CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY =ii r>. ««-. PS"TS" University Library DA 990.L85F24 "'^'Sfiyiiiiiuitiiift!* county Longford / 3 1924 028 071 029 m ^'^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028071029 HISTORY OF THE COUFTY LOI^GFORD ILLUSTRATED. BY JAMES P. FAREELL DOLLARD, PRINTINGHOUSE, DUBLIN. 1891. Price, lUufttrated and Post Paid, Ten Shillings. fool's c& PREFACE. The following pages will, I hope, throw a long-required light on . the history of the most central county in Ireland. I have endeavoured to explain its ancient and modern formation; and no effort of mine has been spared to describe that transition stage when the land of Longford or Annaly passed away from the ancient to the planter owners. At very considerable expense I have secured an accurate copy of the Patent Rolls of James I., showing, as will be found on perusal, who the ancient owners of every townland in Longford County were, and to whom these lands were conveyed by Royal Letters Patent. If the reader is at all of an inquiring turn of mind, it will be very easy for him to fill up the space of two hundred and sixty years with the names of any old families in these townlands, and he lias as accurate an idea as I can give of who are, and who are not, the " old stock " in Longford County to-day. I am aware that many people, from whom better should be expected, have uot hesitated to describe my previous publications on this subject as an attempt to laudato the O'Farrells, as they say, "because I am a Farrell myself." Such an idea can only be harboured by the ignorant. Anyone who knows me will not doubt me when I say, as I have said often before, that were the ancient possessors of Annaly any other family or name but that of Farrell or O'Farrell, I would take as much pains, and probably more than I have taken, to put their history before the world. The illustrations will, I hope, be found interesting — in any case they cannot but add to the interest of the volume. JAMBS P. FARRELL, LoNGiOBJj, Feast of St. Mel, 1891. HISTOEY THE COUNTY LONG-FORD. History tells us that we Irish are directly descended from the Milesians, who were the sixth and last body of invaders that took possession of this island in the dark ages before the Christian era. Prior to their advent Ireland had been successively the prize of five different peoples — Partholans, Nemedians, Formorians, Firbolgs, and Tuatha-de-Danaans. The Partholans were the descendants of a chief named Partholanus, who was the first inhabitant of Ireland after the Deluge. They were expelled from the country by the Nemedians, who, after an occupation of nearly two hundred years, were driven out by a race of pirates called Formorians. One part of the Nemedians went to the south of Europe, where they were put into slavery as bag-carriers, from which they were called Firbolgs. Another part went northwards, and became the powerful race subsequently called Tuatha-de-Danaans. The Firbolgs were the first to turn with a longing eye to the isle they had lost, and two hundred years had not passed away until they reconquered this country, driving the Formorians into the sea. Almost immediately after the Tuatha-de-Danaans began to think of returning to the home of their forefathers, and before their cousins had been thirty years in their reconquered homes, the Tuatha-de-Danaans swooped down from the north and expelled them from the country. Even at such a remote period we see this striking example of the affection with which these rude sons of the forest and the sea regarded "the woody isle," as B 10 HISTORY OF THE GOtTNTT LONGFORD. Ireland was then called. For one hundred and ninety years the Tuatha-de-Danaans reigned supreme in the land, during which time they organized a system of government, and divided the country into kingdoms. But in the year B.C. 3,500 a new race appeared to claim the island in the persons of the Milesians, who had been long established as a considerable nation in Spain. The Milesians were descended from Ghaedhal or G-atelus, who was the sixth in direct descent from Noah, and Noah being the ninth patriarch from Adam, Grhaedal was, there- fore, the fifteenth patriarch in direct descent from the first man. Grhaedal gave his name to his posterity, who were therefrom called Gradelians, and the ancient records of the world prove that the twelfth king of the Ghadelians was Milesius, who was the father of the three sons that headed the Milesians in the sixth and last pre-Christian con- quest of Ireland. When the Milesians arrived at Inver-Scene in the present County of Kerry, the Tuatha-de-Danaans complained that they were taken at a disadvantage, and were unprepared to offer the Milesians battle. They proffered, however, if the invaders would retire the distance of nine waves from the shore to give them battle on return- ing, and to yield up the island peacefully if the issue was against them. To this the Milesians consented ; but when they had retired the required distance, the Tuatha-de-Danaans, who were skilled in the art of necro- mancy, caused a great storm to arise which dispersed the Milesian ships and sunk many of them. Such of them as escaped were driven to the mouth of the Boyne, where they landed, and marching to Teltown, in the County Meath, a great battle was fought, in which the Tuatha-de- Danaans were entirely defeated, and the Milesians became masters of the island. The new masters were commanded by three chieftains — Heremon, Heber Finn, and Ir, and the latter having been killed in the battle, his son, Heber Donn, became co-heir with his uncles to the new possession. Heremon was the elder brother, and scarcely had the difl&culty of beat- ing the enemy been got over until Heber Finn and he quarrelled,, whereupon, as in the case of Cain and Abel, Heremon slew Heber HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 11 Finn, and became sole ruler iiimself . He then made a distribution of the land, retaining the fair portion of Leinster to himself, giving Ulster to the son of Ir, Munster to the son of Heber Finn, and Connaught to two of his most trusted chieftains. Thus then was the Milesian invasion of Ireland accomplished five hundred years before the birth of Christ. It will now be our duty to confine ourselves to the particular fortunes of the house of Ir ; because, as we shall see, it was from him that were descended the families who occupied what, two thousand years later, became the County of Longford. It is not the purpose of this volume to give a history of Ulster. That, indeed, would be a herculean task, although in itself scarcely as difficult as to give a history of those ancient days in what became and now is the County Longford. Men, and things, and places were in those days known by names which have undergone so much change, that few there are who can accurately trace the history of any one spot in Ireland. In general it may be safely supposed that the same things which happened elsewhere in Ireland in those days happened in Long- ford ; that there were wars, and raids, and ravages between many con- tending factions in each generation, as when we read in the " Four Masters " : " A.M. 3790. After having reigned eighteen years as monarch of Ireland, Aengus Olumchaidh fell in the battle of Carmen (now in County Wexford). Aengus gained several battles, amongst which was the battle of Ardachaidh, in which fell Smiorgall, the son of Smeatha, king of the Formorians." The Irian race became owners of the" land of Ulster, and their chiefs kings of that province, dwelling with great splendour at Emania, near the present city of Armagh. The twenty-sixth king from Ir was a monarch called Fergus the Great. He had reigned but seven years when he was overcome in battle by the famous Connor MacNessa, and had to fly into Connaught for safety. At this time there lived there the celebrated Queen Maud, or Mave, whose name is connected with so many legends in Ireland. Maud gladly received the exiled prince, and hospitably entertained him, the result beiag that Fergus 12 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONaPOED. married her. Of this marriage three sons were born, two of whom became founders of the O'Connor family of Kerry, whilst the third, who was the eldest, and whose name was Conmac, received all his mother and father's inheritance. This included, on his mother's side, all of the present Counties of Galway, Mayo, and part of Roscommon, whilst by his father he came into possession of the southern portion of the dominions from which Fergus Mor had been driven. Conmac erected this large inheritance into the kingdom of Conmacne, over which he and his descendants ruled ; but after the lapse of years the kingdom was divided into principalities and chieftaincies according as the race of Conmac increased in numbers. In the course of centiiries a chieftain ruled all that part of the territory of Conmacne bounded on the west and north-west by the Shannon, and the south and east by the Inny. This man's name was Anghaile, and after his time the land he ruled was called " the land of Anghaile, " or, as it was afterwards Anglicized, Annaly. Anghaile's grandson was a chieftain named Fear- ghail, who, with his sons and clansmen, fought against the Danes at Clontarf, a.d. 1015. So distinguished and powerful did he become, that his descendants were called OTearghails, which was Anglicized O'Ferrall, the family name of the old inhabitants- of Annaly to this present day. It is right to mention that there is a diversity of opinion as to the exact location of old Annaly. ' From the following extracts from a com- mentary on the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, it would seem as if the O'Farrells derived possession of the County Longford from force of arms. Thus it appears that — " Teffia, which fell to Mann and his posterity, was formerly a very extensive country in Meath, comprising five baronies in Westmeath — viz., the country of the Foxes, Calrigia, Bregmania, Cuircina (besides the lands assigned to the Tuites, Petits and Daltons), and the County Longford, divided into North and South Teffia. North Teffia is Cabra- gaura, the possession of Carbry, son of King Niall, where the sons of Carbry, apprehensive of the curse pronounced against them by Patrick, HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 13 were converted, and entertained him in a friendly spirit, to whom they gave the beautiful place called Grranard. South Teffia, in the County Longford, being divided from Westmeath by the River Eithne (Inny), belonged to Mann and his posterity. St. Patrick regenerated this Mann in the waters of baptism, and built a church in a place called Ardachadh, which to this day is the See of Ardagh, and consecrated Melus, his sister's son, bishop, with whom he left Milchuo, his brother, co-bishop." From this it would appear that Mann, who, according to O'Hart, was the progenitor of the O'Keareys, inhabited Longford County. But this account is obscure and unreliable, whereas- all modern commentators agree that the County of Longford was the principal part of the ancient patrimony of the O'Farrells. Writing on this subject quite recently, a learned divine of the Dior cese of Ardagh says : — " The ' O'Ferrall' Sept, Princes of Annally, is an illustrious family of Milesian origin ; descended from Milesius, who was king of Gralicia, Andalusia, Murcia, Castile and Portugal, and who is known as Milesius of Spain. The Milesians came into this cormtry several centuries before the birth of Christ. The three sons of Milesius who left any issue were Heber, Ir and Heremon. From Ir descended Fergus Mor, who (by Meavre, or Mab, Queen of Connaught) was th^ father of three sons, respectively, Conmac, Ciar, and Core ; from Ciar are descended the O'Connors of Kerry, who were kings Agri Kerriensis (the O'Connors of Connaught being descended from Heremon) ; from Core, the O'Connors of Corcomroe,, and the O'Loughhns of Burren, both terri- tories being situate in the County of Clare ; and from the eldest son, Conmac, the O'Farrells, Kings of Conmacne (this word signifying 'the posterity of Conmac'), which contained all that territory which we now call the County of Longford, a large portion of the Counties of Leitrim, Sligo and Galway, and that part of the County of Westmeath anciently called Ouircneach, but more lately, ' Dillon's Country.' " From Angall, a direct lineal descendant of Conmac,. that.ipart of 14 HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. Conmacne, now known as the County of Longford, and Cuircneach, in "Westmeath, was called 'Upper Annally;' and the adjacent part of the County of Leitrim was called Lower Annaly ; and his posterity, after they lost the title of Kings of Conmacne, which his ancestors enjoyed, were upon their submission to the Crown of England, styled Princes or Lords of both Annalies until a recent period. " Third in descent from Angall was Feargal (a quo ' OTerrall') who was King of Conmacne, and was slain fighting on the side of Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf, a.d. 1014, " About that time the O'Farrels conquered Cairbre the Incredulous (upon whom, for his incredulity, the malediction of St. Patrick swiftly descended), and dispossessed the O'Kearys, whose tribe was Hy-Cair- hri; and they changed the name Hy-Cairbri to 'Annaly,' their own tribe name." From this it would seem that the territory of the O'Farrells lay prior to the tenth century more eastwards, and that the major part of Teffia, which was the Irish name for Meath, belonged to them. Be that as it may, it is undisputed that the County of Longford was included in the ancient patrimony of Conmac, who was the direct pro- genitor of the O'Farrell family. We will now look through that excellent book, the " Annals of the Four Masters," for references to Hy-Caii'bre, or, as it was called at a later period, Annally. EXTEAOTS FEOM THE "AnNALS OF THE FoUR MaSTBES." « A.D. 236. This year Cormac, the grandson of Conn, who was King of the Lagenians (Leinster), overthrew the Ultonians (Ulstermen), in a great battle fought at Granard. Their defeat was so great that many of them fled to the Isle of Man and the Hebrides, and Cormack was ever after known as Cormack Ulfoda. *' 476. In this year a battle was fought between the Granardians and the Leinstermen, in which Eochaidh, who was descended from End* Madh, King of Leinster, was defeated and slain in the battle. HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOSD. 15 "480. In this year a battle was fought between the Lagenians themselves, in which