not -before his victim had cried out to his son to revenge his death by a -brother’s hand. - -Roderick seized the body and, carrying it to where he had left his -horse, put it into a leather bag that he had brought with him. Arriving -at Dunamace he threw the body into a very deep well, thinking it would -never be discovered. - -Maurice’s son, Connell, had heard his father’s cry for vengeance in -his dreams, but upon awaking and finding his father gone, with blood -stains on the floor and stairs, he knew he had actually heard his voice. - -The young chieftain, armed with two great sabres of equal size, -proceeded to his uncle’s stronghold, and presenting himself before him, -demanded satisfaction. In the duel which followed both combatants were -killed, and it is said no grass grows in their footsteps on the rock -until this day. - -The old well is still shown, and if two friends visit it together one -is said to die within the year. - -There seems to be no historical record of the fortress ever having been -in possession of the O’Byrnes. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.” - O’Byrne, “History of the Queen’s County.” - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Comerford, “Kildare and Leighlin.” - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - State Documents. - State Papers. - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - “Lea Castle, Queen’s Co.,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - Lord Walter FitzGerald, “Kilkea Castle,” - in _Journal of Kildare Archæological Society_. - Miss French, MS. - - - - -_LEAP CASTLE_ - - -The ancient stronghold of the O’Carrolls, of Ely-O’Carrol, is situated -in the parish of Aghancon, in the Barony of Ballybritt, King’s County, -about five miles south-east of Birr. - -Its former name of Leim-Ui-Bhanain denoted “The Leap of O’Banan,” and -it is still known as “The Leap” in the district. - -There are several legends to account for its designation. One is that -two brothers came to the rock on which the castle is built, and they -decided that whichever of them survived, after leaping to the ground -below, should erect the stronghold. One of the two was killed by the -jump. - -Another story of a leap is told of a period long after the castle was -built. Sometime during the sixteenth century the O’Carrolls’ fortress -was besieged by the English forces, and in a sortie the garrison took -prisoner a young Captain Darby, who was with the attacking party. The -room where he was imprisoned in the castle is still shown. The daughter -of the chief was deputed to carry him his food, which was delivered -through a hole in the wall. But the young Englishman made good use of -his slender opportunities by winning the heart of the Irish maid, so -that she connived at his escape by unbarring his prison. When running -down the stone stairs which led to the cell in which he had been -confined, he met her brother coming up, who raised the alarm regarding -the escaping captive. Nothing daunted, young Darby turned and - -[Illustration: LEAP CASTLE.] - -ascended to the battlements, where, it is said, he leaped from the -castle roof into a large yew-tree, the roots of which have only lately -been removed. That the young couple were eventually married is a -satisfactory ending to the romance, and certain it is that Leap Castle -passed to the Darby family as the marriage portion of an O’Carroll’s -daughter who married a Darby, son of an English knight. - -The castle is supposed to have been built by the Danes prior to the -English invasion, during their conflicts in these parts with the more -recently landed Norwegians. The structure resembles their form of -defence, being of pyramidical shape, and built in the rubble masonry -of that period, with pre-Norman arches and small loopholes for the -discharge of arrows and javelins. The walls vary from 15 to 25 feet in -width. There are several stone stairways in the thickness of the walls, -and parts of them are brightly polished from constant use. The keep is -the oldest construction, and it forms the hall of the present edifice. -The wings, one at each side, were built at the end of the sixteenth or -beginning of the seventeenth century. That on the north-west connects -what is known as the “Priest’s House” with the main building. This -dwelling is of fourteenth-century masonry, and was used as the chief -residence of the family in times of peace. - -In the top of the keep is situated what is known as “The Bloody -Chapel,” having been desecrated by one Teige O’Carroll, who murdered -his brother before the altar. It was formerly covered with a stone -roof, but this gave way last century. A curious old stone-fastening -remains that formerly received the bar of the door. - -Off the chapel is the oubliette, formerly supplied with a spring -death-trap. Not so very long ago three cart-loads of bones were removed -from it and buried in consecrated ground. Bits of several old watches -were found among the remains. - -Large dungeons are situated below the keep, and there are many -bricked-up passages and secret chambers. One of the former is said to -lead to a neighbouring rath. The guard-room on the south-east side is -hewn out of the rock. Numerous bones have been found in different parts -of the building. - -The site of the castle was evidently chosen to guard the river ford and -the pass of the Slieve Bloom Mountains into Tipperary. Many bones have -been found in a field near the river. A village once surrounded the -castle, but only the ruins of the houses now remain. - -The O’Carrolls, whose chief stronghold the castle was, are supposed to -have wrested it from its original builders, the Danes. - -In 1154 Henry II. granted Ely O’Carroll to Theobald de Walter, but he -was entirely unable to take possession of any but the lower portion of -the kingdom. - -In 1489 John O’Carroll died of plague at Leap. The visitation was at -this time so bad that hundreds of bodies lay unburied. - -Gerald Fitz-Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, set -out for Leamyvannan in 1513 to put down a rising of the O’Carrolls. -He failed to take the castle, “as was seldom the case with him,” and -retreated to collect fresh forces. - -Returning with a splendid company he was shot by an O’More while -watering his horse at the River Greese, near Kilkea, and he died a few -days later at Kildare. - -Three years afterwards his son attacked Leap, and took the stronghold, -of which it is recorded, “there was scarcely any castle at that period -better fortified and defended than this, until it was demolished upon -its warders.” - -In 1522 the Earl of Kildare made it a charge against his rival, Sir -Piers Butler, Lord Deputy, that he had lent O’Carroll cannon to defend -Leap against him in 1516. The charge was hardly denied, but the -defence was put forward that the attack on O’Carroll was unwarranted. - -Mulrony O’Carroll died at Leap in 1532. It is recorded that he was “a -triumphant traverser of tribes; a jocund and majestic Munster champion, -a precious stone, a carbuncle gem, the anvil of the solidity, and the -golden pillar of the Elyans.” - -He was succeeded in the chieftainship by his son, Ferganainm, but the -succession was disputed by a senior branch of the family who were in -possession of Birr. Ferganainm enlisted the aid of his father-in-law, -the Earl of Kildare, who received a wound during the dispute which -hurried his end. - -It was, no doubt, at this time that a terrible massacre took place at -Leap Castle upon the rival branch of the sept, who had been invited -to the stronghold under the guise of friendship. Lord Deputy Grey may -have had this act of treachery in his mind when writing of O’Carroll, -Baron of Ely, in Edward VI.’s reign, he speaks of him as “false.” It is -stated that this O’Carroll made submission to Lord Leonard Grey in 1537. - -Twenty years later (1557) the Earl of Sussex, Lord Justice, made a -hosting into Fircall, penetrating into Ely, where he took Leap Castle. -But this expedition seems, mainly, to have been directed against the -O’Connors, who had taken refuge there after their escape from Meelick -Castle, and “the goodness of his steed” is said to have saved O’Connor -from his pursuers, who took the Leap without opposition. O’Carroll -became re-possessed of the stronghold shortly afterwards. - -There was a Jonathan Darby, Captain of Sussex Horse, in 1553, and -perhaps it was during this expedition that the romance before related -took place. A tomb in the neighbouring graveyard records the death of a -Jonathan Darby in 1601. - -It is said an inquisition was called at Lemyvanane in 1568 for the -preparation of a deed by which Ely O’Carroll was surrendered to the -king by “Sir William O’Kerroll,” to whom it was restored by letters -patent, but there is some confusion about the dates and conditions of -the several transfers. - -In 1604 Ely O’Carroll was annexed to the King’s County. - -During the Parliamentary wars, Mr. Darby, of Leap, espoused the King’s -cause, and tradition avers that Cromwell appeared before the castle -saying that if they did not surrender in twenty-four hours he would -blow them out with a pump-stick. The fortress was not tenable in the -event of cannon being used, as it is commanded from many points. - -A weird story is told of the Jonathan Darby of the time, usually known -as “the wild Captain.” It is said before he surrendered the castle he -collected all his money and treasure and with the aid of two servants -hid it somewhere in the walls of the fortress. He then sent one of them -for his sword and in the meantime threw the other over the battlements. -Upon the messenger returning he slew him with the weapon he brought, -evidently thinking “a secret is only safe with three when two are -dead.” Later he was arrested on a charge of high treason and imprisoned -in Birr. He was several times reprieved, and at last liberated, his -legs having mortified. Upon his return he was only capable of murmuring -“My money, my money,” but was quite unable to say where it was -concealed. - -In 1691 a Captain Darby, of the Leap, is alleged to have committed -many deeds of daring against rapparees. It would appear that the -estate was mortgaged for a nominal sum to one John Holland for fear of -confiscation, for Charles II. re-granted the land to this Holland as -mortgagee. - -Admiral Darby, who commanded the _Bellerophon_ at the battle of the -Nile, 1798, was one of the Darbys of Leap. - -The present owner is Jonathan Charles Darby, Esq., D.L., who resides in -the castle. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.” - Cooke, “History of Birr.” - Cooke, “Picture of Parsonstown.” - G. Story, “Impartial History of Ireland.” - R. Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.” - J. Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Lord Walter Fitzgerald, “Kilkea Castle” - (_Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal_). - - - - -_LEIXLIP CASTLE_ - - -The castle is situated in the portion of Leixlip which extends into -North Salt Barony in the County Kildare. The fortress occupies a -commanding position at the juncture of the Rivers Rye-water and Liffey, -above the famous Salmon Leap from which the designation Leixlip is -derived, being a Danish name from the old Norse word “Lax-hlaup,” -_i.e._, Salmon Leap. From the word “Saltus,” a leap, the baronies of -Salt have also taken their name. - -The castle is generally supposed to have been erected by the De -Hereford family towards the close of the twelfth century. The present -building consists of two blocks at right angles, facing east and south. -The east wing probably incorporates part of the twelfth-century keep, -and with the north-east circular tower represents the oldest portion of -the structure, although it has been pierced by modern windows. - -In this part a room is still shown in which tradition states that King -John slept during his stay in Ireland. - -The square south-east tower is not so old, and its erection is -generally ascribed to the Geraldines. - -The lands of Leixlip were granted to Adam de Hereford by Strongbow -shortly after the Normans arrived in 1170. At the close of the -thirteenth century the castle and lands had passed to the Pypards. In -1302 Ralph Pypard surrendered all his castles, &c., to the Crown, and -in consequence Richard de Bakeputz, who was constable of Leixlip, was -ordered to deliver it up to the King. - -[Illustration: LEIXLIP CASTLE.] - -Leixlip Castle was included in the list of those fortresses that were -only to have Englishmen as constables by the statute passed in 1494. - -Henry VII. granted the castle and lands to Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, -upon his marriage with Dame Elizabeth Saint John, between the years -1485 and 1509, and they remained in the possession of the FitzGeralds -until the rebellion of “The Silken Thomas” in 1534, in which the owner, -Sir James “Meirgach” (_i.e._, the winkled) FitzGerald was concerned. -In 1536 an Act was passed by which the Crown became possessed of the -castle and manor. - -Two years after Mathew King, of Dublin, surrendered the castle, which -appears to have been granted to him for twenty-one years. In 1568 -William Vernon, gentleman, was leased the manor of Leixlip, containing -castles, &c., by the Crown. Nine years later Sir Nicholas Whyte, Master -of the Rolls, came into possession. He was a son of James Whyte, of the -County Waterford. - -In 1570 he was granted the manor of Leixlip, two castles, a water-mill, -a salmon-weir, two fishing-places called the Salmon Leap, on the River -Anna Liffey, Priortown Meade, and other demesne lands. Two years later -he was made Master of the Rolls. - -Sir Nicholas Whyte was succeeded by his son Andrew, whose son was again -Sir Nicholas Whyte, Knt. - -This Sir Nicholas held the manor of Leixlip upon the breaking out of -hostilities in 1641. In company with Lord Dunsany, Patrick Barnwall, -Sir Andrew Aylmer, and other chief men of the Pale, he surrendered -himself to the Lords Justices Parsons and Borlace. This was done in -obedience to the King’s proclamation to show that they had no part -in the rebellion, but they were imprisoned in Dublin Castle and most -inhumanly treated. - -In the diary of Captain William Tucker he records going from Dublin -to Naas in 1641 with the Marquis of Ormond, and sleeping a night in -Leixlip Castle. He mentions that the owner, Sir Nicholas Whyte, was at -the time a prisoner in Dublin. - -In 1646 General Preston established his chief quarters in the fortress, -and in November of that year the Confederate Catholics halted in -their march on Dublin between Leixlip and Lucan. They were commanded -by Generals Preston and Owen Roe O’Neill. The King’s secretary and -minister, Digby, was at Leixlip with Preston. - -Plots and counter plots among the Confederate commanders made the once -formidable army of no avail. Owen Roe, fearing some treachery, threw a -wooden bridge across the Liffey, as a flood had destroyed the permanent -one, and withdrew his forces into Meath. - -Sir Nicholas Whyte recovered his lands of Leixlip by a Decree of -Innocence. He died in 1654, and was buried at Leixlip. - -Various historians have confused the fortress popularly called Leixlip -Castle with a stronghold of less note designated the “Black Castle” of -Leixlip, situated at the eastern end of the town. Although still known -as the “Black Castle” this building has been so modernised that its -original fortified structure is not noticeable. - -That some discrepancies as to ownership existed in the written history -of Leixlip Castle was first noted in 1901, but it was not until -the following year that Lord Walter FitzGerald, in a note in the -_Journal of the Kildare Archæological Society_, gave an extract from -“The Civil Survey” of James Peisley and Henry Makepeace of 1654, in -which the “Black Castle” of Leixlip is mentioned as belonging to the -Earl of Kildare and “one ruined castle” to Sir Nycholas White, thus -establishing the fact that there were two distinct castles at Leixlip -owned by different persons. - -The “Black Castle” is therefore no doubt the fortress alluded to in -an inquisition held in September, 1612, which states that Gerald -FitzGerald, son of Gerald, late Earl of Kildare, and uncle of Gerald, -late Earl of Kildare, was seized of one castle, three messuages, one -ruined water-mill, and forty acres of arable land at Leixlip. And again -in 1621 the inquisition taken upon the death of Gerald, 15th Earl of -Kildare, includes the Castle of Leixlip, &c. While the rental of the -Earl of Kildare in 1657 mentions the black castle of Leixlip with sixty -acres of land valued at £15 a year. - -Leixlip Castle was purchased by the Right Hon. William Conolly, Speaker -of the Irish House of Commons, at the beginning of the eighteenth -century. He subsequently built the mansion of Castletown at Celbridge, -but his nephew and heir occupied Leixlip Castle during the famine years -of 1740 and 1741. - -After this period the castle has been inhabited by many distinguished -tenants. - -It was a favourite residence of Primate Stone, and during Lord -Townshend’s period of office he usually passed the summer there. - -Many stories are told of this Viceroy’s fancy for mixing incognito with -“all sorts and conditions of men.” - -One day Lord Townshend met a journeyman cutler named Edward Bentley in -the demesne of Leixlip Castle and began to talk to him. Bentley was -loud in his praises of the Lord Lieutenant’s kindness in allowing the -public into the grounds of his residence, but he was equally vehement -in denouncing the political views he held. - -Mistaking the proprietor for one of the retainers, he offered him half -a crown upon leaving, and when it was refused the cutler commented on -the difference between his action and that of the gate-keeper who had -demanded that amount. - -Lord Townshend then took him to the castle and provided him with a cold -repast, but as he was escorting his departing and grateful visitor -through the hall the unfortunate gate-keeper came in. - -The Lord Lieutenant asked him why he had dared to disobey orders -and receive money from visitors. Whereupon the man fell upon his -knees and asked pardon. Bentley, at last realising who had been his -entertainer, immediately followed suit. Lord Townshend sent for his -sword, and the cutler was quite certain that his last hour had come. -The Lord Lieutenant flourished the weapon over his head and brought -it down smartly on the terror-stricken man’s shoulder, saying, “Rise, -Sir Edward Bentley.” The new-made knight was appointed cutler to His -Excellency, and lived long to enjoy his honour. - -Viscount Townshend’s wife died at Leixlip Castle. - -The Hon. George Cavendish remodelled the building and brought it up to -modern requirements during his tenancy before 1837. - -John Michael, Baron de Robuck, subsequently lived there, and was -drowned in the Liffey in 1856 during a flood. - -In 1878, Captain the Honourable Cornwallis Maude, son of the Earl of -Montalt, took the castle after his marriage. He was killed at Majuba -Hill. - -The present occupier is William Mooney, Esq., J.P. - -This fortress is one of the oldest inhabited houses in Ireland. It has -been said that the novelist Maturin founded one of his weird plots -on a legend relating to Leixlip Castle, but the statement requires -verification. - -An underground passage runs from the castle, beneath the Byewater, to -St. Mary’s Church, where it terminates in a vault under the building, -the end being now walled up. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Lord Frederick FitzGerald, “Leixlip Castle,” and Lord Walter FitzGerald, - Note, in _Journal of the Archæological - Society of the County Kildare_. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries. - “History of St. Wolstan’s,” in _Irish Builder_ for 1899. - P. (Petrie?), “Town and Castle of Leixlip,” in _The Irish Penny Journal_. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Book of Survey and Distribution. - Calendar of Patent Rolls, Ireland. - Book of Inquisitions of Province of Leinster. - Fiants of Elizabeth. - Transcripts of Inquisitions. - MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland. - - - - -_LISMORE CASTLE_ - - -This castle takes its name from a rath now known as Round Hill, _lis_ -meaning “fort,” and _mor_ “great.” It is situated on the right bank -of the River Blackwater, about four and a half miles north-by-east of -Tallow, in the county of Waterford. - -When Henry II. visited Lismore in 1171 he seems to have formed the plan -of turning the ancient and famous Abbey of Mochuda into a fortified -episcopal residence; hence in 1179 Milo de Cogan and Robert FitzStephen -were sent by his directions to choose the site for this stronghold, -which was to act as a protection against the “mere Irish.” - -In all probability the tapering tower, now known as “Sir Walter -Raleigh’s Tower,” formed part of the ecclesiastical buildings. It is -constructed of rude rubble, and has plain loops and cornices. The -entrance is on the second floor, and this leads into buildings of later -date, so that it has no external doorway. A somewhat similar tower was -destroyed by fire prior to 1864, which may (with the one now standing) -have protected a gate between the upper and lower courts. - -The outer wall, with its beehive-roofed bastions at the corners, and -the old gate, which has its archway decorated with chevrons, are likely -to have been of twelfth-century construction. - -The entrance to the castle is by “the Riding House,” so called from its -having formerly been guarded by two mounted sentries, the niches for -the horses being still shown. This leads into a long shaded avenue, -flanked by high walls which extends to the opening of the lower -courtyard. Over the gate are the arms of the first Earl of Cork, and -the motto “God’s Providence is our inheritance.” “King John’s Tower” -is situated to the right of the entrance, and the “Carlisle Tower” on -the left. This latter is about 240 feet in height, and was erected -to commemorate the Lord Lieutenancy of the Earl of Carlisle. It is -constructed of coarse rubble. The stone for the dressing of its windows -and for other parts of the castle was quarried at Chatsworth, and -brought over in specially chartered vessels. - -The “Flag Tower” flanks the north-east angle, and the oldest wing faces -east towards the garden. The upper court is reached through a passage -on the west of the entrance, and here Sir Walter Raleigh’s tower is -situated to the north. - -The whole fortress is built upon a rock, which on one side descends -precipitously to the Blackwater, the base being clothed with trees. - -The Earl of Cork employed “a free Mazon of Bristol” during his -alterations. The modern improvements were principally designed by Sir -Joseph Paxton. - -The main door has an Ionic porch executed in Bath-stone, said to have -been the work of Inigo Jones. - -The hall is square, and is used as a billiard-room. A stone stairway -ascends on the left side of the entrance. The present banqueting hall -was originally a chapel, and has a Gothic roof of open woodwork. The -drawing-room contains a large bay window overhanging the river, known -as “King James’s Window.” During his stay in Ireland in 1689, he spent -a night in the castle, and dining in this room, he approached the -window, but started back when he saw the depth below. - -The sword and mace of Youghal are exhibited in the hall, where is -also the Pastoral Staff of Lismore, which was discovered built up in -a doorway of the castle with a valuable Irish manuscript book, since -called the “Book of Lismore.” - -In 1181 Cullen O’Cullane, and O’Phelan, Prince of the Decies, attacked -the fortress, which had been somewhat hastily constructed, and they -killed fifty to eighty of the garrison and razed the stronghold. - -[Illustration: LISMORE CASTLE.] - -Prince John, Earl of Morton, landing at Waterford in 1185, rebuilt the -castle on a larger scale. - -Nine years later the men of the Decies took the fortress by surprise -and killed Robert Barry, brother of Giraldus Cambrensis. In the autumn -of the same year (1189) the Irish, finding they could not hold the -castle, decided to destroy it, but they afterwards surrendered it upon -terms. From this time it appears to have been an episcopal residence -for some four hundred years. - -In 1218 the Bishop of Waterford wrote to Henry III. complaining that -the castle of Lismore had been taken from him by Thomas FitzAnthony and -Griffin FitzGriffin. The King ordered that it should be restored to the -bishop. - -When Robert de Bedford was elected Bishop of Lismore the fortress was -transferred to him, but not without the Bishop of Waterford declaring -it belonged to his see. Bishop de Bedford appealed to Rome, and after a -dispute of twelve years it was finally confirmed to the see of Lismore. - -In 1271 Lord Justice Audley came on a visit to the castle, and Roger de -Mortimer, after he landed at Youghal as Lord Justice, was the guest of -Bishop Fleming at Lismore in 1317. - -Some time before his resignation in 1589, Meler Magrath, Bishop of -Lismore and Archbishop of Cashel, granted the castle to Sir Walter -Raleigh at a rent of £13 6s. 8d., and three years later Sir Walter -sold it to Sir Richard Boyle, afterwards the first Earl of Cork, who -restored and enlarged it. - -His great son, the philosopher, was born in the castle in 1626. - -The stronghold was besieged three times during the civil wars of 1641. -It was first attacked by five thousand Irish troops under the command -of Sir Richard Beling, and was successfully defended by Lord Broghill, -the Earl’s third son. - -The following year an unsuccessful attempt was made to burn it by the -Irish. - -In 1643 it was again besieged by Lieutenant-Colonel Purcell with -seven thousand foot and nine hundred horse. This time Captain Hugh -Croker commanded the garrison. The Earl records in his diary that the -rebels demanded the surrender of the fortress, but “we retorned them -defyance.” None of the defenders were killed, but their enemies lost -about three hundred in killed and wounded. The following month cannon -was brought to bear on the stronghold, and a breach was effected in -the brewhouse, but it was quickly repaired with earth, and the fire -from the castle was so great that the enemy did not dare to storm the -opening. The guns were then shifted to the south-west, and the orchard -was attacked, but the shots from the turrets protected the curtain wall. - -After a siege of eight days, the Earl’s sons, Lords Dungarvan and -Broghill, landed at Youghal and made a treaty with Lord Muskerry for -a six days’ truce. Of the besiegers twenty were killed, while the -defenders escaped injury. - -The great Earl died in 1644. The following year the castle was again -besieged, this time by troops under Lord Castlehaven. Major Bower, with -a garrison of a hundred of the Earl’s tenants, managed to kill five -hundred of the besiegers and to make terms before they surrendered. - -The 4th Earl of Cork died without male heirs in 1753, and Lismore -Castle passed to his eldest daughter, Lady Charlotte Boyle, who had -married the 4th Duke of Devonshire in 1748. It thus passed to its -present owner, the 8th Duke of Devonshire, who entertained King Edward -VII. and Oueen Alexandra at the castle in 1904. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Boyle, “Lismore Papers.” - C. Smith, “State of Waterford.” - R. Ryland, “History of Waterford.” - Egan, “Waterford Guide.” - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - W. Flood, “Lismore” (_Journal of Waterford Archæological Society_). - Windele Manuscript (_Cork Archæological Society’s Journal_). - MacMahon, “Lismore Castle” (Historic Houses). - - - - -_LOHORT CASTLE_ - - -This fortress is situated in the Barony of Duhallow, four miles and a -half east-south-east of Kanturk, County Cork. - -The name was sometimes spelt Loghort, and means literally “herb-plot” -or “garden,” from _luibh_, “herb,” and _gort_, “an enclosed field.” - -The central tower is circular, and measures about 80 feet in height. It -was strongly machicolated, and had only a few apertures for light and -air. The walls are about 10 feet thick at the base, diminishing to 6 -feet. - -The castle was formerly surrounded by a moat, which was crossed by a -drawbridge, but this has been removed. - -Richard Sainthill, writing in 1831, describes the castle thus:-- - -“Six miles from Liscarroll is Loghort Castle, the residence of Lord -Arden when he visits his Irish estates. It is a square keep about 90 -feet in height. The ground floor is now the kitchen. The first floor -was the armoury, and contained arms for 100 soldiers, which were -removed and lost in the year 1798. This is now the dining-parlour; -above this is the drawing-room. We then rise to the state bedroom, -beside which there are six others. From the battlements an extensive -prospect is commanded.” - -The castle also contained a good library. In the armoury was preserved -the sword of Sir Alex. MacDonald, who commanded the Highlanders at -the battle of Knockninoss in 1647, and was treacherously killed by a -soldier after the encounter. - -The fortress dates from the reign of King John, and was a former -stronghold of the MacCarthys. - -In 1641 Sir Philip Perceval garrisoned it with a hundred and fifty men -during the rebellion. Nevertheless the Irish gained possession of the -stronghold by treachery, and held it until May, 1650, when Sir Hardress -Waller reduced it with a battery of cannon. - -In his letter to the Parliament he writes of it as a place of great -strength. - -After this it seems to have remained in a state of dilapidation until -the middle of the eighteenth century, when Sir Philip Perceval’s -descendant, the Earl of Egmont, put it into a state of repair. - -The agents of the estate resided in the castle during many years of the -last century, and it is now the residence of Sir Timothy O’Brien, Bart. - -There are many legends relating to the old fortress. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - C. Smith, “County of Cork,” with - “Historical Notes from Croker and Caulfield MSS.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Gibson, “History of Cork.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Lewis, “Irish Topographical Dictionary.” - - - - -_LOUGH CUTRA CASTLE_ - - -In the Barony of Kitartan, County Galway, about three miles -south-by-east of Gort, is situated Lough Cutra Castle, the beautiful -mansion of Viscount Gough. - -The demesne extends along the west and south shores of the lake, and -the gardens slope to the water’s edge in terraces. - -Mr. Blake Foster, in “The Irish Chieftains,” says that the name was -derived from a leader of the Belgic tribe, called Cutra, who owned the -district before the arrival of the Milesians. - -The mansion is a castellated building of Tudor style. It has massive -walls of finely-cut limestone, and was erected during the last century -at a cost of over £50,000. - -Mr. Paine was the architect, but he died before the building was -finished, and the lodges, &c., were carried out in the same style by -Mr. Nash, while the gardens and grounds were exquisitely laid out by -Mr. Sutherland. - -It is considered one of the show places of the west. - -John Prendergast Smith was created Viscount Gort in 1816. He had -inherited the O’Shaughnessy estate through his uncle, and he began to -build the present mansion. - -The story goes that being enchanted with East Cowes Castle, in the Isle -of Wight, which belonged to, and had been designed by, Mr. Nash, Lord -Gort decided to erect a similar building on the shores of his beautiful -lake. It is strange that the present Lord Gort now lives in East Cowes -Castle, from which the design of his ancestor’s castle in Ireland was -borrowed. - -The first Viscount Gort adopted his nephew, Colonel Vereker, as his -heir. - -This soldier so distinguished himself at the battle of Coloony that he -and his heirs were granted supporters to the family arms and allowed to -adopt “Coloony” as their motto. - -When the 3rd Viscount Gort succeeded to the estates they were heavily -encumbered, and the famine of 1848 completed the ruin of the family. - -The castle was sold for £17,000 to Mrs. Ball, Superioress of the -Religious Order of Loretto, Dublin. She turned it into a novitiate -house and opened a school. After a few years the community was -recalled, and the castle was again put up for sale. This time it was -purchased for £24,000 by the first Lord Gough. - -Two pieces of ordnance which he captured in India are mounted at the -entrance. - -The present Viscount Gough is Resident British Minister at Dresden. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Fahey, “History and Antiquities of Diocese of Kilmacduagh.” - Blake Foster, “The Irish Chieftains.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Ward’s Guide to Limerick, Clare Coast, and Lower Shannon. - - - - -_MACROOM CASTLE_ - - -This fortress is situated in West Muskerry, County Cork, about twenty -miles from Cork City, on the bank of the River Sullane, the ford of -which it was evidently built to command. - -Various derivations are given of the old name Macromp. Some authorities -state that it signifies the “Plain of Crom,” the supreme deity of the -ancient inhabitants of Ireland. Smith says the name came from a crooked -oak under which travellers used to pass, but it seems more probable -that it simply meant “a crooked plain,” and referred to the undulating -country round. - -In Smith’s History of Cork he describes the building as consisting -of two square towers about 60 feet high connected by a large modern -building. Windele, however, says that the present residence is a huge -square mass of masonry which formed the keep of the original castle. - -It has a handsome gallery and other good apartments, and is now -covered with ivy. At the beginning of the last century Gothic windows -were introduced and part of it weather-slated, which, being entirely -out of keeping with the style of architecture, has not added to its -picturesqueness. - -It occupies a slight rise on the east bank of the Sullane River, which -flows through the demesne. The gardens lie to the south. - -The castle appears to have been erected in the twelfth century, and its -building has been variously attributed to the Carews and Daltons, while -its Irish name of Caislean-i-Fhlionn, signifying “O’Flyn’s Castle,” -seems to indicate that it owes its origin to this family, who formerly -owned territory in Muskerry and Carberry. It afterwards came into the -possession of the MacCarthys, and Tiege MacCarty, father of the famous -Lord Muskerry, died in the castle in 1565, having restored and enlarged -it. - -In 1602 its owner, Cormac MacDermot Carthy, Lord Muskerry, was -suspected of hostile intrigues and imprisoned in Cork, while Captain -Flower and then Sir Charles Wilmot were sent to lay siege to the -castle. Lord Muskerry, however, escaped, and the Lord President fearing -he might cut off Sir Charles’s retreat, ordered him to return to Cork. - -The night before the intended march the garrison killed a pig, but -water being too scarce to scald it they decided to singe it instead -with fern and straw. This they did in the castle bawn, but some sparks -lighting on the thatched roof of a cabin flamed up and set fire to some -tallow through one of the windows of the castle. - -The flames quickly spread through the building and the garrison was -obliged to take speedy refuge in the bawn. From thence they made a -sally to the woods, about fifty being slain in their attempt to escape. - -The besiegers entered the castle and extinguished the fire. After -making some necessary repairs Sir Charles left a garrison there and -marched to Cork. - -Upon the breaking out of the rebellion of 1641 it was again in Lord -Muskerry’s possession, and when the Papal Nunzio landed in the south -of Ireland he visited many places and amongst them Macroom Castle. He -was received at the great gate of the fortress by Lady Helena Butler, -sister of Lord Ormond, and the wife of Donough, Lord Muskerry. The -Nunzio stayed at Macroom for four days. - -In 1650 the Bishop of Ross assembled an army in the park. Upon the -approach of Lord Broghill with a body of horse, the garrison in the -castle set fire to it and joined the main body encamped outside. -Then followed the battle of Macroom, in which about seven hundred -of the Irish troops were slain. The Bishop and the High Sheriff of -Kerry were taken prisoners. The latter was shot, but the bishop was -promised freedom if he induced the garrison of Carrigadrohid Castle -to surrender. When brought to that fortress he, however, exhorted the -besieged to hold out, and he was at once hanged with the reins of his -own horse. - -Later in the war General Ireton is said to have burned both the town -and castle of Macroom. - -During the Commonwealth the castle was granted to Admiral Sir William -Penn, father of the founder of Pennsylvania. - -Upon the restoration of Charles II. the stronghold was restored to the -MacCarthys, and was enlarged and modernised by the Earl of Clancarty. - -In 1691 it again fell into the hands of an English garrison. They were -hard pressed by James’s troops, until the approach of Major Kirk and -three hundred dragoons raised the siege. - -The estate of the 4th Earl of Clancarty was confiscated for his -allegiance to King James, and the castle was sold by auction in 1703. -It was bought by the Hollow Sword Blade Co., who resold it to Judge -Bernard, ancestor to Lord Bandon. - -After this it was occupied by the Hedges Eyre family, the Hon. Robert -Hedges Eyre dying 1840. - -Colonel White Hedges, brother of Lord Bantry, owned the castle in 1861, -and it is now in the possession of Lord Ardilaun, whose wife is one of -the Bantry family. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Smith, “State of County and City of Cork.” - Bennett, “History of Bandon.” - J. Windele, “Notices of the City of Cork,” &c. - C. Gibson, “History of the County and City of Cork.” - Meehan, “Confederation of Kilkenny.” - Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_MALAHIDE CASTLE_ - - -The town of Malahide is situated in the Barony of Coolock, about seven -miles north-north-east of the City of Dublin, and about half a mile -distant stands the ancient seat of the Talbot family. - -A number of suggestions have been put forward as to the derivation of -the name Malahide, perhaps the most probable being that it comes from -Baile-atha-id, signifying the “town of Id’s ford.” - -The present castle is almost square in form, with a Gothic entrance -on the south-east. This side of the fortress is flanked at each angle -by a round tower, one of them at least having been added during the -last century. The whole effect is much enhanced by the building being -largely covered with ivy. - -During the early part of the eighteenth century the stronghold was -enlarged and modernised by its owner, Colonel Talbot. It had at that -time lost its castellated character, which was restored, while the moat -that surrounded it was filled in and planted. - -The former entrance was by drawbridge, protected by a portcullis and -barbican. The old tower of the barbican now gives entrance to the -stable yard. - -The hall is flagged and vaulted, and the walls are hung with -interesting martial relics, while a handsomely-carved chair is said to -have belonged to King Robert Bruce. - -A circular flight of stairs leads to the next floor, which contains -the famous “Oak Room.” The timber for its ornamentation is said to -have been brought from the “faire greene commune of Ostomanstoune,” -which was not so far away, and from which King William Rufus is said to -have obtained the oak to roof Westminster Hall. The panels in Malahide -Castle are of an ebony black, and are richly carved in relief with -scriptural subjects. The ceiling is cross-beamed with oak, and a wide -mullioned window gives light to this beautiful apartment. It is said -to have once been the castle chapel, and that behind a double panel, -carved with scenes from the Garden of Eden, is a recess still occupied -by the altar. - -Here amongst other interesting objects is the suit of armour -traditionally supposed to have been worn by Sir Walter Hussey, who was -the first husband of the Hon. Maud Plunkett, and was killed on his -wedding day. - -The dining hall is said to date from the Tudor period, and it has a -pointed ceiling of stained wood with a gallery at one end. In this room -is displayed a very fine collection of historical and family portraits -by many celebrated artists, amongst whom are Lely, Titian, Reynolds, -Kneller, and others. - -The portraits include those of “Handsome Dick Talbot,” Duke of -Tyrconnel, favourite of Charles II. and James I., the Duchess of -Portsmouth and her son the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Lucan, Ireton, -Myles Corbet, and several royal personages. - -The “saloon” has also some art treasures, the chief being an -altar-piece by Albert Durer, which once belonged to Mary Oueen of -Scots, and was purchased by Charles II. for the Duchess of Portsmouth -for the then enormous sum of £2,000. - -The lands of Malahide were granted to the Talbot family in 1174 by -Henry II., in whose train was Chevalier Richard Talbot, when the king -came to Ireland in 1172. This grant was confirmed to Sir Richard Talbot -by Edward IV. in 1475. - -The foundations of the castle were laid by the first Richard Talbot in -Henry II.’s reign upon the gentle elevation of limestone rock where it -stands to-day. It was enlarged during Edward IV.’s reign. - -Sir Richard Edgecomb landed at Malahide in 1488 as Lord Justice, and -writes that “there a gentlewoman called Talbot received and made me -right good cheer,” until the Bishop of Meath and others came later in -the day to escort him to Dublin. - -During the rebellion of Lord Offaly or the “Silken Thomas,” the -O’Tooles and O’Byrnes ravished the country north of Dublin, and having -plundered Howth, they “went to Malahyde and burst open the gates till -they came to the hall-doors, when as they were resisted with great -difficulty,” they returned homeward. - -After the rising had been suppressed, the unfortunate young leader -executed, and his family attainted, Gerald, afterwards 12th Earl -of Kildare, only escaped from the English Government through the -assistance of his aunt, the Lady “Aleanora” FitzGerald, and for the -protection she had afforded her nephew she was detained at Malahide -Castle awaiting the King’s pleasure. From here, in 1545, was dated her -petition for pardon to Henry VIII., which he granted. - -Lord Strafford tried to gain some of the Talbot possessions and -privileges in 1639, but without success. - -John Talbot was banished to Connaught for taking part in the rebellion -of 1641, and his castle and 500 acres were granted on a seven-year -lease in 1653 to Miles Corbet, who was Chief Baron. His house in Dublin -had been visited by plague, and he took up residence at Malahide about -Christmas time. Here he lived until obliged to fly for his life, and he -was afterwards executed as a regicide. - -There is a tradition that Cromwell was his guest at Malahide during his -tenancy. - -A picture appearing on the Down Survey Map (1655-56) represents the -castle as having a large tower at one end, and the notes describe it -as “a good stone house therein, with orchards and gardens and many -ash-trees, with other outhouses in good repair.” - -Upon the Restoration the Talbot family came again into possession. - -Close to the castle are the ruins of a church which was erected -and endowed by the Talbot family, and where they were buried for -many years. Here is the altar tomb of Maud Plunkett, “The Bride of -Malahide,” who was “maid, wife, and widow on one and the same day.” -Her third husband was Sir Richard Talbot. The tomb is particularly -remarkable because of the effigy which represents Lady Talbot as -wearing the “horned coif” of 1412, and it is the only representation of -this fashion in Ireland. - -It is said the church was unroofed by Corbet, either to make bullets of -the lead or to cover a barn with the other material. - -The history of the castle would be hardly complete without mention of -the famous ghost “Puck,” who has a fancy for roaming the grounds in -the costume he wore when he was an inhabitant of the castle. There are -many stories regarding his appearances, amongst which is the following -authenticated account: Not so many years ago a naval officer who had -just been appointed to the Coast Guard Station at Malahide received -an invitation to dine at the castle. On his way up the avenue he met -a strange figure in a fantastic costume whom he thought was some -one masquerading. Not liking to be made the subject of a joke, he -threatened to knock him down unless he told him what he wanted, and -upon getting no reply he endeavoured to carry out his threat, but his -arm passed through his adversary, and he thought it advisable to hasten -his steps to the castle. It was not likely to improve his appetite, -however, to find the portrait of the strange figure looking down upon -him from the dining-room wall. - -Richard Talbot was created Lord Talbot de Malahide in 1831, and the -present peer is 5th Baron. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D’Alton, “History of County of Dublin.” - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries. - Carew MSS., Book of Howth. - Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.” - Burke, “Visitation of Seats and Arms.” - M’Mahon, “Malahide Castle” in “Historic Houses.” - Burke’s Peerage. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - P., “Malahide Castle,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - Prendergast, “The Plantation of the Barony - of Rhone,” in _Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society_. - - - - -_MALLOW CASTLE_ - - -The town of Mallow is situated on the River Blackwater, seventeen miles -north-north-west of Cork, in the Barony of Fermoy. - -The ruins of the castle are to the south of the town upon rising ground -commanding the river. They consist of a great rectangular building -running north and south, and measuring about 80 feet in length and 30 -in breadth on the inside. It has thirty-one Tudor windows, which are -generally large and square, having two series of oblong lights, three -or five in number, and a window on the north contains as many as eight. - -The structure is unroofed, and the floors being of wood have almost -entirely disappeared. It was defended by three towers on the western -side. The round tower at the north-west angle contained a clock until -the middle of the last century. The centre tower measures about 12 -feet by 15, and its door-head is depressed. The south-west tower has -a five-sided exterior, and inside the upper part is circular, and the -lower portion pentagonal. - -The eastern front of the castle has one tower, with a five-sided -exterior likewise. In 1836 a portion of the east side of the castle -fell. The whole of it is now extensively covered with ivy. - -This building is supposed to be of the Tudor era, and it is likely to -occupy the site of an older fortress, as there are still traces of -foundations which do not seem to have been included in the plan of the -present ruin. - -The Manor of Mallow passed by exchange from the De Rupes or Roches into -the hands of the Desmond FitzGeralds at the close of the thirteenth -century. - -Tradition states that the Tudor fortress was erected by the “Great -Earl” of Desmond, as Garrett, the 15th Earl, who succeeded to the -title in 1558, is usually styled. It seems, however, more probable -that it was built by his even greater father, James, who was Lord High -Treasurer of Ireland. - -[Illustration: MALLOW CASTLE.] - -It remained in the Desmond possession until the forfeiture of their -princely estates in 1584. - -At this time it was in the hands of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s -son, who was overtaken near Castlelyons and killed by a former servant -of his own. His body was hung over one of the gates of Cork for some -years, and his head sent to Dublin Castle. - -The following description of the stronghold is taken from an -inquisition held at this time on the Manor of Mallow:-- - -“One castle containing in itself two small courts and one great -barbican, namely, where the howse standeth the enterance in is on the -north side ffyrste into one of the said courts, and then turninge one -the lefte hande ye enter by a doore, beinge in a highe wall into the -Balne or Barbican, which is reasonable large, and then goinge a little -way, turninge one the lefte hande, have ye enterance by an other stone -wall, whereas the castell or howse standeth, the lower rooms whereof ar -sellers vauled over. And in the wall one the lefte hande there be stay -res of stone of xii stepps in heyght that leadeth one the right hande -into the Hall, which is about lx foote longe and xxvi foot wyde, within -the howse, and is deepe, with a highe roofe, the Tymber wereof seemeth -to be sounde, and is covered with thacke, some thinge decayed at the -north ende; towards the west corner there is a square buyldinge vaulted -as thother is, but not so broade, and riseth somewhat higher than the -roofe of the hall in which, over the sellor, ar fower stronge roomes -that may be made meete for lodgings: the uppermost, savinge one, is -vaulted.” - -The siege during the Desmond rebellion must have caused the castle to -need repair, and even at subsequent dates it seems to have been in a -ruinous condition. - -At first after this, the district of Mallow was assigned to Pelham, -H.M. Attorney-General, and Sir Thomas Norreys, who was holding the -place, writes to Burghley in 1587: “I understand Mallow (a place which -I have hitherto had keeping of) is assigned to H.M. Attorney-General, -who doth little esteem it. I crave to be admitted an associate in Co. -Cork, and still keep that place, which I doubt not the Attorney-General -will easily yield to. I affect not the place for any special goodness, -but having held it so long am the more unwilling to leave it, and, if I -may obtain it, will endeavour the best service I can.” - -The same year Sir John Norreys, President of Munster, writes from -Utrecht complaining that the honour of his office brings little land -with it, and asking that Mallow might be granted to him. - -He it was who settled the crown of Portugal on the royal house of -Braganza, and Edmund Spencer described him in some of the lines of his -“Fairy Oueen.” - -In 1588 Sir Thomas Norreys received a grant of the castle and lands -from Elizabeth. - -Here, in Sir Thomas’s arms, died his brother, the great Sir John -Norreys, in 1597, of old wounds which had been neglected and turned -to gangrene. One of many fables told regarding his death is that the -devil, dressed in black, appeared while he was playing cards, and -claimed his soul on the spot in fulfilment of an old bargain. - -During the Tyrone rebellion in 1598-99 Norreys had his English sheep -stolen from Mallow, and his park wall broken down, so that the deer -roamed loose. - -Upon the restored young Earl of Desmond’s returning to Ireland in 1599 -he spent much of his time at Mallow, where he was said to be in love -with Lady Norris, widow of Sir Thomas. - -The Attorney-General writes in 1606: “The first night we lodged at -Mallow, a house of my Lady Norries, which is a well-built house, -and stands by a fair river in a fruitful soil, but it is yet much -unrepaired and bears many marks of the late rebellion.” At this time -Elizabeth Norreys, heiress to the estate, was a king’s ward, and -resided with her mother in the castle. - -In 1613 a fresh patent was granted to Dame Elizabeth Jephson, and her -heirs for £50 paid by her husband, Sir John Jephson, Knight, she having -inherited her father’s estate. The grant included the castle, manor, -and town of Mallow, Short Castle, _alias_ Castle-Gar, &c. - -In 1636 the Earl of Cork made an offer for the manor, but he did not -come to terms with the owners. - -Short Castle, which was on the north side of the town, was in charge of -Lieutenant Williamson in 1641, when Lord Mountgarret marched against -Mallow, while the larger fortress was placed in charge of Arthur -Bettesworth and two hundred men by Captain Jephson. - -After many assaults and several breaches, Short Castle was forced to -surrender, which its commander did on terms. There are several versions -of the following story. - -After the castle’s fall its defender and his men were refreshing -themselves in a public-house in the town, when an officer and man -belonging to Mountgarret’s force entered with a block and sword, -stating they had come to behead them. Lieutenant Williamson caught -the sword up with one hand and the officer’s hair with the other, and -dragged him to the walls of the larger stronghold, where, dismissing -him with a kick, he and his men joined the other garrison. - -The Castle of Mallow was taken by the Earl of Castlehaven in 1645, and -almost reduced to ruins. - -In 1666 there seems to have been an attempt made to restore it. Lord -Orrery, writing to the Duke of Ormond in this year, says: “This bridge -is at Mallow, where there is a castle of good strength if it had a -little reparation, and is one of the greatest passes and thoroughfares -in this province, and if seized on by any enemy would, in effect, -divide the country into two parts.” - -During the scare of the French invasion the Grand Jury presented money -to repair it, but the Judge seems to have reserved his decision on the -matter. - -Major-General Sgravenmore sent Colonel Doness to destroy the bridge and -reconnoitre the castle in 1689. - -Norreys was added to the family surname Jephson in 1838, and some years -later Sir Denham Jephson Norreys erected a mansion in Elizabethan style -close to the old fortress. Sir Bernard Burke remarks of it: “Here -are mullioned windows, pointed gables, tall chimneys, and all those -various intricacies of building which characterised our noblest seats -in the days of the Virgin Oueen; somewhat fantastic, it is true, but -picturesque in the extreme.” - -The manor and castle are still in the possession of this family, Mrs. -Atherton-Jephson-Norreys being the present representative. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - H. F. Berry, “The Manor and Castle - of Mallow,” in _Journal of Cork - Archæological Society_. - J. O’Flanagan, “The Blackwater in Munster.” - Sir B. Burke, “The Seats and Arms of Noblemen and Gentlemen, &c.” - Smith, “History of County and City of Cork.” - R. Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - H. Berry, “Manor of Mallow in the - Thirteenth Century,” in _Journal - of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland_. - -[Illustration: MAYNOOTH CASTLE.] - - - - -_MAYNOOTH CASTLE_ - - “Ye Geraldines! ye Geraldines! how royally ye reigned - O’er Desmond broad, and rich Kildare, and English arts disdained, - Your sword made knights, your banner waved, free was your bugle call, - By Glyn’s green slopes, and Dingle’s tide, - from Barrow’s banks to Youghal. - What gorgeous shrines, what Brehon lore, what minstrel feasts there were - In and around Maynooth’s strong keep and palace-tilled Adare! - But not for rite or feast ye stayed, when friend or kin were pressed; - And foemen fled, when “Crom a boo” bespoke your lance in rest.” - THOMAS DAVIS. - - -Situated about twelve miles west-by-north of Dublin, this ancient -fortress of the Pale was the chief stronghold of the Kildare branch -of the Geraldines. It was built by Maurice FitzGerald (the first of -the great family to settle in Ireland) to protect the lands of Offaly, -granted to him in 1176 by Strongbow in lieu of part of Wexford which -King Henry wished to retain. - -From the excellency of the twelfth-century masonry, the great keep, -with walls some 8 feet in thickness, and the gate-house, are the best -preserved parts of the ruin. The large corner tower and three round -arches adjoining belong to the thirteenth century, while the fifteenth -century is represented by an oblong tower, now used as the belfry of -the Episcopalian Church. The rest of the buildings which connected -these, now isolated, structures have almost entirely disappeared. - -The fortress was surrounded on two sides by water, being at the -junction of the River Lyreen, a tributary of the Liffey, and a smaller -stream. - -In 1248 we read that Luke, Archbishop of Dublin, erected the chapel -of Maynooth into a prebend of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the request -of Maurice, second Baron of Offaly. This building, which was once the -castle chapel, is now the parish church. - -At the beginning of the fourteenth century Maynooth seems to have been -the favourite residence of the FitzGerald family. John, the 1st Earl -of Kildare, and Thomas, the 2nd Earl, both died there (1316 and 1328). -The latter bequeathed the castle to his wife. It is described as being -“built of stone, with numerous offices partly of stone, and two gates, -one leading to the town, and the other to the garden.” - -The castle was added to in 1426, and is said to have been “one of the -largest and richest Earl’s houses in Ireland.” - -In 1534 the Earl of Kildare, being Lord Deputy, was summoned to London, -and appointed his son, Lord Offaly, Vice-Deputy in his absence. Upon -a rumour that his father had been executed, Lord Thomas, who was very -young, went into rebellion, and such nobles and chiefs as refused to -join his standard he sent as prisoners to Maynooth. - -A division of the English army, landing at Howth to raise the siege -of Dublin Castle, was met by “Silken Thomas” with two hundred men. -An engagement followed, in which Lord Offaly was victorious, and the -survivors of the King’s troops were sent captive to Maynooth. - -At this time the castle was splendidly fortified with men and ordnance. - -Hearing that the whole English army was about to arrive, Lord Offaly -left Maynooth in command of Christopher Paris, his foster-brother, and -went into Connaught to raise forces. - -In January, 1535, seven hundred men were sent from Dublin to burn -Maynooth Castle. A skirmish took place, and although some of the rebels -were slain, the royal troops retired. - -The Lord Deputy, Sir William Skeffington, now collected his forces, and -marched in full strength against the stronghold. The siege began on the -14th of March, and was continued until the 23rd. - -Upon arriving at Maynooth, Sir William demanded the surrender of the -castle, and offered free pardon and reward to all the garrison. - -To this he only received a jeering reply, so planting his cannon to the -north of the building towards the park he opened fire. The attack was -varied north-east and north-west, but though this continued for over a -week little damage was done, save destroying the battlements. - -Towards the close of this time a letter was shot out of the castle -to the Lord Deputy from Christopher Paris, offering to find means of -letting the besiegers enter the castle for a certain sum of money and -provision for the rest of his life. - -Sir William Skeffington agreed to the terms, and upon the 22nd, a -field-piece having been captured from the besiegers, the Governor made -it an occasion for high revelry. Thus, while the men who guarded the -outer battlements were sound asleep after their carouse, the King’s -troops easily entered the castle by scaling-ladders early on the -morning of the 23rd. - -Sir William Brereton led the attack, but the resistance was very -feeble, the drunken soldiers believing that the cry of “St. George! St. -George!” was but a dream. Sir William hoisted his standard from the -highest turret, so as to inform the Lord Deputy that the castle had -been won. - -Sir William Skeffington entered in the afternoon. The garrison -consisted of thirty-seven persons. Two singers of the chapel were -pardoned, at the intervention of Chief Justice Aylmer, on account of -their sweet voices. - -Twenty-five of the men were beheaded, and one hanged, outside the -castle gate, and the principal heads placed upon the battlements. -Amongst these was that of the Dean of Kildare. Paris was paid the sum -stipulated for his treachery, but as he had forgotten to make his -safety a condition, he was executed with the rest. - -The Lord Deputy left a garrison in the castle and returned to Dublin. - -Lord Offaly was marching to the relief of his stronghold with an army -of seven thousand men when the news of its fall reached him. At this, -most of his forces melted away, and the rebellion became rather a -series of raids than regular warfare. - -At last, Lord Thomas, tempted by a promise of pardon, surrendered -himself, and was sent prisoner to England. Here, after some months of -captivity, he and his five uncles were beheaded at Tyburn. - -There is a tradition that the last evening “Silken Thomas” ever spent -at Maynooth he played the harp under the venerable yew which is now -enclosed in the grounds of St. Patrick’s College. - -A bill of attainder was passed in 1536 against the Earl of Kildare and -his heirs; and Maynooth, being forfeited to the Crown, became a King’s -castle. It seems to have been a favourite residence of the Lords Deputy -at this time. - -In 1552 Edward VI. restored Gerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, to his title -and estates. His widow lived at Maynooth until her death; and it was in -the castle garden that Lord Delvin was first approached by the Earls -of Tyrone and Tyrconnell to join the insurrection in 1606. In a letter -written by the Countess of Kildare she expresses her regret for such an -occurrence. - -After the death of the 14th Earl in 1612, Maynooth Castle seems to have -fallen into a state of dilapidation on account of his son’s minority. -It was restored by his guardian, the great Earl of Cork, who placed an -inscription over the gateway recording its restoration, and bearing the -date 1630. - -In 1629 we hear of the Earl’s title deeds being preserved in the -Council House, which was a stone building that stood on the site now -occupied by the President’s house of St. Patrick’s College. It was -removed about 1780. The doorway is still preserved in a school of the -town, and the council table, bearing the date 1533, stands before the -Duke of Leinster’s residence at Carton. - -The 12th Earl of Kildare lived at Maynooth until civil war broke out in -1641. Shortly after hostilities began the castle was plundered and the -valuable library destroyed. - -In 1643 Captain Michael Jones, under the Marquis of Ormond, held -possession of the fortress; and in 1644 the Earl of Kildare asked for -powder and men to increase its defence, he having taken down the spouts -to make bullets. - -In 1647 General Owen O’Neill sent a detachment from Trim, which carried -the castle by assault. Twenty-six men of the garrison and some officers -were hanged, and the fortress dismantled. - -The next Earl lived chiefly at Kilkea Castle, and Maynooth gradually -fell into decay. - -In 1707 Robert, 19th Earl of Kildare, wished to restore the building, -but finding it too dilapidated he decided to enlarge Carton House -instead. - -Houses were subsequently built among the castle ruins, and these were -removed by the Duke of Leinster in 1848, and the space round planted -and enclosed. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Duke of Leinster, “Maynooth Castle.” Addenda - by Miss M. Stokes (_Kildare - Archæological Society’s Journal_). - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Most Rev. John Healy, D.D., “Maynooth College.” - - - - -_MONGEVLIN CASTLE_ - - -This castle is situated on the banks of the Foyle where it narrows -inland, somewhat over a mile south of Saint Johnstown and seven miles -from the City of Londonderry. - -Only the keep now remains, but during the last century the walls of -the courtyard which lay between the Foyle and the fortress were still -standing, and over the arch of the gateway was a small stone engraved -with the initials “I.S.E.S.T.” and the date 1619. This has, however, -now disappeared. Another inscribed stone bears the following: “The -Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of John Lord Culpeper, and widow -of Colonel James Hamilton (who lost his life at sea in Spain, in the -service of his king and country), purchased this manor, and annexed -it to the opposite estate of the family, which paternal estate itself -has improved by her prudent management to nearly the yearly income -of the dower she received thereout. She has also settled her younger -son, William Hamilton, Esq., in an estate acquired in England, of -nearly equal value in the purchase to this, and given every one of her -numerous offspring, descended from both branches, some considerable -mark of her parental care. Her eldest son, James, Earl of Abercorn, and -Viscount Strabane, hath caused this inscription to be placed here for -the information of her posterity, Anno, 1704.” - -There are two incidents in the castle’s history which are of particular -interest. In the sixteenth century it was the chief residence of the -beautiful “Ineen Dubh,” daughter of Macdonnell, Lord of the Isles, and -mother of the famous Red Hugh O’Donnell, Chief of Tyrconnell. - -It was said of her that she was “excelling in all the qualities that -become a woman, yet possessing the heart of a hero, and the soul of a -soldier.” - -The State Paper recording her possession is as follows: “From -Cul-Mac-Tryan runs a bogg three myles in length to the side of -Lough Foyle--in the midst of the bog is a standing loughe called -Bunaber--here at Bunaber dwells O’Donnell’s mother (Ineen Dubh -M’Donnell). Three miles above Cargan stands a fort called McGevyvelin -(Mongivlin) upon the river of Lough Foyle--O’Donnell’s mother’s chief -house.” - -The fortress is mentioned in 1619 in Captain Pynnar’s Survey of the -Escheated Counties of Ulster in the following manner: “Sir John Stewart -hath 3,000 acres called Cashell Hetin and Littergull. Upon this -proportion there is built, at Magevlin, a very strong castle, with a -flanker at each corner.” - -James II. was the guest of Archdeacon Hamilton at Mongevlin during -the siege of Derry. From there he sent proposals of surrender to the -garrison by his host, which were rejected. - -A sad incident occurred in connection with the castle last century. A -servant lad being employed by the owner of the time was so terrified by -the ghost stories he heard in connection with the building that he left -his situation and went home. His friends persuaded him to return, but -the matter so preyed upon his mind that he shortly after hanged himself. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - “The Donegal Highlands.” - J. A. H., “Mongevlin Castle,” in _Dublin Penny Journal_. - - - - -_MONKSTOWN CASTLE, COUNTY CORK_ - - -Situated at the western extremity of Cork Harbour, in the Barony of -Kerricurrihy, is the now ruined castle of Monkstown. The name is -derived from the Monastery Legan, belonging to the Benedictine Monks, -which was formerly established here, it being a cell of Bath Abbey. - -The castle consists of a quadrangular building, flanked by four square -towers, having machicolated defences projecting from their angles. The -windows are in excellent preservation, being of square Tudor style, -divided by strong stone mullions, with horizontal weather cornices. The -moulding of the door displays excellent workmanship. - -The estate belonged to the Archdeacons, who changed their name to -MacOdo, or Cody. - -The castle was erected in 1636 by Anastasia Archdeacon, _nee_ Gould, -who intended it as a pleasant surprise for her husband, who was a naval -officer, and away on a voyage at the time. - -Tradition says that it only cost the thrifty lady a groat. At first -she found that the builders objected to go to so out-of-the-way a -situation, as provisions were difficult to procure. Nothing daunted by -such an excuse the lady offered to supply the workmen with provisions -at the ordinary retail rate. This she did, but as she purchased her -goods at wholesale prices she found when she came to balance her -accounts that she was only 4d. out of pocket. - -The castle was erected in a twelvemonth and a day, and the date 1636 -appears on one of the mantelpieces. - -Smith states that the fortress was originally styled Castle Mahon or -O’Mahony’s Castle, and in an ancient MS. document (probably now in the -possession of Captain Shaw, late of the London Fire Brigade) it is -described as being “remade” at the above date, so that it may occupy -the site of an older stronghold. - -The following interesting extracts are taken from the manuscript -alluded to, which has been preserved in the Shaw family, they having at -one time leased the castle: “A.D. 1636, Monkstown Castle and court were -remade. Reader, you are to observe that it was not John Archdeacon, but -his wife, Anastatia Gould, who built the four castles of Monkstown, and -the court, in his absence, as he was from home. On his return he did -not like the building, and said that a building near a harbour was a -building of sedition, which, alas! turned out so.” - -“A.D. 1660.--Archdeacon died, as when Cromwell came to Ireland he was -deprived of his castle, lands, &c., but not his life, which they did -not covet.” - -In 1612 the wardship of the son of the late John Archdeacon, of -Monkstown, was given to Sir John Jephson Knt., and it was this ward’s -wife who afterwards built the castle. - -He died in 1660, and both he and his wife are buried in the disused -graveyard of Teampul Oen Bryn, west of the castle. Upon his tomb -appears a long Latin inscription which, among other things, states -that--“Here lies the body of that most noble man, John Archdeacon.” - -Colonel Hunks, one of the three deputed to execute the death warrant -of Charles I., was granted the lands of Monkstown by the Commonwealth -before the demise of John Archdeacon, who lost his estate on account of -loyalty to the Stewarts. Hunks sold it to Primate Boyle, brother of the -Earl of Cork, for £400. - -But it evidently returned to the Archdeacon family upon the -Restoration, for it was again confiscated in 1688 on account of the -family’s loyalty to King James. - -It then passed again into the hands of the Boyles, and through two -granddaughters of the Primate it descended to the present owners, the -Lords De Vesci and Longford. - -In 1700 Dive Downes writes: “Mr. O’Callaghan, a Protestant, lives in -Monkstown, in a good square castle with flankers.” - -Later in this century it was rented by the Government as a barrack. - -Lord De Vesci leased the castle to Bernard Shaw in 1861. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Smith, “County and City of Cork.” - Gibson, “History of Cork.” - J. Windele, “Historical Notices of City of Cork,” &c. - Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_PORTUMNA CASTLE_ - - -There have been three consecutive castles at Portumna, which is -situated in the Barony of Longford, Co. Galway. The town stands at the -head of Lough Derg, about eleven miles west of Birr. The name signifies -“the bank of the oak.” - -The territory formerly belonged to the O’Maddens, and was included in -the grant to De Burgo 1226. - -Soon after this the first castle was erected close to the River -Shannon. The ruins were removed some years ago, but its position can -still be traced. - -The second fortress, which was an imposing castellated building of the -Tudor period, was burnt in 1826. The chief apartments were the great -hall, handsome state drawing-room, and library--a beautiful long room -in the upper storey. They were all completely destroyed, only the walls -being left. - -Some of the out-offices were fitted up as a residence for the Dowager -Countess of Clanricard shortly afterwards. - -Since then the Earl of Clanricard has erected a magnificent modern -residence in the demesne, but on a different site. - -The manor passed, by the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of William de -Burgo, Earl of Ulster, to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, through whom it -passed to the Mortimers, and later to the Earls of Clanricard. - -In 1582 it was held by Ulick Burke, Earl of Clanricard, to whom -Portumna and the earldom were confirmed, as his brother John disputed -his right. - -In 1608 it was granted to the Earl, with other houses, to be held by -knight’s service _in capite_. - -The Earl of Strafford held a council in the castle in 1634 to establish -the King’s title in Connaught. The jury, however, negatived the matter, -whereupon the Earl arrested them and the sheriff, and sent them -prisoners to Dublin. - -In 1641, Ulic, 5th Earl of Clanricard, was at Portumna upon the -breaking out of hostilities. He fortified the castle and proceeded to -Galway, of which city he was governor. He used every effort to maintain -peace, and in 1650 was appointed Lord Deputy in place of Ormond. At -this time he made Portumna his chief place of residence. - -In 1659 General Ludlow laid siege to the fortress. - -In the struggle between James and William it was garrisoned for James, -but surrendered to Brigadier-General Eppinger, who, with one thousand -two hundred horse and dragoons, arrived to reduce it. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Hardiman, “History of Galway.” - State Papers. - Lewis, “Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.” - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - Carew MSS. - MS. Ordnance Survey. - - - - -_ROSCOMMON CASTLE_ - - -In the Barony of South Ballintobber, County Roscommon, seventy-five -miles west-by-north of Dublin, stands the now ruined fortress of -Roscommon. Joyce says the name signifies “Coman’s wood,” from St. -Comas, who founded a monastery there about the year 746, but O’Donovan -traces its derivation from “crooked stick.” - -The plan of the castle consists of a quadrangular space enclosed by -curtain walls flanked at the angles by towers rounded on the outside. -The whole measures about 223 feet in length and 173 in breadth. On the -east side the entrance, under a pointed arch, was also protected by -two towers, which were connected by a rectangular building inside that -probably contained the state rooms. - -The lower storeys of the towers were vaulted, although some of them are -now broken. The upper floors have larger windows, and also the remains -of fireplaces. Most of the windows contain four lights, but some have -Elizabethan mullions. - -The north-west tower has a winding stair, which leads to the top of -the curtain wall. On the western side of the stronghold is a small -rectangular tower, which contained a little entrance. - -There is now no trace of the moat, but a few remains of earth outworks -are visible. - -On the east is a long enclosure surrounded by walls and flanked by -bastions, which is known as the orchard, although at present it -contains no trees. - -The north and south walls of the castle, which had been broken down, -have been again raised for farming purposes. The inside of the walls -exhibit traces of blasting. The castle was built of blue limestone, and -much of the stone has been used elsewhere. - -Weld considers it likely that the fortress was built from an English -plan, and remarks on the apparent absence of patching, it all seeming -to date from the same period. - -Robert d’Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland, began to erect the castle -in 1268, while Hugh, King of Connaught, was too ill to prevent such -encroachment on his territory. Some authorities state a fortress -existed here prior to this time. During 1270-72 there are numerous -accounts of payments for building and fortifying the stronghold. - -In 1275-76 is an entry of payment to Brother Maurice, Bishop of Elphin, -for the site that had been used, and which appears to have been Church -property. - -The castle is said to have been razed by O’Conor in 1272, but the -word “broken” used in the Book of Howth seems to be nearer the truth, -as four years later the Irish again seized it by scaling ladders and -overthrew the English garrison. - -In Weld’s Statistical Survey he gives an amusing account of the -contradictions which obscure the early history of the stronghold, and -from which it appears impossible to gather the true facts at this -distant period. - -In 1277 Sir Robert d’Ufford was again Lord Juctice, and with Thomas -de Clare, Maurice Fitz-Maurice and all their forces was hemmed in by -the Irish in the Slievebawn Mountains. They were only released on the -condition that Roscommon Castle was surrendered to the O’Conors. - -It is also chronicled that Hugh O’Conor destroyed it in this year and -that it was rebuilt by Maurice Fitz-Maurice. - -At any rate it seems again to have been in English possession in -1282-83, as there are entries regarding payment for its fortifications, -and a grant to the Prior and Convent of St. Coman of a right to water -their animals for ever at the lake under the castle. This sheet of -water, which was called Loch-na-nean, or “the lake of birds,” has now -entirely disappeared. - -The names of numerous constables of the castle are mentioned in the -State Documents. - -In 1290 the castle was garrisoned by Welshmen, and the townspeople -were in great distress because of the constables and bailiffs preying -upon them. The King issued an order that nothing must be taken without -consent and payment. - -There was a long trial in 1292 of William de Prene, a carpenter in -charge of works at Roscommon Castle, who was accused of various frauds -in connection with his contract. - -A very interesting account of repairs is recorded in 1304 which gives -a fair idea of the extent of the fortress. An artilleryman was paid -for repairing war engines, and the well was enclosed by a wall 3 feet -thick. It was 5 feet across and 32 feet deep, with a wooden cover. -Three drawbridges and two portcullisses are also mentioned. The postern -was closed with masonry 7 feet thick. The step of the hall repaired, -and the tower near it vaulted with two arches. Also St. Bridget’s well -was drained into the lake. - -Somewhere about this time Felim O’Conor is said to have laid low the -castle, while in 1341 his son Hugh was taken prisoner by the King of -Connaught and imprisoned in the stronghold, but was released for a -ransom the following year. - -Roderic O’Conor occupied the castle in 1375. - -While in possession of the O’Conors it was a constant source of dispute -between O’Conor Don and O’Conor Roe. In 1409, being in the former’s -possession, it was besieged by the latter, but the garrison was -relieved by Brian O’Conor Sligo, who managed to get provisions into the -fortress. - -Rory O’Conor died there in 1453. Tadhg O’Conor was treacherously killed -by his own people in 1476, and they took the castle of Roscommon, but -did not keep it long. - -In 1499 the Earl of Kildare led his forces into Connaught, dislodged -O’Conor Roe and installed O’Conor Don. In 1512 the Earl of Kildare -again took the fortress, and this time he garrisoned it with his -own warders. It, however, immediately reverted to the O’Conors, and -remained with them until 1566, when it was taken for Queen Elizabeth. - -It had been granted to M’William Bourke in 1544, but as he would have -had to drive out the occupiers, it is not to be wondered at that he -never took possession. - -It was restored by the O’Conor Don, and Sir Thomas L’Estrange made -constable in 1569. The O’Conor Roe, having a spite against the -constable, attacked and burned the castle in 1573, and L’Estrange -claimed compensation to the amount of £1,000. - -Sir Henry Sydney lodged a night in the castle in 1576, and complained -of having no cheer. The O’Conor Don visited him at this time. - -Sir Nicholas Maltbie, to whom the castle was leased in 1577, asked to -be made Seneschal of Roscommon in 1580 as compensation for rebuilding -the fortress. - -Captain Brabazon, Governor of Connaught, summoned a meeting of the -chiefs in the castle in 1582. It was held in the “Tower of the Narrow -Passages,” and the joistings giving way the whole meeting, including -the Governor, was precipitated to the bottom. Chief O’Flanagan died -from the fall. - -After this the English constable was murdered, and Sir Henry Sydney -left a garrison in the castle. - -Sir Nicholas Malbie died in 1584, and the castle remained in his -family’s possession for some years afterwards. In 1609 Lady Sydley, -widow of Henry Malby, Esq., asked allowance for the repairs of the -castles of Roscommon and Longford, both of which she rented from the -Crown. Roscommon had been ruined by various garrisons which had been -placed there by Sir John Norris and others. - -One of the charges against the northern Earls was their intention to -seize Roscommon Castle amongst others. - -The garrison made a brave defence against the Irish in 1642. The castle -was chiefly defended by Scotch warders. It is quaintly noted that at -the beginning of these “commotions” it had belonged to Lord Grandesson. - -Three years later General Preston arrived and laid siege to it, opening -fire on both town and castle. - -On the ninth day of the siege the garrison offered to make honourable -terms, which were accepted. The same day the besieging party had a -sharp encounter with a relieving force, who were, however, defeated, -and the castle surrendered. Captain Leicester was left in command. - -It remained in the possession of the Irish forces until 1652, when -it was delivered on articles to Commissary-General Reynolds, of the -Parliamentary troops, by Captain Daly. - -It is probable that it was demolished at this time. Tradition states -it was burned by fugitive Irish after the battle of Aughrim, and some -blackened joists are pointed out in corroboration. - -It is now leased to a farmer by the Earl of Essex. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Weld, “Statistical Survey of County Roscommon.” - O’Conor Don, “O’Conors of Connaught.” - Meehan, “Irish Franciscan Monasteries.” - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - State Documents. - State Papers. - Carew MSS., including Hook of Howth. