Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Letter of Florence Mac Carthy to the Earl of Thomond, on the ancient history of Ireland (Author: Florence MacCarthy Reagh)
paragraph 11
Upon Murchards sickness the provinces of Ireland fell to disobedience and dissension, and his 2nd brother Diarmott took possession of North Munster, whose son Toirdealbhach, that succeeded him therein, was much oppressed by the power of Toirdhealbhach mac Ruaidhri89 chief of Connaught to whose son, Ruadhiri or
p.227
Roderick90 he and the chiefs of Meath and Ulster promised obedience whereby many called him King of Ireland. At which time Dermod Mac Murchard, cheif of Leinster, ravished Dearbhorgaill91 daughter to Murchadh mac Flainn of Meath, and wife to Oroirk Lord of Brefny, which incensed against him the said Roderick by whom Leinster was spoiled, McMurchow's house at Fearna92 destroyed, and himself driven out of the land, who went to King Henry 2nd, that was then in France, by whom he was favourably used, and dismissed with letters to licence as many as would go here [in England] hence with him. In his return he conditioned at Bristol with Richard the son of Gilbert,93 Earl of Stranguel, to give him his daughter Aive and Leinster, after his Decease, and from thence went to the Prince of Wales, Rice Ap Grifine, who inlarged for him out of prison Robert Fitz Stephens, upon promise to follow McMurchow, that went then for Ireland, when he kept secretly until Robert Fitz Stephens, Maurice Fitz Gerald, and others came with 90 horse and 300 archers, whom the Earl of Stranguel followed at Bartholomew's tide in the year 1170, with 200 horse and a thousand archers, and married the Daughter of Mac Murchow, who brought Leinster under his obedience, and surprised Dublin, whereof, and of the dissensions of the provinces of Ireland when King Henry was advertised he came the 8 of October in the year 1172 to Waterford, where the Lords of North and South Munster, and afterwards at Dublin the Lords Tirconnell, Brehny, Oiriel and divers others (being all weary of civill war) became subjects to his Majesty, who leaving Hugo de Lacie, his constable there, came for England. After whose departure the Earl of Stranguel behaved himself very irreligiously in burning of churches, unto whom Lacie was not much inferior. How John de Courcie then dispossessed many of their lands and (when he and Lacie were at odds for it) rebelled and how (when King John came hither) Walter de Lacie rebelled, whereby the King was driven to follow him into the north, to make a bridge of his ships over Strangford Haven, and to besiege Carrick Feargus, from whence Lacie fled for England; the cause of Rebellions since, and of all the losses that the crown and country sustained thereby, is not so much noted or remembered as the blame is cast generally upon that country people, who although they are
p.228
thought by many fitter to be (as a Scottish Knight said) rooted out than suffered to enjoy their lands, are not so rebellions or dangerous94 as they are termed by such as covete it, nor so rude or wilde as those Sicilians were (that as Plutarch writes by continual wars became as savage as beasts) with whom, nor with noe other nation wars continued not so long as with them, wherewith learning being decayed, the most part of those that wrote since did write without good order or agreement, whereby those that wrote before when they were learned, are thought best worthy of credit, together with those that wrote before they embraced Christianity or were so much learned, whose writings is very brief and obscure and language dead,95 out of use, and hard to be understood, which is much written in verse, where their arms and colours is mentioned, by the which it should seem that he that gave this Lyon first in Scotland was of the house of Ulster, but those that were learned who wrote about 1000 or 800 years past, although their language also is now out of use, wrote more copious and elegant, to whose books, if this king were anything affected, I think his Majesty might best have them.96