Fionchadd, Lord of Hy Kinsellagh, was slain by the Grranardians." (The references which are found in the Annals relating to St. Patrick's visits to the County of Longford will appear further on.) " 742. Fiachra, son of Grabran of Meath, was drowned in Lough Kee. " 747. Conang, grandson of Dhubhan, Lord of Carbry of TeflBa (Granard), died. " 751. The fleet of Dealbua-nudat was wrecked on Lough Eee. " 761. At Shruthaire a great battle was fought between the rival clans of Conmacne and Hy Bruin. In this battle the Conmacians were routed, and many of them killed, including Hugh Dub, the son of Toichleach. The victory in this battle was gained by Dubindracht, the son of Cathal. " 766. Artgal, son of Connell, Lord of Carbry of Teffia, died. " 842. Torlorg, son of Aileladh, Chief of Fealla (Faly), was slain by the Danes in Lough Ree, and Findacan, his brother, escaped from them. " 843. There was a hosting on Lough Ree by Turgesius, Lord of the Danes, and they plundered Connacht and Meath, and all the churches they could reach. "858. An army composed of Lagenians, Connacians, and the southern Hy Nialls, marched to Fiachla, under the conduct of Mael- saghlin, the son of Maelrony, and encamped at Moydumha, in the vicinity of Ardagh. " 902. Cormac Mac Culeman and Flaithberthach marched with an army against the Hy Nialls of the south and against the Connacians, and they took the hostages of Connaught in their great fleets on the Shannon, and plundered the islands of Lough Ree. " 913. An attack was made on Flann Sionna by his sons, Dona,gh and Connor, and they plundered Meath (Annaly) as far as Lough Ree. 16 filSTOET OF TfiE COUNTY LONGPOBD. ' *■ 920. Clonmacnoise was plundered by the Danes of Limerick, and tliey went on Lough. Ree and plundered all the islands. " 921. The Danes were on Lough Eee, and they slew Bachtighern, son of Flamchad, Lord of Breghmaine. "927. A naval engagement took place on the Shannon between Conmacne and Tuath Ella, in which were slain Cathal, grandson of Mael, and Flaghertagh, son of Tuathaile, and others besides. • " 029; The Danes of Limerick took up on Lough Ree. " 934. Amlaff the Scabby-headed, with his Danes, came from Lough Erne across BrefEny, and as far as Lough Ree, on Christmas Day, where they remained seven months, and plundered the country. "935. Auliffe, son of Godfrey, Lord of the Danes, came from Dublin about the 1st of August, and brought away with him Amlaff the Scabby-headed and his Danes, having destroyed his ships. " 960. Inismore, on Lough Ree, was taken by Murchadh O'Kelly from Oeallach, son of Rorke, Lord of Siol Ronan (Clan Ronan), whom he brought with his fleet in captivity to Hy-Maine. " 987. The men of Munster and the Danes of Waterford came in vessels on Lough Ree. The Connacians assembled against them, and a battle was fought between them. Grreat numbers of the Momonians and Danes were cut off with slaughter, and, amongst others, Dulaing, the heir-apparent to the crown of Munster, and many others along with him. The heir-apparent to the crown of Connaught also fell by them in the heat of the engagement. " 992. A new fleet was brought by Brian, the son of Kennedy, and he plundered the territory of the men of Breffny. ■■ " 1030. The kingdom of Meath was obtained by O'Melaghlin after he had been banished on Lough Ree by Grott O'Melaghlin (the Stammerer). " 1069. In this year Murchad, the son of Diarmuid, marched into Meath and burned a large amount of property. Jay and ecclesiastical. He also burned Granard and Ardbraccan, the lord of which met and slew him. -^■s--^1 o < m g !» HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 19 " 1082. A great number of the inhabitants of Westmeath and of Delvin were slain on Lough Ree by Domnhall ; and their defeat was called ' the defeat of the ships.' " 1095. The Dalradians gave the TJItonians a great overthrow in a battle at Ardagh, in which fell Lochlen 0' Carroll, heir-apparent to the Kingdom of Ulster, and Giolla Comghall O'CarroU, and many others. " 1103. Cathalan, son of Seanan, was slain by the people of Capra Graura (Granard). " 1108. Donnell, son of Donnell O'Rourke, Lord of Breiffney, was slain by the people of Granard. " 1133. The sons of Cuconnaught O'Connor were drowned in Lough Eee. " 1135. The fleet of Morogh O'Melaghlin was brought on Lough Ree ; and the O'Connors with their king, and the O'Kellys with their lord came, and each party left hostages with Morogh. (Morogh O'Melaghlin was this year Ard Righ of Ireland, hence the giving of hostages to him.) " 1137. Turlogh O'Connor brought a fleet on the Shannon and on Lough Ree. That was a valiant expedition for him indeed against the fleet of the men of Breiffny under Tiernan O'Rourke, and against the fleet of the men of Meath under the King of Tara, which consisted of 200 vessels, although Turlogh had only twenty. "1161. Matudan, grandson of Cronan, Lord of Carbry Grabha (Granard), fell by the sons of MacComgall at Granard. " 1162. Carbry -na-Ciardha (Granard) was plundered by Maol- saochlin O'Rorke. He was, however, defeated, and many of his men were killed. " 1172. The sons of Annadh O'Rourk and the English treacherously plundered the inhabitants of Annally. They drove off many cows and took many captives. They afterwards made another incursion into Ardagh, and during the expedition ravaged the County Longford, and slew Donnal OTarrell, Chieftain of Annally. "11 89. After Connor Moinmoy had been slain by a party of his 20 HISTOEiT OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. own people, tLe O'Connors of Connaught came to Roderick O'Connor, once King of Ireland, to restore him to his kingdom and give him hostages, for the hostages given to Connor Moinmoy were left in Lough Ree on Inisclothrann. "1190. A meeting took place between Charles the Bed-handed and Charles Carrach O'Connor to conclude a peace. The Archbishops Connor MacDermott and Arteach O'Reddy were also present. No agreement could be come to, and O'Connor and his clan came that night to Clonmacnoise. Afterwards they sailed up the Shannon to Lough Eee, where a great storm tossed their fleet. O'Connor's ship became unmanageable and foundered, and but six others and himself were saved. " 1183. Auliffe (Oliver) O'Farrell assumed the Lordship of Annaly, and Hugh was expelled.' " 1196. Hugh O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly, was treacherously slain by the sons of Sitric O'Quinn. " 1207. Auliffe O'Farrell, Chief of Annaly, died. " 1209. Donogh O'Farrell, Chieftain of Annaly, died. "1210. The sons of Roderic O'Connor, and Tiege, the son of Connor Moinmoy, accompanied by some of the people of Annaly, crossed the Shannon, and making an incursion into some of the territory east thereof (Meath), carried a spoil with them into the wil- derness of Kenel-Dobhtha. Hugh, the son of Charles the Red-handed, pursued them, and a battle was fought between them, in which the sons of Roderic were defeated and driven again across the Shannon, leaving some of their men and horses behind them. " 1232. Hugh, the son of Auliffe, son of Connal O'Farrell, Chieftain of Annaly, was burned on the island of Inislochacuile (Lough Owel), by the sons of Hugh Cialach, son of Morogh O'Farrell, having been nine years chieftain of Annaly, from the death of his predecessor, Moroch Carragh O'Farrell. "1262. A great pillage was committed by the Enghsh of Meath on G-ioUa-na-Naomh O'Farrell (the Just), Lord of Annaly. His own tribe HISTORY OF THE OOUTSTTT LONGPOED. 21 also^ forsook him and placed themselves under the protection of the English ; afterwards they deposed him, and bestowed the lordship on the son of Morogh Carragh O'Farrell. In consequence of this, GioUa committed great devastations, depredations, spoliations, and pillages upon the English, and fought several fierce battles upon them, in which he slew vast numbers. He also defended vigorously the lordship of Annaly, and expelled the son of Murrough Carrach O'Farrell from the country. " 1274. Is recorded his death, having achieved the victory of penance. He was son of Auliffe. " In the year 1271, it is related that Donall O'Flynn was slain by the son of Robin Lawless at Shrewne. " 1282. Cathal, his son, who succeeded him in the lordship, died in Iniscuan, and Jeffry O'Farrell, his brother, succeeded him. " 1318. JefEry, the grandson of GioUa-na-naiomh O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1322. Moragh, son of GrioUa and Lord of Annaly, was treacherously slain by Seonnin (Little John) O'Farrell at Cluainlisbeg. " 1328. Connor Mac Brennan was slain by the inhabitants of Annaly. " 1345. Brian O'Farrell, worthy heir to the lordship of Annaly, died. " 1347. GrioUa-na-Naomh, the son of Jeffry, who was son of the other GioUa, died at Cluanlisbeg, having held for a long time the lordship of Annaly. " 1348. Cathal O'Farrell, lord, died. " 1353. Mahon, the son of Griolla, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1355. Donall, the son of John O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1362. Dermot, son of John, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1364. Melaghlin, son of Morogh, son of Griolla, son of Hugh, son of Auliffe, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1373. The English of Meath made an incursion into Annaly, in the course of which they slew Eoderic, the son of Cathal O'Farrell, his son, and numbers of his people. Donagh O'Farrell pursued them with all his forces, and slew great numbers of them; but whilst following 22 HISTORY OP IHE COUNTY LONGFORD. the Englisli he was killed by the shot of an arrow, whereupon his people were defeated. " 1374. MelaghHn, son of Dermot O'Farrell, went frOm Annaly to Muntir Maolmordha, to wage war with the EngHsh. A fierce and determined conflict ensued, in which O'Farrell and many others were slain. " 1375. Geoffrey O'Farrell, a man of many accomplishments, died. ** 1377. The Castle of Lios-ard-ablha (now only marked by the moat of LisserdowHng) was erected by John O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly. "1383. John died, and was interred at Abbeylara. "1384. Cuconnaught, son of Hugh, and Jeffry O'Farrell, died. " 1385. Cathal O'Farrell, worthy heir to the lordship of Annaly, died. "1398. Morogii O'Farrell, a very renowned man, died a month before Christmas, and was buried in Abbeylara; and Thomas, son of Cathal, son of Morogh, also a renowned man, was slain at his residence (at Killeeu in Legan), by the English df Meath and the Baron of Delvin. He had been elected Lord of Annaly in preference to John, his elder brother. John was then inaugurated as his successor. " 1399. John O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly, died. " 1411. Murtogh O'Farrell, son of the Lord of Caladh, in Annaly, died. " 1417. Mathew, son of Cuconnaught, Lord of Magh Treagh, died. " 1430. Owen O'Neill, accompanied by the chiefs of his province, marched with a great army into Annaly. He went first to Sean (old) — Longphort (now the town) — and from that to Coillsallach (Kilsallagh), where he resided for some time. He went afterwards to Meath, and returned home in triumph, bringing the son of Donall-boy O'Farrell with him to Dungannon, as a hostage to ensure O'Farrell's submission to him as his lord. " 1443. Brian, the son of Ever, who was son of Thomas, son of Cathal O'Farrell, was slain as he was endeavouring to make his escape by force from the island of Inis-purt-an-gurtin, where he had been detained in confinement two years by Donnall Boy O'Farrell. HISTOET OP, THE COUNTY LONGFOHD. 23 " 1445. William, the son of John, who was son of Donall O'Farrell, Lord of Annaly, died after a long and virtuous life; and two chieftain- cies were then set up in Annaly. Eossa, the son of Murtough the Meathian, who was son of Brian O'Farrell, was called The O'Farrell by all the descendants of Morogh O'Farrell and the sons of the two Hughs — the sons of John O'Farrell and all his other friends proclaimed Donall Boy, the son of Donall, who was son of John, as chief of the tribe. The territory was destroyed between the contests of both, until they made peace and divided Annaly equally between them. (Here the division of Annaly into Upper and Lower is clearly defined — Grranard and Longford being the respective seats.) In this year also, in which two chieftaincies were set up in Annaly, John, son of Brian, son of Edmond O'Farrell, and eight others along with him, were slain by John O'Farrell and the sons of Donnell Ballach O'Farrell, on the mountain which is now called Slieve Galium Brigh Leith (Slieve Galry), in Ardagh. " 1452. The Earl of Ormond and the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland marched into the territory of Annaly, where O'Farrell made sub- mission to the Earl, and promised him beeves as the price of obtaining peace from him. The Earl and Lord Chief Justice then proceeded to Westmeath. " In 1461, The MacGheogan of "Westmeath, committed great depre- dations on the Baron of Delvin, and plundered the County Longford as far as Shrewle. " 1462. Thomas, the son of Cathal, who was son of Cathal O'Farrell, Tanist of Annaly, was slain at Bail-atha-na-Pailse (now Palles, Gold- smith's birthplace) at night, whilst in pursuit of plunder which a party of the Dillons, the Clan Chonchabar, and the sons of Murta,gh, were carrying off. They carried away his head and his spoils, having found him with merely a few troops, a circumstance which seldom happened to him. " 1467. Donnell Boy O'FarreU, Chieftain of Annaly, and Lewis, the son of Ross, who was son of Cathal O'Farrell, died ; Iriel O'Farrell was 24 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. elected to his place, and John assumed Iriel's place as snb-cliief of Annaly. " 1474. John O'Farrell was appointed to the chieftainship of Annaly in preference to his brother, who was blind (and so incapacitated). " 1475. John O'Farrell, Chief of Annaly, died at Granard, after the feast of his inauguration had been prepared, but before he had partaken thereof ; he was interred at Lerrha. At the same time O'Donnell, son of Niall G-arve, at the head of his forces, accompanied by the chiefs of Lower Connaught, marched first to Ballyconnell, with intent to liberate not only his friend and confederate, Brian O'Reilly, but also to con- clude peace between The O'Rorke and O'Reilly; O'Reilly repaired at once to Ballyconnell, where a peace was ratified between him and O'Rorke. After this he marched to Fenagh, and from thence he directed his course to Annaly, in order to assist his friends, the sons of Iriell O'Farrell. He burned and destroyed Annaly, except that part of it which belonged to the sons of Iriell, whom he established in full sway over the County of Annaly. "In 1476 the English of Meath made an excursion into East Roscom- mon, during which they demolished the village of the O'Quinns, occu- pied Pallas (then called Baile-an-atha-Pailse), the scene of Goldsmith's boyhood days, and burned the monastery of Shrewle and the fields of corn in that country. " 1486. Teigue MacEgan, OUave of Annaly, was slain by the descendants of Iriel O'Farrell — an abominable deed. " 1489. A great intestine quarrel arose among the inhabitants of Annaly, during which they committed great injuries against each other, and continued to do so until the Lord Chief Justice piade peace among them, and divided the chieftainship between the sons of John and the sons of Cathal. " 1490, Bdmond Duff, the son of Ross, Lord of Calahnah-Angaile, died, and Phelim, the son of GioUa, who was son of Donnell, assumed his place. " 1494. Cormack O'Farrell, the son of John, son of Donall, the second chieftain of Annaly of that day, died. HISTOBT OP THE COUNTY LONGPOED. 