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - MS. Ordnance Survey. - Murphy, “The Castle of Roscommon,” - in _Journal of Royal Society - of Antiquaries, Ireland_. - -[Illustration: ROSS CASTLE.] - - - - -_ROSS CASTLE_ - - “Its embers smouldering here and there, - Unfed, the civil war-flame dies; - But still defiant on the air, - O’er Rosse the green flag proudly flies. - - p p p p p - - “‘Till Birnam wood meets Dunsinane,’ - Macbeth before no foe shall quail, - And Rosse may all assaults disdain, - ’Till on Lough Lein strange ship shall sail.’” - A. B. ROWAN. - - -This castle is situated on what is now known as the Island of Ross, on -the east shore of Lough Lene, or the Lower Lake of Killarney, about a -mile and three-quarters south of the town. - -The island has been artificially formed by cutting across the peninsula -or _ros_ on which the fortress is built and from which it takes its -name. - -The channel, which is flooded by the waters of the lake, is crossed by -a bridge, although it is usually dry during the summer months. - -This bridge was formerly protected by a guard house and gates, which -were closed every night, sentinels being posted at the entrance when -the castle was garrisoned in later times. - -The present ruins consist of a keep, with the remains of the -surrounding bawn wall, which was flanked by semicircular towers at -the corners. A spiral stone stair leads to the top of the keep, with -doorways opening at the various floors. - -The fortress is based on a limestone rock, and sustained on the land -side by a buttress of masonry. - -The peninsula contains 158 acres, and copper mines were opened on it -in 1804, which were worked for four years, in which time £80,000 worth -of ore was extracted. Water getting in stopped further work. It was -clearly proved that the mines had been worked many centuries before, -and a number of stone implements, locally called “Danes’ hammers,” have -been found on the island. - -The castle is supposed to have been built towards the close of the -fourteenth century by the family of O’Donoghue-Ross, who added the -appellation of their home to distinguish them from the family of -O’Donoghue-More. - -A modern barrack capable of holding some two hundred men and officers -was erected against the keep, but when it ceased to be used Lord -Kenmare had the unsightly erection removed. - -There is a legend regarding a great and wise Prince O’Donoghue who -possessed the secret of eternal youth, and under whose rule the land -prospered greatly. It is related how that during a splendid feast -at Ross Castle he rose up amongst the company and made a prophetic -oration, recounting accurately all that the future years would bring. -In the midst of speaking he walked over to a window (which is still -shown) and through it he passed out over the lake. Upon nearing the -centre he turned round and waved his hand in farewell to those behind, -and, the waters opening, he disappeared beneath them. - -On May morning he is said to rise from his watery grave and ride over -the lake on a white steed, surrounded by beautiful women and youths. -His appearance is looked upon as a sign of a bountiful harvest. - -It is also related how a young maiden imagining herself in love with -the phantom prince, cast herself into the lake on a May morning and was -drowned. - -The O’Donoghues were succeeded at Ross by the M’Carthy Mores, through -whom the castle passed in 1588 to Sir Valentine Browne, ancestor to the -present house of Kenmare. - -In 1651 Lord Muskerry was guardian to his nephew Sir Valentine Browne, -who was then a minor of about twelve years old. Hence it was that after -his defeat by the Parliamentary forces at Knockniclashy on the 5th of -July he retired with his army, numbering some one thousand five hundred -men, to Ross. - -Ludlow, accompanied by Lord Broghill and Sir Hardress Waller, followed -with four thousand horse and two thousand foot. - -Lord Muskerry was the last Royalist commander in arms, and his -submission was a matter of great moment. - -Ludlow reports that the castle was only accessible by the causeway -which the besieged had fortified, being otherwise surrounded by water -and bog. - -Finding that this made the reduction of the fortress a matter of -difficulty, and probably hearing of the tradition which stated Ross -Castle could not fall until a ship should sail on the lake, Ludlow -asked for a small fleet of boats to be prepared for transport at -Kinsale. - -In the meantime he found that the besieged were obtaining supplies -through the thick woods surrounding the island. A force of two thousand -foot were, therefore, despatched to clear the thickets. Some of the -enemy were killed, some taken prisoners, and the rest saved themselves -“by their good footmanship.” - -The rest of Ludlow’s forces were employed in fortifying the peninsular -so that a few men could keep the besieged in, while a large company was -despatched to Killorgan, on Castlemain Bay, to receive the boats and -supplies. - -The preparation for the expedition was undertaken by the Rev. Dr. -Jones, and the command was given to Captain Chudleigh. - -The vessels were sent in pieces, so that the workmen who accompanied -them could put them together in a few days. Two pinnaces carrying -ordnance, and capable of holding fifty (or Ludlow says a hundred and -fifty) men, were forwarded so as to be ready for use in two days. Also -five or six boats to hold fifty men each, and material to make more. - -Great has been the controversy as to what route was followed in -conveying these vessels to Killarney. The River Laune, which drains the -lakes, is not navigable above the place where Ludlow’s force was to -receive the goods. - -Tradition asserts that they were conveyed by the mountain road, -and in Ware’s Annals it is recorded that a ship was “carried over -the mountains.” On the other hand, Smith distinctly says they were -“brought up by the River Lane, by strength of men’s hands.” He also -relates how a recent sexton of Swords, called Hopkins (who had died at -the age of 115), had been one of those who “assisted in drawing the -above-mentioned vessel into the lake.” It is, therefore, likely that -Smith’s informant on the matter had received the correct impression -from an eye witness. - -On Captain Chudleigh’s tomb at St. Multon’s, Kinsale, the fact is -recorded of his having constructed a ship to sail on land for the -reduction of Ross. - -Some naval men are said to have drawn a vessel up the Laune in later -years. - -It is on the whole most likely that the hulls of the pinnaces were -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. - -King Henry III. enlarged the possessions and added new privileges to -the manor, which he granted to Henry de Loundres in 1216, on condition -that he should build and maintain Castlekevin, near Glendalough, County -Wicklow, to defend the pale in that quarter from the invasions of the -great Irish families of O’Toole and O’Byrne. - -We read later (1380) that Sir Nicholas Daggeworth seized the manor of -Swords as Commissioner of Forfeitures, on the plea that the conditions -above stated had not been complied with. He, however, afterwards -confessed that the charge had not been proved, and therefore a writ of -restitution was issued by the Treasurers and Barons of the Exchequer to -Robert de Wykeford, Archbishop of Dublin. - -The great prelates seem to have lived in almost royal state within -their manor of Swords. They had their own seneschal, who was exempt -from the authority of the sheriff of the county, and the law courts. -The archbishops could try every case except the four pleas of the -Crown, and their gallows was erected near the town on an eminence since -known as Gallows Hill. Every writ issued from the civil courts had to -be transferred to the prelates’ seneschal before it could be served. - -The office of chief constable of the palace was a post of considerable -importance, and survived the occupation of the castle for a -considerable time. William Galrote held the position in 1220, Sampson -de Crumba in 1240, and Thomas Fitzsimons in 1547. - -In 1624 we read that Patrick Barnewell, of Grace Dieu, received -pardon for alienation of certain interests, amongst which was the -Constableship of Swords with ten acres in the Broad Meadow that -belonged to the office. - -It was most likely in connection with this post that the Lords of -Kingsland were required to attend the Archbishop whenever he visited -Swords, and to hold his stirrup as he mounted or dismounted, for which -service they held lands to the value of some £300 a year. - -It seems to be uncertain at what exact period the castle ceased to -be used as a residence by the Archbishops, but in 1324 Alexander de -Bicknor built the archiepiscopal palace of Tallaght, which was used as -a country seat for the Archbishops for centuries, and only ceased to be -considered as a palace in 1821. - -It is most likely, therefore, that the invasion of Ireland by Edward -Bruce, brother to the King of Scotland, rendered the position of Swords -palace (which was not wholly built for defence) a somewhat dangerous -one, as Bruce, having his headquarters at Dundalk, was in possession of -the country almost up to the walls of Dublin. - -In 1326 this same Alexander de Bicknor having displeased Edward II., -and also being in arrears with his accounts as Lord Treasurer, the -profits of his See were seized by the King to compensate for the -deficiency, and in order to ascertain their real value inquisitions by -jurors were held on the different manors. - -The finding as regards the palace of Swords was as follows:-- - -“Who being sworn, say on oath, that there is in this place a hall, -and the chamber adjoining said hall, the walls of which are of stone, -crenelated after the manner of a castle, and covered with shingles. - -“Further, there is a kitchen, together with a larder, the walls of -which are of stone, roofed with shingles. And there is in the same -place a chapel, the walls of which are of stone, roofed with shingles. -Also there was in the same a chamber for friars, with a cloister, -which is now prostrate. Also, there are in the same place a chamber, -or apartment, for the constables by the gate, and four chambers for -soldiers and warders, roofed with shingles, under which are a stable -and bake-house. - -“Also, there were here a house for a dairy, and a workshop, which are -now prostrate. Also, there is on the premises in the haggard a shed -made of planks, and thatched with straw. Also, a granary, built with -timber and roofed with boards. Also, a byre, for the housing of farm -horses and bullocks. - -“The profits of all the above-recited premises, they return as of -no value, because nothing is to be derived from them, either in the -letting of the houses, or in any other way. And they need thorough -repair, inasmuch as they are badly roofed.” - -This gives some idea of the lost buildings, and also shows that even at -this date the castle was beginning to decay. - -Later the manor of Swords seems several times to have been granted -to archbishops who wished during their lives to resign the arduous -duties of the See. In 1484 we read that “Doctor Walton, Archbishop of -Dublin, being blind and infirm, resigned his dignity, and reserved to -himself for a maintenance the manor of Swords during his life, which -reservation was confirmed to him by Act of Parliament during the -following year.” And again, in 1562, it is recorded that, by Act of -Parliament, John, late Archbishop of Dublin, was assured the manor of -Swords for his life in consideration of surrendering the bishopric to -Walter FitzSymons. - -There is no evidence to show that these aged prelates ever resided in -the castle, and as the following extract, written in 1583, records its -state of ruin, it is most likely they were content with the revenues -alone. - -Sir Henry Sydney, Lord Deputy in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, when sending -to Sir Francis Walsingham a summary of his services in Ireland, says: -“I caused to plant and inhabit there about forty families of the -reformed churches of the Low Countries, flying thence for religion’s -sake, in one ruinous town called Surds (Swords). And truly (Sir) it -would have done any man good to have seen how diligently they wrought, -how they re-edified the quite spoiled old castle of the same town and -repaired almost all the same, and how godly and cleanly they, their -wives and children lived. They made diaper and ticks for beds, and -other good stuff for man’s use, and excellent good leather of deer -skins, goat and sheep fells, as is made at Southwark.” - -Upon the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland the castle ground -was purchased by the late Charles Cobbe, Esq., who leased it to the -late Henry Baker, Esq., whose successor still holds the land. - -The ground enclosed by the walls is at present laid out as an orchard -and garden, and the castellated battlements, which were built to -protect the royal state of wealthy prelates, have now no sterner duty -than to shelter the delicate apple blossoms from the harsh spring -winds, and to catch the sun-rays for the ripening fruit. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - Right Rev. W. Reeves, D.D., Pamphlet 011 “Antiquities of Swords.” - Rev. Canon Twigg, MS. Paper read to Antiquarian Society. - Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.” - D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.” - D’Alton, “Archbishops of Dublin.” - Calendar of Carew MSS. - - - - -_TILLYRA CASTLE_ - - -Not far from Ardrahan, in the County Galway, stands this castle, which -originally belonged to the Burkes or De Burgos. We read that Ulick, 3rd -Earl of Clanricarde, married a daughter of Burke of Tullyra, but it -seems to have passed to the Martyns during the sixteenth century. This -is generally supposed to have been through marriage. Hogan mentions the -Martins of Tillyra in 1598. - -In one of the upper chambers is carved the date 1614, accompanied by -the initials “S. B.” - -A somewhat modern doorway opening into the courtyard is surmounted by -a stone shield bearing the Martyn arms. They are said to have been -presented to the family by Richard I., who was accompanied by Oliver -Martyn when he went to the Holy Land. - -Underneath the arms on the right side are the letters “R.M.,” and on -the left “C. M.” - -In 1702 Oliver Martin of Tulliry, Esq., was allowed to retain his lands -after the rebellion, because he had assisted so many Protestants during -the insurrection. This was an almost unique concession at the time. - -The present owner, Mr. Edward Martyn, of literary fame, has recently -erected a beautiful modern mansion near the old fortress. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - J. Fahey, “History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Kilmacduagh.” - J. Hardiman, “History of Galway.” - Hogan, “Description of Ireland, 1598.” - - - - -_TIMON CASTLE_ - - -This fortress was one of the castles of the Pale, and is situated in -the County of Dublin on the right-hand side of the road which leads -from Balrothery to Greenhills. - -The name Timon or Timothan is derived from _Teach-Munna_, signifying -“the house of St. Munna.” - -The stronghold is built upon an esker and is therefore conspicuous for -a considerable distance round. - -There seems to be no trace of outworks, which were probably unnecessary -owing to the castle having formerly been surrounded by marshes. In -recent years the land has been drained and the water carried off by a -small stream which crosses the road near the castle and is a tributary -of the Poddle. - -The building consists of a square keep with a projecting stair tower -adjoining the south-west angle, which is now covered with ivy. The main -structure was formerly divided into two floors by an arched roof over -the lower room. The battlement slightly projects. The east wall has -been destroyed, while about two-thirds of the north wall and some of -the south have gone. The western side is still perfect. - -There is a narrow window splayed outwards on the ground floor, while -several “slit” windows and larger openings are noticeable at different -heights. There are a few recesses in the walls. - -A flue projection resting on two corbels is to be seen near the summit, -and also a walk inside the battlements at the top of the tower. - -The entrance was in the west wall, and a small machicolation for -pouring lead or water on an enemy was situated over the arched doorway. -There were holes at each side of the entrance for securing it with -wooden bars. - -A great rent now runs from base to summit of the ruin. - -A view of the castle as it was in 1770 is published in Handcock’s -“History of Tallaght.” - -The fortress is supposed to have been erected in the reign of King -John, who granted the manor to Henry de Loundres for his expenses -incurred in fortifying Dublin Castle. This grant was confirmed in 1231. - -Timon was constituted a prebend of St. Patrick’s in 1247, and it is so -still, but without endowment, though in 1306 it was valued at £10 a -year. - -In an inquisition in 1547 it is described as a “ruinous fortress,” -and three years later being a suppressed prebend it was granted to -Bartholomew Cusack for twenty-one years. Two or three years later the -lands were granted to James Sedgrove, after which they were purchased -by Sir Charles Wilmot, from whom they passed to the Loftus family. - -Dudley Loftus was in possession of the castle when he died in 1616, and -in 1618 the property was confirmed to Sir Adam Loftus. - -William Conolly purchased the estate, which still remains in his family. - -Some peasantry inhabited the castle towards the close of the eighteenth -century. - -There was once a village of Timon, of which no trace now remains. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.” - Handcock, “History of Tallaght.” - Joyce, “Rambles Around Dublin,” in _Evening Telegraph_ Reprints. - Dix, “Lesser Castles of the County Dublin,” in _Irish Builder_. - Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.” - - - - -_TRALEE CASTLE_ - - -The town of Tralee, formerly Traleigh, meaning the “strand of the River -Leigh,” is situated in the Barony of Trughenackmy, in the County Kerry. -It is nearly two miles east-north-east of Tralee Harbour, and the Lee -Rivulet, from which it takes its name, formerly filled the moat of -the great castle. Sir Thomas Denny made it run along the Mall in the -eighteenth century, and it is now covered over. - -The town had originally four castles, only two of which were standing -during the famous siege of 1641. Short Castle had disappeared in 1756, -while the great castle was demolished in 1826 by consent of its owner, -Sir Edward Denny, for the improvement of the town. Its former site, and -that of the bowling green attached, is now occupied by the handsome -thoroughfare known as Denny Street. The entrance to the castle demesne -or “green,” is at the top of this street, and the public have always -had access to it. - -The great mahogany doors from the castle may still be seen, cut down to -fit ordinary doorways, in the houses in Denny Street belonging to Sir -John Neligan and Mr. Francis M’G. Denny. Mr. Denny also possesses some -parts of a grey stone mantelpiece carved in high relief with the Denny -arms, crest, and motto, which also came from the old fortress. - -This last castle was a restoration of the chief seat of the Desmond -FitzGeralds for close on four hundred years. - -There are several versions of the legend which accounts for the crest -and supporters of the Geraldines being represented by monkeys. One of -these is that in 1261, after the battle of Callen, where MacCarthy -Reigh slew the chief heads of the Munster FitzGeralds, only a little -baby of eight months old, at nurse in Tralee, was left to represent -the great family. Upon hearing the news of the disaster the child’s -attendants rushed into the streets, when to their horror they presently -beheld their charge exhibited on the battlements of the castle in the -arms of a pet ape. The animal, however, returned the baby unharmed to -his cradle, and afterwards this Desmond was known as “Thomas a Nappagh” -or “of the ape.” Some authorities mention the abbey as the scene of the -child’s escape. - -Sir Henry Sidney, in his report on Munster, declared that there -would be “neither peace nor order in the South, until the palatine -jurisdiction of both Ormond and Desmond (East and South Munster) were -reduced.” - -Therefore, in 1576 Sir William Drury, Lord President of Munster, -declared his intention of giving the Queen’s writ currency in the -palatinate. - -At the Council the Earl of Desmond tried to dissuade him, but being -unsuccessful he offered him hospitality during his visit. - -Upon approaching Tralee the Lord President was met by seven or eight -hundred armed men who emerged from the cover of the wood, and rushed -towards him shouting and brandishing their weapons. Sir William, not -knowing whether the display was friendly or otherwise, determined to be -on the safe side, and gathering his body guard of a hundred and twenty -men round him, he charged the on-coming troop, who did not wait for an -attack, but withdrew as hastily as they had advanced. - -The President rode on to the castle, where he demanded admittance and -explanation, both of which were given to him by the Countess, who -received him at the entrance, and assured him (or endeavoured to do so) -that he had but received an Irish welcome, and that her husband had -meant no harm, but awaited him in the fortress to go hunting. - -In 1579 Sir William Drury, then Lord Deputy, sent Henry Danvers to the -Desmonds to enlist their aid in repelling a threatened invasion of some -foreign mercenaries. This he failed to do, and upon his return journey -he slept a night in Tralee Castle, having formerly been a great friend -of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s brother. This friendship is said to -have weakened Sir John’s influence among his countrymen, and that in -consequence he determined to show it had ceased to exist. Be that as -it may, he demanded admittance to the castle during the night, and he -and his followers murdered Sir Henry Danvers, the Justices Meade and -Charters, and their servants, while they slept. It is said that Danvers -awoke and seeing Sir John said, “My son, what is the matter?” But his -murderer answered, “No more of son, no more of father, make thyself -ready, for die thou shalt.” - -Tradition always pointed out a room in the castle as the scene of the -murder, which had a small room off it in the thickness of the walls, -from which access was obtained to a narrow stairway and postern. This -was commonly called the “murdering hole,” and regarded with great -superstition. - -A despatch to Cecil in 1580 states “all the houses in Trally burnte and -the castles raised.” - -The Earl of Desmond’s estate was forfeited in 1583. - -“Traylye” was granted to Sir Edward Denny in 1587, and delivered to him -by Mr. Thomas Norreys. - -The castle was at this time in a ruined condition, and when the family -came to Ireland they resided at Carrignafeely Manor until the close of -James I.’s reign. - -The “Sugan” Earl of Desmond seized the fortress in 1599 and employed a -hundred and fifty men to undermine it. Sir Charles Wilmot surprised the -rebels with fifty horse. He killed thirty-two, and seized the arms of -about a hundred more while the rest escaped to the mountains. - -In 1627 Edward Denny, grandson to the first grantee, began to rebuild -the stronghold. - -Upon the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641 Sir Edward Denny -collected his English tenants and the loyal Irish, and they fortified -themselves in the two castles. Lady Denny and her children went to -England, while Sir Edward joined the President. His step-father, Sir -Thomas Harris, took command of the Tralee garrisons, but it was not -until early in the following year that the Irish laid siege to the -town, under the command of Florence Carty with six hundred men. - -The guns of Short Castle opened fire, but nevertheless the Irish raided -the town. They stripped or murdered all the inhabitants they captured, -and hundreds fled to the two strongholds for protection. - -Upon the 10th of February a spy named Laurence gained admittance to -the larger castle, on the plea of seeing the Governor, who was asleep. -He carried a pass from the rebel poet, Pierce Ferriter, who commanded -the Irish forces in the district. His movements at length awakening -suspicion he was taken prisoner. - -Shortly after this the Irish took possession of the town during the -night. The guns of both castles played with little effect, and some of -the inhabitants were drawn up into Short Castle by ropes. The Provost, -who had left the town to see to some outlying property, was prevented -returning, and Sir Thomas Harris had command of both castles, a line -from the top of each conveying letters from one fortress to the other. - -About four hundred persons fled to the strongholds, so that the -provisions intended to last two years gave out in seven months. Water -failed, and although thirteen wells were sunk twenty feet each, only -thick black water could be procured. - -Captain Ferriter and a townsman of Tralee demanded a parley with Sir -Thomas and asked him to surrender, but he refused. - -They then hauled “sow” engines against the strongholds. The one sent -against the great castle was smashed by a small cannon ball, and a -cooper in Short Castle dislodged a pinnacle of the building on the top -of the other, which they afterwards burnt. The Irish lost about twenty -men and their engines in the attack. - -An effort was made to relieve the town by sea, but the small force sent -for the purpose was entirely routed. - -When the siege had lasted about six months Sir Thomas Harris fell ill -and died through bad water and anxiety. - -Immediately after the provisions giving out the garrisons capitulated, -the terms being their lives and a suit of clothes each. Most of them -joined Colonel Crosbie in Ballingarry fortress on an island in the -Shannon. - -Of the six hundred within the castles of Tralee three hundred died -during the siege. They were reduced to eating bran, tallow, and raw -hides. - -The castles were burnt upon being surrendered. - -The great castle was shortly afterwards restored, but in 1691 it was -again burned, by Sir James Colter’s orders, and when the Royalists -were defeated at Lixnaw the two Irish officers who carried out the -order would have been hanged but for the intervention of Colonel Edward -Denny. The famous “Denny Bible” in which this conflagration is recorded -belongs to Tralee church, to which it was presented by the Denny family. - -In 1698 the House of Commons decided to help in the rebuilding of the -castle. - -This fortress was of an L shape, but Sir Edward Denny, 3rd baronet, -who succeeded to the title in 1795, added another wing in 1804, which -contained several fine saloons, a large hall with a handsome circular -staircase and other apartments. Soon after 1820 Sir Edward went to live -in England. - -A black coach, with headless horses and coachman, was formerly said to -drive through Tralee upon the death of one of the Denny family, and if -any one looked out at it, a basin of blood was thrown in his face. Of -later years a banshee is said to have taken its place. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - C. Smith, “State of the County Kerry.” - M. A. Hickson, “Old Kerry Records.” - “The Antiquities of Tralee,” in _Kerry Magazine_. - J. J. Howard, “Miscellanea Genealogica.” - M. Hickson, “Ireland in the Seventeenth Century.” - Gilbert, “The Castle of Dublin,” in _Dublin University Magazine_. - Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.” - Carew MSS. - Parliamentary Gazetteer. - - - - -_TRIM CASTLE_ - - “What! rate--rebuke--and roughly send to prison - The immediate heir of England! Was this easy? - May this be washed in Lethe--and forgotten?” - SHAKESPEARE. - - -The ancient name of Trim was Ath Truim, signifying “the ford of the -boortrees” or elders, the latter half of which appellation alone -remains. It is situated on the Boyne, twenty-two and a half miles -north-west by west of Dublin on the Enniskillen road. - -The castle lies east of the town, on the right bank of the river, and -has been said to be the only castle in Ireland deserving the name. It -is certainly the finest specimen of the Anglo-Norman fortress, and -was one of the chief strongholds of the Pale. It occupies a sloping -mound and its walls enclose a triangular area of about three acres, -which measures 486 yards in circumference, and was protected by eight -circular flanking towers at nearly equal distances and two gate towers. - -The north-east side was formerly washed by the Boyne, but now a low -meadow intervenes. - -On the west or town side a gate-tower occupies the centre. The grooves -for the portcullis are still perfect, and from abutting masonry it -would appear that there had once been a drawbridge and barbican. The -lower portion of the tower is rectangular and the upper part octagonal. - -In the southern side is a circular gate tower of Gothic shape. Here -also are the portcullis grooves visible and a recess for the windlass, -as well as the remains of arches over the moat, and a barbican beyond. - -A moat or ditch surrounded the fortress, on the two sides not washed by -the Boyne, which was supplied with water by a small stream. - -Where the town wall joined the castle at the south-west angle a mound -of earth has been artificially raised to the height of the castle wall. -This was probably done for the mounting of cannon when the castle was -re-fortified in 1647. - -One of the towers near this mound was cleared in 1836. It is of three -storeys, and the upper part was found to be a pigeon-house, having -holes for 60 or 80 pair, while the lower storey contained a postern -leading to the level of the moat water. In 1425 it is recorded that the -King granted the custody of the dove-cot to Thomas Brown, with pasture -called the Castle Orchard. - -The north angle of the bawn contains the ruins of several buildings, -one being of three storeys with a high gable, and four large windows in -the wall towards the river. The piers for the arched roof are still to -be seen, and it is likely to have been the banqueting hall or chapel. -A large vault extends under part of it. In one of the towers near this -the mint is supposed to have been situated. Another tower contains the -remains of a small chapel. - -The keep consists of a rectangular figure, on each side of which a -small square tower abuts, thus forming a twenty-sided figure from which -missiles could be showered in all directions. The walls of the centre -tower are twelve feet thick, while those of the adjoining ones measure -from four to six feet. Winding stairways lead to the summit, at some -60 feet from the ground, while on each angle of the centre tower is a -square turret nearly 17 feet in height. - -After Hugh de Lacy had been granted Meath in 1173 he erected the -castle of Trim to guard his possessions. He surrounded it with a -moat, and furnished it with stores. He then entrusted its custody to -Hugh Tyrrell and proceeded to England. No sooner had he left than -Roderick O’Connor, King of Connaught, descended on Trim with a large -army. Tyrrell sent messages to Strongbow for aid, but in the meantime, -finding himself unable to hold the fortress, he evacuated and burnt it. - -[Illustration: TRIM CASTLE.] - -The news was brought to Strongbow as he marched to its relief, and upon -his arrival finding the Irish had retreated, and having nowhere to -lodge, he pursued them and killed a hundred and fifty. - -Giraldus states that the castle was rebuilt by Raymond le Gros, who had -marched to its relief with Strongbow, having joined the expedition on -the day of his marriage. - -King John stayed at Trim, but he did not lodge in the castle, although -one of the towers is called after him, and his signet ring is said to -have been found in the enclosure. - -In 1215 letters were sent from the King to Thomas Fitzadam to surrender -the castle, and five years later it was restored by William Peppard, -Lord of Tabor. - -At this time Meath was wasted by the quarrels between William, Earl -Marshal, and Sir Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster. - -There was an order in 1224 from Henry III. to the Lord Justice to allow -Walter de Lacy to occupy a hall, rooms, and chambers in the castle. The -same year the fortress was besieged. - -De Lacy died in 1241, and through the female line the castle passed -into the hands of Roger Mortimer, who landed in Ireland in 1308 and -took possession. - -Upon the invasion of Edward Bruce, Mortimer fled to Dublin, and Lord -Walter Cusacke occupied Trim. - -Orders for repairing the great hall were issued in 1326, and it was -most likely at this time that the two arches which formerly crossed the -northern division of the keep were erected, for when they fell in 1820 -the plaster showed they had been added after the walls were built. - -In 1330 Edward III. granted to Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, the -moiety of Meath and the privileges exercised in Trim Castle. He was -hanged as a traitor the same year, but Trim was restored to his widow. - -Roger, Earl of March, was killed by the Irish in 1398, and the next -year Richard II. landed at Waterford to avenge his cousin’s death, with -Humphrey, son of the Duke of Gloucester and Henry (afterwards Henry -V.), son of the Duke of Lancaster. The boys he brought with him as -hostages, and upon returning to England he left them as prisoners in -Trim Castle. A very small steel spur, inlaid with silver, was found in -the castle yard in 1836, which may have belonged to one of the princes. - -In 1400 Henry IV. appointed a custodian to the late Earl of March’s -records at Trim and elsewhere. At this time the castle was in his -hands owing to the minority of the heir. - -The Privy Council in England (1403) notified to the King that the -castle was in a most dilapidated condition. - -From this time forward Parliaments were continually held at Trim, while -in 1418 the Earl of Kildare, Sir Christopher Preston, and John Bedlow -were imprisoned in the castle. - -Four years later Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, resided in the -fortress, and in 1425 Edmund, Earl of March, died there while Lord -Deputy. - -But, perhaps, the most palmy days of Trim Castle were in 1449, when -Richard, Duke of York, came to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant, and held his -court there. - -The mint was opened in 1460, and the following year Christopher Fox was -appointed Comptroller. - -A Parliament held at Trim in 1465 enacted that any one discovered -robbing might be killed, and in Meath their heads were to be sent -to the Portreffe of the town of Trim, to be put on the castle wall. -Several skulls have been found in the moat. - -In 1495 an Act of Parliament passed at Drogheda provided that only -Englishmen should be constables of Trim and the other principal castles. - -The liberty and lordship of Trim were at this time annexed to the Crown -for ever. - -In 1541 an order was issued to restore the castle, half the cost of -which was to be paid by the country. - -A grant was made to Sir James Carroll, Lord Mayor of Dublin, in 1610, -to build upon the ruins of the castle a house for the King, and also a -jail within the castle enclosure. - -Colonel Fenwicke occupied the fortress with a regiment of foot and some -troops of horse in 1647. It was in the Royalists’ hands until the fall -of Drogheda, in 1649, and the garrison disobeyed the Duke of Ormond’s -instructions to destroy the place before letting it fall into the -hands of Sir Charles Coote and his army. - -It is stated that the yellow steeple near having been treacherously -delivered into the hands of the Cromwellians, was used as a vantage -point to make the castle untenable, and that afterwards when the -Governor of the castle was reinstated he had one side of the tower -blown up. It was in a sally from the town of Trim that Sir Charles -Coote lost his life. - -It is reported Cromwell-spent one night in the castle, but there is no -evidence that this is the case. - -Adam Loftus sold the castle to Sir James Shean in 1666, and it seems -to have been in military occupation in 1690. The whole property was -purchased by the Wellesleys, who afterwards sold it to Colonel Leslie. - -It is now in Lord Dunsany’s possession. - - - AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. - - R. Butler, “Castle of Trim.” - W. Wilde, “The Boyne and Blackwater.” - E. Evans, “Trim.” - P. Joyce, “Irish Place Names.” - - -_Elliot Stock, Paternoster Row, London._ - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Castles of Ireland, by -C. L. 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Adams. -</title> -<style type="text/css"> - p {margin-top:.2em;text-align:justify;margin-bottom:.2em;text-indent:3%;} - -.c {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.fint {text-align:center;text-indent:0%; -margin-top:5em;font-size:75%;} - -.lftspc {margin-left:.25em;} - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -.r {text-align:right;margin-right: 5%;} - -.rt {text-align:right;} - -small {font-size: 70%;} - -big {font-size: 130%;} - - h1 {margin-top:5%;text-align:center;clear:both; -font-weight:normal;} - - h2 {margin-top:4%;margin-bottom:2%;text-align:center;clear:both; - font-size:120%;font-weight:normal;} - - hr.full {width: 60%;margin:2% auto 2% auto;border-top:1px solid black; -padding:.1em;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:none;border-right:none;} - - table {margin-top:2%;margin-bottom:2%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;border:none;} - -td {padding-left:1em;text-indent:-1em;} - - body{margin-left:4%;margin-right:6%;background:#FFFECE;color:black;font-family:"Times New Roman", serif;font-size:medium;} - -a:link {background-color:#FFFECE;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - - link {background-color:#FFFECE;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - -a:visited {background-color:#FFFECE;color:purple;text-decoration:none;} - -a:hover {background-color:#FFFECE;color:#FF0000;text-decoration:underline;} - -.smcap {font-variant:small-caps;font-size:100%;} - - img {border:none;} - -.caption {font-weight:normal;} -.caption p{font-size:75%;text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.figcenter {margin:3% auto 3% auto;clear:both; -text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -div.poetry {text-align:center;} -div.poem {font-size:90%;margin:auto auto;text-indent:0%; -display: inline-block; text-align: left;} -.poem .stanza {margin-top: 1em;margin-bottom:1em;} -.poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i1 {display: block; margin-left: .45em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i3 {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 3em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i10 {display: block; margin-left: 8em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i15 {display: block; margin-left: 10em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.iast {display: block; margin-left: 2.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em; -letter-spacing:1em;} - -.pagenum {font-style:normal;position:absolute; -left:95%;font-size:55%;text-align:right;color:gray; -background-color:#FFFECE;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0em;} -@media print, handheld -{.pagenum - {display: none;} - } -</style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Castles of Ireland, by C. L. (Constance Louisa) Adams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Castles of Ireland - Some Fortress Histories and Legends - -Author: C. L. (Constance Louisa) Adams - -Release Date: June 27, 2020 [EBook #62488] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CASTLES OF IRELAND *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Hulse, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image of the book's -cover unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr><td> -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a></p> -<p class="c"><a href="#LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a></p> -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_i" id="page_i">{i}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii">{ii}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="c">CASTLES OF IRELAND</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_001" id="ill_001"></a><br /> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption"> -ADARE CASTLE.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii">{iii}</a> </span></p> - -<h1>Castles of Ireland</h1> - -<p class="c">Some Fortress Histories and<br /> -Legends<br /> -<br /><br /> -<small>BY</small><br /> -<br /> -C. L. ADAMS<br /> -<br /> -<br /> -ILLUSTRATED BY REV. CANON LUCIUS O’BRIEN<br /> -<br /><br /><br /> -<img src="images/clover.png" -width="30" -alt="" -/><br /><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -LONDON<br /> -ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.<br /> -1904</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv">{iv}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v">{v}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a>INTRODUCTION</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> Castles of Ireland are far too numerous for any single volume to -contain their separate histories, and all that I claim for the present -work is that it includes epitomised accounts of those of chief interest, -as well as some regarding which I had special facilities for collecting -information. It is, I also believe, the first collection of such -records, and therefore I hope but the forerunner of similar works which -may be issued in the future, so that the time will yet come when all -these interesting relics of a troubled and stormy past may be classified -and chronicled, and the present obscurity in which the history of so -many of them is shrouded be entirely cleared away.</p> - -<p>The number of ruined castles in Ireland is always a matter of surprise -to visitors from the Sister Isle, and perhaps they help us, of less -stirring days, to realise more fully the continual state of warfare in -which our ancestors must have lived than printed records can ever do.</p> - -<p>These castles range in dimensions from the few blocks of protruding -masonry on the green sward, which mark the foundation of a ruined peel -tower, or the scarcely traceable line of wall which was once a fortified -bawn, to the majestic ruins of castles like Adare with its three -distinct and separate fortifications one within the other, or royal -Trim, deemed strong enough to be a prison for English princes.</p> - -<p>Yet in the majority of cases little or nothing is known locally about -the builders, owners or destroyers who have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi">{vi}</a></span> left us these picturesque, -if somewhat sad, mementoes of their warfaring existence. Three items of -information will in all probability be supplied to the enquirer—that -they were built by King John, occupied by the Geraldines, and demolished -by Cromwell in person, and indeed if the hill from which the bombardment -was carried out is not shown to the stranger his informant is lacking in -the general art of story-telling. In some cases the origin of the -castles is boldly attributed by tradition to the Danes, thereby -unconsciously introducing the much wider controversy as to whether such -stone fortresses were known in Ireland before the landing of the Normans -at Wexford in 1169. Be this as it may, it was only subsequent to this -date that they were built in any number. Both invaders and invaded -relied chiefly on these strongholds for obtaining supremacy in their -constant struggles. Grants of land were generally given with the -condition of erecting a fortified residence. It was only when the -introduction of gunpowder rendered such buildings untenable in war, that -they were very generally deserted for more comfortable dwellings, and -jackdaws alone keep watch to-day from many a crumbling battlement that -once echoed a sentinel’s tread, and bovine heads protrude from the -doorways from which mailed knights rode forth to battle.</p> - -<p>I regret to say that space forbids my mentioning by name all those -owners of castles and others who have so generously assisted me in -compiling the following accounts, but perhaps I may be allowed to -specially acknowledge the valuable help I received from the Librarian -and Assistant Librarians of the National Library, Dublin, Lord Walter -Fitzgerald, and Mr. Herbert Wood, of the Public Record Office.</p> - -<p class="r"> -C. L. ADAMS.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span>, 1904.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii">{vii}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#INTRODUCTION">Introduction</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_v">v</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#THE_LEGEND_OF_KILKEA_CASTLE">Legend of Kilkea Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_xi">xi</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ADARE_CASTLE">Adare Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ANTRIM_CASTLE">Antrim Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_9">9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ARKLOW_CASTLE">Arklow Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_15">15</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ARTANE_CASTLE">Artane Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_18">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ATHLONE_CASTLE">Athlone Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_22">22</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BALLYMOTE_CASTLE">Ballymote Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_27">27</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BALLYSHANNON_CASTLE">Ballyshannon Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_31">31</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BALLYTEIGUE_CASTLE">Ballyteigue Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_37">37</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BARBERSTOWN_CASTLE">Barberstown Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_39">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BARGY_CASTLE">Bargy Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BARRYSCOURT_CASTLE">Barryscourt Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_45">45</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BIRR_CASTLE">Birr Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_48">48</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BLACK_CASTLE_WICKLOW">Black Castle, Wicklow</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_54">54</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BLARNEY_CASTLE">Blarney Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_57">57</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#BUNRATTY_CASTLE">Bunratty Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_65">65</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CARLOW_CASTLE">Carlow Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_71">71</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CARRICKFERGUS_CASTLE">Carrickfergus Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_77">77</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CARRICK-ON-SUIR_CASTLE">Carrick-on-Suir Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_85">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CARRIGOGUNNEL_CASTLE">Carrigogunnel Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_90">90</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_BARNARD">Castle Barnard</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_97">97</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_BORO">Castle Boro</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_101">101</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_DONOVAN">Castle Donovan</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_104">104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_CORK">Castle Kevin, County Cork</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_107">107</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_WICKLOW">Castle Kevin, County Wicklow</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_109">109</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CASTLE_SALEM">Castle Salem</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_114">114</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CLOGHAN_CASTLE">Cloghan Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_116">116</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#CROM_CASTLE">Crom Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DOE_CASTLE">Doe Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DRIMNAGH_CASTLE">Drimnagh Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_133">133</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii">{viii}</a></span> - -<a href="#DUBLIN_CASTLE">Dublin Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_137">137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DUNDANIEL_CASTLE">Dundaniel Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_142">142</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN">Dundrum Castle, County Down</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_148">148</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DUBLIN">Dundrum Castle, County Dublin</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_152">152</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DUNLUCE_CASTLE">Dunluce Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#DUNSOGHLY_CASTLE">Dunsoghly Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_165">165</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ENNISCORTHY_CASTLE">Enniscorthy Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_168">168</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ENNISKILLEN_CASTLE">Enniskillen Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_172">172</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#FERNS_CASTLE">Ferns Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_177">177</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#FERRYCARRIG_AND_SHANA_COURT_CASTLES">Ferrycarrig and Shana Court Castles</a> </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_182">182</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#GEASHILL_CASTLE">Geashill Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_185">185</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#GLENARM_CASTLE">Glenarm Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_191">191</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#GLIN_CASTLE">Glin Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_193">193</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DONEGAL">Greencastle, County Donegal</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_198">198</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN">Greencastle, County Down</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_202">202</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#HOWTH_CASTLE">Howth Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILBARRON_CASTLE">Kilbarron Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_214">214</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILBRITTAIN_CASTLE">Kilbrittain Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_217">217</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILKEA_CASTLE">Kilkea Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_220">220</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILKENNY_CASTLE">Kilkenny Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_228">228</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILLIANE_CASTLE">Killiane Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_235">235</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KILLYLEAGH_CASTLE">Killyleagh Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_239">239</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_CARLINGFORD">King John’s Castle, Carlingford</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_244">244</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_LIMERICK">King John’s Castle, Limerick</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_250">250</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LEA_CASTLE">Lea Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_257">257</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LEAP_CASTLE">Leap Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_264">264</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LEIXLIP_CASTLE">Leixlip Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_272">272</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LISMORE_CASTLE">Lismore Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_280">280</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LOHORT_CASTLE">Lohort Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_285">285</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#LOUGH_CUTRA_CASTLE">Lough Cutra Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_287">287</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MACROOM_CASTLE">Macroom Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_289">289</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MALAHIDE_CASTLE">Malahide Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_292">292</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MALLOW_CASTLE">Mallow Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_297">297</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MAYNOOTH_CASTLE">Maynooth Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_305">305</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MONGEVLIN_CASTLE">Mongevlin Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_311">311</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#MONKSTOWN_CASTLE_COUNTY_CORK">Monkstown Castle, County Cork</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_313">313</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#PORTUMNA_CASTLE">Portumna Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_316">316</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ROSCOMMON_CASTLE">Roscommon Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_318">318</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ROSS_CASTLE">Ross Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_325">325</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ROSSCLOGHER_CASTLE">Rossclogher Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_330">330</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#SHANES_CASTLE">Shane’s Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_336">336</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#SWORDS_CASTLE">Swords Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_344">344</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#TILLYRA_CASTLE">Tillyra Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_350">350</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#TIMON_CASTLE">Timon Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_351">351</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#TRALEE_CASTLE">Tralee Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_353">353</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#TRIM_CASTLE">Trim Castle</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_359">359</a></td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ix" id="page_ix">{ix}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_001">Adare Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_8"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_002">Antrim Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_8">8</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_003">Birr Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_49">49</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_004">Black Castle, Wicklow</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_55">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_005">Blarney Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_59">59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_006">Bunratty Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_64">64</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_007">Carlow Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_72">72</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_008">Carrickfergus Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_79">79</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_009">Carrick-on-Suir Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_84">84</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_010">Carrigogunnel Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_91">91</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_011">Castle Donovan</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_105">105</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_012">Crom Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_013">Drimnagh Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_132">132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_014">Dublin Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_015">Dundrum Castle, County Down</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_149">149</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_016">Dunluce Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_156">156</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_017">Dunsoghly Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_164">164</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_018">Enniskillen Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_173">173</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_019">Glenarm Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_190">190</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_020">Greencastle, County Donegal</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_199">199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_021">Greencastle, County Down</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_203">203</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_022">Howth Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_208">208</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_023">Kilbarron Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_215">215</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_024">Kilkea Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_221">221</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_025">Kilkenny Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_229">229</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_026">Killyleagh Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_x" id="page_x">{x}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_027">King John’s Castle, Carlingford</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_245">245</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_028">King John’s Castle, Limerick</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_251">251</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_029">Lea Castle (interior)</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_258">258</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_030">Lea Castle (exterior)</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_262">262</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_031">Leap Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_265">265</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_032">Leixlip Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_273">273</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_033">Lismore Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_282">282</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_034">Mallow Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_298">298</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_035">Maynooth Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_036">Ross Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_324">324</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_037">Shane’s Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_337">337</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_038">Swords Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_345">345</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td valign="top" class="smcap"><a href="#ill_039">Trim Castle</a></td><td class="rt"><a href="#page_361">361</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xi" id="page_xi">{xi}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_LEGEND_OF_KILKEA_CASTLE" id="THE_LEGEND_OF_KILKEA_CASTLE"></a>THE LEGEND OF KILKEA CASTLE.</h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">It</span> is seven years since they last awoke<br /></span> -<span class="i2">From their death-like sleep in Mullaghmast,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the ghostly troop, with its snow-white horse,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">On the Curragh plain to Kilkea rode past.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">For the Lord of Kildare goes forth to-night,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And has left his rest in the lonely rath.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Oh, roughen the road for the silver shoes,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">That they wear full soon on his homeward path.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">So thus to his own he may come again,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">With a trumpet blast and his warriors bold,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the spell that was by his lady cast<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Will pass away as a tale once told.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">For dearly she loved her noble lord,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And she wished that no secret from her he kept,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So she longed to know why in chamber small<br /></span> -<span class="i2">He watched and toiled while the household slept.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But the Wizard Earl would not tell to her<br /></span> -<span class="i2">The secret dark of his vaulted cell,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">“For fear,” he said, “in the human frame,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Lets loose the power of furthest hell.”<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But she feared for naught save his waning love,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And at length to her wish he bent an ear,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So flood, and serpent, and ghost gave place,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">For the lady’s heart had shown no fear.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Then her lord to a bird was soon transformed,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">That rested its wing on her shoulder fair;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But the lady screamed and swooned away<br /></span> -<span class="i2">When a cat sprang forth from the empty air.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">For a woman must fear for the one she loves,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And a woman’s heart will break in twain,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When she knows that her hand has struck the blow<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To the man she had died to save from pain.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And thus the Earl must sleep as dead<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Till the silver shoes of his steed are worn,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By which every seven years, they say,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To Kilkea and back to the rath he’s born.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And swiftly they pass, that phantom band,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">With the Earl on his charger gleaming white,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So we think ’tis the shade of a cloud goes by,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">With a shifting beam of the moon’s pale light.<br /></span> -<span class="i15"><span class="smcap">Peers Hervey.</span><br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ADARE_CASTLE" id="ADARE_CASTLE"></a><i>ADARE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Peaceful it stands, the mighty pile<br /></span> -<span class="i2">By many a heart’s blood once defended,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Yet silent now as cloistered aisle,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where rung the sounds of banquet splendid.”<br /></span> -<span class="i15"><span class="smcap">Gerald Griffin.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> name is a corruption of Athdare, or Ath-daar, signifying “The ford -of oaks.” The present village is situated on the west bank of the River -Maig, nine miles south-south-west of Limerick.</p> - -<p>Desmond Castle, on the east bank, commands the river pass, and near the -northern entrance to the castle were formerly the remains of a gateway -and wall, traditionally supposed to have belonged to the ancient town of -Adare.</p> - -<p>The ruins of the fortress are extensive. They consist of an outer and -inner ward, separated by a moat, which in former times was crossed by a -drawbridge.</p> - -<p>There are three entrances to the outer ward, the chief being a square -gate tower in the west wall which was defended by a portcullis. There is -another entrance on the north, as well as a doorway opening on the -river.</p> - -<p>The chief buildings are situated near the water’s edge. They consist of -the great hall which is 75 feet long by 37 feet in breadth. It is -lighted by three windows of rough masonry in its south wall and by one -on the west, with fifteenth-century “ogee” heads inserted in the older -workmanship.</p> - -<p>The doorway on the east opens to the river. The chief<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span> entrance and -porch were on the north side. The base of one of the sandstone jambs -remains, showing it to have been of thirteenth century date. The walls -are 3 feet thick, and the roof, which had a very high gable, was -supported by four pillars.</p> - -<p>At the eastern end are the buttery and smaller offices, while separated -from them by a passage is the ruined kitchen (45 feet by 19 feet), which -contains the remains of an oven and also a small well of river water. A -curtain wall running west, connects these building with a fine oblong, -two-storey structure, 56 feet by 31 feet, which is remarkable, inasmuch -as the walls of the top storey are thicker than those below, the extra -width being supported by projecting stones. The top room, which has -loops splayed for archery, was reached by an exterior stone stair. The -floor was supported on beams, and the lower room seems to have been used -as a stable.</p> - -<p>Adjoining the building is a small square tower, which projects into the -river that flows under it through an archway in the basement. A wall -connects this tower with the gateway.</p> - -<p>The inner ward is now reached by a small wooden bridge. The gate tower -is connected with the S.E. angle of the keep by a thick curved curtain -with an embrasured and looped parapet. A turret protected the juncture -of the outer and inner walls. A semicircular tower also projects from -the boundary wall on the left of the inner court. It was loopholed, and -divided into two storeys.</p> - -<p>The keep, which is in the inner court, is about 40 feet square and 67 -feet high. Only the north wall and the portions adjoining it remain at -their original height. The side next the river is entirely broken down, -tradition saying it was destroyed with cannon in Cromwell’s time from -the opposite hill. The angles of the remaining wall are crowned with -turrets.</p> - -<p>The doorway leading to the vaults being of later date<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> than the rest it -is supposed they were of more recent insertion. One of the dungeons -seems to have been used as a prison. It is lighted by a loop of peculiar -construction.</p> - -<p>A staircase leads to the chief apartments, and a well of river water is -within the walls. The height of the keep seems to have had a third added -to it after its original construction as is shown by the old -weather-tabling of the roof. The present building was divided into three -storeys above the ground floor, which was vaulted. The stairway was in -the thickness of the west wall. Small cells occupy the projecting -portions at the angles.</p> - -<p>From the objects that have been found in the moat which surrounds the -keep, it has been thought likely that it occupies the site of a rath, as -some of the relics are of much anterior date to the Norman Conquest. The -fortress is supposed to have been formerly a stronghold of the -O’Donovans until they were dispossessed by the invaders.</p> - -<p>The architecture of one of the windows seems to be that in vogue during -the close of the twelfth century.</p> - -<p>Lenihan states that Adare was famous for its castle and church in the -reign of Henry II.</p> - -<p>Geoffrey de Mariscis, Justiciary of Ireland, was granted permission to -hold a fair in his manor of Adare in 1226, but according to the Spanish -historian, Lopez, it had passed into the hands of the “Earls” of Kildare -in 1227, when (still according to him) the Earl of March came from -Scotland to Adare on shipping business, and the “Earls” of Kildare, not -deeming the accommodation at the inn fit for his rank, insisted that he -should come to their castle. During the visit he spoke in such praise of -the Trinitarian order that the Earl’s father said he would found a -priory at Adare. The story is probably inaccurate. In the first place -the Earldom of Kildare was not created until 1316, and Lopez speaks of -“Earls” in the plural. It is also hard to imagine what shipping business -could have been transacted in an inland town. Yet no doubt there is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span> -some foundation for the record, as in 1279, 1315, and 1464 other abbeys -were founded at Adare by the Kildare Geraldines.</p> - -<p>In 1290 the manor of Adare was in the possession of Maurice FitzGerald, -5th Baron of Offaly, and his wife, Lady Agnes de Valence, cousin of the -King. Their claim being disputed, a charter was issued in 1299 -confirming the grant.</p> - -<p>The castle was rebuilt in 1326 by the 2nd Earl of Kildare.</p> - -<p>Edward III. granted the lands of Adare to the Earl’s stepfather, Sir -John Darcy, during the Earl’s minority in 1329, and it was probably at -this time that the inquisition was held in the report of which we find -the first authenticated mention of the castle. It is described as having -a hall, a chapel with stone walls and covered with thatch, a tower -covered with planks, a kitchen covered with slates, and a chamber near -the stone part covered with thatch.</p> - -<p>Turlough O’Brien burned it sometime during the fifteenth century.</p> - -<p>The estate was forfeited by Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, for his -adherence to the cause of Perkin Warbeck, but it was shortly afterwards -restored.</p> - -<p>When the 9th Earl of Kildare was summoned to London to answer the charge -of allowing the Earl of Desmond to evade arrest, it is likely that he -set out from Adare, as he was in that part of the country. It was during -this trial in 1526 that Cardinal Wolsey cried out, “The Earl, nay, the -King of Kildare—for, when you are disposed, you reign more like than -rule the land.”</p> - -<p>Upon the confiscation of the estate after the rebellion of “The Silken -Thomas,” in 1536, the Earl of Desmond became possessed of Adare, which -he leased the following year from the Crown. He seems to have done so -with the intention of restoring the lands to his kinsman, the young -Gerald, then in hiding from the Government.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle remained in the Earl of Desmond’s possession (with -intermissions) until his death in 1583, when it reverted to the Kildare -branch of the Geraldines. His name still clings to the ruins, no doubt -because of the stormy scenes that occurred at Adare during his short -ownership.</p> - -<p>Here in 1570 the celebrated Leverus, Bishop of Kildare, sought shelter -with the Earl of Desmond. He had been tutor to the young heir to the -Earldom of Kildare, when a price was set upon his head after the -rebellion of the Lord Thomas. Leverus had saved his pupil, who was ill -with smallpox, by putting him in a basket, wrapped in blankets, and -taking him from Kildare to Thomond.</p> - -<p>In 1578 the castle was taken by Sir Nicholas Malby after a siege of -eleven days, and garrisoned by English under Captain Carew.</p> - -<p>Sir John Desmond, the Earl’s brother, shortly afterwards assaulted it in -vain. The following year saw continual warfare round the town of Adare -between the two parties, and a garrison of English was placed there by -the Lord Deputy, who was accompanied by the Earl of Kildare.</p> - -<p>Desmond made every effort to recover the castle in 1580. He resorted to -several stratagems, one of which was to send a beautiful young woman to -the constable, by whose means he hoped the castle might be betrayed. But -upon hearing from whence she came, the officer tied a stone round her -neck and threw her into the river.</p> - -<p>The following year, however, Colonel Zouch, having disbanded part of his -forces, the Earl gained possession of the castle, and put the garrison -to the sword. Fresh forces arriving from Cork, Zouch marched on Adare, -only to find it deserted; but he pursued the Irish to Lisconnel, where -he defeated them in an engagement.</p> - -<p>Captain Mynce was recommended as custodian in 1585, and in 1598 Mr. -Marshal’s castles of Bruff and Adare were reported to have been taken.</p> - -<p>In 1600 the Sugan Earl of Desmond occupied Adare,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span> but upon the approach -of Sir George Carew, in July, the Irish burnt the castle and fled. He -reports it as “a manor-house belonging to the Earls of Kildare, wholly -ruined by Pierce Lacy.”</p> - -<p>This Lacy was one of the Earl of Desmond’s supporters.</p> - -<p>Insurgents seized the stronghold in 1641, but were driven out by the -Earl of Castlehaven, and the castle is said to have been dismantled in -1657 by Cromwell’s orders.</p> - -<p>The lands remained in the possession of the Earls of Kildare until 1721, -when they were purchased by the Quin family, now represented by the Earl -of Dunraven.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Dowd, “The County of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Countess and Earl of Dunraven, “Memorials of Adare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. Lenihan, “Limerick: Its History and Antiquities.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Ferrar, “History of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_002" id="ill_002"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_008.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>ANTRIM CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ANTRIM_CASTLE" id="ANTRIM_CASTLE"></a><i>ANTRIM CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Brown in the rust of time—it stands sublime<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With overhanging battlements and towers,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And works of old defence—a massy pile,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And the broad river winds around its base<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In bright, unruffled course.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Antrim</span> town is situated in the county of the same name, on the right -bank of Six-Mile-Water just before it enters Lough Neagh, a little more -than thirteen miles north-west of Belfast.</p> - -<p>The castle, sometimes erroneously called Massereene Castle, was erected -in the reign of James I. by Sir Hugh Clotworthy, a gentleman of -Somersetshire.</p> - -<p>Hugh and Lewis Clotworthy were amongst those who accompanied the Earl of -Essex in his expedition to Ulster in 1573, and in 1603 Captain Hugh -Clotworthy was doing garrison duty at Carrickfergus under Sir Arthur -Chichester. In 1605 he received a grant of the confiscated lands of -“Massarine,” and erected a residence on the site of the present -building. This consisted of a moated courtyard flanked by towers.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards he was knighted, and married the beautiful Marion -Langford “of the flowing tresses.”</p> - -<p>In 1610 Sir Hugh Clotworthy commenced to erect a castle according to the -undertaking of the grant, and it was completed in three years. It -consisted of a quadrangular pile, three storeys in height, which -enclosed a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span> small courtyard, and was flanked at the angles by square -towers. The walls measured 6 feet in thickness. A short flight of -granite steps led to the entrance hall, which contained a great open -fireplace. On the right of the hall was the “buttery,” where at about 3 -feet from the floor was a small square door through which food was -distributed to the poor. The townspeople had the privilege of passing -through the hall by the buttery to a pathway leading to the lake.</p> - -<p>The river protected the castle on the west, while on the other sides it -was surrounded by a moat. The “Mount” to the east of the castle was -furnished with ordnance. Two bastions commanded respectively the town on -the south and the lake on the north. The whole fortress covered more -than five acres of ground.</p> - -<p>Extensive alterations were made in the castle in 1813 by Chichester, -fourth Earl of Massereene. At present it consists of a square embattled -building of three storeys with a long wing at the same elevation running -northward, flanked by two castellated towers near the end. At its -extremity rises a very high tower in Italian style, which gives a most -picturesque appearance to the stables when viewed from the lough.</p> - -<p>The grand entrance hall is square, and the wall which once divided it -from the centre courtyard has been replaced by oak pillars leading to an -inner vestibule and staircase which occupies the site of the former open -space. From this a passage extends the whole length of the castle to the -Italian tower. The oak room is a magnificent apartment, wainscotted in -dark Irish oak, relieved with lighter shades and exquisitely carved. The -panels are painted with armorial bearings. There is a beautiful carved -chimney-piece at the lower end of the apartment set with the grate in -one frame. Upon touching a secret spring this all swings out and -discloses a recess large enough to hide in. The furniture of the room is -also<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span> Irish oak. Here is preserved the “Speaker’s Chair” of the Irish -House of Commons.</p> - -<p>The drawing-room and library are both very handsome rooms, and with the -oak room, breakfast-room, parlour, and dining-room, form a splendid -suite of rooms, opening one off the other. There is a very valuable -collection of family portraits in the castle.</p> - -<p>The Italian tower contains the chapel, record-room, and a small study. -The first of these is in Gothic style and beautifully proportioned. -Among the treasures to be seen here are Cranmer’s New Testament and -Queen Mary’s Bible.</p> - -<p>Over the front entrance is a stone screen slightly raised from the wall -and ending in a pointed arch under the parapet wall. It is about 8 feet -in width, and is handsomely sculptured with arms, mottoes, and events -connected with the castle and its owners. At the top is a carved head -representing Charles I., supposed to have been placed there by the first -Viscount when he added to the fortress in 1662. Lower down are the arms -of the founder and his wife, with the date of erection (1613), &c. -Immediately over the hall door is a carved shell supported by mermaids, -which represents the Skeffyngton crest.</p> - -<p>The two ancient bastions have been formed into terrace gardens, and the -grounds of the whole castle are most beautifully laid out. A splendid -view is obtained from the old “Mount,” the summit of which is reached by -a winding path.</p> - -<p>The demesne is entered from the town through a castellated entrance, -surmounted by a turretted warder’s lodge, which upon state occasions in -modern times has been sentinelled with warders garbed in antique -costume, battle-axe in hand.</p> - -<p>Near the gatehouse upon the angle of the southern bastion is the carved -stone figure of “Lady Marion’s Wolfdog,” representing that splendid -Irish breed now<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span> extinct. At one time this statue surmounted a turret of -the castle, where the great animal appeared to be keeping a “look out” -over the lough. Local superstition said that it had appeared there -without human agency on the night after the incident occurred with which -the legend connects it, and that as long as it keeps watch over the -castle and grounds so long will the race of Lady Marion Clotworthy -continue to live and thrive.</p> - -<p>The story is as follows:—The lovely bride of Sir Hugh Clotworthy -wandered one day in his absence outside the bawn walls along the shores -of Lough Neagh. Hearing behind her a low growl, she turned round to find -a wolf preparing to spring. In her terror she fell to the ground, and -with the force of the animal’s leap he passed beyond her. Before he had -time to return to his victim a large wolf-hound had seized him in mortal -combat. The lady fainted at the sight, and when she recovered -consciousness the dog was licking her hands, while the wolf lay dead. -She bound up the noble animal’s wounds, and he followed her home, being -her constant companion for many a day, until he suddenly disappeared and -no trace of him could be found.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this the castle was built, and one wild, stormy night the -deep baying of a wolf-hound was heard passing round and round the walls -of the fortress. The warders, scared by the unusual sound, kindled the -beacon on the mount, and by its light discovered a band of natives -making preparation for an attack. A few shots dispersed them, but before -they left a howl of pain was heard near the entrance gate, where a few -flattened bullets were found the next morning. Then upon the castle -tower the affrighted warders perceived the stone figure of the dog.</p> - -<p>It is probable that Sir Hugh had the figure carved to please his lady, -and after the attack considered its mysterious appearance on the -fortress the best protection against a superstitious enemy, who had most -likely de<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span>stroyed the beautiful original, which had come from the Abbey -of Massarine to warn its former kind friend of danger.</p> - -<p>Sir Hugh Clotworthy was succeeded by his son, Sir John, afterwards first -Viscount Massereene. He sat in both the Irish and English Houses of -Commons, and was one of Stafford’s chief accusers. He was in London when -the rebellion of 1641 broke out. The insurrection was in part prevented -by a retainer of his, one Owen O’Conally, called “the great informer.”</p> - -<p>Sir John’s brother, James, secured the castle in his absence from -attack, and the owner returned to it at the end of the year, and took -command of the forces in the district. He was imprisoned in 1647 for -three years for censuring (with other Members of Parliament) the seizing -of the King. During this time his mother, the Lady Marion, occupied the -castle. O’Conally commanded Sir John’s regiment in his absence, and in -1649 it was joined to General Monk’s forces. Oliver Cromwell made -O’Conally commander of the regiment then at Antrim Castle, and Monro -marched against it and killed its leader, but the castle still remained -in possession of the troops.</p> - -<p>Sir John was raised to the peerage by Charles II. in 1660 as Viscount -Massereene. He had no son, and was succeeded in the title and estates by -his son-in-law, Sir John Skeffyngton, and henceforward his surname was -added to the family name of Clotworthy.</p> - -<p>James II. conferred several honourable appointments on him, nevertheless -the “Antrim Association” was formed in the castle upon the beginning of -the revolution, and the Viscount’s eldest son, Colonel Clotworthy -Skeffyngton, was appointed Commander-in-Chief.</p> - -<p>The Jacobite General, Hamilton, pushed on to Antrim after his success at -Dromore, and Lord Massereene fled from the castle at his approach. The -family plate, valued at £3,000, which was hidden before the family left, -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span> shown to the newcomers by a servant, and was seized by them.</p> - -<p>Colonel Gordon O’Neill, son of the great Sir Phelim, occupied the -fortress in 1688-89, but Lord Massereene recovered his property when -William came to the throne.</p> - -<p>His grandson was created an earl in 1756, but this title expired in -1816, when Harriet Viscountess of Massereene succeeded to the estates, -and through her they passed to the present Viscount.</p> - -<p>The last time that the castle figured in history was during the battle -of Antrim in 1798. The yeomanry bravely held the castle gardens against -all comers, while the great gun of the mount, “Roaring Tatty,” was drawn -from its position and fired on the town. One, Ezekiel Vance, gave the -signal to the military outside the town to advance by waving a woman’s -red cloak from one of the towers of the fortress.</p> - -<p>The present Lord Massereene is the 11th Viscount.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. O’Neill, “Antrim Castle.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Laverty, “Diocese of Down and Connor.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “Memoirs of ’98,” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ARKLOW_CASTLE" id="ARKLOW_CASTLE"></a><i>ARKLOW CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> town of Arklow is thirty-nine miles and a half south by east of -Dublin, in the County Wicklow.</p> - -<p>Joyce thinks the name may have a Danish origin, but others believe it -comes from the Irish word <i>Ardchoch</i>.</p> - -<p>The ruins of the castle are situated on high ground on the south side of -the Ovoca River, and consist of a ruined and now ivy-clad round tower, -which protected the northern angle. This building is broken on the -riverside to about 12 feet in height, but on the south side it measures -some 46 feet.</p> - -<p>About 10 feet from the ground is a pointed doorway, which leads to a -stone floor formed by the arch of the lower chamber. Thirty-four stone -steps in the thickness of the wall give access to the top of the tower -from this platform.</p> - -<p>This building is one of similar flanking towers which defended the walls -still running south and west, the remains of some of the other turrets -having only disappeared during the last century.</p> - -<p>A barrack for two companies of soldiers was built near the former site -of the castle, and the walls of the latter were incorporated with those -enclosing the yard of the new building.