¶126] During the time he was resting, a very large army was collected by Aodh O Néill to go on an expedition to Munster. Aodh Maguidhir happened to be in that hosting. Their adventures are not told of until they arrived beyond Cork and the Lee southwards and encamped between the Lee and the Bandon river, on the confines of Muskerry and Carbery. One day, a little before St. Patrick's day, a desire and longing seized on Maguidhir to go and invade the neighbouring country, as was always his custom when he came to strange districts. A body of horse and foot departed from the camp, and they did not stop until they came to the gate of Cork, then to Rincorran, a castle of Barry Óg, in Kinelea. They turned back the same day with much prey and booty, but Maguidhir's people could not reach the camp that night, owing to the amount of their booty, hence it was necessary for them to remain in whatever place the darkness of night came on them. However, Maguidhir determined to reach the camp that night somehow.
¶127] On the morning of the day that Maguidhir had left O Néill's camp news came to Cork to Sir Warham St. Leger (he was then President of the two provinces of Munster), that Maguidhir had left the camp as he had, and the direction he had gone. In no leisurely way was the news responded to by Sir Warham, for he set out immediately with a sour-faced, active troop of lively, courageous, evil minded cavalry, and they settled and placed themselves as a line of concealed watches in a safe chosen place where they were certain that Maguidhir would come to them. While they were there they saw Aodh coming towards them with only a few horsemen as they desired. He made no attempt to avoid them, although those who had come to oppose him were clearly visible in front
¶128] The loss of the nobleman who died then was a cause of lamentation throughout the whole of Ulster, and he deserved to be praised particularly to the assemblies of the world. He was pleasant, stately, free-spoken; he was generous, hospitable, profuse, mild, kindly to his friends, stern and agressive to his enemies; a man who never retreated one step before few or many of his enemies since he took up warlike arms to that day, a man who did not go away from the place of fight or battle without wounding or killing some one, a man that killed and defeated many parties both of gentle and simple of the foreign race with whom he contested and fought to protect his faith and native land until he fell by them then. On the morrow, after the news had come to them, his own people and O Néill's found the body of the hero, and he was buried by them at Cork afterwards with great respect and honour, as was fitting.
¶129] O Néill returned home, and 'twere better for himself and for the province of Ulster also not to have gone on that expedition, even because of the death of that one man who parted from them then. Strife and bitter enmity arose in the following summer in Fermanagh between Conor Ruadh, son of Conor Maguidhir, and the brother of Maguidhir whose death we have narrated, Cúchonnacht Óg, son of Cúchonnacht, son of Cúchonnacht, about the chieftainship of the territory. Conor had a right to the dignity and headship of Fermanagh on account of his age and seniority even before Aodh Maguidhir himself who fell as we have told, and when it seemed to Conor (as he thought) that there would be no opposition as regards the chieftaincy after the death of Cúchonnacht, father of Aodh, the title of chief was conferred on Aodh by Domhnall, son of Aodh, son of Maghnus O Domhnaill, rigdamna of Cenél Conaill, long before that time. The aforesaid Conor Ruadh was full sure that the chieftaincy would now be his by right of his ancestry, his age, his dignity, his friendship, and his relationship to O Néill, whose cousin he was on his mother's side, as the mothers of both were sisters, and this was the same purpose of mind and thought which O Néill himself had and his advisers also. He went to O Néill to ask command of his patrimony. Cúchonnacht Óg comes for the same purpose to where O Domhnaill was to complain of his powerlessness.