25 " 1497. A great battle was fought between the rival parties for the chieftaincy, in which Donnell, son of Brian, Lord of Clan Auliffe, and Gerald, son of Hugh Oge, Lord of Magh Treagh, were slain, and a great many others. " 1516. Wilham, the son of Donogh OTarrell, Bishop of Annaly, who assisted the Lord President to subdue The MacWilliam Burke, and thus prevented him ruining The O'Kelly of Hy Maine, in 1504, died. " 1572. The sons of the Earl (of Eoscommon, I think) next plundered the district lying between the Eiver Suck and Shannon, and pillaged every person who was on friendly terms with the English as far as the gates of Athlone. Afterwards, keeping the Shannon on the right hand, they marched directly outwards to Slieve Baghnad-tuath, crossed the ferry of Anghaile, and burned Athleague. " 1576. Brian O'Rourke committed great predatory outrages this year in Annaly "1595. Red Hugh O'Donnell marched an army into Connaught, plundering the parts of the country that he passed through. On his arrival in Leitrim, near Mohill, his enemies thought he would return thence into Ulster, but this he did not do, but privately despatched messengers to Hugh Maguire, of Eermanagh, requesting that he would meet him in Annaly. He sent scouts before him through that country, and ordered them to meet him at an appointed place. He then marched onwards secretly and expeditiously, and arrived with his troops at the dawn of day in the Annalies, then the territories of the O'Parrells, though the Bnghsh had some time previously obtained some power there. The brave troops of O'Donnell and Maguire marched from Sliabh Oarbry to the Eiver Inny, and as they passed along they set the country in a blaze, which became shrouded under a black and dense cloud of smoke. They took Longford, and set fire to every side and corner of it, so that it was only by a rope that Christopher Browne, his brother, and their wives, were conveyed in safety from the prison of which he was marshal." This concludes the references in the Annals of the Four Masters 26 HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGTOED. relating to this county. As the readers will see, Annaly was invaded by the Danes in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries, during which many battles were fought on both the Danish and Irish side, principally in Lough Ree and Lough Gowna. The creation of the two chieftaincies in 1445, is dealt with so fully by the Annalists, that the extract given is sufficient to . describe that eventful period which marked the beginning of the end of native rule in Annaly. In the year 1553 the goOd Queen Mary ascended the English throne, and appointed as her principal lieutenant in Ireland the famous Sir Henry Sidney, who first visited Annaly in 1553, and subsequently had the ancient patrimony of the OTarrells styled the County of Longford. No one who has read this history can find in any of the extracts quoted a precedent for this action ; and, as we shall see, it was the opening act of a drama, in which the unfortunate natives of Annaly were the chief sufEerers. I presimie it is now clear to the people of Longford that (1) it formed at one time portion of the ancient kingdom of Ctenmacne, and (2) that it was subsequently called Anghaile, which was in turn Angli- cized Annaly, and was known by this title until the advent of Sir Henry Sidney, as Queen Elizabeth's Lord Deputy, in 1570. I have dis- covered in the State Papers of the years 1540 to 1580 a number of very interesting extracts relating to his dealings with what I may truly describe to be the unfortunate inhabitants of Annaly. Sir Henry Sidney thus writes to the council at Dublin Castle, under date 1553 : — "Between the Shannon and O'Eeilly's country is the Annale, a strong country, where the Eerralls dwell, men of good obedience, who pay yearly to the king 100 marks rent, and find 240 galloglas for a quarter of the year after the rate of 4d. sterling the spear by the day. Lately, in the absence of my Lord Deputy, I being there for the order of their contentions, they obeyed my letters." It would seem from this extract that Annaly was subjected by the Tuites, &c., early in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, and that at this period the Enghsh were able to levy blackmail on the inhabitants HISTOKT OF THE COUNTY L0NGFOED. 27 of ,Annaly, wticli -was always open to the inroads of the enemy, not being protected by any natural barriers, whose friendly aid the inhabi- tants could use to advantage. In addition to this natural disadvantage under which they laboured, we find them also labouring under a more unnatural and decidedly more disastrous one, namely, that of disunion. For, m 1445 (that is one hundred years before), " two chieftaincies had been set up in Annaly," as the Four Masters tell us, and the quarrels and dissensions which arose out of this state of things, of course largely helped the invader in his evil purposes. What a moral does not the treatment of our forefathers contain for us. Irishmen ? Let us examine any phase of Irish history — let us search up to its source the true reason of the failure of any combination against the progress of our enemies, and we will find invariably that Irishmen themselves were either to blame from ambitious causes, or were made the dupes of their more cunning and less scrupulous opponents. The progress of Irish industry, even ia those days, did not please the so-called Parliament sitting in Dulelin ; for according to the State Papers for 1452, we find that it was passed as a law : — "Cap 3 — That no BngHsh merchant carry any goods or mer- chandise to any of the merchants of Cavan, Granard, or any other Irish county out of the English pale, or bring any goods from the said marches, upon pain to forfeit the same goods, and their bodies to be at the king's pleasure. It shall be lawful to any of the king's subjects to attack or arrest such as attempt to do the contrary, and to commit them to gaol. One moiety of the goods forfeited to be the king's ; the other his that makes the seizure ; wine, ale, and bread always excepted." We now come to the time when the wholesale confiscations begin. Sir Henry Sidney made a second tour of Ireland in 1570, and visited , Annaly, which he erected into the County Longford, According to the State Papers of Sir Henry Sidney's tour in Annaly in 1670, we find it set forth : — " On February 11th, 1670, the following indenture was made 28 HISTORY 01? THE COUNTY LONGFORD. between the O'Farrells, of tlie County Longford, and Sir Henry Sidney, President of the Council of Wales and Lord Deputy of Ireland, of the one part ; and Faghne O'Farrell, otherwise called O'Farrell Bane, of TuUy, in the County Longford, sometime called the Annale ; William Fitzdonnell O'Farrall, of the Moat, John O'Farrell, of the Glane, captain of WilHam's sept ; Donnell O'Farrell, of the Reen, now called McMorge, in Tleeve ; Melaghhn O'Farrell, of Moneylogan ; Felyn Boye O'Coyne, of the Brewne, called O'Coyne, and O'Donnell O'Farrell, of Kilgrease, captain of Gillernow's sept in the said county, gentlemen, of the other part. " 1. The said Faghne O'Farrell, and the rest above-named, promise and bargain to surrender in the Court of Chancery in Ireland to the use of the Queen, when they shall be required to do so, all their pos- sessions in the said country, sometimes called the Annally, and now the County Longford ; and the Lord Deputy promises that they shall receive the same by letters patent from the Queen, to hold to them and their heirs for ever by Knight's service, and that they shall be exone- rated from the Bonaught accustomed to be paid out of the said country to the Queen's Gallowglasses, and from all other cesses and impositions. In consideration thereof, they grant to the Lord Deputy and his heirs, for the use of the Queen, and her successors, a yearly rent-charge of 200 marks, Irish, payable at the feasts of Michaelmas and Easter, from Michaelmas next. For lack of money to be paid in the Exchequer, the Treasurer or Receiver Greneral is to receive kine to the value of the rent unpaid, as kine shall be worth, and sold in the market of Athboye and Navan. If the rent be behind unpaid in part or in all by the space of six months next after any of the said feasts, it shall be lawful to the Lord Deputy, or to the Treasurer, or Receiver- General to enter a distrain on all the lands. " 2. They promise to answer to all general hostings, roads, journeys, and risings out as they have been accustomed, and to pay yearly for ever the ancient rent due to the Queen's Majesty out of the said portion of the said country, now being under the HISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGPOED. 29 ride of the said Fahny Farrell, that is to say, 50 kine or 6s., Irish, for every cow. " 3. That the captainship of that portion of the said county called Annalye, which heretofore had been used by the said OTerrall Bane, shall from henceforth be utterly destroyed, abolished, extinguished, removed, and put back within the said county for ever ; and that the said Fahny OTerrall shall receive and take up by letters patent from the Queen's Majesty for the term of his life, an authority in the said county called Blentane, in the said County Longford, by the name and stiles of Seneschal, and not otherwise, together with all such customs, duties, and charges as has been accustomed to be yielded yearly, and paid into the said Tague OTarrell, as captain of the said county, and indorsed on the back of said indentures, and the said OTarrell not to be removed from his captaincy till such time as he have in patent the Seneschalship. After his death, hke letters patent to be made out to one of the OTarrells within the said county, such as the governor for the time being shall choose. " 4. None shall be sergeant nor petty sergeant within the said county but of the said county birth. " 5. The said Seneschal shall apprehend all traitors, felons and other malefactors, and commit them to the common shire gaol of the said county, and prosecute them according to the laws. For this (his travail) he shall have the moiety or half-hendel of the lands of persons attainted, and of the goods and chattels of such felons as shall be exe- cuted within his rule, the other moiety to remain to the Queen. The Seneschal shall also have all frays, batteries and bloodshed that shall happen within his rule, according as his predecessors have used to have by the name of OTarrell. " 6. The County of Longford shall henceforth pay yearly the sub- sidy of 13s. 4d. yearly upon a ploughland, granted of late by Parliament to the Queen, when it shall be divided into ploughlands. For the first three years next after the division into ploughlands, wastes shall be allowed as in other places of shire ground. The lands of the Geraldines 30 HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. and Nugents and others of the English Pale, shall all be contributors, and bear to the said Seneschal all such lawful customs and duties as heretofore they used to receive by the names of captain or tanist. If the same be obstinately refused, the Sheriff of the said county will distrain. " 7. None of the gentlemen freeholders, or others of the same county, shall take any goods or chattels, one from the other, on any account, but only for rent service, rent charge or damage f esant, and none of them to seek to revenge their private quarrels, one upon another, for anything, but by order of the Queen's laws or arbitraments, with consent of the parties, upon pain of double the thing received to heirs quotiens, to him or to them who shall so offend. " 8. Neither the Seneschal nor Sheriff shall levy or exact upon the said county any money, cattle or other things for expenses in ■ coming to the council and governor to Dublin or elsewhere in their own private business, unless they be appointed by the said county for the common profit thereof, and then such expenses as they shall have shall be first condescended by the said county and afterwards cessed indifferently. " 9. The said county shall be discharged of soldier, horse, horse- boy, and all other cesses and exactions, unless when they shall have occasion to travel for the prince through that country. " Sealed by the parties above-named, and signed and delivered in the presence of Richard Tailor, Fergus OTerrall, Richard Staine and William MacDonnell, 11th February, 1570." It would be well for the reader to carefully study the nine articles under which the O'Farrells surrendered their lands, and to observe how those articles were subsequently upheld. It would be also well to remark here, that in order to create disunion all the more readily amongst the inhabitants of Annaly, Sir Henry Sidney elevated one family to the chieftaincy, whilst, as will be seen, his successors elevated a different family, and hence the creation of a clan feud which placed the O'Farrells at the entire mercy of the invader. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONOFORD. 