</p> - -<p>A monastery was founded at Arklow by Theobald FitzWalter, hereditary -Lord Butler of Ireland, who also built the castle.</p> - -<p>Lord Theobald Walter le Botiller died in the castle in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span> 1285, and was -buried in the convent of the Friars Preachers in Arklow, beneath a tomb -ornamented with his effigy.</p> - -<p>In 1331 the castle was attacked by the O’Tooles, but Lord de Bermingham -came to its relief with a small party, and drove the enemy off with -considerable loss. The same year, however, the Irish got possession of -it by treachery.</p> - -<p>The Lord Chief Justice again re-captured it in 1332, with the help of -Dublin citizens and the English settlers in Wicklow, so that it was once -more in the King’s hands, and at this time it was partly rebuilt.</p> - -<p>In 1522-24 Sir Piers Butler was accused of being in league with the -O’Mores, and of using the castle of Arklow to rob both by land and sea.</p> - -<p>The following year the Earl of Kildare made a series of charges against -the Earl of Ormond through Lord Leonard Grey, amongst which was that of -keeping a ward of evil persons in Arklow Castle to rob the surrounding -neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>A few years later (1532) the Earl of Ossory and Ormond complained to -Thomas Cromwell that the Earl of Kildare was trying to get some of his -castles into his possession (amongst which he mentioned Arklow), under -the plea of holding them by lease from the Earl of Wiltshire. He states -these fortresses “bee the veray keyes of the cuntrey,” and that the King -ought to prevent Kildare becoming too powerful. Sir Thomas Bullen had -then been created Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire by Henry VIII.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of “the Silken Thomas” in 1536 the King had to send -“an army royal” to get the castle of Arklow and others into his -possession.</p> - -<p>The following year the manor was re-granted to Peter Butler, Earl of -Ossory and Ormond.</p> - -<p>In 1578, when forming the county of “Wicklo or Arcklo,” the castle of -the latter is mentioned as the chief<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span> place, and belonging to the Earl -of Ormond, who was also Lord of Arklow.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy placed a garrison there in 1581.</p> - -<p>In March, 1589, Feagh M’Hugh O’Byrne seized the wife of Hugh Duff -O’Donnell, uncle to Sir Hugh O’Donnell, who was a tenant of the Earl of -Ormond in Arklow Castle. In the autumn of the same year O’Byrne tried to -force an entrance into the castle “to execute his malice” upon Hugh -O’Donnell.</p> - -<p>The land was laid waste round the fortress in 1600, but the castle was -held for the Queen by the Earl of Ormond at his own expense.</p> - -<p>In the rebellion of 1641 the Irish surprised the fortress and killed the -garrison. It remained in their possession until 1649, when it was -captured by Cromwell’s forces, of which the following is the account:—</p> - -<p>“The army marched through almost a desolate country until it came to a -passage of the River Doro, about a mile above the Castle of Arklow, -which was the first seat and honour of the Marquis of Ormond’s family, -which he had strongly fortified; but it was upon the approach of the -army quitted, wherein he (Cromwell) left another company of foot.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Griffiths, “Chronicles of County Wexford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ARTANE_CASTLE" id="ARTANE_CASTLE"></a><i>ARTANE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> name was originally Tartain, and is probably derived from Tortan, -meaning a diminutive <i>tor</i>, being a small knoll or high turf-bank. The -site of the former castle is situated on the southern border of the -Barony of Coolock, in the County of Dublin, about three miles from the -city.</p> - -<p>The Artane Industrial School now occupies the castle grounds, and the -manor house is used as the residence of the Christian Brothers. Lewis -states that this house was built of stones from the old castle, but, at -any rate, the present dining-room is supported by beams taken from the -fortress.</p> - -<p>A hen-run belonging to the school is now on the site of the former -stronghold not far from the present house.</p> - -<p>The manor of Artane was acquired by the family of Hollywood, or “de -Sacro Bosco,” in the fourteenth century, by Robert de Hollywood, one of -the Remembrancers, and afterwards Baron of the Exchequer.</p> - -<p>In 1416 and 1420 the King committed the custody of the lands to Philip -Charles and Richard FitzEustace during the minority of Robert Hollywood, -the King’s ward, son of the late Christopher Hollywood.</p> - -<p>On the 27th of July, 1534, the rash Lord Offaly rose in rebellion, and -threw the Sword of State on the Council table in Dublin, upon the rumour -of his father, the Earl of Kildare, having been murdered in London. He -left the presence of the assembly with armed men to muster fresh<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span> forces -for the rising, and Dublin was at once seized with panic.</p> - -<p>John Allen, Archbishop of Dublin, was then in Dublin Castle, and having -been as bitter and relentless a foe of the Geraldines as his patron -Wolsey, he decided to fly when news of the outbreak reached him. He had -with him a trusted servant named Bartholomew FitzGerald, who urged him -to sail to England, and offered to pilot him across. The Archbishop -seems to have had implicit faith in his follower, although a Geraldine, -and it has never been actually proved that it was misplaced.</p> - -<p>The Prelate and his attendants embarked in the evening at Dames Gate, -but owing, some say to adverse winds, and others to the design of the -pilot, the little vessel stranded at Clontarf.</p> - -<p>The Archbishop at once made his way to the house of his late friend, -Thomas Hollywood, at Artane, whose hospitality he had commemorated in -his “Repertorium Viride.”</p> - -<p>At this time the wardship of the heir, Nicholas Hollywood, was in the -hands of Richard Delahide and Thomas Howth.</p> - -<p>It seems hardly possible that the Lord Thomas FitzGerald could have -heard of the mishap so quickly unless treachery had been employed. Be -that as it may, he and a band of armed followers arrived at Artane in -the early morning, being the 28th of July, and surrounded the castle -while the Archbishop still slept.</p> - -<p>Among the party were the young Vice-Deputy’s uncles, Sir James and -Oliver FitzGerald, James Delahide, and about forty men.</p> - -<p>He sent two Dublin yeomen, John Teeling and Nicholas Wafer, into the -house to bring out the Archbishop. They dragged him out of bed, and -brought him before the Lord Thomas “feeble for age and sickness, -kneeling in his shirt and mantle, bequeathing his soul to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span> God, his body -to the traitor’s mercy.” He “besought him not to remember former -injuries, but to consider his present calamity, and whatever malice he -might bear to his person to respect his calling.”</p> - -<p>It seems that the “Silken Thomas” was touched by the appeal of his -helpless foe, and turning his head aside, he said, “<i>Beir naim an -bodach</i>,” meaning, “Take the churl away from me,” and, no doubt, as he -afterwards said, he only intended them to imprison him. His followers, -however, put a different interpretation upon his order, and immediately -murdered the Archbishop, who was in the fifty-eighth year of his age.</p> - -<p>Some say he was dragged within the castle hall, and there put to death, -while others say that the spot on which he was slain was hedged in and -shunned as an unholy place for many years.</p> - -<p>Lord Thomas could not have been ignorant of what had occurred, as he -sent Robert Reilly the same day to Maynooth with a casket which had -belonged to the murdered prelate.</p> - -<p>Lord Offaly was excommunicated for the crime in St. Patrick’s Cathedral -with great solemnity.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this Thomas Howth, <i>alias</i> St. Laurence, one of young -Hollywood’s guardians, went to live at Artane.</p> - -<p>This Nicholas Hollywood also died while his son Christopher was a minor, -and in 1570 the wardship and marriage of the boy was granted to John -Bathe, of Drumcondra. In 1585 a Charles Hollywood is referred to as -being of Tartaine.</p> - -<p>Nicholas Hollywood possessed the manor and lands of Artane in 1587. They -contained one castle, six messuages, and one hundred and ninety acres of -land held of the King, <i>in capite</i> by knight’s service. He died in 1629.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of 1641 Lord Netterville’s son, Luke, possessed -himself of the castle, and established a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> body of Royalist troops in the -stronghold. He met with no opposition, as one of the Hollywood family -named Christopher was a partisan, who afterwards sat in the Council of -Confederate Catholics at Kilkenny.</p> - -<p>Nicholas Hollywood forfeited the estate at this time, and John -Hollywood, one of the signers of the Roman Catholic Remonstrance, came -into possession.</p> - -<p>In 1680 the King granted the estate for one thousand years to Sir Arthur -Forbes, one of the Commissioners of the Court of Claims.</p> - -<p>Lewis says the old Castle was pulled down in 1825 by Mathew Boyle, Esq., -who erected the present manor house with the material. He also says it -belonged to the Callaghan family in 1837, while D’Alton states Lord -Maryborough owned it in 1838. The Butler family resided there at a later -date.</p> - -<p>A tomb of Elizabeth, daughter of John Talbot of Malahide, and wife of -Christopher Hollywood, is in the old churchyard adjacent. She died in -1711, and her husband in 1718.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. D’Alton, “Memoirs of the Archbishops of Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">S. Lewis, “Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fiants of Elizabeth.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ATHLONE_CASTLE" id="ATHLONE_CASTLE"></a><i>ATHLONE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> castle of Athlone is situated on the Connaught side of the river -Shannon in the Barony of Athlone, County Roscommon, sixty miles -west-by-north of Dublin.</p> - -<p>The name is derived from <i>ath</i>, “a ford,” and <i>luain</i>, “the moon,” and -signifies “the ford of the moon,” to which it is supposed to have been -dedicated in pagan times. Some gold lunettes and crescents found in a -neighbouring bog seem to bear out the statement.</p> - -<p>The castle commands the bridge, and is built upon a spur of the hill -upon which the town on the Connaught side is built. It is overlooked by -the houses of the town, while on the river side it is supported by a -great buttress of masonry.</p> - -<p>The entrance is on the road which leads from the bridge up to the town, -and is by a modern drawbridge.</p> - -<p>The fortress consists of a strong curtain wall having circular towers -mounted with cannon at irregular intervals. Most of them have been -restored with fresh blue limestone.</p> - -<p>The Connaught tower, which stands isolated in the courtyard, is -considered the oldest part of the fortress, and usually supposed to have -formed the keep of the first Norman castle built in King John’s reign. -It is decagonal in form, but owing to having been pebble-dashed and -whitened of late years, it does not retain an appearance of antiquity.</p> - -<p>The English stronghold was erected on the site of an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> old Celtic -fortress of the O’Connors. It is recorded that the castle and bridge of -Athlone were built in 1129 by Turloch O’Connor, “in the summer of the -drought.”</p> - -<p>The following year they were demolished by Murogh O’Mleghlin and Feirnan -O’Rorke, and in 1153 the castle was burned.</p> - -<p>Between 1210 and 1213 the Norman fortress was erected by John de Grey, -Bishop of Norwich, in his capacity of Lord Justiciary of Ireland. During -its building a tower fell and killed Lord Richard Tuit, who founded the -Cistercian Abbey of Granard, County Longford.</p> - -<p>Athlone Castle was built on abbey land, and in 1214 King John commanded -Henry, Archbishop of Dublin, to give the monks a tenth of the expenses -of the castle in lieu of the land used, in accordance with the -conditions agreed to by the Bishop of Norwich when he was fortifying it. -After this there are several references in the State Documents to the -tithes and other compensation due to the monks.</p> - -<p>In 1221 the King instituted a fair to be held at the castle.</p> - -<p>The fortress being situated on the border of Irish territory, its early -history has an exceedingly stormy record. In 1226 Geoffrey de Marisco, -who was then Justiciary of Ireland, complained that as the King of -Connaught refused to come to Dublin, he had appointed to meet him at -Athlone, although the castle was fortified against the Crown.</p> - -<p>In 1232 an order was issued to Hubert de Burgh to deliver the castle to -Peter de Rivall, and the next year one to Richard de Burgh, who was to -surrender it to Maurice FitzGerald, Justiciary of Ireland.</p> - -<p>Walter de Lacy received twenty marks for the custody of the fortress in -1240, and eleven years later a tax was levied for its repair.</p> - -<p>It was granted to Prince Edward, the King’s son, in 1254; and during the -years 1276-77 it was repaired.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span></p> - -<p>Richard de Verdon was besieged in the castle in 1288 by Richard de -Burgo, and the same year John, Archbishop of Dublin, took up residence -there to oversee its better fortification, and to try and make terms -with the Irish.</p> - -<p>In 1305 Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, was constable.</p> - -<p>The castle was “obtained” for the King in 1537, having been in the hands -of the Irish for many years. It contained only one piece of broken -ordnance, and there is a request that another piece should be sent.</p> - -<p>During Queen Elizabeth’s reign it was the residence of the President of -Connaught, and also the Chief Justice and Attorney-General for -Connaught.</p> - -<p>Tradition states that the Earl of Essex frequently stayed in the castle, -and some of his letters to the Queen are dated from Athlone.</p> - -<p>The O’Conor Don was imprisoned in the fortress in 1570 while Sir E. -Fitton was constable, as a hostage for the good behaviour of his sept. -Some of his followers, however, brought a “cot” under the castle walls, -into which the captive stepped, and so escaped.</p> - -<p>In 1585-86 it is described as being a fitter residence for the Chief -Commissioner of Connaught than the Lord Deputy in the following -words:—“That the castle is conveniently furnished with buildings and -other necessaries fit for the said Commissioner, but far too mean for -the Lord Deputy and the train that must follow the state.”</p> - -<p>It was ordered to be garrisoned in 1599, and the following year it was -to be entrusted to none but a “sound Englishman.” In 1606 it was -repaired and added to.</p> - -<p>Two years later it was seized by the Earls Tyrone and Tyrconnell. It -passed again to the Crown, and the Earl of Clanricard was constable in -1610.</p> - -<p>Thirteen years later it was repaired, and a curious tax is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> mentioned -with regard to the operations, which is, that the sept of Kellyes was -bound to supply three hundred labourers yearly for work in the fortress.</p> - -<p>The Court of Claims sat in the castle during the Commonwealth.</p> - -<p>In 1682 Sir H. Piers writes of it:—“In the centre of the castle is a -high raised tower which overlooketh the walls and country round about. -On the side that faceth the river are rooms and apartments which served -always for the habitation of the Lord President of Connaught and -Governor of the castle, the middle castle being the storehouse for -ammunition and warlike provisions of all sorts.”</p> - -<p>After the battle of the Boyne in 1690, Lieut.-General Douglas, with ten -regiments of infantry, three of horse, two of dragoons, twelve -field-pieces, and two small mortars, endeavoured to take possession of -Athlone. The bridge across the Shannon was broken, and he erected his -batteries on the Leinster side of the river.</p> - -<p>He continued the cannonading for eight days, but his powder running -short he was obliged to retire. In his despatch he stated he had done -his best, and that it was his opinion Athlone Castle was “of the -greatest importance of any in Ireland.”</p> - -<p>Colonel Richard Grace held the fortress for King James.</p> - -<p>The following year the main division of William’s army, under de -Genckell, laid siege to the town. At once seizing that portion of it -that is in Leinster, he began to play his batteries on the north-east -side of the castle on June 22nd. By seven in the evening he had made a -large breach in the walls.</p> - -<p>Firing continued all night, and by five in the morning the side of the -castle next the river was completely broken down, and the garrison was -obliged to go in and out by a hole made in the wall on the western side.</p> - -<p>The following evening the castle garrison raised two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span> batteries above -the castle, and some others, but the firing had little effect. The -bridge was slowly and surely gained by the besieging troops, and their -guns played constantly on the fortress, wrecking the Connaught tower and -walls.</p> - -<p>Two officers deserting from the town informed William’s troops that the -best regiments had been withdrawn by St. Ruth, and thereupon a concerted -and sudden attack was made on the 30th of June, which carried the -bridge, castle, and town by storm.</p> - -<p>Repairs were at once begun by the victors on July 3rd, and in 1697 the -castle was the chief depôt of military stores in the west.</p> - -<p>It is now used as a barrack, and officers’ quarters and other buildings -have been erected inside the walls.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Weld, “Statistical Survey of Co. Roscommon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joly, “Old Bridge of Athlone.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of Drogheda.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">In Journal of same, Langrishe, “Walls of Athlone,” and “Sieges of Athlone.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BALLYMOTE_CASTLE" id="BALLYMOTE_CASTLE"></a><i>BALLYMOTE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fine old ruin is situated in the Barony of Corran, County Sligo, -about twelve miles north-west of Boyle.</p> - -<p>The name signifies the “town of the moat,” and was not used before the -building of the Norman fortress. Some think “mote” is derived from -“mound,” but it is more likely to refer to the ditch which surrounded -the castle until the close of the seventeenth century. The place was -formerly called Athcliath-in-Chorainn, or “the hurdleford of Corran.”</p> - -<p>The castle fell to ruin after the rebellion of 1688. The curtain walls, -which are 9 feet thick, were flanked by six round towers, one of them -still being about 60 feet in height. The courtyard which was thus -enclosed contained 150 square feet.</p> - -<p>A passage about 3 feet wide ran round in the thickness of the walls, and -communicated with the towers and defences. The state-rooms were on the -north side of the courtyard, and some of them were fine apartments. The -Survey of 1633 calls this part “the Court.” A few traces of outworks -remain.</p> - -<p>About twenty years ago the present Rector of Ballymote was told by an -old man that an underground passage was locally supposed to lead from -the castle to the abbey, a distance of about 200 yards. Upon further -investigation Canon Walker discovered two arches, one in the vestry of -the abbey and the other within the castle, apparently leading in the -same direction. Both are now choked with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> rubbish. The entrance in the -castle is exceedingly narrow, and was reached from the castle yard by -descending steps.</p> - -<p>Ballymote was erected by Richard de Burgo, “the Red Earl,” in 1300. It -was dismantled in 1318, and twenty-two years later it was in the -possession of Turlough O’Conor, King of Connaught, who was besieged in -it by MacDermot. Peace was afterwards concluded.</p> - -<p>In 1346 it was restored and garrisoned by John de Kerrew.</p> - -<p>Two years later it is referred to as belonging to Rory O’Conor, and it -was by that family entrusted to the MacDonoughs to hold against the -Burkes. These MacDonoughs seized the castle of Ballylahan in 1381, and -taking its gate to Ballymote, there erected it.</p> - -<p>In 1470 Brian MacDonough, who was lord of Ballymote, was slain by Teige -MacDonough, who took possession of the castle. It was still in this -family’s possession in 1522 when the famous parchment “Book of -Ballimote” was sold by the MacDonough of the time to Hugh Oge O’Donnell -for the large price of 140 milch cows, he having first obtained the -consent of his family to the transaction.</p> - -<p>The MacDermots laid siege to the castle in 1561, and Cathal and Owen -MacDermot were both slain before the walls. Five years later the castle -was taken by the English and Hugh and Comac MacDonough imprisoned. -Almost immediately, however, the fortress was surprised by Tomaltach and -Duagal MacDonough.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Bingham recovered Ballymote in 1584 and placed his brother -George in charge with seven warders, while he also carried off -MacDonough as hostage. At this time sixteen quarters of the best land -were set aside for the castle’s maintenance, which seems to have given -rise to a great deal of jealousy regarding its custody. The year after -its capture Sir Richard applied to be made constable, with a lease of -the fortress for sixty years.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1587, writing to Mr. Treasurer Wallop, he states he is willing to -give up Ballymote if he is refunded the money he has laid out upon it. -The following year George Goodman and Thomas Wood seem to have been -constables.</p> - -<p>The Irish burnt the town and drove the garrison back to the castle in -1593, and two years later O’Conor Sligo petitioned the Government for -the fortress. The next year there was an unsuccessful attempt to -surprise it, and this year O’Conor Sligo occupied it upon his return -from England.</p> - -<p>Bingham managed to victual the castle across the Curlew mountains in -1595, but with the loss of many of his best soldiers, and in 1598 it was -betrayed to the MacDonoughs by two men the constable trusted. The -captors immediately put the fortress up to auction. There seems to have -been sharp bidding between Sir Conyers Clifford and Red Hugh O’Donnell, -but it was finally purchased by the latter for £400 and 300 cows.</p> - -<p>O’Donnell remained in it until Christmas, and he continued to occupy it -at different times until 1601, being six months in residence after his -victory of the Yellow Ford. It was from here he set out for his -disastrous march to Kinsale.</p> - -<p>He left Owen O’Gallagher as Governor, who handed the keys to Roderick -O’Donnell in 1602.</p> - -<p>Two years after it was granted to Sir James Fullerton by James I., and -when he left Ireland to be tutor to Duke Charles (afterwards Charles -I.), the castle passed to Sir William Taaffe.</p> - -<p>It was surrendered to Sir Charles Coote upon articles in 1652, which are -still preserved.</p> - -<p>The chief conditions were that the garrison was to march away with bag -and baggage, and twenty days were to be allowed for the removal of -goods, during which time Major-General Taaffe and his family might -remain at the castle. After this he was to have a free pass to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> -Continent, and Lady Taaffe was to be allowed to live at Ballymote, on -condition she did not use it against the State, and that the -Parliamentary forces might garrison it at any time.</p> - -<p>In 1689 the castle was held for King James by Captain M’Donough. A party -under Captain Cooper was sent to reconnoitre the district, and pursued -M’Donough’s men to the drawbridge of the fortress.</p> - -<p>Two years later Lord Granard summoned the castle, but the governor, -named O’Conor, refused to surrender. Thereupon he despatched Baldearg -O’Donnell and a thousand men to lay siege to the place. They brought -with them one 12-pounder and two small field-pieces, and as soon as -O’Conor saw the guns he surrendered, upon condition the garrison might -march out with their belongings and proceed to Sligo.</p> - -<p>After this period the castle was dismantled, and the land subsequently -passed to the Gore Booths. Of late there has been some talk of erecting -a modern institution within the old walls.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Wood-Martin, “History of Sligo.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Rorke, “History of Sligo.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Atkinson, “Book of Ballimote.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BALLYSHANNON_CASTLE" id="BALLYSHANNON_CASTLE"></a><i>BALLYSHANNON CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> name used by the early annalists to denote Ballyshannon, was -Athseanaigh, which signified the “Ford of Seanach,” who was ancestor of -the Princes of Tirconnell. “Bel” stands for mouth, and the modern -designation is a corruption of the Celtic name meaning “the entrance to -Seanach’s ford.”</p> - -<p>The town is situated on both sides of the river Erne, about eleven miles -south-south-west of the town of Donegal, to the extreme south of the -county.</p> - -<p>The castle was on the north bank of the river, and commanded the -principal ford. For this reason its possession was of immense -strategical importance, it being the key to the province of Tirconnell. -Of the great fortress of the O’Donnells only a small portion of one of -the walls remains. This is on the north side of the market yard, part of -it being incorporated with a grain store and part with a butter shed. It -is 10 feet high and 5 feet thick.</p> - -<p>The fortress originally occupied the whole of the market square, and it -is most likely that its stones were used in the erection of a cavalry -barracks, which subsequently occupied the present market enclosure, but -which has now been removed.</p> - -<p>Round the castle stretched a beautiful park, the name being still -preserved in some old leases. This extended almost to the summit of the -hill on the north. Quantities of human bones have been found in the -neighbourhood.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle was erected in 1423 by Niall, son of Turlough O’Donnell. In -1435 Naghtan O’Donnell gave it to Brian Oge O’Neill for promising him -assistance against the O’Neill. Brian, however, went treacherously to -his chief without O’Donnell’s knowledge, leaving his warders in the -castle. O’Neill, not approving of such double dealing, took him and his -two sons prisoners, cutting off a hand and a foot from each, under which -treatment one of the sons died.</p> - -<p>The fortress was taken from O’Donnell’s warders in 1496 by his son Hugh. -His brother Con, with the assistance of Maguire, laid siege to the -castle and dislodged him. O’Neill possessed himself of the stronghold in -1522, and slew the warders. It seems to have remained in his possession -until Sir Henry Sidney came north in 1566 and had it delivered to him, -as well as the castles of Donegal, Beleek, Bundrowes, and Castle Sligo. -All these fortresses he placed in the hands of O’Donnell and his allies, -who were at this time in high favour with England.</p> - -<p>The next year Shane O’Neill liberated Con O’Donnell and his brother, who -were at the time his prisoners, and the castles of Ballyshannon and -Beleek were delivered to Con.</p> - -<p>About this time the Government began to look with alarm on the growing -power and popularity of the O’Donnells, and the State Papers of the -period contain notes regarding the advisability of garrisoning -Ballyshannon and the other fortresses of Tirconnell.</p> - -<p>The regular military force under O’Donnell consisted of 1,500 foot and -300 horse, out of which the garrison of Ballyshannon numbered 200 foot -soldiers and 40 mounted men.</p> - -<p>In 1584, Lord Deputy Perrot recommended the erection of a castle and -bridge at Ballyshannon, no doubt to counteract the power of the -O’Donnells’ fortress, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span> could hold the main ford against all -comers. Four years later the Lord Deputy dates a letter from -Ballyshannon, and about this time young Hugh O’Donnell was kidnapped and -imprisoned in Dublin Castle.</p> - -<p>In 1592, Mr. Ralph Lane applied to Burghley, asking for the -custodianship and fee-farm of the castle and lands of Ballyshannon, &c. -The successful escape of Red Hugh, however, from Dublin Castle seems to -have placed the possibility of the Government’s disposing of his -ancestral home quite out of the question, and in 1592 the greatest of -the O’Donnells received a most royal welcome from his father’s -dependents in the north.</p> - -<p>Arriving at Ballyshannon, where the O’Donnell warders still guarded the -fortress, the whole country flocked to meet him and offer their -congratulations on his escape.</p> - -<p>The neighbourhood was in the most fearful state, being entirely overrun -by freebooters, against whom even the English were powerless—the -castles of Ballyshannon and Donegal alone remaining in the hands of the -O’Donnells.</p> - -<p>After a most successful campaign against the marauders, Hugh O’Donnell -returned to Ballyshannon to undergo medical treatment for his feet, -which had been fearfully injured by travelling from Dublin to Glenmalure -in his house-shoes over the mountains and in bitter cold. He did not -recover entirely until the end of the year, as both his great toes had -to be amputated.</p> - -<p>In 1594 Sir Ralph Lane, writing to Burghley, mentions that Hugh Roe -O’Donnell would have broken down Ballyshannon but that his mother -dissuaded him from it, assuring him that it might be defended with his -own forces. Yet this very year it was evidently in the hands of the -O’Donnells, and remained so until its capture in 1602.</p> - -<p>The State Papers of this period are full of letters requesting money and -forces sufficient to take it, alleging that the fortress was the “key of -the province,” and no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span> peace could be hoped for in the north until it -was garrisoned by English.</p> - -<p>In the meantime the O’Donnells lived in royal state, and with lavish -hospitality entertained the surrounding chiefs, while their flag floated -from the battlements.</p> - -<p>Sir George Carew observes of the Prince of Tirconnell: “O’Donnell is the -best lorde of fishe in Ireland, and exchangeth fishe allwayes with -foreign merchants for wyne, by which his call in other countryes is the -kinge of fishe.”</p> - -<p>It was during a great assemblage of chiefs at Ballyshannon to organise a -raid on the English border, that the great Shane O’Neill became madly -enamoured of O’Donnell’s lovely daughter, Helen. He went to her father -and demanded her hand, but was informed that the lady was already -betrothed to Maguire, the young chieftain of Fermanagh, who held his -lands under suzerainty of O’Donnell. This young man had been educated at -the Spanish court, and was all that a maiden could wish in a suitor.</p> - -<p>One evening the lovers left the castle together, for a stroll by the -river side, towards Belleek. Here, while Helen was singing to her harp, -O’Neill, who had followed them, broke in upon their happiness. Maguire -drew his sword to defend the lady, but he was no match for the great -chief from whom he quickly received his death wound. O’Neill placed the -fainting form of the fair Helen before him on his horse, and, with a few -followers, rode to Dungannon Castle. Her father at once called his -forces together, and followed to revenge the injury. The end of the -story has several variations, but the most probable seems to be that -O’Neill, finding the beautiful girl irreconcilable to the loss of her -handsome lover, returned her to her father. The world had, however, lost -its charm for her, and the rest of her short life was spent in -seclusion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1597 the first determined attack was made on Ballyshannon. Sir -Conyers Clifford, Governor of Connaught, with four thousand men, foot -and horse, marched on the stronghold, accompanied by Donough, the son of -Connor, Murragh, Baron of Inchiquin, and other Irish nobles. O’Donnell -having all the fords guarded, they were obliged to cross the river about -half a mile west of Belleek. Here the Baron of Inchiquin was shot -through his armour, while his horse was standing in the deep water below -the ford, where he was encouraging the soldiers and saving them from -drowning.</p> - -<p>The ordnance was landed by water and planted against the castle. The -siege lasted three days, but when the little garrison were thinking of -surrendering, help arrived from Tyrone, and the English were driven off -with great loss. The defenders of the castle numbered only eighty men, -and were commanded by a Scotchman named Owen Crawford.</p> - -<p>During Red Hugh’s absence in Spain in 1602 the English took the -opportunity to again attack the fortress. The warders, seeing no hope of -relief, fled, after the walls had been battered by a big gun, and -Captain Digges took “that long desired place.”</p> - -<p>Ballyshannon, with 1,000 acres, was reserved to the King in 1603, and -five years later Sir Henry Folliot was appointed Governor. In this year -the plot to seize the King’s castle of Ballyshannon was one of the -charges in the indictment against the Earls of Tyrone and Tirconnell. In -1610 the castle, lands, and fishings were granted to Sir H. Folliot for -twenty-one years. He was raised to the peerage under the title of Baron -Folliot of Ballyshannon, 1619.</p> - -<p>During the Jacobite troubles the castle was still used as a military -headquarters, and the town was for a time in the hands of the Royalists.</p> - -<p>The land on which the ancient fortress stood is now<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span> part of the -Connolly estate, and was acquired by purchase from the Folliots.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Allingham, “Ballyshannon, its History and Antiquities.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“The Donegal Highlands.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BALLYTEIGUE_CASTLE" id="BALLYTEIGUE_CASTLE"></a><i>BALLYTEIGUE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated in the townland of the same name upon the shore -of Ballyteigue Lough, in the County Wexford. The name signifies -“O’Teige’s town.”</p> - -<p>The old fortress forms part of a modern dwelling-house, and the keep has -always been kept roofed and in good repair.</p> - -<p>It was erected by Sir Walter de Whitty, one of the Norman settlers, the -name being spelt variously—Whythay, Whythey, Wytteye, Whittey, Wythay, -in old documents.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Whitty was summoned to Parliament as a baron by Edward III., -and his son Richard held three carucates of land in Ballyteigue in 1335.</p> - -<p>In 1408, as we learn from a MS. in the British Museum, the Castle of -Ballyteigue was burnt by Art M’Murrough Kavanagh on Tuesday, the morning -after the Feast of St. Barnabas.</p> - -<p>Richard Whitty, of Ballyteigue, died in 1539, and his son Robert being -only fourteen at his father’s death, the custody of Ballyteigue was -granted to John Devereux during his minority. The estate contained 3 -manors, 3 carucates, and 523 acres.</p> - -<p>The manor and castle of Ballyteigue were in the possession of Richard -Whittie in 1624 and 1634.</p> - -<p>The estate was forfeited in the time of the Commonwealth, and was -granted to Colonel Brett. It afterwards passed into the hands of the -Sweenys, and subsequently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span> to the Colcloughs, a branch of the family of -Tintern Abbey.</p> - -<p>In 1798 the castle was the residence of John Colclough, one of the -leaders of the Wexford insurgents. He was only twenty-nine when the -rebellion broke out.</p> - -<p>As soon as Bagnal Harvey heard that Lord Kingsborough’s terms for the -surrender of Wexford would not be ratified, he hastened to Ballyteigue, -but Colclough and his wife and child had already fled to one of the -Saltee Islands, about ten leagues from Wexford. He followed them, but -the island was searched, and the fugitives taken in a cave. They were -conveyed to Wexford, and Harvey and Colclough were immediately tried and -hanged. Colclough’s head is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Wexford.</p> - -<p>His little daughter and only child inherited Ballyteigue. She afterwards -married Captain Young, and both lived in the castle until their death. -Their only daughter sold the house to Mr. Edward Meadows, from whom it -passed to Mr. Thomas Grant.</p> - -<p>A legendary tale of “Sir Walter Whitty and his cat,” published some -years ago by the late M. J. Whitty, editor of the <i>Liverpool Post</i>, may -have originated from the lion which is represented in the Whitty arms.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Inquisitions of Leinster.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Madden, “United Irishmen.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Balliteigue Castle,” in <i>The People</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BARBERSTOWN_CASTLE" id="BARBERSTOWN_CASTLE"></a><i>BARBERSTOWN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated in the parish of Straffan, County Kildare, in -the barony of North Salt, about a mile north of the village of Straffan.</p> - -<p>The name is spelt variously Barberstowne, Barbeston, Barbieston, -Barbiestowne, Barbiston, Barbitstowne, Barbyeston.</p> - -<p>The present building consists of a battlemented rectangular keep -considered by experts to be of thirteenth-century construction, and -measuring at its greatest height 52 feet. It is divided into three -floors. The lower room, which is vaulted to the height of 17 feet, is 18 -feet long by 15½ feet wide, and the walls are 4½ feet in thickness.</p> - -<p>The entrance is situated at the north-west angle, above which are two -grooves of sufficient width to stand in, and evidently intended for the -protection of the doorway.</p> - -<p>The room above the vault is of slightly greater proportions than that -below, owing to the walls being of less thickness.</p> - -<p>Two small rectangular towers are joined to the main building on the -south side’s western angle, and west side’s northern angle respectively. -The latter contains a winding stone stair of fifty-three steps leading -to the now slated roof. The original crenelated loops for musketry have -here and there been enlarged to admit more light. The summit of the -watch tower is reached from the roof by a short flight of nine steps.</p> - -<p>A man is said to be interred between the top of the main<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span> stair and the -roof of the tower. His family having held the castle by a lease which -expired when he was put underground, determined to evade relinquishing -their hold on the property by keeping him always above the earth.</p> - -<p>The southern tower consists of three storeys corresponding with those in -the keep, and had formerly doors opening from the main rooms. Next the -southern wall is a curious slit in each floor just wide enough to permit -of a ladder giving access to the apartment above or below. The ground -floor in this tower is of very small dimensions, being about 3 feet -square.</p> - -<p>The walls of the keep slope considerably at the outside base so as to -prevent an enemy getting out of gun shot by closing up to the building. -Large modern windows now light each floor, and the whole is in excellent -preservation.</p> - -<p>A flue runs in the thickness of the wall on the north side, which is -crowned by a handsome brick chimney, evidently added when the -Elizabethan dwelling-house which adjoins the castle was erected. A still -more modern house has been added to the north of this building, so that -at present three distinct periods are represented by the castle and -houses, which are all joined together.</p> - -<p>The remains of an old wall near the fortress points to its having once -been of larger dimensions. Tradition states that an underground passage -leads from the castle to a lodge near the roadway. Some fine old yews of -great age adorn the lawn, similar to those which are to be seen near -Maynooth Castle.</p> - -<p>Locally it is believed that Barberstown was once the residence of the -King of Leinster, but its architecture does not bear out the tradition.</p> - -<p>In 1622 William Sutton, of Barberstown, is mentioned in an inquisition, -and in 1630 it is stated that he held it as tenant of the Earl of -Kildare.</p> - -<p>Nicholas Sutton was in possession of the castle in 1641, and at a -subsequent date it must have passed to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span> Crown, who granted it in -1666 to John King, first Lord Kingston.</p> - -<p>His son Robert, the second Baron, was exempted from mercy by -Tyrconnell’s proclamation, and his estate sequestered in 1689.</p> - -<p>Richard, Earl of Tyrconnell, then became possessed of the fortress, and, -strange to say, that although he could only have retained it until he -was attainted in 1692, yet it was known for many years as Tyrconnell -Castle. Lady Tyrconnell retained some of her husband’s lands in the -neighbourhood to a much later date.</p> - -<p>Bartholomew Vanhomrigh, Esq., of Dublin, father of the famous Vanessa, -bought Barberstown from the Crown in 1703 for £1,300. James Young was -the tenant at the time, and the property is thus described: “In the -parish of Straffan, distant from Dublin ten miles, Naas 5, and Manooth -3; is Arable Medow and Pasture, on it 1 Castle in repair, with a large -stone House adjoyning, and Orchard, also 8 Cabbins, with Gardens.”</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the next century it was occupied by a family named -Douglas, and it was purchased by the Bartons, of Straffan, in 1826. They -restored and re-castellated it, and it still remains in their -possession.</p> - -<p>Subsequently it was occupied by Admiral Robinson, and the present tenant -is S. F. Symes, Esq.</p> - -<p>A most extensive view is obtained from the summit.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A Book of Postings and Sale of the Forfeited and other Estates, &c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Survey and Distributions.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Inquisitions, Province of Leinster.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">S. Lee, “Dictionary of National Biography.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BARGY_CASTLE" id="BARGY_CASTLE"></a><i>BARGY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle takes its name from the Barony of Bargy, County Wexford, on -the borders of which it is situated, about eight miles south-west of the -town of Wexford, on the margin of Lake Tucumshane.</p> - -<p>The fortress is in excellent preservation, having been several times -restored. It consists of a square keep, to which two wings have been -added at more recent dates, probably in the fifteenth and seventeenth -centuries.</p> - -<p>The chief entrance to the Castle was formerly by the central tower, -where a stained-glass window bearing the Harvey Arms is now to be seen. -On the outside of the embrasure is a stone carved with figures supposed -to represent Queen Elizabeth and her court, and far above this slab may -be seen a large machicolation, once used for hurling missiles for the -defence of the door. The tower is ascended by a winding stone stair, off -which are openings commonly known as “murdering holes.” The keep, in -which are several rooms, is separated from the rest of the mansion by a -large door at the foot of the stairway. A beautiful view can be had from -the battlements.</p> - -<p>In the north wing of the castle is a small panelled room, and not far -from it a carved oak partition bears with a cross and shamrock the -following on the reverse side: “I.H.S. 1591. R.R. M.S.”</p> - -<p>A beautiful oak staircase leads from the chief apartments.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle grounds were formerly entered from the south, where the old -piers and gateway still remain. At the back of the castle is part of the -old moat or fosse, which now contains large cellars.</p> - -<p>The fortress is usually supposed to have been erected by the Rossiter -family at the beginning of the fifteenth century, though some -authorities state it owes its origin to Hervey de Montmorency, one of -the first Norman invaders.</p> - -<p>William Rowcester, of Bridge of Bargie (Bargie Castle), was pardoned for -felony in 1540. He is described as a “horseman,” which, according to -Hollinshead was a position next to that of captain or lord. About 1553 -Nicholas Roche was granted the wardship and marriage of his son Richard.</p> - -<p>The Most Rev. Michael Rossiter, Bishop of Ferns, is supposed by some to -have been born in Bargy Castle, in 1648, but the Down Survey maps of -1657 describe the castle as being in ruins.</p> - -<p>The last Rossiter to own Bargy was William Rossiter, who took part in -the defence of Wexford against Cromwell. His lands were confiscated in -1667, and Bargy Castle was granted to William Ivory, Esq.</p> - -<p>After this it passed to the Harvey family, and here Beauchamp Bagnal -Harvey was born, who commanded the Wexford insurgents in 1798.</p> - -<p>Bargy was confiscated to the Crown, after the suppression of the -rebellion; and Bagnal Harvey, who owned the castle, and Colclough were -captured on the Saltee Islands and executed at Wexford.</p> - -<p>Troops were quartered at Bargy from 1798 to 1808, when the property was -restored to James Harvey, brother of the late owner.</p> - -<p>It is said that when a detachment of soldiers was sent to take -possession of the fortress in 1798 they indulged so freely in the -contents of the great wine cellars, that some<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span> of them injudiciously -disturbed the hives in the garden, whereupon the bees attacked their -tormentors with such force that some of the soldiers died from the -effects, and others were pursued by the irate insects to the very town -of Wexford.</p> - -<p>Mr. Harvey lived in London, and the castle gradually fell into -dilapidation until his death, when it passed to Councillor John Harvey, -who restored it. Major Harvey, who died in 1880, is entombed in a -mausoleum before the hall door. The castle was afterwards let to Mr. -Leared, who re-roofed and improved it.</p> - -<p>Ghostly tappings are reported to be heard on the castle windows between -10 and 11 p.m., while a phantom carriage is said to be sometimes audible -driving up the disused avenue, when the horses’ hoofs cease before the -old entrance in the keep, and a minute or two later the coach is again -heard returning by the old drive.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Act of Settlement.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Down Survey Maps.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fiants of Edward VI.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Doyle, “Notes and Gleanings of Co. Wexford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Madden, “The United Irishmen.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Article and letter in <i>The People</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BARRYSCOURT_CASTLE" id="BARRYSCOURT_CASTLE"></a><i>BARRYSCOURT CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> fine ruins of this fortress are situated about half a mile south of -Carrigtohill, in the County Cork.</p> - -<p>It consists of a rectangular structure about 70 feet in height, flanked -by three towers, which open into the main building at each storey.</p> - -<p>A small oblong shaft in the south-east angle of the keep runs from the -upper to the lower rooms. A passage in the main north wall is now filled -up.</p> - -<p>The arches are of good workmanship and well preserved. In some of the -smaller apartments the marks of the wattle frames used in the building -are still easily traced on the ceilings, which show an early date of -construction.</p> - -<p>In the chamber above the chapel appears the date 1588, as well as an -inscription stating the castle was erected by “D.B.” and “E.R.,” which -initials stand for David Barry and his wife, Eliza Roche. In another -room the date 1596 is inscribed.</p> - -<p>The lands of the Barrys in Cork were confirmed to Philip Barry by King -John in 1206, and he later became possessed of Barry’s Court. The -present castle is, however, supposed to have been built during the -fourteenth century.</p> - -<p>Tradition states it was erected upon the site of an older fortress -belonging to the Lyons or Lehanes of Castle Lyons, and that during the -excavations for the present foundations an inscribed stone was found -stating that “O’Lehan hoc fecit MCIII.,” but O’Donovan does not think -the story probable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span></p> - -<p>Geraldus Cambrensis is credited with having written part of his history -of the conquest in the earlier castle.</p> - -<p>In 1490 the head of the Barry family was summoned to Parliament as Lord -Barry of Barry’s Court, and 1588 “James Barry of Barrescourt, Viscount -Barrymore, otherwise James, called Barrymore and Barryroo,” was in -possession.</p> - -<p>The Commissioners who were appointed to govern Munster while the Earl of -Desmond was in prison, wrote, after arriving in Cork, in 1568: “Wood -Kerne, under Gerot Bracke, one of the Earl of Desmond’s near kinsmen, -intercepted our letters, certain Kerne lay in ambush for us, but Lord -Barrymore and John FitzEdmund, Dean of Cloyne, met us, and led us to -Barry’s Court.”</p> - -<p>In 1580 Sir Walter Raleigh started from Cork to make complaint to Lord -Grey in Dublin that the Barrys and Condons were in league with the -rebels. He received orders to besiege Barry’s Court, but Lord Barry, -hearing of his intention, set the castle on fire, while he and his -friend, Fitzgerald, the seneschal of Imokilly, lay in wait for Sir -Walter at the ford near the old abbey of Midleton.</p> - -<p>In the encounter so little expected, Raleigh only saved his life by his -somewhat foolhardy daring.</p> - -<p>In the account of his doings in Ireland in 1583, Sir Henry Sydney -writes: “I was well entertained at the Viscount Barrie’s house, called -Barrie’s Court.”</p> - -<p>During the Desmond rebellion of 1585, David Lord Barry, whose initials -are carved over the mantelpiece of the castle, was associated with the -disaffected. He afterwards submitted and sat on the Council of Munster -under Sir George Carew. He was present at the relief of Kinsale in 1602, -and died at Barry’s Court in 1617. He was the second son of James Barry, -and his wife, Ellen Roche, was a daughter of Lord Fermoy.</p> - -<p>Writing of him in 1606, Sir John Davys says: “From Youghall we went to -Cork, and dined by the way with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span> Viscount Barrie, who, at his castle -at Barriecourt, gave us civil and plentiful entertainment.”</p> - -<p>Barryscourt was regranted by James I. to his grandson David, who -succeeded him.</p> - -<p>The castle seems to have again been consumed by fire after James II.’s -visit to Ireland, as it is stated that the velvet bed hung with gold -brocade in which he slept at Sir James Cotter’s, of Ballinsperrig, was -then at Barryscourt, and so destroyed by the conflagration.</p> - -<p>The castle was in possession of the Coppinger family for many years, -William Coppinger being the owner in 1861.</p> - -<p>It now belongs to Lord Barrymore.</p> - -<p>A member of the Wakeham family informs me that it was in possession of -her ancestors several centuries ago, and that the Lord Barrymore of that -day gave the owners, John and William Wakeham, the estates of Springhill -and Water-rock instead of it, which their descendants still possess.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gibson’s “History of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Patent and Close Rolls, Chancery, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Local Names” and “Notes and Queries” in <i>Journal of Cork Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BIRR_CASTLE" id="BIRR_CASTLE"></a><i>BIRR CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Lords to whom great men submit,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Are the O’Carrolls of the plain of Birr.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">O’Heerin.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress was one of the numerous strongholds of the O’Carrolls of -Ely O’Carroll. The derivation of the name, formerly Biorra, is doubtful. -<i>Bir</i> signifies “water,” <i>birra</i> = “abounding in wells,” or “fountains -of water,” <i>bir</i> = “a spit,” <i>bior</i> = “the brink of a river,” and the -name may have originated from any of these words.</p> - -<p>The town is situated on the right bank of the Little Brosna River at its -juncture with the Birr rivulet. It is in the barony of Ballybrit, King’s -County, sixty-two and a half miles west-south-west of Dublin.</p> - -<p>The O’Carroll’s stronghold, called the “Black Castle,” stood some sixty -yards north-west of the present building on the high bank of the river. -The principal tower was raised on an artificial mound, and in 1627 Sir -Laurence Parsons added a watch tower, which stood on thirteen corbels, -projecting on the outside, and was higher than all the other buildings. -The dungeon of the stronghold was situated in the Black Castle, but this -older fortress has long since been demolished.</p> - -<p>In 1620-21 Sir Laurence Parsons made a great many additions to the -castle. He erected a tower 46 feet long and 25 feet broad, at each end -of which an arch of hewn stone gave entrance to the fortress. The -present hall, which is reached by a flight of stone steps under a -vaulted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> vestibule, is the centre part of this tower, as it is also that -of the present mansion.</p> - -<p>In the following two years Sir Laurence also built a porter’s lodge, -known as the “Garden House,” fitted up a drawing-room and made a garden -and orchard.</p> - -<p>In 1624 he built a new line of offices, which formed one side of the -courtyard, and in which was a kitchen, &c. Another side of the enclosure -was occupied by the stables, which extended along the river, south of -the Black Castle.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_003" id="ill_003"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_049.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>BIRR CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>On the north was a double wall filled up with earth, and having a -gateway in the centre.</p> - -<p>Sir William Parsons threw all these buildings down in 1778.</p> - -<p>The castle was enlarged and remodelled under the direction of Mr. J. -Johnstone, architect, who altered the entrance to the back of the -building, away from the town.</p> - -<p>Sir Laurence Parsons had also added a “French Flanker” in 1627, but on -what site is not known.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Annals of Clonmacmoise record that Byrre Castle was besieged in 1207 -by “Moriertagh Mac Bryen an Sleyve,” who burnt the whole town.</p> - -<p>Ely O’Carroll was granted to FitzWalter by Henry II., nevertheless King -John re-granted it to William de Braosa in 1200, and FitzWalter had to -buy it back to regain possession.</p> - -<p>It shortly afterwards passed into the hands of Hugh de Hose or Hussey.</p> - -<p>The English rebuilt and enlarged the stronghold in 1213.</p> - -<p>In 1432 the Earl of Ormond went to war with O’Carroll of Ely, and -demolished his two chief castles, which most likely were Birr and Leap, -for in spite of Royal grants the stronghold remained in the possession -of the O’Carrolls.</p> - -<p>A dispute arose about the chieftainship of the sept in 1532, the senior -branch of the family holding Birr Castle.</p> - -<p>Ferganainm O’Carroll, the son of the late chief, enlisted the aid of the -Earl of Kildare, whose daughter he had married, and together they laid -siege to Birr. The Earl received a bullet in his side from the garrison. -It is said that a soldier, hearing him cry out in agony, remonstrated -with him, remarking he himself had been wounded three times and was none -the worse, to which the Earl replied he was sorry he had not received -the fourth bullet in his stead. The ball was extracted the following -spring, but it is said to have hastened his end.</p> - -<p>In 1537 Lord Leonard Grey took Birr Castle, and is reported to have -received submission from O’Carroll, who was created Baron of Ely in -1552.</p> - -<p>At the time of the plantation of Ely, Birr and its castle were granted -to Sir Laurence Parsons in 1620, and the same year his steward arrived -to make preparations. Shortly afterwards O’Carroll appealed in vain.</p> - -<p>In 1641 Sir William Parsons was made Governor of Ely<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> O’Carroll and the -Castle of Birr, which latter he garrisoned with his tenants.</p> - -<p>He put the place at once in a state of defence. He raised a flanker -behind the stables, and erected scaffolds inside the castle for the -garrison to fight from.</p> - -<p>After some skirmishing the fortress was closely besieged in 1642, and of -the nine hundred people in town and castle many died of starvation, -while others were reduced to eating dogs and cats.</p> - -<p>At length the Earl of Ormond sent a detachment to its relief, but early -the next year General Preston approached the stronghold with artillery -and troops.</p> - -<p>He reconnoitred the town from Drumbawn Hill, and after firing a few -shots encamped in the neighbouring woods. On the second day of the siege -he sent a messenger to the Governor to inquire if he held the castle for -the King or the Parliament, and asking to be allowed to garrison it for -his Majesty’s use.</p> - -<p>Sir William replied that he had not heard of any difference from his -Majesty or from the Parliament, and that he held his commission as -Governor of Ely O’Carroll.</p> - -<p>At this reply Preston entrenched, and next day began to bombard the -fortress in earnest. The following night a mine was commenced under the -direction of a mason who had been employed in the castle. The garrison, -hearing the noise, fired on the sappers, but the darkness prevented the -shot taking effect, and in the morning they were underground.</p> - -<p>Preston continued firing, and destroyed much of the wall and one of the -flankers. He said he would break down the fortress about the Governor’s -ears. Some of the balls found in the masonry weighed 9 lbs. each.</p> - -<p>Under cover of a parley the defenders of the mill were withdrawn, and -the garrison held out for two days after they had been undermined. A -conference was held and the besieged were granted honourable terms.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span></p> - -<p>Lord Castlehaven conducted them to Athy. They numbered about eight -hundred men, women, and children.</p> - -<p>Preston seems to have retained possession of Birr until 1645, when for -five years it was held by the Confederate Catholic forces.</p> - -<p>It was taken from the Irish in 1650 by General Ireton, the enemy having -burnt it before retreating. The Marquis of Clanrickarde tried to retake -it in vain.</p> - -<p>In 1688 Birr was so infested with robbers that Sir Laurence Parsons took -some of his neighbours and tenants inside the castle and closed the -gates. This act was magnified to the Government by his enemy, Colonel -Oxburgh, who obtained an order from the Lord Lieutenant to put a -garrison in the castle.</p> - -<p>Oxburgh demanded admittance, and Sir Laurence refused until he should -hear from Lord Tyrconnel. A siege then began, and when they attempted to -undermine the fortress terms of capitulation were agreed upon.</p> - -<p>Both terms of surrender (1643-1688) are preserved in the castle and have -been published in the Report of the Historical MSS. Commission.</p> - -<p>Sir Laurence and some of his tenants were imprisoned in the fortress. He -was tried for high treason and several times reprieved. He was liberated -after the Boyne, and appointed High Sheriff for the King’s County.</p> - -<p>In 1690 the castle garrison, being English, was summoned, but after a -parley the enemy retired.</p> - -<p>Later the same year it was attacked by Sarsfield, who fired all day on -the stronghold. The marks of the shot are still to be seen upon the -castle walls. The besieged, under Captain Curry, held out until -reinforcements arrived.</p> - -<p>The English army, passing through Birr in 1691, left four hundred -wounded men in the castle for two months.</p> - -<p>Sir Laurence Parsons died in 1698.</p> - -<p>The second Earl of Rosse succeeded to the estates<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span> in 1841. His -experiments towards improving the reflecting telescope had been begun in -1827 at Birr Castle. He employed local workmen, and the tools, -machinery, furnaces, ovens, &c., were all constructed on the spot, many -of which are still to be seen.</p> - -<p>At length, after many failures, two specula were cast in 1842-43. They -each measured 6 feet in diameter, weighed 4 tons, and were of 54 feet -focus.</p> - -<p>The tube in which one was mounted is 58 feet long and 7 feet in -diameter. It is slung on chains between two piers of masonry, and the -telescope is moved and supported by a complex system of cast-iron -platforms, triangles, and levers.</p> - -<p>It is the largest telescope in the world, and cost about £20,000 to -construct. Observations were commenced in February, 1845. There are -several smaller telescopes at the castle as well.</p> - -<p>The present Earl of Rosse is the third Earl, and, like his father, is an -eminent scientist.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">T. Cooke, “History of Birr,” &c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cooke, “Picture of Parsonstown.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">S. Lee, “Dictionary of National Biography.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Report of Historical MSS. Commission.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BLACK_CASTLE_WICKLOW" id="BLACK_CASTLE_WICKLOW"></a><i>BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Wicklow</span> is situated about twenty-five miles south-south-east of Dublin, -and the ruins of the Black Castle occupy an isolated rocky promontory -east of the town, and on the south side of the Leitrim river. The name -Wicklow is likely to have been of Norwegian origin, but the meaning is -uncertain. The Irish name Kilmantan signified S. Mantan’s Church. The -castle followed the natural shape of the dark rock on which it was -built, and from which, no doubt, the designation “Black” is taken. It -was divided from the mainland by a chasm, which was probably bridged in -former times. A few fragments of walls, with window openings, are all -that remain.</p> - -<p>The fortress can never have been of large dimensions if it was confined -to the rock on which the ruins now stand.</p> - -<p>In 1176, after Maurice FitzGerald had been recalled by Strongbow, he -received a grant of the Castle of Wicklow, among other possessions, in -lieu of his lands in Wexford, which King Henry wished to retain. From -this it would appear to have been the site of an older fortification.</p> - -<p>Maurice FitzGerald began to erect a Norman stronghold on the promontory, -but he died before it was completed.</p> - -<p>Soon after his death William FitzAdelm managed by falsehood to get -possession of the Black Castle from his son Gerald, first Baron of -Offaly, and surrendered him instead the unprotected Castle of Ferns.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Ormond being arraigned for treason in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> 1422, one of the -charges against him was that he had retained William Edward, Constable -of Arklow, in his service after he had assisted the O’Byrnes in seizing -the King’s Castle of Wicklow. They killed John Liverpoole, the -constable, and sent his head to the O’Byrne. They also imprisoned a -priest, whom they found in the fortress, to hold for ransom.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_004" id="ill_004"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_055.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>BLACK CASTLE, WICKLOW.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The O’Byrnes seem to have been in possession of the castle in the early -part of the sixteenth century, but in 1534 it had again passed to the -Crown, and Thomas Stevyns was appointed constable. In 1567 Sir Thomas -Fytzwylliams began his suit for the fortress, which, in 1575, he offered -to re-edify, though his doing so does not seem altogether to have worked -in his favour.</p> - -<p>It seems generally believed that the present ruins represent the -stronghold he built, but in 1580 it was reported that Wicklow Castle was -razed by the enemy.</p> - -<p>Nineteen years later the terrible disaster took place in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> June, 1599, in -which the English troops were utterly routed between Rathdrum and -Glenmalure by the combined Irish septs of the district. It was this that -caused Essex such a sharp reprimand from Oueen Elizabeth.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Harrington was in command, and his troops fell back upon -Wicklow Castle in the wildest disorder, chased by the Irish within half -a mile of the town.</p> - -<p>Captain Adam Loftus seems to have been the only one who endeavoured to -redeem the day. He was wounded in the leg and conveyed to the castle. A -surgeon was sent for, though the wound was not considered dangerous at -first; but he shortly afterwards succumbed to the effects.</p> - -<p>In 1610 Sir William Usher, Knight, was made constable of the fortress, -and in 1641 Luke O’Toole and a band of insurgents laid siege to the town -and castle, but retreated upon the approach of Sir Charles Coote with -some English troops.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “History of Viceroys of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Toole, “History of the Clan O’Toole.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Howth, Carew MSS.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BLARNEY_CASTLE" id="BLARNEY_CASTLE"></a><i>BLARNEY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“There is a stone there whoever kisses,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Oh, he never misses to grow eloquent,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">’Tis he may clamber to a lady’s chamber<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Or become a member of Parliament.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A clever spouter, he’ll sure turn out, or<br /></span> -<span class="i3">An ‘out an’ outer’ to be let alone,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Don’t hope to hinder him or bewilder him,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Sure he’s a pilgrim to the Blarney Stone!”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">Father Prout.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Appropriately</span> built on an isolated limestone rock, the castle of the -Blarney (Blarna meaning “little field”) was the chief stronghold of the -chiefs of the sept Carty, from Cartheigh, “an inhabitant of the rock.” -It is situated some three and a half miles north-west of Cork, near the -junction of the Comane (<i>i.e.</i> crooked stream) and the Awmartin River. -The present ruins show three distinct periods of construction, of which -the oldest is a slender tower, or peel, situated at the north-west -corner of the larger block of masonry that was built to it, the whole -being the great keep of the fortress.</p> - -<p>A stone bearing the inscription “Cormac M’Carthy, Fortis Me Fieri Facit, -<small>A.D.</small> 1446,” forms the sill of one of the machicolations on the south -side of the tower, and being damaged during the siege in Cromwell’s -time, has been supported with iron.</p> - -<p>The keep is gnomon in shape, the later rectangular tower being 60 feet -by 36 feet, while the peel, which is half built into the north-west -corner, forms a projection of 18<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span> feet by 12 feet. The tower is about -120 feet high. The original entrance to the peel, which was 10 feet -above the ground, is now built up, and access is gained by the large -newel stair in the later building. What are called “the back stairs,” -were the original flight belonging to the first tower. Here is situated -the “Earl’s bedroom,” with a more modern bay window, and remnants of the -tapestry which once covered the walls may still be seen. In the very top -storey is situated a kitchen with two great fireplaces, and one of the -now floorless rooms in this tower was probably the chapel.</p> - -<p>In the later portion of the keep is the store-room and guard chamber -near the entrance, which is a low-pointed doorway once defended from -above. The apartment in the third floor was most likely used as a -reception room, above which the great banqueting hall is situated, with -an elaborately-worked chimney, and a fireplace 12 feet wide. The tower -on the south and east is finished by machicolated parapets, resting on -fourteen corbels, and having a corresponding number of opens or -crenelles above.</p> - -<p>The keep represents the fifteenth-century masonry, except where it is -surmounted by the ogee parapet of brick work, which was seemingly added -at the time the now ruined mansion to the east of the tower was built. -This dwelling, erected by the Jeffreys family, was unroofed and its -timber sold in 1821.</p> - -<p>What are locally called “the dungeons” are merely divisions in the well -cavern, which was at one time connected with the castle by a covered -passage now filled up.</p> - -<p>There seems to be great uncertainty as to the identity of the famous -kissing stone, said to give a persuasive tongue to whoever touches it -with his lips. The power of conferring this accomplishment appears to -have been unknown in the early part of the nineteenth century.</p> - -<p>The inscribed stone already mentioned is generally supposed to be the -true “Blarney stone,” chiefly, it seems<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> because it has been carefully -propped, and most likely had the mystic reputation conferred upon it -when a slightly water-worn hollow stone situated on the parapet of the -east side of the turret disappeared more than a quarter of a century -ago.</p> - -<p>Again a stone bearing the date 1703, on the highest part of the -north-east angle, and another engraved with a shamrock in relief have -each been asserted to be the original stone.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_005" id="ill_005"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_059.jpg" width="520" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>BLARNEY CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The origin of “Blarney,” meaning flattery, is said to have been from an -exclamation of Queen Elizabeth upon receiving a very plausible letter -from M’Carthy, to the effect that it was all “Blarney” and he did not -intend to carry out his promises.</p> - -<p>The castle at one time covered eight acres. In a quarry near a large -number of human bones have been found.</p> - -<p>Cormac MacCarty, surnamed Laider, or the Strong, came<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span> into the lordship -of Muskerry three years after he had built Blarney Castle, and such was -his power that English settlers paid him a yearly tribute of £40 to -protect them against the attacks of the Irish. He was fourth lord, and -direct descendant of the former Kings of Desmond and Cork. He died in -1494.</p> - -<p>Teige MacCormac Carty signed an indenture of allegiance to the English -laws in 1542, and this was faithfully adhered to by his descendants, -who, unlike the other great Irish septs, never went eagerly into -rebellion. At this time the clan could raise three thousand fighting -men. His son Dermod was knighted in 1558.</p> - -<p>The Manor of Blarney, Twhoneblarney, the entire country of Muskerry, -with all its lordships and possessions, were granted to M‘Dermod to hold -by military service in 1589.</p> - -<p>His cousin Charles, however, was page to Sir Walter Raleigh, and through -his interest procured from the Privy Council a sequestration of the -rents.</p> - -<p>In 1596 Cormack M‘Dermot M‘Carthy asked for a new grant of the Manor of -Blarney with a release of all conditions.</p> - -<p>When war broke out, although Lord Muskerry remained with the English -forces, he was seized as a traitor (1600) because his brother had joined -the rebels, and a relative informed the Council that he himself was -plotting against them.</p> - -<p>Tyrone at this time encamped with all his forces near Blarney, which is -described as one of the strongest castles in the province of Munster, -“for it is four piles joined in one, seated upon a main rock, so as it -is free from mining, the wall 18 feet thick, and flanked at each corner -to the best advantage.”</p> - -<p>Sir Charles Wilmot and Captain Roger Harvey endeavoured to surprise the -garrison after the arrest of Lord Muskerry, but the warders, suspecting -their motive, made them partake of the food they asked for, outside the -castle walls.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span></p> - -<p>When Lord Muskerry was put upon his trial he indignantly denied the -charges made against him. The President replied that he had better -either confess his guilt and ask pardon, or deliver up Blarney Castle -until the accusations were proved false. This Lord Muskerry hesitated to -do, and so was committed to prison. At length he consented to give up -Blarney to Captain Taafe, on condition that it would be restored to him -unaltered.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this he escaped, in 1602, but seeing the struggle against -the Crown was hopeless, he asked leave to make submission to Sir George -Carew, which was granted.</p> - -<p>In 1628 he was created Baron of Blarney and Viscount Cartie of Muskerie, -and as such went to Parliament.</p> - -<p>Charles I. appointed him President of Munster, but in 1646 Lord -Broghill, afterwards Earl of Orrery, took the castle of Blarney and made -it his headquarters. Lord Muskerry was the last Royalist in Ireland to -lay down arms, and he was tried for his life by Ludlow and others. He -was permitted to pass to Spain, while his wife was allowed to receive -his income from the estate, except £1,000 a year granted to Lord -Broghill for his services (1656).</p> - -<p>Two years later Lord Muskerry was recalled, after the Restoration, and -created Viscount Muskerry and Earl of Clancarty. His property was given -back to him, except the portion allowed to Lord Broghill, who was now a -supporter of the King.</p> - -<p>When James landed at Kinsale, Blarney Castle was used as one of the -prisons for the Protestants of Cork, the fourth Earl of Clancarty being -one of the King’s chief supporters.</p> - -<p>Upon the succession of King William the Clancarty estate, worth about -£150,000, was confiscated and sold, a pension of £300 being allowed to -the Earl, who died at Hamburg, 1734.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Dean Davies, of Cork, was tenant of the castle for some years -after the Hollow-Sword-Blade Company of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> London bought it. Upon leaving -he took away many of the oak beams of the castle for his new residence -at Dawstown.</p> - -<p>Chief Justice Pyne then purchased it, and held it for a short time, but -in 1703 Sir James Jeffreys bought the castle and lands, and from him the -present owner, Sir George Colthurst, is descended.</p> - -<p>There is in the possession of The O’Donovan, at Liss Ard, Skibbereen, a -dadagh, or Irish skean, with which an O’Donovan killed M‘Carty Reagh -about the middle of the sixteenth century. The dispute arose about some -plundered cattle which M‘Carty wished to drive into the bawn of Blarney -without division. Being opposed by O’Donovan, he attacked him and threw -him down, but O’Donovan, although on the ground, snatched the dadagh -from him, and slew him with his own weapon.</p> - -<p>About a quarter of a mile south-west of the castle, in the park is the -lake, where it is supposed the plate chest of the last Earl of Clancarty -was thrown before the castle was surrendered to William’s forces, and a -legend says that the Earl rises from the lake every seven years, and -walks two or three miles in the hope that some one will speak to him, so -that he may tell them where it lies. Another version says that as soon -as the estate is restored to the MacCartys the chest will be discovered. -A little silver ring has been found in the lake.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Croker, “Fairy Legends,” and “Researches in the South of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Windele, “Notices of the City of Cork and Vicinity.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “History of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. C. Woods, “Blarney Castle” (<i>Journal of the Cork Archæological Society</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Archæological Association of Ireland.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_006" id="ill_006"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_064.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>BUNRATTY CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BUNRATTY_CASTLE" id="BUNRATTY_CASTLE"></a><i>BUNRATTY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> village of Bunratty is situated in the Barony of Lower Bunratty, -County Clare, and the castle stands on the banks of the Ougarnee River, -a little above its juncture with the Shannon on its northern bank, about -six miles below Limerick.</p> - -<p>The former name of the river was Ratty, and the name, therefore, -signifies the end or mouth of the Ratty.</p> - -<p>The fortress is still in a very fair state of preservation and shows -many signs of alterations during its existence.</p> - -<p>It consists of an oblong structure, flanked by four square towers built -into the angles, which are joined at the head by depressed arches.</p> - -<p>The north-east tower contains an oratory. It has a piscina, and the -ceiling is a handsome specimen of richly moulded seventeenth-century -stucco work, probably executed when the “great Earl” of Thomond restored -the castle in 1610. Out-offices and servants’ quarters formerly -surrounded the main building, but were removed by the late Mr. Studdert -to supply material for the modern manor house.</p> - -<p>An inscribed stone at the summit of the castle states that the present -building was erected by O’Brien in 1397. There are marks of shot still -visible on the walls.</p> - -<p>The cantred of Tradee was granted in fee farm to the Norman Robert de -Muscegros, at a yearly rent of £30.</p> - -<p>Henry III. remitted him two years’ rent in 1251 to enable him to fortify -Bunratty Castle, which he had built.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span> Shortly after he surrendered it to -the King on condition he was allowed for the repairing, provisioning, -and defending of it. It was taken by the Irish in 1257.</p> - -<p>De Muscegros exchanged his lands of Tradee, in Thomond, with Sir Richard -de Clare in 1275 for property in England, and the following year -Bunratty Castle was taken for the King by Geoffry de Gyamul, Lord -Justice.</p> - -<p>The same year King Brian the Red granted to de Clare the district he had -acquired by exchange, and he at once began to repair the castle. It is -recorded he built “a defensive thick-walled castle of lime and stone, -which was a sheltered, impregnable fortress, and a wide white-washed -mansion which he founded in the clear-harboured Bunratty,” and that he -resided here with English retainers whom he purchased “for love or -money.”</p> - -<p>Torlough O’Brien invaded Thomond, and its King, Brian, fled to Bunratty. -Among those who opposed the invaders was de Clare’s brother-in-law, -Patrick Fitz-Maurice, who was slain in the conflict. When news of his -death reached Bunratty there was great lamentation, and his sister, de -Clare’s wife, denounced King Brien, who was then at dinner, as the cause -of the disaster.</p> - -<p>He was thereupon dragged from the table, bound to wild horses, and -literaly torn to pieces. This act of treachery was rendered even more -horrible from the fact that he and de Clare had sworn friendship with -the most solemn rites.</p> - -<p>Among the State Documents of 1298 is an entry for expenses and wages of -horse and foot soldiers in an expedition to relieve Bunratty, which was -besieged by Turlough O’Brien. This attack probably took place at an -earlier date.</p> - -<p>The castle was besieged again in 1305 by Coveha MacConmara and the -outworks burnt, which is thus picturesquely described: “Yea, at this -bout, the open-spaced Bunratty, when it was gutted, fed the flames; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span> -by the Wolf-dog’s pertinacity, not once, but twice, were many of the -lime-white towers burnt.”</p> - -<p>The fortress was not taken, and Lord Burke persuaded MacConmara to raise -the siege.</p> - -<p>At this time Maurice de Rochford was custodian.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Ulster marched into Clare with a great army in 1311 to -besiege Bunratty. Richard de Clare sallied out to meet him on the hill -behind the fortress, but was obliged to retreat. William de Burgo, -pressing too far in pursuit, was taken prisoner, as well as John, son of -Walter de Lacy.</p> - -<p>In 1313, de Clare was about to hang O’Brien’s son, who was hostage for -the tribe of Coileau, but his wife, with the clergy and nobility, -interceded for him.</p> - -<p>De Clare and his son Thomas were killed in 1318 in the battle of Dysert -O’Dea, and upon his wife, Lady Johan de Clare, hearing of the disaster, -she set fire to the castle and sailed for England.</p> - -<p>The following year it was spoiled by King Mortogh.</p> - -<p>It was immediately repaired, and the Government assigned it to Matilda, -wife of Robert de Wills, and Margaret, wife of Bartholomew de -Badlesmere, sisters to Richard de Clare, and appointed Robert Sutton -constable.</p> - -<p>In 1326 it was held for the Crown by James de bello Fago, and in 1332 it -was besieged and taken by the Macnamaras.</p> - -<p>There is an order dated 1356 to liberate Thomas, the son of John -FitzMaurice, who had been imprisoned as accessory to the loss of the -castle.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy recovered the fortress in 1558 by firing across the -river until the garrison of Donnell O’Brien surrendered it.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Thomond was proclaimed rebel in 1570, and fled to sea; the -Earl of Ormond meantime garrisoned Bunratty with his own men, but in -1585 the castle was confirmed to the Earl of Thomond.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span></p> - -<p>The “Great Earl” of Thomond restored it in 1617.</p> - -<p>Some authorities say Lord Forbes seized the castle in 1642 in a -buccaneering expedition.</p> - -<p>When the rebellion broke out in 1641 the Earl of Thomond of the time -found himself in a difficult position, for by religion he might have -been supposed to side with the Government, while at the same time he was -closely related to many of the prominent Confederates, being uncle to -Lord Muskerry who commanded their troops in the south. He, therefore, -remained quietly at Bunratty taking neither side, but he was too -powerful to be allowed to presevere in neutrality.</p> - -<p>The Supreme Council of the Confederates entrusted the seizure of both -the castle and Earl to his relatives, the O’Briens, but in the meantime -the Earl of Ormond had entered into a treaty with the Earl of Thomond -whereby the latter was to surrender the castle of Bunratty to a governor -they mutually agreed upon.