¶130] When Conor came where O Néill was, he sent letters and messengers inviting O Domhnaill to allow him to inaugurate Conor Maguidhir in the chieftaincy, for he was afraid to rouse the anger and wrath of the powerful war-dog against him if he did not grant his request, and appointed Cúchonnacht Óg or any one else of his tribe to the chieftaincy of the territory of Fermanagh over-riding his prohibition. When the messengers came where O Domhnaill was he did not delay their affairs, but he went with a body of horse and foot of the choicest of his people together with his brother Rury and Cúchonnacht Óg, and they did not halt until they came to the place where O Néill was with his nobles round him taking
¶131] The princes proceeded to feast, to toast one another and to make merry after that. The banquet-hall was arranged according to their dignity, O Domhnaill face to face with O Néill, and Conor Maguidhir next him, and the chief men in their due order also. The butlers proceed to attend and serve them afterwards. Meantime, when O Néill took the goblet with wine in his hand, he drank a draught to O Domhnaill. O Domhnaill takes the cup from the butler's hand, and looked around. He gave a quick glance of his keen eye through the hall all round and did not see Cuchonnacht Óg in the house; and as he did not see him he ordered him to be called to him immediately. This was done for him, and when he came he bade him sit by the side of his brother Rury in the central section of the palace in the midst of his people. When Cúchonnacht was seated, he then drank the cup and raised
¶132] When the Council of Dublin saw that they could not defend the province of Connacht against O Domhnaill, after the defeat in the battle of Bealach Buidhe and the slaying of the Governor as we have told, and after he had invaded the territories to the north of Limerick and Aughty whenever he wished, and as the Earls who ruled over these districts complained of their grievances to the Council, they came to the resolution, in order to keep O Domhnaill in his own territory, by the advice of the said Earls, to launch an expedition of a large fleet of ships, in which were six thousand men, armed and equipped with the necessary supplies of food and weapons. By the Queen of England and the Council also it was planned to send this fleet to Ireland on Patrick's Day exactly, when Lord Mountjoy was appointed Lord Deputy over Ireland. When the above mentioned ships reached Dublin from England in the month of April, they were sent away after a while, and they sailed, keeping the coast of Ireland on the port hand, to the north-east by the shores of the territory of Brega and Meath to the east of the Third of Congal Cláireneach, son of Rury, till they came step by step led by one ship, to the Loch of Feabal, son of Lodan, and they came to port in Inis Eóghain Mic Néill, which had fallen to Cenél Conaill in olden-time and was subject to them then. On the 10th of May they arrived. O Dochartaigh was the chieftain who ruled over the island, subject to O Domhnaill always, and the name of its chieftain at that
¶133] Another body of them went and settled in Dún na Long, in O Catháin's country. The greater number remaining went on to famous Derry, which Colum the gentle, the servant of God, (Criomhthann, son of Feilim, son of Fergus, son of Conall), blessed. The English made very large fences and strong ramparts of earth round the monastery and stone church first. They make passages and excavations of earth under the walls and war-towers upon them with windows and loopholes in them for shooting from. They dug deep trenches all round on the outside. They were much stronger and more secure than the courts of lime bound stone and the castles, in the making of which much time and great labour were spent. Then they tore down the monastery and the church, and they showed neither honour nor respect to the true Saint, for they destroyed all the ecclesiastical edifices in the town, and made rooms and sleeping apartments of them, and used some of them to eat in. Henry Docwra was the name of their commander. He was a famous knight, prudent and skilful, with profundity of knowledge. He was a spear-head of battle and fight.
