Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Annals of the Four Masters (Author: [unknown])
Annal M1590
M1590.0
THE AGE OF CHRIST, 1590. The Age of
Christ, one thousand five hundred ninety.
M1590.1
The Lower Burkes and the Clann-Donnell Galloglagh mustered and collected all the forces they were able to command in the summer and winter of the preceding year, as we have stated before; so that there was no one worthy of note, from the Curlieu mountains to the most western point of Erris and Umhall, who did not join them in that confederacy.
M1590.2
A hosting was made by the Governor, Sir Richard Bingham, and the Earl of
Thomond, Donough, the son of Conor, son of Donough O'Brien; and they
marched with all their forces against the Burkes in the first month of
this year, i.e. January; and they pitched a camp of many troops of
kerns at Cong; and the Burkes were encamped on the west side, opposite
to them; and there were daily conferences held between them for a
fortnight, but they could not agree on terms of peace during that time.
At the expiration of this period, the Governor and the Earl proceeded,
with ten or twelve companies, to go through the passes into Tirawley and
Erris. The Burkes marched in a parallel line with them, and intended to
attack them at Bearna-na-Gaoithe; but, however, they did not do so, but
the pass was ceded to the Governor and the Earl. On this occasion the
son of Mac William Burke lost his foot from the ankle out. The Governor
returned to Cong, and he, the Burkes, and the Clann-Donnell, were
reconciled to each other; and they delivered their hostages into the
hands of the Governor. The Governor then went to Athlone, and the men
of Connaught dispersed for their respective homes.
M1590.3
In the month of March a very great army was mustered by the Governor
against O'Rourke. This army was no
numerous, that he sent a vast number of his captains and battalions to
Sliabh-Cairbre to oppose the inhabitants of
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Muintir-Eolais; and another party of the chiefs of his army to
the west of the Bridge of Sligo, to invade Breifny; and these troops
proceeded to burn and devastate, kill and destroy, all before them in
the country, until both met together again. By this excursion O'Rourke
was banished from his territory; and he received neither shelter nor
protection until he arrived in the Tuatha, to Mac Sweeny-na-dTuath (Owen
Oge, the son of Owen, son of Owen Oge, son of Owen, son of Donnell); and
with him he remained until the expiration of this year; and such of his
people as did not go into exile came in and submitted to the Governor.
Donnell, the son of Teige, son of Brian O'Rourke, and Hugh Oge, the son
of Hugh Gallda, assisted the English in expelling and banishing
O'Rourke. The whole territory, both waste and
inhabited, was under the power of the Governor until the ensuing
Michaelmas, when Tiernan Bane, the son of Brian, son of Owen O'Rourke,
and Brian-na-Samhthach, i.e Brian Oge (the son of that O'Rourke who had
been expelled), came into the territory. These and the tribes of
Breifny, and of Muintir-Eolais, and of the other O'Rourkes who remained
in the country, opposed the Governor, and continued spoiling every thing
belonging to the English, to which they came, until the end of this
year.
M1590.4
A great fort, the like of which had not been erected for a long time
before, was made by the Governor between Lough Key and Lough Arrow.
M1590.5
The son of O'Neill, i.e. Hugh Geimhleach, son of John Donnghaileach,
son of Con Bacagh, son of Con, son of Henry, son of Owen, was hanged by
the
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Earl of Tyrone, Hugh, son of Ferdorcha, son of Con Bacagh.
There had not been for a long time among the race of Eoghan, the son of
Niall, a man more generally lamented than this Hugh.
M1590.6
The son of O'Donnell, i.e. Donnell, the son of Hugh, son of Manus,
son of Hugh Duv, son of Hugh Roe, son of Niall Garv, son of Turlough of
the Wine
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attempted to depose his father, after he had
grown weak and feeble from age, and after his
other son had been imprisoned in Dublin; so that Donnell brought under
his power and jurisdiction that part of Tirconnell from the mountain
westwards, i.e. from Bearnas to the River Drowes;
and also the people of Boylagh and Tir-Boghaine. It was a cause of great anguish and sickness of mind to
Ineenduv, the daughter of James Mac Donnell, that Donnell should make
such an attempt, lest he might attain the chieftainship of Tirconnell in
preference to her son, Hugh Roe, who was confined in Dublin, and who she hoped would become chief, whatever time God
might permit him to return from his captivity; and she, therefore,
assembled all the Kinel-Connell who were obedient to her husband,
namely, O'Doherty, with his forces; Mac Sweeny-na-dTuath (Owen Oge),
with his forces; and Mac Sweeny Fanad, with his forces; with a great
number of Scots along with them. After Donnell O'Donnell had received
intelligence that this muster had been made to oppose him, he assembled
his forces to meet them. These were they who rose
up to assist him on this occasion: Mac Sweeny Banagh (Donough, the son
of Mulmurry); a party of the Clann-Sweeny of Munster, under the conduct
of the three sons of Owen, the son of Mulmurry, son of Donough, son of
Turlough, and their forces; and O'Boyle (Teige Oge, the son of Teige,
son of Turlough), with all his forces, assembled. The place where the
son of O'Donnell happened to be stationed along with these chieftains
was Doire-leathan at the extremity of
Tir-Boghaine, to the west of Gleann Choluim Cille. The other party did
not halt until they came to them to that place; and a battle ensued
between them, which was fiercely fought on both sides. The Scots
discharged a shower of arrows from their elastic bows, by which they
pierced and wounded great numbers, and, among the rest, the son of
O'Donnell himself, who, being unable to display prowess or defend
himself, was slain at Doire-leathan, on one side of the harbour of
Telinn, on the 14th of September. Seldom before that time had his
enemies triumphed over him; and the party by whom he was slain had not
been by any means his enemies until they encountered on this occasion;
and although this Donnell was not the rightful heir of his father, it
would have
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been no disgrace to Tirconnell to have elected
him as its chief, had he been permitted to attain to that dignity. In
this conflict were slain along with Donnell the three sons of Owen, son
of Mulmurry, son of Donough above mentioned,
together with two hundred others, around Donnell.