</p> - -<p>The choice fell upon Colonel Adams, “a stout officer,” who, with upwards -of six hundred men, took possession of the stronghold in 1645. The -governor was a Scotchman whose family name was Adam, but upon settling -in Ireland he seems to have been called Adams, and sometimes MacAdam. He -was married to the Hon. Catherine Magennis, granddaughter of Hugh, Earl -of Tyrone, therefore his wife was first cousin to Owen Roe O’Neill, -which, no doubt, guided his selection as commander of Bunratty garrison.</p> - -<p>Before the castle was surrendered the Earl of Thomond built all his -plate and money into the walls to the amount of £2,000, and had the -place plastered and rough cast. Some of the servants betrayed the fact -to the soldiers, and they seized the Earl and threatened to kill him -unless he showed them the treasure, whereupon they took it before his -face. He afterwards tried to recover it as a debt from the Government in -vain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle was provisioned at the cost of £1,200 by John Davies.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Thomond left his fortress in the hands of the soldiers and -sailed for England. Colonel Adams at once set to work to put the place -in a state of defence by raising earthworks and fortifying outlying -positions, as well as mounting cannon in the garden, his was much helped -in his operations by the marshy character of the surrounding country.</p> - -<p>The Confederates sent an army to besiege the castle, which encamped in -the park. They were shortly afterwards joined by Lord Muskerry, who -seems to have been only half-hearted in attacking his uncle’s property, -and it required the persuasion and presence of the Nuncio to push the -siege to a victorious issue.</p> - -<p>Cardinal Rinuncini must have been much impressed by the beauty of the -spot, as later he had scenes of the siege painted on the walls of his -Italian palace.</p> - -<p>After some weeks a dam about half a mile from the castle was captured, -but only held a few hours when deserted by its guards, who were hanged -for the offence.</p> - -<p>Two pieces of cannon were then directed upon a small outlying castle, -and at the end of two days’ firing Colonel Adams repaired to the place -to see if it could be held any longer. A chance shot at the upper window -mortally wounded him, and being carried out he died that night.</p> - -<p>When Muskerry heard this he decided to attack in force, “knowing how -much discouraged they were at the loss of so valiant a person.”</p> - -<p>The Irish gradually gained position, and at length the garrison -capitulated for their lives, and the officers their swords, and returned -to Cork by water. This was in 1646.</p> - -<p>In 1712 Henry, 8th Earl of Thomond, disposed of his estate, and the -castle passed to the Studdert family, who lived there until the -neighbouring mansion was built.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span></p> - -<p>For some years afterwards it was partly used for a police barrack, and -now it is in the hands of a caretaker.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Frost, “History of the County Clare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">White, “History of Clare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Donoghue, “Memoirs of the O’Briens.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">B. Adams and M. Adams, “History of the Adams Family.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Dwyer, “Diocese of Killaloe.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “Affairs in Ireland, 1641-52” (Apporismical Discovery of Treasonable Faction).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “History of the Irish Confederation by Richard Bellings.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Westropp, “Normans in Thomond;” Macnamara, “Inchiquin, Co. Clare;” Shirley and O’Brien, “Extracts from the Journal of Thomas Dineley,” all in <i>Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Westropp, “On the Churches of County Clare,” in Proceedings of R.I.A.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Bunratty,” <i>Dublin Saturday Magazine</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CARLOW_CASTLE" id="CARLOW_CASTLE"></a><i>CARLOW CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> town of Carlow, Catherlough or Catherlogh, is situated on the banks -of the Barrow, five and a half miles south-by-west of Castledermot near -the junction of the above river with the Burren. The name signifies “the -city on the lake,” but the sheet of water from which it derived its name -has disappeared.</p> - -<p>The castle stands on a slight eminence to the west of the town on the -east bank of the river, where it commanded the ford.</p> - -<p>The present ruins consist of two round towers, and the western wall, -which measures about 105 feet in length and some 70 feet in height. One -of the towers is joined to this structure, and a small portion of the -north and south walls adhere to both turrets respectively.</p> - -<p>The doors were remarkably low and narrow, and light was admitted almost -entirely by loopholes.</p> - -<p>In Thomas Dineley’s quaint diary he states that the fortress was built -of freestone, and a picture in the same work represents it with gables -and a high-pitched roof. It is flanked by round towers and has many tall -chimneys. It appears to be surrounded by a low battlemented wall, and to -have numerous little out-houses.</p> - -<p>Like so many castles in Ireland, local tradition ascribes its erection -to King John, but Eva, Strongbow’s wife, Isabel, their daughter, Hugh le -Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk, and Bellingham, Lord Deputy of Ireland, have -been mentioned by other authorities. Ryan, in his history of Carlow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span> -deals with the likelihood of each claim, and thinks that it was most -probably built by Hugh de Lacy. He is said to have erected it about -1180, but the architecture is rather that of the beginning of the -thirteenth century.</p> - -<p>The castle is mentioned in the charter of William, Earl Marshal.</p> - -<p>In 1283 we find the repairing of the old hall, kitchen, and tower among -the accounts of Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, in whose possession it -then was. Among the items of expenditure are 700 nails and canvas, which -were probably for the roofing of the great hall, which was covered with -wooden shingles, and seems to have been difficult to keep in repair.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_007" id="ill_007"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_072.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>CARLOW CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Carlow Castle was at this time the centre of government. The courts were -held in the hall mentioned, and the Exchequer House was probably -situated in one of the towers. The income of the lordship was £750 a -year.</p> - -<p>After all this expenditure, however, when the Ear<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span>l’s possessions passed -to the Crown in 1306, the castle and hall were so ruined that no value -was placed upon them.</p> - -<p>J. de Bonevill, of his Majesty’s Castle of Carlow, was appointed -seneschal of Carlow and Kildare in 1310 to put down the robberies and -outrages in the country.</p> - -<p>It is stated that the castle was seized in 1397 by Donald MacArt -Kavanagh, the MacMorrough, but the authority is not considered very -reliable.</p> - -<p>In 1494 James Fitzgerald, brother to the Earl of Kildare, having gone -into rebellion, seized the castle and hoisted his standard on its -battlements. Sir Edward Poynings marched to Carlow, and after a siege of -ten days recovered the fortress.</p> - -<p>Carlow Castle was in the hands of Thomas, 10th Earl of Kildare, better -known as the “Silken Thomas,” during his rebellion in 1535. After his -imprisonment in 1537 Lord (James) Butler, eldest son of the Earl of -Ossory, appealed to the Crown for compensation for having defended the -Castles of Carlow and Kilkea, “standing on the marches,” close to Irish -territory. He was granted his expenses, and appointed constable of both -castles.</p> - -<p>At the same time the Deputy wrote to the Lord Privy Seal advising him to -let the King keep the “manors of Carlagh, Kylea, and Castledermont” in -his hands to prevent Lord Ossory and his son from becoming too powerful.</p> - -<p>Sir Robert Hartpole applied for the custodianship of the fortress in -1567, it being at that time in possession of Frances Randall, widow of -its late keeper.</p> - -<p>Rory Oge O’More, Chieftain of Leix, burned the town and Sir Robert -Hartpole made a sally from the castle with fifty men and released -Harrington and Cosby, who were his prisoners, but O’More escaped in the -dark.</p> - -<p>Oueen Elizabeth desired the Lord Deputy to exchange some of the crown -lands with Henry, Earl of Kildare, for the castle and lands of Carlow in -1589. During the unfor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span>tunate Essex’s rule in Ireland, in 1598 to 1600 -the Queen’s warders held the fortress, but the Kavanaghs laid the -surrounding country waste.</p> - -<p>By the State Papers of 1604 the manor of Carlow was granted to Donagh, -Earl of Thomond, with the exception of the castle, of which, however, he -and his son were made constables. The following is taken from a document -setting forth the conditions of the grant:—</p> - -<p>“In all works made within the castle, the inhabitants of Carlow are to -find six workmen or labourers daily, during the said work, at their own -expense; also each tenant and cottager to weed the demesne corn yearly -for three days, and a woman out of every house in Carlow to bind the -sheaves for one day; each tenant and cottager to cut wood for the use of -the castle for three days in summer, and each of them having a draught -horse to draw the wood to the castle for three days, also to draw the -corn out of the fields to the area of the said castle for three days; to -give one cartload of wood, and one truss of straw at Christmas and -Easter.”</p> - -<p>Shortly after this the castle and bawn was granted to Sir Charles -Wilmot.</p> - -<p>Five hundred English were besieged in the castle in 1642, and were in a -starving condition when relieved by Sir Patrick Wemys, who had been -despatched to their relief by the Earl of Ormond. The rebels burned the -town and fled at his approach.</p> - -<p>In 1647 the King’s garrison was so hard pressed that the Earl of Ormond -borrowed £60 for its relief, and forwarded it by Major Harman, but the -fifty men who came to reinforce the garrison could not get in, as the -stronghold was closely invested. The siege lasted about a month, and -then the castle surrendered.</p> - -<p>In Dr. Jones’ diary he states that the Cromwellian army arrived before -the castle on the 18th of March, 1649. That the garrison of two hundred -men refused to surrender it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span> until the battery played on the place, and -preparations were made for storming.</p> - -<p>The next day the castle was surrendered, and two companies left to -garrison it. The officers in command being Colonel Hewson, Sir T. Jones, -and Colonel Shelburn.</p> - -<p>Again we learn that Ireton arrived to take the castle on July 2, 1650, -and that he spent the whole day in preparing for the attack. The troops -encamped on the Queen’s County side of the river, the field still being -pointed out. They had to erect a temporary bridge of ropes, hurdles and -straw to cross the river, and the soldiers passed over one by one.</p> - -<p>In Edmund Ludlow’s “Memoirs” he describes the place as “a small castle, -with a river running under its walls,” and ascribes its importance to -the fact of the neighbourhood being in sympathy with the garrison.</p> - -<p>Just before sunset Ireton sent a letter to the governor offering terms -to the defenders if they surrendered. The officer he sent returned to -say Ireton should have an answer the next morning.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, Captain Bellew sent a courteous reply to him asking for a -truce of three days, so that he might communicate with the Bishop of -Dromore. This was granted, and Ireton went on to Waterford, leaving Sir -Hardress Waller in command.</p> - -<p>After a short cannonade he took the town, and the castle surrendered -upon articles. The garrison received a safe convoy to Lea Castle, and a -pass of ten days to reach Athlone.</p> - -<p>In Carte’s “Life of Ormond,” he attributes the castle’s loss to -treachery, but except in a local tradition this does not appear.</p> - -<p>It is said that the garrison running short of water sent an old woman to -the river to fetch some, but that she was taken prisoner by some of the -soldiers, and brought to the hostile camp. She was promised her life and -a reward if<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span> on the following night she would show by a torch on the -battlements the position of the stairway where the walls were thinnest. -The legend runs she fulfilled the conditions and that, the cannonade at -once beginning, she was the first to lose her life through her own -treachery.</p> - -<p>The manor passed from the Earl of Thomond’s family, on account of an -unredeemed mortgage, to a Mr. Hamilton, M.P., who, in 1729, brought his -case before Parliament for having been deprived of the castle yard -during the time of privilege.</p> - -<p>The castle was leased in 1814 to a Dr. Middleton. This gentleman -intended to convert it into a lunatic asylum, and endeavoured to enlarge -the windows and lessen the thickness of the walls by the then little -known process of blasting. The results were disastrous. One morning, at -about nine o’clock, while the workmen were fortunately at breakfast, the -huge pile began slowly to totter to its fall.</p> - -<p>An eye-witness who had time to escape from the threatened destruction -said: “After viewing the portentous and amazing nodding of the towers, -the immense pile gradually disparted into vast masses, which broke with -difficulty into fragments less mighty.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Ryan, “History of County Carlow.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Howth, Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Walter Fitzgerald, “Kilkea Castle,” in <i>Journal of Kildare Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Malcomson, “Cromwell at Carlow”; J. O’Meagher, “Diary of Dr. Jones”; E. Shirley, “Extracts from Journal of Thomas Dineley”; and J. Mills, “Accounts of the Earl of Norfolk’s Estates in Ireland”: all in <i>Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CARRICKFERGUS_CASTLE" id="CARRICKFERGUS_CASTLE"></a><i>CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is popularly believed that Carrickfergus derived its name from a king -called Fergus having been lost there in a storm about 320 <small>B.C.</small>, whose -body was washed up on the rocky peninsular where the castle stands. The -name is, however, more likely to be a corruption of <i>Carraig na Fairge</i>, -signifying “rock of the sea.” It is often erroneously called Knockfergus -in ancient documents. The town is situated on the northern shore of -Belfast Lough, about ten miles distant from that city.</p> - -<p>The castle occupies the whole of a tongue of rock at the south end of -the town, which was at one time surrounded on three sides by water.</p> - -<p>The entrance to the fortress on the north, or landward direction, was by -a drawbridge across a dry moat. This was protected by two semicircular -towers, and a portcullis which still exists. Above the entrance is an -aperture, from which missiles and lead could be poured upon besiegers.</p> - -<p>From the gate towers a high curtain follows the formation of the rock -that gradually rises to about 30 feet in height towards the south. The -wall is at present mounted with ordnance used by the militia. The -enclosed space is divided into two yards. The outer one, which is -entered immediately from the gateway, contains a number of buildings and -offices erected in 1802, at which time the castle was used as a barrack. -There are also vaults, which were supposed to be bomb proof. In the line -of wall is situated a small projecting tower known as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span> “Lion’s Den.” -The inner yard is approached through a round arched gateway, and -contains storehouses and keep. This latter is 90 feet high, and divided -into five storeys. Its western side forms part of the outer wall. It was -formerly entered by a doorway on the second floor, and a winding stone -staircase in the wall of the west angle led to the top. Loopholes -admitted light and air, and there was a small door at each storey. At -present the ascent is made partly by wooden stairs inside. There are two -towers at the summit of the keep, one on the south-east corner covering -the top of the stairway, and the other at the south-west corner, which -was intended for a sentry-box.</p> - -<p>On the third storey is the large room known as “Fergus’s Dining-room,” -being 40 feet long by 38 feet broad and over 25 feet high. It was made -into a barrack in 1793, but is now employed as an armoury. Over the -chimneypiece was once a stone inscribed in Irish, which was removed in -1793.</p> - -<p>The former draw-well of the castle, 37 feet deep, was situated in the -keep. It was famous for medicinal qualities. The lower portion of the -building is now used as a magazine. The walls of the tower are 9 feet -thick, and the corner stones, or quoins, are of yellowish limestone, -which was probably quarried in the County Down on the opposite shore of -the Lough.</p> - -<p>The building of the castle is generally ascribed to John de Courcy, and, -although there is no direct proof that this was the case, many facts -tend to support the supposition. In the first place, as De Courcy -settled a colony in Carrickfergus shortly after his conquest of Ulster, -it is most likely that he would provide some means for its protection. -Again, it was for a long time the hereditary property of the Earls of -Ulster, who were descended from De Courcy. The ancient seal of the mayor -of the town bears a spread-eagle, which was the De Courcy crest, and -several coins of Henry II.’s time have been found near the building. In -a preface to State Papers the editors say that “the oldest<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span> fort in -Ulster is Carrickfergus, built in the days of De Courcy, and never out -of the possession of the English.”</p> - -<p>In 1605, the Lord Deputy applying for means to have it restored, remarks -it was “founded by his Majesty’s ancestors, and much needing repair.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_008" id="ill_008"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_079.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>CARRICKFERGUS CASTLE</p> - -<p>(From an Engraving made in 1838.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It is likely King John stayed in the castle during his visit to -Carrickfergus in 1210, and an order is preserved to the Bishop of -Norwich to buy supplies for it that year. It appears to have passed into -the hands of Hugh de Lacy when King John granted him Ulster, but in 1223 -a garrison was to be placed in the castle lest it should be attacked by -De Lacy, who was then plotting against the King.</p> - -<p>The following year a band of knights and soldiers were despatched by the -Earl of Pembroke for its further defence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span> Although it was being -besieged by Hugh they managed to get into the fortress safely, and the -siege was then raised.</p> - -<p>Two years afterwards the custody of the castle was granted to Hugh de -Lacy’s brother Walter.</p> - -<p>In 1245 an order was issued for its repair, and later (1253) it was -assigned by the King as part of the dowry of Eleanor, Queen Consort.</p> - -<p>In 1315 the castle was besieged by Edward Bruce, and Lord Mandeville, -who endeavoured to relieve it, failed to do so. The gallant little -garrison held out for more than a year, and it is said they were reduced -to eating eight Scotch prisoners who had died within the walls. Upon the -arrival of King Robert Bruce to aid his brother, the fortress was -surrendered. After the death of Edward Bruce the castle passed again -into the hands of the English, and it appears to have been the only -place in Antrim not in the possession of the O’Neills after the -assassination of the Earl of Ulster, 1333.</p> - -<p>In 1337 the King appointed a constable to the castle under the belief -that he was the owner of the stronghold, instead of holding it only -during the minority of the Earl of Ulster, and as there was a constable -already in office, compensation had to be found for the disappointed -custodian. From this time there was a long list of constables, the last -being Stewart Banks, Esq., of Belfast, who used merely to attend -annually to see the Mayor sworn in the outer yard of the castle. In 1461 -an Act of Parliament decreed that none but Englishmen should hold the -office of Governor. The position is now a mere sinecure.</p> - -<p>In 1390, in an order for repair, the castle is described as being -“totally destitute and desolate of defence,” and sixteen years later its -state does not seem to have been much improved.</p> - -<p>For the next two years it was kept for nothing by Sir James Whyte, who -then (1408) petitioned the Crown to give him aid against the threatened -attack of O’Donnell and his Scots.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span></p> - -<p>After the order for English custodians, James, Earl of Douglas, was -appointed Governor of Carrickfergus Castle in 1463.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the next century Clannaboy Niall, son of Con of -Belfast, was prisoner in the castle on account of a row between his -servants and some soldiers (1507). He exchanged his freedom for sixteen -hostages, but no sooner was he liberated than he returned with his -followers and took the castle and the Mayor, and rescued his pledges. In -1552 Sorley Boy MacDonnell surprised Carrickfergus and carried off -Walter Floody, the constable of the castle. In consequence of these -disturbances the Earl of Sussex marched to relieve the town in 1555. Two -years later Hugh O’Neill Oge and some other prisoners in the castle -escaped to join James M’Donnell. In 1559 the fortress was walled in and -repaired. The building seems to have been much dilapidated in 1567, and -upon Sir Henry Sidney coming north the following year, he had the keep -roofed and restored. When the Earl of Essex arrived by sea in 1573, he -reports that he discharged the ward of the castle, for it “doth not -serve of any use, having in it very few rooms, and none of those -covered, so as I have no apt place to employ her Majesty’s munition and -other store but in wet vaults.”</p> - -<p>From 1583 to 1598 Carrickfergus was the only town held by the Queen in -the district, and in the latter year the castle was but poorly -provisioned.</p> - -<p>General Monroe, with four thousand Scotch auxiliaries, landed and took -the castle in 1642, but four years later he was surprised by General -Monk, who occupied the stronghold for the Parliament, being made -Governor of it shortly afterwards.</p> - -<p>The next year, but small resistance was offered to Lord Inchiquin, who -then held it for the King for a few months, and it was retaken by Sir -Charles Coote, who appointed a Governor for the Commonwealth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1666, while the Duke of Ormond was at the head of affairs, so great -was the dissatisfaction that the castle was seized by mutinous soldiers, -and a strong force was required to quell the disturbance.</p> - -<p>Eight years later the fortress was ordered to be furnished with twenty -cannon.</p> - -<p>The adherents of James II. sustained here a siege for six days from the -troops of the Duke of Schomberg in 1689, after which they surrendered. -It was on the 14th of June in this year that King William III. landed at -Carrickfergus from the yacht <i>Mary</i>.</p> - -<p>In 1711 50 feet of the outer wall fell down, and the tower was roofed -with lead.</p> - -<p>The castle was taken by the French Commodore Thurôt with three ships of -war in 1760, but his squadron was captured a few days later by the -English fleet.</p> - -<p>In 1797 the United Irishmen laid a plot to seize the castle, which was -discovered by one of the garrison turning informer.</p> - -<p>The year after the rebellion State prisoners were confined at -Carrickfergus, having been sent from Belfast. At one time the fortress -was used as a prison for all Antrim.</p> - -<p>In 1814 a small square tower on the south side was taken down and -rebuilt.</p> - -<p>The castle is now in the possession of the Crown.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Russell and Prendergast, Preface to State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. Haverty, “History of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club Guide.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">S. M’Skimin, “History of Carrickfergus.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Patent Rolls.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Sweetman, Calendar of Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Notes on a Plan of Carrickfergus.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Bell, “Origin of the Name of Carrickfergus” (<i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>).</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_009" id="ill_009"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_084.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CARRICK-ON-SUIR_CASTLE" id="CARRICK-ON-SUIR_CASTLE"></a><i>CARRICK-ON-SUIR CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The court of Carrick is a court well fortified.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A court to which numbers of the noble resort,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A court noted for politeness—a court replete with pleasures,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A court thronged with heroes,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A court without torchlight, yet a court illumed;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A court of the light of wax tapers!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A plentiful mansion—so artistically stuccoed<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With sun-lit gables and embroidery-covered walls.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10">Translated from Irish by <span class="smcap">J. O’Daly</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Nineteen</span> miles south-by-west of Kilkenny, in the Barony of East Iffa and -Offa, County Tipperary, stands the old town of Carrick on the left bank -of the Suir. The name Carrick is derived from a rock in the Suir at the -point where the town is built. The castle was erected by Edmond le -Bottiller in 1309, he being created Earl of Carrick six years later. -Upon his son receiving the title of Earl of Ormond the old title fell -into disuse.</p> - -<p>The present remains consist of two great towers of the Plantagenet -castle, rising behind the Tudor mansion which was erected by Thomas, -10th Earl of Ormond, in the reign of Elizabeth. Although not now -inhabited it is preserved from further decay.</p> - -<p>The two quadrangular towers of the older fortress stand on the river -bank, and are separated by a courtyard which was entered on the north by -an arched gateway from the river front. In one of these towers is -situated the chapel, which is connected with the banqueting hall by a -narrow passage. A strong light from a double window falls upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span> the -altar, round which is the remains of a carved stone canopy supported by -the figures of angels.</p> - -<p>The Tudor house which connects the older buildings is a many-gabled -mansion, and said by O’Donovan to be the most perfect specimen of that -period’s architecture in Ireland.</p> - -<p>The ceiling of the Great Hall is a beautiful example of stucco work. It -is divided by richly-moulded ribs enclosing Tudor emblems, and arms and -mottoes relating to the Ormond family. This apartment is 63 feet in -length by 15 feet in breadth, and is lighted by mullioned windows, that -on the north side being large and deeply recessed. It also contains -several handsome chimney-pieces.</p> - -<p>The walls were richly hung with tapestry, which was removed at the -beginning of the nineteenth century, some of it being transferred to -Kilkenny Castle.</p> - -<p>Little is known of the history of the early feudal fortress. Several -charters granted by the Ormonds as Lords Palatine of Tipperary are dated -from Carrick, showing that the family were occasionally in residence.</p> - -<p>There is a tradition that Anne Boleyn was born in the castle. Thomas, -Earl of Carrick and Ormond, who died in 1515, had two daughters, one of -whom married Sir William Boleyn, a London merchant, and she was -grandmother to the future Oueen. History is uncertain where Anne Boleyn -was born, as several places are mentioned; it is, therefore, not -impossible that at Carrick Elizabeth’s mother first saw the light. Henry -VIII. created Anne’s father Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire, but the former -title afterwards reverted to the Butlers.</p> - -<p>In 1571 Perrott visited Carrick Castle during his campaign in Munster, -and it was plundered by the seneschal in the Desmond rebellion of 1582.</p> - -<p>In the time of Thomas, 10th Earl of Ormond, it became the chief -residence of the family. Thomas Dubh, or the Black Earl, was the -favourite of Queen Elizabeth, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span> used to call him her “black husband,” -to the annoyance of his rival the Earl of Leicester. He was a great -statesman and chivalrous nobleman, and enjoyed the full confidence of -his Sovereign during her long reign.</p> - -<p>In the latter years of his life he lived almost entirely at Carrick. A -glimpse of his loyal love for England is given by Sir John Davys in the -following observations of his on a journey in Munster in 1606:—</p> - -<p>“And because I was to pass by the Carricke, a house of my Lord of -Ormond, where his lordship hath lain ever since his last weakness, I -went thither to visit his lordship and to rest there upon Easter Day; -but because the feast of St. George fell out in the Easter holidays, I -was not suffered in any wise to depart until I had seen him do honour to -that day. I found the Earl in his bed, for he was weaker at this time -than he had been for many months before; so that upon the day of St. -George he was not able to sit up, but had his robes laid upon his bed, -as the manner is. From thence I returned to Dublin at the end of Easter -week.”</p> - -<p>Towards the end of his life, Earl Thomas was quite blind, and a quaint -old MS., discovered at Brussels in 1822, gives a graphic account of a -prophecy supposed to have been delivered by him at a Christmas family -gathering in Carrick Castle shortly before his death, which took place -in 1614.</p> - -<p>Among those present at the feast were Sir Walter Butler, of Kilcash, -brother to the Earl, and also his son and grandson, James. The latter -was only four years old, and there being no room at the table, he was -let play about, and “being a sprightly boy, entertained himself with a -whipping of his gigg” (a kind of top) behind his great-uncle’s chair. -Black Thomas asked what the noise was, and being told, he took the child -(afterwards the great Duke of Ormond) between his knees and said:—</p> - -<p>“My family shall be much oppressed and brought very<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> low; but by this -boy it shall be restored again, and in his time be in greater splendour -than ever it has been.”</p> - -<p>Viscount Tullogh, who was the Earl’s son-in-law and heir, pushed back -his chair angrily from the table, and again the blind Earl asked who -made the noise. Upon hearing, he said—</p> - -<p>“Ah! he is a flower that will soon fade.”</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards the Viscount died without children, and later events -proved the strange truth of the prophecy. A long law suit, manipulated -for political purposes, impoverished the earldom, but it was brought to -a satisfactory termination by James Butler of Kilcash marrying Lady -Elizabeth Preston, the other claimant to the estates through her -mother’s rights.</p> - -<p>The young couple began their married life at Carrick, where Walter, Earl -of Ormond, joined them, and died in the castle in 1632.</p> - -<p>When civil war broke out in 1646, James, then Marquis of Ormond, was -appointed Chief Governor and hastened from France. He landed at Cork, -and proceeded to Carrick. Here a deputation from the Confederate -Assembly of Kilkenny waited on him.</p> - -<p>Three years later Cromwell’s troops, under Colonel Reynolds, took the -town of Carrick, and about a hundred of the garrison fled to the castle, -but surrendered the following day. It was well provisioned with stores, -and Cromwell, it is said, intended to winter there. Ormond, hearing of -its capture, despatched Lord Inchiquin to retake it. He was, however, -repulsed with great loss.</p> - -<p>In the time of the Commonwealth Carrick Castle, with its demesne, deer -park, and 16,000 acres, were granted to Sir John Reynolds, -brother-in-law to Lord Henry Cromwell. Upon the Restoration it reverted -to its former owner, who was created Duke of Ormond. He spent much time -at Carrick, and did a great deal to improve the trade of the town.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1816 Mr. Wogan was the tenant of the castle, and he carried out some -restoration. After he left the place was dismantled, and for many years -was allowed to go entirely to decay. It is now, however, better -preserved.</p> - -<p>In 1876, when the present Marquis married Lady Elizabeth Grosvenor, -daughter of the Duke of Westminster, a great feast for the Ormond -tenantry was held in the castle.</p> - -<p>The fairy “Leather Apron” is said formerly to have haunted the kitchen -department and chastised servants who did not do their work.</p> - -<p>A local legend foretells the fall of the fortress upon the wisest man. -An underground passage is said to connect the building with Edenderry -Castle.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Mason, “Parochial Survey of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">In Journal of <i>Kilkenny Archæological Society</i>, “Panegyric on Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond.” Graves, “Ancient Tapestry of Kilkenny Castle.” Graves, “Anonymous account of the early life and marriage of James, 1st Duke of Ormond.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">In <i>Journal of Waterford and South-East of Ireland Archæological Society</i>, Hurley, “Was Anna Boleyn born in the Castle of Carrick-on-Suir?”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">In <i>Clonmel Chronicle</i>, “Carrick-on-Suir and its Ancient Castle.”</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CARRIGOGUNNEL_CASTLE" id="CARRIGOGUNNEL_CASTLE"></a>CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE</h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A sort of strength, a strong and stately hold<br /></span> -<span class="i1">It was at first, though now it is full old.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">On rock alone full farre from other mount<br /></span> -<span class="i1">It stands, which shews it was of great account.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">Thomas Churchyard.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress, sometimes called Carrickaquicy, is situated five miles -west-south-west of Limerick City, in the same county, in the barony of -Pubble Brien. It stands on an abrupt basaltic rock which has forced -itself through the limestone, and is surrounded by low marshy ground -called Corkass land which stretches away to the Shannon.</p> - -<p>O’Donovan states that the name signifies “rock of the O’Connolls,” but -it is more popularly believed to mean “rock of the candle,” and several -versions of the following legend are related to account for the -designation:—</p> - -<p>The site of the castle was formerly supposed to be inhabited by a hag of -gigantic form called Grana, and every evening she lighted a candle in -her habitation, which from its elevated position was visible for miles -round, and every one who saw its light died before morning.</p> - -<p>The great Finn hearing of this scourge ordered a man called Ryan to go -and extinguish the light, and presented him with a charmed cap to -accomplish the mission. This covered his eyes until he had scaled the -rock, seized the candle, and thrown it into the Shannon.</p> - -<p>The witch in a fury was about to grasp him when he took a jump of two -miles westward, and she was only able<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_010" id="ill_010"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_091.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>CARRIGOGUNNEL CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">to vent her rage by hurling a rock after him, which is still pointed out -with the marks of her fingers on it to indicate the “Hag’s Throw.”</p> - -<p>The castle ruins comprise one or two towers and part of the ramparts. It -was finally destroyed by gunpowder, and huge masses of masonry lie about -in all directions, indicating its once extensive proportions.</p> - -<p>A great ash-tree adorns the centre of the pile.</p> - -<p>William de Braose had large estates in Ireland when he was driven into -exile in 1210, his wife and son starved to death, and his Castle of -Carrigogunnel granted to Donogh Cairbreach O’Brien for a yearly rent of -60 marks.</p> - -<p>This O’Brien had done homage to King John at Waterford, but he seems to -have been shortly afterwards deprived of his land.</p> - -<p>In 1535 Lord Leonard Grey marched to Limerick and Mathew O’Brien -surrendered him the Castle of Carrigogunnel on condition it should only -be garrisoned by Englishmen. It was said at this time to have been in -undisturbed possession of the O’Briens for over two hundred years.</p> - -<p>The Deputy garrisoned it under the command of George Woodward, “an -honest and a hardy man.”</p> - -<p>In the meantime the fortress was given by indenture to Donough O’Brien -to hold for the King. He was son-in-law to the Earl of Ossory, and had -long been fawning on the Government with offers to besiege the castle -for them, if provided with a hundred men and a piece of ordnance.</p> - -<p>The governor of the castle, no doubt regarding this arrangement as a -violation of the conditions on which the castle had been obtained, -handed it back to its former owner, Mathew O’Brien, which the State -Papers describe as losing it “by treachery.”</p> - -<p>This was in 1536, and the same year Lord Butler appeared before it to -regain it for his relative, Donough O’Brien.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span></p> - -<p>It was garrisoned partly by followers of Desmond and partly by those of -Mathew O’Brien.</p> - -<p>A messenger was sent to them offering them their lives, but otherwise no -quarter. They returned no answer, but imprisoned the bearer.</p> - -<p>A breach was soon made with a battering piece, and after several -attempts, the castle was carried by storm.</p> - -<p>The besiegers lost thirty killed and wounded, while seventeen of the -defenders were killed in the attack, and forty-six were afterwards put -to death.</p> - -<p>A few of the principal O’Briens were conveyed to Limerick, tried for -high treason, and executed. Large ransoms were offered for these men but -were refused.</p> - -<p>The fortress was then committed to Lord Butler, and he transferred it to -Donough O’Brien, who, it is stated, “became a scourge to the citizens of -Limerick.”</p> - -<p>James of Desmond besieged Carrigogunnel in 1538, and the following year -great complaints were lodged about the plundering of the neighbouring -country by the castle garrison.</p> - -<p>Towards the close of the year these charges became so serious that -Donough O’Brien was deprived of his possession.</p> - -<p>The castle was in the hands of Brien Duff O’Brien, chieftain of -Pobblebrien, in 1590, and is described as being very strong and “a most -dangerous place if the enemy were seized thereof.”</p> - -<p>Donough O’Brien is mentioned as of Carrigogunnel in 1607, yet Brien Duff -O’Brien surrendered his possessions and the castle to the Queen and -received a patent for the same. He was knighted, and died in 1615.</p> - -<p>Daniel O’Brien forfeited the castle and lands for taking part in the -rebellion of 1641. Charles II. granted Carrigogunnel and four plowlands -to Michael Boyle, Lord Archbishop of Dublin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span></p> - -<p>In Thomas Dineley’s Journal he states that it belonged to His Royal -Highness, and was at the time rented by the Primate and Chancellor of -Ireland.</p> - -<p>Archdale says that it at one time belonged to the Knights Templars.</p> - -<p>In 1691, during the second siege of Limerick, after the battle of -Aughrim, it was garrisoned by a Jacobite ward of a hundred and fifty -men. Baron Ginle sent a strong party and four guns, under the command of -Major-General Scravemore, to summon the castle, which was relinquished -without a blow. An historian of the time, commenting upon this, says: -“Which seems to have been rather from want of instructions what to do -than courage to defend it; for, to give the Irish their due, they can -defend stone walls very handsomely.”</p> - -<p>The garrison were marched as prisoners of war to Clonmel, and the -following month both the Castle of Carrigogunnel and Castle Connell were -blown up. Dean Story received £160 to purchase gunpowder for their -demolition.</p> - -<p>During the Whiteboy disturbances frequent meetings were held amid the -ruins.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Hall relate at length a sad tradition about the daughter of -a Palatine who was in love with one of the conspirators, and whose -father, having tracked her to the ruins, was only saved from being put -to death by her lover, whom she shortly afterwards married against her -parents’ wish.</p> - -<p>Upon returning to bid farewell to them before going into exile with her -husband, who was obliged to fly for his life, her father detained her. -Her husband was unable to come openly to the house, and so she never saw -him again, but gradually pined away, and died under the ash-tree growing -among the castle ruins, where she used to meet him before their -marriage. Since then her ghost is said to frequent the spot after -nightfall.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Frost, “The County of Clare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Croker, “Researches in the South of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Croker, “Fairy Legends.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ferrar, “History of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lenihan, “History of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hall, “Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Shirley (with note by O’Brien), “Extracts from the Journal of Thomas Dineley,” in <i>Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_BARNARD" id="CASTLE_BARNARD"></a><i>CASTLE BARNARD</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Where Castle Bernard sees with glad surprise,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">At every wish successive beauties rise.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> former name for this stronghold was Castle Mahon. It is situated on -the River Bandon not far from the town. The present castle is said to -occupy the site of the former royal rath of the O’Mahonys, Kings of -Munster. It was called Rathleann, and the great Saint Fin Barr was born -there. This was much anterior to the English invasion, although an -inquisition held in 1584 states that the O’Mahonys came from Carbery in -1460, and seized the Crown lands, which had been forfeited by the Barry -Oges in 1399.</p> - -<p>They were, however, only returning to the country over which they had -formerly ruled. The fortress is supposed to have been built by an -O’Mahony.</p> - -<p>Francis Bernard, who succeeded to the estate in 1660, threw down the -ancient bawn walls, and enlarged the windows. His son, Judge Bernard, -rebuilt the castle after it came into his possession in 1690.</p> - -<p>A new brick front was added on the river side, the bricks having been -made in the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>He was succeeded by his son Francis (usually known as Squire Bernard) in -1731, who added an eastern front to the fortress, and planted the great -beech avenue. Smith, who collected his information in 1749, describes -the castle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span> as having two regular fronts of brick, with Corinthian -pilasters and coignes and beltings of Portland stone.</p> - -<p>In 1788 Francis Bernard, afterwards the 1st Earl of Bandon, pulled down -the two fronts which had been added by his predecessors, and connected -the old castle by a corridor (some 90 feet in length) with a mansion he -erected a little to the east of the stronghold. This new part has large -rooms, the library being a very handsome oval apartment.</p> - -<p>This forms the present beautiful country seat of the Earl of Bandon. It -is situated in a park about four miles in circumference, through which -the Bandon River flows.</p> - -<p>The O’Mahonys were not a powerful sept: their regular field force only -numbered twenty-six horse, no gallow-glasses, and a hundred and twenty -kern.</p> - -<p>In 1575 the O’Mahony paid his respects to Sir Henry Sidney during his -visit to Cork, of whom Sir Henry writes that he was “a man of small -force although a proper countrie.”</p> - -<p>Conoher O’Mahony, of Castle Mahon, threw in his lot with the Earl of -Desmond during his rebellion, in which rising he was killed at the age -of twenty-three.</p> - -<p>In 1587, an inquisition held at Cork found that Conohor O’Mahownye, late -of Castle Mahown, entered into rebellion with Gerald, late Earl of -Desmond, and was slain therein and that he was seized of Castle Mahown -and of the barony or cantred of Kineallineaky.</p> - -<p>The following year the castle and lands were conferred by patent on -Phane Beecher, son of Alderman Henry Beecher, of London.</p> - -<p>Mr. William Weever, in his “discourse” on the Munster rebellion of 1598, -records that Mr. Beecher deserted Castle Mahon during the rising.</p> - -<p>In 1611 it seems the grant to Phane Beecher was confirmed.</p> - -<p>The first Bernard to settle in Ireland during Elizabet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span>h’s reign had a -son Francis, who was lord of the manor of Castle Mahon, where he lived -before the rebellion in 1641. He had one son, Francis, who was in -possession of the castle in 1690 when Bandon was surprised and taken by -Colonel M’Carthy’s men. After the town had fallen into their hands they -proceeded to Castle Mahon and demanded the fortress and its stores to be -given up to King James, and the garrison to surrender as prisoners.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bernard had served many years with the Bandon Militia, and had been -rewarded with a grant of land from Cromwell for military service, so -that he was not likely to surrender without a struggle when the -trumpeter appeared on the esplanade in front of the castle.</p> - -<p>He had gathered his retainers and the neighbouring farmers into the -stronghold, and flew the red flag from King John’s Tower.</p> - -<p>Having received a negative to their demand, the besiegers attempted to -batter in the great gate, but a discharge of musketry killing some of -their number they desisted. They shook the windows and doors to try and -effect an entrance.</p> - -<p>A line of sentries were posted in front of the castle with orders to -shoot any one who appeared at the windows, but the deadly fire of the -besieged killed them nearly all.</p> - -<p>Seeing that their numbers were rapidly thinning they sought cover from -the out-houses in the rear, and from there they carried on an -ineffectual fusilade for some time.</p> - -<p>Finding, however, this was of no avail they retreated to the river, -crossing by the ford. A pike blade and some swords of this date were -recently found in a pond which lay in their route.</p> - -<p>The brave garrison had many killed and wounded, Mr. Bernard being among -those who lost their lives.</p> - -<p>The dead Irish were collected and covered with straw in a stable until -the next day, when they were buried in a disused graveyard at -Killountain.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span></p> - -<p>Judge Bernard succeeded his father, having been born in the castle in -1663. He changed the name from Castle Mahon to Castle Barnard.</p> - -<p>His son, “Squire Bernard,” did much for the neighbourhood until a -dispute with the townspeople about trees caused him to go and live in -England.</p> - -<p>In 1760 a sad accident took place which led to the death of little -Robert Bernard, one of the sons of the house. He had climbed to the top -of King John’s Tower, and as the bats and swallows flew in and out he -tried to strike them with his battledore, but overbalancing, he stepped -back to recover himself and fell through the trapdoor which gives egress -to the summit. He died of the injuries received.</p> - -<p>Francis Bernard was created Earl of Bandon in 1800, and Castle Barnard -is still the principal residence of the Earls of Bandon.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Bennett, “History of Bandon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_BORO" id="CASTLE_BORO"></a><i>CASTLE BORO</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Lord Carew’s</span> demesne of about a thousand acres is situated in the -townland of Ballyboro, six miles west-south-west of Enniscorthy, and is -bisected by the River Boro. The ancient name for this stream was -Bel-atha-Borumha, and was derived from the Borumha, or cow tribute, -which the Kings of Leinster had to pay to the High Kings of Ireland.</p> - -<p>To the south-east of Castle Boro mansion, on the other side of the -river, is the ivy-clad ruin, formerly known as Ballyboro Castle. It now -stands in the farmyard, and is 42 feet long by 27 feet wide when -measured from the outside. Two gables are still to be seen, and the -windows are built of brick.</p> - -<p>Local tradition states that it was formerly the residence of Brien -Boroimhe, but the site is all that could possibly have belonged to a -dwelling of his.</p> - -<p>About the year 1628 Robert Carew, younger son of Carew of Haccombe in -Devonshire, obtained through his kinsman, Sir George Carew, afterwards -Earl of Totnes, a grant of lands in the County Wexford, which had -formerly belonged to the Desmonds. Charles II. confirmed the grant in -1663 to his son. This Carew is generally supposed to have built the now -ruined castle, which was occupied by the family until near the close of -the eighteenth century. By others, however, the date of architecture is -considered to be that of the beginning of the seventeenth century, and -the castle believed to have been the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span> residence of “James Hoar of -Bellaborow, constable of the Barony of Bantry” in 1608, who is mentioned -thus in the Carew MSS.</p> - -<p>When James II. was fleeing to Duncannon, after the battle of the Boyne, -he stopped to water and rest his horses at the ford of Aughnacopple, -near the castle. The Carew of that time sent provisions to the -fugitives, and the pair of gold sleeve links given by the fallen monarch -as a mark of his gratitude are still preserved as an heirloom at Castle -Boro. There is some doubt as to whether they were presented at the river -bank or sent later from Duncannon.</p> - -<p>Towards the close of the eighteenth century the head of the family -wished to have a more modern house than the old fortress, but not -deeming it worth while to go to the expense unless he had a son to -succeed him, he delayed the commencement of the work until the very day -when his son and heir was born.</p> - -<p>The insurgents of 1798 attacked the residence, and a picture hangs in -the hall of Castle Boro which has holes in it that were made by the -rebels’ pikes.</p> - -<p>Mr. Robert Carew was raised to the peerage in 1834, and in 1840, during -the absence of the family, the newly-erected house was burned down, the -fire having originated in a chimney. The west wing containing the -library was the only portion saved.</p> - -<p>Building operations were at once commenced under the direction of Mr. -Robertson. The present mansion is in Classic style, having a centre -block four storeys in height with wings at either side of a storey less. -The drawing-rooms are especially handsome apartments, and are being -decorated by the present Lady Carew with embroidered panels of Early -English design.</p> - -<p>In the gardens are a number of trees which have been planted by -distinguished visitors, amongst whom were the late Duke of Clarence, the -present Prince of Wales, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span> Duke of Aosta, the Count of Turin, the -Earl of Halsbury and the late Sir H. M. Stanley.</p> - -<p>A very handsome granite gateway gives access to the grounds.</p> - -<p>The present Lord Carew is the 3rd Baron.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_DONOVAN" id="CASTLE_DONOVAN"></a><i>CASTLE DONOVAN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> stronghold is situated in a wild romantic district among the -mountains, to the north of the village of Drimoleague in the eastern -division of West Carbery, about seven miles east of Bantry, County Cork.</p> - -<p>Above it rises the hill of Mulraugh-Nesha. The country round is -destitute of trees, and from its elevated position the castle is visible -from a wide area.</p> - -<p>The fortress consists of a tall, square keep with crenelated battlements -and defences projecting from the angles. It is built on a rock, the -rough surface of which forms the floor of the lower room in the castle.</p> - -<p>There seems to have been no attempt to make the ground even, as great -indentations, nearly two feet in depth, extend the whole length of the -apartment.</p> - -<p>The first floor is supported by a vault, and this state apartment -measures about 26 feet by 20. The windows and loops are exceedingly -small, the former being surrounded by label mouldings well cut in the -dark freestone.</p> - -<p>A spiral stair leads to the hall above the vault, and this is open to -the heavens, but the high-pitched gables of the roof still remain. Great -cracks in the masonry run down the centre and through the south-west -angle.</p> - -<p>It belongs to the earliest type of castle which succeeded<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> the peel -tower. The outworks, of which little remain but the foundations, are -situated close to the keep.</p> - -<p>The O’Donovans were descended from a long line of Munster kings. Cahill, -the son of Donovan, was killed in 1254, and from him the district round -the stronghold took its name, and also the clan of which he was chief.</p> - -<p>It is likely that he erected the fortress.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_011" id="ill_011"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_105.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>CASTLE DONOVAN.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>James I. granted the castle (then called Sowagh) to Donell O’Donovan, of -Castle Donovan, Gent., and with it a large tract of country, part of -which was created the manor of Castle Donovan, with 500 acres of -demesne.</p> - -<p>Donell O’Donovan died in 1639, and his son forfeited the estate in the -rebellion of 1641.</p> - -<p>Tradition states that the castle was reduced by Ireton during the -Parliamentary wars.</p> - -<p>Charles II. bestowed the lands of Castle Donovan by letters patent on -Lieutenant Nathaniel Evanson in 1679.</p> - -<p>There is a legend regarding a mysterious drip of water which apparently -comes from the upper masonry of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span> tower, and which it is said will -continue as long as there is an heir to the chieftainship of O’Donovan.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Windele, “Notices of City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Rides through the County Cork” (<i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>), 1828.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_CORK" id="CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_CORK"></a><i>CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY CORK</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> name was formerly written Castle Kiffin, and the fortress is -situated between Doneraile and the Blackwater in the County Cork.</p> - -<p>The castle has been much altered and modernised since its first -erection. It contains thirty-two rooms, though some of them are -exceedingly small. There are 365 windows, one, therefore, for every day -in the year. The hall of black and white marble is L shaped and much -worn by age. From this a very handsome oak staircase leads to the first -landing, which is lighted by a beautiful old stained-glass window upon -which the Thornhill arms are emblazoned.</p> - -<p>During repairs in 1810 a number of skeletons were discovered under the -steps. They were supposed to be those of soldiers, and beside one a gold -piece of James II. and a number of copper coins of various dates were -found. These are now in the possession of Colonel Badham-Thornhill.</p> - -<p>During a siege, of which the fortress stood many, the water supply was a -serious inconvenience. Not only was the well some distance from the -castle, but it was apt to run dry when largely drawn upon. It is -situated in the limestone rock at a great depth, and when being cleaned -in 1825 the key of the portcullis was found at the bottom and carefully -preserved by E. Badham-Thornhill, who was then owner.</p> - -<p>The castle originally belonged to the O’Keeffs, from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span> which, no doubt, -the name is derived. Their territory being seized, was given to the -Anglo-Norman family of de Rupe, or Roche, and in 1583 David and Maurice -Fitz John Roch are mentioned as of Castlekevin.</p> - -<p>Cromwell’s troops besieged and took the castle for the Commonwealth, -tradition stating that the soldiers placed the late owner’s head on a -lance over the “Bell Gate,” near the present stables.</p> - -<p>The castle was then granted to Sir Richard Thornhill, who also possessed -considerable property in the neighbourhood by purchase, so that the -estate was about 10,000 acres in extent in the counties of Cork and -Limerick.</p> - -<p>The Thornhills occupied the castle until 1853, when it was sold in the -Encumbered Estates Court, and the building was purchased by Mr. E. -Reeves.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fiants of Elizabeth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Colonel Badham-Thornhill MS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_WICKLOW" id="CASTLE_KEVIN_COUNTY_WICKLOW"></a><i>CASTLE KEVIN, COUNTY WICKLOW</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The halls where mirth and minstrelsy<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Than Fertire’s winds rose louder,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Were flung in masses lonely,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And black with English powder.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> 1216 King Henry III. granted the manor of Swords with increased -privileges to Henry de Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin, on condition that -he should build and maintain a castle on his manor of Castle Kevin. -Nearly two centuries later, Swords was seized by the Commissioner of -Forfeitures on the plea that this had not been done, but it was -afterwards returned to the Archbishop of the time as having been -unjustly taken.</p> - -<p>The fortress was intended for protection in this direction against the -invasions of the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles. The site was some three and a -half miles north-east of Glendalough, the ancient cathedral city of that -diocese. Its natural defences were the bog, on the edge of which it -stood, and thick woods that stretched almost from Dublin to Glendalough. -Quite close to it ran a stream, which joined the Avonmore about a -quarter of a mile lower down, near the present village of Annamoe.</p> - -<p>It appears to have been a square building, flanked by towers at each -corner. The foundations, which still remain, measure some 120 feet each -way. They are elevated about 20 feet, and are now covered with grass.</p> - -<p>The castle was built of rubble stone and excellent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span> mortar, which is -shown by the huge blocks of the walls which still lie round the -foundations.</p> - -<p>The Archbishops held courts and exercised jurisdiction here through -their officers, and had their own gallows.</p> - -<p>In 1277-78 the Treasurer’s account for the year contains £60 to John de -Saunford for the custody of the new castle of Mackinegan and Castle -Keyvin. The stronghold was often used by the Archbishops as a -hunting-lodge, the woods around being well stocked with deer. It was -also strongly garrisoned.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the next century (1308) the Viceroy Wogan marched -against the O’Tooles, but was defeated with the loss of several knights. -Castle Kevin was captured and the garrison killed, while the towns near -were sacked and plundered.</p> - -<p>Later Piers de Gaveston successfully subdued the rising, and made a -thanksgiving offering at the Church of St. Kevin, Glendalough. The -following year he built New Castle in the O’Byrnes’ country and repaired -Castle Kevin, at the same time cutting a pass through the woods, from it -to Glendalough.</p> - -<p>Thirty years later Alexander de Bickner received royal orders to repair -his fortifications at Castle Kevin, so that at this time it was still -connected with the See of Dublin, but it subsequently passed into royal -keeping.</p> - -<p>It appears that Henry VIII. by letters patent “made grants to Arte -O’Toole and heirs the manor of Castle Kevin and the Farrtree” (hence -Vartry) “on conditions they used the English habit, language, education, -hostings, aidings, and the like, and that he should keep Castle Kevin in -repair as a bulwark against the rebels.”</p> - -<p>Phelim O’Toole was the representative of the family in 1591 when Hugh -Roe O’Donnell escaped from one of the gate towers of Dublin Castle, -where he had been confined as a hostage for over three years.</p> - -<p>O’Toole having visited him in prison, as a friend, during<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span> this time, he -naturally thought he was safe in seeking shelter at Castle Kevin.</p> - -<p>Phelim’s loyalty was not, however, above suspicion, and he was divided -between his wish to help the young fugitive and fear for his own head. -In this difficulty a woman’s wit apparently solved the problem. His -sister Rose, wife to the great O’Byrne of Ballinacor, was at Castle -Kevin at the time, and she advised him to send a slow messenger to -Dublin advising the Lord Deputy of O’Donnell’s arrival, and a fast -messenger to her husband in Glenmalure (who was in a state of open -rebellion), telling him to come and carry off Hugh before the Government -officials arrived.</p> - -<p>Phelim followed the advice given, but the “wine-dark” Avonmore becoming -flooded the party of rescuers, at once despatched by O’Byrne, could not -cross the river, and the King’s men arrived first upon the scene. -Whereupon Hugh O’Donnell was escorted back to Dublin, and was confined -in the Wardrobe Tower in irons, from which, however, he escaped the -following year.</p> - -<p>Captain Charles Montague, writing to the Lord Deputy in 1596, states -that Feagh M’Hugh O’Byrne had threatened to besiege the castle with -three hundred men, and that he had provisioned it for a month. The same -year a ward was placed in it during the rebellion, while in 1599 a -commander was appointed to the forts of Rathdrome, Castlekeavyn, and -Wicklowe, at ten shillings a day.</p> - -<p>No doubt the O’Tooles were implicated in the rebellion referred to, for -in 1609 we find John Wakeman, who had received the confiscated estate of -the O’Tooles, selling Castle Kevin back to Luke (or Feogh) O’Toole. In -the deed recording the transaction it is remarked that the castle for -some years past “hath been waste and in utter decay.”</p> - -<p>An inquisition of 1636 found that the son of Arte O’Toole, to whom the -lands were first granted, had gone into rebellion and died, and that his -son Feogh O’Toole<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span> who represented the family at the time of the -inquiry, had bought back Castle Kevin from the man to whom it had been -granted after the confiscation of the O’Toole property. Castle Kevin had -at this time been uncovered for thirty years, and this was deemed -sufficient for forfeiture, as it had been granted on condition that it -should be kept in repair.</p> - -<p>Accordingly in July of the same year an ordinance was issued by the King -taking possession. The castle and lands were then granted to Sir John -Coke, Knight, Secretary of State. Dr. Alane Cooke, writing to him from -Dublin in August describing his new property, says:—“Castle Kevin, the -town where the castle doth stand; this hath a goodly wood, but no great -timber and very fine young oaks;” and again:—“Castle Kevin is the -fittest place to build the manor, because of the strength. The bawn is -very good, very near 20 feet high. All the castle is down and the bounds -are very nearly 50 yards square, a fine small river running at the foot -of the castle.”</p> - -<p>The grant of land consisted of 15,441 acres of all sorts, English -measure, 12 miles from Dublin, with a castle called Kevin, and a fine -river full of salmon and trout.</p> - -<p>It does not appear, however, that Luke O’Toole was easily dislodged, and -when Oliver Cromwell left Dublin to march to Wexford in 1649 he proved a -source of constant annoyance to the troops. At this time he was encamped -at Glenmalure with his four sons, one of whom managed to seize -Cromwell’s favourite steed. Its owner offered £100 to Luke for its -return, “but for gold or silver he would not give him back, but -preferred to keep him as a monument.”</p> - -<p>It is said that in revenge for this Cromwell ordered his cannon to level -Castle Kevin. Local tradition supports this statement by pointing out a -furze-covered rath from which the castle is supposed to have been -shelled by Ludlow, while the blocks of adhering masonry round the -foundations are unlike the crumbling of age alone.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span></p> - -<p>Against this it is remarked that Castle Kevin does not appear in the -list of Leinster castles reduced by Cromwell. This, however, might be -accounted for from the fact that (as it appears) only a part of the -castle walls were standing at the time, and that its final destruction -had no strategical value, but was merely private revenge for the theft -of a horse, and so was not recorded.</p> - -<p>Luke O’Toole was afterwards captured and executed.</p> - -<p>The land upon which the remains of the castle stand is now in the -possession of the Rev. Charles Frizell, who also owns the modern manor -house of Castle Kevin, some quarter of a mile distant, on a hill above -the ancient building.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “Archbishops of Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Toole, “Clan of O’Toole.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Clery, “Hugh Roe O’Donnell.” Introduction by Murphy.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “History of the Viceroys.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Stokes, “Anglo-Norman Church.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Reeves, Pamphlet on Swords.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Rev. W. Stokes, Pamphlet on Derrylossory.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CASTLE_SALEM" id="CASTLE_SALEM"></a><i>CASTLE SALEM</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Benduff</span>, signifying the black peak or gable, was the former name of this -fortress, which was built on a rock in the centre of a small valley -about a mile north-west of Ross, in East Carbery, Co. Cork.</p> - -<p>The present ruins consist of the castle and a more modern -dwelling-house, which was added to the back of the fortress and -communicated with it by the ancient doorway of the keep, about 12 feet -from the ground, and which gave access to the first landing of the more -modern staircase. The castle had three arches, the walls being 11 feet -thick, and containing passages and recesses. A stone stair led to the -summit, which originally was reached at about 70 feet from the ground.</p> - -<p>When in possession of the Morris family the old covering was replaced by -a slated roof, the material for which was, no doubt, procured at the -neighbouring slate quarry.</p> - -<p>The situation is so enclosed by the surrounding hills that figs grew -plentifully here in former days. The pleasure grounds were at one time -laid out in the Dutch style; yew, beech, and laurel grew to great -perfection, and in a grove of the latter a rookery was established. The -remains of a deer-park wall are still to be seen.</p> - -<p>The fortress is generally supposed to have been erected by the -O’Donovans, but it is also ascribed to the Lady Catherine Fitzgerald, -daughter of Thomas, 8th Earl of Desmond, and sister-in-law to the -long-lived Countess. This would place its building at the later end of -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span> fifteenth century. There are various legends told about “the black -lady” in connection with Benduff, and they may refer to the above -Geraldine.</p> - -<p>Later the castle belonged to the M’Carthys, and at the time of the -Commonwealth confiscation it was in the possession of one Florence -M’Carty.</p> - -<p>The estate was granted to Major Apollo Morris, an officer in Cromwell’s -army, during the seventeenth century, and upon the restoration of -Charles II. he retained his lands through the interest of the King’s -secretary, to whom he was related.</p> - -<p>The grant was preserved in the castle until the middle of the nineteenth -century, when Mr. William Morris sent it to a Cork bookseller for -publication, and it was lost through the failure of the firm.</p> - -<p>Major Morris was succeeded by William Morris, who was an intimate friend -of the great William Penn.</p> - -<p>On the right-hand side of the avenue is an old Quaker burial-ground, -which was established by him, and to which “Friends’<span class="lftspc">”</span> funerals came from -all parts of Cork. He was himself interred there, but against all the -rules of the order a tomb was erected to his memory, which may still be -seen, and after that the Quakers ceased to bring their dead to Benduff -for interment.</p> - -<p>The property passed from the possession of the Morris family into that -of the Fitzgibbons.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D. Donovan, “Sketches in Carbery.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Townsend, “Statistical Survey of the County of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Survey and Distribution.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CLOGHAN_CASTLE" id="CLOGHAN_CASTLE"></a><i>CLOGHAN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress is situated between the Shannon and Little Brosna River, -on the banks of the latter, about three miles south of Banagher, in the -King’s County. This part of the country was formerly joined to Galway.</p> - -<p>Joyce gives the meaning of the name Cloghan as “stepping stones,” but -Cooke states that the full appellation is Cloghan-na-geaorach, or “the -stony place of the sheep,” Cloghan Hill being still famous for rearing -these animals.</p> - -<p>When a tennis-court was being made some years back a number of human -bones and cannon shot were found, while inside the castle a hand was -discovered in the wall covered by the plaster.</p> - -<p>The castle is supposed to have been built in the reign of King John and -to be one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland.</p> - -<p>In 1249 we have a mention of “MacCoghlan of the castles” of which -Cloghan was one, but it subsequently passed to the O’Maddens. The -fortress was usually called “Cloghan O’Madden,” but on Sir William -Petty’s map it is marked “Poghan.”</p> - -<p>It was destroyed in 1548 for fear it might fall into the hands of the -English, but it must have been afterwards restored, as in 1595 Sir -William Russell, Lord Deputy, laid siege to it. A quaint account of the -taking of the castle is given in a journal of the time which is, no -doubt, accurate in the main.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span></p> - -<p>It appears O’Madden was absent “in rebellion,” but he had garrisoned the -castle with his chief men.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy arrived on Thursday, 11th of March, and upon his -approach the garrison set alight three of their houses near the castle, -and opened fire on the troops, wounding two soldiers and a boy.</p> - -<p>When surrender was demanded they replied to Captain Lea that even if -every soldier was a Deputy they would hold out.</p> - -<p>Captain Izod was detailed to see none of them escaped by the bog. Sir -William visited the watch at midnight, and hearing there were women in -the castle sent the garrison word that he would begin the attack next -morning with fire and sword, and told them to send the women away, but -they refused.</p> - -<p>In the morning one of the soldiers threw a fire brand on the thatched -roof of the castle, which set it alight, and at the same time a bonfire -was lighted at the door, which smothered many of the inmates. A breach -was soon made in the walls, and those who had not been suffocated were -hurled over the battlements.</p> - -<p>Forty-six persons were killed, two women and a boy being alone saved by -the Deputy’s command. Most of the garrison were O’Maddens, but a Captain -M’Coleghan and his two sons were also amongst the slain.</p> - -<p>Some accounts give the number executed as 140.</p> - -<p>The O’Madden’s territory was forfeited after the rebellion of 1641, and -in 1683 Cloghan was granted to Garrett Moore, who claimed to be -descended from Rory Oge O’Moore, Chief of Leix.</p> - -<p>His almanac, or diary, was found in the castle, dated 1699. It contains -entries of lead got for repairing the fortress. It also records methods -of making expanding bullets and noiseless powder, as well as other -strange information.</p> - -<p>After the battle of Aughrim troops from Birr took<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span> possession of the -castle, and it was garrisoned under the command of Lieutenant Archibald -Armstrong.</p> - -<p>In the middle of last century it was purchased by Dr. Graves, and is at -present in the possession of his descendant, Robert Kennedy Crogan -Graves, Esq.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cooke, “History of Birr.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Wright, “King’s County Directory.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Kilkenny Archæological Society.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_012" id="ill_012"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_120.jpg" width="1070" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>OLD CROM CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CROM_CASTLE" id="CROM_CASTLE"></a><i>CROM CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated in the parish of Galloon, Barony of Coole, -County Fermanagh. It stands on the east bank of Lough Erne, about -sixteen miles from Enniskillen.</p> - -<p>The name Crom, or Crum, signifies “sloping” or “crooked.”</p> - -<p>The remains of the chief walls form a square of about 50 feet, which -does not coincide with the measurements given in several inquisitions. -Some of the stones have evidently been carried off for building purposes -since the building was burnt in 1764.</p> - -<p>The position of the castle was commanded by wooded hills, and it is -built so near the shore that the waves dash against it in winter time. -It seems to have had no outer ring of defences, and it is therefore even -more wonderful how it should have been successfully defended in two -sieges.</p> - -<p>The marks of the cannonading are now covered by a heavy growth of ivy.</p> - -<p>Michael Balfour, laird of Mountwhany in Fifeshire, began to erect the -fortress in 1611, when granted the manor of Crum, under the plantation -scheme of Ulster.</p> - -<p>In 1616 he sold the property to Sir Stephen Butler, and in 1619 Nicholas -Pynnar describes Crum as follows: “Upon this proportion there is a bawne -of lime and stone, being 60 feet square, 12 feet high with two flankers. -Within the bawne there is a house of lime and stone.”</p> - -<p>The Rev. George Hill states that the castle was built by Butler and -Balfour at great expense, so it is likely to have been added to after it -changed hands.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1629 another inquisition describes it as “One bawne of stone and -lime, containing 61 feet every way and 15 feet in height; and within the -same is one castle, or capital messuage, built in like manner of lime -and stone containing 22 feet each way.”</p> - -<p>Crum was leased to Dr. James Spottiswood, Bishop of Clogher, in 1624.</p> - -<p>It must for a short time after this have been possessed by the -M’Manuses, who offered it for sale at £100 and 100 cows. Among the State -Papers of 1646 is preserved Sir William Cole’s petition to the -Commissioners to be advanced £160, so that he might become the -purchaser. He promises to return the money if unsuccessful, and says it -is the only hold the rebels have in the country and “a place of good -strength.” The money appears to have been sent.</p> - -<p>We find, however, in 1645, that it is mentioned in Bishop Spottiswood’s -will, and through his daughter marrying Colonel Abraham Creichton the -leasehold passed to that family.</p> - -<p>It was afterwards converted into a perpetuity, subject to a small head -rent, which was bought out by the Earl of Erne in 1810 from Brinsley, -4th Earl of Lanesborough, a descendant of Francis Butler.</p> - -<p>In the struggle for the Crown between James and William, Crum was twice -unsuccessfully besieged.</p> - -<p>It was a place of considerable importance, as it commanded the waterway -between Enniskillen and Belturbet.</p> - -<p>The first attempt was made in March, 1689.</p> - -<p>Colonel Abraham Creichton, although an old man, had fortified the castle -and garrisoned it with his tenants and retainers. Lord Galmoy arrived at -Belturbet with a considerable force belonging to King James’s army, but -found the roads so boggy as to be impassable for cannon. He therefore -decided to make some mock guns by which to frighten the garrison into -submission.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span></p> - -<p>They were manufactured out of tin, measured about a yard long and 8 -inches in the bore. They were bound together with fine cord twisted -round them, and the whole covered with a kind of buckram to represent -the colour of a real cannon.</p> - -<p>To this sham artillery sixteen horses were harnessed and they were -brought to Crum with a great show of difficulty and much apparent urging -of the animals.</p> - -<p>As soon as they were within ordinary range of the fortress Lord Galmoy -demanded its surrender, and upon being refused he tried to fire one of -his fraudulent guns with a wooden bullet, but it burst and nearly killed -the gunner.</p> - -<p>He then began a systematic siege and sent messengers to Enniskillen to -demand that garrison’s surrender too.</p> - -<p>The governor of the town at once despatched two hundred firelocks to -relieve the castle of Crum. Some were sent by water and some by land -during the night, but daylight had arrived before they reached their -destination.</p> - -<p>The besiegers opposed their landing, but nevertheless they forced their -way into the castle with the loss of only one boatman, while Lord -Galmoy’s party lost several.</p> - -<p>A sally was at once made from the fortress, and the besiegers were -driven from their trenches with a loss of thirty or forty men, and the -garrison captured the mock guns and took two suits of armour and several -other valuable things.</p> - -<p>Lord Galmoy then retreated to Belturbet.</p> - -<p>Colonel Creichton’s son David, then a lad of eighteen, greatly -distinguished himself during the conflict.</p> - -<p>Although the castle was unprovided with cannon, great execution was done -by the long fowling-pieces generally used for wild fowl on the lake.</p> - -<p>Lord Galmoy was standing on a hill about an English mile distant from -the castle, with a glass of wine in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span> hand, which he was about to -drink to the confusion of the garrison, when a fowler from the fortress -shattered the glass he was raising and killed the man beside him.</p> - -<p>At this time a Captain MacGuire was prisoner at Crum, and Lord Galmoy -proposed to Colonel Creichton to exchange Captain Dixey for him. This -was agreed to, but when MacGuire was sent, Lord Galmoy, instead of -returning Dixey, had him hanged with a cornet named Charleton.</p> - -<p>Captain MacGuire was so disgusted with the treachery that he returned to -Crum and threw up his commission in James’s army.</p> - -<p>Lord Galmoy also enticed Colonel Creichton to a parley, and would have -put him to death, too, had not Lord Mountcashel rescued the old man and -conducted him safely back to his castle.</p> - -<p>The following year Crum was again besieged, and Colonel Creichton sent -an urgent message to Enniskillen to say that the besiegers had brought -cannon with them. The next day he sent another message saying that -Lieutenant-General MacCarthy had begun to batter the fortress.</p> - -<p>This was Monday, and Colonel Wolseley returned answer that they should -be relieved on Wednesday, and in the meantime he despatched orders for -reinforcements to Ballyshannon.</p> - -<p>A strong detachment set out, therefore, from Enniskillen to the castle’s -relief, but upon their approach the enemy withdrew to Newtownbutler, -where a great engagement was fought that shattered the cause of James -II. in the north of Ireland. The garrison of Crum Castle greatly -distinguished themselves in this engagement.</p> - -<p>The David Creichton, who was eighteen at the time of the siege, finally -succeeded his nephew in the estate. He left an only son, who was created -Lord Erne, and it was in his lifetime that the castle was burnt.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span></p> - -<p>A letter from Lord Shannon, dated September 1, 1764, is still in the -family’s possession, in which he condoles with his kinsman for the -destruction of his castle. “Unhappy indeed to be consumed by a few -accidental sparks of fire when it had so bravely withstood the firing of -6,000 men so many years ago.”</p> - -<p>To the south of the fortress along the side of the lake lay the castle -gardens, in the centre of which still grows a magnificent yew-tree, -under which tradition records an O’Neill and his lady-love parted in the -reign of Oueen Elizabeth upon the former being attainted for high -treason.</p> - -<p>Henry, however, writing in 1739, says it was only planted about seventy -years previously. It is 25 feet in height, while the trunk is 12 feet in -girth. The circumference of the branches is 120 feet.</p> - -<p>It was the custom for many years for sportsmen on the lake to fire a -salute when passing the ruined fortress, which produced a most wonderful -echo, as if the shot had been answered by a volley.