¶134] The English were there for a long time and fear of O Domhnaill did not let them go outside the walls, save for a short distance and there used to be large bodies of them standing to arms every night lest an attack might be made on them, so that they were filled with distemper and diseases, owing to the narrowness of the place in which they were, and the sultriness and heat of the summer weather. Very many of them died in the end before the diseases left them. When
¶135] O Domhnaill decided on this plan of going to wreak his enmity on the Earls of whom we have spoken, and he left the chief of the Island, O Dochartaigh himself, to confront the foreigners on guard lest they might come to invade the territory. He left Niall Garv O Domhnaill and some of his forces blockading them on the island to the west between them and the cantred of Enna, son of Niall. He sent his messengers before him to the Irish of the province of Connacht to order them to meet him at Ballymote. All the Connachtmen came, from the Suck to the Drowes and from the west of Tír Awley to Bréifne O Reilly, and they were awaiting him in the town where he had trysted with them. These were the most notable who came to that muster. O Ruairc came with the people of Bréifne in Connacht, namely Brian Óg, whose father was that Brian who was done to death in London. O Conor Sligo came there, Donncha, son of Cathal Óg, with the people north of Corrshliav as far as the sea beyond, and Mac Diarmada of Magh Luirg, Aodh, son of Tadhg, with the race of Maelruana. O Conor
¶136] His troops were gathered together by O Domhnaill in the month of June precisely, and they crossed the Saimer, a stream rich in salmon, the Drowes, the Dubh, and the Sligeach, until they came to Ballymote, where the men of Connacht awaited him. After a while he marched with his forces by Corann, through Magh Aoi Findbendaigh, through Clann Chonnmhaigh, through the territory of Maine, son of Eochaidh, and through the plain of Clanrickard, without fight or conflict, without wounding or being meddled with during that time. He made a halt in western Clanrickard in Oirecht Réamoinn on the evening of Saturday, and this was the Saturday before St. John's day, which was on the following Tuesday. Warning and report went before him to Thomond, but they thought O Domhnaill would not leave the place where he had stopped until Monday morning. This was not what he did at all, but he rose before the early dawn of the morning of Sunday, and after hearing Mass himself and the chiefs who were with him, he marched with his troops by Oirecht Réamoinn, by the mountain of Echtge, daughter of Urscothach, son of Tinne, to Cenél Aodha, to Cenél
¶137] As for O Domhnaill, when he had reached Ennis, he sent skirmishers to cover the surrounding country. Far and wide, violently, aggressively, these quick active courageous bodies of men separated from each other, for they traversed and plundered before night from Craig Uí Chíordhubháin, in the lower part of the territory in the cantred of Islands, to Cathair Murcha in west Corco Baiscinn, to the gate of Cill Muire, and Cathair Ruis, and the plain of Uí Bracáin, to the gate of Baile Eóin Gabhainn in Corcomrua, and Boith Néill in Cenél Fermaic. There was many a 'time of plenty' for gentlemen, noblemen, and lords of territories with prey and cattle and every sort of spoil, in the hands of a company of four or five of O Domhnaill's people under the shelter of bush or thicket, rock or wood in Thomond that night, for
¶138] O Domhnaill encamped that night on the bank of the Fergus to the west of Clonroad. This was a famous castle and princely lodging for him who was chief of the country. The army arose (on Monday exactly) calmly and firmly from their tents and huts, and proceeded to march by the road diagonally across Thomond in a north-easterly direction straight through the east of Uí Cormaic and the plain of Cenél Fermaic and the speckled-hilled Boirenn, till they came at sunset to the monastery of Corcomrua and to Carcair na cCleireach. Those of the forces who were unoccupied throughout the day were traversing and patrolling the lands around, so that they did not leave a habitation or dwelling worth talking about unburnt or undestroyed that day. The troops arose at dawn on Tuesday. They set out with their spoils and prey towards Carcair, and though their march was severe and their pace slow, owing to the enormous amount of cattle and plunder, they left the cleft stone passes of white Boirenn behind. When they came to the dwellings of the smooth plain of Maree, they rested at Cnoc an Ghearráin, between Cill Colgáin and Galway. They divided the spoil between them after that, so that each body had its own share of the enemy's cattle, flocks, and booty, and they proceeded the next day to guide and drive their portion of the prey along the roads of the ancient province of Sreng, son of Sengan. The journey they made on that day was not long, for they were tired after the great toil in coming through the narrow mouthed roads, of Boirenn; neither had they eaten or slept in comfort the night before, for they had thought the Earl of Thomond would come with all his forces in pursuit of them and on their track to attack them, on the winding defiles through which they were marching, though he did not come at all. They made their camp in the neighbourhood that night, since they had banished their fear. They made neither huts nor buildings, owing to the heat of the summer weather, but they lighted
¶139] The army arose from their quiet stupor of sleep at the break of day and went on their road and journey. O Domhnaill allowed Mac William and the people and forces who had come from the western part of the province at his call to go to their homes. He set out himself due eastwards by the ordinary roads until he came before the end of the day to Conmaicne Cuile Tolaigh, in the middle of the province. He encamped there that night, and they halted there till the next day. O Domhnaill then ordered his people to send away to their homes their prey of cattle and sheep and the booty also, and to let the servants and unarmed people and the wounded and others of the army to go with them. They went off without delay as they were ordered. He allowed O Ruairc and his people to go home like the others.