31 , After having carefully perused the foregoing articles, the reader will perceive that the so-called Seneschalship was to be vested first in Faghney Farrell, and afterwards to be elective amongst the other chief- tains of the name in the county. "We shall soon see how, after Sir Henry Sidney had bargained thus with the chieftains, Sir John Perrot, whose name is well known in the pages of Irish history, set this arrangement aside, and in order still further to place the deluded owners at his mercy, set up a chieftain, whose claim was forcibly dis- puted by the rest of the name. In 1571 the following indenture was signed by all the OTarrells : — " Indenture betwixt Sir Henry Sidney of the one part, and Faghy O'Ferrall, otherwise called O'Ferrall Baye, of the Pallise, in the County of Longford, sometime called the Annale, Kedagh O'Ferrall of Eahara- vey, Fergus O'Ferrall, of the Bawn, Edmund O'Ferrall, of Criduffe, Irriel O'Ferrall, son to the said O'Ferrall, of Mornin, Teige Duffe McCormicke O'Ferrall, of the Killyn Crubock (Killeen Legan), O'Ferrall, of, the Camace, Bryan McRory O'Ferrall, of Drumvinge, Shane M'Grarrot O'Farrall, of the Corrigeen, Tirrelagh O'Barden of Drombishen, Wm. O'Bardan, of the same, Eory Mackrose O'Farrell, of Kilmacshane, Teige Bay O'Ferrall, of Tyrlicken, Iriell Mac William O'Farrell, of Ballyishaun, Bryan McHebbard O'Ferrall, of Kilmacom- moge, Murrough McDonnell O'Farrell, of Athadonnell, Eosse MacDon- nell O'Farrell, of Ballyringan, Moragh McTeige O'Farrell, of Bally- clare, Cathal McHebbard Farrell, of Devyclyne, Murcho McOonyck O'Ferrall, of Corrigglagain, Euran McG-errot O'Ferrall, of Clonfower, Teige Duffe O'Ferrall, of the same, Connell MacShane O'Ferrall, of Drommeded, Grillernewe MacFaghne O'Farrell, of Eaclyne, Cowke McHebbard O'Ferrall, Bellallyng, Felem MacDonnell O'Ferrall, of Keramkeyll, Connor MacEossa O'FarroU, of Cashell, Beage Hebbard MacEossa O'FarroU, of Furkeyll;, Teige McMoryarty O'FarroU, of Cornyll, Jeffry Oge O'FarroU, of Cornageurk, Moyertagh O'FarroU, of Liveny, Hugh McDonogh O'FarroU, o'f the Carygn, Shane McDonnell O'FarroU McDonnell, of the Curry, Felem O'Ouyne, of the Arcwranake, 32 DISTORT OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. Jeffry O'Cuyne, of Rathcline, William M'Donkey O'Farroll, of Dare- more, Donnell McCoUe OTarroU, of Crulaghte, in tlie said county, gentlemen, of the other part. " The said Faghna OTarrell and the rest above named covenant to surrender in the Court of Chancery in Ireland to the use of the Queen, ■when they thereunto shall be required, all their possessions in this country, sometime called the Annally and now the County of Longford, with the like covenants and conditions as in the former indentures are mentioned." This is the consequent document of the previous one, and, in my opinion, was framed so as to render the articles therein contracted for open to suspicion, by subsequent deputies, who could, of course, more easily question the validity of two than one document. The reader will perceive by it that in this case the surrender was made without any such stipulations as were made in the first one. On April 27th, 1576, Lord Deputy Sidney wrote : — " As to Annalye, or O'Ferrall's country, and East Brenye (BrefEny), or O'Eeille's country, they all attended upon me during my abode in the Counties of Roscommon and Westmeath. At my being at Athlone I sent commissioners thither to hold sessions. This country was made shire ground by me by the name of the County Longford, and the chief lords are bound to pay 400 marks by the year of increase of revenue, whereof albeit they were in arrear for several years, yet immediately upon my demand they paid part, and took short days for the payment of the rest." "1588, December 2.— A grant made to Faghna O'Ferrall, of the Palace, County Longford, alias O'Ferrall Bay, and his heirs, of divers la,nds, tenements and hereditaments, in the townlands of Moybravain, Clanawly, Clangillemewe, Mountirgelgan, Callon, and elsewhere, in the County Longford." This grant was the beginning of the dispute between the O'Ferralls, because here is given to another family that which Sir Henry Sidney previously gave to the O'Ferralls, of TuUy, and was in direct violation of one of the articles of the indenture. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOBD. 33 July 15, 1588. — Lord Deputy Fitzwilliam wrote to the Privy Council that coiaplaints "were made by the chiefest geutlemen of O'Farrell Boy's country, the indenture made ia Sir Henry Sidney's deputation not to be infringed by the patent which the present O'Faxrell Boy has sent his son Iriell to have confirmed in England. Kedah O'Ferrall, Connell O'Ferrall and others wrote to Queen Elizabeth against Faghna O'Farrell and Iriell, his son, who seek the confirmation of a patent contrary to an agreement made by Sir Henry Sidney between Faghna, Iriell and all the other O'Farrells for the quiet government of the County Longford. In 1588 it was " objected against Sir John Perrot " that — " He hath lately within this twelvemonth passed a patent under the great seal of Ireland to Faghnagh O'Farrell, Iriell OFarrell, his son, and their heirs, of certain lands, as also the Seneschalship in the County of Longford, which patent is very prejudicial to Kedagh O'Farrell, and a number of others besides, and contrary to certain indentures passed in the tenth year of Her Majesty between both the septs of the O'Farrells and Sir Henry on Her Majesty's behalf, by which indenture after the death of the said Faghna, the Senesclial is to be nominated by the Lord Deputy from any of the name O'Farrell during his Hfe only. This is likely to cause great disquietness in the O'Ferrall's country." The cause of the dispute from this extract would seem to be that the Seneschalship was at first vested in Faghne O'Ferrall for his lifetime; and after his death the office was not to be hereditary, but to be given to any other of the name O'Ferrall. The wily Sir John Perrot, well knowing the fiery tempera- ment and proud disposition of the Irish chieftains, conferred the office on Faghne's son, which immediately set the country aflame, and was the means of giving the invader a stronger hand over it. This has always been the invader's best card to play, because when he had set the Irish against each other, he knew their enmity was enough to leave him, nothing more to wish for. We now come to the advent of the informer on the scene in the person of one Patrick Fox, who (like the vulture that hovers over 34 HISTOET OP THE COUNTY lONGPOKD. the battlefield) scenting the plunder, which by clever and artful lying might be his, approaches the Lord Deputy and council with plausible tales of the treachery and treason of the O'Perralls. From the context it appears that this -Fox was either a lawyer or a scrivener of some description, and that having no recourse with which to earn an honest living but on the ruin of honest men, took to this method to build up for himself and his successors a name and a fame in the country. A poor name and fame, indeed, is such ! On January 28th, 1589, Patrick Fox, of Dublin, wrote to Lord "Walshingham inter alia : — " One Hubert O'Ferrall, son to Fergus O'Ferrall, him that with- stands the patent of Mr. O'Farrell, now in England, had been lately with Feagh MacHugh O'Byrne, and had of him a chief horse, and is with a great number of idle knaves ranging up and down the County of Longford, and meaneth to do some mischief to some of Her Majesty's subjects there." On February 4th, 1589, the sept of the O'Farrells wrote to "Walsh- ingham, praying " that in case it be not meant to refer the determining of the controversy between them and Iriell O'Farrell for the captaincy of Annally, they may have license to repair to England with their evi- dences, Iriell O'Farrell not to be made sheriff," 1589. ' February 13th. — Sir Henry Harrington'wrote to Lord "Walsh- ingham, informing him that one of Fergus O'Farrell's sept is now at the court a suitor for the captaincy of Annally. " Fergus O'Farrell has been always ready and willing to serve Her Majesty, and has had the good opinion of all governors. General report says the right is in Fergus and in the rest of his sept according to the compositions made in the time of Sir Henry Sidney." Memorandum. — The controversy between the O'Farrells to be referred to the Lord Deputy with advice for the division of Annaly. March 31, 1589.—" The matter of the O'Farrells groweth daily worse and worse." April 29, 1589. — Walshingham to Burghely — "Wishing the '- * '^ ^%ai ?TSt. n Pi R HJSTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 37 O'Farrells to be satisfied and contented lest the action of the governors and council be discredited when people perceive that matters of this weight having been, upon good deliberation, concluded and established by one deputy for a public good, shall afterwards be dissolved and disannulled by another for the benefit of any private family." June 24. — "The O'Farrells of Tenelike wrote to Burghely that their agent, Edward Nagle, may be returned in safety with the despatch of their suit." June 24. — " Petition of Bfiward Nangle to Burghely that the patent lately granted of certain lands to O'Farrell Boy may be speedily revoked." October 24th, 1589. — Patrick Fox, of Dublin, wrote to Lord Walsh- ingham a letter containing, the following " articles of treason and dis- loyalties committed by Fergus O'Farrell and his adherents to the pre- judice of the state, as shall be sufficiently proved" : — " ] . When O'Eorke received the Spaniards into his protection, he sent Fergus O'Farrell a fair Spanish cloak of great value, and a pair of gilt spurs, which were very thankfully received by the said Fergus in the said dangerous time in which O'Eourke was in rebellion. " 2. He sent letters and messages daily to O'Eourke, and gave him intelligence of the movements of the Queen's troops whilst O'Eorke was in rebellion. " 3. A priest named Connor O'Kenny often took messages between O'Eourke and Fergus, and with a view to join O'Eourke's daughter in marriage with Hubert, his son. " 4. He advised and caused O'Eorke not to come ' to the Lord Deputy upon the safe conduct which the Lord Deputy sent by Sir Henry Harrington and Lord Thomas Lestrange. "6. He received a letter from O'Eourke by the hands of Cahil Keogh, one of O'Eorke's footmen, and a follower of Fergus's wife. " 6. He sent Bryan McMortagher, a priest brought up in his house, to Spain for some bad purpose, and afterwards he also sent his son, Brian O'Farrell, to Spain. D 38 HISTOEY OP THE COUNTY LONGPOED, " 7. He sent a harp as a token to Feagh MacHugh, by one Eioliard O'Quinn, a priest, well knowing MacHugli to be a bad member. " 8. The said Fergus's son, called Hubert MacFergus, repaired to Feagh MacHugh, and remained with him a week to establish friendship betwixt Feigh and O'Eorke and his own father. At his deparure the received a dog from Feigh MacHugh and a chief horse as a bond of his devotion, which horse, with eight others, was forcibly and feloniously taken with much goods and other cattle from Hugh Duffe, one of the Earl of Ormonde's tenants, about 14 days before, at which time Feigh MacHugh sought Hugh Duffe to kill him. " 9. The said Fergus being High Sheriff of the County Longford, went to the house of Bryan O'Reilly, and became his gossip, he knowing O'Eeilly to be a notorious traitor, whose overthrow was sought for by the State, as may appear by the £20 that was paid for cutting off his head. "10. It is to be , remembered that in Ireland there is no greater proof of friendship than to become the gossip of any man. "11. Fergus and his sons were of great acquaintance and familiarity with the traitor, Hugh Eoe O'Donnell, and while he was prisoner in the Castle of Dublin they often visited him, and after his escape Fergus sent him messages by his servant, Cormack O'Hanly. For this Cormack received a large horse from the said Hugh, and he called it O'Donnell, and having brought the said horse to the house of Fergus, the Sheriff of Longford requested Fergus to keep Cormack prisoner till the Lord Deputy did send for him, but Fergus would neither deliver him to the said sheriff nor keep him in his castle ; but thinking that he might escape from the sheriff, sent him out of his castle with his sword and target, and willed him not to submit himself to the said sheriff, but rather revenge his death, whereupon the sheriff pursued him, and was shot by a bullet." October 29, 1589.— The sept of the O'Farrells— Kedagh Connell and Fergus — wrote to Burghely for licence to prosecute their cause against Iriell O'Farrell in England, or have a hearing in Ireland. , October 31, 1589. — The sept of the O'Farrells wrote to Walshing- HISTORY OF THE COUNTT LONGPOBD. 39 ham, asking that the cause between them and Iriell Q'Farrell may be referred to Lord Deputy and Council, or that they may be licensed to go over to England to prosecute the same at court; but their agent was intimidated and driven away by J. William Mostyn. December 15. — In a docket of Irish suits that of the O'Farrells occurs. December 22. — The Privy Council wrote to the Lord Deputy to license Fergus O'Parrell to repair over to England about the difference between him and Iriell. 