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Earl of Erne, “Crom Castle” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">King, “Henry’s Upper Lough Erne in 1739.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Latimer, “Actions of the Enniskillen Men.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DOE_CASTLE" id="DOE_CASTLE"></a><i>DOE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress is situated at the extremity of a small Donegal bay called -Sheephaven, in the Barony of Kilmacrenan, about a mile east of -Creeslough. It was the chief stronghold of the MacSweenys, and derives -its name from MacSweeny Doe or MacSweeny “of the districts.”</p> - -<p>The castle is built on a projecting rock, surrounded by the waters of -the inlet upon the north, east, and south, while on the west its -entrance was guarded by drawbridge and portcullis, as well as a fosse -filled with sea-water.</p> - -<p>A modern house is attached to the old fortress, which has a rectangular -tower, and a circular donjon used as a dairy in modern times.</p> - -<p>M’Parland, writing in 1802, in his statistical survey, records that the -castle was fortified with a strong tower by the grandfather of the then -MacSweeny of Dunfanaghy.</p> - -<p>There seems to be no record of the erection of the fortress, and -different authorities ascribe its building to various persons. Manus Oge -says Doe was erected by Nachton O’Donnell for one of his seven sons at -the same time that the castles of Burt, Inch, and Ramelton were built, -while M’Parland accredits a lady named Quinn with its erection, who -married a M’Swine, shortly before Elizabeth came to the throne.</p> - -<p>Dr. Allman believes it dates from about the beginning of Henry VIII.’s -reign, and tradition states that Doe passed to the MacSweenys in the -fifteenth century, when a peace was concluded between O’Neill and -O’Donnell in 1440.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span></p> - -<p>Red Hugh O’Donnell lived at Doe Castle with his foster father, Owen Oge -MacSweeny, and it was while in his care that he was kidnapped at -Rathmullen by Sir John Perrott in 1588.</p> - -<p>Sir Hugh MacSwine na Oge, surnamed the Red, was one of Queen Elizabeth’s -chief favourites, and a polished courtier. Very different, however, was -the last of the MacSwines who occupied Doe Castle. This was Sir Miles -MacSweeny of the Club, who was knighted by Oueen Elizabeth, and about -whom tales of great brutality are recorded.</p> - -<p>He was called “of the club” from his bludgeoning the better classes of -his clan to death with his own hand if they offended him, while the -poorer ones he consigned to a retainer called Furey and his satellites -to hang from the castle walls.</p> - -<p>A legend is told of how his beautiful daughter, Eileen, fell in love -with Turlogh Oge, son of The O’Boyle, against her father’s wish. The -lovers used to meet on the beach and in the woods near the castle. Her -father discovered their trysts and confined her to the fortress under -the care of a worthy matron. The young people were thus reduced to -signalling to each other—the maiden from the battlements, and her lover -from his canoe in the bay. This became known to The MacSweeny, and with -two boats of armed men he waylaid the young man and a few retainers on -their way back from Lackagh, and brought them prisoners to the castle.</p> - -<p>Here he starved them to death, and as the bodies were being carried to -the graveyard the fair Eileen saw and recognised her lover. She never -recovered the shock and grief, and not long afterwards she was found -dead on the top of one of the castle towers.</p> - -<p>Fishermen say that the spirits of the ill-fated pair haunt the bay, and -by moonlight a phantom skiff may sometimes be seen skimming the waters -containing the two ghostly lovers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle was included in a grant of lands made by James I. to the Earl -of Tyrconnell.</p> - -<p>In 1607 it was seized by Caffer O’Donnell and Neale M’Swine with some -followers. These young discontents alleged as their reason an old -grievance against the Earl, who was given authority by the Lord Deputy -and Council to march against them.</p> - -<p>Accordingly Sir Richard Handson, the Earl, and Sir Neale O’Donnell -arrived before the stronghold, when some of the offenders submitted, and -some were taken and hanged. Sir Neale O’Donnell was badly hurt in the -fray.</p> - -<p>In the State Papers Sir Arthur Chichester advises that the troublesome -youths should be given grants of lands as the best way of making them -peaceful subjects. It is also recommended that the castle should be -garrisoned by the King’s men.</p> - -<p>The latter was evidently done, as shortly afterwards the Earl of -Tyrconnell lodged a complaint against Captain Brook and his men being -quartered in the castle with privileges, after he (the Earl) had in -person expelled the discontents.</p> - -<p>The following year (1608) Doe was again lost to the English in the -rebellion of Sir Cahir O’Doherty. It was in charge of a man named -Vaughan and six warders, when a cowherd and a friar arriving with the -tale that a body of wolves had set upon the cattle, they easily managed -to draw six of them from the stronghold, who were at once killed, and -the castle seized and garrisoned for the enemy.</p> - -<p>A party was organised to retake it, and in the encounter with the rebels -Sir Cahir was killed.</p> - -<p>The castle was captured by Sir Oliver Lambert, and it was said to be -“the strongest hold in all the province, which endured a hundred blows -of the demi-cannon before it yielded.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Captain Elling was then appointed constable, and £76 13s. 4d. was -granted him towards repairing the damage done by the cannon in the -siege.</p> - -<p>At this time it had a garrison of fifty men.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Bingley was appointed constable in 1610, and at the same -time received a grant of land in the county. After this there seems to -have been a succession of constables until it was captured by the Irish -in 1641. Owen Roe O’Neill landed here the following year from Dunkirk, -and, being met by Sir Phelim O’Neill with other chiefs and one thousand -five hundred men, proceeded to Ballyshannon.</p> - -<p>In 1646 Quartermaster Harrison asked for the possession of the castle, -which the enemy had deserted, and offered to garrison and maintain it -with thirty warders.</p> - -<p>Sir Charles Coot captured it in 1650, and Colonel Miles M’Sweeny tried -to retake it the same year.</p> - -<p>The Harrisons sold it to the Harte family during the eighteenth century.</p> - -<p>General Harte was present at the battle of Seringapatam, and the capture -of Tippoo Sahib, whose servant was also taken prisoner at the same time, -and afterwards came to Ireland with General Harte.</p> - -<p>He lived at Doe Castle, and was devotedly attached to his new master. He -always wore his native dress, and is reported to have slept fully armed -on a mat at the General’s door.</p> - -<p>He did not long survive his master, the General meeting with a sad death -by falling down the stairway leading to the tower.</p> - -<p>Cannon captured at Seringapatam were mounted on the lawn of the castle.</p> - -<p>The Hartes subsequently let Doe to a Mr. Maddison, but it remained in -the possession of the family until 1866, when it was purchased by Mr. -Ards.</p> - -<p>The history of Doe Castle is not altogether as clear on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span> many points as -could be wished, for the authorities seem to be greatly confused over -many important points.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Harkin, “Scenery and Antiquities of North-West Donegal.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M’Devitt, “Donegal Highlands.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_013" id="ill_013"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_132.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>DRIMNAGH CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DRIMNAGH_CASTLE" id="DRIMNAGH_CASTLE"></a><i>DRIMNAGH CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> three miles from Dublin, between Crumlin and Clondalkin, is -situated the old fortress of Drimnagh or Druimneach, which signifies the -“ridged lands,” so called from the proximity of the sand ridges called -the Green Hills.</p> - -<p>The castle is an oblong building with pointed battlements at the -corners. A passage with an arched entrance high enough for a loaded cart -to enter is visible from the road, above which rises three storeys, with -a modern window in each.</p> - -<p>A turret stairway also projects on this side and rises above the -battlements. An ancient chimney flue is to be seen crowned by a modern -addition.</p> - -<p>A small turret rises above the battlements on the north side as well, at -which side a strong, modern house has been added.</p> - -<p>The castle is covered by a modern slated roof. Some outhouses bear marks -of antiquity, and a little distance from the main building is a small, -square tower, which, no doubt, formed an outpost for the garrison. The -fortress was surrounded by a moat at the beginning of the nineteenth -century, and its position can still be traced.</p> - -<p>In 1215 the lands of Drimnagh were granted by King John to Hugh de -Bernivall, and he is supposed to have built the castle early in this -reign.</p> - -<p>The lands were confirmed to his brother in 1221, and they remained in -his descendants’ possession for four hundred years.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1435 Wolfran Barnewall had licence to entail his estates, and in 1613 -the family leased the castle to Sir Adam Loftus, a nephew of the -Archbishop, with the reservation that no timber was to be cut.</p> - -<p>Some time later a Peter Barnewall succeeded to the property, and he was -unwilling to renew Sir Adam’s lease, whereupon that gentleman -endeavoured with some members of the Barnewall family to prevent his -inheriting the estate, and proceeded at the same time to cut down the -great trees which surrounded the fortress. After much litigation the -King at length intervened on behalf of Barnewall, and Sir Adam was -restrained from doing any more damage.</p> - -<p>In 1649, after the battle of Rathmines, the Duke of Ormond seriously -contemplated fortifying Drimnagh and making it his headquarters, but he -was dissuaded by General Purcell.</p> - -<p>Colonel Nicholas Walker, a Cromwellian officer, lived in the castle -after the Restoration. It was said that he was present on the scaffold -at the execution of Charles I. with his face covered by a vizor. The -Hearth Money Returns of 1664 state that Drimnagh was occupied by -“Lt.-Col. ——,” and had three “smooks” or chimneys.</p> - -<p>In 1841 the fortress was the property of the Marquis of Lansdowne. It -was one of the castles of the Pale, and the scene of Mr. R. D. Joyce’s -romance entitled “The Rose of Drimnagh” is laid there.</p> - -<p>Until lately it was inhabited by Mrs. Mylott, but it is now empty.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P., “Drimnagh Castle,” in <i>Irish Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">E. Ball, “Descriptive Sketch of Clondalkin, Tallaght,” &c., in <i>Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries</i>, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Dix, “Lesser Castles in the County Dublin,” in <i>Irish Builder</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Rambles Round Dublin,” in <i>Evening Telegraph</i> Reprints.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137">{137}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_014" id="ill_014"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_136.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>DUBLIN CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138">{138}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUBLIN_CASTLE" id="DUBLIN_CASTLE"></a><i>DUBLIN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> situation chosen by the Norsemen for the first fortress of -“Duibhlinn” (<small>A.D.</small> 840) was naturally strong, being on a hill at the -junction of the Liffey and the Poddle. After this date we read of -several raids upon the dun, or castle of Dublin, including the -treacherous entry into the city of Milun DeCogan and Meyler Fitz-Henri -during a truce, when all the defenders of the stronghold were put to the -sword. This was shortly after the landing of Strongbow. The present area -covered by Government buildings includes the ancient site.</p> - -<p>When Henry II. came to Dublin a large wooden hall, covered with wattles, -was erected in Dame Street, that he might entertain the Irish chiefs who -came to pay homage. Upon his return to England he committed “Dublin with -its castle and donjon to Hugh de Laci, Fitz-Stephen, and Morice -Fitz-Gerald.” Hugh de Lacy became the first Viceroy. It was while he was -in England that Meyler Fitz-Henry, who had been appointed Lord Justice -in his absence, wrote to King John complaining that he had no safe place -to store the King’s treasure, and asking for leave to erect a proper -fortress. This he received in the form of a patent dated 1204, which -says:—</p> - -<p>“But you are first to finish one tower, unless afterwards a castle and -palace, and other works that may require greater leisure, may be more -conveniently raised, and that we should command you so to do.”</p> - -<p>The grant consisted of 300 marks, which was owed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139">{139}</a></span> the King by G. -Fitz-Robert, and there are no records to show whether FitzHenry ever -collected the debt, or even began the castle in the three years -afterwards for which he held office. It seems to be a very general -opinion that the castle was built about 1220 by Henry Loundres, -Archbishop of Dublin, either at his own expense, or that he advanced the -money as a loan. A State paper, however, dated 1217, grants the -Archbishop two cantreds without Dublin for damage done to his churches -in fortifying the castle, and later there are many entries regarding -compensation to be paid in money to Henry Loundres in lieu of land which -had been encroached upon when extending the fortifications.</p> - -<p>In 1242 an entry records that the windows of St. Edward’s Chapel -belonging to the castle were to be glazed, and divine service held. This -building seems to have been outside the fortress walls, on the site of -the present Chapel Royal which was erected in 1814. In 1243 a hall was -to be built 120 feet long and 80 feet wide. It was to have glazed -windows, with a round one at the gable end 30 feet in diameter.</p> - -<p>The entrance to the castle was by a drawbridge on the north side, the -site now being occupied by the gate to the Upper Castle Yard. This -bridge was flanked by two towers, and defended by a portcullis, and -later by ordnance as well. From the gate towers, often used as State -prisons, a high curtain or wall extended east and west. In the westward -direction it joined what in later years was known as Cork Tower, because -it was rebuilt by the great Earl of Cork in 1629, it having fallen in -1624, and been only partly restored. He spent £408 on it.</p> - -<p>From this the wall was continued south to the Birmingham Tower, which is -said to have derived its name from its having been erected either by -John Birmingham, Earl of Louth, Lord Justice 1321, or Walter Birmingham, -who held office in 1348. It is more likely, however, that this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140">{140}</a></span> tower is -identical with that known as the high tower, and that it received the -name Birmingham after William Birmingham and his son Walter had been -imprisoned there in 1331, otherwise the fortress would have been -incomplete prior to 1321, and the side with least natural defence -unprotected. From Birmingham Tower the curtain extended eastward -(intersected by two smaller towers) to Wardrobe Tower. From this the -wall was continued northward to the Store Tower near Dame’s Gate, which -was in its turn connected with the eastern gate tower. There were two -sallyports in the wall.</p> - -<p>Of the eight towers which once protected the fortress only the Wardrobe -Tower now remains, often erroneously called Birmingham Tower. This, as -its name implies, is where the royal robe, cap of maintenance, and other -furniture of state were kept. The sword of state is still preserved -there, and also the records which were removed from Birmingham Tower. -The lower portion is the original masonry, but an upper storey was added -when the Chapel Royal was built. The Birmingham Tower was rendered -unsafe by an explosion of gunpowder in Ship Street and had to be taken -down. A lighter structure was erected on the site, which contains the -present kitchen and viceregal supper-room. The other towers were -gradually removed to make room for new buildings.</p> - -<p>The Anglo-Irish used to decorate the gate and walls of the castle with -the heads of the slain, and in 1316 some four hundred heads were sent -from Wicklow for this purpose.</p> - -<p>The castle did not become a permanent residence of the Viceroy until -1560 by order of Elizabeth, and in 1565 Henry Sydney took up his abode -in it. He also enlarged and beautified it, and placed the State papers -there in safe keeping.</p> - -<p>The castle has stood several successful sieges. In 1478 Gerald, 8th Earl -of Kildare, was superseded as Lord Deputy by Lord Grey of Codnor. He -refused to resign,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141">{141}</a></span> and Keating, Prior of Kilmainham, and Constable of -the Castle, sided with him, and fortified the stronghold against the new -Deputy. He destroyed the drawbridge, and Lord Grey, finding his numbers -too small to force an entrance, returned to England, and Kildare was -shortly afterwards reinstated.</p> - -<p>Again, in 1534, young Lord Offaly, known as “Silken Thomas” from the -splendour of his horses’ trappings, hearing a false report that his -father had been treacherously executed in England, returned the Sword of -State to the Council, which he held as Deputy in the Earl of Kildare’s -absence, and commenced hostilities against the castle.</p> - -<p>It is said the citizens readily admitted him within the walls of Dublin. -His chief attack was from Ship Street, but the Constable of the castle -getting the thatched houses there set on fire, the besiegers fell back -into Thomas Street.</p> - -<p>Lord Offaly having been obliged to commence hostilities against Ossary, -the siege was not carried on with much heart. Many of the arrows sent -into the castle were headless, and others bore letters saying some of -the besiegers were really in sympathy with the King’s party.</p> - -<p>Upon the rumour of help from England, the citizens closed the gates and -made prisoners of the attackers.</p> - -<p>Lord Thomas hurried back, and at once laid siege to the city itself, but -his force was too small to have any effect.</p> - -<p>As he had seized the Dublin children who had been sent to outlying -villages on account of the plague, the citizens agreed to liberate his -party if the little ones were restored. This was done, and shortly -afterwards aid from England quelled the rebellion.</p> - -<p>Several exciting escapes have been made by prisoners from the castle. In -1587 Hugh O’Donnell was confined in one of the gate towers for three -years, when he and a companion managed to escape on to the drawbridge by -a rope. He was, however, treacherously sent back to Dublin by O’Toole of -Castlekevin, upon whose hospitality he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142">{142}</a></span> thrown himself. At this time -a partly dry and partly wet moat surrounded Dublin Castle, and O’Donnell -was now imprisoned in the Wardrobe Tower round which the Poddle flowed. -He, however, escaped again the next year through the water, and, -arriving after much hardship at Glenmalure, eventually reached the North -in safety.</p> - -<p>In 1697 Lord Delvin was imprisoned in one of the gate towers for taking -part in a conspiracy against the King. The Lord Deputy hearing that he -meditated escape, desired Tristram Ecclesten, Constable of the Castle, -to remove his prisoner from the upper to a lower storey. Not only did -Ecclesten neglect to do this, but he allowed Lord Delvin to have -visitors, who managed to convey him a rope, by which he escaped. Next -year he surrendered himself and was pardoned.</p> - -<p>Law Courts and Parliaments have at different times been held in the -castle.</p> - -<p>In 1689 King James made a State entry, and stayed one night there after -the battle of the Boyne.</p> - -<p>In 1783 St. Patrick’s Hall was built. In 1784 the Viceregal Lodge was -bought, and since then the State apartments of the castle have only been -used during the Dublin season.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Irish State Papers in England.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Wright, “Historical Guide to Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Harris, “History of Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M’Gee, “History of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “History of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “Castle of Dublin” (<i>University Magazine</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Haverty, “Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Collins, “Sydney State Letters.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143">{143}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUNDANIEL_CASTLE" id="DUNDANIEL_CASTLE"></a><i>DUNDANIEL CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on the western margin of the Barony of Kinnelea, -in the townland of Skevanish, County Cork. It stands on the left bank of -the Bandon River, in the angle formed by the influx of the Brinny. It is -half a mile above Innishannon, and three miles below Bandon.</p> - -<p>The present name seems, from ancient documents, to be a corruption of -Dundanier, or a word of the same phonetic sound. Different suggestions -have been put forward as to the probable meaning of the original name, -including “Dane’s Fort,” or “the fort of the foreigner,” and “the fort -of the two rivers.” This latter would be a very appropriate appellation, -its south and west sides being protected by the converging streams.</p> - -<p>Nothing now remains of the castle save the keep, which measures 32 feet -east and west, and 44 feet north and south.</p> - -<p>The entrance is in a ruined state on the east side, and between it and -the river on the south the masonry has almost wholly disappeared. The -walls on the north and west are 6 feet thick, while on the south and -east they measure 8 feet, although these sides have otherwise apparently -less provision for defence.</p> - -<p>Mr. Herbert Gillman gives a most interesting suggestion regarding this -fact. He says that in all probability a winding stair was situated in -the thickness of the walls at the south-east angle, the building of -which has now disappeared, and that this stairway terminated at the -hall<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144">{144}</a></span> or chief apartment of the castle usually occupied by the -castellan. Upon the north-east angle of the tower is now the remains of -a ruined turret, and Mr. Gillman thinks this is most likely to have been -the protection for the egress to the <i>allur</i> or battlemented walk, which -was reached from the main chamber by a second stairway in this part of -the wall. By such an arrangement no watchman could leave his post of -duty without passing through the room in question, and thus a greater -protection would be secured.</p> - -<p>We learn from the Lismore papers that the top of the fortress was -reached by a very narrow “pair of stairs.”</p> - -<p>The tower is about 55 or 60 feet high. The stone arch which is usual in -such buildings covering the internal space, is in this instance situated -singularly high up, being immediately beneath the top storey, and there -is no mark on the lower walls to show that a second ever existed. The -ground floor was used for defence as well as for the usual store, and -above it beams, on stone corbels, supported two oak floors between the -basement and the arch. Light and air were chiefly admitted by long -openings splayed for archery. It is interesting to note also the later -apertures introduced after musketry superseded the bow and arrow.</p> - -<p>Of the former outworks of the fortress little trace remains. On the east -of the tower, at about a hundred yards distant, is what an old -inhabitant stated to be a disused channel of the River Manghane or -Brinny. This fact is borne out, and contradicted, respectively by -several maps. The fact that the field lying west of the river is still -called “Castle Garden” seems to point out that the channel of the Brinny -has been changed. Also the north and west walls of the fortress have the -greater number of crenellated openings, which show that they were -considered the most vulnerable sides.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145">{145}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Down Survey map of 1656 shows a dwelling-house to the east of the -castle.</p> - -<p>In the mortar on the inside surface of the arch, the marks of the twigs -are still visible which formed part of the temporary support used when -building. The mortar has much less lime than is usual in such work, no -doubt from the distance it would have had to be brought.</p> - -<p>These markings, as well as the general architecture, indicate that the -date 1476, which is usually stated as the time of its erection, is -likely to be accurate.</p> - -<p>It is supposed to have been built by Barry Oge, or Barry the Younger, -whose family displaced the O’Mahons in this district, being a descendant -of Philip de Barry, the Anglo-Norman invader.</p> - -<p>The lands of Innishannon were granted to the Barry Oge family either in -Henry III.’s or Henry IV.’s reign.</p> - -<p>In 1449 Barry Oge forfeited the confidence of the Crown, and his lands -were seized for the King. But a letter of the time states that he was -there “upon the King’s portion, paying his Grace never a penny of rent.” -At this time wars at home and abroad had weakened the English power in -Ireland, and it is most likely that Barry Oge built Dundaniel Castle to -protect the lands he was holding in spite of the forfeiture.</p> - -<p>In 1548 mention is made of a pirate called Colle coming to Kinsale in a -pinnace and marrying Barry Oge’s aunt, living in his castle, and not -allowing any one to enter Kinsale. Probably this castle was Dundaniel, -where the honeymoon was being spent, but the Barry Oge himself does not -seem to have shared the odium in which his uncle-in-law was held.</p> - -<p>Pirates were a very grave trouble to the south coast for many years -following.</p> - -<p>After the Desmond rebellion Barry Oge’s land was again forfeited in -1588, and bestowed upon MacCarthy<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146">{146}</a></span> Reagh, and in 1599 “Downdandier” is -referred to as being in his possession.</p> - -<p>After the siege of Dunboy Castle, in 1602, Sir George Carew relates -having sent some companies of foot soldiers to MacCarthy’s Castle of -Dundaniel, to remain there until the army was leaving Munster.</p> - -<p>Eight years later the estate was purchased by the East India Company for -the sum of £7,000. They constructed a dock, where they built two ships, -and colonised three villages with some three hundred English settlers.</p> - -<p>They garrisoned the castle with “four light horse, six corslets, and ten -muskets, trained at the Company’s charge.”</p> - -<p>But this form of industrious innovation was not at all to the liking of -the native inhabitants, and they so harassed the company’s workers that -they were obliged to appeal to the Government for protection in 1613. -This does not appear to have been accorded, as a second petition in the -same year asks for leave to place three or four pieces of ordnance in -the castle for defence against the “wylde Irish.”</p> - -<p>The Company, still receiving no Government aid, relinquished their -enterprise. In the “Castle Garden” slag, like the refuse of ironworks is -still found, which is most likely the remains of the East India -Company’s industry.</p> - -<p>After this the MacCarthys seem to have again taken possession of the -castle, and a scion of the old house, named Teige O’Connor, occupied -Dundaniel upon the breaking out of hostilities in 1642.</p> - -<p>This O’Connor seems to have been a man of unqualified barbarity. A MS. -in Trinity College records a most unwarrantable attack by him on five -peaceful fishermen who were whipping the rivers near the stronghold. By -his orders they were seized by some of the garrison and carried within -the castle. Four of them were hanged at once, and the fifth offered £10 -for his life. This was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147">{147}</a></span> accepted, and some of them accompanied him to -his house to receive it. Upon finding where he kept his money, they -seized the whole of it, amounting to £35, and then hanged the -unfortunate owner.</p> - -<p>John Langton, writing to the Earl of Cork, gives a most graphic -description of the assault upon Dundaniel Castle on the 20th of April, -1642, when the English forces marched from Bandon under the command of -Lord Kinalmeaky and Captain Aderly of Innishannon.</p> - -<p>It appears a party of rebels had seized some cattle and brutally killed -four children and wounded a fifth, who were minding them near the town. -The distracted parents traced the crime to the garrison of Dundaniel -Castle, “neere the ould iron worke.” So horse and foot marched out, -recovered the cattle save one animal, and attacked the castle.</p> - -<p>Three of the besiegers were killed and six wounded by shot and stone -from the fortress, but the musketeers posted themselves round the castle -and on the neighbouring hill, and kept up a fire of small shot so that -each of the defenders who looked out was killed.</p> - -<p>They next tried to drive in the door with sledges, and these failing -they set it on fire, but they had to undermine the wall in the -neighbourhood before the fire became sufficient to make the door yield.</p> - -<p>They rushed into the lower room, and the enemy fled to the top of the -castle above the vault.</p> - -<p>The attacking party then loaded themselves with corn and oatmeal which -was stored in the lower chambers, and having provided themselves with -plunder they set fire to the wooden floors of the lower rooms. Night -came on, and they returned to Bandon with their booty.</p> - -<p>Next morning they came back to view the scene, and found that the rebels -(who had escaped the fire which did not penetrate the vault), had let -themselves down from the battlements in the night time by means of -ropes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148">{148}</a></span> and other contrivances. Many lay dead on the top of the castle, -and round about it.</p> - -<p>The victors found four or five muskets and fowling pieces, some brass -and iron pots and pans, and some money hidden in the oatmeal bins.</p> - -<p>About forty of the enemy escaped and joined the Roches. They were -pursued, and an encounter took place where over a hundred were killed, -but the chiefs escaped.</p> - -<p>After this the MacCarthy property was confiscated, and Dundaniel Castle -was granted to Richard Earl of Cork, by whom it was leased to various -tenants, and through whom it descended to the present Duke of -Devonshire.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">H. Gillman, “The Castle of Dundanier, miscalled Dundaniel” (<i>Cork Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Bennett, “History of Bandon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grosart, “Lismore Papers.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149">{149}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN" id="DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN"></a><i>DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DOWN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Situated</span> three and a half miles north by east of Newcastle, County Down, -this donjon fortress commands an extensive view of Dundrum Bay and the -surrounding district of Lecale. The castle was built on the site of an -older fortification known as <i>Dun Rudhraidhe</i>, or Rury’s Fort, which is -said to have been the scene of the great feast given by Bricrin of the -Poisoned Tongue, to King Connor MacNessa and the Red Branch Knights at -which he induced them to make war on one another, as is chronicled in -“The Book of the Dun Cow.” The present village of Dundrum (Dundroma, -signifying the fort on the ridge) lies between the castle and the shore, -while to the east of the fortress are the ruins of an Elizabethan -mansion erected by a former owner of the castle.</p> - -<p>The circular keep or donjon is built upon a rock, and has an external -diameter of some 45 feet, the walls of which are 8 feet thick above the -projecting base. The tower at present stands about 50 feet in height. -The cellar below is hewn out of the rock on which the building was -erected, and is said at one time to have contained 200 tuns of Spanish -wine belonging to O’Neill.</p> - -<p>To the east of the entrance is a circular newel stair 3 feet 3 inches in -diameter, constructed in the thickness of the wall and leading to the -parapet. From this there are openings at each storey, and it is most -likely from the position of the offsets in the wall that the floors were -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150">{150}</a></span> wood supported on beams, the holes for the latter being still -visible at different levels.</p> - -<p>Round this tower was the courtyard or bawn, encircled by a high wall 4 -and 5 feet thick, which was again protected by a fosse or moat, still to -be seen on the north and west sides. The bawn was occupied by the -buildings for the retainers, and perhaps the family in times of peace, -and is of a roughly circular form about 150 feet across.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_015" id="ill_015"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_149.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>DUNDRUM CASTLE, CO. DOWN.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>South-east of the donjon, in the line of wall, are the two ruined towers -which protected the barbican gate, the corbel blocks of which still -remain over the archway, and originally supported the defences of the -gateway. From these, numerous rebels were hanged in the rebellion of -1798.</p> - -<p>The castle was built of stone quarried to form the fosse, mixed with -land stones of the district. Little has been done to alter the twelfth -or thirteenth century architecture, except the opening out of windows. -On the side of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151">{151}</a></span> ruined manor the outer fortifications would seem to -have been levelled to make terraced gardens to the later dwelling.</p> - -<p>It is generally supposed that Dundrum Castle was built by John de Courcy -at the end of the twelfth century for the Knights Templars, after his -daring conquest of Ulster in 1177 with only a force of about a thousand -men. The stronghold remained in the possession of the order (which was -bound by vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience) until the suppression -of the Knights Templars in 1313. It then passed into the hands of the -Prior of Down, and is mentioned by Archdall in his “Monasticon -Hibernicum” as a religious house. Upon the abolition of the monasteries -the reversion of the castle and manor, with a yearly rent of £6 13s. 4d. -reserved out of it, was granted to Gerald, Earl of Kildare.</p> - -<p>In 1516, however, it appears to have been in the possession of O’Neill, -who fortified it, with a boast he would hold it against the Earl of -Kildare, at the same time sending to the King of France to come and help -him to drive the English out.</p> - -<p>The following year Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and Lord Deputy, marched -into Lecale and took Dundrum by storm, but it seems almost immediately -to have reverted to the Magennises, who repaired it. In 1538 it was -retaken along with seven other castles by the English, commanded by Lord -Deputy Grey, who says: “I took another castell, being in M’Geeon’s -countrie called Dundrome, which, I assure your lordship, as it standeth -is one of the strongest holds that ever I saw in Ireland, and most -commodious for defence of the whole countrey of Lecayll, both by sea and -land, for the said Lecayll is invironed round about with sea, and no way -to go by land into the said countrey but only bye the said Castle of -Dundrome.”</p> - -<p>After this the castle appears to have remained in the hands of the Crown -for a few years. In 1551, we learn from the records of the Privy Council -that Prior Magennis<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152">{152}</a></span> was seized and imprisoned in Dundrum Castle by -Roger Broke without order of law. Six years later Lord Deputy Sussex -asked that Lecale with the Castle of Dundrum might be granted to him in -fee-farm for ever.</p> - -<p>But again in 1565 it was occupied by the great Shane O’Neill, who placed -his own ward in it for defence, and the Magennises (with whom O’Neill -was intimately connected) were in possession of the stronghold in 1601, -when Phelim Magennis surrendered it to Lord Mountjoy.</p> - -<p>O’Neill is said to have been a constant visitor at the castle while it -was possessed by the Magennises, Lords of Iveagh, and after a night of -revelry would indulge in a strange kind of bath, by being buried to his -neck in the sands on the shore of the bay.</p> - -<p>Four years subsequently to the stronghold passing into the hands of the -Crown, Lord Cromwell was commissioned to be governor and commander of -Lecale and the tower and castle of Dundrum.</p> - -<p>In 1636, Lord Cromwell’s grandson, Thomas, Lord Lecale and 1st Earl of -Ardglass, sold it to Sir Francis Blundell, from whom it descended by -marriage to its present owner, the Marquis of Downshire.</p> - -<p>Sir James Montgomery fought the Irish on the shore at the foot of the -castle hill 1642, and placed a garrison in the fortress to protect the -district. At this time Dundrum belonged to the Blundells, who afterwards -built the now ruined mansion adjoining, and the ancient stronghold was -finally dismantled in 1652 by the order of Oliver Cromwell.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Phillips, “Dundrum Castle.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Praeger, “Guide to County Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Harris, “History of County Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Notes to Sir Henry Sidney’s Memoir,” and “Facsimiles of Signatures of Irish Chieftains” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153">{153}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DUBLIN" id="DUNDRUM_CASTLE_COUNTY_DUBLIN"></a><i>DUNDRUM CASTLE, COUNTY DUBLIN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress was one of the long chain of the Pale castles which -defended the metropolis, but having been inhabited until the beginning -of the nineteenth century it is in a much better state of preservation -than most of these old buildings.</p> - -<p>It is situated about three miles south of Dublin on a rise of ground -above the Dundrum River, a tributary of the Dodder, at the junction of -the Ballinteer and Enniskerry roads.</p> - -<p>It is probable that the castle was built on the site of a more ancient -stronghold, as Dundrum signifies “the fort on the ridge.”</p> - -<p>The principal ruin of the present castle is a keep which is battlemented -in a slightly projecting form on the south-east, while the south-west -wall rises in rather a high gable. The building is oblong in shape, and -the entrance, which is on the south side, is evidently of more modern -construction. A gate now gives egress to the interior, which is occupied -by a flower bed.</p> - -<p>Two large windows on the ground floor also point to later alterations, -especially as they occur simultaneously with the remains of earlier -openings.</p> - -<p>The stairs are likely to have been situated in the south-west side. -There are numerous small chambers and passages in the thickness of the -walls.</p> - -<p>Of the three fireplaces in the north-west wall that on the ground floor -is the largest, measuring 9 feet long by 5 feet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154">{154}</a></span> high, and as the -flagstones of the hearth are covered by some inches of gravel its height -was once greater. At the back of the fireplace and slightly to one side -is an aperture about two feet square, which is framed in cut stone, and -was probably used as an oven.</p> - -<p>On the south-west end of the keep are the ruins of a smaller building -several storeys high, which is connected with the main building by a -square topped doorway. The dividing wall is nearly 6 feet in thickness.</p> - -<p>Both buildings are largely covered with plaster, and on the south-east -the keep has been partly rough cast.</p> - -<p>The situation of a third building can be seen adjoining the tower on the -north-east side, where the pitch of its roof may be traced about -three-fourths of the way up, but very little of the walls remain.</p> - -<p>The castle is partly covered with ivy.</p> - -<p>The fortress seems to have been built soon after the Norman invasion, -and as the lands of Dundrum were held by Hugh de Clahull, it was -probably erected for their defence. It subsequently passed to the -Fitzwilliams of Merrion, from whom it descended to the Earls of -Pembroke, and it forms at present part of the Pembroke estate.</p> - -<p>Robert le Bagod, ancestor of the Fitzwilliams, had license to convey the -manor of Dundrum to his son William, and in 1332 Thomas Fitzwilliam was -found seized of the lands round.</p> - -<p>From this time on it is likely the fortress was occupied by cadets of -the Fitzwilliam family.</p> - -<p>In 1542 Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam was in possession of the manor, and in -1616 his grandson Thomas, afterwards first Viscount Fitzwilliam, -recovered the lands of Dundrum and Ballinteer, with the castle and water -mill.</p> - -<p>His brother William, who had married Archbishop Ussher’s widow, lived at -Dundrum Castle about this time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155">{155}</a></span></p> - -<p>The building was slated and in good repair during the Commonwealth. It -is stated to have had three hearths and a barn, with a garden.</p> - -<p>It was tenanted by a Mr. Isaac Dobson during the reign of Charles II. He -was a Nonconformist, and probably a trader in Dublin. When James II. -came to the throne he left the country, and was attainted by Parliament -in 1689.</p> - -<p>His son, who was a bookseller, succeeded him at the castle. He greatly -improved the grounds, and when he died in 1720 he left the use of the -castle to his wife for her life, after which it went to his sons.</p> - -<p>The last Dobson who lived in it died in 1762, and when Mr. Cooper -visited it in 1780 it was most likely inhabited by a farmer, who was -then cutting down the grove of ash which grew between it and the river.</p> - -<p>He speaks of the inhabited part as a modern addition to which older -remains were adjoining. He states that the principal entrance was from -the courtyard by stone steps.</p> - -<p>It soon afterwards fell into ruin, and at the beginning of the -nineteenth century the present modern dwelling-house was erected. This -was at first inhabited by the Walsh family, and later Dr. Reichel, -Bishop of Meath, lived in it. Miss Hume is the present occupier.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">E. Dix, “Dundrum Castle,” in “The Lesser Castles in the County Dublin”; F. Ball, “Dundrum Castle,” both <i>Irish Builder</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ball and Hamilton, “The Parish of Taney.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157">{157}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156">{156}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_016" id="ill_016"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_156.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>DUNLUCE CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158">{158}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUNLUCE_CASTLE" id="DUNLUCE_CASTLE"></a><i>DUNLUCE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> ruins of this stronghold are picturesquely situated upon a rocky -promontory about three miles east of Portrush, in the County Antrim, -which is divided from the mainland by a chasm 20 feet wide and 100 feet -deep.</p> - -<p>The name Dunluce, or <i>lis</i>, signifies “strong fort,” and in all -probability the castle is built on the site of an ancient <i>lis</i>.</p> - -<p>The walls of the fortress are constructed of local basalt, and as the -columnar structure has been taken advantage of in the dressings of -windows and doors, it makes it a difficult matter to compare the date of -its erection with other castles by the style of architecture.</p> - -<p>It seems likely that the fortress was built in the sixteenth century by -the M’Quillans (formerly M’Willies), who derived their title from De -Burgo, one of De Courcy’s followers. Experts think that no part of the -building is of fifteenth-century workmanship.</p> - -<p>The castle was originally confined to the isolated rock, which was -connected with the mainland by a drawbridge. Now this part is reached by -a footway about 18 inches wide and 20 feet long, supported by an arch.</p> - -<p>The strongest walls are on the south and east sides. The drawbridge -formerly led into a small enclosed courtyard, at the lower end of which -stands the barbican, containing the main entrance, and with an embrasure -at one side commanding the bridge. This has corbelled bartizans at the -angles of the south gable, which are a Scotch type of architecture.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159">{159}</a></span></p> - -<p>A strong wall, following the cliff, connects the barbican with a -circular tower at the south-east angle called M’Quillan’s Tower. The -walls of this building are 8 feet thick, and a small staircase in them -leads to the top of both tower and wall.</p> - -<p>Formerly another curtain extended from M’Quillan’s Tower along the edge -of the rock northward to Queen Maud’s Tower, which is also circular but -of smaller dimensions.</p> - -<p>On the west and north the castle walls are not so thick as elsewhere, -and here the principal domestic offices are situated.</p> - -<p>On the north side, over the mouth of the cave which penetrates below, -are the remains of the kitchen, where a terrible accident happened -during a storm. The date is placed at 1639. The young Duchess of -Buckingham, who had married the 2nd Earl of Antrim, was giving a great -entertainment, when suddenly the kitchen gave way, and eight servants, -including the cook, sank into the waters of the cave below, and were -drowned. It is said a tinker, who was sitting in a window mending pots -and pans, was the only survivor of those present, and “the tinker’s -window” is still pointed out.</p> - -<p>The state rooms of the castle are situated behind the towers at the -eastern side. The great hall measures 70 feet by 23 feet, and has a -large fireplace and three bay windows, which were probably later -improvements made by Sorley Boy M’Donnell for his son Sir James, when he -took up his abode at Dunluce.</p> - -<p>The castle yard is situated between the hall and the parapet wall, and -measures 120 feet by 25 feet.</p> - -<p>A small vaulted room at the east side of the castle called the Banshee -Tower, is pointed out as a haunted chamber.</p> - -<p>The oak roof of the chapel, which had been restored in the Duchess of -Buckingham’s time (1637-40), was afterwards used to cover a barn in the -district.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160">{160}</a></span></p> - -<p>The buildings on the mainland are of much later date than those on the -rock. It is probable that they are later than 1640, though whether they -were built, as tradition states, because the domestics refused to -inhabit the older castle after the subsidence of the kitchen, or whether -the increase of the family’s importance required more accommodation, it -is hard to say.</p> - -<p>In 1513 a dispute arose between the descendants of Garrett MacQuillin -and those of Walter MacQuillin for Dunluce, then in the former’s hands. -O’Donnell seems to have placed the Walter MacQuillins in possession.</p> - -<p>Sir Thomas Cusake mentions the castle in his account of the expedition -against the MacDonnels in 1551, and four years later a fierce dispute -arose between the MacQuillins and MacDonnels for the chieftainship of -the Route district.</p> - -<p>These MacDonnels were of Scotch descent, and in 1565 the famous Shane -O’Neill set out to expel the Scots from Antrim.</p> - -<p>A great fight ensued, in which James and Sorley Boy (yellow or swarthy -Charles) MacDonnel were taken prisoners.</p> - -<p>Dunluce held out for three days longer, but Shane kept Sorley Boy -without food until the garrison should surrender, which they accordingly -did for his sake as well as their own.</p> - -<p>O’Neill then put his men in the castle, and is reported to have “kylled -and banyshed all the Skottes out of the north.”</p> - -<p>James MacDonnel died in Tyrone Castle in 1567—probably from poison. Two -years later his death was avenged by one of the clan, who assassinated -Shane, and after this Sorley Boy was set at liberty.</p> - -<p>At this time an English garrison was in possession of Dunluce, and -Sorley Boy crossed to Scotland, and returned with eight hundred picked -Redshanks to demand<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161">{161}</a></span> his castles and lands returned by a grant from the -Crown.</p> - -<p>This request not being at once acceded to, he commenced hostilities, and -in a year had re-possessed himself of all his strongholds and lands, -except Dunluce. He then renounced all allegiance to the Oueen, raised -some more Scotch troops, and took the surrounding country without -opposition.</p> - -<p>In 1573 he made a partial submission to the Crown, and asked to have the -part of the Glynns, which he claimed through the Bysetts, confirmed to -him by letters patent, but when the title deeds arrived he cut them up -and threw them in the fire, saying—</p> - -<p>“By my sword I got these lands, and by the sword I will hold them.”</p> - -<p>The next year Mr. Francis Killaway was granted Dunluce under Essex’s -scheme of plantation, but in those days possession was more than “nine -points of the law,” and when the Lord Deputy, Sir John Perrott, set out -with a great army against the Scots of Ulster, in 1584, Sorley Boy’s -warder occupied Dunluce.</p> - -<p>In the official despatches it is styled the “impregnable” fortress.</p> - -<p>The MacDonnels were unprepared for the attack. Cannon was landed at the -Skerries and drawn up by men, but when the castle was summoned to -surrender, the Scotch captain replied he would hold the fortress to the -last man for the King of Scotland.</p> - -<p>The siege lasted nine months; the ward of forty men, mostly Scotch, -surrendering in September, 1585.</p> - -<p>St. Columkill’s Cross was found amongst the treasure by Perrott, who -forwarded it, with a jeering letter, to Burghly. It has since been lost -sight of.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy appointed a pensioner called Peter Carey as constable, -and a ward of English soldiers.</p> - -<p>Perrott reports that Carey dismissed them, and re-filled<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162">{162}</a></span> their places -with Northerns, some of whom were in league with MacDonnel, and that one -night fifty men were drawn up the rock by ropes made of wythies. He also -says they offered Carey his life, but he refused, and retired to a tower -with a few men, where he was eventually slain.</p> - -<p>This seems a rather unlikely story, and another account states a good -many of the garrison were slain, and that Carey being hanged over one of -the walls of the stronghold, the English soldiers fled. Carey’s widow -was granted a pension.</p> - -<p>Having recovered his castle, Sorley Boy made overtures of peace to the -Government, which were eagerly accepted, and he travelled to Dublin and -prostrated himself before Elizabeth’s portrait. The Indenture, dated -1586, amongst other things, states he was appointed Constable or -Keyholder of Dunluce Castle.</p> - -<p>His son, Sir James MacDonnel, occupied the stronghold in 1597, and the -Governor of Carrickfergus lodged numerous complaints against him, -amongst which were his refusal to give up the ordnance he had taken from -Don Alonzo’s ship of the Spanish Armada, and his having fortified -himself in Dunluce.</p> - -<p>The following year Tyrone’s two sons and their tutor were lodged in the -castle, and Sir Geffrey Fenton had suspicions that they were placed -there as hostages to the Scotch King.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards open hostilities began between MacDonnel and the -Government until Sir James died suddenly at Dunluce in 1601.</p> - -<p>The castle was granted to his son, Randel, by letters patent in 1614, to -be surrendered if required for a garrison, and he was created Earl of -Antrim in 1620.</p> - -<p>His son, who succeeded in 1636, married the widowed Duchess of -Buckingham. The castle was summoned by the Irish in 1641, and they also -burned the town.</p> - -<p>The Earl did not join the Rebellion, though many of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163">{163}</a></span> relations were -in arms. In 1642 Munro came to Dunluce on pretence that some of the -Earl’s tenantry were implicated. After having been well entertained, he -treacherously seized Lord Antrim and sent him prisoner to Carrickfergus, -at the same time plundering Dunluce.</p> - -<p>The Earl escaped to England, and his lands, which had been confiscated -during Cromwell’s time, were restored to him in 1663; but in the -meantime Dunluce had fallen to decay, and does not seem to have been -inhabited since.</p> - -<p>The Antrim family at present reside at Glenarm Castle.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Hill, “Macdonnells of Antrim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Archæological Association of Ireland, Papers by R. Young and J. O’Laverty.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“The Description and Present State of Ulster,” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165">{165}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164">{164}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_017" id="ill_017"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_164.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>DUNSOGHLY CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166">{166}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DUNSOGHLY_CASTLE" id="DUNSOGHLY_CASTLE"></a><i>DUNSOGHLY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated eight miles north-by-west of Dublin, near the -village of St. Margaret’s, off the Ashbourne road.</p> - -<p>It consists of a splendidly preserved keep about 80 feet high, flanked -by four square towers which rise above the roof at each corner. One of -these contains a winding stair leading to the battlements, at the top of -which a flight of ten steps gives egress to the summit of the watch -tower.</p> - -<p>The other three towers have little rooms opening off the different -storeys.</p> - -<p>The ground floor, which was most likely a kitchen, is a large vaulted -apartment into which a door has been quarried in later years.</p> - -<p>The first floor was once a fine wainscotted room, the walls of which -were yet hung with family pictures when D’Alton visited it in 1838.</p> - -<p>A flight of wooden stairs connects this apartment with the ground.</p> - -<p>The two upper storeys had wooden floors, and the building is still -covered by a good slated roof, which is evidently a modern addition. So -too are the large square windows, some of which are glazed and others -protected by wire netting. The doorways are Gothic.</p> - -<p>In the south-west tower is the prison with no entrance except through a -hole in the roof by which captives and their food were let down.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167">{167}</a></span></p> - -<p>Tradition states an underground passage connects the castle with St. -Margaret’s Church, as well as having many hidden vaults.</p> - -<p>Beside the keep is the ruined chapel with an arched doorway, which has -been used as a cowshed. At the side towards the castle is a low built-up -archway over which is a slab carved with the symbols of the crucifixion, -and having under it the inscription:—“J.P.M.D.S., 1573,” which is -supposed to mean Johannes Plunket Miles de Dun-Soghly, 1573.</p> - -<p>There seems to be no record of the building of the castle.</p> - -<p>In 1288-89 it is noted that the rent paid for Dunsoghly by Geoffrey Brun -was 74s. and fivepence. Nearly two hundred years later (1422) the King -granted to Henry Stanyhurst the custody of all the messuages which had -belonged to John Finglas to hold rent free during the minority of the -heir. Two years later Roger Finglas is forgiven his arrears of Crown -rent out of the lands and tenants of Dunsoghly and Oughtermay.</p> - -<p>Soon after this the land seems to have passed to Sir Roland Plunkett, -the younger son of Sir Christopher Plunkett, Baron of Killem, and Lord -Deputy of Ireland, 1432, this family being a branch of the Fingall -family.</p> - -<p>In 1446 Sir Rowland Plunkett, of Dunsoghly Castle, was appointed Chief -Justice of the King’s Bench, and later his son, Sir Thomas Plunkett, -became Chief Justice of Common Pleas.</p> - -<p>The Crown leased, in 1547, to John Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, gent., all -the tithes in Dunsoghly and Oughtermay, in the Parish of St. Margaret of -Dowanor, part of the possessions of the Chancellor of the late Cathedral -of St. Patrick, at a rent of five marks. He was also to provide a -chaplain for the church of Dowanor.</p> - -<p>This John Plunkett was grandson to Sir Thomas, and also received -knighthood. He was made Chief Justice of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168">{168}</a></span> the Queen’s Bench in 1559. He -died twenty-three years later, seized of the manors of Dunsoghly and -Oughtermay.</p> - -<p>Sir John built the private chapel belonging to the castle, and also the -chantry of St. Margaret’s.</p> - -<p>In 1590 Christopher Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, is included in the list of -the English Pale; and twenty years later he surrendered Dunsoghly to the -King, who re-granted it to him with additional lands on account of his -own and his family’s service to the Crown.</p> - -<p>Colonel Richard Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, was an active supporter of the -Lords of the Pale in 1641, and a reward of £400 was offered for his head -by the Lords Justices and Council.</p> - -<p>In 1657 the Down Survey says that the “chiefest places in the Barony of -Coolock are Malahide and Dunsoghly.” “There is in Dunsoghly a good -castle, and a house adjoining it (James Plunkett).”</p> - -<p>The House of Commons granted Sir Henry Tichbourne £2,000 in lieu of his -wardship of Nicholas Plunkett, of Dunsoghly, in 1666. This Nicholas was -succeeded by his son, at whose death the property was divided between -his three daughters, and the castle is still in possession of their -descendants.</p> - -<p>The fortress is said to have been bombarded in Cromwell’s time from a -mound near, which is now occupied by a dwelling-house, and a long crack -made in the south wall by the cannon is still visible.</p> - -<p>The castle was inhabited up to the middle of the eighteenth century.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Archæological Association of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. Wakeman, “Rambles near Dublin,” in Dublin <i>Evening Telegraph</i> Reprints.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169">{169}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ENNISCORTHY_CASTLE" id="ENNISCORTHY_CASTLE"></a><i>ENNISCORTHY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Situated</span> on the Slaney, about twelve miles north-by-west of Wexford, in -the Barony of Ballaghkeen, is the town of Enniscorthy. The origin of the -name does not seem to admit of a satisfactory explanation. Some writers -say that it was originally Corthæ, and the capital of Ptolemy’s -Coriandi. Hence the prophesy, “Enniscorthy was, Dublin is, and Drogheda -will be.” Again Enis-scorteach, signifying “the stud-house pastorage,” -has been mentioned as a possible explanation.</p> - -<p>The castle is a massive square structure, flanked by three round towers. -It is in good preservation. Two of the towers can still be ascended.</p> - -<p>It is built of hard blue slate, dug on the spot, and the cases of the -doors and windows are of grey grit stone.</p> - -<p>It is believed that the manor of Enniscorthy was granted by Strongbow to -Maurice de Prendergast, and that he commenced to erect the castle in -1199, it being finished by his son Philip in 1205 or 1206.</p> - -<p>Again, it is stated to have passed to the De Prendergasts through the De -Quincey family, and that it was originally erected by Raymond le Gros.</p> - -<p>Between 1225 and 1228 it was walled in and entrenched by Gerald -Prendergast, who died in 1251.</p> - -<p>The Rochfords held it from 1252 to 1327 through Maurice Rochford -marrying Matilda Prendergast.</p> - -<p>The land had formerly been part of the MacMurroughs<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170">{170}</a></span>’ territory, and -they regained it in 1328, although their claim was fiercely disputed by -the Rochfords.</p> - -<p>Donogh MacMorrough, King of Leinster, resided in the castle from 1368 to -1375, in which year he was slain near Carlow by Geoffrey Wall. Two years -later Art MacMurrough, King of Leinster, recovered the castle, and held -it until his death in 1418.</p> - -<p>Donald Kavanagh, King of Leinster, lived in state in the castle from -1428 to 1476, and he it was who founded the Franciscan monastery close -to the stronghold in 1460.</p> - -<p>Murrough, King of Leinster, died in the castle in 1518.</p> - -<p>In 1550 it passed to the Crown after Cahir MacArt Kavanagh relinquished -the title “MacMurrough.”</p> - -<p>Richard Kettyng complained in 1551 that the Council would not confirm -the King’s letters, which granted him the castles of Ferns and -Enniscorthy. He requested that they might be granted by patent.</p> - -<p>The following year Enniscorthy was leased to Gabriel Blake.</p> - -<p>In 1566 a ruined castle and the manor of “Innescortye” was leased to -Nicholas Hearon, Esq., for twenty-one years, and the following year it -was surrendered by his assignee, Thomas Stucley, Esq., who then received -a lease of it.</p> - -<p>It was sacked by Sir Edmund Butler in 1569, and remained uninhabited for -thirteen years, though it was leased to Richard Synnot for twenty-one -years in 1575, and in 1581 the great poet Edmund Spenser received it -upon like condition.</p> - -<p>“Lease (under commission, 15 July, XXII.) to Edmund Spenser, gent., of -the site of the house of friars of Enescortie, with apputences; the -manor of Enescortie, a ruinous castle, land, and a weir there, lands of -Garrane, Killkenane, Loughwertie, Barrickcrowe, and Ballineparke, and -the customs of boards, timber, laths, boats bearing victuals, lodgings -during the fair, and things sold there, and fishings belonging to the -manor, and all other appurte<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171">{171}</a></span>nances as well within the Morroes country -as without. To hold for 21 years. Rent, £13-6-4. Maintaining one English -horseman. Fine, 20s.”</p> - -<p>It is stated that fear of the Kavanaghs prevented his coming into -residence, for the year afterwards his lease was transferred to Sir -Richard Sinnot, of Ballybrennan, and ratified by the Crown for a term of -forty years.</p> - -<p>In 1595 Queen Elizabeth granted the estate to Sir Henry Wallop, -Treasurer of War, by letters patent.</p> - -<p>He restored the castle, but his son preferred to reside in the more -modern dwelling of the Franciscan monks, which was close to the -fortress. He died here in 1624, and was succeeded by his son Robert.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry’s grandson was one of the judges at the trial of Charles I., -and after the Restoration he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, -where he died in 1667. His great grandson was created Earl of Portsmouth -in 1743.</p> - -<p>The castle was in the hands of the Confederates in 1642.</p> - -<p>In 1649 (whilst in the possession of Mr. Robert Wallop) the army of the -Commonwealth laid siege to the stronghold. It was well manned and -provisioned.</p> - -<p>Close to its walls was the “fair house,” formerly the largest Franciscan -monastery in Ireland, and then the residence of the Wallop family, who -deserted it upon the approach of the army.</p> - -<p>When the castle was summoned the garrison refused to surrender, but they -shortly afterwards reconsidered their decision and left their great -guns, arms, ammunition, and provisions in the hands of the victors.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards the castle was, however, re-taken by a trick. Some -Royalist supporters feasted the men of the garrison and sent women to -them to sell whiskey. When they were helplessly drunk the Irish -overpowered them and took possession of the castle.</p> - -<p>The Governor, Captain Todd, and his wife, as well as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172">{172}</a></span> the officers under -him, were all put to death. Only four of the soldiers were spared, they -having betrayed the fortress for the sum of £7.</p> - -<p>As soon as Colonel Cooke, the Governor of Wexford, heard of the outrage -he marched to Enniscorthy and took the castle by storm, killing every -one of the Irish garrison.</p> - -<p>The first Earl of Portsmouth repaired the building and leased it to Adam -Colclough in 1745.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of 1798 it was used as a prison by the insurgents -during the period that Enniscorthy remained in their hands.</p> - -<p>They greatly defaced the place, but the Earl of Portsmouth restored it -between 1806 and 1812, altering it to the requirements of a modern -residence for his agent. After this period it had many tenants.</p> - -<p>From 1852 to 1863 it was used as an estate office, and a printing press -was also erected within the walls. It was from here that the -<i>Enniscorthy News</i> was first issued.</p> - -<p>It fell into a state of dilapidation about 1863, though in 1867 it was -used as a temporary barracks for the extra police required in the town -during the Fenian rising.</p> - -<p>In 1898 it was sold to Mr. P. J. Roche of New Ross.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D. Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Patent and Close Rolls, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fiants of Elizabeth.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173">{173}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ENNISKILLEN_CASTLE" id="ENNISKILLEN_CASTLE"></a><i>ENNISKILLEN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> chief part of the town of Enniskillen is situated on an island in -Lough Erne, seventy-five miles west-by-south of Belfast, in the County -Fermanagh.</p> - -<p>The name is supposed to be derived from a small islet near to the -eastern bridge where the heroic wife of a great chief is buried, and -which was called Enis-Cethlenn or “the Island of Cethlenn.”</p> - -<p>The castle stands at the western side of the town, where it commanded -the lake.</p> - -<p>It is now incorporated with the Castle Barrack, but the original -quadrangular keep (a storey lower than in former times) is still to be -seen, while the curtain wall and towers, which were erected in 1611, and -figure in the arms of the town, are in a good state of preservation. The -ditch which once surrounded it has now been filled up. The castle was -the chief fortress of the Maguires, lords of Fermanagh. In 1439 it was -surrendered to Donall Ballach Maguire, and three years later Thomas Oge -Maguire gave it to Philip Maguire.</p> - -<p>In 1593 Maguire had the houses round the castle burnt for fear of -attack. Nevertheless, early the following year, during his absence, -Captain Dowdall laid siege to the fortress.</p> - -<p>On the ninth day he attacked the castle “by boats, by engines, by sap, -by scaling.” He placed 100 men in a great boat covered with hurdles and -hide, which, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174">{174}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_018" id="ill_018"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_173.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>ENNISKILLEN CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175">{175}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176">{176}</a></span> </p> - -<p>Connor O’Cassidy as guide, drew up close to the wall of the barbican.</p> - -<p>Here a fierce onslaught was made, and the garrison retreated to the -keep. This, Captain Dowdall threatened to blow up unless they -surrendered, which they accordingly did.</p> - -<p>The steersman of the boat gives the number as thirty-six fighting men, -and nearly the same of women and children; whereas Captain Dowdall -states he put a hundred and fifty to death, which is most likely an -exaggeration.</p> - -<p>He says it came into her Majesty’s hands with small loss, though it was -very strong, with walls seven feet thick and “soundrie secret fights -within it of great annoyance uppon the barbican.”</p> - -<p>He remained ten days mending the breaches, gates, and doors, and laid in -three months’ provisions. He elected a constable, and, garrisoning it -with thirty soldiers, took his departure.</p> - -<p>Marshall Bagnall was on his way to ward the castle, but Dowdall reported -that he was too ill to await his coming.</p> - -<p>The same year Maguire laid siege to the fortress, it is said, at the -instigation of the Earl of Tyrone. The relieving party was defeated, and -the Lord Deputy himself set out to the rescue of the garrison.</p> - -<p>They had been reduced to eating horseflesh, and had only one more animal -when they were relieved. The ward was then reduced from forty to thirty, -and the castle victualled for six months, which supply was to be -augmented by fishing for eels under the walls.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this the bawn was seized and seven warders killed; and in -1595 the whole fortress surrendered. In the State Papers the Lord Deputy -declares he cannot understand why this should have been, as the castle -was well provisioned. He says that he hears the constable and fifteen -warders were promised life and goods, but that when they came out they -were all put to death. It does not seem that this report was confirmed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177">{177}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1596-97 the Lord Deputy asks for three falcons with their carriages -and ladles, to replace those which Maguire had taken with the castle, -and which had belonged to Dublin.</p> - -<p>Maguire’s brother held the fortress in 1598.</p> - -<p>It was again in English possession in 1607, and Captain William Cole was -constable in 1610, when he asked for some land to be allotted to his -office. That immediately round the castle was in the hands of Scottish -settlers, and there was no demesne land attached to the building.</p> - -<p>In 1611 he built “a fair house” on the old site, adding numerous -outhouses.</p> - -<p>A moat surrounded the bawn, and the river was crossed by a drawbridge. -He also erected a wall 26 feet high with flankers and parapet, which -still remains.</p> - -<p>The castle was granted to Sir William Cole in 1620 on a lease for -twenty-one years, and he was responsible for its repair. The Earl of -Enniskillen at present represents the family.</p> - -<p>Four hundred pounds was granted for State repairs in 1646, some of which -had been expended on the castle of Enniskillen.</p> - -<p>During the famous siege of the town in 1689 the Governor, Gustavus -Hamilton, took up his residence in the castle, which belonged to Sir -Michael Cole, who was absent in England.</p> - -<p>In 1749 the fortress was in ruins.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">King, “Henry’s Upper Lough Erne.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Witherrow, “Derry and Enniskillen.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Earl of Belmore, “Governor Hamilton and Captain Corry,” and Ancient Maps of Enniskillen, both in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178">{178}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="FERNS_CASTLE" id="FERNS_CASTLE"></a><i>FERNS CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> ancient seat of royalty is situated five miles and three-quarters -north-by-east of Enniscorthy, on the River Bann, in the County of -Wexford. The name comes from Fearna, meaning alders, or “a place -abounding in alders.”</p> - -<p>The erection of the first stone castle is ascribed to Strongbow, and it -is supposed to have been built upon the site of the fortress or dun of -his father-in-law, Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster.</p> - -<p>The present ruins are the remains of four round towers, which were -joined by high curtain walls enclosing a courtyard. The building is one -of great strength, and occupies an imposing situation above the town.</p> - -<p>The most perfect of the towers contains a chapel, with a beautifully -groined roof springing from consoles. Richard Donovan, who inherited the -property in 1773, is said to have converted the sanctuary into an Orange -Lodge, where high revel was held, and a visitor in 1864 states that an -equestrian statue of William III. occupied the site of the altar beneath -the east window.</p> - -<p>Mr. Baranger, however, writing in 1780, says that the chapel was without -a floor, and made one with the under apartment. He describes the room -above it as arched, and also remarks that the edges of the stones of the -long loophole windows had been cut underneath as if for cannon to be -pointed through. A brass fieldpiece found in the castle was used for the -defence of Wexford, 1641.</p> - -<p>Three kinds of masonry are visible in the construction<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179">{179}</a></span> of the tower, -each occupying about a third of its height. The bottom layer consists of -small stones, the middle part of larger ones, while those at the top are -hewn.</p> - -<p>At one time part of the wall connecting the towers was used as a -ball-alley (the ground being flagged for this purpose), until the owner -of the castle enclosed the ruins with a wall for their preservation.</p> - -<p>In 1865 part of the fortress on the north side fell in a thunderstorm, -and the tenant of that date procured leave to blast the rest of this -wall for fear of accident. The ground is littered with broken masonry.</p> - -<p>After Strongbow’s death in 1177, Henry II. bestowed the manor and castle -of Ferns upon William FitzAdelm de Burgo. The same year FitzAdelm seized -the Black Castle of Wicklow from the three sons of Maurice Fitzgerald, -giving them Ferns by way of compensation.</p> - -<p>The brothers at once began to rebuild and strongly fortify their new -possession, but it was hardly completed before Walter Allemand, a nephew -of FitzAdelm, attacked the castle and left it in a ruined condition.</p> - -<p>William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, who married the grand-daughter of -Dermot MacMurrough, began to erect a much larger fortress on the same -site in 1192. He was succeeded by his son, who had married the daughter -of King John, and he completed the stronghold in 1224. He then presented -it to the Bishop of Ferns as restitution for Church land which his -father had seized.</p> - -<p>It remained in the possession of the Church from 1224 to 1364, during -which time it was used as an Episcopal Palace.</p> - -<p>In 1243 Geoffrey St. John, Vicar-General of Ferns, and Escheator of -Ireland, came into residence, and was succeeded by Bishop Lambert in -1282, who died in the castle.</p> - -<p>He was followed by Richard of Northampton, who had been Canon of -Kildare, while in 1304 Robert Waldrond was consecrated, and took up his -abode at Ferns. During<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180">{180}</a></span> this time the neighbourhood was much disturbed, -and the next Bishop was arraigned for high treason in 1317, but was -pardoned the following year.</p> - -<p>In 1331 the clan of O’Toole seized the castle, pillaged, and burned it. -Next year the Crown took possession again, and three years later they -thought it expedient to appoint Lord Gerald Rochford constable of Ferns -Castle. He held office for ten years, and was summoned to Parliament as -a Baron.</p> - -<p>In 1347 Bishop Esmond came into possession of the stronghold, and was -succeeded by Bishops Charnels and Denn. The latter prelate was the last -Bishop to reside in the castle, for from 1402 to 1530 the stronghold was -in possession of the MacMurroughs.</p> - -<p>At the end of this period it was captured by Lord Deputy Grey. He was on -his way from Kilkenny to Dublin, when he sent word from Leghlyn to -Stephen FitzHenry at Kilkea, to meet him at Ferns Castle with his guns -and men.</p> - -<p>Lord Grey marched by night, and arrived in the morning before the -fortress. He demanded its surrender, which was refused by the garrison, -“using very spiteful language.” The day was spent in preparing for the -attack. He posted his men round the building in the ditches and other -cover, so that none of the besieged should escape, and the troops broke -down the gate leading to the drawbridge. A Mr. Thomas Allen, who was -with the attacking party, noticed that one of the garrison kept watch -every now and then from one particular place, and he sent a gunner to -hide himself where he could cover the spot with his weapon. This was -successful, and the man was shot as soon as he returned. He was the -governor and chief gunner of the castle.</p> - -<p>The rest of the garrison then asked for a parley, which was granted.</p> - -<p>Lord Grey told them that unless they surrendered before<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181">{181}</a></span> the arrival of -the ordnance, which was within a mile of the stronghold, he would not -accept a surrender, but kill them all. They then agreed to give the -castle up, and two of the English were stationed in it during the night.</p> - -<p>The next day the Lord Deputy appointed a garrison of the MacMurroughs to -guard the stronghold, taking their chief with him to Dublin as a -hostage.</p> - -<p>A writer of this time describes the castle as the old inheritance of the -Earl of Shrewsbury or the Duke of Norfolk, and “oon of the auncientis -and strongest castells within this lande.”</p> - -<p>In 1536 Cahir Maclnnycross Kavanagh, the MacMurrough, was appointed -constable by the Crown, but two years later he was superseded by Sir -Richard Butler.</p> - -<p>At the time great anxiety was felt for fear of an attack from the -Kavanaghs; and in 1550, we learn from the State Papers that Cahir M’Arte -Kavanagh had managed to get possession of the castle by treatment.</p> - -<p>The next year Richard Kettyng asked the Privy Council to confirm the -King’s letter granting him the stronghold, but they refused.</p> - -<p>It was considered necessary to have English captains in the castles of -the districts to hold the Kavanaghs in subjection, so that a list of -constables to Ferns Castle is recorded, the most remarkable being the -Mastersons, father and son, the former being accused of conspiring -against the Queen in 1569.</p> - -<p>Thrilling traditions are related regarding his wife, Catherien de Clare, -who was said to decoy the neighbouring chiefs and Irish gentlemen within -the fortress under the guise of hospitality and murder them by pushing -them down a trapdoor.</p> - -<p>In 1588 Masterson entered a petition for land, as recompense for -thirty-four years’ service.</p> - -<p>His son spent large sums on rebuilding the castle; nevertheless it was -granted to Lord Andley in 1608.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182">{182}</a></span></p> - -<p>Sir Charles Coote occupied the stronghold in 1641, but finding he was -unable to hold it against the insurgents, he dismantled the outworks, -blew up part of the building, and left the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>It must, however, have been partly repaired, for eight years later, when -Cromwell’s commander, Colonel Reynolds, appeared before it, the garrison -fled, leaving their arms, ammunition, and provisions behind them.</p> - -<p>In 1669 Charles II. granted the castle to Arthur Parsons; while in 1689 -it seems to have been in the possession of Alderman Thomas Keiran, who -gave it to his brother-in-law, Richard Donovan, in 1694, from whom it -descended to its present owner, Richard Donovan, Esq., D.L., of -Ballymore House, Camolin.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. G. Flood, “History of Enniscorthy.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Bassett, “Wexford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Stokes, “Ireland and Anglo-Norman Church.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Griffiths, “Chronicles of County Wexford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183">{183}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="FERRYCARRIG_AND_SHANA_COURT_CASTLES" id="FERRYCARRIG_AND_SHANA_COURT_CASTLES"></a><i>FERRYCARRIG AND SHANA COURT CASTLES</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> chief interest attaching to the castles of Ferrycarrig and Shana -Court is the fact that one or other of them was the first Anglo-Norman -fortress erected in Ireland.</p> - -<p>The sites of the two strongholds occupy positions one on each side of -the Slaney, a little more than two miles west of Wexford. The parish of -Carrig lies on the right bank of the river in the Barony of West -Shelmalier, and here on an isolated rock commanding the ferry is -situated Ferrycarrig Castle—Carrig signifying a rock.</p> - -<p>It is a square tower of great age and occupies the whole summit of the -rocky point on which it stands, and does not seem, therefore, to have -ever been of larger dimensions than at present. The masonry is rough and -massive and the loopholes unusually small, while the door is so low and -narrow that it is necessary to stoop when entering.</p> - -<p>An opening in the wall is usually called the “murdering hole,” but as -there is another aperture to correspond with it in the exterior at the -base they are likely to have had some other use.</p> - -<p>The close resemblance which this tower bears to Trajan’s Tower at -Paboquaipass on the Danube, even to a similar entrance, has been the -subject of remark.</p> - -<p>On the south bank of the river, where the Crimean monument now stands, -were traceable some years ago the fosse and outworks of Shana Court. -They occupied about half an acre, but the walls of the fortress had -been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184">{184}</a></span> demolished to supply stones for the building of the old mansion of -Belmont.</p> - -<p>Tradition asserts that Ferrycarrig was erected by FitzStephen, who -landed in Ireland in 1169, and that Shana Court was built by King John, -it deriving its name from his having held court there as Viceroy.</p> - -<p>We know FitzStephen de Marisco erected a castle at Carrig from the -following passage in Giraldus Cambrensis:</p> - -<p>“MacMorogh marched to besiege Dublin, but left FitzStephen behind, who -was then building a hold or castle upon a certain rocky hill called the -Carricke, about two miles from Wexford, which place, although it was -very strong of itself, yet by industry and labour it was made much -stronger.”</p> - -<p>From the same source we also learn that it was environed on two sides by -the river, but this might apply equally to either fortress.