THE AGE OF CHRIST, 1594. The Age of Christ, one thousand five hundred ninety-four.
Mac Mahon, Lord of East Corca-Bhaiscinn, died, namely, Teige, the son of Murrough, son of Teige Roe, son of Turlough, son of Teige; and his son, Turlough Roe, took bis place.
O'Sullivan Beare (Owen, the son of Dermot, son of Donnell) died. He was not, however, the O'Sullivan Beare at that time, though he had once been; for in the year previous to his death, his brother's son, Donnell, the son of Donnell, son of Dermot, had, by the decision of the Council of England and the Council of Ireland, deprived him of Dunbaoi the castle of Dunboy and Beare; and Donnell himself was nominated the O'Sullivan Beare.
O'Dowda of Tireragh (Dathi, the son of Teige Reagh, son of Owen) was slain by one of the Queen's soldiers, in one of his own castles in Tireragh on the Moy.
O'Heyne (Hugh Boy, the son of Owen Mantagh, son of Edmond, son of Flan) died.
The daughter of Mac-I-Brien Ara, Honora, daughter of Turlough, son of Murtough, son of Donnell, son of Teige, and wife of Pierce, son of Edmond an-Chaladh, son of Pierce Roe Butler, died.
A great hosting was made by the Lord Justice; and he proceeded unperceived through the adjacent territories without any delay, until he arrived at Enniskillen; and he encamped around, and laid siege to the fortress; and the army proceeded to destroy its wall with the proper engines, and they never ceased until they finally took it. And the Lord Justice left warders in the castle, and then returned to his house.
When Maguire heard that the Lord Justice had returned back, he assembled the greatest number of forces that he was able, and beleaguered the same castle, and dispatched messengers to O'Donnell (Hugh Roe), requesting him to come to his assistance. This request was promptly responded to by him O'Donnell, for he went to join him with his forces; and they laid siege to the fortress from the beginning of June to the middle of August. During this time these forces plundered and laid waste all that that was under the jurisdiction
O'Donnell, as we have stated, was encamped, laying siege to Enniskillen, from the middle of June to the month of August, until the warders of the castle had consumed almost all their provisions. Messengers came to O'Donnell from the Scots, whom he had before invited over, to inform him that they had arrived at Derry. And those who had come thither were Donnell Gorm Mac Donnell, and Mac Leod of Ara. O'Donnell then set out with a small number of his forces to hire them; and he left another large party of them with Maguire to assist him, and he ordered them to remain blockading the castle.
When the Lord Justice, Sir William Fitzwilliam, had received intelligence that the warders of Enniskillen were in want of stores and provisions, he ordered a great number of the men of Meath, and of the gentlemen of the Reillys and the Binghams of Connaught, under the conduct of George Oge Bingham, to convey provisions to Enniskillen. These chieftains, having afterwards met together, went to Cavan, O'Reilly's town, for provisions; and they proceeded through Fermanagh, keeping Lough Erne on the right, until they arrived within about four miles of the town.
When Maguire (Hugh) received intelligence that these forces were marching towards the town with the aforesaid provisions, he set out with his own forces and the forces left him by O'Donnell, together with Cormac, the son of the Baron, i.e. the brother of the Earl O'Neill; and they halted at a certain narrow pass, to which they thought they the enemy would come to them. The ambuscade was successful, for they came on, without noticing any thing, until they fell in with Maguire's people at the mouth of a certain ford. A fierce and vehement conflict, and a spirited and hard-contested battle, was fought between both parties, till at length Maguire and his forces routed the others by dint of fighting, and a strages of heads was left to him; and the rout was followed up a great way from that place. A countless number of nobles and plebeians fell in this conflict. Many steeds, weapons, and other spoils, were left behind in that place by the defeated, besides the steeds and horses that were loaded with provisions, on their way to Enniskillen. A few fugitives of Meath and of
When the warders of the castle heard of the defeat of the army, they surrendered the castle to Maguire; and he gave them pardon and protection
A new Lord Justice came to Ireland in the month of July of this year. Sir William Russell was his name. He formed a resolution that provisions and stores should be put into every town in the Queen's possession in Ireland, in despite of all those who were opposed to him. He issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Meath, Leinster, Munster, and Connaught, ordering them to meet him at Athlone, with all their forces assembled, on the 16th of September. The Lord Justice accordingly went to Athlone at that time, and proceeded from thence to Roscommon.