1590. Letter from Sir Lucas Dillon to Sir John Perrott, informing him that Fergus O'Parrell is Sheriff of Longford for this year. Sir Lucas was Lord Chief Justice about this time. February 20. — A letter from the Lord Deputy, informing the Council that Fergus O'Parrell will repair over to England to answer Iriell O'Parrell in the end of March. March 26. — The Baron of Delvin wrote to Burghely, commending Fergus O'Parrell to him as one inclined to civility and good life. April 10, 1589. — Letter from Queen Elizabeth ordering O'Parrell Boy, and Iriell, his son, to be strengthened in their position by a regrant on surrender. April 18. — Letter from Gerald Birn to Sir John Perrot, informing him how Fergus O'Parrell's son and another horseman, well furnished with armour, and a harper riding upon a hackney with them, tarried certain days at the house of the traitor, Feagh Mac Hugh 0' Byrne. About same date a petition was received from Iriell O'Parrell, asking the Privy Council to forbear ordering anything against the O'Farrells, his adversaries, till he be made privy and heard. December. — Iriell O'Pai-rell, of Mornyne, asks that £40 per annum be settled on him for sixty years, as his estates have reverted to Sir Nicholas Aylmer and Sir Patrick Barnewall, also a letter from Sir J. Perrot, recommending the tanistries to be abolished, and citing the O'Farrells' cases. In 1590 the cases instituted by the O'Farrells against the jurisdiction 40 HTSTOBY 0"P THE COUNTY LONGFORD. bestowed by Sir Henry Sidney on Fagbney OTarrell and Iriell, bis i son, against wbicb tbey rebelled, baving been submitted to tbe Lord Delvin, he reported on lOtb May, 1590, as follows :— " Tbe O'Farrells . never enrolled tbe indenture between tbemselves and Sir Henry Sidney. Tbey never surrendered tbeir lands according to tbe covenant made 20 years past, but beld them by the tanist and captaincy granted by Sidney. As the indenture ties none but those that be living, I doubt much whether the grant to Mr. Malby be good enough or not. It is covenanted in Sir Henry's indenture that the Lord Deputy may grant an estate to them and their heirs of such lands as tbey will surrender. In the grant made by me I have performed that covenant, so that all who allege that I have varied from that cove- nant are much deceived, and I am greatly misused in the report of the Deputy's letters. I see no reason why the rest of the O'Farrells now living, and privy to the indenture, may not surrender their lands as O'Farrell Bane and Faghny O'Farrell (Boy) have done, notwithstanding anything in my patent to the Faghny. Where they say that they saw O'Farrell Bane, who surrendered his lands at one time with the said Faghny O'Farrell, being the greater lord of both, against whom nothing is said, and the said Faghny, with the rest of the O'Farrells, do pay £200 sterling yearly to her Majesty, they pay the said £200 now to Malby ; but the same is gotten with great difl&culty, for I made many warrants whilst I governed there to the sheriffs to distrain them with force for the payment thereof, and they got from her Majesty above 500 ' marks yearly when they granted to pay her Majesty the said £200 ; for the O'Farrells were bound to find her Majesty 200 galliglasses for a certain time, whereby her Majesty gained nothing by that covenant, but lost. Faghny was appointed captain by Sidney, and was afterwards to become seneschal of bis county, but I never thought fit to perform that covenant. No captain or seneschal should be appointed, because they have justices, sheriffs, and other ofl&cers. Fergus has no reason to find himself grieved, as Kedagh is before him ; nor either of them so long as Faghny O'Farrell is alive. To find fault to my letters patent HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 41 to Faglmy would be a dangerous example. When they were issued we could not get a sight of the said indenture, which was consequently exempted from their influence." Thus we see that whilst Fergus OTarrell was supported by the Lord Delvin, Iriell, the son of Faghne, who was first seneschal, was supported by the lying tales of Fox. This is a pretty medley of affairs, to find two Irish chieftains fighting against each other for a mere empty honour, and backed each by the deceitful and pretended support of two Saxon adherents. Later on we shall see how both Fox and Delvin had the spoil, in the shape of large grants of land taken from the very men they encouraged to fight on ! 1591. September 21. — Sir Richard Bingham writes to the Privy Council informing them that he " has been requested to give his opinion of Eory O'Farrell and his brother, Iriell, who is now in England. Their adversaries are Lisagh O'Farrell, the Bishop of Ardagh, and Fergus O'FarreU. The former has always been dutiful in her Majesty's service since Sir Nicholas Malby's time, whilst the latter have been severally accused and touched both before and after his banishment." In certain accusations made against Sir Robert DiUon, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1693, several references are made to Longford. One of these is of Christopher Brown, who escaped from Longford when it was burned by Red Hugh O'Donnell in 1595. From in- formations dehvered to the Lord Deputy and Council on 13th August, 1593, by an informer, named Shawn McCongawny, the following references to the town and neighbourhood of Longford appear : — " This is the service which I have opened against Sir Robert Dillon, that O'Rourke sent the constable of Longford, Christopher Brown, to Sir Robert Dillon and Sir Lucas DiUon, to know what course they would advise him to hold, or whether they were able to do him good, and to espy about the Lord Deputy and Council what disposition they bare to him. And John Garland related to the Lords of Delvin and Howth, in the Easter term, 1593, that 'when I was sent from Sir John 42 HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. Perrot witli letters to O'Rourke, by the direction of lier Majesty's Privy Council in England — within a month or two after my arrival here^I set forward upon that service attended by my brother, Richard Garland, and my horseboy, Eichard Neile; and being; come as far as Mr. Rory O'Farrall's house in the Annally, he sent one with me to be my guide. Having travelled so far as to the wood beyond Longford, we overtook three men on foot, whereof one carried a bottle of aqua Yitse, the other a small barrel of gunpowder, and the third, who wore a hat (query, had the others no hats ?) bore in the skirt of his mantle some heavy things which to our seeming should be lead. We made no long tarrying with those fellows, misdoubting the danger of the way by reason that O'Rourke was not long before fallen into rebellion. This was on Tuesday, and we held our way towards O'Rourke, to whom we came the morrow after upon Loughguire. Upon Thursday the three men' arrived also ; and being at dinner, O'Rourke called out for Christopher Browne's men, whereof he that carried the gunpowder stood up and answered.' " ' Sir W. Russell's Journal. — 1597. February 6th. — Fergus O'Farrell sent in the heads of Farrell O'Bawne's son, and another rebel. 1597. June 20th. — The Lord of Delvin sent in one of the O'Farrells, a notable rebel, who was taken and wounded by the Nugents. He died of his wounds. 1597. September 6th. — The Lord of Delvin sent in three of the O'Farrells' heads. ******** In the year 1603 James I. ascended the English throne. Bad as were the persecutions under which the Irish suffered up to that, they were nothing to what followed during his rule. He had not been long on the throne before that remorseless system of confiscation for which his reign is famous in Irish history was planned. The following extracts will show how it was carried out. Nothing that plotting could devise was left undone to afford the necessary excuse to the royal robber. He first ordered a survey of the lands of Ireland to be made, in the report of which Longford figures as follows : — HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 43 July 6, 1606. — Eeturn of chargeable and free lands in the County Longford. — " Com. Longford. — I find as well by the view of some records as by mine own experience and knowledge in part, as also by the con- ference and consent of some of best antiquity and knowledge of the county, that there are 700 cartrons and upwards of chargeable lands in the County Longford, and near 200 cartrons of free land ; and that the quantity of the land of these cartrons is very uncertain — some of them containing 30 acres of arable land, some 25 acres, some 15 and some 10 acres, and some less, besides bog and mountain ; and that every one of the cartrons aforesaid are in respect of the rents and services payable to the Manor of Granard, and to Mr. Malby, who is charged with 10s. 6d. old money, besides his Majesty's rent." — Datum at Dublin, 6th July, 1606. " Having examined the complaint of Rosse and Brian O'Farrell, and others of their kindred and name of the sept of O'Farrell Bane, against a grant made unto the Baron of Delvin and the lady dowager, his mother, of certain lands possessed by them before their attainders in the County of Longford, they have now at last, after much debating of the matter, prevailed with the Lord of Delvin and his mother volun- tarily to surrender all, one patent, which is cancelled, containing not only the OTarrells' escheated lands in fee-simple within the said county, but also certain divers other parcels of lands in the 'Counties of Cavan and Longford, besides some 'of their own ancient inheritance, and pur- chased lands in fee-simple within the said counties, which they had since rendered up and taken again of his Majesty, reserving thereon a small rent, the better to assure to themselves a better protection against the O'Farrells and all others. Some other parcels of the O'Farrells' lands which they had passed in another patent, which parcels they have by deed surrendered, so that all of the O'Farrells' lands granted unto them are now resumed and revested to His Majesty. "Their lordships understand for what consideration his Majesty was pleased to pass to the Lady Delvin and the Baron, her son, in fee- farm for ever, so much escheated and concealed lands in Meath, West- 44 HISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD. meath, Cavan, and Longford, at their election, as should amount to the clear yearly rent of three score of pounds of lawful money of England, above all reprisals; but they think it their duty to set down what they find in this particular of the O'Farrells' lands. The lands passed by the Lord and Lady of Delvin, although surveyed at £21 per annum, contain a great scope and extent of land in that country ; and they further learn from the Lord of Delvin that there remains yet a good portion of the said OTarrells' lands which may be reduced by the Crown by their attainders, though hitherto there hath been no inquisi- tion taken thereof, and is not included within their grants, but is yet at his Majesty's disposition. It is alleged that both Eosse and Brian claim more lands by far than ever properly belonged to them or their ancestors, and that they aspire to a greatness and superiority over their rest, after the manner of lords of this country. We think this necessary to be prevented. The disproportioil between the lords of counties and the rest of the King's poorer subjects that dwelt under them, is the cause of all the disorders and jars that have at any time, or ever will happen in this realm. Wherefore, if his Majesty shall restore to these O'Farrells any part of the said lands, provision should be made that they, together with some other inhabitants there of best quality, shall repossess only such portion of lands in freehold as any of them now living were repossessed of before the wars, and no more. And the rest of the lands whose owners are dead or slain in rebellion, or otherwise extinguished, shall remain to the Baron of Delvin, and his mother, to fill up their book withal, or otherwise to be disposed of to persons of best merits. We may not forget to say that Rosse O'Farrell, in the time of the late rebellion, had conveyed his interests in that country unto Connocke O'Bawn, the Earl of Tyrone's brother, and made him absolute lord thereof if their general design had succeeded ; and this voluntary, without any compulsion on his part, or fear- of the rebels, whereby it appears how worthy such a one is tO repossess the land which he had yielded up so readily to the enemy of the Crown. " For this reason, and for the consideration of the great cost incurred HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 45 by the Lady of Delvin and the Baron, her son, in possessing these lands, as may appear by the enclosed petition, at least of that land which they so much affect (cherish) — feeling confident that they shall deserve the same when there will be occasion to serve his Majesty — the rest they leave to the Baron's own relation. " Signed by Privy Council, and enclosing petition from the Delvins for compensation for the OTarrells' land which they had yielded up to the King." In May, 1611, the Lord Deputy asked the Solicitor-General for Ire- land " (1) how much of the Farrells' land in the County Longford could be passed to the Baron of Delvin. The latter replied that no lands could be passed to him. (2) How much land are they to re-obtain other than that mentioned in Lord Delvin's book ? — All the residue, except such as is required for the better establishing of the county. (3) To whom shall the lands escheated be granted ? — To the ancient possessors, and the Lord Deputy and Council are to take care to give them contentment." "We have seen up to this the very disgraceful intrigue carried on by Lord Delvin on the one hand, and Patrick Fox on the other, whereby Iriel O'Farrell's claims to the seneschalship of the county were disputed by Fergus O'Farrell and all the others of the name in the county. We can also gather from the extracts before us that both parties proceeded to England to have their respective claims decided upon by her Majesty's Privy Council. Thus matters went on between both sides, neither being content at the other's success, until 1603, when the Queen died, and James I. succeeded, and when "the wholesale confiscation" mentioned commenced. Then it was that the intrigues of Delvin and Fox were successful ; and too late the unfortunate ignorant chieftains saw their possessions handed over to the very men who had been encouraging them to fight on. It was the old story of the dogs fighting over the bone which the third party walks in and carries off without a struggle. The following record will show the true state of affairs about the year 1607, after which will be found a petition against the grants made at the expense of the litigant chiefs : — 46 , HISTORY OF THE OOHNTT LONGFORD, " 1607. July leth.— The King wrote to Sir ArthurChicliester, Lord Deputy, as follows: — 'The controversy long depending between the Baron of Delvin and the O'Farrells being now ripe for settlement, by reason of the entire lands being in his Majesty's hands through the surrender made by the said Baron and his mother, the King declares it to be his wish generally as regards the OTarrells, that they and some of the chief inhabitants shall repossess such portions of the lands as they held before the war in freehold at the rents payable before the rebellion, and for the Lord of Delvin and his mother, in consideration of their surrender and of a former promise, escheated lands are to be found in Meath, West- meath, Cavan or Longford, to the value of £60 a-year ; and for some recompense of their hopes by their late suit he is to have lands of the value of £20 yearly for ever in fee-farm, which was the value of the OTarrell's lands passed to him in his book, and now surrendered, and also £7 yearly more of his warrants unfilled, and an increas,e of £20 yearly more, amounting in all to £48 of lands; and if he will he may have as part thereof any of the lands in OTarrell's country which are not to be restored to Eosse or Bryan O'Parrell and their name, but belonged to men slain in rebellion, paying the King, however, such rents as upon survey shall be thought meet. " 'Datum apud Westminster, 16th July, in the fifth of our reign.' " 1607. — The humble petition of Rosse OTarrell, called O'Farrell Bawn, and of Bryan O'Ferrall, against the claims of Lady Dowager Delvin and the new Baron — " Praying for letters patent to them and their kinsmen of the lands in the County Longford. " The O'Farrells state that they have been, chiefly through Lord Delvin's procurement, attainted and outlawed under the late Queen ; Lord Delvin (having) sought to obtain their lands by virtue of a grant of lands value £100 per annum, by her late Majesty." " The O'Farrells submitted to the State under promise of pardon an4 remission of forfeiture ; nevertheless, the Lord Delvin having died, the present Lord Delvin and his mother have obtained a warrant to pass to HISTORY OF THE COTINTY LONGFORD. 