</p> - -<p>A further description says: “It was at first made but of rods and -wiffes, according to the manner in those daies, but since builded with -stone, and was the strongest fort then in those parts of the land; but -being a place not altogether sufficient for a prince, and yet it was -thought too good and strong for a subject, it was pulled down, defaced, -and razed, and so dooth still remane.”</p> - -<p>The most likely assumption, on the whole, seems to be that King John -erected on the ruined site of FitzStephen’s stronghold the castle known -as Shana Court, the stones of which were used in building Belmont, and -that Ferrycarrig was an outwork of the larger fortress or else was -erected by the Roches of Artramont as a watch-tower to protect the -ferry.</p> - -<p>FitzStephen suffered a memorable siege in his castle in 1170. He had -weakened his garrison by sending a detachment to serve with Strongbow, -when the men of Wexford and Kinsellagh rose and laid siege to Carrig -Castle with a force of about three thousand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185">{185}</a></span></p> - -<p>Several desperate assaults were successfully repulsed before the -attackers asked for a parley. This was granted, and they informed -FitzStephen that Strongbow and his followers had been utterly routed, -and that King Roderic was marching with a great army to annihilate his -garrison, but that out of respect to his person they wished him to -escape.</p> - -<p>FitzStephen could not be induced to believe the tale until three bishops -took a false oath as to its truth, whereupon he capitulated upon -honourable terms. These were at once violated, and, against the -conditions, he was made prisoner and sent to Beggery Island, while many -of those with him were killed.</p> - -<p>Donald Kavanagh, with great difficulty, arrived in Dublin to inform -Strongbow that FitzStephen could not hold out more than three days. It -was on this occasion that Maurice FitzGerald made his famous speech, in -which he said: “FitzStephen, also, whose courage and noble daring opened -to us the way into this island, is now with his small force besieged by -a hostile nation. What should we, therefore, wait for?”</p> - -<p>Stirred by his eloquence, the English forces, though of small numbers, -set out and carried victory before them, but in the meantime Carrig had -surrendered.</p> - -<p>Strongbow was warned that if his forces marched on Wexford all the -prisoners would be at once slain, so that FitzStephen was not liberated -until King Henry arrived in Ireland in 1172.</p> - -<p>Ferrycarrig is situated on the Earl of Donoghmore’s estate.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Ryan, “History and Antiquities of Carlow.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Giraldus Cambrensis.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Ferrycarrig,” in <i>The People</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186">{186}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GEASHILL_CASTLE" id="GEASHILL_CASTLE"></a><i>GEASHILL CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Oh, sweetly rural is the scene<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where Geashill Castle stands;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Beneath the line of green old hills<br /></span> -<span class="i2">This lovely vale expands.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">E. Egan.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> village of Geashill is situated in the barony of the same name, -about eight miles south-east of Tullamore, in the King’s County. On a -long ridge near are the ruins of the castle, adjoining a modern lodge -usually occupied by the agent of the Digby estate. The ancient fortress -is three storeys high, and a spiral stairway still leads to the summit, -where there is an iron chair. An underground passage is said to run to -the ruined Abbey close by.</p> - -<p>The date of the castle’s erection by the Fitzgeralds is ascribed to the -twelfth century, and in 1203 or 1204 the King commanded it to be -delivered to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, as the guardian of -Maurice, second Baron of Offaly, who was heir to Gerald FitzMaurice.</p> - -<p>In 1305 the sept of the O’Dempseys slaughtered a great number of the -O’Connors near the castle, and the following year the stronghold was -destroyed by these native Irish. The Book of Howth says: “The Lord of -Offalye builded the castle of Geschell” in 1307, so it was, no doubt, -rebuilt this year by Thomas FitzMaurice, “the crooked heir,” who died in -1298, and who is supposed to have been prevented from inheriting as head -of the family on account of some deformity. Juliana FitzGerald granted -the castle to his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187">{187}</a></span> son, who was her cousin, and afterwards 1st Earl of -Kildare.</p> - -<p>An inquisition was held at Kildare in 1282 upon the estate of the late -John FitzThomas, when his heir, Thomas FitzMaurice, came of age. It was -shown that the former had held lands from Maurice FitzGerald “for a -moiety of the service of one knight whenever royal service should be -summoned, rendering suit nevertheless at the court of the said Maurice -FitzGerald at Geashill.”</p> - -<p>Lord Leonard Gray and the chieftain O’Mulmoy seized the castle, and -abbey of Killeigh in 1538. In both they found great stores of corn, part -of which they burnt and part carried off.</p> - -<p>On an ancient map of Leix, dated about 1563, both the castles of Lea and -Geashill are marked as ruins, but in Sir Henry Sydney’s account of -Ireland shortly afterwards he writes: “Geshell, in the King’s County, is -very necessary to be had of the Earl of Kildare; it is a matter of -consequence for her Majesty’s service in that county.”</p> - -<p>James I. granted the barony of Geashill in 1619 and 1629 to Lady Lettice -Digby, widow of Sir Robert Digby, of Warwickshire, as compensation for -not inheriting as heir-general of the house of Kildare, she being the -only child of the eldest son of the 11th Earl of Kildare. At the same -time he created her Baroness of Offaly, and she lived quietly at -Geashill from that date until 1642, when the great rebellion broke out -and the Confederate Catholics laid siege to her stronghold.</p> - -<p>A kinsman of hers named Henry Dempsy, brother of Lord Clanmalier, was in -command, and despatched a letter “To the Honourable and thrice virtuous -Lady, the Lady Digby,” demanding that she should surrender the castle to -his Majesty and offering her and her household a free pass to wherever -they wished, threatening at the same time if she did not comply to -murder every Protestant in the town.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188">{188}</a></span></p> - -<p>To this demand the Baroness sent the following answer: “I received your -letter, wherein you threaten to sack this my castle, by his Majesty’s -authority. I have ever been a loyal subject and good neighbour among -you, and, therefore, cannot but wonder at such an assault. I thank you -for your offer of a convoy, wherein I hold little safety; and, -therefore, my resolution is, that being free of offending his Majesty, -or doing wrong to any of you, I will live and die innocently, and will -do the best to defend my own, leaving the issue to God. And though I -have been, and still am desirous to avoid the shedding of Christian -blood, yet, being provoked, your threats shall no wit dismay -me.—<span class="smcap">Lettice Offaly.</span>”</p> - -<p>The castle was surrounded by bog and wood, and was, in consequence, -somewhat difficult of access, so that upon receiving her letter the -enemy retired to make more elaborate preparations for attack.</p> - -<p>They collected a number of pots and pans, with which a man from Athboy -constructed a cannon. It had to be cast three times before it was -successful.</p> - -<p>After two months the attackers returned to the castle with Lord -Clanmalier in command. He despatched another letter demanding surrender -to the brave lady, which received a spirited reply, reiterating her -determination to endeavour to hold her own against all comers.</p> - -<p>Upon its receipt they discharged the gun, which burst at the first shot, -but a fusilade of muskets was kept up until the evening.</p> - -<p>As the Baroness was looking out of one of the windows a ball struck the -wall near her, and taking out her handkerchief, she contemptuously -dusted the spot.</p> - -<p>It is said that one of her sons, having fallen into the enemy’s hands, -was brought before the castle in chains, with a threat that they would -kill him unless she surrendered. She, however, replied that if they -touched a hair<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189">{189}</a></span> of his head she would at once put to death a Roman -Catholic priest who was within the walls.</p> - -<p>At dark the enemy retired, again sending her a letter offering her -terms, which received the same refusal as the others had done, and the -messenger she sent was kept a prisoner.</p> - -<p>Lady Offaly managed to let Sir Charles Coote, then at Naas, know that -she needed assistance, and Philip Sydney, Viscount Lisle, at once set -out from Dublin to her relief, accompanied by Sir Charles Coote, Sir -George Wentworth, Lord Digby, the Baroness’s eldest son, and a -considerable force of horse and foot.</p> - -<p>Lady Offaly had also despatched an appeal for help to the FitzGeralds, -but the letter fell into the enemy’s hands instead, who at once renewed -the siege when they learnt of her straits.</p> - -<p>As the English forces advanced the besiegers skirmished and retreated. -The relieving party supplied the fortress with food and ammunition, but -at Lady Offaly’s request she remained in the castle.</p> - -<p>The following October she was again attacked by Charles Dempsie, but -this time was shortly relieved by Sir Richard Grenville, and after this -she retired to Cole’s Hill, in Warwickshire, where she died in 1658.</p> - -<p>Her eldest son, Lord Digby, inherited the castle, and it is still in the -family’s possession.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Wright, “King’s County Directory.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS., including Book of Howth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hore, “Rental Book of Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare,” and “Notes on a Fac-Simile of an Ancient Map of Leix,” both in <i>Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191">{191}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190">{190}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_019" id="ill_019"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_190.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>GLENARM CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192">{192}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GLENARM_CASTLE" id="GLENARM_CASTLE"></a><i>GLENARM CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated in the Barony of Lower Glenarm, a little more -than twenty-five miles north of Belfast, in the County Antrim, where the -Glenarm rivulet enters the bay.</p> - -<p>The original stronghold was erected by the Byset family about the middle -of the thirteenth century, and came into the MacDonnell family through -the marriage of Margery Bisset.</p> - -<p>The castle stood on the southern side of the river at the head of the -street which leads from the barbican, and on the opposite bank from the -present building.</p> - -<p>In 1278 an inquisition was held after the death of two John Bysets to -determine if the Earl of Ulster was right in making the fortress over to -the Bishop of Connor as ecclesiastical property, and it was decided that -the Bysets had not held the castle from the church.</p> - -<p>Captain Pers and Malbie placed Randal Oge in possession of the -stronghold in 1568, but the same year his ward surrendered it.</p> - -<p>In 1597 it is reported James and Randal M’Donnell “broke” the castle, -and it does not appear to have been afterwards rebuilt, although the -ruins were standing for many years.</p> - -<p>Sir Randal MacDonnell was granted the estate in 1603, and began to erect -the present castle.</p> - -<p>Sir Awla M’Awla petitioned against his possession of Glenarm in 1610, -but apparently without effect.</p> - -<p>Sir Randal greatly enlarged the dwelling in 1636, and the following -inscription was placed over the entrance:—</p> - -<p>“With the leave of God this castle was built by Sir<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193">{193}</a></span> Randal McDonnel, -Knight, Erle of Antrim, having to wife Dame Aellis O’Neill, in the year -of our Lord God, 1636. Deus est adjutor meus.”</p> - -<p>Shortly after this the family made Glenarm their chief place of -residence instead of Dunluce Castle.</p> - -<p>The fortress is approached by a barbican standing on the northern side -of the bridge, while an avenue of limes leads to the hall door. The -building is flanked by towers crowned with cupolas and vanes, and the -gables are decorated with heraldic devices.</p> - -<p>An embattled wall guards the terrace on the river side.</p> - -<p>The hall, which is also used as a billiard-room, is especially handsome, -while the dining-room and drawing-room are also fine apartments.</p> - -<p>Some treasure chests said to have belonged to the Spanish Armada are -preserved in the castle, but a doubt has been thrown upon their being of -such a date.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of 1798, the castle was used as the headquarters of -the Yeomanry. The rebels had decided to attack it on the 8th of June, -and the wives of the Yeomen, whom they had captured, were to be placed -in front of the insurgents in their advance.</p> - -<p>This diabolical plan was frustrated on the very morning of the intended -attack by news of the defeat at Antrim, whereupon the camp was broken -up.</p> - -<p>Glenarm is the seat of the Earl of Antrim, the present representative -being the sixth peer.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hill, “MacDonnells of Antrim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Thomson, “Highways and Byeways in Donegal and Antrim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Guide to the Giant’s Causeway,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Drew, “Old Iron Treasure Chests”; Smith, “Memories of ’98,” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194">{194}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GLIN_CASTLE" id="GLIN_CASTLE"></a><i>GLIN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> origin of the title Knight of Glin, or Knight of the Valley, seems -not to be accurately known, but the designation has been recorded as in -use during the reign of Henry III. The Knights of Glin, also called the -Black Knights, belong to the great Geraldine family, and owed a certain -allegiance to the Earls of Desmond, which is described as follows: -“Divers customs of meat and drink, together with rising of men at the -Earl’s calling to the number of 60 kearne.”</p> - -<p>The housing and feeding of some of the Earl’s men were also included.</p> - -<p>Glin is a small market town and seaport in the Barony of Shanid, in the -County Limerick, at the junction of a rivulet with the Shannon, -twenty-six miles west by south of Limerick City.</p> - -<p>Of the ancient fortress situated in the town, nothing now remains but -the keep. It measures 38 feet by 35 externally, and the walls are 8 feet -in thickness. It is at present about 40 feet in height, but was at one -time crowned by a turret in the eastern corner. The courtyard walls were -102 feet in length and 92 in breadth. The chief entrance, to the north, -was defended by a semicircular outwork. The great hall was situated on -the western side of the courtyard, while the keep was in the south-west -corner. The two eastern angles were defended by small towers. A moat -surrounded the castle filled with water from the Shannon tributary.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195">{195}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Knight of Glin was a very important chieftain in Limerick, -maintaining an ordinary force of ten horsemen and a hundred and forty -foot soldiers. During the Desmond wars he shared the fortunes of the -Earl, and in 1569 both the Knight and the son were attainted, the latter -being executed.</p> - -<p>The estates were, however, very shortly afterwards restored, and in the -rebellion of the Northern Earls and the “Sugan Earl” of Desmond, the -Knight of Glin was again amongst the disaffected.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1600 Sir George Carew started on an expedition to the -west to restore peace in that quarter. He had with him a force of one -thousand five hundred men, and was accompanied by the Earl of Thomond.</p> - -<p>The army marched through Kerry to Askeaton, where there was a halt for -four days awaiting provisions, which had been sent by water from -Limerick. On the 4th of July they marched twelve miles to Ballintare, -the enemy moving in front within view. The next morning’s march brought -them before Glin Castle, the rebels still offering no opposition.</p> - -<p>The Four Masters describe the route taken as having been from Limerick -along the northern bank of the Shannon through Clare, the troops -ferrying themselves across the river at Glin, but it is most likely that -Sir George Carew’s biographer gives the correct line of march.</p> - -<p>Captain Gawin Harvey’s ship, with the ordnance on board, had been -anchored in the Shannon for fourteen days awaiting their arrival, and -the guns were at once unshipped upon the arrival of the troops.</p> - -<p>That night the forces entrenched themselves between the castle and the -river, and the next day, under the guise of a parley, they managed to -plant the cannon without opposition.</p> - -<p>The next day the Knight of Glin, who was not within<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196">{196}</a></span> the castle, asked -for a safe conduct to the English camp, which was granted. Upon arrival -he demanded to see the President, but was refused unless upon an -unconditional surrender. This he would not consent to, and was, -therefore, ordered to depart. Seeing his son in the camp, whom he had -delivered as a hostage some time previously, he seemed to hesitate, but -as he still held out for terms the Earl of Thomond broke off the -negotiations, and the Knight and his attendants retired to a -neighbouring hill to watch the attack.</p> - -<p>Later the Constable of the fortress sent a message to the Earl of -Thomond begging an interview, which was granted. He began by stating -that the love he bore the Earl, being a Thomond man himself, had induced -him to warn the English to depart, as the Earl of Desmond with three -thousand Connaught men were only two miles off, and would most likely -attack the camp and drive them all into the river. The Earl laughed at -his forebodings, and told him to deliver the castle and so save himself -and the warders from death. This offer he refused, and the President, -hearing he had done so, sent a message to say that he hoped to place his -head on a stake in two days’ time.</p> - -<p>One of the cannon becoming clogged, Sir George Carew ordered it to be -filled with a charge in inverted order and the fire put to the mouth, so -as to clear the touch-hole by the explosion. This was carried out with -great success, much to the relief of the besiegers.</p> - -<p>A fire of small shot was kept up from the castle at the ordnance, and -the President, placing the Knight’s son on one of the cannon, sent a -message to the garrison to say he had given them a mark to aim at. The -Constable replied that the Knight of Glin might have more sons, and that -the child should not deter him from firing.</p> - -<p>Sir George Carew, however, removed the child, and commenced the battery. -A breach was made into the cellar under the great hall, one gunner only -being killed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197">{197}</a></span></p> - -<p>Captain Flower then led the attack and entered the hall through the -breach, forcing the ward to retire. The flag of the besiegers was -hoisted from the turrets of the hall, and night coming on Captain -Slingsby was ordered to hold the position until the morning.</p> - -<p>A dropping fire was kept up all night. The Constable, seeing that to -successfully hold the castle was impossible, tried to escape with some -of the warders, but he and others were killed in the attempt, one only -getting away. His head was placed upon a stake in the camp as the -President had said.</p> - -<p>The rest of the garrison retired to the keep. In the morning the -attackers burned the heavy wooden door which guarded the stairway, but -they had to wait two hours for the smoke to clear away. As soon as it -had done so, one of the garrison appeared to ask for the lives of his -comrades if they surrendered, but it appears he gave himself up before -an answer was returned.</p> - -<p>The officers and men then ascended the stairs in single file as the -width of the passage necessitated, but met with no opposition, the -garrison having retired to the battlements, which were protected only by -one door.</p> - -<p>Here a terrible hand to hand encounter took place. Some of the warders -were killed, while the rest jumped from the parapet into the water -below, and were either drowned or killed by the guards stationed beneath -the tower.</p> - -<p>The English lost ten soldiers and one ensign, while about twenty-one men -were wounded. Of the defenders of the castle about eighty men were -killed, while the Four Masters state that some women and children also -lost their lives. They remark that the place would not have been so -easily won had not the “Earl of Desmond’s people dispersed from him.”</p> - -<p>The rebels had burned the town of Glin upon the approach of the Royal -troops.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198">{198}</a></span></p> - -<p>During the rising the castle had been used as a storehouse for the -“Sugan Earl’s” forces, and a Limerick merchant called Anthony Arthurs -seems to have dispensed his goods from it.</p> - -<p>Sir George Carew placed a guard of twenty-one soldiers in it under the -command of Captain Nicholas Mordant.</p> - -<p>Edmund FitzGerald, Knight of the Valley, was restored to most of his -estates in 1603, and six years later he appealed to the Lords of the -Council against Patrick Crosby obtaining Glin Castle by the King’s -letter, on the pretext that it was kept from the Knight to prevent his -rebelling. Crosby had undertaken to repair and fortify the fortress at -his own cost. The Knight stated he had been pardoned by Lord Mountjoy, -that his lands had been restored, and shortly afterwards the castle as -well.</p> - -<p>The next year Sir Arthur Chichester explains that the building was -occupied only by Anthony Arthur, who sold wines in it, and that he had -therefore given it to Crosby. He also stated that the Knight’s eldest -son was abroad.</p> - -<p>In 1681 the castle was in the possession of Major FitzGerald.</p> - -<p>The present Glin Castle, seat of Desmond FitzJohn Lloyd FitzGerald, -Knight of Glin, is situated about a mile west of the town. Over the yard -gate is an engraved stone bearing the following inscription: “Edmond -Gerrald, Knight of the Vally. Onnor Cartie, his wife. Fear God always -and remember the Poor. I.H.S. Anno Domoni, 1615.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Pacata Hibernia (Dublin reprint, 1810).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Dowd, “County of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Journal of Thomas Dineley (<i>Kilkenny Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199">{199}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DONEGAL" id="GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DONEGAL"></a><i>GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on the west side of the entrance to Lough Foyle, -two and a half miles north-east of Moville, in the Barony of Innishowen.</p> - -<p>It was erected upon a rock and defended by two towers which contained -the chief apartments, while a third tower defended the northern end.</p> - -<p>It is built of green fire stone, from which its present name may have -been derived.</p> - -<p>In Macator’s map, which was published in 1629, it is marked as “New -Castle,” and it is still known in Irish by that name.</p> - -<p>Hanmer’s “Chronicle” and Grace’s “Annals” state that Arx Viridis in -Ultonia was thrown down in 1260, so that it is likely that the present -building, which was erected by Richard de Burgo, the Red Earl of Ulster, -in 1305, replaced a former fortress.</p> - -<p>In 1332 William de Burgo, or the “Dun Earl,” owned the fortress, which -he had inherited from his father, and having taken prisoner Walter, son -of Sir Walter de Burgo, he starved him to death in the castle. Sir -Arthur Chichester excavated one of the pillars of the dungeon in which -it is supposed he was confined, and a mark was discovered that most -likely had held a ring to which the prisoner was chained. The “dreary -and dismal” prisons are still to be seen.</p> - -<p>The Dun Earl was stabbed to death the next year in revenge for the -murder.</p> - -<p>The following legend is told regarding Walter de Burgo’s death. The Earl -had a beautiful daughter who one day, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200">{200}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_020" id="ill_020"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_199.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201">{201}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202">{202}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">crossing the sands on the shore under Benevenagh, became engulfed in -quicksands, and was nearly losing her life when Sir Walter Burk’s son, -who was serving in the army of O’Neill and O’Donnell, seeing her danger -from the heights above rushed down and saved her from the peril.</p> - -<p>The same year this young man was taken prisoner by the girl’s father in -his war with the O’Donnells and starved to death at Greencastle. The -Earl one day, during his unfortunate victim’s captivity, discovered his -daughter carrying food to the prisoner, and seizing her by the hair, -dragged her to the battlements and hurled her over on to the rocks -below.</p> - -<p>The fortress was for many years in possession of the O’Dohertys.</p> - -<p>In 1555 Calvagh O’Donnell went to Scotland to raise forces with the help -of Mac Calin (Gillaspick Don), and returning with them and a cannon -called <i>gonna cam</i>, or “crooked gun,” he set to work and demolished the -New Castle.</p> - -<p>It was, however, reported as wardable in 1586. The last of the -O’Dohertys to hold the fortress was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, but -shortly afterwards he went into rebellion, and his estate was forfeited.</p> - -<p>In 1610 it was granted with other property to Sir Arthur Chichester with -an allowance to maintain the garrison. Two years later he asked to be -allowed for horsemen at Greencastle instead of the ten warders, and in -1615 Lord Chichester was granted Greencastle for three lives by letters -patent.</p> - -<p>In 1752 it was on the Earl of Donegal’s estate.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Stokes, “Pococke’s Tour in Ireland in 1752.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Blackley, “A Tour through Innishowen.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203">{203}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN" id="GREENCASTLE_COUNTY_DOWN"></a><i>GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Upon</span> the northern shore of Carlingford Lough, in the Barony of Mourne, -four and a half miles south-west of Kilteel, County Down, are situated -the ruins of this castle. It is a very fine specimen of Norman -architecture, and was erected soon after the landing of the first -English settlers so as to secure communication between the Pale and the -outlying district of Lecale, as well as to command the entrance to -Carlingford Lough.</p> - -<p>At present the remains chiefly consist of the keep, which was a high -rectangular building, with square towers at the angles. A winding stair -in the south-west turret leads to the top. The stone floor of the great -hall, measuring 70 feet by 40, is supported by arches which form vaults -in the basement. The upper floors have disappeared, and were probably of -wood.</p> - -<p>The traces of extensive outworks can be seen round the building. On the -west side stands a house which is at present inhabited by a farmer, but -which for many years formed the chief residence of the Bagnall family -during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.</p> - -<p>The castle belonged to the Du Burgos or Burkes, Earls of Ulster, and in -1312 Sir Maurice, the son of Thomas, married Catherine, daughter of the -“Red Earl” of Ulster, and the next day, being the 16th of August, -Thomas, the 2nd Earl of Kildare, “a prudent and wise man,” married her -sister, Lady Joan de Burgh, also in the castle. The Lady Joan had two -other married sisters, one being the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204">{204}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_021" id="ill_021"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_203.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>GREENCASTLE, COUNTY DOWN.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205">{205}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206">{206}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">wife of King Robert Bruce, and the other Countess of Desmond.</p> - -<p>In 1335 there was an order to send six “balistas” to furnish “Viride -Castrum,” or the Greencastle. The same year William de Logan was ordered -to pay Henry de Maunderville 20 marks out of the rents of the late Earl -of Ulster, which were in the King’s hands, on account of the minority of -the heir. This reward was for De Maunderville having twice relieved the -castle of Greencastle with men-at-arms when it was besieged by the -“felons” of Ulster.</p> - -<p>It was again attacked by the Irish in 1343, and this time it was carried -by storm and dilapidated, but was shortly afterwards restored.</p> - -<p>The late Constable, William de Doun, received pardon in 1356 for having -seized and imprisoned Rosea, daughter of Richard Foy.</p> - -<p>During Henry IV.’s reign there was only one constable between the -castles of Carlingford and Greencastle. It is reported that Stephen -Geron received £20 a year for the guardianship of Greencastle and £5 for -Carlingford.</p> - -<p>In 1403 John Moore, who was then constable, petitioned for a rise of -salary, and he was granted £40 a year on condition he spent 10 marks of -it on repairs. The amount was to be paid out of the rents of -Carlingford, Cooley, and “le Mourne.”</p> - -<p>None but Englishmen were permitted to hold the appointment in 1495.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding this, when M’Donell made his submission in 1542 he -requested to be granted Greencastle, and the lands lying waste around -it, for which favour he promised military service.</p> - -<p>The Government did not evidently see their way to accede to his request, -and seven years later it is reported that the fortress was in a -“wretched condition.”</p> - -<p>In 1552 it was granted to Sir Nicholas Bagnall, in whose family’s -possession it remained for many years.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207">{207}</a></span></p> - -<p>Sir Arthur Chichester was granted means to provide ten warders for -Greencastle in 1612, but this does not seem to have interfered with the -Bagnall possession, as in 1620 Arthur Bagnall held the manors and -lordships of Greencastle and Mourne.</p> - -<p>Three years later it is recommended that the ward be moved from Culmore -to Greencastle, and the stronghold was garrisoned during the rebellion -of 1641.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. O’Laverty, “Diocese of Down and Connor.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. Harris, “County of Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Praeger, “Official Guide to County Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209">{209}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208">{208}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_022" id="ill_022"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_208.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>HOWTH CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210">{210}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="HOWTH_CASTLE" id="HOWTH_CASTLE"></a><i>HOWTH CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> seven miles east-north-east of Dublin, in the Barony of Coolock, -is situated the village of Howth, on the promontory of the same name.</p> - -<p>A short way from the town, nestling under the lee of the hill is the -castle, the seat of the Earls of Howth.</p> - -<p>It is a long battlemented building, with square towers at each end.</p> - -<p>A large flight of steps gives admission to the hall, which extends along -the whole length of the building. Here is preserved the two-handed sword -of Sir Amoricus Tristram (the founder of the St. Laurence family in -Ireland) with which he is said to have fought his first Irish battle. -Also three inscribed bells, which were removed from the Abbey, are -preserved in the castle.</p> - -<p>The fortress seems to have undergone much alteration since its first -erection, and the great gateway tower, which now flanks the main -building on one side, appears to be of sixteenth-century architecture -and is no doubt part of the original building.</p> - -<p>The stronghold was erected in 1564 by Christopher, the twentieth baron, -but whether it was built on the site of an older castle or whether Corr -Castle, also situated on the peninsular, was the ancient fortress of the -St. Laurence family, does not seem to be known.</p> - -<p>The mortar of the early building, like the Tower of London, is reported -to have been mixed with blood.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211">{211}</a></span> Until far into the nineteenth century -the castle was surrounded by a fosse.</p> - -<p>There are several inscribed and figured stones over the entrance to the -stable-yard, and also one built into the wall near the garden gate.</p> - -<p>Sir John de Courcy and his sister’s husband, Sir Amoricus Tristram, -arrived at Howth in 1177. Their companionship in arms is said to have -been the outcome of a compact to share each other’s fortunes made in the -Church of St. Mary at Rouen.</p> - -<p>Upon the arrival of the ship at Howth, De Courcy, being ill, remained on -board, while Sir Amoricus took command of their forces in the first -engagement with the Danes, who fiercely opposed their landing.</p> - -<p>After a great battle, in which Sir Amoricus lost seven blood relations, -the enemy were completely defeated at the bridge of the Evora, and the -lands of Howth were granted to the victor as a reward of prowess.</p> - -<p>He then accompanied Sir John de Courcy to Down, where he also gained -possessions and did great deeds of valour. A story is told that after -the first battle in the north Sir Amoricus was found leaning on his -shield under a hedge, bleeding from three large wounds, and having -sustained himself by eating the wild roses and honeysuckle which grew -within his reach. His life was despaired of for nine days, but he -eventually recovered, and lived to die heroically among a group of -outnumbered infantry, having slain his horse so that he could not save -himself by flight.</p> - -<p>The St. Laurence coat of arms is a shield with cross swords and roses in -a bloody field, which may have originated from the wild flowers Sir -Amoricus gathered.</p> - -<p>An early chronicler says of him that he might “be chosen from amongst a -thousand knights for beauty and heroic courage, as well as for humility -and courtesy to his inferiors, yielding to none but in the way of -gentleness.”</p> - -<p>After his death his sons gradually lost his northern<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212">{212}</a></span> possessions, and -King John confirmed the grant of the lands of Howth to the third baron -by charter. It may have been at this time that the family name was -changed from Tristram to St. Laurence. There seems to be no historical -evidence for the tradition that the name was altered to commemorate a -victory gained upon St. Laurence’s Day.</p> - -<p>In 1575, as Grace O’Mailley was returning from her famous visit to Queen -Elizabeth she landed at Howth, but found the castle gates closed, the -reason assigned being that it was the dinner hour. Shocked at such want -of Irish hospitality she seized the young heir, who was playing on the -strand, and carried him off to her castle in Mayo. She refused to -restore him until she received a promise that the gates of Howth Castle -should never again be closed at dinner hour. This child was Nicholas, -afterwards twenty-first baron. A picture at the castle is supposed to -represent the incident.</p> - -<p>Lord Mountjoy, as Lord Deputy, and Sir George Carew, as Lord President -of Munster, landed at Howth in 1599, and spent a night at the castle -before proceeding to Dublin.</p> - -<p>In 1607 the State Papers report that the old Countess of Kildare and -Lady Dowager of Delvin and her children were at Howth in Sir Christopher -St. Laurence’s house, and the following year it is mentioned that Sir -John Talbot’s house is near the castle of Howth.</p> - -<p>King William slept a night in the castle in 1690, and his room was kept -unaltered from the time he had used it.</p> - -<p>Dean Swift was a constant visitor at Howth, and an original portrait of -him, painted by Bindon in 1735, hangs in the castle.</p> - -<p>Near the garden stands the old elm known as “The Tristram Tree,” which -has been carefully propped and preserved in every way on account of the -tradition attaching to it. It is said that as long as this tree lives<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213">{213}</a></span> -there will be an heir to the noble house which was founded by Sir -Amoricus Tristram.</p> - -<p>To “follow as closely as Lord Howth’s Rat” was at one time a common -simile for any faithful or attached animal, and the legend which gave -rise to the saying is the following:—</p> - -<p>One of the former Lords of Howth had retired to his castle to retrench a -somewhat diminished heritage, and one night while living thus in -solitary state there was a fearful storm.</p> - -<p>Word was brought to the fortress that a ship was being wrecked under the -cliffs near the Abbey, and every one rushed off to the spot to render -what assistance was possible, and amongst them Lord Howth.</p> - -<p>Every effort was, however, unavailing, and the ship went down apparently -with all hands. But as morning broke the eager watchers espied a frail, -roughly-put-together raft floating towards them, and on this was a -beautiful woman, with a wooden chest beside her.</p> - -<p>As soon as she landed Lord Howth courteously offered her the hospitality -of the castle, and ordered his servants to carry the heavy coffer -thither.</p> - -<p>She continued to live at Howth Castle, and her host became passionately -enamoured of her, and wished to marry her, but she persistently refused -his offers, and urged him daily to seek another bride.</p> - -<p>At last he gave way to her entreaties, and became affianced to the -daughter of a neighbouring nobleman.</p> - -<p>As the time for the marriage drew near the fair stranger presented Lord -Howth with a ribbon wrought with strange characters, which she told him -to wear on his wrist and guard as his luck. Then she left the castle and -was heard of no more.</p> - -<p>In due course Lord Howth brought home his bride, and with true womanly -curiosity she wanted to know why he never removed the ribbon from his -arm.</p> - -<p>One night, while he was asleep, she untied it, and took<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214">{214}</a></span> it over to the -fire to decipher the inscription, but it accidentally ignited, and was -burnt to ashes.</p> - -<p>Lord Howth was terribly distressed at its loss, declaring that his good -fortune would now forsake him.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this there was a great feast in the castle. In the midst -of the festivities the dogs in the courtyard began to give tongue, as if -in pursuit of game, and in a minute a terrified rat had jumped on the -banqueting table, and, pausing before Lord Howth, looked up piteously in -his face for protection.</p> - -<p>He ordered the dogs to be called off, and from that hour the rat never -left him.</p> - -<p>His wife and family did not approve of his faithful attendant, and his -brother persuaded him to go to the Continent, and by thus crossing the -sea rid himself of the animal. However, the morning after his arrival in -France the rat was found sleeping on his bed. He then pushed on to -Marseilles, but not long after his arrival the rat entered his room wet -and draggled from its long journey.</p> - -<p>The animal approached the fire to dry itself, when the nobleman’s -brother took up the poker in a rage and killed it with one blow.</p> - -<p>“You have murdered me,” cried the Earl, and, falling back, he died.</p> - -<p>The rat is sometimes said to have been white, and to reappear when evil -is about to befall the house of St. Laurence.</p> - -<p>The present Lord Howth is the fourth earl.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of Co. Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. A., “The Abbey of Howth,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215">{215}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILBARRON_CASTLE" id="KILBARRON_CASTLE"></a><i>KILBARRON CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Broad, blue, and deep the Bay of Donegal<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Spreads north and south, and far a-west before<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The beetling cliffs, sublime and shattered wall,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where the O’Cleary’s name is heard no more.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">T. D. McGee.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on the shores of Donegal Bay about three miles -from the town of Ballyshannon, in the Barony of Kilbarron, County -Donegal.</p> - -<p>The name Cill-Barrainn signifies “the Church of St. Barrfhionn.”</p> - -<p>The fortress was built on a high and nearly insulated cliff, and from -its romantic and wild situation a tradition falsely sprang up that it -had been the stronghold of freebooters. The promontory is nearly -circular in form and rises a hundred feet above the sea, along the edge -of which a wall was built, while on the landward side a thick wall, the -whole width of the neck protected this direction from attack.</p> - -<p>To the north of the small open courtyard thus enclosed was the keep, and -here are traces of a subterranean passage, now filled up, which was used -for “distillery purposes” in the eighteenth century.</p> - -<p>The remains of two chambers at the cliff side seem older than the other -buildings. The sea wall is pierced by an oblong passage with a small -square mouth popularly known as “the murdering-hole.”</p> - -<p>The castle was probably erected in the thirteenth or<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216">{216}</a></span> fourteenth century -by the O’Sgingins, who were ollaves or historians to the great -O’Donnells.</p> - -<p>In 1391 the Four Masters tell us it was demolished by Donnell, the son -of Murtough (O’Conor of Sligo).</p> - -<p>The last of the O’Sgingins to be chief historian to O’Donnell in the -fourteenth century had no son, and only one beautiful daughter, with -whom Cormac O’Cleary, who was on a visit to the Abbey of Assaroe, from -Galway, fell in love.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_023" id="ill_023"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_215.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KILBARRON CASTLE</p></div> -</div> - -<p>O’Sgingin gave his consent to the marriage, and instead of the wedding -gift which it was usual for the bridegroom to present to his wife’s -father, O’Sgingin asked that if a son were born of the marriage he -should be brought up with a knowledge of literature and history.</p> - -<p>Hence Kilbarron passed into the O’Cleary family, and this great race of -historians occupied it for several centuries.</p> - -<p>It is likely Cormac O’Cleary re-edified it, but the “stone houses,” of -which the building is recorded, were erected by Diarmaid, one of the -celebrated sons of Tadhg Cam (or The Stooped) O’Cleary.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217">{217}</a></span></p> - -<p>The fortunes of the Ollaves of Tirconnell began to wane with that of -their patrons, the O’Donnells, although the last O’Cleary to hold lands -was not dispossessed until 1632, yet many of their possessions were lost -to them at the flight of the Northern Earls in 1607. Most of the estate -passed to Lord Folliott and the Bishop of Raphoe.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Allingham, “History of Ballyshannon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P., “Kilbarron Castle,” in <i>Irish Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218">{218}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILBRITTAIN_CASTLE" id="KILBRITTAIN_CASTLE"></a><i>KILBRITTAIN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> castle is situated about five miles south of Bandon, at the -Kilbrittain inlet from Courtmacsherry Bay, in the County of Cork.</p> - -<p>Smith says the castle before being rebuilt “was a stately building -environed with a large bawn, fortified with six turrets on the walls.” -Mr. Jones Stawell erected the present mansion, with which a portion of -the ancient castle is incorporated. The kitchen, servants’ hall, and -housekeeper’s room have vaulted roofs, and date from the twelfth century -or earlier. There is also a tower and adjoining wall which belonged to -the former fortress, as well as the steps leading from the old -courtyard. There are supposed to be vaults underneath the building, -which are not now accessible, as well as an underground passage leading -to the sea.</p> - -<p>The castle is pleasantly situated on rising ground between hills. It is -usually supposed to have been erected by the Lords Courcey, who received -a grant of the lands shortly after the Anglo-Norman landing, but in 1743 -Robert Clayton, Bishop of Cork, sent copies of two inscribed stones, -found at Kilbrittain, to John, Earl of Egmont. These stones bore the -date 1035 in the Arabian characters, which seems to indicate an earlier -date of erection. He says: “The stone from which the inscription was -taken was found by Mr. Stawell in an old castle, which he has since -pulled down, called Kilbrittain, which signifies in Irish the ‘church or -cell,’ or rather the ‘burial<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219">{219}</a></span> place of the Britains.’ Mr. Stawell says -there was likewise the figure of a woman carved in <i>bas-relief</i> on -another stone, the workmanship of which being most curious. He neglected -it, and it has since been lost.”</p> - -<p>The manor of Kilbrittain passed into the King’s hands in 1295 upon the -death of John de Courcey, who was slain on the Island of Inchydonny by -M’Carthy. Walter de la Haye, the King’s escheator, delivered the lands -to James Keating in keeping for De Courcey’s heir.</p> - -<p>Lord Courcey, it is said, borrowed a white weasel or ferret from -M’Carthy, and pledged his castle as surety for its safe return, but the -animal dying M’Carthy claimed Kilbrittain, and it thus passed out of De -Courcey’s hands.</p> - -<p>In 1430 M’Carthy Reagh and James, Earl of Desmond, “The Usurper,” began -hostilities, and the castle was stormed by the Earl and given to his -brother Donough, who had assisted at its capture, but it subsequently -returned to the M’Carthys.</p> - -<p>In 1537 Lady Eleanor M’Carthy resided in the castle after her husband’s -death. She was sister to Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and, therefore, -aunt to Thomas, the “Silken Lord,” and his half brothers. After Lord -Offaly’s rebellion, and execution, and the attainting of the house of -Kildare, the young heir Gerald escaped from the Government by the aid of -his tutor Thomas Leverous, afterwards Bishop of Kildare, who wrapped him -in a blanket, and fled with him although the lad was sick with smallpox. -After a hot pursuit they reached Kilbrittain where the Lady Eleanor took -charge of her nephew. She subsequently married O’Donnell of Ulster to -gain protection for the boy, but finding her husband was treating with -the Government to betray him, she sent the future Earl to France and -returned to her son’s territory in the County Cork.</p> - -<p>In 1572 Kilbrittain is spoken of as M’Carthy Reagh’s chief -dwelling-place, and it is mentioned that he paid a yearly rent of 67 -beefs for it to the Earl of Desmond,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220">{220}</a></span> besides rendering him military -service at times. Eighteen plough lands are mentioned as attached to it -in 1599.</p> - -<p>During the great rebellion of 1641 it was the scene of much bloodshed, a -gallows having been erected before the castle windows “for hanging the -English.” One morning a Richard Mewdon was hanged after two days’ -imprisonment, having been bound to a Mrs. Stringer with great cruelty. -The rope was then put round her neck, but M’Carthy’s mother looking out -of the window, and thinking to save her, sent a priest to know what -religion she was. She, however, boldly declared she was a Protestant.</p> - -<p>The castle was shortly afterwards taken by the Bandonians.</p> - -<p>Some ancient fir-trees are still to be seen called “M’Carthy’s -Bagpipes,” where the executions took place, and the ground beneath -having been cursed by one of his victims no grass will grow on it, -although there is plenty of light and air.</p> - -<p>After the confiscation of the M’Carthy estates the castle passed to -Colonel Thomas Long, who was left at the head of affairs when Henry -Cromwell retired. At the Restoration it reverted to the Crown and James -II. bestowed it on Donough M’Carthy, Lord Cloncarty, a relative of its -former owner.</p> - -<p>It was sold in Oueen Anne’s reign to the Hollow Sword Blades Company, -and it is now in the possession of Colonel W. St. Leger Alcock-Stawell.</p> - -<p>To the castle belonged privileges of fairs and markets.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “State of the County and City of Cork”; also Copenger, “Historical Notes in New Edition” of same.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gibson, “History of the County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bennett, “History of Bandon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221">{221}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILKEA_CASTLE" id="KILKEA_CASTLE"></a><i>KILKEA CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“And, oh! through many a dark campaign<br /></span> -<span class="i3">They proved their prowess stern,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In Leinster’s plains and Munster’s vales,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">On king, and chief, and kern.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But noble was the cheer within<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The halls so rudely won,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And generous was the steel-gloved hand<br /></span> -<span class="i3">That had such slaughter done.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">How gay their laugh, how proud their mien,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">You’d ask no herald’s sign—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Amid a thousand you had known,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">The princely Geraldine.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle was built by Hugh de Lacy, Chief Governor of Ireland, for -Walter de Riddlesford, Baron of Bray, who had been granted the -surrounding district of Omurethi by Strongbow. De Riddlesford’s -granddaughter, Emelina inherited the manors of Kilkea and Castledermot -through her mother, and she, marrying Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of -Offaly, the property passed to the Geraldines who still possess Kilkea -Castle, which is one of the seats of the Duke of Leinster, where some of -the family at present reside.</p> - -<p>Kilkea signifies the Church of St. Kay, or Caoide, and the barony -derives its name from the churchyard situated a few perches north-west -of the castle.</p> - -<p>The fortress is built on the banks of the River Greese, a tributary of -the Barrow, about five miles south-east of Athy. Its position was a -particularly exposed one, being<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222">{222}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_024" id="ill_024"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_221.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KILKEA CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223">{223}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224">{224}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">situated in the Marshes which lay between the English pale and the -territories of the native Irish. During the centuries since its erection -it has undergone many alterations and enlargements down to its final -restoration in 1849.</p> - -<p>In 1356 Maurice, 4th Earl of Kildare, was commanded by the king to -“strengthen and maintain his castles of Kilkea, Rathmore, and Ballymore, -under pain of forfeiting the same.” In 1426 the castle was enlarged by -John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare. Again, about the year 1573, -Gerald, the 11th Earl, repaired Kilkea after he was restored to the -title and estates of which his half-brother, the “Silken Thomas,” had -been dispossessed. Three sculptured stones are still in existence -belonging to a chimney-piece placed in the dining-hall by this Earl, and -have, after various vicissitudes, been replaced in somewhat their -original positions.</p> - -<p>This Earl was called the “Wizard Earl,” and the haunted room of the -castle (which also contains a carved stone) is said to have been the -place where he practised the Black Art. A legend regarding him runs -thus:—His wife, not liking that he should have any secrets from her, -begged him to let her be witness to some of his transformations and -sorcery. At length he consented to give her three trials, but warned her -that any sign of fear on her part would be fatal to him. First, the -river Greese rose and flowed through the castle; secondly, an animal, -half fish, half serpent, crept out of the water and twined round the -lady’s feet; and thirdly, a ghost flitted to and fro, but all these -failed to frighten the Countess. Then the Earl was transformed into a -little black bird, which lit on her shoulder; but the devil, in the form -of a cat, springing at it, she stretched forth her hand with a cry to -protect her lord. Hence he and all his knights were spirited away to the -Rath of Mullaghmast, where they sleep by their horses’ sides, fully clad -in armour, and from thence they ride to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225">{225}</a></span> Kilkea Castle every seven -years. The Earl’s steed is shod with silver shoes, and as soon as they -are worn out the spell will be broken, and he will return again to -Kilkea, when, after about half a century, he will drive the ancient -enemies of Ireland out of the country.</p> - -<p>A lady writing of the castle in 1817, mentions the grand staircase being -of massy oak, and amongst other things speaks of the ancient kitchen -containing seven ovens. The building seems to have been somewhat -dilapidated when the 3rd Duke of Leinster began to restore it (1849). -Nearly all the battlements were thrown down, and its last tenant had -made matters worse in searching for treasure. This same man, writing to -the Duke in 1839, speaks of a carved oak ceiling in what had once been -the castle chapel. This is said to have been on the north side.</p> - -<p>During restoration a few quaint-shaped bottles containing liquid were -found in a recess, and previously it is stated that an old gentleman -sitting at a table, had been discovered built up in some part of the -walls, but that he fell to dust at once when air was admitted.</p> - -<p>Two underground passages are believed to connect the castle with the -churchyard on the one hand, and a pagan tumulus or burial moat on the -other.</p> - -<p>The grooves of the portcullis by which the main entrance was protected -are to be seen at the hall-door, and also the square holes for fixing -beams of timber, which added to the security. The hall had a stone -vaulted ceiling at the time of restoration, which was removed to give -greater height. A new storey was also added to the building at this -time.</p> - -<p>The “Evil Eye Stone” is carved with a group of grotesque figures, and is -situated 17 feet above the ground, in the quoin of the “Guard Room,” -near the entrance-gate of the ancient bawn of the castle.</p> - -<p>Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of Offaly, seems to have parted -temporarily with his interest in Kilkea to Christiana<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226">{226}</a></span> de Marisco, a -niece of his wife’s, through whom a royal claim on the manor was -established. In 1317 it appears to have been in possession of the Wogan -family. Sir Thomas de Rokeby, Lord Justice of Ireland, died in the -castle in 1356.</p> - -<p>In 1414, the O’Mores and O’Dempseys, having invaded the pale, Thomas -Cranly, Archbishop of Dublin, and Lord Deputy, accompanied the Royal -troops as far as Castledermot, where he and his clergy remained praying -for the success of the arms. The opposing forces met at Kilkea, where a -battle was fought, in which the Irish were defeated. A great many human -bones having been found in a field south of the castle, it is likely to -have been the scene of this conflict.</p> - -<p>John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare, nicknamed “Shaun Cam,” or -Hump-back John, again defeated the native Irish at Kilkea in 1421.</p> - -<p>It was here, too, that the “Great Earl,” Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of -Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, got his death wound. In August, -1513, he started on an expedition against a castle belonging to the -O’Carrolls, and now known as Leap Castle, in the King’s County. While -the Earl was watering his horse at the River Greese, near Kilkea, -attended by the Mayor of Dublin and a splendid retinue, he received a -wound from one of the O’Mores of Leix, which in a few days proved fatal. -He was moved by gentle stages to Kildare, where he died. He was -thirty-three years Chief Governor of Ireland.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of the “Silken Thomas,” 10th Earl of Kildare, in -1535, Kilkea seems at first to have formed one of the headquarters of -his native sympathisers. The surrounding country having, however, been -laid waste by the Earl of Ossory, we read that he made an appointment -with Sir William Skeffington, the Lord Deputy, to meet him at Kilkea. He -waited with his army for three days, but the Lord Deputy being ill, he -did not arrive.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227">{227}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1537 the King appointed Lord (James) Butler to be Constable of the -Castles of Catherlagh (Carlow) and Kilkea. Some years later a Walter -Peppard, one of the gentlemen ushers of the King’s chamber, seems to -have been in possession of the castle.</p> - -<p>The 11th Earl lived largely at Kilkea after the restoration of his title -and lands. In 1575, when apprehended on suspicion of treason, one of the -charges was that he had interviewed and entertained rebels at Kilkea.</p> - -<p>Elizabeth, widow of the 14th Earl of Kildare, was granted the Manors of -Kilkea and Graney by the King, as she had no jointure. She was a -daughter of Lord Delvin, and had married the Earl by dispensation of the -Pope, she being a Roman Catholic. In 1618 she wrote a most touching -letter from Kilkea to the Privy Council, beseeching them to allow her -the guardianship of her little son Gerald, the 15th Earl—then just over -six years old—until he should be older and stronger, urging that he was -“the only son of his father.” The infant Earl died some two years later -at Maynooth, being succeeded by his cousin George, known as the “Fairy -Earl.”</p> - -<p>In 1634 the Countess gave Kilkea to the Jesuits, who retained possession -of the castle until 1646, in which year the Superior of the Order -entertained the Pope’s Nuncio sumptuously at the castle.</p> - -<p>During the civil war, which began in 1641, Kilkea was taken and re-taken -several times; but on the restoration of peace, both the 16th and 17th -Earls seem chiefly to have resided there.</p> - -<p>In 1668 it was leased to Lord Brabazon, and afterwards, for nearly two -centuries, the castle was inhabited by strangers, to whom it was let at -different times.</p> - -<p>In 1797 it passed into the hands of Thomas Reynolds, the ’98 informer -through the influence of Lord Edward FitzGerald. He somewhat repaired -and furnished the castle. His son gives a graphic description of the -wanton<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228">{228}</a></span> destruction of property by the soldiers sent from Dublin to -arrest his father. It appears they tore up floors and down wainscotting, -in a search for Lord Edward, who it was thought was hidden in the -castle.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this it became a regular garrison and a refuge for the -Loyalists. It was attacked by the insurgents without success.</p> - -<p>The castle was leased once more, in 1799, before the family again took -possession of their ancient home.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Walter FitzGerald, “Kilkea Castle” (<i>Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229">{229}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILKENNY_CASTLE" id="KILKENNY_CASTLE"></a><i>KILKENNY CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">There</span> seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the derivation of -this name. The most popular belief is that it signifies the Church of -St. Canice or Kenny. Again it is put forward that a settlement of the -Gaels having been along the banks of the Nore, the high ground towards -the present castle was wooded, and so called Coil or Kyleken-uï, “the -wooded head” or “hill near the river,” and so it became Cillcannegh or -Kilkenny.</p> - -<p>The city is situated seventy-two miles south-west of Dublin, in the -county of the same designation.</p> - -<p>The fortress is said to occupy the site of the ancient Irish castellum -of the kings of Ossory. It is built on high ground above the town, and -the present entrance is through a handsome gate-house of Caen stone -which was brought up the River Nore in boats. The 2nd Duke of Ormond, -who succeeded in 1688, spent £1,500 on its erection, but the carving has -only been completed in later years. A massive wooden door gives -admittance from the Parade.</p> - -<p>The castle seems formerly to have been a quadrangular building flanked -by towers, having its entrance on the south side opposite the present -gate-house. The building now forms three sides of a square, but in 1861 -the foundations of the south curtain and the two bastions which -protected the entrance were uncovered during alterations.</p> - -<p>Thus up to the beginning of the eighteenth century the castle -practically had its back to the town, and it is therefore<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230">{230}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_025" id="ill_025"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_229.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KILKENNY CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231">{231}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232">{232}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">likely that the architects of the Norman stronghold followed the ground -plan of the old Irish fort, where King Donnchadh held his court during -the greater part of the tenth century, and which existed long before the -English town was built.</p> - -<p>In the northern side of the building is situated the hall, billiard -room, ante-room, library, and drawing-room. The west wing is occupied by -the private rooms of the family, while the picture gallery forms the -eastern block. This wing was added by the 2nd Duke of Ormond. It is 120 -feet long by 30 broad, and contains some valuable portraits by Vandyck, -Holbein, Lely, Kneller, &c.</p> - -<p>The dining-room is part of the original building, and its walls measure -some 15 feet in thickness.</p> - -<p>The tapestry in the castle is very handsome. Some of it is supposed to -have been manufactured in Kilkenny, where Piers, Earl of Ormond, and his -wife, Margaret FitzGerald, started a tapestry industry, some of the -records of which are still preserved. A set of panels representing the -“History of Deceus” is the most valuable tapestry in the castle.</p> - -<p>Of the three towers, that on the south being the largest is called “The -Tower.” The small turret in the north-west angle is part of the oldest -masonry in the castle, and is supposed to belong to the twelfth-century -fortress.</p> - -<p>The Evidence Chamber contains an immense number of valuable historic -documents and family records, among which are some deeds executed by -Strongbow.</p> - -<p>The first Norman fortress is supposed to have been erected by Richard, -Earl of Pembroke, better known as Strongbow, shortly after his arrival -in Ireland. In 1173 Donald O’Brien, King of Thomond, descended and -seized the castle, its garrison of Flemings retreating to Waterford. -They returned when the Irish had withdrawn and occupied what remained of -the stronghold until William, Earl Marshal, arrived with Isabel, his -bride, in 1191. She was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233">{233}</a></span> the daughter and heiress of Eva and Strongbow, -and had been brought up at the English Court. They were married in 1189, -and he began to rebuild the Castle of Kilkenny in 1192. Thomas, 10th -Earl of Ormond and favourite of Queen Elizabeth, repaired the castle. -James, the 1st Duke of Ormond, remodelled the whole building after his -return from exile with Charles II., in a style of architecture then -common in France and Holland. Dr. Molyneux, writing in 1709, says: -“There is not one handsome or noble apartment. The Rooms are Darke, and -the stairs mighty ugly.”</p> - -<p>It is at present in castellated Tudor style. In 1826 the change of -architecture was entrusted to Mr. William Robertson, and during the -minority of the present Marquess his mother carried out many -improvements.</p> - -<p>A passage is reported to exist from the castle to Dunmore cave.</p> - -<p>In Earl Mareschal’s charter he granted the tenth part of the provisions -in the castle to the Brotherhood of St. John. They were also to -officiate in the castle chapel while the Earl was absent, but when at -home his chaplain took their place.</p> - -<p>The stronghold was inherited in succession by the Earl’s five sons, who -all died without heirs, and Kilkenny passed to his third daughter -Isabel, who married Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Clare, Hertford and -Gloucester, and in 1290 we find him surrendering Kilkenny Castle to the -King to hold at his pleasure.</p> - -<p>In 1334 the 9th Earl of Clare died without issue, and was succeeded by -his sister Eleanor de Clare, whose husband became Earl of Gloucester -through her right. His grandson Spencer, Lord of Glamorgan and Kilkenny, -sold the castle in 1391 to James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond.</p> - -<p>Theobald Walter had been made Chief Butler of Ireland by Henry II., -which appointment granted him a tun of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234">{234}</a></span> wine out of every nine brought -to Ireland, and this privilege remained in the family until 1810, when -the Government purchased it from Walter, the 1st Marquess of Ormond.</p> - -<p>The gilt key which was worn at the girdle when the Butlers attended the -King is still preserved at the castle.</p> - -<p>A few years after the fortress had changed hands, King Richard II. spent -a fortnight at Kilkenny as the guest of the Earl of Ormond.</p> - -<p>The Carew MSS. inform us that the Earl of Ormond made Kilkenny Castle -his chief residence in 1596.</p> - -<p>The 1st Duke of Ormond was born in 1610, and is generally known as the -“Great Duke.” He was for many years Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.</p> - -<p>In 1642 the castle was taken by the “Council of Confederate Catholics,” -and was held by them for some years.</p> - -<p>Oliver Cromwell besieged both town and castle in March, 1650. On the -23rd he opened fire on the castle, and two days following a breach was -made at noon, but the garrison twice beat off the besiegers and quickly -repaired the damage.</p> - -<p>Cromwell’s time being short for the work before him, he was about to -retire when the mayor and the townspeople offered to give up the town, -and he was shortly reinforced by Ireton.</p> - -<p>Sir Walter Butler had received instructions from Lord Castlehaven to -surrender, in case no help arrived before a given time, so considering -the weakness of his garrison he made terms with the Parliamentarians -which were of an honourable nature. As the garrison marched out Cromwell -complimented them on their gallantry, saying he had lost more men in the -storming of Kilkenny than in the taking of Drogheda.</p> - -<p>The estate was restored to the Duke upon the Restoration. The Count de -Lauzun had been commander for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235">{235}</a></span> James II. at Kilkenny, and the castle had -been carefully preserved by him.</p> - -<p>The Duke died in 1688, and was succeeded by his son, who also was Lord -Lieutenant of Ireland. William III. dined in the castle in August, 1690, -as the Duke’s guest.</p> - -<p>In 1715 he was accused falsely of conspiring against the Crown, and in -anger at the charge he crossed to France, and joined the Stuarts.</p> - -<p>His estates, valued at £80,000 a year, were forfeited and he died at -Avignon, supported by a pension from the Court of Spain.</p> - -<p>The Irish House of Lords restored part of the estates and the Irish -Earldom to another branch of the Ormonds, and John Butler became 17th -Earl of Ormond.</p> - -<p>Walter, the 18th Earl, was created Marquess in 1816, and from him the -present representative is descended, who in 1904 entertained King Edward -VII. and Queen Alexandra at the castle.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Hogan, “Kilkenny.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Robertson, “Antiquities and Scenery of Kilkenny.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P. Egan, “Kilkenny Guide.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">E. Ledwidge, “History of Irishtown and Kilkenny” in “Collectanea de Rebus Hibernices.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Graves, “Journey to Kilkenny, 1799” (<i>Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MacMahon, “Kilkenny Castle” in “Historic Houses.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236">{236}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILLIANE_CASTLE" id="KILLIANE_CASTLE"></a><i>KILLIANE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress is situated in a parish of the same name in the Barony of -Forth, about three miles south-east of Wexford. The name, which is -written Killyan in the <i>Liber Regalis</i> visitations, signifies “The -Church of St. Liedania.”</p> - -<p>The building consists of a castellated rectangular keep, to which a -modern house has been attached. There is also an enclosed bawn with most -excellently preserved walls. Near the castle stand the ruins of its -chapel.</p> - -<p>In the notes attached to the Down Survey Maps, dating from about 1657, -it is stated that at Great Killiane is “a Castle with a slate house -adjoining, a decayed windmill, and seven cabbins.”</p> - -<p>The castle is supposed to have been erected by the family of Hay, whose -first representative in Ireland was Richard de Hay, Lord of Hay in -Wales, who crossed with the Normans in 1196. From this family Killiane -passed to a younger branch of the house of Chevers, of Ballyhally, early -in the sixteenth century. Hamond Chevers, of Killiane, was one of the -jurators to hold an inquisition on Tintern Abbey in 1543. He held his -castle and lands from the Mayor of Wexford.</p> - -<p>In 1627 Killiane was still in possession of a Hamond Chevers, and his -son George held it with 237 acres when the rebellion broke out in 1641. -He was present at the siege of Duncannon Fort in 1645, when it was -defended against the Confederate Catholics by Laurence, Lord<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237">{237}</a></span> Esmond, -and in consequence of the part he took in the insurrection Killiane was -confiscated. In 1666 it was granted to Francis Hervey, Esq., with 220 -acres, and it has remained in this family’s possession ever since.</p> - -<p>One of the daughters of the house, who married the Very Rev. Samuel -Adams, D.D., Dean of Cashel, in 1809, was so famous for her beauty that -she was called “The Rose of Killiane.” The family has not lived in the -castle for some years, and it is let by the present owner, Arthur -Hervey, Esq.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MSS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Down Survey Maps.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Inquisitions of Leinster.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hore, “History of Wexford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lewis, “Typographical Dictionary of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">B. Adams and M. Adams, “History of the Adams Family.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Chancery Patent Rolls, Act of Settlement.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239">{239}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238">{238}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_026" id="ill_026"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_238.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KILLYLEAGH CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240">{240}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KILLYLEAGH_CASTLE" id="KILLYLEAGH_CASTLE"></a><i>KILLYLEAGH CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Downpatrick too may boast<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Of the great fort by its side,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where a monarch may have lived,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">And have rul’d in savage pride;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But what is Patrick’s grave,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Or cathedral old and grey,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To the proud baronial castle<br /></span> -<span class="i3">That adorns Killileagh?”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle stands on rising ground above the town of Killyleagh, five -miles north-east of Downpatrick, in the County of Down. It was the -principal fortress of seven which formerly guarded the shores of -Strangford Lough.</p> - -<p>About a mile distant is <i>Loch Cleath</i>, or “The Lake of the Hurdles,” so -it is probable that Killyleagh signifies “the Church of the Hurdles.”</p> - -<p>The gate tower of the castle is entered under a Gothic arch of Glasgow -stone from the main street of the town. It is 59 feet in height, and -crowned with turrets. Curtain walls on each side connect it with -flanking towers, which are again joined by other castellated walls to -the castle itself, thus enclosing a rectangular courtyard, which is laid -out in grass and flower-beds.</p> - -<p>The mansion has an imposing frontage, flanked at both sides by circular -towers. One of these dates from the castle’s erection, and the other, -which is a copy, from the year 1666. The centre block of masonry was -entirely restored in the middle of the nineteenth century. Some of the -walls, which were removed at that time, were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241">{241}</a></span> 15 feet thick, being -composed of rubble and excellent mortar.</p> - -<p>The old carved stone over the door was copied in Caen stone. The Royal -Arms are surmounted by a figure of Charles I., while below are the -family arms. The original stone, which was much weather worn, has been -placed over a small door at the side.</p> - -<p>Most of the stone used at the restoration was quarried on the estate, -but the facing stones were brought from Scotland.</p> - -<p>One of the special attractions of this charming residence is the -beautiful terraced gardens lying to the south. They consist of three -tiers of cultivation beginning with the “Box Garden” of trim -flower-beds, from which you descend by a flight of rustic steps to “the -Rockery Garden” abounding in Alpine plants. Here some beautiful and -extremely ancient yew-trees are to be seen, their branches being 120 -feet in circumference, while below a small lake in the centre of -rose-beds leaves nothing to be desired in its delightful effect.</p> - -<p>The castle was erected by Sir John de Courcy shortly after his conquest -of Ulster, and in 1356 Edward III. appointed John de Mandeville warden.</p> - -<p>After this it fell into the hands of the O’Neills, who retained it up to -1561, when Queen Elizabeth granted the territory to Hugo White. He -rebuilt the castle and removed the ward from Dufferin Castle near, to -garrison it. After this it was known as “White’s Castle” for many years.</p> - -<p>In 1567 the fortress was gallantly defended against a fierce attack made -by the great Shane O’Neill, and he was successfully repulsed. The -strength of the White family gradually decreased, and in 1590 they could -only muster a hundred and twenty foot soldiers and twenty horsemen to -defend their lands, while eight years later twenty footmen was the total -of their fighting strength.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242">{242}</a></span></p> - -<p>The M’Artans and O’Neills joined together and dispossessed them, the -former family taking possession of Killyleagh. Their estates were, -however, forfeited at the close of the sixteenth century for the part -they took in the rebellion of the Northern Earls, and some time after -this the lands were granted to the Hamiltons.</p> - -<p>General Monk partly demolished the castle in 1649, and the Hamiltons -began to rebuild it in 1666.</p> - -<p>James I. had created the head of the family Earl of Clanbrassil and -Viscount Clandeboye, but the last to hold the title died in 1676. It is -said he was poisoned by his wife, Lady Alice of Clanbrassil, a daughter -of the Earl of Drogheda, who was a beautiful and vicious woman, and -after plunging the estate into debt desired to contract a wealthy -marriage.</p> - -<p>At this time the Earl’s mother, Lady Anne, resided at Killyleagh Castle -in accordance with the wishes of her husband’s will.</p> - -<p>As Earl Henry left no children the estate was divided amongst his -cousins, Killyleagh falling to the lot of James Hamilton. When James -died in 1683 his lands were divided between his brother Gawin, ancestor -of the present Colonel Rowan-Hamilton, D.L., of Killyleagh Castle, and -his daughter Anne, whose granddaughter, Dorcas, married Sir John -Blackwood, and was created Baroness Dufferin and Clandeboye.</p> - -<p>The division of the estate was accurately made and decided by lot, which -had the effect of putting one branch of the family in possession of the -half of the courtyard of the castle which lay nearest the town, while -the other part was attached to the castle.</p> - -<p>This division caused a family feud of some two hundred years in -duration. A house was built on the disputed land between the town and -castle, and it was only upon the coming of age of the late Marquis of -Dufferin, who said it should never be said of him that he kept<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243">{243}</a></span> any man -out of his own hall-door, that the contention ended.</p> - -<p>The young nobleman presented the land to his kinsman of the castle, to -be held by the tenure of the annual tribute of a red rose to the lady of -Clandeboye, or should there be no such person, a pair of gilt spurs to -the Lord Dufferin of the time. He added to his gift a castellated -gate-house, which was erected from designs by Mr. Ferrers.</p> - -<p>The last stone was laid by Lord Dufferin upon the morning of his -marriage with Miss Rowan Hamilton on the 23rd of October, 1862.</p> - -<p>It bears an inscription to that effect, as well as the name of its -sculptor, Mr. Samuel Hastings, of Downpatrick.</p> - -<p>In 1688-89 Sir Robert Maxwell resided in the castle, having married the -widow of the Earl of Clanbrissal. Captain Savage asked to be allowed to -garrison the gate-tower so as to be some check upon the disturbances the -Protestant party were making in the North. Sir Robert took two days to -consider the matter, but in the meantime the soldiers were attacked by -Hunter, and the captain and lieutenant taken prisoners.</p> - -<p>Soon after the castle was reduced by the Royalists, and in the -investigation which followed much credit was taken from the fact that no -plundering was allowed. It was stated that such forbearance was -wonderful in the face of great provocation, inasmuch as the very day the -castle was taken part of Colonel Mark Talbot’s wig was shot off by a -bullet from the fortress.</p> - -<p>The celebrated United Irishman, Archibald Hamilton Rowan, owned and -lived in the castle. He was secretary of the Dublin Society of United -Irishmen in 1791, and in 1794 he was sentenced to two years’ -imprisonment for seditious libel.</p> - -<p>The embroidered lavender dress coat, which he wore at his presentation -to Marie Antoinette in 1781 or 1782, when<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244">{244}</a></span> in attendance on the Duchess -of Manchester, is still preserved as an heirloom in the castle. A pair -of pistols presented to Captain Hamilton, R.N., C.B., after the battle -of Navarino, by the French Admiral De Rigny, for his gallant services to -the French squadron, are also to be seen at Killyleagh.</p> - -<p>In 1842 Captain Archibald Rowan Hamilton married Miss Caldwell, of -Cheltenham, and seven years later they began to restore the castle.</p> - -<p>In 1862 the marriage of the late Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye, with -Hariot Georgina, eldest daughter of the late Captain Archibald Rowan -Hamilton, 5th Dragoon Guards, was celebrated in the evening of October -23rd, in the drawing-room of the castle.</p> - -<p>When the present owner of the castle, Colonel Gawen Rowan Hamilton, came -of age in 1864, Lord Dufferin handed him the keys of the gate-tower, to -which reference has already been made, saying, “The time is now come for -me to hand over to you this gate-house, a gift which I had originally -destined for your father, but which, with equal pleasure, I now make to -you. I trust that you and your descendants may long continue to enjoy -it.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lowry, “The Hamilton Manuscripts.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Knox, “History of County of Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Praeger, “Official Guide to County Down.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">S. M. S., “Killyleagh Castle, County of Down,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hanna, “The Break of Killyleagh,” in <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Newspaper Cuttings lent by Mrs. Rowan Hamilton.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245">{245}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_CARLINGFORD" id="KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_CARLINGFORD"></a><i>KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> is one of the few names in Ireland which clearly show a Danish -influence. The Irish designation was Cairlinn, and the present name -simply means the “<i>fiord</i> of Cairlinn,” or Carlingford.