¶140] O Domhnaill chose five hundred soldiers, with sixty horsemen of the choicest of his army, and ordered them to remain along with him, so they were resting and taking their ease in the camp till after mid-day. They marched away then and proceeded through the province south-eastwards vigorously, actively, quietly, silently, by day and by night, until they came to Loch Riach in the dawn of the early morning next day. This was the chief residence and princely abode of the Earl of Clanrickard. They sent out their skirmishers spread widely in every direction to ravage the territory. They gathered together all the herds and flocks that were near them and took them to one place, so that they had plenty to round up and drive away. They march on after a time through the province north-east until they camped on the border of the territory south of the Suck on Sunday night exactly. They stayed there until Monday morning. They went thereafter
¶141] O Domhnaill gave rest to his soldiers and mercenaries from July to September, when he summoned them to him again to see whether he might not get a chance of attacking the English; for he heard that it was usual for the horses to go each day across the bridge which was opposite Derry northwards to graze on a grassy field which was on the other side, with a few cavalry to protect them. He was thereafter considering and reflecting how he could make a descent on the English to take their horses from them. This was the resolution he came to. He chose a large body of his soldiers and a troop of horse, so that the number of horse and foot was not less than six hundred. These he took with him secretly in the darkness of the night, and left them in ambush in the gorge of a steep cliff which was on the mountain slope opposite Derry to the north, a place whence the people of the town could be seen by them, and they could not be seen by any one. He placed a few of his cavalry in hidden places very near the town in ambush for the horses and their guards, so that the horses might not return whenever they would come to the field of grass of which we have spoken. They were there until dawn. They saw the horses cross the bridge towards them with their guard, as they were accustomed to do. O Domhnaill's horse rose up behind them, and made a vigorous onset on the guards. They wounded some of them; others of them escaped owing to the fleetness and speed of their galloping. O Domhnaill's men proceeded to drive off the horses of the English under their control.
¶142] O Domhnaill comes to their aid with the force which remained with him, and they drove the horses before them. O Domhnaill commanded a squadron of his cavalry to go
¶143] O Domhnaill continued to besiege the English, without moving from his country, to the end of October. He determined then to go to Thomond to ravage it. He assembled his forces after making up his mind, and he did not halt till he crossed the Sligeach westwards. He left Niall O Domhnaill,
¶144] A certain man of O Domhnaill's own people went after him to tell him the news of the country, and related to him all that had taken place there. O Domhnaill wondered greatly, and was surprised that one who was kinsman and brother-in-law should turn against him, for Aodh's sister was Niall's wife. O Domhnaill returned from the province of Connacht, for he had not gone beyond Ballymote westwards into the province when the news reached him, and his forces turned back as fast as they could together, but yet his soldiers were not able to keep up with O Domhnaill, except a few of his horse, until he was very near Lifford, already mentioned. The English had not succeeded in making preys or depredations before O Domhnaill came back, but they were strengthening their camp and erecting ramparts, and when they heard that O Domhnaill had come, their fear did not allow them to leave the fortress in which they were for anything they needed. O Domhnaill halted at a place which was not very far from the English, until a few of his foot-soldiers came up with him.