47 them tlie lands, their lands being, with the OTarrells', lands, half the Comity Longford. On the O'Farrells objecting. Lord Delvin appeared willing to take lands of like value elsewhere. The King having ordered that Lord Delvin's patent should be cancelled, and the O'Farrells restored, the Lord Deputy and Council cited Lord Delvin, and having heard him, recommended the renewal of his patent under certain amend- ments; and after some further litigation it was ordered that a scire, facias should issue to prove the invalidity of Lord Delvin's patent." " On this order the position of the O'Farrells now is—" That as they suppose the Lord Delvin hath passed two patents since the King's coming of several parcels of the O'Farrells' lands, they may have a fieri facias (inquiry) against the one as against the other — otherwise, the one patent being overthrown, they have no remedy against the other. That as his Majesty's first letter to the Lord Deputy was upon information that Lord Delvin would surrender, directing the Deputy upon that sur- render to pass the lands to the O'Farrells — now he having refused to do so, but standing upon the vahdity of his patent in law, the O'Farrells may have another letter with more suflB.cient assurance to authorize the Lord Deputy to pass the lands to them upon the overthrow of the Lord Delvin's patent. That his Majesty would please to signify his pleasure that the O'Farrells, with their kindred, be restored in blood the next Parliament to be holden in the realm. " Dated December 5, 1607." " In the previous month of June, the Lord Delvin went into England, when the Archbishop of Dublin gave him a letter to Lord Salisbury, recommending him to him, and informing him that when Lord Delvin was joined to Ormond, Rosse O'Farrell, who is now in England, having revolted from his duty, being demanded what moved him to enter into that desperate course, had nothing to answer or excuse, but that he had given up all his lands to Cormocke, Tyrone's brother." "January 27, 1609. — James O'Farrell being in London on behalf of his estate and other poor inhabitants in Ireland, and being impeded in his moveme!^ts in that behalf by the heirs and executors of Sir Nicholas 48 HISTOEX OF THE COUNTY LONGEOED, Malby, and also Sir Francis Shaen, presents a petition to Lord Salisbury, showing that the inhabitants of the County Longford are heavily charged for beeves and taxes, and having already paid £400 out of £600 arrearages, prays that the King may be pleased to discharge further arrearages and growing rents, and promising to yield to the King as much as will be yielded out of any ploughland in Ireland." Things went from bad to worse with the unfortunate inhabitants of Annaly, during which ten years slowly rolled by, until the scheme which James had long conceived to totally confiscate the lands of Ireland was complete, as the following article, appearing in the Dublin Review of 1846, on a then recent work by Thomas Carlyle, will show : — " The king, elated with his success in Ulster, determined to extend his paternal spoliation to the other parts of the kingdom. On this occasion it was not necessary to forge a plot. The new and more ingenious device of pleading the king's title td all the land in the kingdom was resorted to. . . . All grants of the Crown from 1307 to 1495, embracing nearly two centuries, were eesijmed by Parliament, and the lands of all absentees and of all that had been expelled by the Irish, were, by various Acts, again vested in the Crown, which impeached neaelt evbey geant of land made previous, to 1600. . . Discoveeees were everywhere busily employed in finding out men's titles to their estates. In 1614 James issued a Special Commission to Lord Deputy Sir Alexander Chichester, to inquire into his title in the King's and Queen's Counties, and in those of Longford, Leitrim, and Westmeath, the result being the seizure by the Crown of 385,000 acres. This confiscation was carried on with such inhumanity, that in the small County of Longford twenty- five of one sept alone (the OTarrells) were deprived of their estates without any compensation whatever, or any means of subsistence being assigned them." The following extracts have been taken from Dr. Erck's edition of the Patent Rolls of James I. From the previous few extracts the reader has learned that " the work of devastation was begun." The extracts to follow will show how it was completed. Nothing in the HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED 49 wliole course of the history of our county will repay attentive perusal more fully than these few extracts. The names of the townlands con- fiscated, the old owners and the new planters, will afford the reader a pleasant study in tracing the famihes in the same place at the presentj day. We will preface the extracts with the full text of the commission issued to Sir Alexander Chichester and the rest, directing them how to proceed in the laudable mission of their royal master. " 1620. — Commission directed to Ohver St. John, Knt., Lord Deputy ; Sir Adam Loftus, Chancellor ; Christopher, Primate of Armagh ; Arthur Lord Chichester, High Treasurer; Richard Lord Powerscourt, Marshal of the Army; Sir Arthur Savage, Knt., Vice-Treasurer; Sir Henry Doccura, Knt., Treasurer at Wars ; Sir William Jones, Knt., Chief Justice King's Bench; Sir Dominick Sarsfield, Knt., Chief Justice Common Pleas ; Sir ' William Methwolld, Knt., Chief Baron Exchequer ; Sir Francis Aungier, Knt., Master of the Rolls; Sir Toby Caulfield, Master of the Ordnance; Sir John King, Knt., Muster Master General ; Sir Dudley Norton, Knt., and Sir Francis Annesley, Principal Secretaries of State iu Ireland, and Sir Thomas Hibbotts, Knt., Chancellor of the Exchequer, all for the time being ; and to the Bishops of Meath and Raphoe, Sir James Balfour, Knt., Sir HiTgh Montgomery, Knt., and Sir James Hamilton, Knt., Com- missioners ; seven to be a quorum, whereof the Deputy, Chancellor, Primate, High Treasurer, Lord Powerscourt, Bishop of Meath, Chief Justices, Chief Baron, Muster Master Greneral, and Principal Secretaries, to be five, and the Lord Deputy to be always one. " Whereas in the right of our Crown, the lands in the County of Long- ford, and territory of Ely O'CarroU, in this our Kingdom of Ireland, are lawfully come unto us. We, as well in regard of our zeal to Almightie G-od, which in the whole course of our government hath been and is our chief est care, as our gratious and tender respect to this kingdom, where we desire that civility and goodness should be known and imbraced by those which as yet are ignorant thereof, have resolved to conferr a fourth part of the said lands upon such British vindertakers as shall be conform- able to the religion established in the churches of our other kingdoms. 50 HISTOET 01" THE COUNTT LONGFORD. and every way dutiful and obedient to our laws ; yet have we not for these pretenses, how fair soever, any purpose to leave our other subjects, the ancient inhabitants of those parts, destitute of sufl&cient means to support them according to their several qualities and degrees, as may appeare by the favorable regard we have had of the better sort of them in our instructions for that plantation, and the large quantity of the said lands, which, for the convenient settling of all of them in generall, we have been pleased to assign unto them, and to the end that our royal intentions and directions concerning the said plantation may be the better performed, know ye, that we, reposing special trust and confi- dence in your care, diligence, and circumspection, have assigned and appointed you to be our Commissioners of the said plantation of the said County of Longford, and territory or country of Ely 0' Carroll, and by these presents we doe give and grant full power and absolute authoritie to you, or any seaven or more of you, whereof you, the Deputie, Chan- cellor, Primate, High Treasurer, Viscount Powerscourt, Bishop of Meath, Chief Justices, Chief Baron, Muster Master General, and Principal Secretaries for the time being, to be five, and our Deputie for the time being to be always one, during our pleasure to dispose and make severall effectuall grants from us, our heirs and successors in due forme of lawe, by the advise of some of our learned counsell there, by letters patents under the Great Seale of this our realme of Ireland, unto such person and persons, natives and undertakers, their heirs and assignes, according to the tenor and effect of our letters, signed with our royal hand, and dated at Rufford, the eighth day of August last past, and according to the instructions in that behalfe shall receave from us, or the Lords of our Privy Counsel in England, or otherwise, as you or any seaven or more of you, as aforesaid, in your discretions shall think fit, for the better settlement of the said plantation, and likewise signed with our royal hand, of all the lordships, manors, castles, lands, tene- ments, rents, and hereditaments whatsoever, within the said Countie of Longford, and country of Ely O'Carroll, and under such rents, tenures, services, conditions, and covenants, as by our said instructions are HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 51 appointed. And we do hereby further give unto you, the said Sir Oliver St. John, Knight, our Deputie Grenerall, and to everie other Deputie for the time being, and the other before-mentioned persons, which hereafter for the time shall be, our full power and absolute authority to hear and determine all such questions, doubts, and controversies, as shall from time to time arise or grow concerning our said intended plantation, or the lands within the same, either in generall or particular, according to your discretions, and to take special care and order from time to time, as occasion shall be offered, that no trial be had by course of law or equity to the crossing or prejudice of our said now intended plantation, but only before you, our said Commissioners, or any seaven or more of you as aforesaid. And we do also hereby give full power and authority to you, or any seaven or more of you as aforesaid, to give present order and direction to our excheators, and all others whom it may concern, that no offices be found or returned of any lands within the said County of Longford, and country of Ely 0' Carroll, which shall or may hinder and impeach the credit of any office or offices already found, or to be found, entitling us to the said lands. And further, we do hereby authorize you, or any seaven or more of you as aforesaid, to do and perform all other things tending to the advancement and settlement of our said plantation from time to time, according to the instructions now sent or hereafter to be sent by letters from iis to the Lords of the Council in England to you. And we do hereby will and require you and every of you to be careful and diligent in the execution of this our commission. — 30th September. 17th year." Under the authority of this commission, the following grants from 1620 to 1627 were either confirmed or annulled. James's dealings with the estates commenced in 1606, but it was not till fourteen years later the full measure of his iniquitous schemes was formulated, according to the tenor of the foregoing document. We will, therefore, lead the reader up step by step to the time when " the tender respect to this kingdom " was made manifest : — • " Grant of lands to William Taeffe. — The towns of Gallid 52 HISTOEY OP THE COUNTt LONGPOED. Ballinlagh, Camroan, and Sunnah, and all the lands, &c., in the town and fields of Gallid aforesaid, containing 2 cart, of waste land, at a rent of 6s. irish. In Ballinlagh, 2 cart, of waste land. In Camroan and Sunnagh, 2 cart, of waste land, at a rent of 5s. irish (i). In Aghuemore, 2 cart., at 5s. rent, in County Longford; parcels of the possessions of Shane OTarrell, late of Inchnegrane, slain in rebellion ; in Ballinmullin, alias Ballinmulvey, in Clanconnor, one cart., at a rent of 6s. 8d. irish. The rectory of Ratherogh, with the tithes, glebes, etc., at a rent of 4s. irish, in County Longford, late the lands of M'Patrioken, alias Patrick O'Quine, of Less^ghalie, attainted; and late in the tenure of Pat Fox, belonging to the late Abbey of Clarie, or Loughsewdy ; in Tibber, 1 cart., at a rent of 2s. ; in Kilmore, J of a cart., at a rent of Is. In Boneherve, 1^ cart., at a rent of 3s. ; in Aghnecorskie, 1 quarter, at a rent of 6s. 8d., in County Longford, late the lands of Rorie McRosse O'Ferrall, late of Tibber, slain in rebellion." " G-rant of lands, &c., to Theobald, Baron of Castleconnell. — One cartron in Ballevickenomac, near Forgny, containing 25a. in County Longford ; the Rectory of Agherie, with all its tithes, oblations, &c. ; parcel of the late .Abbey Shroill, alias Shroyr ; valued above reprises, at 5s. per annum." "Grant of lands, &c.,to LadyDelvin and her son, Lord Delvin. — King's letter for a grant of lands, &c., to the Baron of Delvin (Richard), his heires and assignes, to the clere yerely value of £60, Engl. — The site and precinct of the late priorie of channons of the Holy Island, with all houses and edifices and 2 quarters of land within said site, 2 quarters called Durrenye and Dirrenegellagh, each quarter estimated to contain 30a. arable, 10a. pasture ; in Sruhir, 1 quarter, estimated at 30a. arable, 10a. wood and underwood ; in Clarue, 2 quarters, estimated at 60a. arable, 30a. bog and pasture ; in Keroushegg, 1 quarter, estimated at 30a. arable, 15a. underwood ; in Kerowraone, 2 quarters, estimated at 60a. arable, 30a. wood and pasture ; in Oashell, 1 quarter, estimated at 30a. arable, 10a. wood and pasture ; in Kerovantie, the whole rectories a o 3 cu a a J} ^ :i « ^ o .a m HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGrOED. 