</p> - -<p>It is situated in the County of Louth, on the southern shore of the bay -at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, about eleven miles east-north-east -of Dundalk.</p> - -<p>It was a most important town of the Pale, and at one time nearly every -building of any size was of a fortified type. There are still to be seen -the remains of three strongholds called at the present time King John’s -Castle, Taffe’s Castle, and Lee’s Castle.</p> - -<p>King John’s Castle is traditionally supposed to have been erected by -that monarch’s orders in 1210 to protect the mountain pass of Goulin. We -know that King John was at “Kerlingford,” but Grose considers that it is -more likely the fortress was built by De Lacy or De Courcy.</p> - -<p>It is situated on a rocky promontory which projects into the sea, and -having been built in accordance with the natural formation of the rock -is triangular in shape. It is divided in the centre by a “cross wall” -nearly 12 feet thick. On the southern side the divisions of apartments -are still to be seen, and there are also the remains of galleries with -recesses for archers. The walls are about 11 feet in thickness, and on -the sea side there is a small underground passage some 20 feet in -length.</p> - -<p>The chief entrance from the water was protected by a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246">{246}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_027" id="ill_027"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_245.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KING JOHN’S CASTLE, CARLINGFORD.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247">{247}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248">{248}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">platform or battery, which also commanded the harbour. It is said the -promontory once extended further into the sea, and being covered with -soft grass was called the “Green Quay.”</p> - -<p>In 1215 the King commanded Roger Pipard to deliver up the castle to any -one the Archbishop of Dublin appointed to receive it. Richard de Burgh -was ordered to give up the fortress to Geoffrey de Mariscis in 1216 or -1217, but this order was immediately followed by a similar one to -William de Lacy, who had evidently taken the King’s Castle at -Carlingford.</p> - -<p>In 1388 Stephen Gernon, the constable of the time, was licensed by the -King to take corn tithes in the lordship of Cooley to supply the castles -of Carlingford and Greencastle. Five years later Esmond de Loundres was -appointed Warden of Carlingford, Greencastle, and Coly, with the profits -due to the office. The O’Neill of that day so pillaged the country round -that De Loundres was unable even to meet his expenses, and he petitioned -that, the seignory being laid waste, he might be either relieved of -office or properly supplied with means to meet the charges attached to -it. Whereupon an order to provision the castles under his command was -issued.</p> - -<p>Fishing rights seem to have been attached to the castle in 1425, and -more than a hundred years later they still formed a Government revenue. -In 1535 the Treasurer went to Carlingford to inspect the King’s castle. -He reported that it and Greencastle with the country round had been -almost destroyed, and that if the war was to continue English workmen -would have to be sent over to put the castle in repair. He suggested -that the expenses should be defrayed by the fishing dues.</p> - -<p>This does not seem to have been done, for in 1549 both castles were in a -dilapidated condition. Three years later Sir Nicholas Bagenall was -granted “the Manor of Carlingford and an old castle there, and the whole -demesne and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249">{249}</a></span> manor of Mourne and Greencastle, the castle and demesne of -the Black Friars in Carlingford.” Ten years later it was still in his -hands.</p> - -<p>In 1596 the Earl of Tyrone, after having pretended to submit to the -Government, made an incursion into the Pale. It seems that his foremost -troops were commanded by his son-in-law, Henry Oge, who endeavoured to -surprise the castle at Carlingford. This he was unable to accomplish, -but, “missing of his principal purpose, there were carried away as -prisoners, in lamentable manner, two gentlewomen, daughters of Captain -Henshaw, the one married and the other a maid.”</p> - -<p>The Earl, who was following, had intended to reinforce the troops after -the seizing of the town and fortress, but the failure of the enterprise -prevented his doing so. He acknowledged having carried off the ladies -from the castle “in time of peace,” and refused to return them until -O’Hanlon’s son was liberated in exchange.</p> - -<p>Marmaduke Whitechurch was constable of Carlingford in 1610, and had six -warders under his command.</p> - -<p>In 1641 “Sir Con Maginse tooke the forte and castle of the Neurie and -Carlingfoorde.”</p> - -<p>The next year it was captured by a ruse graphically described as -follows: “5th of May. Newes came from Dundalk to the Lords Justices by -Captaine Cadogan (who came thence through Maday with ten horse-men only) -that the Newry was not only retaken by the Lord Conway and Munroe, the -Scots commander, from the rebels, but also that the towne and castle of -Carlingford were taken by a ship that came from Knockfergus. Their -policy was to put up the Spanish colours, which the rebels discerning, -sent a fisher-boat, with ten or twelve of their commanders, to goe -aboard the ship, supposing that some ammunition was come unto them; but -the captaine of the ships, instead of shewing them any such commodities, -clapt them up under decks, and so landing his musketiers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250">{250}</a></span> they took the -towne, which they of the castle soone perceiving, fled away, and left -both unto our forces.”</p> - -<p>In 1648 Lord Inchiquin marched on Carlingford after capturing Dundalk, -and seems to have had little difficulty in getting possession of the -town and fortress. The following year Colonel Venables appeared before -the walls with Parliamentary forces. Upon his making preparation for the -landing of cannon the town and castles were surrendered. In a letter to -Oliver Cromwell he speaks with great praise of Captain Ferns, who “came -to the harbour’s mouth with his fregot, and upon a signal agreed between -us, came gallantly in under fire,” although his mainmast was split by a -shot from the castle. He captured a small Wexford vessel then in the -bay.</p> - -<p>Carlingford was no mean prize, as it formed the chief storehouse of -their opponents’ arms in Ulster.</p> - -<p>The three castles and the sea-fort contained in all seven pieces of -ordnance, nearly 40 barrels of powder and the same of small shot, over a -thousand muskets, and 480 pikes.</p> - -<p>They did not find much provision in the town. The next day Newry -surrendered.</p> - -<p>The fortress must have been subjected to bombardment at some time, as -cannon-balls have been found among the ruins.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grose, “The Antiquities of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “Affairs in Ireland, 1641-1652.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Graves, “King’s Council in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Reeves, “Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, &c.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D., “Carlingford,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251">{251}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_LIMERICK" id="KING_JOHNS_CASTLE_LIMERICK"></a><i>KING JOHNS CASTLE, LIMERICK</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Limerick City</span> is situated on the Shannon, ninety-four miles south-west -by west of Dublin. The name is a corruption of Luimneach, signifying -“barren spot of land.”</p> - -<p>King John’s Castle is one of the finest examples of Norman military -architecture in the country. It was erected to guard Thomond Bridge, and -was the citadel of the English town of Limerick.</p> - -<p>The curtain wall by the river is about 200 feet long, and is flanked at -both ends by round towers, each having a diameter of 50 feet, and with -walls 10 feet thick. A third tower protects the north-east angle, while -the corner towards the town had a square platform raised to the level of -the battlements and capable of mounting five or six cannon. In the lower -part of this structure was the sally port of the fortress.</p> - -<p>The modern entrance is in Nicholas Street, but the former gate led into -Castle Street, and was protected by a drawbridge. It was exceedingly -narrow, and flanked by two massive towers, one circular and the other -semicircular. The arms of the city surmount the gate. A wet ditch -surrounded the castle, and was supplied with water from the Shannon.</p> - -<p>The oldest part of the structure is the tower nearest the bridge, which -shows marks of bombardment.</p> - -<p>The dilapidations caused by the guns have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252">{252}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_028" id="ill_028"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_251.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253">{253}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254">{254}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">renovated with red brick, which was a happy idea of the contractor so as -to preserve the old war marks.</p> - -<p>The ancient battlements were not removed until the close of the -eighteenth century, up to which time they were a favourite city -promenade.</p> - -<p>The castle, as its name indicates, was constructed at the command of -King John, and the builders were ruthlessly encroaching on church land -until the bishop remonstrated with the King, who issued a proclamation -in 1207, ordering that the work should cease until his return, which was -in 1210. He furnished the stronghold with every requisite of defence, -and appointed a constable and chaplain.</p> - -<p>There was a long uninterrupted line of constables from 1216, when -Godfrey de Rupe, or Roche, was appointed, until the office was -prospectively abolished by Act of Parliament in 1809 to cease with the -life of the constable of that date, the Right Hon. Colonel Vereker, -afterwards Viscount Gort, who died in 1842.</p> - -<p>The chaplaincy was also an office of importance.</p> - -<p>In 1217 Reginal de Breouse received the custody of the castle and city -for a stated period of years, and in 1226 it was the only castle in -Ireland which was not fortified against the King, Richard de Burgh -holding it for him.</p> - -<p>Twenty pounds were granted to Thomas de Winchester in 1326 to repair the -walls, which were much decayed; and six years later the followers of the -Desmonds, who were prisoners in the fortress, took possession of it, -after killing the constable. The citizens soon recovered possession and -put all the occupiers to death.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Desmond was made constable for life in 1423, with leave to -discharge the duty by deputy. He was granted £10 and some fishing dues -to repair the building as “the greater part of it had fallen to the -ground.”</p> - -<p>We learn from the State Papers that, Mr. Zouche having liberated -O’Sullivan Beare, who had been captive at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255">{255}</a></span> Limerick in 1582, the castle -no longer required a ward. But the following year it is stated that John -Sheriff having let Patrick Fitzmaurice and his brother out of the castle -cost the Queen £20,000.</p> - -<p>Three years later the fortress was occupied only by a constable and -porter, and was in much need of repair and a garrison.</p> - -<p>Sir George Carew received an order to repair the building and provide a -ward in 1600, so that it would be a fit residence for the President. He -reported that unless part of the town were removed it was impossible to -make the fortress really strong, and so he was merely able to add some -storehouses, which he regretted, “for that this insolent town has need -of a straight curb.”</p> - -<p>The death of the President prevented the intended repairs being carried -out, and two or three hundred pounds were needed shortly after to roof -the towers and the Great Hall, which had been begun, so that the assizes -might be held in it. The arms were being much injured through the -stronghold not being weather-proof.</p> - -<p>In 1602 Father Archer informed the Spaniards of a way they could -surprise the castle, he having learned it in Limerick during the -previous rebellion.</p> - -<p>The plan consisted of two or three Irish galleys coming up the river at -night with the tide, and carrying about three hundred men, who would at -once force the northern gate by breaking the wooden door with a -“pittarr,” as no watch was kept there. The castle once in their hands, -attacks could be made from all the other sides of the town.</p> - -<p>King James I. granted a charter to the city of Limerick in 1609, from -which the castle is exempted.</p> - -<p>In 1608 it was stated that a cellar existed under the stronghold, which -could be entered from the town without observation. The following year -great dilapidations are reported by Sir Josias Bodley. He said that the -round towers near the river were so undermined by the water that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256">{256}</a></span> a cart -might pass below their foundations. He repaired the walls and towers, -and built the square platform for cannon on the town side. He surrounded -the whole with a moat and erected the drawbridge. A constable’s house -was still needed.</p> - -<p>Repairs were again required in 1618 and 1624.</p> - -<p>Captain George Courtenay with two hundred men maintained a most gallant -siege in 1642. Though short of provisions, and with a garrison who were -not all regulars, he managed to keep the Irish forces at bay for a -considerable time.</p> - -<p>The besiegers threw a great boom across the Shannon, formed of aspen -trees fastened together with iron links, so as to prevent Sir Henry -Stradling provisioning the castle by the water gate.</p> - -<p>A steady fire from the fortress delayed the work for some days, but the -boom was eventually fixed and the remains of it could be seen at low -water so late as 1787.</p> - -<p>The castle was next bombarded from the cathedral, but still the brave -defenders held out. Then mines were begun in three places, the roofs -being propped with dry timber smeared with tar. When completed this was -ignited and the cavern falling made a large breach in the wall of the -castle.</p> - -<p>Seeing defence was no longer possible Captain Courtenay capitulated on -the 21st of June, obtaining honourable terms for himself and the -garrison. Lord Muskerry took possession the next day.</p> - -<p>The captured cannon were used to reduce the neighbouring castles. It is -said that the great gun which was mounted on the platform next the town -took 35 yoke of oxen to draw it.</p> - -<p>Ireton arrived at Limerick in 1651, and began to bombard the castle from -the foot of Thomond Bridge. As soon as a breach was effected twenty -dragoons, in complete armour, led by Captain Hackett, rushed in, -followed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257">{257}</a></span> by infantry. The Irish fled across the bridge into the further -town, breaking two of the arches to prevent pursuit. Barrels of -gunpowder were found in the vaults of the castle with lighted matches -ready to ignite them.</p> - -<p>It seems from the following inscription which was inserted in the -south-west tower near the platform that repairs were carried out after -these sieges: “Contrived by Lef. Vanderstam, General of their Majesties’ -Ordnance, Anno 1691-2.”</p> - -<p>In 1787 infantry barracks for about four hundred men were erected within -the old walls.</p> - -<p>The castle is now used as a Government ordnance store.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. Lenihan, “Limerick: Its History and Antiquities.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Ferrar, “History of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Dowd, “Limerick and its Sieges.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">FitzGerald and M’Gregor, “History of Limerick.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Kilkenny Archæological Society.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS., with Book of Howth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258">{258}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LEA_CASTLE" id="LEA_CASTLE"></a><i>LEA CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on the banks of the Barrow in the north-east -corner of the Barony of Pornahinch, in the Queen’s County.</p> - -<p>The name is sometimes spelt Ley or Leagh, and is said to signify “grey” -or “grey land,” though a legend traces its origin to the name of a great -chieftainess who lived, and was treacherously slain, on the plain of -Lea.</p> - -<p>The fortress consisted of a three-storeyed rectangular building 60 feet -by 46 feet, flanked by round towers and having walls varying in -thickness from 8 to 10 feet. The west side of the structure has been -blown up, but the remaining tower contains five rooms, one of them -having thicker walls than the rest, <i>i.e.</i>, 13 feet instead of 12.</p> - -<p>The centre of the castle was built on arches, and the projecting angles -of the towers were connected by a curtain wall nearly 8 feet thick.</p> - -<p>The approach was by a causeway 100 feet in length. It was surrounded by -a ditch 25 feet wide, which could be filled by water from the Barrow. -From this it was called Port-na-hinch, or the “Castle of the Island,” -from which the barony takes its name. Inside the moat was a low wall, -which can still be traced. All the arches are round except one leading -from the causeway to the bawn, which is pointed.</p> - -<p>Two drawbridges and two bastions defended the gate into the inner -ballium, which measured 140 feet by 130 feet. The remains of the -barbican can still be seen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259">{259}</a></span></p> - -<p>The outer ballium includes the bawn, and the inner one contained a -tennis court and tilt yard.</p> - -<p>Some authorities state the castle was erected by Baron Offaly, while -again it is said to owe its origin in about 1260 to William de Vesey, -who had married the Earl of Derby’s daughter, whose mother was heiress -to William Mareschal, Lord Palatine of Lea. The daughter of O’More, -Prince of Leix, is also said to have built Lea Castle on the Barrow in -the marches of Inch, 1260.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_029" id="ill_029"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_258.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>LEA CASTLE (INTERIOR).</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It appears, however, to have been in existence in 1203, as there is an -order to the Justiciary of Ireland to have the castle delivered, as well -as other possessions, which had belonged to Gerald FitzMaurice, and in -1257 William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, received a grant of the -wardship of Maurice, 2nd Baron of Offaly, and also his castles of Lea -and Geashill.</p> - -<p>In 1264 a meeting was held at Castledermot to settle some dispute about -land in Connaught, but at it Maurice, Baron of Offaly, and his nephew, -John FitzThomas, seized<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260">{260}</a></span> Richard de Burgh, heir to the Earl of Ulster, -the Lord Justice Richard de Capella, Theobald Butler, and John Cogan, -and imprisoned them in Lea.</p> - -<p>Thomas de Clare sold the wardship of Maurice Fitz-Gerald’s heirs and the -guardianship of Lea Castle to Sir William de Valence in 1270 for 3,500 -marks. The wardship had been granted to De Clare by the King’s eldest -son. At this time, the Book of Howth states, it was the only fortress -held by the English in Offaly. In 1274, however, an order was issued to -restore the custody of FitzGerald’s heirs to Roger and Matilda de -Mortimer, who had, it seems, inherited the privilege, and De Valence -only having paid 2,300 marks was not held liable for the rest of the -money in consequence.</p> - -<p>The castle was burnt by the O’Dempseys, O’Dunnes, and O’Carrols in 1284, -and Theobald Verdon going to avenge the outrage was entirely routed. It -was shortly afterwards restored by De Vesey, the Lord Justice of -Ireland.</p> - -<p>Here, with the assistance of Baron Offaly, he imprisoned the Red Earl of -Ulster and his brother in 1294, but they were liberated the following -year by order of the Parliament at Kilkenny, and the Pearl’s sons were -surrendered as hostages instead. It is said De Vesey then quarrelled -with John FitzThomas FitzGerald, Baron Offaly, and fled to France to -avoid meeting him in single combat, and by this means Lea Castle lapsed -again to the Geraldines.</p> - -<p>John FitzThomas was ordered to repair to the King abroad in 1297, and -£40 was granted to him to fortify his Castle of Ley.</p> - -<p>The castle was besieged and the town burnt in 1307 by the “tories” of -Offaly, but the former was relieved by John FitzThomas and Sir Edmund -Butler, afterwards Earl of Carrick.</p> - -<p>Baron Offaly restored the fortress and erected a church with steeple and -bells, but in 1316 Robert Bruce burnt the castle and town, and carried -off the bells.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261">{261}</a></span></p> - -<p>Sir Walter Eustis is said to have been stabbed to death in the castle by -his wife’s sister, daughter of the O’More, who had formerly rejected his -addresses, but upon the birth of her sister’s child, she murdered Sir -Walter in a fit of jealousy, and retired to the convent at Kildare, -where she confessed her crime and died penitent.</p> - -<p>The O’Dempseys’ seized the fortress in 1329, but the next year it was -surrendered to Sir John Darcy, Lord Justice, who restored it to the Earl -of Kildare to keep for the King. The O’Dempseys again laid siege to the -castle in 1339, but were driven off by the Earl.</p> - -<p>O’More, Chief of Leix, burnt Lea in the spring of 1346, but in the -following November he was defeated by the Earl of Kildare, who rebuilt -the town, castle, and church, but not the steeple.</p> - -<p>The fortress was again taken by O’More and O’Dempsey in 1414. Seven -years later they were defeated near Kilkea Castle by the 6th Earl of -Kildare, nicknamed “Shaun Cam,” or Hump-backed John.</p> - -<p>Lea Castle was restored to the Earl after the battle of the Red-bog of -Athy.</p> - -<p>The Four Masters mention the castle in 1452.</p> - -<p>In 1533 the Earl of Kildare furnished the stronghold with guns and -ammunition out of the King’s store, and in direct opposition to his -commands, which the Master of the Rolls pointed out to him in the -presence of the Bishop of Meath.</p> - -<p>The following year it is reported to have been one of the six best -castles of the Geraldines, and it was the chief stronghold of Lord -Offaly, the “Silken Thomas,” during his rebellion, after the fall of -Maynooth.</p> - -<p>There is a letter from the former constable of this latter fortress, -written in 1535, to Cromwell, saying that Lord Thomas had removed the -Countess’s apparel to Ley, as well as other valuables, and that he, -Boyce, had resigned his office in consequence of the insurrection.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262">{262}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Carew MSS. record the Castle of Ley was of “no value” in 1537, and -state it was granted to James FitzGerald after the attainting of the -Earl. In 1548 he required two gunners at the King’s charge, and powder -and shot.</p> - -<p>Thomas Scotte petitioned to lease it in 1549.</p> - -<p>In 1554 the Lord Deputy, Thomas Earl of Sussex, is said to have taken it -from Patrick O’More, but it was regained by Anthony O’More in 1598, -after which he defeated Essex at the Pass of Ballybrittas, called the -“Pass of Plumes” from those worn by the gay English soldiers.</p> - -<p>Lea was held by the Irish in 1641 upon the breaking out of the -rebellion, but afterwards the loyalists took possession under the -command of Lord Lisle. They planted an ash-tree to commemorate the event -which lived 170 years, and had a girth of from 29 to 33 feet, while its -shade had a diameter of 60 feet.</p> - -<p>In 1642 Lord Castlehaven retook Lea, and at this time some of the brass -money known as St. Patrick’s halfpennies was struck here. These coins -have the letter L on them and are very rare.</p> - -<p>O’Neill is said to have lodged in the castle.</p> - -<p>The Parliamentary Colonels, Hudson and Reynolds, took and dismantled the -fortress in 1650.</p> - -<p>It was repaired and held by lease under the Crown by an O’Dempsey until -confiscated after the fall of the Stuarts. In 1695 it was granted to the -Earl of Meath as part of Sir Patrick Trant’s estate.</p> - -<p>A horse stealer called O’Dempsey and nicknamed “Shamas a Coppuil,” or -“James the Horse,” inhabited it at the beginning of the eighteenth -century until the Government interfered.</p> - -<p>Hampden Evans owned it in 1791, and it afterwards passed to Viscount -Carlow.</p> - -<p>The following legend was related by Widow Gorman<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263">{263}</a></span> in 1818 to Miss French -of Glenmolire, and noted by her:—</p> - -<p>Redmond M’Comon O’Byrne, chief of Donamace and Leagh, had two gigantic -sons named Roderick and Maurice. The latter was married to a daughter of -The O’Neill and had one son called Connell.</p> - -<p>Upon the death of the old chieftain O’Byrne, he divided his territory -between his sons, leaving Donamace to the elder, Roderick, and Leagh to -the younger, Maurice.</p> - -<p>Roderick, believing he should have inherited all his father’s -possessions, determined to murder his brother.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_030" id="ill_030"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_262.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>LEA CASTLE (EXTERIOR).</p></div> -</div> - -<p>One stormy night he set out alone from Donamace, and having tied his -horse beneath a grove of ash-trees near the castle of Lea, he let -himself in by the postern, with the key of which his unsuspecting -brother had entrusted him.</p> - -<p>Reaching Maurice’s chamber he murdered him in cold blood, but not before -his victim had cried out to his son to revenge his death by a brother’s -hand.</p> - -<p>Roderick seized the body and, carrying it to where he had left his -horse, put it into a leather bag that he had brought with him. Arriving -at Dunamace he threw the body into a very deep well, thinking it would -never be discovered.</p> - -<p>Maurice’s son, Connell, had heard his father’s cry for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264">{264}</a></span> vengeance in his -dreams, but upon awaking and finding his father gone, with blood stains -on the floor and stairs, he knew he had actually heard his voice.</p> - -<p>The young chieftain, armed with two great sabres of equal size, -proceeded to his uncle’s stronghold, and presenting himself before him, -demanded satisfaction. In the duel which followed both combatants were -killed, and it is said no grass grows in their footsteps on the rock -until this day.</p> - -<p>The old well is still shown, and if two friends visit it together one is -said to die within the year.</p> - -<p>There seems to be no historical record of the fortress ever having been -in possession of the O’Byrnes.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Byrne, “History of the Queen’s County.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Comerford, “Kildare and Leighlin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“Lea Castle, Queen’s Co.,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Walter FitzGerald, “Kilkea Castle,” in <i>Journal of Kildare Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Miss French, MS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265">{265}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LEAP_CASTLE" id="LEAP_CASTLE"></a><i>LEAP CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> ancient stronghold of the O’Carrolls, of Ely-O’Carrol, is situated -in the parish of Aghancon, in the Barony of Ballybritt, King’s County, -about five miles south-east of Birr.</p> - -<p>Its former name of Leim-Ui-Bhanain denoted “The Leap of O’Banan,” and it -is still known as “The Leap” in the district.</p> - -<p>There are several legends to account for its designation. One is that -two brothers came to the rock on which the castle is built, and they -decided that whichever of them survived, after leaping to the ground -below, should erect the stronghold. One of the two was killed by the -jump.</p> - -<p>Another story of a leap is told of a period long after the castle was -built. Sometime during the sixteenth century the O’Carrolls’ fortress -was besieged by the English forces, and in a sortie the garrison took -prisoner a young Captain Darby, who was with the attacking party. The -room where he was imprisoned in the castle is still shown. The daughter -of the chief was deputed to carry him his food, which was delivered -through a hole in the wall. But the young Englishman made good use of -his slender opportunities by winning the heart of the Irish maid, so -that she connived at his escape by unbarring his prison. When running -down the stone stairs which led to the cell in which he had been -confined, he met her brother coming up, who raised the alarm regarding -the escaping captive. Nothing daunted, young Darby turned and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266">{266}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_031" id="ill_031"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_265.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>LEAP CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267">{267}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268">{268}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">ascended to the battlements, where, it is said, he leaped from the -castle roof into a large yew-tree, the roots of which have only lately -been removed. That the young couple were eventually married is a -satisfactory ending to the romance, and certain it is that Leap Castle -passed to the Darby family as the marriage portion of an O’Carroll’s -daughter who married a Darby, son of an English knight.</p> - -<p>The castle is supposed to have been built by the Danes prior to the -English invasion, during their conflicts in these parts with the more -recently landed Norwegians. The structure resembles their form of -defence, being of pyramidical shape, and built in the rubble masonry of -that period, with pre-Norman arches and small loopholes for the -discharge of arrows and javelins. The walls vary from 15 to 25 feet in -width. There are several stone stairways in the thickness of the walls, -and parts of them are brightly polished from constant use. The keep is -the oldest construction, and it forms the hall of the present edifice. -The wings, one at each side, were built at the end of the sixteenth or -beginning of the seventeenth century. That on the north-west connects -what is known as the “Priest’s House” with the main building. This -dwelling is of fourteenth-century masonry, and was used as the chief -residence of the family in times of peace.</p> - -<p>In the top of the keep is situated what is known as “The Bloody Chapel,” -having been desecrated by one Teige O’Carroll, who murdered his brother -before the altar. It was formerly covered with a stone roof, but this -gave way last century. A curious old stone-fastening remains that -formerly received the bar of the door.</p> - -<p>Off the chapel is the oubliette, formerly supplied with a spring -death-trap. Not so very long ago three cart-loads of bones were removed -from it and buried in consecrated ground. Bits of several old watches -were found among the remains.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269">{269}</a></span></p> - -<p>Large dungeons are situated below the keep, and there are many -bricked-up passages and secret chambers. One of the former is said to -lead to a neighbouring rath. The guard-room on the south-east side is -hewn out of the rock. Numerous bones have been found in different parts -of the building.</p> - -<p>The site of the castle was evidently chosen to guard the river ford and -the pass of the Slieve Bloom Mountains into Tipperary. Many bones have -been found in a field near the river. A village once surrounded the -castle, but only the ruins of the houses now remain.</p> - -<p>The O’Carrolls, whose chief stronghold the castle was, are supposed to -have wrested it from its original builders, the Danes.</p> - -<p>In 1154 Henry II. granted Ely O’Carroll to Theobald de Walter, but he -was entirely unable to take possession of any but the lower portion of -the kingdom.</p> - -<p>In 1489 John O’Carroll died of plague at Leap. The visitation was at -this time so bad that hundreds of bodies lay unburied.</p> - -<p>Gerald Fitz-Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, set -out for Leamyvannan in 1513 to put down a rising of the O’Carrolls. He -failed to take the castle, “as was seldom the case with him,” and -retreated to collect fresh forces.</p> - -<p>Returning with a splendid company he was shot by an O’More while -watering his horse at the River Greese, near Kilkea, and he died a few -days later at Kildare.</p> - -<p>Three years afterwards his son attacked Leap, and took the stronghold, -of which it is recorded, “there was scarcely any castle at that period -better fortified and defended than this, until it was demolished upon -its warders.”</p> - -<p>In 1522 the Earl of Kildare made it a charge against his rival, Sir -Piers Butler, Lord Deputy, that he had lent O’Carroll cannon to defend -Leap against him in 1516.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270">{270}</a></span> The charge was hardly denied, but the defence -was put forward that the attack on O’Carroll was unwarranted.</p> - -<p>Mulrony O’Carroll died at Leap in 1532. It is recorded that he was “a -triumphant traverser of tribes; a jocund and majestic Munster champion, -a precious stone, a carbuncle gem, the anvil of the solidity, and the -golden pillar of the Elyans.”</p> - -<p>He was succeeded in the chieftainship by his son, Ferganainm, but the -succession was disputed by a senior branch of the family who were in -possession of Birr. Ferganainm enlisted the aid of his father-in-law, -the Earl of Kildare, who received a wound during the dispute which -hurried his end.</p> - -<p>It was, no doubt, at this time that a terrible massacre took place at -Leap Castle upon the rival branch of the sept, who had been invited to -the stronghold under the guise of friendship. Lord Deputy Grey may have -had this act of treachery in his mind when writing of O’Carroll, Baron -of Ely, in Edward VI.’s reign, he speaks of him as “false.” It is stated -that this O’Carroll made submission to Lord Leonard Grey in 1537.</p> - -<p>Twenty years later (1557) the Earl of Sussex, Lord Justice, made a -hosting into Fircall, penetrating into Ely, where he took Leap Castle. -But this expedition seems, mainly, to have been directed against the -O’Connors, who had taken refuge there after their escape from Meelick -Castle, and “the goodness of his steed” is said to have saved O’Connor -from his pursuers, who took the Leap without opposition. O’Carroll -became re-possessed of the stronghold shortly afterwards.</p> - -<p>There was a Jonathan Darby, Captain of Sussex Horse, in 1553, and -perhaps it was during this expedition that the romance before related -took place. A tomb in the neighbouring graveyard records the death of a -Jonathan Darby in 1601.</p> - -<p>It is said an inquisition was called at Lemyvanane<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271">{271}</a></span> in 1568 for the -preparation of a deed by which Ely O’Carroll was surrendered to the king -by “Sir William O’Kerroll,” to whom it was restored by letters patent, -but there is some confusion about the dates and conditions of the -several transfers.</p> - -<p>In 1604 Ely O’Carroll was annexed to the King’s County.</p> - -<p>During the Parliamentary wars, Mr. Darby, of Leap, espoused the King’s -cause, and tradition avers that Cromwell appeared before the castle -saying that if they did not surrender in twenty-four hours he would blow -them out with a pump-stick. The fortress was not tenable in the event of -cannon being used, as it is commanded from many points.</p> - -<p>A weird story is told of the Jonathan Darby of the time, usually known -as “the wild Captain.” It is said before he surrendered the castle he -collected all his money and treasure and with the aid of two servants -hid it somewhere in the walls of the fortress. He then sent one of them -for his sword and in the meantime threw the other over the battlements. -Upon the messenger returning he slew him with the weapon he brought, -evidently thinking “a secret is only safe with three when two are dead.” -Later he was arrested on a charge of high treason and imprisoned in -Birr. He was several times reprieved, and at last liberated, his legs -having mortified. Upon his return he was only capable of murmuring “My -money, my money,” but was quite unable to say where it was concealed.</p> - -<p>In 1691 a Captain Darby, of the Leap, is alleged to have committed many -deeds of daring against rapparees. It would appear that the estate was -mortgaged for a nominal sum to one John Holland for fear of -confiscation, for Charles II. re-granted the land to this Holland as -mortgagee.</p> - -<p>Admiral Darby, who commanded the <i>Bellerophon</i> at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272">{272}</a></span> the battle of the -Nile, 1798, was one of the Darbys of Leap.</p> - -<p>The present owner is Jonathan Charles Darby, Esq., D.L., who resides in -the castle.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cooke, “History of Birr.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cooke, “Picture of Parsonstown.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Story, “Impartial History of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Bagwell, “Ireland Under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Walter Fitzgerald, “Kilkea Castle” (<i>Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273">{273}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LEIXLIP_CASTLE" id="LEIXLIP_CASTLE"></a><i>LEIXLIP CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> castle is situated in the portion of Leixlip which extends into -North Salt Barony in the County Kildare. The fortress occupies a -commanding position at the juncture of the Rivers Rye-water and Liffey, -above the famous Salmon Leap from which the designation Leixlip is -derived, being a Danish name from the old Norse word “Lax-hlaup,” -<i>i.e.</i>, Salmon Leap. From the word “Saltus,” a leap, the baronies of -Salt have also taken their name.</p> - -<p>The castle is generally supposed to have been erected by the De Hereford -family towards the close of the twelfth century. The present building -consists of two blocks at right angles, facing east and south. The east -wing probably incorporates part of the twelfth-century keep, and with -the north-east circular tower represents the oldest portion of the -structure, although it has been pierced by modern windows.</p> - -<p>In this part a room is still shown in which tradition states that King -John slept during his stay in Ireland.</p> - -<p>The square south-east tower is not so old, and its erection is generally -ascribed to the Geraldines.</p> - -<p>The lands of Leixlip were granted to Adam de Hereford by Strongbow -shortly after the Normans arrived in 1170. At the close of the -thirteenth century the castle and lands had passed to the Pypards. In -1302 Ralph Pypard surrendered all his castles, &c., to the Crown, and in -consequence Richard de Bakeputz, who was constable of Leixlip, was -ordered to deliver it up to the King.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274">{274}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_032" id="ill_032"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_273.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>LEIXLIP CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275">{275}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276">{276}</a></span> </p> - -<p>Leixlip Castle was included in the list of those fortresses that were -only to have Englishmen as constables by the statute passed in 1494.</p> - -<p>Henry VII. granted the castle and lands to Gerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, -upon his marriage with Dame Elizabeth Saint John, between the years 1485 -and 1509, and they remained in the possession of the FitzGeralds until -the rebellion of “The Silken Thomas” in 1534, in which the owner, Sir -James “Meirgach” (<i>i.e.</i>, the winkled) FitzGerald was concerned. In 1536 -an Act was passed by which the Crown became possessed of the castle and -manor.</p> - -<p>Two years after Mathew King, of Dublin, surrendered the castle, which -appears to have been granted to him for twenty-one years. In 1568 -William Vernon, gentleman, was leased the manor of Leixlip, containing -castles, &c., by the Crown. Nine years later Sir Nicholas Whyte, Master -of the Rolls, came into possession. He was a son of James Whyte, of the -County Waterford.</p> - -<p>In 1570 he was granted the manor of Leixlip, two castles, a water-mill, -a salmon-weir, two fishing-places called the Salmon Leap, on the River -Anna Liffey, Priortown Meade, and other demesne lands. Two years later -he was made Master of the Rolls.</p> - -<p>Sir Nicholas Whyte was succeeded by his son Andrew, whose son was again -Sir Nicholas Whyte, Knt.</p> - -<p>This Sir Nicholas held the manor of Leixlip upon the breaking out of -hostilities in 1641. In company with Lord Dunsany, Patrick Barnwall, Sir -Andrew Aylmer, and other chief men of the Pale, he surrendered himself -to the Lords Justices Parsons and Borlace. This was done in obedience to -the King’s proclamation to show that they had no part in the rebellion, -but they were imprisoned in Dublin Castle and most inhumanly treated.</p> - -<p>In the diary of Captain William Tucker he records going from Dublin to -Naas in 1641 with the Marquis of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277">{277}</a></span> Ormond, and sleeping a night in -Leixlip Castle. He mentions that the owner, Sir Nicholas Whyte, was at -the time a prisoner in Dublin.</p> - -<p>In 1646 General Preston established his chief quarters in the fortress, -and in November of that year the Confederate Catholics halted in their -march on Dublin between Leixlip and Lucan. They were commanded by -Generals Preston and Owen Roe O’Neill. The King’s secretary and -minister, Digby, was at Leixlip with Preston.</p> - -<p>Plots and counter plots among the Confederate commanders made the once -formidable army of no avail. Owen Roe, fearing some treachery, threw a -wooden bridge across the Liffey, as a flood had destroyed the permanent -one, and withdrew his forces into Meath.</p> - -<p>Sir Nicholas Whyte recovered his lands of Leixlip by a Decree of -Innocence. He died in 1654, and was buried at Leixlip.</p> - -<p>Various historians have confused the fortress popularly called Leixlip -Castle with a stronghold of less note designated the “Black Castle” of -Leixlip, situated at the eastern end of the town. Although still known -as the “Black Castle” this building has been so modernised that its -original fortified structure is not noticeable.</p> - -<p>That some discrepancies as to ownership existed in the written history -of Leixlip Castle was first noted in 1901, but it was not until the -following year that Lord Walter FitzGerald, in a note in the <i>Journal of -the Kildare Archæological Society</i>, gave an extract from “The Civil -Survey” of James Peisley and Henry Makepeace of 1654, in which the -“Black Castle” of Leixlip is mentioned as belonging to the Earl of -Kildare and “one ruined castle” to Sir Nycholas White, thus establishing -the fact that there were two distinct castles at Leixlip owned by -different persons.</p> - -<p>The “Black Castle” is therefore no doubt the fortress alluded to in an -inquisition held in September, 1612, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278">{278}</a></span> states that Gerald -FitzGerald, son of Gerald, late Earl of Kildare, and uncle of Gerald, -late Earl of Kildare, was seized of one castle, three messuages, one -ruined water-mill, and forty acres of arable land at Leixlip. And again -in 1621 the inquisition taken upon the death of Gerald, 15th Earl of -Kildare, includes the Castle of Leixlip, &c. While the rental of the -Earl of Kildare in 1657 mentions the black castle of Leixlip with sixty -acres of land valued at £15 a year.</p> - -<p>Leixlip Castle was purchased by the Right Hon. William Conolly, Speaker -of the Irish House of Commons, at the beginning of the eighteenth -century. He subsequently built the mansion of Castletown at Celbridge, -but his nephew and heir occupied Leixlip Castle during the famine years -of 1740 and 1741.</p> - -<p>After this period the castle has been inhabited by many distinguished -tenants.</p> - -<p>It was a favourite residence of Primate Stone, and during Lord -Townshend’s period of office he usually passed the summer there.</p> - -<p>Many stories are told of this Viceroy’s fancy for mixing incognito with -“all sorts and conditions of men.”</p> - -<p>One day Lord Townshend met a journeyman cutler named Edward Bentley in -the demesne of Leixlip Castle and began to talk to him. Bentley was loud -in his praises of the Lord Lieutenant’s kindness in allowing the public -into the grounds of his residence, but he was equally vehement in -denouncing the political views he held.</p> - -<p>Mistaking the proprietor for one of the retainers, he offered him half a -crown upon leaving, and when it was refused the cutler commented on the -difference between his action and that of the gate-keeper who had -demanded that amount.</p> - -<p>Lord Townshend then took him to the castle and provided him with a cold -repast, but as he was escorting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279">{279}</a></span> his departing and grateful visitor -through the hall the unfortunate gate-keeper came in.</p> - -<p>The Lord Lieutenant asked him why he had dared to disobey orders and -receive money from visitors. Whereupon the man fell upon his knees and -asked pardon. Bentley, at last realising who had been his entertainer, -immediately followed suit. Lord Townshend sent for his sword, and the -cutler was quite certain that his last hour had come. The Lord -Lieutenant flourished the weapon over his head and brought it down -smartly on the terror-stricken man’s shoulder, saying, “Rise, Sir Edward -Bentley.” The new-made knight was appointed cutler to His Excellency, -and lived long to enjoy his honour.</p> - -<p>Viscount Townshend’s wife died at Leixlip Castle.</p> - -<p>The Hon. George Cavendish remodelled the building and brought it up to -modern requirements during his tenancy before 1837.</p> - -<p>John Michael, Baron de Robuck, subsequently lived there, and was drowned -in the Liffey in 1856 during a flood.</p> - -<p>In 1878, Captain the Honourable Cornwallis Maude, son of the Earl of -Montalt, took the castle after his marriage. He was killed at Majuba -Hill.</p> - -<p>The present occupier is William Mooney, Esq., J.P.</p> - -<p>This fortress is one of the oldest inhabited houses in Ireland. It has -been said that the novelist Maturin founded one of his weird plots on a -legend relating to Leixlip Castle, but the statement requires -verification.</p> - -<p>An underground passage runs from the castle, beneath the Byewater, to -St. Mary’s Church, where it terminates in a vault under the building, -the end being now walled up.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280">{280}</a></span>Lord Frederick FitzGerald, “Leixlip Castle,” and Lord Walter FitzGerald, Note, in <i>Journal of the Archæological Society of the County Kildare</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“History of St. Wolstan’s,” in <i>Irish Builder</i> for 1899.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P. (Petrie?), “Town and Castle of Leixlip,” in <i>The Irish Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Survey and Distribution.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Patent Rolls, Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Book of Inquisitions of Province of Leinster.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fiants of Elizabeth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Transcripts of Inquisitions.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey of Ireland.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281">{281}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LISMORE_CASTLE" id="LISMORE_CASTLE"></a><i>LISMORE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle takes its name from a rath now known as Round Hill, <i>lis</i> -meaning “fort,” and <i>mor</i> “great.” It is situated on the right bank of -the River Blackwater, about four and a half miles north-by-east of -Tallow, in the county of Waterford.</p> - -<p>When Henry II. visited Lismore in 1171 he seems to have formed the plan -of turning the ancient and famous Abbey of Mochuda into a fortified -episcopal residence; hence in 1179 Milo de Cogan and Robert FitzStephen -were sent by his directions to choose the site for this stronghold, -which was to act as a protection against the “mere Irish.”</p> - -<p>In all probability the tapering tower, now known as “Sir Walter -Raleigh’s Tower,” formed part of the ecclesiastical buildings. It is -constructed of rude rubble, and has plain loops and cornices. The -entrance is on the second floor, and this leads into buildings of later -date, so that it has no external doorway. A somewhat similar tower was -destroyed by fire prior to 1864, which may (with the one now standing) -have protected a gate between the upper and lower courts.</p> - -<p>The outer wall, with its beehive-roofed bastions at the corners, and the -old gate, which has its archway decorated with chevrons, are likely to -have been of twelfth-century construction.</p> - -<p>The entrance to the castle is by “the Riding House,” so called from its -having formerly been guarded by two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282">{282}</a></span> mounted sentries, the niches for -the horses being still shown. This leads into a long shaded avenue, -flanked by high walls which extends to the opening of the lower -courtyard. Over the gate are the arms of the first Earl of Cork, and the -motto “God’s Providence is our inheritance.” “King John’s Tower” is -situated to the right of the entrance, and the “Carlisle Tower” on the -left. This latter is about 240 feet in height, and was erected to -commemorate the Lord Lieutenancy of the Earl of Carlisle. It is -constructed of coarse rubble. The stone for the dressing of its windows -and for other parts of the castle was quarried at Chatsworth, and -brought over in specially chartered vessels.</p> - -<p>The “Flag Tower” flanks the north-east angle, and the oldest wing faces -east towards the garden. The upper court is reached through a passage on -the west of the entrance, and here Sir Walter Raleigh’s tower is -situated to the north.</p> - -<p>The whole fortress is built upon a rock, which on one side descends -precipitously to the Blackwater, the base being clothed with trees.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Cork employed “a free Mazon of Bristol” during his -alterations. The modern improvements were principally designed by Sir -Joseph Paxton.</p> - -<p>The main door has an Ionic porch executed in Bath-stone, said to have -been the work of Inigo Jones.</p> - -<p>The hall is square, and is used as a billiard-room. A stone stairway -ascends on the left side of the entrance. The present banqueting hall -was originally a chapel, and has a Gothic roof of open woodwork. The -drawing-room contains a large bay window overhanging the river, known as -“King James’s Window.” During his stay in Ireland in 1689, he spent a -night in the castle, and dining in this room, he approached the window, -but started back when he saw the depth below.</p> - -<p>The sword and mace of Youghal are exhibited in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283">{283}</a></span> hall, where is also -the Pastoral Staff of Lismore, which was discovered built up in a -doorway of the castle with a valuable Irish manuscript book, since -called the “Book of Lismore.”</p> - -<p>In 1181 Cullen O’Cullane, and O’Phelan, Prince of the Decies, attacked -the fortress, which had been somewhat hastily constructed, and they -killed fifty to eighty of the garrison and razed the stronghold.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_033" id="ill_033"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_282.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>LISMORE CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Prince John, Earl of Morton, landing at Waterford in 1185, rebuilt the -castle on a larger scale.</p> - -<p>Nine years later the men of the Decies took the fortress by surprise and -killed Robert Barry, brother of Giraldus Cambrensis. In the autumn of -the same year (1189) the Irish, finding they could not hold the castle, -decided to destroy it, but they afterwards surrendered it upon terms. -From this time it appears to have been an episcopal residence for some -four hundred years.</p> - -<p>In 1218 the Bishop of Waterford wrote to Henry III.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284">{284}</a></span> complaining that -the castle of Lismore had been taken from him by Thomas FitzAnthony and -Griffin FitzGriffin. The King ordered that it should be restored to the -bishop.</p> - -<p>When Robert de Bedford was elected Bishop of Lismore the fortress was -transferred to him, but not without the Bishop of Waterford declaring it -belonged to his see. Bishop de Bedford appealed to Rome, and after a -dispute of twelve years it was finally confirmed to the see of Lismore.</p> - -<p>In 1271 Lord Justice Audley came on a visit to the castle, and Roger de -Mortimer, after he landed at Youghal as Lord Justice, was the guest of -Bishop Fleming at Lismore in 1317.</p> - -<p>Some time before his resignation in 1589, Meler Magrath, Bishop of -Lismore and Archbishop of Cashel, granted the castle to Sir Walter -Raleigh at a rent of £13 6s. 8d., and three years later Sir Walter sold -it to Sir Richard Boyle, afterwards the first Earl of Cork, who restored -and enlarged it.</p> - -<p>His great son, the philosopher, was born in the castle in 1626.</p> - -<p>The stronghold was besieged three times during the civil wars of 1641. -It was first attacked by five thousand Irish troops under the command of -Sir Richard Beling, and was successfully defended by Lord Broghill, the -Earl’s third son.</p> - -<p>The following year an unsuccessful attempt was made to burn it by the -Irish.</p> - -<p>In 1643 it was again besieged by Lieutenant-Colonel Purcell with seven -thousand foot and nine hundred horse. This time Captain Hugh Croker -commanded the garrison. The Earl records in his diary that the rebels -demanded the surrender of the fortress, but “we retorned them defyance.” -None of the defenders were killed, but their enemies lost about three -hundred in killed and wounded. The following month cannon was brought to -bear on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285">{285}</a></span> stronghold, and a breach was effected in the brewhouse, but -it was quickly repaired with earth, and the fire from the castle was so -great that the enemy did not dare to storm the opening. The guns were -then shifted to the south-west, and the orchard was attacked, but the -shots from the turrets protected the curtain wall.</p> - -<p>After a siege of eight days, the Earl’s sons, Lords Dungarvan and -Broghill, landed at Youghal and made a treaty with Lord Muskerry for a -six days’ truce. Of the besiegers twenty were killed, while the -defenders escaped injury.</p> - -<p>The great Earl died in 1644. The following year the castle was again -besieged, this time by troops under Lord Castlehaven. Major Bower, with -a garrison of a hundred of the Earl’s tenants, managed to kill five -hundred of the besiegers and to make terms before they surrendered.</p> - -<p>The 4th Earl of Cork died without male heirs in 1753, and Lismore Castle -passed to his eldest daughter, Lady Charlotte Boyle, who had married the -4th Duke of Devonshire in 1748. It thus passed to its present owner, the -8th Duke of Devonshire, who entertained King Edward VII. and Oueen -Alexandra at the castle in 1904.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Boyle, “Lismore Papers.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “State of Waterford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Ryland, “History of Waterford.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Egan, “Waterford Guide.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. Flood, “Lismore” (<i>Journal of Waterford Archæological Society</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Windele Manuscript (<i>Cork Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MacMahon, “Lismore Castle” (Historic Houses).</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286">{286}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LOHORT_CASTLE" id="LOHORT_CASTLE"></a><i>LOHORT CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress is situated in the Barony of Duhallow, four miles and a -half east-south-east of Kanturk, County Cork.</p> - -<p>The name was sometimes spelt Loghort, and means literally “herb-plot” or -“garden,” from <i>luibh</i>, “herb,” and <i>gort</i>, “an enclosed field.”</p> - -<p>The central tower is circular, and measures about 80 feet in height. It -was strongly machicolated, and had only a few apertures for light and -air. The walls are about 10 feet thick at the base, diminishing to 6 -feet.</p> - -<p>The castle was formerly surrounded by a moat, which was crossed by a -drawbridge, but this has been removed.</p> - -<p>Richard Sainthill, writing in 1831, describes the castle thus:—</p> - -<p>“Six miles from Liscarroll is Loghort Castle, the residence of Lord -Arden when he visits his Irish estates. It is a square keep about 90 -feet in height. The ground floor is now the kitchen. The first floor was -the armoury, and contained arms for 100 soldiers, which were removed and -lost in the year 1798. This is now the dining-parlour; above this is the -drawing-room. We then rise to the state bedroom, beside which there are -six others. From the battlements an extensive prospect is commanded.”</p> - -<p>The castle also contained a good library. In the armoury was preserved -the sword of Sir Alex. MacDonald, who commanded the Highlanders at the -battle of Knockninoss in 1647, and was treacherously killed by a soldier -after the encounter.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287">{287}</a></span></p> - -<p>The fortress dates from the reign of King John, and was a former -stronghold of the MacCarthys.</p> - -<p>In 1641 Sir Philip Perceval garrisoned it with a hundred and fifty men -during the rebellion. Nevertheless the Irish gained possession of the -stronghold by treachery, and held it until May, 1650, when Sir Hardress -Waller reduced it with a battery of cannon.</p> - -<p>In his letter to the Parliament he writes of it as a place of great -strength.</p> - -<p>After this it seems to have remained in a state of dilapidation until -the middle of the eighteenth century, when Sir Philip Perceval’s -descendant, the Earl of Egmont, put it into a state of repair.</p> - -<p>The agents of the estate resided in the castle during many years of the -last century, and it is now the residence of Sir Timothy O’Brien, Bart.</p> - -<p>There are many legends relating to the old fortress.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “County of Cork,” with “Historical Notes from Croker and Caulfield MSS.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gibson, “History of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lewis, “Irish Topographical Dictionary.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288">{288}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LOUGH_CUTRA_CASTLE" id="LOUGH_CUTRA_CASTLE"></a><i>LOUGH CUTRA CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the Barony of Kitartan, County Galway, about three miles -south-by-east of Gort, is situated Lough Cutra Castle, the beautiful -mansion of Viscount Gough.</p> - -<p>The demesne extends along the west and south shores of the lake, and the -gardens slope to the water’s edge in terraces.</p> - -<p>Mr. Blake Foster, in “The Irish Chieftains,” says that the name was -derived from a leader of the Belgic tribe, called Cutra, who owned the -district before the arrival of the Milesians.</p> - -<p>The mansion is a castellated building of Tudor style. It has massive -walls of finely-cut limestone, and was erected during the last century -at a cost of over £50,000.</p> - -<p>Mr. Paine was the architect, but he died before the building was -finished, and the lodges, &c., were carried out in the same style by Mr. -Nash, while the gardens and grounds were exquisitely laid out by Mr. -Sutherland.</p> - -<p>It is considered one of the show places of the west.</p> - -<p>John Prendergast Smith was created Viscount Gort in 1816. He had -inherited the O’Shaughnessy estate through his uncle, and he began to -build the present mansion.</p> - -<p>The story goes that being enchanted with East Cowes Castle, in the Isle -of Wight, which belonged to, and had been designed by, Mr. Nash, Lord -Gort decided to erect a similar building on the shores of his beautiful -lake. It is strange that the present Lord Gort now lives in East<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289">{289}</a></span> Cowes -Castle, from which the design of his ancestor’s castle in Ireland was -borrowed.</p> - -<p>The first Viscount Gort adopted his nephew, Colonel Vereker, as his -heir.</p> - -<p>This soldier so distinguished himself at the battle of Coloony that he -and his heirs were granted supporters to the family arms and allowed to -adopt “Coloony” as their motto.</p> - -<p>When the 3rd Viscount Gort succeeded to the estates they were heavily -encumbered, and the famine of 1848 completed the ruin of the family.</p> - -<p>The castle was sold for £17,000 to Mrs. Ball, Superioress of the -Religious Order of Loretto, Dublin. She turned it into a novitiate house -and opened a school. After a few years the community was recalled, and -the castle was again put up for sale. This time it was purchased for -£24,000 by the first Lord Gough.</p> - -<p>Two pieces of ordnance which he captured in India are mounted at the -entrance.</p> - -<p>The present Viscount Gough is Resident British Minister at Dresden.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fahey, “History and Antiquities of Diocese of Kilmacduagh.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Blake Foster, “The Irish Chieftains.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ward’s Guide to Limerick, Clare Coast, and Lower Shannon.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290">{290}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MACROOM_CASTLE" id="MACROOM_CASTLE"></a><i>MACROOM CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress is situated in West Muskerry, County Cork, about twenty -miles from Cork City, on the bank of the River Sullane, the ford of -which it was evidently built to command.</p> - -<p>Various derivations are given of the old name Macromp. Some authorities -state that it signifies the “Plain of Crom,” the supreme deity of the -ancient inhabitants of Ireland. Smith says the name came from a crooked -oak under which travellers used to pass, but it seems more probable that -it simply meant “a crooked plain,” and referred to the undulating -country round.</p> - -<p>In Smith’s History of Cork he describes the building as consisting of -two square towers about 60 feet high connected by a large modern -building. Windele, however, says that the present residence is a huge -square mass of masonry which formed the keep of the original castle.</p> - -<p>It has a handsome gallery and other good apartments, and is now covered -with ivy. At the beginning of the last century Gothic windows were -introduced and part of it weather-slated, which, being entirely out of -keeping with the style of architecture, has not added to its -picturesqueness.</p> - -<p>It occupies a slight rise on the east bank of the Sullane River, which -flows through the demesne. The gardens lie to the south.</p> - -<p>The castle appears to have been erected in the twelfth century, and its -building has been variously attributed to the Carews and Daltons, while -its Irish name of Caislean-i-Fhlionn, signifying “O’Flyn’s Castle,” -seems to indicate that it owes its origin to this family, who formerly -owned<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291">{291}</a></span> territory in Muskerry and Carberry. It afterwards came into the -possession of the MacCarthys, and Tiege MacCarty, father of the famous -Lord Muskerry, died in the castle in 1565, having restored and enlarged -it.</p> - -<p>In 1602 its owner, Cormac MacDermot Carthy, Lord Muskerry, was suspected -of hostile intrigues and imprisoned in Cork, while Captain Flower and -then Sir Charles Wilmot were sent to lay siege to the castle. Lord -Muskerry, however, escaped, and the Lord President fearing he might cut -off Sir Charles’s retreat, ordered him to return to Cork.</p> - -<p>The night before the intended march the garrison killed a pig, but water -being too scarce to scald it they decided to singe it instead with fern -and straw. This they did in the castle bawn, but some sparks lighting on -the thatched roof of a cabin flamed up and set fire to some tallow -through one of the windows of the castle.</p> - -<p>The flames quickly spread through the building and the garrison was -obliged to take speedy refuge in the bawn. From thence they made a sally -to the woods, about fifty being slain in their attempt to escape.</p> - -<p>The besiegers entered the castle and extinguished the fire. After making -some necessary repairs Sir Charles left a garrison there and marched to -Cork.</p> - -<p>Upon the breaking out of the rebellion of 1641 it was again in Lord -Muskerry’s possession, and when the Papal Nunzio landed in the south of -Ireland he visited many places and amongst them Macroom Castle. He was -received at the great gate of the fortress by Lady Helena Butler, sister -of Lord Ormond, and the wife of Donough, Lord Muskerry. The Nunzio -stayed at Macroom for four days.</p> - -<p>In 1650 the Bishop of Ross assembled an army in the park. Upon the -approach of Lord Broghill with a body of horse, the garrison in the -castle set fire to it and joined the main body encamped outside. Then -followed the battle of Macroom, in which about seven hundred of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292">{292}</a></span> -Irish troops were slain. The Bishop and the High Sheriff of Kerry were -taken prisoners. The latter was shot, but the bishop was promised -freedom if he induced the garrison of Carrigadrohid Castle to surrender. -When brought to that fortress he, however, exhorted the besieged to hold -out, and he was at once hanged with the reins of his own horse.</p> - -<p>Later in the war General Ireton is said to have burned both the town and -castle of Macroom.</p> - -<p>During the Commonwealth the castle was granted to Admiral Sir William -Penn, father of the founder of Pennsylvania.</p> - -<p>Upon the restoration of Charles II. the stronghold was restored to the -MacCarthys, and was enlarged and modernised by the Earl of Clancarty.</p> - -<p>In 1691 it again fell into the hands of an English garrison. They were -hard pressed by James’s troops, until the approach of Major Kirk and -three hundred dragoons raised the siege.</p> - -<p>The estate of the 4th Earl of Clancarty was confiscated for his -allegiance to King James, and the castle was sold by auction in 1703. It -was bought by the Hollow Sword Blade Co., who resold it to Judge -Bernard, ancestor to Lord Bandon.</p> - -<p>After this it was occupied by the Hedges Eyre family, the Hon. Robert -Hedges Eyre dying 1840.</p> - -<p>Colonel White Hedges, brother of Lord Bantry, owned the castle in 1861, -and it is now in the possession of Lord Ardilaun, whose wife is one of -the Bantry family.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “State of County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bennett, “History of Bandon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Windele, “Notices of the City of Cork,” &c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Gibson, “History of the County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Meehan, “Confederation of Kilkenny.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “Cromwell in Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293">{293}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MALAHIDE_CASTLE" id="MALAHIDE_CASTLE"></a><i>MALAHIDE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> town of Malahide is situated in the Barony of Coolock, about seven -miles north-north-east of the City of Dublin, and about half a mile -distant stands the ancient seat of the Talbot family.</p> - -<p>A number of suggestions have been put forward as to the derivation of -the name Malahide, perhaps the most probable being that it comes from -Baile-atha-id, signifying the “town of Id’s ford.”</p> - -<p>The present castle is almost square in form, with a Gothic entrance on -the south-east. This side of the fortress is flanked at each angle by a -round tower, one of them at least having been added during the last -century. The whole effect is much enhanced by the building being largely -covered with ivy.</p> - -<p>During the early part of the eighteenth century the stronghold was -enlarged and modernised by its owner, Colonel Talbot. It had at that -time lost its castellated character, which was restored, while the moat -that surrounded it was filled in and planted.</p> - -<p>The former entrance was by drawbridge, protected by a portcullis and -barbican. The old tower of the barbican now gives entrance to the stable -yard.</p> - -<p>The hall is flagged and vaulted, and the walls are hung with interesting -martial relics, while a handsomely-carved chair is said to have belonged -to King Robert Bruce.</p> - -<p>A circular flight of stairs leads to the next floor, which contains the -famous “Oak Room.” The timber for its<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294">{294}</a></span> ornamentation is said to have -been brought from the “faire greene commune of Ostomanstoune,” which was -not so far away, and from which King William Rufus is said to have -obtained the oak to roof Westminster Hall. The panels in Malahide Castle -are of an ebony black, and are richly carved in relief with scriptural -subjects. The ceiling is cross-beamed with oak, and a wide mullioned -window gives light to this beautiful apartment. It is said to have once -been the castle chapel, and that behind a double panel, carved with -scenes from the Garden of Eden, is a recess still occupied by the altar.</p> - -<p>Here amongst other interesting objects is the suit of armour -traditionally supposed to have been worn by Sir Walter Hussey, who was -the first husband of the Hon. Maud Plunkett, and was killed on his -wedding day.</p> - -<p>The dining hall is said to date from the Tudor period, and it has a -pointed ceiling of stained wood with a gallery at one end. In this room -is displayed a very fine collection of historical and family portraits -by many celebrated artists, amongst whom are Lely, Titian, Reynolds, -Kneller, and others.</p> - -<p>The portraits include those of “Handsome Dick Talbot,” Duke of -Tyrconnel, favourite of Charles II. and James I., the Duchess of -Portsmouth and her son the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Lucan, Ireton, -Myles Corbet, and several royal personages.</p> - -<p>The “saloon” has also some art treasures, the chief being an altar-piece -by Albert Durer, which once belonged to Mary Oueen of Scots, and was -purchased by Charles II. for the Duchess of Portsmouth for the then -enormous sum of £2,000.</p> - -<p>The lands of Malahide were granted to the Talbot family in 1174 by Henry -II., in whose train was Chevalier Richard Talbot, when the king came to -Ireland in 1172. This grant was confirmed to Sir Richard Talbot by -Edward IV. in 1475.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295">{295}</a></span></p> - -<p>The foundations of the castle were laid by the first Richard Talbot in -Henry II.’s reign upon the gentle elevation of limestone rock where it -stands to-day. It was enlarged during Edward IV.’s reign.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Edgecomb landed at Malahide in 1488 as Lord Justice, and -writes that “there a gentlewoman called Talbot received and made me -right good cheer,” until the Bishop of Meath and others came later in -the day to escort him to Dublin.</p> - -<p>During the rebellion of Lord Offaly or the “Silken Thomas,” the O’Tooles -and O’Byrnes ravished the country north of Dublin, and having plundered -Howth, they “went to Malahyde and burst open the gates till they came to -the hall-doors, when as they were resisted with great difficulty,” they -returned homeward.</p> - -<p>After the rising had been suppressed, the unfortunate young leader -executed, and his family attainted, Gerald, afterwards 12th Earl of -Kildare, only escaped from the English Government through the assistance -of his aunt, the Lady “Aleanora” FitzGerald, and for the protection she -had afforded her nephew she was detained at Malahide Castle awaiting the -King’s pleasure. From here, in 1545, was dated her petition for pardon -to Henry VIII., which he granted.</p> - -<p>Lord Strafford tried to gain some of the Talbot possessions and -privileges in 1639, but without success.</p> - -<p>John Talbot was banished to Connaught for taking part in the rebellion -of 1641, and his castle and 500 acres were granted on a seven-year lease -in 1653 to Miles Corbet, who was Chief Baron. His house in Dublin had -been visited by plague, and he took up residence at Malahide about -Christmas time. Here he lived until obliged to fly for his life, and he -was afterwards executed as a regicide.</p> - -<p>There is a tradition that Cromwell was his guest at Malahide during his -tenancy.</p> - -<p>A picture appearing on the Down Survey Map (1655-56)<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296">{296}</a></span> represents the -castle as having a large tower at one end, and the notes describe it as -“a good stone house therein, with orchards and gardens and many -ash-trees, with other outhouses in good repair.”</p> - -<p>Upon the Restoration the Talbot family came again into possession.</p> - -<p>Close to the castle are the ruins of a church which was erected and -endowed by the Talbot family, and where they were buried for many years. -Here is the altar tomb of Maud Plunkett, “The Bride of Malahide,” who -was “maid, wife, and widow on one and the same day.” Her third husband -was Sir Richard Talbot. The tomb is particularly remarkable because of -the effigy which represents Lady Talbot as wearing the “horned coif” of -1412, and it is the only representation of this fashion in Ireland.</p> - -<p>It is said the church was unroofed by Corbet, either to make bullets of -the lead or to cover a barn with the other material.</p> - -<p>The history of the castle would be hardly complete without mention of -the famous ghost “Puck,” who has a fancy for roaming the grounds in the -costume he wore when he was an inhabitant of the castle. There are many -stories regarding his appearances, amongst which is the following -authenticated account: Not so many years ago a naval officer who had -just been appointed to the Coast Guard Station at Malahide received an -invitation to dine at the castle. On his way up the avenue he met a -strange figure in a fantastic costume whom he thought was some one -masquerading. Not liking to be made the subject of a joke, he threatened -to knock him down unless he told him what he wanted, and upon getting no -reply he endeavoured to carry out his threat, but his arm passed through -his adversary, and he thought it advisable to hasten his steps to the -castle. It was not likely to improve his appetite, however, to find the -portrait of the strange figure looking down upon him from the -dining-room wall.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297">{297}</a></span></p> - -<p>Richard Talbot was created Lord Talbot de Malahide in 1831, and the -present peer is 5th Baron.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of County of Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS., Book of Howth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brewer, “Beauties of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Burke, “Visitation of Seats and Arms.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M’Mahon, “Malahide Castle” in “Historic Houses.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Burke’s Peerage.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P., “Malahide Castle,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Prendergast, “The Plantation of the Barony of Rhone,” in <i>Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298">{298}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MALLOW_CASTLE" id="MALLOW_CASTLE"></a><i>MALLOW CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> town of Mallow is situated on the River Blackwater, seventeen miles -north-north-west of Cork, in the Barony of Fermoy.</p> - -<p>The ruins of the castle are to the south of the town upon rising ground -commanding the river. They consist of a great rectangular building -running north and south, and measuring about 80 feet in length and 30 in -breadth on the inside. It has thirty-one Tudor windows, which are -generally large and square, having two series of oblong lights, three or -five in number, and a window on the north contains as many as eight.</p> - -<p>The structure is unroofed, and the floors being of wood have almost -entirely disappeared. It was defended by three towers on the western -side. The round tower at the north-west angle contained a clock until -the middle of the last century. The centre tower measures about 12 feet -by 15, and its door-head is depressed. The south-west tower has a -five-sided exterior, and inside the upper part is circular, and the -lower portion pentagonal.</p> - -<p>The eastern front of the castle has one tower, with a five-sided -exterior likewise. In 1836 a portion of the east side of the castle -fell. The whole of it is now extensively covered with ivy.</p> - -<p>This building is supposed to be of the Tudor era, and it is likely to -occupy the site of an older fortress, as there are still traces of -foundations which do not seem to have been included in the plan of the -present ruin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299">{299}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Manor of Mallow passed by exchange from the De Rupes or Roches into -the hands of the Desmond FitzGeralds at the close of the thirteenth -century.</p> - -<p>Tradition states that the Tudor fortress was erected by the “Great Earl” -of Desmond, as Garrett, the 15th Earl, who succeeded to the title in -1558, is usually styled. It seems, however, more probable that it was -built by his even greater father, James, who was Lord High Treasurer of -Ireland.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_034" id="ill_034"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_298.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>MALLOW CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It remained in the Desmond possession until the forfeiture of their -princely estates in 1584.</p> - -<p>At this time it was in the hands of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s son, -who was overtaken near Castlelyons and killed by a former servant of his -own. His body was hung over one of the gates of Cork for some years, and -his head sent to Dublin Castle.</p> - -<p>The following description of the stronghold is taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300">{300}</a></span> from an -inquisition held at this time on the Manor of Mallow:—</p> - -<p>“One castle containing in itself two small courts and one great -barbican, namely, where the howse standeth the enterance in is on the -north side ffyrste into one of the said courts, and then turninge one -the lefte hande ye enter by a doore, beinge in a highe wall into the -Balne or Barbican, which is reasonable large, and then goinge a little -way, turninge one the lefte hande, have ye enterance by an other stone -wall, whereas the castell or howse standeth, the lower rooms whereof ar -sellers vauled over. And in the wall one the lefte hande there be stay -res of stone of xii stepps in heyght that leadeth one the right hande -into the Hall, which is about lx foote longe and xxvi foot wyde, within -the howse, and is deepe, with a highe roofe, the Tymber wereof seemeth -to be sounde, and is covered with thacke, some thinge decayed at the -north ende; towards the west corner there is a square buyldinge vaulted -as thother is, but not so broade, and riseth somewhat higher than the -roofe of the hall in which, over the sellor, ar fower stronge roomes -that may be made meete for lodgings: the uppermost, savinge one, is -vaulted.”</p> - -<p>The siege during the Desmond rebellion must have caused the castle to -need repair, and even at subsequent dates it seems to have been in a -ruinous condition.</p> - -<p>At first after this, the district of Mallow was assigned to Pelham, H.M. -Attorney-General, and Sir Thomas Norreys, who was holding the place, -writes to Burghley in 1587: “I understand Mallow (a place which I have -hitherto had keeping of) is assigned to H.M. Attorney-General, who doth -little esteem it. I crave to be admitted an associate in Co. Cork, and -still keep that place, which I doubt not the Attorney-General will -easily yield to. I affect not the place for any special goodness, but -having held it so long am the more unwilling to leave it, and, if I may -obtain it, will endeavour the best service I can.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301">{301}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>The same year Sir John Norreys, President of Munster, writes from -Utrecht complaining that the honour of his office brings little land -with it, and asking that Mallow might be granted to him.</p> - -<p>He it was who settled the crown of Portugal on the royal house of -Braganza, and Edmund Spencer described him in some of the lines of his -“Fairy Oueen.”</p> - -<p>In 1588 Sir Thomas Norreys received a grant of the castle and lands from -Elizabeth.</p> - -<p>Here, in Sir Thomas’s arms, died his brother, the great Sir John -Norreys, in 1597, of old wounds which had been neglected and turned to -gangrene. One of many fables told regarding his death is that the devil, -dressed in black, appeared while he was playing cards, and claimed his -soul on the spot in fulfilment of an old bargain.</p> - -<p>During the Tyrone rebellion in 1598-99 Norreys had his English sheep -stolen from Mallow, and his park wall broken down, so that the deer -roamed loose.</p> - -<p>Upon the restored young Earl of Desmond’s returning to Ireland in 1599 -he spent much of his time at Mallow, where he was said to be in love -with Lady Norris, widow of Sir Thomas.</p> - -<p>The Attorney-General writes in 1606: “The first night we lodged at -Mallow, a house of my Lady Norries, which is a well-built house, and -stands by a fair river in a fruitful soil, but it is yet much unrepaired -and bears many marks of the late rebellion.” At this time Elizabeth -Norreys, heiress to the estate, was a king’s ward, and resided with her -mother in the castle.</p> - -<p>In 1613 a fresh patent was granted to Dame Elizabeth Jephson, and her -heirs for £50 paid by her husband, Sir John Jephson, Knight, she having -inherited her father’s estate. The grant included the castle, manor, and -town of Mallow, Short Castle, <i>alias</i> Castle-Gar, &c.</p> - -<p>In 1636 the Earl of Cork made an offer for the manor, but he did not -come to terms with the owners.