¶145] It seemed long to O Domhnaill that the English were not attacked, and he did not wait longer for his army, but he displayed before the English the small force which he had on the south side of Cruachan Lighean, to the north of the river. When the English saw them, they went out to meet
¶146] Once, before O Domhnaill left that camp in which he was staying, he happened to go towards the English, to see if they would come out over the walls on the level plain. When O Domhnaill's people came before the town the English, reconnoitred and examined them; but they did not sally out against them, for they saw it was to challenge them to fight they had come. O Domhnaill's people returned by the same road, as they did not get what they were looking for. They made a halt on the bank of the river, which is called the Deel, to the north a short distance from the town. Large parties of them went to their camp and set about other tasks, for they did not think the English would follow them on that day precisely. When Niall O Domhnaill saw O Domhnaill's people scattered and unprepared, he told the English that they ought to make an attack on them. The English started to get their arms and put on their armour leisurely and carefully (at his bidding) in the middle of the fortifications that they might not be seen by the enemy until they had donned their arms and armour. When they were ready, they sallied out from the fortifications in battle array. Then they advanced to attack O Domhnaill's people in this manner, Niall and his brothers and people being in the van to show the way.
¶147] O Domhnaill sees them coming in that array, and he was glad to see them advancing, and he put his soldiers in their proper places opposite, with their field pieces ? 1 above them, and he did not allow them to be shot at till they were on the opposite bank of the river. When they met after that they were mixed together, and a fierce, inimical battle was fought by them, though their kinship was very close. The horsemen rushed at each other till they were striking one another with long limber pikes and grey-headed lances. Niall O Domhnaill made a thrust of the long, sharp lance he held in his hand at O Domhnaill's brother Maghnus, and the spear entered underneath his shoulder and penetrated his internal parts
¶148] Sad indeed that 'twas not side by side these heroes launched the attack on their enemies and directed their energies against their foes, and that they were not on good terms, for their success was unbroken while they remained so, and they were victorious in the neighbouring territories they entered, and they would not have been banished from their native land by a foreign race, as happened afterwards. Woe to the country and fair land, woe to the territory and nation in which their ill-fortune allowed kinsmen and blood relations to hack and slaughter each other without sparing one another, as happened at that time!
¶149] As for the English (during the time that the chiefs of whom we have spoken were attacking each other), they faced at once and in one body O Domhnaill's infantry. These retired before them for a short distance but yet only a few of them were wounded, for the English did not follow them beyond the field of battle, and the reason they did not follow was the wounding of their leader who had been pierced through in that engagement, so that they were obliged to return with him to Lifford, where he died afterwards. A large body of O Domhnaill's people followed them and proceeded to shoot and sabre them, so that many of them fell and were wounded,
¶150] O Domhnaill returned to his camp after the English had gone away. Those who were in the camp that night were doleful and sad on account of the son of their chief, who would have been their prince had he survived his brothers. Up to that time 'twas more often Cenél Conaill would proclaim aloud the praises of their victories and triumphs while boasting of their exploits and their heroism after routing their foes, instead of the clapping of hands of their soldiers and the lamentation of the women weeping for their friends and bewailing their champions; for they had not been heavily wounded nor suffered disaster from the time Aodh Ruadh obtained sovereignty and princedom over them up to that day. That was the first day their power was shaken and their victorious progress was checked; and as worldly power without reverses and happiness without eclipse are not pleasing to the one God, he gave a reverse of fortune to the success of the race of Lughaidh, son of Setna for a while. Even though people swayed by envy and jealousy, murmuring and resentment, spite and enmity, may say that it was to punish O Domhnaill's transgressions and injustice the glorious God turned on him then, that is not true indeed; but the reason why God did this was lest pride or haughtiness, desire or self-will, should turn Aodh O Domhnaill aside from the straightness of his judgment, his probity in ruling his kingdom, and lest by reason of his leadership and victory over the neighbouring territories he might set his mind and thoughts on his own strength and powers, rather than on the decrees and gifts of the Lord of Heaven and earth, who is able to humble the valiant and exalt the miserable; for this is what the one God often does, to throw the possessions and wealth of his faithful children who serve Him and do His behest and rule to his unfaithful children who fulfil not at all his testament nor his law. So