M1590.7
Walter Kittagh Burke, the son of John, son of Oliver, died, after having
concluded a peace with the English.
M1590.8
Mac Coghlan (John, the son of Art, son of Cormac) died. There was not a
man of his property, of the race of Cormac Cas, who had better
furnished or more commodious courts, castles, and comfortable seats,
than this John. His son, John Oge, was appointed in his place.
M1590.9
Mulrony, the son of Calvagh, son of Donough, son of John O'Carroll,
died.
M1590.10
Mac Maurice of Kerry, i.e. Thomas, the son of Edmond, son of Thomas,
son of Edmond, died. He was the best purchaser of wine, horses, and
literary works, of any of his wealth and patrimony, in the greater part
of Leath-Mogha at that time; and Patrickin, his heir, was at this time
in captivity in Dublin.
M1590.11
O'Loughlin (Owny, the son of Melaghlin, son of Rury, son of Ana) died;
and his son, Rossa, and his grandson, Owny, were contending with each
other for his place.
M1590.12
Sorley Boy, the son of Alexander, son of John Cahanagh, died.
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M1590.13
Owen Mac-an-Deaganaigh died.
M1590.14
Hugh Roe O'Donnell had now been in captivity in
Dublin for the space of three years and three months. It was a cause of great distress of mind to
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him to be thus imprisoned; yet it was not for his own sake that he grieved, but for the sake of his country, his land, his friends, and kinsmen, who were in bondage throughout Ireland. He was constantly revolving in his mind the manner in which he might
make his escape. This was not an easy matter for him, for he was
confined in a closely-secured apartment every night in the castle until
sunrise the next day. This castle was surrounded by a wide and very deep
ditch, full of water, across which was a wooden bridge, directly
opposite the door of the fortress; and within and without the door were
stationed a stern party of Englishmen, closely guarding it, so that none
might pass in or out without examination. There is, however, no guard
whose vigilance may not
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some time or other be baffled. At
the very end of winter, as Hugh and a party of his companions were
together, in the beginning of the night, before they were put into the
close cells in which they used to be every night, they took with them a
very long rope to a window which was near them, and by means of the rope
they let themselves down, and alighted upon the bridge that was outside
the door of the fortress. There was a thick iron chain fastened to this
door, by which one closed it when required; through this chain they
drove a strong handful of a piece of timber, and thus
fastened the door on the outside, so that they could not be
immediately pursued from the fortress. There was a youth of Hugh's
faithful people outside awaiting their escape, and
he met them on coming out, with two well-tempered swords concealed under
his garments; these he gave into the hand of Hugh, who presented one of
them to a certain renowned warrior of Leinster, Art Kavanagh by name,
who was a champion in battle, and a commander in conflict.
As for the guards, they did not perceive the escape for some time; but when
they took notice of it they advanced immediateIy to the door of the
castle, for they thought that they should instantly catch them. Upon
coming to the gate, they could not open it; whereupon they called over
to them those who happened to be in the houses on the other side of the
street, opposite the door of the castle. When
these came at the call, and took the piece of timber out of the chain,
and threw open the door for the people in the castle, who then set out, with a great number of the citizens, in pursuit of the youths who had
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escaped from them ; but this was fruitless, for they
the fugitives had passed beyond the walls of the
city before they were missed, for the gates of the regal city had been
wide open at the time; and they pursued their way across the face of the
mountain which lay before them, namely, Sliabh Ruadh, being afraid to venture
at all upon the public road, and never halted in their course until after a fatiguing journey and
travelling, until they had crossed the Red mountain aforesaid. When,
weary and fatigued, they entered a thick wood which lay in their way,
where they remained until morning. They then attempted to depart, for
they did not deem it safe to remain in the wood, from fear of being
pursued; but Hugh was not able to keep pace with his companions, for his
white-skinned and thin feet had been pierced by
the furze of the mountain, for his shoes had fallen off, their seams
having been loosened by the wet, which they did not till then receive.
It was great grief to his companions that they could not bring him any
further; and so they bade him farewell, and left him their blessing.
He sent his servant to a certain gentleman of the noble tribes of the
province of Leinster, who lived in a castle in the neighbourhood, to
know whether he could afford them shelter or protection. His name was
Felim O'Toole, and he was previously a friend to Hugh, as he thought,
for he had gone to visit him
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on one occasion in his prison in Dublin, when they formed a mutual friendship
with each other. The messenger proceeded to the place where Felirn was, and stated
to him the embassy on which he came. Felim was glad at his arrival, and promised
that he would do all the good he could for Hugh; but his friends and
kindred did not allow him to conceal him, from fear of the English
government.
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These learned that he was in the wood, as we
have said, and they (i.e. the people who had heard that he was in the
wood) went in search of him, and dispersed with their troops to track
him. When it was clear to Felim that he Hugh would
be discovered, he and his kinsmen resolved to seize upon him themselves,
and bring him back to the Council in the city. This was accordingly
done. When he Hugh arrived in Dublin, the Council
were rejoiced at his return to them; for they made nothing or light of
all the other prisoners and hostages that had escaped from them. He was
again put into the same prison, and iron fetters were put upon him as
tightly as possible; and they watched and guarded him as well as they
could. His escape, thus attempted, and his recapture, became known
throughout the land of Ireland, at which tidings a
great gloom came over the Irish people.