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302">{302}</a></span></p> - -<p>Short Castle, which was on the north side of the town, was in charge of -Lieutenant Williamson in 1641, when Lord Mountgarret marched against -Mallow, while the larger fortress was placed in charge of Arthur -Bettesworth and two hundred men by Captain Jephson.</p> - -<p>After many assaults and several breaches, Short Castle was forced to -surrender, which its commander did on terms. There are several versions -of the following story.</p> - -<p>After the castle’s fall its defender and his men were refreshing -themselves in a public-house in the town, when an officer and man -belonging to Mountgarret’s force entered with a block and sword, stating -they had come to behead them. Lieutenant Williamson caught the sword up -with one hand and the officer’s hair with the other, and dragged him to -the walls of the larger stronghold, where, dismissing him with a kick, -he and his men joined the other garrison.</p> - -<p>The Castle of Mallow was taken by the Earl of Castlehaven in 1645, and -almost reduced to ruins.</p> - -<p>In 1666 there seems to have been an attempt made to restore it. Lord -Orrery, writing to the Duke of Ormond in this year, says: “This bridge -is at Mallow, where there is a castle of good strength if it had a -little reparation, and is one of the greatest passes and thoroughfares -in this province, and if seized on by any enemy would, in effect, divide -the country into two parts.”</p> - -<p>During the scare of the French invasion the Grand Jury presented money -to repair it, but the Judge seems to have reserved his decision on the -matter.</p> - -<p>Major-General Sgravenmore sent Colonel Doness to destroy the bridge and -reconnoitre the castle in 1689.</p> - -<p>Norreys was added to the family surname Jephson in 1838, and some years -later Sir Denham Jephson Norreys erected a mansion in Elizabethan style -close to the old fortress. Sir Bernard Burke remarks of it: “Here are -mullioned windows, pointed gables, tall chimneys, and all those various -intricacies of building which characterised<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303">{303}</a></span> our noblest seats in the -days of the Virgin Oueen; somewhat fantastic, it is true, but -picturesque in the extreme.”</p> - -<p>The manor and castle are still in the possession of this family, Mrs. -Atherton-Jephson-Norreys being the present representative.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">H. F. Berry, “The Manor and Castle of Mallow,” in <i>Journal of Cork Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. O’Flanagan, “The Blackwater in Munster.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Sir B. Burke, “The Seats and Arms of Noblemen and Gentlemen, &c.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “History of County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Bagwell, “Ireland under the Tudors.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">H. Berry, “Manor of Mallow in the Thirteenth Century,” in <i>Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland</i>.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305">{305}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304">{304}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_035" id="ill_035"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_304.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>MAYNOOTH CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306">{306}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MAYNOOTH_CASTLE" id="MAYNOOTH_CASTLE"></a><i>MAYNOOTH CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Ye Geraldines! ye Geraldines! how royally ye reigned<br /></span> -<span class="i1">O’er Desmond broad, and rich Kildare, and English arts disdained,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Your sword made knights, your banner waved, free was your bugle call,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By Glyn’s green slopes, and Dingle’s tide, from Barrow’s banks to Youghal.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">What gorgeous shrines, what Brehon lore, what minstrel feasts there were<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In and around Maynooth’s strong keep and palace-tilled Adare!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But not for rite or feast ye stayed, when friend or kin were pressed;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And foemen fled, when “Crom a boo” bespoke your lance in rest.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">Thomas Davis.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Situated</span> about twelve miles west-by-north of Dublin, this ancient -fortress of the Pale was the chief stronghold of the Kildare branch of -the Geraldines. It was built by Maurice FitzGerald (the first of the -great family to settle in Ireland) to protect the lands of Offaly, -granted to him in 1176 by Strongbow in lieu of part of Wexford which -King Henry wished to retain.</p> - -<p>From the excellency of the twelfth-century masonry, the great keep, with -walls some 8 feet in thickness, and the gate-house, are the best -preserved parts of the ruin. The large corner tower and three round -arches adjoining belong to the thirteenth century, while the fifteenth -century is represented by an oblong tower, now used as the belfry of the -Episcopalian Church. The rest of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307">{307}</a></span> buildings which connected these, -now isolated, structures have almost entirely disappeared.</p> - -<p>The fortress was surrounded on two sides by water, being at the junction -of the River Lyreen, a tributary of the Liffey, and a smaller stream.</p> - -<p>In 1248 we read that Luke, Archbishop of Dublin, erected the chapel of -Maynooth into a prebend of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the request of -Maurice, second Baron of Offaly. This building, which was once the -castle chapel, is now the parish church.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of the fourteenth century Maynooth seems to have been -the favourite residence of the FitzGerald family. John, the 1st Earl of -Kildare, and Thomas, the 2nd Earl, both died there (1316 and 1328). The -latter bequeathed the castle to his wife. It is described as being -“built of stone, with numerous offices partly of stone, and two gates, -one leading to the town, and the other to the garden.”</p> - -<p>The castle was added to in 1426, and is said to have been “one of the -largest and richest Earl’s houses in Ireland.”</p> - -<p>In 1534 the Earl of Kildare, being Lord Deputy, was summoned to London, -and appointed his son, Lord Offaly, Vice-Deputy in his absence. Upon a -rumour that his father had been executed, Lord Thomas, who was very -young, went into rebellion, and such nobles and chiefs as refused to -join his standard he sent as prisoners to Maynooth.</p> - -<p>A division of the English army, landing at Howth to raise the siege of -Dublin Castle, was met by “Silken Thomas” with two hundred men. An -engagement followed, in which Lord Offaly was victorious, and the -survivors of the King’s troops were sent captive to Maynooth.</p> - -<p>At this time the castle was splendidly fortified with men and ordnance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308">{308}</a></span></p> - -<p>Hearing that the whole English army was about to arrive, Lord Offaly -left Maynooth in command of Christopher Paris, his foster-brother, and -went into Connaught to raise forces.</p> - -<p>In January, 1535, seven hundred men were sent from Dublin to burn -Maynooth Castle. A skirmish took place, and although some of the rebels -were slain, the royal troops retired.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy, Sir William Skeffington, now collected his forces, and -marched in full strength against the stronghold. The siege began on the -14th of March, and was continued until the 23rd.</p> - -<p>Upon arriving at Maynooth, Sir William demanded the surrender of the -castle, and offered free pardon and reward to all the garrison.</p> - -<p>To this he only received a jeering reply, so planting his cannon to the -north of the building towards the park he opened fire. The attack was -varied north-east and north-west, but though this continued for over a -week little damage was done, save destroying the battlements.</p> - -<p>Towards the close of this time a letter was shot out of the castle to -the Lord Deputy from Christopher Paris, offering to find means of -letting the besiegers enter the castle for a certain sum of money and -provision for the rest of his life.</p> - -<p>Sir William Skeffington agreed to the terms, and upon the 22nd, a -field-piece having been captured from the besiegers, the Governor made -it an occasion for high revelry. Thus, while the men who guarded the -outer battlements were sound asleep after their carouse, the King’s -troops easily entered the castle by scaling-ladders early on the morning -of the 23rd.</p> - -<p>Sir William Brereton led the attack, but the resistance was very feeble, -the drunken soldiers believing that the cry of “St. George! St. George!” -was but a dream. Sir<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309">{309}</a></span> William hoisted his standard from the highest -turret, so as to inform the Lord Deputy that the castle had been won.</p> - -<p>Sir William Skeffington entered in the afternoon. The garrison consisted -of thirty-seven persons. Two singers of the chapel were pardoned, at the -intervention of Chief Justice Aylmer, on account of their sweet voices.</p> - -<p>Twenty-five of the men were beheaded, and one hanged, outside the castle -gate, and the principal heads placed upon the battlements. Amongst these -was that of the Dean of Kildare. Paris was paid the sum stipulated for -his treachery, but as he had forgotten to make his safety a condition, -he was executed with the rest.</p> - -<p>The Lord Deputy left a garrison in the castle and returned to Dublin.</p> - -<p>Lord Offaly was marching to the relief of his stronghold with an army of -seven thousand men when the news of its fall reached him. At this, most -of his forces melted away, and the rebellion became rather a series of -raids than regular warfare.</p> - -<p>At last, Lord Thomas, tempted by a promise of pardon, surrendered -himself, and was sent prisoner to England. Here, after some months of -captivity, he and his five uncles were beheaded at Tyburn.</p> - -<p>There is a tradition that the last evening “Silken Thomas” ever spent at -Maynooth he played the harp under the venerable yew which is now -enclosed in the grounds of St. Patrick’s College.</p> - -<p>A bill of attainder was passed in 1536 against the Earl of Kildare and -his heirs; and Maynooth, being forfeited to the Crown, became a King’s -castle. It seems to have been a favourite residence of the Lords Deputy -at this time.</p> - -<p>In 1552 Edward VI. restored Gerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, to his title -and estates. His widow lived at Maynooth until her death; and it was in -the castle garden<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310">{310}</a></span> that Lord Delvin was first approached by the Earls of -Tyrone and Tyrconnell to join the insurrection in 1606. In a letter -written by the Countess of Kildare she expresses her regret for such an -occurrence.</p> - -<p>After the death of the 14th Earl in 1612, Maynooth Castle seems to have -fallen into a state of dilapidation on account of his son’s minority. It -was restored by his guardian, the great Earl of Cork, who placed an -inscription over the gateway recording its restoration, and bearing the -date 1630.</p> - -<p>In 1629 we hear of the Earl’s title deeds being preserved in the Council -House, which was a stone building that stood on the site now occupied by -the President’s house of St. Patrick’s College. It was removed about -1780. The doorway is still preserved in a school of the town, and the -council table, bearing the date 1533, stands before the Duke of -Leinster’s residence at Carton.</p> - -<p>The 12th Earl of Kildare lived at Maynooth until civil war broke out in -1641. Shortly after hostilities began the castle was plundered and the -valuable library destroyed.</p> - -<p>In 1643 Captain Michael Jones, under the Marquis of Ormond, held -possession of the fortress; and in 1644 the Earl of Kildare asked for -powder and men to increase its defence, he having taken down the spouts -to make bullets.</p> - -<p>In 1647 General Owen O’Neill sent a detachment from Trim, which carried -the castle by assault. Twenty-six men of the garrison and some officers -were hanged, and the fortress dismantled.</p> - -<p>The next Earl lived chiefly at Kilkea Castle, and Maynooth gradually -fell into decay.</p> - -<p>In 1707 Robert, 19th Earl of Kildare, wished to restore the building, -but finding it too dilapidated he decided to enlarge Carton House -instead.</p> - -<p>Houses were subsequently built among the castle ruins,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311">{311}</a></span> and these were -removed by the Duke of Leinster in 1848, and the space round planted and -enclosed.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duke of Leinster, “Maynooth Castle.” Addenda by Miss M. Stokes (<i>Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal</i>).</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Most Rev. John Healy, D.D., “Maynooth College.”</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312">{312}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MONGEVLIN_CASTLE" id="MONGEVLIN_CASTLE"></a><i>MONGEVLIN CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on the banks of the Foyle where it narrows -inland, somewhat over a mile south of Saint Johnstown and seven miles -from the City of Londonderry.</p> - -<p>Only the keep now remains, but during the last century the walls of the -courtyard which lay between the Foyle and the fortress were still -standing, and over the arch of the gateway was a small stone engraved -with the initials “I.S.E.S.T.” and the date 1619. This has, however, now -disappeared. Another inscribed stone bears the following: “The Hon. -Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of John Lord Culpeper, and widow of Colonel -James Hamilton (who lost his life at sea in Spain, in the service of his -king and country), purchased this manor, and annexed it to the opposite -estate of the family, which paternal estate itself has improved by her -prudent management to nearly the yearly income of the dower she received -thereout. She has also settled her younger son, William Hamilton, Esq., -in an estate acquired in England, of nearly equal value in the purchase -to this, and given every one of her numerous offspring, descended from -both branches, some considerable mark of her parental care. Her eldest -son, James, Earl of Abercorn, and Viscount Strabane, hath caused this -inscription to be placed here for the information of her posterity, -Anno, 1704.”</p> - -<p>There are two incidents in the castle’s history which are of particular -interest. In the sixteenth century it was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313">{313}</a></span> chief residence of the -beautiful “Ineen Dubh,” daughter of Macdonnell, Lord of the Isles, and -mother of the famous Red Hugh O’Donnell, Chief of Tyrconnell.</p> - -<p>It was said of her that she was “excelling in all the qualities that -become a woman, yet possessing the heart of a hero, and the soul of a -soldier.”</p> - -<p>The State Paper recording her possession is as follows: “From -Cul-Mac-Tryan runs a bogg three myles in length to the side of Lough -Foyle—in the midst of the bog is a standing loughe called Bunaber—here -at Bunaber dwells O’Donnell’s mother (Ineen Dubh M’Donnell). Three miles -above Cargan stands a fort called McGevyvelin (Mongivlin) upon the river -of Lough Foyle—O’Donnell’s mother’s chief house.”</p> - -<p>The fortress is mentioned in 1619 in Captain Pynnar’s Survey of the -Escheated Counties of Ulster in the following manner: “Sir John Stewart -hath 3,000 acres called Cashell Hetin and Littergull. Upon this -proportion there is built, at Magevlin, a very strong castle, with a -flanker at each corner.”</p> - -<p>James II. was the guest of Archdeacon Hamilton at Mongevlin during the -siege of Derry. From there he sent proposals of surrender to the -garrison by his host, which were rejected.</p> - -<p>A sad incident occurred in connection with the castle last century. A -servant lad being employed by the owner of the time was so terrified by -the ghost stories he heard in connection with the building that he left -his situation and went home. His friends persuaded him to return, but -the matter so preyed upon his mind that he shortly after hanged himself.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“The Donegal Highlands.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. A. H., “Mongevlin Castle,” in <i>Dublin Penny Journal</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314">{314}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MONKSTOWN_CASTLE_COUNTY_CORK" id="MONKSTOWN_CASTLE_COUNTY_CORK"></a><i>MONKSTOWN CASTLE, COUNTY CORK</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Situated</span> at the western extremity of Cork Harbour, in the Barony of -Kerricurrihy, is the now ruined castle of Monkstown. The name is derived -from the Monastery Legan, belonging to the Benedictine Monks, which was -formerly established here, it being a cell of Bath Abbey.</p> - -<p>The castle consists of a quadrangular building, flanked by four square -towers, having machicolated defences projecting from their angles. The -windows are in excellent preservation, being of square Tudor style, -divided by strong stone mullions, with horizontal weather cornices. The -moulding of the door displays excellent workmanship.</p> - -<p>The estate belonged to the Archdeacons, who changed their name to -MacOdo, or Cody.</p> - -<p>The castle was erected in 1636 by Anastasia Archdeacon, <i>nee</i> Gould, who -intended it as a pleasant surprise for her husband, who was a naval -officer, and away on a voyage at the time.</p> - -<p>Tradition says that it only cost the thrifty lady a groat. At first she -found that the builders objected to go to so out-of-the-way a situation, -as provisions were difficult to procure. Nothing daunted by such an -excuse the lady offered to supply the workmen with provisions at the -ordinary retail rate. This she did, but as she purchased her goods at -wholesale prices she found when she came to balance her accounts that -she was only 4d. out of pocket.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315">{315}</a></span></p> - -<p>The castle was erected in a twelvemonth and a day, and the date 1636 -appears on one of the mantelpieces.</p> - -<p>Smith states that the fortress was originally styled Castle Mahon or -O’Mahony’s Castle, and in an ancient MS. document (probably now in the -possession of Captain Shaw, late of the London Fire Brigade) it is -described as being “remade” at the above date, so that it may occupy the -site of an older stronghold.</p> - -<p>The following interesting extracts are taken from the manuscript alluded -to, which has been preserved in the Shaw family, they having at one time -leased the castle: “A.D. 1636, Monkstown Castle and court were remade. -Reader, you are to observe that it was not John Archdeacon, but his -wife, Anastatia Gould, who built the four castles of Monkstown, and the -court, in his absence, as he was from home. On his return he did not -like the building, and said that a building near a harbour was a -building of sedition, which, alas! turned out so.”</p> - -<p>“A.D. 1660.—Archdeacon died, as when Cromwell came to Ireland he was -deprived of his castle, lands, &c., but not his life, which they did not -covet.”</p> - -<p>In 1612 the wardship of the son of the late John Archdeacon, of -Monkstown, was given to Sir John Jephson Knt., and it was this ward’s -wife who afterwards built the castle.</p> - -<p>He died in 1660, and both he and his wife are buried in the disused -graveyard of Teampul Oen Bryn, west of the castle. Upon his tomb appears -a long Latin inscription which, among other things, states that—“Here -lies the body of that most noble man, John Archdeacon.”</p> - -<p>Colonel Hunks, one of the three deputed to execute the death warrant of -Charles I., was granted the lands of Monkstown by the Commonwealth -before the demise of John Archdeacon, who lost his estate on account of -loyalty to the Stewarts. Hunks sold it to Primate Boyle, brother of the -Earl of Cork, for £400.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316">{316}</a></span></p> - -<p>But it evidently returned to the Archdeacon family upon the Restoration, -for it was again confiscated in 1688 on account of the family’s loyalty -to King James.</p> - -<p>It then passed again into the hands of the Boyles, and through two -granddaughters of the Primate it descended to the present owners, the -Lords De Vesci and Longford.</p> - -<p>In 1700 Dive Downes writes: “Mr. O’Callaghan, a Protestant, lives in -Monkstown, in a good square castle with flankers.”</p> - -<p>Later in this century it was rented by the Government as a barrack.</p> - -<p>Lord De Vesci leased the castle to Bernard Shaw in 1861.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Smith, “County and City of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gibson, “History of Cork.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Windele, “Historical Notices of City of Cork,” &c.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317">{317}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="PORTUMNA_CASTLE" id="PORTUMNA_CASTLE"></a><i>PORTUMNA CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">There</span> have been three consecutive castles at Portumna, which is situated -in the Barony of Longford, Co. Galway. The town stands at the head of -Lough Derg, about eleven miles west of Birr. The name signifies “the -bank of the oak.”</p> - -<p>The territory formerly belonged to the O’Maddens, and was included in -the grant to De Burgo 1226.</p> - -<p>Soon after this the first castle was erected close to the River Shannon. -The ruins were removed some years ago, but its position can still be -traced.</p> - -<p>The second fortress, which was an imposing castellated building of the -Tudor period, was burnt in 1826. The chief apartments were the great -hall, handsome state drawing-room, and library—a beautiful long room in -the upper storey. They were all completely destroyed, only the walls -being left.</p> - -<p>Some of the out-offices were fitted up as a residence for the Dowager -Countess of Clanricard shortly afterwards.</p> - -<p>Since then the Earl of Clanricard has erected a magnificent modern -residence in the demesne, but on a different site.</p> - -<p>The manor passed, by the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of William de -Burgo, Earl of Ulster, to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, through whom it -passed to the Mortimers, and later to the Earls of Clanricard.</p> - -<p>In 1582 it was held by Ulick Burke, Earl of Clanricard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318">{318}</a></span> to whom -Portumna and the earldom were confirmed, as his brother John disputed -his right.</p> - -<p>In 1608 it was granted to the Earl, with other houses, to be held by -knight’s service <i>in capite</i>.</p> - -<p>The Earl of Strafford held a council in the castle in 1634 to establish -the King’s title in Connaught. The jury, however, negatived the matter, -whereupon the Earl arrested them and the sheriff, and sent them -prisoners to Dublin.</p> - -<p>In 1641, Ulic, 5th Earl of Clanricard, was at Portumna upon the breaking -out of hostilities. He fortified the castle and proceeded to Galway, of -which city he was governor. He used every effort to maintain peace, and -in 1650 was appointed Lord Deputy in place of Ormond. At this time he -made Portumna his chief place of residence.</p> - -<p>In 1659 General Ludlow laid siege to the fortress.</p> - -<p>In the struggle between James and William it was garrisoned for James, -but surrendered to Brigadier-General Eppinger, who, with one thousand -two hundred horse and dragoons, arrived to reduce it.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hardiman, “History of Galway.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lewis, “Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319">{319}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ROSCOMMON_CASTLE" id="ROSCOMMON_CASTLE"></a><i>ROSCOMMON CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">In</span> the Barony of South Ballintobber, County Roscommon, seventy-five -miles west-by-north of Dublin, stands the now ruined fortress of -Roscommon. Joyce says the name signifies “Coman’s wood,” from St. Comas, -who founded a monastery there about the year 746, but O’Donovan traces -its derivation from “crooked stick.”</p> - -<p>The plan of the castle consists of a quadrangular space enclosed by -curtain walls flanked at the angles by towers rounded on the outside. -The whole measures about 223 feet in length and 173 in breadth. On the -east side the entrance, under a pointed arch, was also protected by two -towers, which were connected by a rectangular building inside that -probably contained the state rooms.</p> - -<p>The lower storeys of the towers were vaulted, although some of them are -now broken. The upper floors have larger windows, and also the remains -of fireplaces. Most of the windows contain four lights, but some have -Elizabethan mullions.</p> - -<p>The north-west tower has a winding stair, which leads to the top of the -curtain wall. On the western side of the stronghold is a small -rectangular tower, which contained a little entrance.</p> - -<p>There is now no trace of the moat, but a few remains of earth outworks -are visible.</p> - -<p>On the east is a long enclosure surrounded by walls and flanked by -bastions, which is known as the orchard, although at present it contains -no trees.</p> - -<p>The north and south walls of the castle, which had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_320" id="page_320">{320}</a></span> broken down, -have been again raised for farming purposes. The inside of the walls -exhibit traces of blasting. The castle was built of blue limestone, and -much of the stone has been used elsewhere.</p> - -<p>Weld considers it likely that the fortress was built from an English -plan, and remarks on the apparent absence of patching, it all seeming to -date from the same period.</p> - -<p>Robert d’Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland, began to erect the castle in -1268, while Hugh, King of Connaught, was too ill to prevent such -encroachment on his territory. Some authorities state a fortress existed -here prior to this time. During 1270-72 there are numerous accounts of -payments for building and fortifying the stronghold.</p> - -<p>In 1275-76 is an entry of payment to Brother Maurice, Bishop of Elphin, -for the site that had been used, and which appears to have been Church -property.</p> - -<p>The castle is said to have been razed by O’Conor in 1272, but the word -“broken” used in the Book of Howth seems to be nearer the truth, as four -years later the Irish again seized it by scaling ladders and overthrew -the English garrison.</p> - -<p>In Weld’s Statistical Survey he gives an amusing account of the -contradictions which obscure the early history of the stronghold, and -from which it appears impossible to gather the true facts at this -distant period.</p> - -<p>In 1277 Sir Robert d’Ufford was again Lord Juctice, and with Thomas de -Clare, Maurice Fitz-Maurice and all their forces was hemmed in by the -Irish in the Slievebawn Mountains. They were only released on the -condition that Roscommon Castle was surrendered to the O’Conors.</p> - -<p>It is also chronicled that Hugh O’Conor destroyed it in this year and -that it was rebuilt by Maurice Fitz-Maurice.</p> - -<p>At any rate it seems again to have been in English possession in -1282-83, as there are entries regarding payment for its fortifications, -and a grant to the Prior and Convent of St. Coman of a right to water -their animals for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_321" id="page_321">{321}</a></span> ever at the lake under the castle. This sheet of -water, which was called Loch-na-nean, or “the lake of birds,” has now -entirely disappeared.</p> - -<p>The names of numerous constables of the castle are mentioned in the -State Documents.</p> - -<p>In 1290 the castle was garrisoned by Welshmen, and the townspeople were -in great distress because of the constables and bailiffs preying upon -them. The King issued an order that nothing must be taken without -consent and payment.</p> - -<p>There was a long trial in 1292 of William de Prene, a carpenter in -charge of works at Roscommon Castle, who was accused of various frauds -in connection with his contract.</p> - -<p>A very interesting account of repairs is recorded in 1304 which gives a -fair idea of the extent of the fortress. An artilleryman was paid for -repairing war engines, and the well was enclosed by a wall 3 feet thick. -It was 5 feet across and 32 feet deep, with a wooden cover. Three -drawbridges and two portcullisses are also mentioned. The postern was -closed with masonry 7 feet thick. The step of the hall repaired, and the -tower near it vaulted with two arches. Also St. Bridget’s well was -drained into the lake.</p> - -<p>Somewhere about this time Felim O’Conor is said to have laid low the -castle, while in 1341 his son Hugh was taken prisoner by the King of -Connaught and imprisoned in the stronghold, but was released for a -ransom the following year.</p> - -<p>Roderic O’Conor occupied the castle in 1375.</p> - -<p>While in possession of the O’Conors it was a constant source of dispute -between O’Conor Don and O’Conor Roe. In 1409, being in the former’s -possession, it was besieged by the latter, but the garrison was relieved -by Brian O’Conor Sligo, who managed to get provisions into the -fortress.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_322" id="page_322">{322}</a></span></p> - -<p>Rory O’Conor died there in 1453. Tadhg O’Conor was treacherously killed -by his own people in 1476, and they took the castle of Roscommon, but -did not keep it long.</p> - -<p>In 1499 the Earl of Kildare led his forces into Connaught, dislodged -O’Conor Roe and installed O’Conor Don. In 1512 the Earl of Kildare again -took the fortress, and this time he garrisoned it with his own warders. -It, however, immediately reverted to the O’Conors, and remained with -them until 1566, when it was taken for Queen Elizabeth.</p> - -<p>It had been granted to M’William Bourke in 1544, but as he would have -had to drive out the occupiers, it is not to be wondered at that he -never took possession.</p> - -<p>It was restored by the O’Conor Don, and Sir Thomas L’Estrange made -constable in 1569. The O’Conor Roe, having a spite against the -constable, attacked and burned the castle in 1573, and L’Estrange -claimed compensation to the amount of £1,000.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Sydney lodged a night in the castle in 1576, and complained of -having no cheer. The O’Conor Don visited him at this time.</p> - -<p>Sir Nicholas Maltbie, to whom the castle was leased in 1577, asked to be -made Seneschal of Roscommon in 1580 as compensation for rebuilding the -fortress.</p> - -<p>Captain Brabazon, Governor of Connaught, summoned a meeting of the -chiefs in the castle in 1582. It was held in the “Tower of the Narrow -Passages,” and the joistings giving way the whole meeting, including the -Governor, was precipitated to the bottom. Chief O’Flanagan died from the -fall.</p> - -<p>After this the English constable was murdered, and Sir Henry Sydney left -a garrison in the castle.</p> - -<p>Sir Nicholas Malbie died in 1584, and the castle remained in his -family’s possession for some years afterwards. In 1609 Lady Sydley, -widow of Henry Malby, Esq., asked allowance for the repairs of the -castles of Roscommon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_323" id="page_323">{323}</a></span> and Longford, both of which she rented from the -Crown. Roscommon had been ruined by various garrisons which had been -placed there by Sir John Norris and others.</p> - -<p>One of the charges against the northern Earls was their intention to -seize Roscommon Castle amongst others.</p> - -<p>The garrison made a brave defence against the Irish in 1642. The castle -was chiefly defended by Scotch warders. It is quaintly noted that at the -beginning of these “commotions” it had belonged to Lord Grandesson.</p> - -<p>Three years later General Preston arrived and laid siege to it, opening -fire on both town and castle.</p> - -<p>On the ninth day of the siege the garrison offered to make honourable -terms, which were accepted. The same day the besieging party had a sharp -encounter with a relieving force, who were, however, defeated, and the -castle surrendered. Captain Leicester was left in command.</p> - -<p>It remained in the possession of the Irish forces until 1652, when it -was delivered on articles to Commissary-General Reynolds, of the -Parliamentary troops, by Captain Daly.</p> - -<p>It is probable that it was demolished at this time. Tradition states it -was burned by fugitive Irish after the battle of Aughrim, and some -blackened joists are pointed out in corroboration.</p> - -<p>It is now leased to a farmer by the Earl of Essex.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Weld, “Statistical Survey of County Roscommon.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Conor Don, “O’Conors of Connaught.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Meehan, “Irish Franciscan Monasteries.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Documents.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS., including Hook of Howth.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Ordnance Survey.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murphy, “The Castle of Roscommon,” in <i>Journal of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_325" id="page_325">{325}</a></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_324" id="page_324">{324}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_036" id="ill_036"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_324.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>ROSS CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_326" id="page_326">{326}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ROSS_CASTLE" id="ROSS_CASTLE"></a><i>ROSS CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Its embers smouldering here and there,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Unfed, the civil war-flame dies;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But still defiant on the air,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">O’er Rosse the green flag proudly flies.<br /></span> -<span class="iast">* * * * *<br /></span> -<span class="i0">“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Till Birnam wood meets Dunsinane,’<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Macbeth before no foe shall quail,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And Rosse may all assaults disdain,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">’Till on Lough Lein strange ship shall sail.’<span class="lftspc">”</span><br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">A. B. Rowan.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> castle is situated on what is now known as the Island of Ross, on -the east shore of Lough Lene, or the Lower Lake of Killarney, about a -mile and three-quarters south of the town.</p> - -<p>The island has been artificially formed by cutting across the peninsula -or <i>ros</i> on which the fortress is built and from which it takes its -name.</p> - -<p>The channel, which is flooded by the waters of the lake, is crossed by a -bridge, although it is usually dry during the summer months.</p> - -<p>This bridge was formerly protected by a guard house and gates, which -were closed every night, sentinels being posted at the entrance when the -castle was garrisoned in later times.</p> - -<p>The present ruins consist of a keep, with the remains of the surrounding -bawn wall, which was flanked by semicircular towers at the corners. A -spiral stone stair leads<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_327" id="page_327">{327}</a></span> to the top of the keep, with doorways opening -at the various floors.</p> - -<p>The fortress is based on a limestone rock, and sustained on the land -side by a buttress of masonry.</p> - -<p>The peninsula contains 158 acres, and copper mines were opened on it in -1804, which were worked for four years, in which time £80,000 worth of -ore was extracted. Water getting in stopped further work. It was clearly -proved that the mines had been worked many centuries before, and a -number of stone implements, locally called “Danes’ hammers,” have been -found on the island.</p> - -<p>The castle is supposed to have been built towards the close of the -fourteenth century by the family of O’Donoghue-Ross, who added the -appellation of their home to distinguish them from the family of -O’Donoghue-More.</p> - -<p>A modern barrack capable of holding some two hundred men and officers -was erected against the keep, but when it ceased to be used Lord Kenmare -had the unsightly erection removed.</p> - -<p>There is a legend regarding a great and wise Prince O’Donoghue who -possessed the secret of eternal youth, and under whose rule the land -prospered greatly. It is related how that during a splendid feast at -Ross Castle he rose up amongst the company and made a prophetic oration, -recounting accurately all that the future years would bring. In the -midst of speaking he walked over to a window (which is still shown) and -through it he passed out over the lake. Upon nearing the centre he -turned round and waved his hand in farewell to those behind, and, the -waters opening, he disappeared beneath them.</p> - -<p>On May morning he is said to rise from his watery grave and ride over -the lake on a white steed, surrounded by beautiful women and youths. His -appearance is looked upon as a sign of a bountiful harvest.</p> - -<p>It is also related how a young maiden imagining herself<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_328" id="page_328">{328}</a></span> in love with -the phantom prince, cast herself into the lake on a May morning and was -drowned.</p> - -<p>The O’Donoghues were succeeded at Ross by the M’Carthy Mores, through -whom the castle passed in 1588 to Sir Valentine Browne, ancestor to the -present house of Kenmare.</p> - -<p>In 1651 Lord Muskerry was guardian to his nephew Sir Valentine Browne, -who was then a minor of about twelve years old. Hence it was that after -his defeat by the Parliamentary forces at Knockniclashy on the 5th of -July he retired with his army, numbering some one thousand five hundred -men, to Ross.</p> - -<p>Ludlow, accompanied by Lord Broghill and Sir Hardress Waller, followed -with four thousand horse and two thousand foot.</p> - -<p>Lord Muskerry was the last Royalist commander in arms, and his -submission was a matter of great moment.</p> - -<p>Ludlow reports that the castle was only accessible by the causeway which -the besieged had fortified, being otherwise surrounded by water and bog.</p> - -<p>Finding that this made the reduction of the fortress a matter of -difficulty, and probably hearing of the tradition which stated Ross -Castle could not fall until a ship should sail on the lake, Ludlow asked -for a small fleet of boats to be prepared for transport at Kinsale.</p> - -<p>In the meantime he found that the besieged were obtaining supplies -through the thick woods surrounding the island. A force of two thousand -foot were, therefore, despatched to clear the thickets. Some of the -enemy were killed, some taken prisoners, and the rest saved themselves -“by their good footmanship.”</p> - -<p>The rest of Ludlow’s forces were employed in fortifying the peninsular -so that a few men could keep the besieged in, while a large company was -despatched to Killorgan, on Castlemain Bay, to receive the boats and -supplies.</p> - -<p>The preparation for the expedition was undertaken by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_329" id="page_329">{329}</a></span> the Rev. Dr. -Jones, and the command was given to Captain Chudleigh.</p> - -<p>The vessels were sent in pieces, so that the workmen who accompanied -them could put them together in a few days. Two pinnaces carrying -ordnance, and capable of holding fifty (or Ludlow says a hundred and -fifty) men, were forwarded so as to be ready for use in two days. Also -five or six boats to hold fifty men each, and material to make more.</p> - -<p>Great has been the controversy as to what route was followed in -conveying these vessels to Killarney. The River Laune, which drains the -lakes, is not navigable above the place where Ludlow’s force was to -receive the goods.</p> - -<p>Tradition asserts that they were conveyed by the mountain road, and in -Ware’s Annals it is recorded that a ship was “carried over the -mountains.” On the other hand, Smith distinctly says they were “brought -up by the River Lane, by strength of men’s hands.” He also relates how a -recent sexton of Swords, called Hopkins (who had died at the age of -115), had been one of those who “assisted in drawing the above-mentioned -vessel into the lake.” It is, therefore, likely that Smith’s informant -on the matter had received the correct impression from an eye witness.</p> - -<p>On Captain Chudleigh’s tomb at St. Multon’s, Kinsale, the fact is -recorded of his having constructed a ship to sail on land for the -reduction of Ross.</p> - -<p>Some naval men are said to have drawn a vessel up the Laune in later -years.</p> - -<p>It is on the whole most likely that the hulls of the pinnaces were -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.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_330" id="page_330">{330}</a></span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Fair terms were granted to the Royalist Army, and five thousand horse -and foot laid down their arms.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. F. Cusack, “History of Kerry.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">I. Weld, “Illustrations of Killarney.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Savage, “Picturesque Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “State of County Kerry.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Cook, “Murray’s Handbook for Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Mr. and Mrs. Hall, “Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Prendergast, “Surrender of Ross Castle”; A. B. Rowan, Notes on same, <i>Journal of Kilkenny Archæological Society</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_331" id="page_331">{331}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ROSSCLOGHER_CASTLE" id="ROSSCLOGHER_CASTLE"></a><i>ROSSCLOGHER CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> 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.</p> - -<p>The Four Masters record the miraculous formation of the lake in 4694 -<small>B.C.</small>, 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The lake fortress of Rossclogher was built by one of this family before -the reign of Henry VIII., but the exact date is unknown.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The structure upon which the fortress is built is like that of the Hag’s -Castle in Lough Mask, and Cloughoghter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_332" id="page_332">{332}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The ruins of a church are also on the mainland, within hailing distance -of the castle.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>In 1588 three ships belonging to the Spanish Armada were wrecked on -Streedagh Strand.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>After various wanderings, sufferings and ill-treatment in the -neighbourhood, he met a priest who directed him, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_333" id="page_333">{333}</a></span> 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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_334" id="page_334">{334}</a></span> retired to the castle, taking with them the church valuables, -three or four boat-loads of stones, six muskets, six crossbows, and -other arms.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_335" id="page_335">{335}</a></span> promising the garrison a free pass to -Spain. This they pretended not to understand.</p> - -<p>The siege lasted seventeen days, when a great snowstorm obliged the -Deputy to return south.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>Thus in trying to reach Rossclogher fortress MacClancy lost his life, -his head being exhibited in triumph.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Upon approaching Lough Melvin from one direction at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_336" id="page_336">{336}</a></span> about a mile -distant the castle of Rossclogher bears a most remarkable resemblance to -a ship in full sail upon the lake.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">H. Allingham, “Captain Cuellar’s Adventures in Connaught and Ulster,” with Translation of Narrative, by R. Crawford.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">O’Reilly, “Remarks on Captain Cuellar’s Narrative,” in Proceedings of Royal Irish Academy.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_337" id="page_337">{337}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="SHANES_CASTLE" id="SHANES_CASTLE"></a><i>SHANE’S CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“In th’ historic pages of Erin’s green isle<br /></span> -<span class="i2">How bright shines the name of old Phelim the brave,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Who lived where the groves of Shane’s Castle now smile,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And Neagh’s crystal waters the green meadows lave.”<br /></span> -<span class="i10">J. S. M. C.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> ancient name of this fortress was Edan-dubh-Cairrge, meaning “the -front or brow of the black rock.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_338" id="page_338">{338}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_037" id="ill_037"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_337.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>SHANE’S CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_339" id="page_339">{339}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_340" id="page_340">{340}</a></span> </p> - -<p class="nind">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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Edenduffcarrick belonged to the O’Neills of Clandaboy, and a younger -branch of the great Tyrone family.</p> - -<p>They were descendants of Hugh O’Neill, surnamed <i>buide</i> or -<i>boy</i>—yellow-haired, from which fact the district got its name.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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 <i>alias</i> Eden Doucarg (now Edenduffcarrick or Shane’s castle, in -the county of Antrim) and Castle Toome.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>A writer about 1586, describing Antrim, states that Edenduffcarrig and -Belfast were the only wardable castles at that time.</p> - -<p>In 1588-89 Lower Clandaboy was divided between Shane M’Brian M’Felim -O’Neill, and Neale M’Hue, son of Hue<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_341" id="page_341">{341}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_342" id="page_342">{342}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>After this the chieftains of both the Clandaboys laid down their arms -and gave hostages.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.”</p> - -<p>A new door was ordered, and also a more plentiful stock of provisions -for the garrison.</p> - -<p>In 1598 Sir Hugh O’Neill resided at Edenduffcarrick, it having passed -again out of the hands of the Government.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_343" id="page_343">{343}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>A most interesting note from Mrs. Siddon’s diary, mentioning her visit -to the castle in 1783, is as follows:—</p> - -<p>“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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_344" id="page_344">{344}</a></span> 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.”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The sky was crimson for miles round, and people flocked to all the -adjacent hills to witness the magnificent sight.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>“The Rockery,” formed from an ancient quarry and stocked with rare -plants, is one of the attractions of the demesne.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of State Papers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">G. Hill, “Macdonnells of Antrim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. S. Smith, “Shane’s Castle.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">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 <i>Ulster Journal of Archæology</i>.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_345" id="page_345">{345}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="SWORDS_CASTLE" id="SWORDS_CASTLE"></a><i>SWORDS CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">About</span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_346" id="page_346">{346}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_038" id="ill_038"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_345.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>SWORDS CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>In the line of walls is a large window which once<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_347" id="page_347">{347}</a></span> 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.</p> - -<p>The situation of the chapel may still be discerned by the remnants of -some of the stone carving which once adorned its sacred walls.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>King Henry III. enlarged the possessions and added new privileges to the -manor, which he granted to Henry de Loundres in 1216, on condition that -he should build and maintain Castlekevin, near Glendalough, County -Wicklow, to defend the pale in that quarter from the invasions of the -great Irish families of O’Toole and O’Byrne.</p> - -<p>We read later (1380) that Sir Nicholas Daggeworth seized the manor of -Swords as Commissioner of Forfeitures, on the plea that the conditions -above stated had not been complied with. He, however, afterwards -confessed that the charge had not been proved, and therefore a writ of -restitution was issued by the Treasurers and Barons of the Exchequer to -Robert de Wykeford, Archbishop of Dublin.</p> - -<p>The great prelates seem to have lived in almost royal state within their -manor of Swords. They had their own seneschal, who was exempt from the -authority of the sheriff of the county, and the law courts. The -archbishops could try every case except the four pleas of the Crown, and -their gallows was erected near the town on an eminence since known as -Gallows Hill. Every writ issued from the civil courts had to be -transferred to the prelates’ seneschal before it could be served.</p> - -<p>The office of chief constable of the palace was a post of considerable -importance, and survived the occupation of the castle for a considerable -time. William Galrote held<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_348" id="page_348">{348}</a></span> the position in 1220, Sampson de Crumba in -1240, and Thomas Fitzsimons in 1547.</p> - -<p>In 1624 we read that Patrick Barnewell, of Grace Dieu, received pardon -for alienation of certain interests, amongst which was the Constableship -of Swords with ten acres in the Broad Meadow that belonged to the -office.</p> - -<p>It was most likely in connection with this post that the Lords of -Kingsland were required to attend the Archbishop whenever he visited -Swords, and to hold his stirrup as he mounted or dismounted, for which -service they held lands to the value of some £300 a year.</p> - -<p>It seems to be uncertain at what exact period the castle ceased to be -used as a residence by the Archbishops, but in 1324 Alexander de Bicknor -built the archiepiscopal palace of Tallaght, which was used as a country -seat for the Archbishops for centuries, and only ceased to be considered -as a palace in 1821.</p> - -<p>It is most likely, therefore, that the invasion of Ireland by Edward -Bruce, brother to the King of Scotland, rendered the position of Swords -palace (which was not wholly built for defence) a somewhat dangerous -one, as Bruce, having his headquarters at Dundalk, was in possession of -the country almost up to the walls of Dublin.</p> - -<p>In 1326 this same Alexander de Bicknor having displeased Edward II., and -also being in arrears with his accounts as Lord Treasurer, the profits -of his See were seized by the King to compensate for the deficiency, and -in order to ascertain their real value inquisitions by jurors were held -on the different manors.</p> - -<p>The finding as regards the palace of Swords was as follows:—</p> - -<p>“Who being sworn, say on oath, that there is in this place a hall, and -the chamber adjoining said hall, the walls of which are of stone, -crenelated after the manner of a castle, and covered with shingles.</p> - -<p>“Further, there is a kitchen, together with a larder, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_349" id="page_349">{349}</a></span> walls of -which are of stone, roofed with shingles. And there is in the same place -a chapel, the walls of which are of stone, roofed with shingles. Also -there was in the same a chamber for friars, with a cloister, which is -now prostrate. Also, there are in the same place a chamber, or -apartment, for the constables by the gate, and four chambers for -soldiers and warders, roofed with shingles, under which are a stable and -bake-house.</p> - -<p>“Also, there were here a house for a dairy, and a workshop, which are -now prostrate. Also, there is on the premises in the haggard a shed made -of planks, and thatched with straw. Also, a granary, built with timber -and roofed with boards. Also, a byre, for the housing of farm horses and -bullocks.</p> - -<p>“The profits of all the above-recited premises, they return as of no -value, because nothing is to be derived from them, either in the letting -of the houses, or in any other way. And they need thorough repair, -inasmuch as they are badly roofed.”</p> - -<p>This gives some idea of the lost buildings, and also shows that even at -this date the castle was beginning to decay.</p> - -<p>Later the manor of Swords seems several times to have been granted to -archbishops who wished during their lives to resign the arduous duties -of the See. In 1484 we read that “Doctor Walton, Archbishop of Dublin, -being blind and infirm, resigned his dignity, and reserved to himself -for a maintenance the manor of Swords during his life, which reservation -was confirmed to him by Act of Parliament during the following year.” -And again, in 1562, it is recorded that, by Act of Parliament, John, -late Archbishop of Dublin, was assured the manor of Swords for his life -in consideration of surrendering the bishopric to Walter FitzSymons.</p> - -<p>There is no evidence to show that these aged prelates ever resided in -the castle, and as the following extract,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_350" id="page_350">{350}</a></span> written in 1583, records its -state of ruin, it is most likely they were content with the revenues -alone.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Sydney, Lord Deputy in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, when sending -to Sir Francis Walsingham a summary of his services in Ireland, says: “I -caused to plant and inhabit there about forty families of the reformed -churches of the Low Countries, flying thence for religion’s sake, in one -ruinous town called Surds (Swords). And truly (Sir) it would have done -any man good to have seen how diligently they wrought, how they -re-edified the quite spoiled old castle of the same town and repaired -almost all the same, and how godly and cleanly they, their wives and -children lived. They made diaper and ticks for beds, and other good -stuff for man’s use, and excellent good leather of deer skins, goat and -sheep fells, as is made at Southwark.”</p> - -<p>Upon the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland the castle ground was -purchased by the late Charles Cobbe, Esq., who leased it to the late -Henry Baker, Esq., whose successor still holds the land.</p> - -<p>The ground enclosed by the walls is at present laid out as an orchard -and garden, and the castellated battlements, which were built to protect -the royal state of wealthy prelates, have now no sterner duty than to -shelter the delicate apple blossoms from the harsh spring winds, and to -catch the sun-rays for the ripening fruit.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Right Rev. W. Reeves, D.D., Pamphlet 011 “Antiquities of Swords.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Rev. Canon Twigg, MS. Paper read to Antiquarian Society.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Grose, “Antiquities of Ireland.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “Archbishops of Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Calendar of Carew MSS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_351" id="page_351">{351}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="TILLYRA_CASTLE" id="TILLYRA_CASTLE"></a><i>TILLYRA CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Not</span> far from Ardrahan, in the County Galway, stands this castle, which -originally belonged to the Burkes or De Burgos. We read that Ulick, 3rd -Earl of Clanricarde, married a daughter of Burke of Tullyra, but it -seems to have passed to the Martyns during the sixteenth century. This -is generally supposed to have been through marriage. Hogan mentions the -Martins of Tillyra in 1598.</p> - -<p>In one of the upper chambers is carved the date 1614, accompanied by the -initials “S. B.”</p> - -<p>A somewhat modern doorway opening into the courtyard is surmounted by a -stone shield bearing the Martyn arms. They are said to have been -presented to the family by Richard I., who was accompanied by Oliver -Martyn when he went to the Holy Land.</p> - -<p>Underneath the arms on the right side are the letters “R.M.,” and on the -left “C. M.”</p> - -<p>In 1702 Oliver Martin of Tulliry, Esq., was allowed to retain his lands -after the rebellion, because he had assisted so many Protestants during -the insurrection. This was an almost unique concession at the time.</p> - -<p>The present owner, Mr. Edward Martyn, of literary fame, has recently -erected a beautiful modern mansion near the old fortress.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Fahey, “History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Kilmacduagh.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. Hardiman, “History of Galway.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hogan, “Description of Ireland, 1598.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_352" id="page_352">{352}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="TIMON_CASTLE" id="TIMON_CASTLE"></a><i>TIMON CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This</span> fortress was one of the castles of the Pale, and is situated in the -County of Dublin on the right-hand side of the road which leads from -Balrothery to Greenhills.</p> - -<p>The name Timon or Timothan is derived from <i>Teach-Munna</i>, signifying -“the house of St. Munna.”</p> - -<p>The stronghold is built upon an esker and is therefore conspicuous for a -considerable distance round.</p> - -<p>There seems to be no trace of outworks, which were probably unnecessary -owing to the castle having formerly been surrounded by marshes. In -recent years the land has been drained and the water carried off by a -small stream which crosses the road near the castle and is a tributary -of the Poddle.</p> - -<p>The building consists of a square keep with a projecting stair tower -adjoining the south-west angle, which is now covered with ivy. The main -structure was formerly divided into two floors by an arched roof over -the lower room. The battlement slightly projects. The east wall has been -destroyed, while about two-thirds of the north wall and some of the -south have gone. The western side is still perfect.</p> - -<p>There is a narrow window splayed outwards on the ground floor, while -several “slit” windows and larger openings are noticeable at different -heights. There are a few recesses in the walls.</p> - -<p>A flue projection resting on two corbels is to be seen near the summit, -and also a walk inside the battlements at the top of the tower.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_353" id="page_353">{353}</a></span></p> - -<p>The entrance was in the west wall, and a small machicolation for pouring -lead or water on an enemy was situated over the arched doorway. There -were holes at each side of the entrance for securing it with wooden -bars.</p> - -<p>A great rent now runs from base to summit of the ruin.</p> - -<p>A view of the castle as it was in 1770 is published in Handcock’s -“History of Tallaght.”</p> - -<p>The fortress is supposed to have been erected in the reign of King John, -who granted the manor to Henry de Loundres for his expenses incurred in -fortifying Dublin Castle. This grant was confirmed in 1231.</p> - -<p>Timon was constituted a prebend of St. Patrick’s in 1247, and it is so -still, but without endowment, though in 1306 it was valued at £10 a -year.</p> - -<p>In an inquisition in 1547 it is described as a “ruinous fortress,” and -three years later being a suppressed prebend it was granted to -Bartholomew Cusack for twenty-one years. Two or three years later the -lands were granted to James Sedgrove, after which they were purchased by -Sir Charles Wilmot, from whom they passed to the Loftus family.</p> - -<p>Dudley Loftus was in possession of the castle when he died in 1616, and -in 1618 the property was confirmed to Sir Adam Loftus.</p> - -<p>William Conolly purchased the estate, which still remains in his family.</p> - -<p>Some peasantry inhabited the castle towards the close of the eighteenth -century.</p> - -<p>There was once a village of Timon, of which no trace now remains.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D’Alton, “History of County Dublin.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Handcock, “History of Tallaght.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Rambles Around Dublin,” in <i>Evening Telegraph</i> Reprints.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Dix, “Lesser Castles of the County Dublin,” in <i>Irish Builder</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Joyce, “Irish Names of Places.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_354" id="page_354">{354}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="TRALEE_CASTLE" id="TRALEE_CASTLE"></a><i>TRALEE CASTLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> town of Tralee, formerly Traleigh, meaning the “strand of the River -Leigh,” is situated in the Barony of Trughenackmy, in the County Kerry. -It is nearly two miles east-north-east of Tralee Harbour, and the Lee -Rivulet, from which it takes its name, formerly filled the moat of the -great castle. Sir Thomas Denny made it run along the Mall in the -eighteenth century, and it is now covered over.</p> - -<p>The town had originally four castles, only two of which were standing -during the famous siege of 1641. Short Castle had disappeared in 1756, -while the great castle was demolished in 1826 by consent of its owner, -Sir Edward Denny, for the improvement of the town. Its former site, and -that of the bowling green attached, is now occupied by the handsome -thoroughfare known as Denny Street. The entrance to the castle demesne -or “green,” is at the top of this street, and the public have always had -access to it.</p> - -<p>The great mahogany doors from the castle may still be seen, cut down to -fit ordinary doorways, in the houses in Denny Street belonging to Sir -John Neligan and Mr. Francis M’G. Denny. Mr. Denny also possesses some -parts of a grey stone mantelpiece carved in high relief with the Denny -arms, crest, and motto, which also came from the old fortress.</p> - -<p>This last castle was a restoration of the chief seat of the Desmond -FitzGeralds for close on four hundred years.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_355" id="page_355">{355}</a></span></p> - -<p>There are several versions of the legend which accounts for the crest -and supporters of the Geraldines being represented by monkeys. One of -these is that in 1261, after the battle of Callen, where MacCarthy Reigh -slew the chief heads of the Munster FitzGeralds, only a little baby of -eight months old, at nurse in Tralee, was left to represent the great -family. Upon hearing the news of the disaster the child’s attendants -rushed into the streets, when to their horror they presently beheld -their charge exhibited on the battlements of the castle in the arms of a -pet ape. The animal, however, returned the baby unharmed to his cradle, -and afterwards this Desmond was known as “Thomas a Nappagh” or “of the -ape.” Some authorities mention the abbey as the scene of the child’s -escape.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Sidney, in his report on Munster, declared that there would be -“neither peace nor order in the South, until the palatine jurisdiction -of both Ormond and Desmond (East and South Munster) were reduced.”</p> - -<p>Therefore, in 1576 Sir William Drury, Lord President of Munster, -declared his intention of giving the Queen’s writ currency in the -palatinate.</p> - -<p>At the Council the Earl of Desmond tried to dissuade him, but being -unsuccessful he offered him hospitality during his visit.</p> - -<p>Upon approaching Tralee the Lord President was met by seven or eight -hundred armed men who emerged from the cover of the wood, and rushed -towards him shouting and brandishing their weapons. Sir William, not -knowing whether the display was friendly or otherwise, determined to be -on the safe side, and gathering his body guard of a hundred and twenty -men round him, he charged the on-coming troop, who did not wait for an -attack, but withdrew as hastily as they had advanced.</p> - -<p>The President rode on to the castle, where he demanded admittance and -explanation, both of which were given to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_356" id="page_356">{356}</a></span> him by the Countess, who -received him at the entrance, and assured him (or endeavoured to do so) -that he had but received an Irish welcome, and that her husband had -meant no harm, but awaited him in the fortress to go hunting.</p> - -<p>In 1579 Sir William Drury, then Lord Deputy, sent Henry Danvers to the -Desmonds to enlist their aid in repelling a threatened invasion of some -foreign mercenaries. This he failed to do, and upon his return journey -he slept a night in Tralee Castle, having formerly been a great friend -of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s brother. This friendship is said to -have weakened Sir John’s influence among his countrymen, and that in -consequence he determined to show it had ceased to exist. Be that as it -may, he demanded admittance to the castle during the night, and he and -his followers murdered Sir Henry Danvers, the Justices Meade and -Charters, and their servants, while they slept. It is said that Danvers -awoke and seeing Sir John said, “My son, what is the matter?” But his -murderer answered, “No more of son, no more of father, make thyself -ready, for die thou shalt.”</p> - -<p>Tradition always pointed out a room in the castle as the scene of the -murder, which had a small room off it in the thickness of the walls, -from which access was obtained to a narrow stairway and postern. This -was commonly called the “murdering hole,” and regarded with great -superstition.</p> - -<p>A despatch to Cecil in 1580 states “all the houses in Trally burnte and -the castles raised.”</p> - -<p>The Earl of Desmond’s estate was forfeited in 1583.</p> - -<p>“Traylye” was granted to Sir Edward Denny in 1587, and delivered to him -by Mr. Thomas Norreys.</p> - -<p>The castle was at this time in a ruined condition, and when the family -came to Ireland they resided at Carrignafeely Manor until the close of -James I.’s reign.</p> - -<p>The “Sugan” Earl of Desmond seized the fortress in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_357" id="page_357">{357}</a></span> 1599 and employed a -hundred and fifty men to undermine it. Sir Charles Wilmot surprised the -rebels with fifty horse. He killed thirty-two, and seized the arms of -about a hundred more while the rest escaped to the mountains.</p> - -<p>In 1627 Edward Denny, grandson to the first grantee, began to rebuild -the stronghold.</p> - -<p>Upon the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641 Sir Edward Denny -collected his English tenants and the loyal Irish, and they fortified -themselves in the two castles. Lady Denny and her children went to -England, while Sir Edward joined the President. His step-father, Sir -Thomas Harris, took command of the Tralee garrisons, but it was not -until early in the following year that the Irish laid siege to the town, -under the command of Florence Carty with six hundred men.</p> - -<p>The guns of Short Castle opened fire, but nevertheless the Irish raided -the town. They stripped or murdered all the inhabitants they captured, -and hundreds fled to the two strongholds for protection.</p> - -<p>Upon the 10th of February a spy named Laurence gained admittance to the -larger castle, on the plea of seeing the Governor, who was asleep. He -carried a pass from the rebel poet, Pierce Ferriter, who commanded the -Irish forces in the district. His movements at length awakening -suspicion he was taken prisoner.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this the Irish took possession of the town during the -night. The guns of both castles played with little effect, and some of -the inhabitants were drawn up into Short Castle by ropes. The Provost, -who had left the town to see to some outlying property, was prevented -returning, and Sir Thomas Harris had command of both castles, a line -from the top of each conveying letters from one fortress to the other.</p> - -<p>About four hundred persons fled to the strongholds, so that the -provisions intended to last two years gave out in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_358" id="page_358">{358}</a></span> seven months. Water -failed, and although thirteen wells were sunk twenty feet each, only -thick black water could be procured.</p> - -<p>Captain Ferriter and a townsman of Tralee demanded a parley with Sir -Thomas and asked him to surrender, but he refused.</p> - -<p>They then hauled “sow” engines against the strongholds. The one sent -against the great castle was smashed by a small cannon ball, and a -cooper in Short Castle dislodged a pinnacle of the building on the top -of the other, which they afterwards burnt. The Irish lost about twenty -men and their engines in the attack.</p> - -<p>An effort was made to relieve the town by sea, but the small force sent -for the purpose was entirely routed.</p> - -<p>When the siege had lasted about six months Sir Thomas Harris fell ill -and died through bad water and anxiety.</p> - -<p>Immediately after the provisions giving out the garrisons capitulated, -the terms being their lives and a suit of clothes each. Most of them -joined Colonel Crosbie in Ballingarry fortress on an island in the -Shannon.</p> - -<p>Of the six hundred within the castles of Tralee three hundred died -during the siege. They were reduced to eating bran, tallow, and raw -hides.</p> - -<p>The castles were burnt upon being surrendered.</p> - -<p>The great castle was shortly afterwards restored, but in 1691 it was -again burned, by Sir James Colter’s orders, and when the Royalists were -defeated at Lixnaw the two Irish officers who carried out the order -would have been hanged but for the intervention of Colonel Edward Denny. -The famous “Denny Bible” in which this conflagration is recorded belongs -to Tralee church, to which it was presented by the Denny family.</p> - -<p>In 1698 the House of Commons decided to help in the rebuilding of the -castle.</p> - -<p>This fortress was of an L shape, but Sir Edward Denny,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_359" id="page_359">{359}</a></span> 3rd baronet, who -succeeded to the title in 1795, added another wing in 1804, which -contained several fine saloons, a large hall with a handsome circular -staircase and other apartments. Soon after 1820 Sir Edward went to live -in England.</p> - -<p>A black coach, with headless horses and coachman, was formerly said to -drive through Tralee upon the death of one of the Denny family, and if -any one looked out at it, a basin of blood was thrown in his face. Of -later years a banshee is said to have taken its place.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. Smith, “State of the County Kerry.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. A. Hickson, “Old Kerry Records.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">“The Antiquities of Tralee,” in <i>Kerry Magazine</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">J. J. Howard, “Miscellanea Genealogica.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">M. Hickson, “Ireland in the Seventeenth Century.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gilbert, “The Castle of Dublin,” in <i>Dublin University Magazine</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Carew MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Parliamentary Gazetteer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_360" id="page_360">{360}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="TRIM_CASTLE" id="TRIM_CASTLE"></a><i>TRIM CASTLE</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“What! rate—rebuke—and roughly send to prison<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The immediate heir of England! Was this easy?<br /></span> -<span class="i1">May this be washed in Lethe—and forgotten?”<br /></span> -<span class="i10"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> ancient name of Trim was Ath Truim, signifying “the ford of the -boortrees” or elders, the latter half of which appellation alone -remains. It is situated on the Boyne, twenty-two and a half miles -north-west by west of Dublin on the Enniskillen road.</p> - -<p>The castle lies east of the town, on the right bank of the river, and -has been said to be the only castle in Ireland deserving the name. It is -certainly the finest specimen of the Anglo-Norman fortress, and was one -of the chief strongholds of the Pale. It occupies a sloping mound and -its walls enclose a triangular area of about three acres, which measures -486 yards in circumference, and was protected by eight circular flanking -towers at nearly equal distances and two gate towers.</p> - -<p>The north-east side was formerly washed by the Boyne, but now a low -meadow intervenes.</p> - -<p>On the west or town side a gate-tower occupies the centre. The grooves -for the portcullis are still perfect, and from abutting masonry it would -appear that there had once been a drawbridge and barbican. The lower -portion of the tower is rectangular and the upper part octagonal.</p> - -<p>In the southern side is a circular gate tower of Gothic shape. Here also -are the portcullis grooves visible and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_361" id="page_361">{361}</a></span> a recess for the windlass, as -well as the remains of arches over the moat, and a barbican beyond.</p> - -<p>A moat or ditch surrounded the fortress, on the two sides not washed by -the Boyne, which was supplied with water by a small stream.</p> - -<p>Where the town wall joined the castle at the south-west angle a mound of -earth has been artificially raised to the height of the castle wall. -This was probably done for the mounting of cannon when the castle was -re-fortified in 1647.</p> - -<p>One of the towers near this mound was cleared in 1836. It is of three -storeys, and the upper part was found to be a pigeon-house, having holes -for 60 or 80 pair, while the lower storey contained a postern leading to -the level of the moat water. In 1425 it is recorded that the King -granted the custody of the dove-cot to Thomas Brown, with pasture called -the Castle Orchard.</p> - -<p>The north angle of the bawn contains the ruins of several buildings, one -being of three storeys with a high gable, and four large windows in the -wall towards the river. The piers for the arched roof are still to be -seen, and it is likely to have been the banqueting hall or chapel. A -large vault extends under part of it. In one of the towers near this the -mint is supposed to have been situated. Another tower contains the -remains of a small chapel.</p> - -<p>The keep consists of a rectangular figure, on each side of which a small -square tower abuts, thus forming a twenty-sided figure from which -missiles could be showered in all directions. The walls of the centre -tower are twelve feet thick, while those of the adjoining ones measure -from four to six feet. Winding stairways lead to the summit, at some 60 -feet from the ground, while on each angle of the centre tower is a -square turret nearly 17 feet in height.</p> - -<p>After Hugh de Lacy had been granted Meath in 1173<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_362" id="page_362">{362}</a></span> he erected the castle -of Trim to guard his possessions. He surrounded it with a moat, and -furnished it with stores. He then entrusted its custody to Hugh Tyrrell -and proceeded to England. No sooner had he left than Roderick O’Connor, -King of Connaught, descended on Trim with a large army. Tyrrell sent -messages to Strongbow for aid, but in the meantime, finding himself -unable to hold the fortress, he evacuated and burnt it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="ill_039" id="ill_039"></a><br /> -<img src="images/ill_pg_361.jpg" width="550" alt="[Image unavailable]" /> -<div class="caption"><p>TRIM CASTLE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The news was brought to Strongbow as he marched to its relief, and upon -his arrival finding the Irish had retreated, and having nowhere to -lodge, he pursued them and killed a hundred and fifty.</p> - -<p>Giraldus states that the castle was rebuilt by Raymond le Gros, who had -marched to its relief with Strongbow, having joined the expedition on -the day of his marriage.</p> - -<p>King John stayed at Trim, but he did not lodge in the castle, although -one of the towers is called after him, and his signet ring is said to -have been found in the enclosure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_363" id="page_363">{363}</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1215 letters were sent from the King to Thomas Fitzadam to surrender -the castle, and five years later it was restored by William Peppard, -Lord of Tabor.</p> - -<p>At this time Meath was wasted by the quarrels between William, Earl -Marshal, and Sir Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster.</p> - -<p>There was an order in 1224 from Henry III. to the Lord Justice to allow -Walter de Lacy to occupy a hall, rooms, and chambers in the castle. The -same year the fortress was besieged.</p> - -<p>De Lacy died in 1241, and through the female line the castle passed into -the hands of Roger Mortimer, who landed in Ireland in 1308 and took -possession.</p> - -<p>Upon the invasion of Edward Bruce, Mortimer fled to Dublin, and Lord -Walter Cusacke occupied Trim.</p> - -<p>Orders for repairing the great hall were issued in 1326, and it was most -likely at this time that the two arches which formerly crossed the -northern division of the keep were erected, for when they fell in 1820 -the plaster showed they had been added after the walls were built.</p> - -<p>In 1330 Edward III. granted to Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, the moiety -of Meath and the privileges exercised in Trim Castle. He was hanged as a -traitor the same year, but Trim was restored to his widow.</p> - -<p>Roger, Earl of March, was killed by the Irish in 1398, and the next year -Richard II. landed at Waterford to avenge his cousin’s death, with -Humphrey, son of the Duke of Gloucester and Henry (afterwards Henry V.), -son of the Duke of Lancaster. The boys he brought with him as hostages, -and upon returning to England he left them as prisoners in Trim Castle. -A very small steel spur, inlaid with silver, was found in the castle -yard in 1836, which may have belonged to one of the princes.</p> - -<p>In 1400 Henry IV. appointed a custodian to the late Earl of March’s -records at Trim and elsewhere. At this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_364" id="page_364">{364}</a></span> time the castle was in his hands -owing to the minority of the heir.</p> - -<p>The Privy Council in England (1403) notified to the King that the castle -was in a most dilapidated condition.</p> - -<p>From this time forward Parliaments were continually held at Trim, while -in 1418 the Earl of Kildare, Sir Christopher Preston, and John Bedlow -were imprisoned in the castle.</p> - -<p>Four years later Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, resided in the -fortress, and in 1425 Edmund, Earl of March, died there while Lord -Deputy.</p> - -<p>But, perhaps, the most palmy days of Trim Castle were in 1449, when -Richard, Duke of York, came to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant, and held his -court there.</p> - -<p>The mint was opened in 1460, and the following year Christopher Fox was -appointed Comptroller.</p> - -<p>A Parliament held at Trim in 1465 enacted that any one discovered -robbing might be killed, and in Meath their heads were to be sent to the -Portreffe of the town of Trim, to be put on the castle wall. Several -skulls have been found in the moat.</p> - -<p>In 1495 an Act of Parliament passed at Drogheda provided that only -Englishmen should be constables of Trim and the other principal castles.</p> - -<p>The liberty and lordship of Trim were at this time annexed to the Crown -for ever.</p> - -<p>In 1541 an order was issued to restore the castle, half the cost of -which was to be paid by the country.</p> - -<p>A grant was made to Sir James Carroll, Lord Mayor of Dublin, in 1610, to -build upon the ruins of the castle a house for the King, and also a jail -within the castle enclosure.</p> - -<p>Colonel Fenwicke occupied the fortress with a regiment of foot and some -troops of horse in 1647. It was in the Royalists’ hands until the fall -of Drogheda, in 1649, and the garrison disobeyed the Duke of Ormond’s -instruc<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_365" id="page_365">{365}</a></span>tions to destroy the place before letting it fall into the hands -of Sir Charles Coote and his army.</p> - -<p>It is stated that the yellow steeple near having been treacherously -delivered into the hands of the Cromwellians, was used as a vantage -point to make the castle untenable, and that afterwards when the -Governor of the castle was reinstated he had one side of the tower blown -up. It was in a sally from the town of Trim that Sir Charles Coote lost -his life.</p> - -<p>It is reported Cromwell-spent one night in the castle, but there is no -evidence that this is the case.</p> - -<p>Adam Loftus sold the castle to Sir James Shean in 1666, and it seems to -have been in military occupation in 1690. The whole property was -purchased by the Wellesleys, who afterwards sold it to Colonel Leslie.</p> - -<p>It is now in Lord Dunsany’s possession.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td class="c"><span class="smcap">Authorities Consulted.</span></td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">R. Butler, “Castle of Trim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">W. Wilde, “The Boyne and Blackwater.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">E. Evans, “Trim.”</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">P. Joyce, “Irish Place Names.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="fint"><i>Elliot Stock, Paternoster Row, London.</i></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/back.jpg" width="550" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Castles of Ireland, by -C. L. 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