¶151] When O Domhnaill came to the camp, as we have said, he ordered a litter woven of fair wattles to be made for Manus O Domhnaill to carry him over Bearnus westwards. The litter was made as was ordered, and Manus was carried in it. A great crowd of his companions and friends, too, accompanied him till they came to Donegal. A sick-bed was prepared for him there. O Domhnaill's physicians were brought to him to examine him, and they could not cure him. They said he was doomed. There were many religious of the Order of St. Francis in the monastery close to the castle to the west. Some of the wisest of these used to come to him to bind his friendship with the Lord. They proceeded to instruct and exhort him. He confessed his sins without any concealment, and admitted his transgressions then. He bewailed his sins before God, and he was sorry for his pride and arrogance in former times. He forgave also him who wounded him, and said that he himself was the cause of his death, for he first attacked Niall. He was in this way for a week preparing for death every single day, and a spouse of God of the said Order continually with him at the head of his bed to guard him against the snares of the devil. He gave his confidences frequently to his confessor, and received the Body of the Lord afterwards, and he died 22nd October, 1600, having gained victory over devil and world. It was the feeling of the religious who were present that he found favour with the Lord on account of his deserts. He was buried then in the tomb of his ancestors in the monastery of which we have spoken.
¶152] His father, Aodh, son of Manus, son of Aodh Dubh, was in his dotage at that time, being tended near the monastery. He was told that his son had died. He bowed down greatly in lamentation and distress for his son so that he hastened on his
¶153] As for O Domhnaill, after he had passed the thirty days that we have spoken of besieging the English, he arranged to leave the encampment where he was during that time and to go to another position, which was no less secure, a little further from the English on the western bank of the Finn, between them and Bearnus, as he feared the cold of the rough winter weather for his soldiers, who were every night keeping watch and ward against the English, for indeed it was then Hollantide, and he thought it time to bring his army to comfortable quarters after their great toil, for they had not slept in quietness for a long time. They moved off then to the place we have mentioned. They made a camp there in the
¶154] In the fulness of time and season word came to him that a ship had come from Spain into the harbour of Inbhear Mór, in the west of the province of Connacht. His mind and thoughts cheered up at this, for it was a sign of success to him, as he supposed a body of troops and aid from the King would follow. He sent his messengers to the place where O Néill was, bringing the tidings with them and inviting him to come to him. He himself took to the road across Bearnus with a troop of horse, and left his army in their camp with his brother Rury O Domhnaill in command of them. When he crossed Bearnus, he halted but a short time until he passed the Erne, the Drowes, the Dubh, Magh Cettne of the Fomorians, the Sligeach, to Tír Fiachrach of the Moy. As the feast of the Lord's Nativity was very near then, what he did was to write letters to the ship, and these were the contents: to sail with the first fair wind that would come from the south-west to
¶155] The ship came thereafter to the harbour of Cealla Beaga in Tír Boghaine. The chiefs went to report to it. There was a famous Bishop aboard. He landed, and the messengers with him. The nobles welcomed them, and especially the Bishop. They were placed in an apartment by themselves after a while, and entertainment and attendance were given them, with honour and respect, as was fitting, and they shed the fatigue and weariness of the sea. They spoke to them then and asked them the reason of their coming. They told them the business on which they had come, was to strengthen them against their enemies lest they should abandon hope of aid from the King of Spain, and that they had brought with them six thousand pounds first, to give it to them as pay for soldiers and supplies, and that more money would come next time, and the help of an army, as was promised. O Domhnaill and O Néill went into conference, and the minds of both