55 and vicarages of Kathline and Casshell, "witli all their tithes, alterages, &C.J spiritual and temporal, tlie vicarages of SrukLr, Killire, Killnomer, and Kilronen, with, all their tithes, alterages and profits, together with all the tithes of the lands of Dirreine and Dirrenegealagh, in County Meath or Longford, being parcel of the possessions of said priory of Holy Island, demised in reversion to Christopher Lord Delvin, on 10th June, in 28th Elizabeth, for 30 years, at £21 9s., Irish; a castle and certain lands, containing 1 cartron, or the fourth part of a carucate ; in Monilagan, half a cartron of land ; in Aughengor, the castle of Newton, and a moiety of 3 cartrons ; in Corbally and Newton, the moiety of 1 cartron ; in Newton and Corbally, an island and half a cartron, called the Cloninge, the castle of the Moate, and 5 cartrons in the fields of Moate, in which castle and 6 cartrons one James OTarroll, of Clonarde, claims a proportion by custom of gavelkind ; the castle and 2 cartrons of Lisnevoa ; 4 cartrons in Killenlassaragh ; 8 cartrons in Ballyinakarmick ; 1 cartron in Bealamore, and the lough of Mill-heade, nigh G-ranardkille, in County Longford ; parcel of the lands of the late Abbey of Larha, in Comity Longford, valued at 6s. 8d., Irish." Page 228. — " G-rant of lands, &c., to John Kinge.— Two cartrons in Corpovelagh, each containing the fourth part of 1 carucate ; 1 cartron in Cordarragh; half a cartron in LeJghcartronekellry, near Eath- reogh, in County Longford ; and all castles, messuages, mills, houses, structures, orchards, gardens, shops, cellars, lands, tenements &c., belonging to the premises, aU of which are extended to the clear annual value of £52 17s. 4d., Irish; to hold the advowsons of churches, rectories, lands, and aU other the premises, to John Kinge, his heirs and assigns, for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, by fealty only, in free and common soccage, at the rent of £52 l7s. 4d., Irish, maiing £39 13s., English, and this grant to be vaHd in law, notwith- standing, inter alia, the statute of 18 Henry VI." Page 269.—" Grant of lands, &c., to John Wakeman.— One carucate -in the town and fields of Palles, with a certain fishing and a weare •upon the Enny; 1 caruc, in Ballievicknamae, valued above the E 56 HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. composition and other charges, at 23s. 4d. per annum, in the County Longford," Pat. 3, LX. 8. — " King's letter to revoke a grant of lands made to the late Baron of Delvin, and the lady dowager, his mother, and to make a new grant of the same to O'Ferrall bane and Bryan O'Ferrall, the ' former proprietors." Do. OXIII.— " Grant from the King to Sir Eichard, Lord Delvin.— Longford County. Licence to hold a Thursday market and a fair on the 1st of August, and two days at Longford, with the usual courts and fees ; rent, 6s. 8d., English. — 7 Dec. 3rd." Pat.. 4, VII. — " G-rant from the King to John "Wakeman, Bsq.^ — Longford County. In the town and fields of Pales, 1 cartron, with the fishing, and a weir upon the Bnny ; rent, £1 ; in Ballivicknamae, 1 cartron ; rent, 3s. 4d. ; extended in all at £1 3s. 4d. Total rent, a red rose at the Feast of St. John the Baptist. To hold in fee-simple, as of the Castle of Dublin, in common soccage. — 18 May. 4th." Pat, 4, IX.: — "Livery of seisin to Sir Eichard Nugent, Knt., of Delvin, son and heir of Christ. Nugent, Knt., late Baron, deceased, for a fine of £6.-13 May. 4th." Pat. 4, Pat, III. — " G-rant from the King to Theobald Boorke, Baron Bowrke, of Connell, or Castleconnell. — Lissechit, otherwise Lissekitt, ^ cart., parcel of the estate of Hugh McDermott O'Ferrall, attainted; value. Is. 6d. Listrine, ^ cart., parcel of the estate of Eory McGerrott O'Ferrall, slain in rebellion ; value. Is. 6d. Kilhnes, otherwise Killine, •J cart., parcel of the estate of Donough, in Iriell, slain in rebellion ; value, 9d. Aghenevedogh, ^ cart., parcel of the estate of Cahill McShane Oge, slain in rebellion; value, 9d. Dune, ^ quarter, and Knockan, Bleggle, ^ quarter, being each the eighth of a cartron ; parcel of the estate of Phelime Mc James, slain in rebellion ; value, 9d. ; total value, 5s. 3d." Pat. 5, page 104. — " Surrender by Sir Eichard Nugent, Knt., Lord Baron of Delvin, and Lady Maria Nugent, Lady Dowager of Delvin. — Longford County. A castle and 1 cart., containing ^ caruc, in Monilagan, flISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 57 parcel of the land of Rory bane M'Laughlin, attainted; Aghengor, ^ cart.; the castle of Newton, and half of three carts, in Corbally and Newton ; ^ cart, in the same; a small island and ^ cart., called the Cloning; a castle and 5 carts, in the Moate, in which James O'Perrall, of Clonard, claims one part by custom of gavelkind; a castle and 2 carts, in Lisvenoa ; in Killinasragh, 4 cart. ; in BalHnmackarmicke, 8 carts. ; in Bealamore, 1 cart. ; a mille-head near Grranardkille. — 3 May. 5th." Pat. 5, page 115. — " Grant from the King to Pat Fox, of Dublin, Esq. — Longford County. All the land, tenements, and hereditaments in Gallide, containing 2 cartrons ; in Ballinelagh, 2 cartrons ; in Cam- rowan and Sunoagh, 2 cartrons ; the estate of Shane O'Perrall, late of Inchenegran, gent., slain in rebellion, annual value, 10s. ; the two cartrons of Aghvenmore, 2 carts., parcel of the estate of Ferdorough M'Conwicke, late of KilHncrobagh, gent., attainted, value 5s. ; in Lissiguhie, or Lissidufl&e, 1 cart., parcel of the estate of Patrick O'Quine of Killincrobagh, gent., attainted, value 2s. 6d. ; Leighpartronenekelry, near Rathreogh, ^ cartron, the estate of Morrough McConnocke O'Ferrall, attainted, value Is. 3d. ; in Aghnegore, ^ caruc. and a fishery weir, called the weir of Suawowlie, upon the Shennen, parcel of the estate of Rory McAwlie, late of Aghnegore, attainted, value 8s.; Termon-Ianaigh, or Corby of Ballyroddy, containing a ruinous castle, 2^ cartrons, value 6s. 4d. ; Ballinmullvy, 1 cart., parcel of the estate of Gerald McHubert Boy O'Ferrall, attainted, value 6s. 8d. ; the rectory and tithes of Agherie, parcel of the estate of the late Abbey of Shruel, otherwise Shrowell, in O'Ferrall Boy's country, value 5s. ; the rectory and tithes, &c., of Rathreogh, parcel of the estate of the late priory of Loughsewdy, value 4s." Pat. 6, XXII., page 132. — "General pardon to Richard Nugent, Knt., Lord Baron of Delvyn. — 26 September. 6th." LIX. 8. — " King's letter for an inquisition to ascertain the several former estates of the O'Ferralls, and other inhabitants of Longford County, and for a re-grant of the same to them, respectively, reserving a rent of £23, English, mentioned in the grants of these lands, formerly 68 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. made to Lord and Lady Delvin, which, grants have been surrendered ; and reserving such other rents, services, etc., as are due to the Crown for said lands ; also reserving, for the defence of the Castle of Bellabeg, such portion of land as shall be thought meet, and for settling the controversy between, Sir Francis Shaen, Knt., and the O'Earralls and said other inhabitants of Longford, concerning the rent of 120 beoves, payable by them to said Sir Francis, as .farmer of the Manor of Granard; Sir Francis to receive for the arrear of 1^ years, 20s. for every beef ; for every beef due before that time, 10s., English, in satisfac- tion of all arrears. Said Sir Francis Shaen being but lessee for years, the Lord Deputy to further him in the future collection of said rent. — 16 May. 6th." LX. — " King's letter for a grant of lands, &c., in fee farm to Sir Francis Shaen, Knt., which he now holds by lease for years. — 13 July. 6th." LX. 9. — " King's letter for a grant of lands, &c., in fee farm to Sir Francis Shaen, Knt., which he_ now holds by lease, for years.— 13 Jul. 6th." LXI. — " King's letter, directing the Lord Deputy to assist Sir Francis Shaen in recovering the arrears of rent due to him by the inhabitants of Longford County, and to use expedition in passing grants of the Manor of Granard and other lands to said Shaen ; also that in grants of escheated lands or otherwise, in the County of the Annaly, his Majesty's composition and rent beoves of Granard, and all other services appertaining to the Crown, may be reserved. — 16 Jul., 1608." LXXIII. 18. — " King's letter for a grant of lands to the Baron of Delvin, and the lady, his mother, to the yearly value of £48 ; also to confirm a former letter for a grant of lands to the yearly value of £60. —29 Nov. 6th." CI, 34. — " General pardon to Lawghlin McFagny O'Ferrall, of Rathlime, in Longford County, yeoman; * * * to Connell O'FerroU, of Dierie, in Longford County, gent." CV. 40.—" * * * General pardon to Teige O'Farrell." HISTOBY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. 69 CVII. 43. — " Grrant from the King to Thomas Ledsom of three- fourths of the several intrusions, alienations without hcence, and wardships of the land of Edward Nugent, of Ballibrenagh, in Westmeath County, son and heir of Sir Grerald Nugent, late of the same, Knt., or of any of his ancestors ; of Melaghlen McBrian of Eunroe, in Longford County, son and heir to Brian McShane Vane, late of the same, or by any of his ancestors ; of Ferdorogh OTarroU, of Kiltafl&ne, in the same county, or by any of his ancestors." Pat. 7, page 140. — " Grant from the King to Adam Loftus, &c. — The vestry, tithes, &c., of Killoe, in the Anneley, Longford County." YII. — " G-eneral pardon to Sir Eobert Nugent, of Ballibrevaghe, in Westmeath Co., Knt.— 27 May. 7th." XXY. 28, page 142. — " Grant from the King to Sir James Dillon, Knt. — Westmeath and Longford Counties. In Gortmore, 1 caruc. ; in CloncuUen, 2^ caruc. ; in Sheulez, 2 caruc. ; certain lands in Clan- connor, called the Lature ; Clonekenlesmajor, otherwise Gregagh, and Clogher ; in the Kill, 1 caruc. Total rent, £6 12s., Ir. ; to hold to the heirs male of his grandfather. Sir Robert Dillon, Knt. — ' habend., &c., pfato. Jacobo Dillon, miht. hered mascul. de corpore Robti. Dillon, miHtis avi ipsius pfat. Jacobi Dillon, legattime pcreat. et pcreand. ad sobit et ppim. opus et usu. ipsius pfat. Jacobi Dillon, hered mascul. de corpore dci. Robti. Dillon, milit. pcreat. et pcreand. ;' by the twentieth part of a Knight's fee for a fine of £22, Ir., and in virtue of the com- mission for remedy of defective titles. — 15th July, 1609." Pat. 7, Dorso. LXXXIII. 17.—" Grant from the King to Mary Lady Delvin, widow, and Sir Richard Nugent, Lord Delvin, her son. — Long- ford County. The site, &c., of the late monastery of Inchemore, other- wise Inismore, in the Annalie ; a cemetery, containing ^ an acre in the island of Inismore ; 6 cottages and 6a. of pasture in the said island ; 6 messuages, 80a. of arable, 130a. mountain pasture, 20a. wood, and 24a. bog, in Castle Richard, the demesne of said monastery ; 5 cottages, 90a. arable, 60a. mountain pasture, and 12a. underwood, in BallintoU; rent, £6 14s. 8d., Ir. * * * in Cargaghclyevan, Cavan County, 3 60 HISTOET OF THE CODNTY LONGFOED, pottles, lately in the occupation of Ferrall Oge McFerrall McPrior and Tirlagh Mantagh. McEerrall, of Grarrimore, attainted. * * * The castle, bawne, town and lands of Liserdawle, otherwise Lisserdowle, with 8 cartrons.of land surrounding the same; rent, £1." Pat. 7, pt. 2, Dorso. p. 154, LYI. — "Grant from the King to Henrie Pierse, Esq. — The King's great lough, called Loughree, in the river of Shanyne, lying between Connaught province, Westmeath County ' and Longford County; the whole fishings thereof, and all islands therein, and all messuages, lands, fishings and hereditaments within the circuit of the said lough, except those heretofore granted by patent ; the estate of the Crown ; rent, £1." Pat. 7, Pt. II. — LXTII. — " In Camagh and Grorreynagh, 1 cart. ; in Sineare, or Smeare, 2 cart. ; in Rathmore, 1 cart. ; in Bnkinroe, 1 cart. ; in Tawlaght, or Breaghtwoy, -| cart. ; in Sunagh and Camroyane, 1 cart., parcel of the estate of Shane McPrior O'Ferrall, attainted ; rent, 16s. 3d." Pat. 8, Pt. I. — " G-rant from the King to John Bathe, of BalgrifEen, in Dublin County, Esq. — In Forney, otherwise Forgney, Ij caruc." LI. 13. — "Livery of seisin and pardon of intrusion for Edward Nugent, cousin and heir of Edward Nugent, late of Braclin, in West- meath and Longford Counties, gent., deceased, for a> fine of £61 3s. 4d. —9 May. 8th." ^ LXVII. 21. — " General pardon to Eobert Nugent, of Balline- brenagh, in Westmeath County, Knt. — 12 Jul. 8th." Pat. 8, Pt. II. — " Grant from the King to James Ware, Esq., trustee for the provost, fellows and scholars of Trinity College, Dublin. — Nine cartrons, called the termon-irinagh, or corbie, in Clonlogh ; rent £l Is. 6d. ; 4 cart., called the termon-irrinagh, or corbie, Clondoragh; rent, 9s. 6d. ; 8 cart, of Clonbrony ; rent 19s. 3d. ; 2 cart., called the same, of Granard ; rent 4s. 9d. ; 2 cart., called the same, of Ardagh; rent, 4s. 9d. ; parcel of the estate of the late priory or monastery of Connall; Cartron ; Eloghan, 1 cart., with 8 cottages or houses in Moneskallighan, 1\ cart. ; Etworboy, with 10 cottages, 1 cart. • HISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 61 Moneard, 1 cart; Killenbea, 1 cart.; in Clonemackerry, 1 cart., rent £2 Os. 6d. ; parcel of the estate of the late monastery or house of St. Peter de Rabio, otherwise Monasterick, or Monasterdir^ie, in OTerrall boy's country; total rent, £7 l7s. 8d. ; to hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in common soccage. — 1 Oct. 8th." " King's letter to accept of a surrender from Walter White, and to make him a re-grant of the office of Greneral Escheator and Feodarie, in the County of Longford, and all other counties in Leinster province." LVII. 29. — " Assignment by Thomas Eead to Walter White, of his share of the office of Escheator in the County of Longford, and all other counties in Leinster provinqe. — 25 Jul. 1608. — Pat. Off." IK. 2. — " Surrender by Mary Lady Nugent, Lady Dowager of Delvin, late wife of Christopher Nugent, Baron of Delvin, deceased, and Richard Nugent, now Baron of Delvin, of lands in Longford County, escheated to the Crown by the attainder of the O'Ferralls, and granted to the said Lady and Lord Delvin. — 14 June. 2nd. — 7 Dec. 3rd. — 15 Feb, 8th." Pat. 8, Pt. Y. — " Grant from the King to Patrick Foxe, of Dublin, Esq. — Longford County. In Taghssynatt, otherwise Taghseni, 1 cart., parcel of the estate of the priory of Loughseudie, or manor of Bally- more, Loughsewdie ; rent 7s. " Aghnecrosse, otherwise Dromnecrosse, 1 caruc. or cart. ; rent, 6s. 8d. Ir. ; Corrobehy, 1 cart. ; Lissomine, 1 cart. ; Cartron Reagh, ^ cart, or caruc. ; rent, 13s. 4d. Ir. ; Carhrye, 1 caruc. or cart ; in Balhnrodde, -| cart. ; the estate of Kerdagh McShane O'Ferrall, rent 6s. 8d. Ir. ; in Croghillen, -J caruc. or cart., the estate of Murrough McComvicke O'Ferrall, of the same, attainted ; rent, 4s. Ir. ; in Killne- moddagh, 4a., parcel of the estate of Owen Roe McBdmond O'Ferrall, of the same, attainted ; rent. Is. 4d. Ir. ; in the same, 4a., parcel of the estate of Melaghlin Moyle O'Ferrall, of the same, attainted; rent, Is. 4d. Ir. ; Cowlaurte, 1 caruc. or cart. ; Killenawesh, ^ caruc. or cart., parcel of the estate of Murrough McComvicke O'Ferrall, aforesaid; rent, 6s. 8d, Ir. 62 HISTOET OF THE OOUNTV LONGFOED. " The rectory" of Shrowell, otherwise TJrre, parcel of the estate of the monastery of the B. V. Mary of Shrowell, in O'Farrell Boye's country, in Balhwilly, 1 qr., containing 60a. arable meadow, wood and pasture; parcel of the estate of Grerald McHubbert boy O'Farroll, attainted. 18th June. 9th." "LXYII. 30.— Grrant to Patrick Fox, Esq., of the wardship of Faghney O'Ferrall, son and heir of James Ferrall, late of Oastlereogh, in Longford County, Esq., deceased, for a fine of £6, Ir., and an annual rent of £2 ; the amount of the annual allowance for his maintenance and education is omitted, apparently through inadvertency. 20th May. 9th." " Grrant from the King to Patricke Foxe, Esq., Longford County. — Two cartrons, each containing |- plowland in Correpoblagh ; in Carradeira, 1 cartron, parcel of the estate of Cormac O'Farroll, attainted; rent, 7s. 6d. Ir. Liskitt, otherwise Lissechit, half a cartron.; rent, Is. 6d. ; Listrime, ^ cartron. ; rent Is. 6d.; parcel of the estate of Eorie McGrerrott O'Farroll, slain in rebellion ; Aghenevedocke, ^ cartron ; rent, 9d. ; parcel of the estate of Cahill McShane Oge, slain in rebellion ; Killins, otherwise Killine, ^ cartron ; rent, 9d. ; parcel of the estate of Donough M'Ireill, slain in rebellion ; Downe, | qr. ; Knockanetgell, ^ qr. ; rent, 9d. ; parcel of the estate of Phelym McJames, slain' in rebellion; in Oammagh and Corrennagh, 1 cartron; in Smeare, 2 cartrons ; in Rathmore, 1 cartron ; in Evkineroe, 1 cartron ; in Tawlaght and Breighwoy, J cartron; ia Sonnagh and Camroan, 1 cartron; rent, 16s. 3d." XXYIII. — " Grrant from the King to Patrick Foxe, Esq.— The site, &c., of the friary of Ballinesagart, with a cottage, 34a. arable, 2a. bog, and 6a. pasture, in the town and fields of Ballineseggard ; rent, £1 6s. 8d." XXIX. — " Lease from the King to Richard Hardinge, Esq.— In the Anelie. One ruinous chm-ch, 3 messuages, 40a. arable, and 30a. pasture ; parcel of the lands of the hospital of St. Patrick, called Granard-kille, in O'Ferralls' country ; rent, £1 10s., besides the King's composition ; in HISTOET OF THE COIWTT LONGPOED. 63 Clonemore, 2 carews ; the moiety of the tithes of Glranard Rectory ; rent, £12 3s. 4d. ; parcel of the estate of the abbey of G-ranard." Dorso. XXXIII. — " Grant from the King to Captain Eoger Atkinson — The manor of Lissardoyle, otherwise Lissardawly, and 8 cartrons, parcel of the said manor ; except all the lands, &c., granted by patent to Henry Pierce and John Ctisake, gent., the ancient inheritance of the Crown ; rent, £1 10s. The fruits and profits, spiritual and temporal, of the chiirch and town of Macestrine and Ballinesagart ; rent, £2 ; parcel of the priory of Little Melverine, England. " The rectory of Shrowell, otherwise Urre, the estate of the mon- astery of the B. Y. Mary of Shrowell, except 3 couples of corn, and all the alterages for the stipend of the vicar, yearly gathered by six couples of acres of corn ; rent, £2 4s. 4d., Irish. To hold for 81 years, from lOth March last; in Bally willy, 1 quarter, cjontaining 60a.; rent, 6s. 8d. To hold for 11 years from 20th March, last.— 19 June. 9th." Pat. 10, XXVIi; 12.— "Grant from the King to Sir Francis Shane Knt. — Aghowmore, Aghownehae and Aghowfrey, each 1 cartron, in the country of O'Quyn in the Annely ; the wood of Killevrench ; a parcel of meadow called Sraghfine; Teaghsinat, 1 cartron; in Sare, otherwise Sruher, 3 cart. ; the rectories of Sare, otherwise Sruher, and Killiha- mock ; of Clongisse ; of Killshie, otherwise Killneshie ; of Ballymaccor- mick;j-Moygowe, otherwise Moydowe ; Tessenert, otherwise Teighsinatt; Teaghshinney, otherwise Tessynie ; Killglasse ; St. Michael ; Rath- rewgh ; all which, with their tithes, belong to said priory of Loghsewdie ; rent, £84 16s. ll^gd. Ir. ; and one able archer for the defence of the kingdom; aU the tithes, great and small, of all the towns and lands in the territory of Maghery-granard ; parcel of the estate of the abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Larha, otherwise Granard ; rent, £8 ; the rectory of Strade, and 20a. of glebe land thereto belonging; rent, £8 ; the advowson and right of patronage of the vicarages of Granard and Strade ; all the tithes, great and small, late in the tenure of Donogh O'Herra, farmer to the abbot and convent of Larha, viz., half of all the tithes of Tully, 1 cart. ; Tonybarden, 2 cart. ;- Arde- 64 HISTOTiY OF THE COUNTY liONGPOED. chullin, 2 cart. ; Monytgoven and Lien, 2 cart. ; Eycharda, 1 cart. ;' Mnokersagh, 2 cart ; Oullenmeragan, 1 cart. ; Kilnenavis and Sian, 1 cart. ; Clonfyn, Culartie, Eillyne, Blightoge, Moniskribbagh, and all tlie otber tithes ; parcel of the estate of tlie said abbey of Larba ; rent, £1 6s. 8d. ; tbe castle and town of Oloneswote, otherwise Castleton, contain- ing 1 cart. ; rent, 2s. 3d. ; Annagh, 1 cart., rent, 2s. ; Boberboy, 1 cart.; Clonediierda-Inver, ^ cart. ; rent, 3s. ; BallagbeOonelan, otherwise Balliaghychonell, 1 cart. ; rent, 2s. ; Leitrom in Moytra, 2 cart. ; rent, 4s. The north cartron of Leitrom, near Drohednegalliogh, which parcel of 'Leitrom, contains 2 cart.; half of the cart, of the Windmill, near Granard ; rent, 3s. ; Lagan, otherwise Listosty, or Lislosty, other- wise Ejllmackanan, 1 cart. ; rent, 2s. ; the castle and cart, of Eobins- ' ton, Ballinecross, 2 cart. ; Ballihiggin, 1 cart. ; rent, 2s. ; Ballibrien, 1 cart.; rent, 2s.; the parcels of Alidermod, Cowletrim, Quivishin, Monegane, Tonekilly, Clonenreagh, and Corrynallan, containing ^ cart., lying in Ballimacbrien ; rent. Is. ; the south cart, of Ballynegall ; rent, 2s. ; the castle and south cart, of Monilaggan ; rent, 3s. ; the ruinous castle and cart, of Bealamore ; a mill-head and site of a water-mill near Granard Kill ; rent, 2s. 6d." Pat. 10, XLI. 30. — " Commission to Sir John Blenerhassett, Knt., Sir John Elliott, Knt., both barons of the Exchequer, John Beere, Esq., ser- jeant-at-law, and others, to inquire what were the ancient limits and bounds of Longford County ; how many cartrons, qrs., and other propor- tions of land were therein, with their names ; the chiefest or ancientest tenants, inhabitants, owners or , possessors of the said lands ; or how much thereof had been subject to the composition of £200 per annum, lately granted to Sir Nicholas Malby, Knt., and the heirs male of his body; or to the rent of 120 beoves, heretofore due, or payable to the Crown as parcel of the manor of Granard, or to any other charges, and what, lands were holden as free lands, with their owners or possessors ; what other lands the Crown ought to be seized of, and by what title, expressing their particular names, and, if church lands, with the occu- piers or possessors thereof, and by what title they held the said church HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 65 lands i the yearly value of all tlie lands beyond reprises ; to accept tte surrenders of all such persons as claimed any estate in the said county, and to return same into the chancery ; to appoint so many cartrons to be conveyed to Sir Francis Shane, Knt., and his heirs, as may counter- vail the yearly rent of £100, Eng., which he had in lieu of the said 120 beoves, to be laid in the most convenient places for Granard and the abbey of Longford ; to plot the yearly rent of £230, Eng., to be reserved to the Crown, upon the rest of the lands intended to be granted to the natives of that county ; to limit, appoint, and set out in particular 300a., to be laid out with the foot of Ballilegg next adjoining thereto ; to divide and allot how much of the residue of the lands every one of those natives which they should think fit to be freeholders should have for his portion, and to do all other things for the settUng of Longford County.— 22 Mar. 9th. " The execution of this Commission as to the ancient bounds of the county, the names of the lands which were subject to the said rent and beoves, and what church lands were in the county, was found by the inquisition annexed, taken at Ardagh, 4th April, 1612; but as for execution of the other parts of the Commission, the Commissioners could not proceed therein, partly for that the heir of James O'Ferrall, lately deceased, chief of the sept of the G'Eerrall Boyes, was within age, and his lands were in his Majesty's hands during his minority ; and partly for that the rest of that sept which were not attainted, did refuse to make surrenders of their lands, but upon such conditions as the Com- missioners had no authority to allow of. — No date." XLII. 31. — " Inquisition, taken at Ardagh, in Longford County, 4th April, 10th, setting out the mearings and bounds of Longford County, and other matters as directed in the preceding commission. Note. — The contents of this inquisition are to be found in full in the Eeperto- rium Inquisitionem Hiberni^, Vol. I., published 1826, by order of his Majesty's Commissioners of Public Eecords in Ireland, to which the reader is therefore referred for particulars." Pat. 5, XXIX. 18. — " King's letter for a grant to Richard, 66 HISTOEr OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD, Baron of Delvin, of so much lands of the late monastery of Fower as shall amount to the value of the 24 poles of land which, the said Baron is to surrender to the Crown, for the plantation of the County of Longford." XL VI. 27. — " King's letter to issue a commission to Sir Robert Jacob, Kilt., the King's Solicitor, the Surveyor-Gleneral, and others, to enquire as to the King's title to the country of Garhry, County Longford, and the islands belonging thereto, and to make grants of the same to Sir James Fullerton, Sir James Carroll, and Busebius Andrews, or to such persons as they shall nominate; also, instructions in favour of Sir James Simple, and for inquiring into the state of the inhabitants of Carbry, and their intercourse with foreign parts. — 10 Jul. 10th." CXLI. 48. — " The monastery of Learray, with the appurtenances, Killen Lassaragh, Breaklone and elsewhere." Pat. II.— LXIII. 24.— "Grant to Daniel Birne and Charles Heitley, gent., of authority to seize all Irish mantles and bendells dyed with saffron which may be worn in Longford and the other counties of Leinster, &c., together with two-third parts of all fines incurred for the wearing thereof, contrary to the statute, during seven years, yielding to the Crown the other one-third of such fines. — 19 Apr. 11th." Act. Beg. — LXX. 35. — " Grant from the King to James Ware, Esq. — The towns and lands of Coolenegor and Fiamore, 1 cartron ; Bonaclea, Ballicor, each 1 cartron ; Ballimore, J cart. ; Tonein and Aghoinbillie, or Aghowbillie, 1 cart. ; Aghowraha, \ cart. ; Garvagh and Bonowen, 1 cart. ; Leytrim and Kellyn, 2 cart. ; Aghownewre and Aghownecree- day, 1 cart. ; all which were lately called the termon-irrenagh or corbe- land of Cloneogher, otherwise Clonogherie ; rent, £1 15s. 6d. Ir. ; the 4 carts, or parcels called the termon-irrenagh, or corbe-land of Clon- doragh ; rent, 9s. 6d. ; Clonbrony, 1 cart. ; Feymore and ClonemuUen, 1 cart. ; Ballinreaghan, 1 cart. ; Leytrim, ^ cart. ; Cloncoose, 1 cart. ; Olongorniegan, ^ cart. ; Laghall, -J cart. ; Cullef adde, ^ cart. ; Rowe, 1 cart. ; Corlagh, \ cart. ; Aghmore, J cart. ; all which were the termon- irrenagh or corbe-land of Clonbrony, and contain 8 carts, j rent, 19s. HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. &7 3d..; Qranardkill, 2 carts., called tlie termon-irrenagli or corbe-land of Grranard, otherwise Granardkill ; rent, 5s. 9d. ; Ardagh, 2 cart., called the termon-irrenagli or corbe-land. of Ardagh; rent, 4s. 9d.; Elogham, otherwise Eloghan, 1 cart., with 8 cottages thereon ; in Moniskallaghan, IJ cart. ; Etworboy, 1 cart., with 10 cottages thereon ; Moneard, Killenbea, Clonemuckerie, 1 cart, each ; rent, £2 Os. 6d. ; parcel of the estate of the late Monastery of St. Peter de Rabio, other- wise Monasterrick, otherwise Monaster dirgie." Pat. II., Pt. 2, page 260. — " Grant from the King to Henry Piers, Esq. — Leitrim and Longford Counties, or one of them. Cartron — Aghnecrosse, otherwise Dromnecrosse, 1 caracute or cartron; rent, 6s. 8d." Page 264 — " The rectory or parish church of Dermore, otherwise Demore, parcel of the estate of the late Monastery of Granard, otherwise the B. V. Mary, of Learagh; rent, £2 J 3s. 4d." Pat. 12, XLI. 49, page 275 — "King's letter to receive a surrender from Richard, Lord Baron of Delvin, of all his lands and possessions in Longford County, and to re-grant the same to, him by letters patent.— 12 Jun. 12th." • Pat. 13, page 284, LXI. 1.9. — "King's letter concerning the plan- tation of Longford, Leitrim, and other Irish counties. — 12 Apr. 13th, Act. Reg." Page 287. — " Grant from the King to Francis Annesley, Esq., as assignee of Edmond Middhopp, gent. — The monastery of Loncourt, otherwise Longford, \a,., a house, a cottage, 28a. arable, 6a. pasturage, , being the demesne lands of said monastery, with common of turbary in the great moor thereunto pertaining ; the premises had been granted 2 Jul:;, 21st Eliz., to Sir Nicholas Malby and his heirs male. Total rent, £32 Is. lOd., Ir. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dubhn, in common soccage. — 29 Jan. 13th." Page 298, Pat. 13, XVII. 30.—" Grant from the King to Patrick Foxe, Wilham Crowe, Esq., and Robert Caddell, gent., Longford County. — The rectories, churches, or chapels of Sare, otherwise Srure, 68 HISTOET OF THE COITNTT LONGFORD. Killockmocke, otherwise Killacomooke, Olonglisse, Kilsie, otherwise Kilnesy,Moygow, otherwise MoygOwll, Tessenert, otherwise Taghsynatt, Tessynny, Kilglasse, and St. Michael of Rabuck, all being parcel of the estate of Loughsewdy Priory. Total rent, £14 3s. 4d,, It. To hold for ever, for a fine of £10, Ir. — 15 Aug. 9th." Dorso. Pat. 13, p. 300. — "King's letter for a surrender and re- grant to Eichard "Waldron, Esq., of the Lord of Delvin's land in Long- ford, and other lands. — 16 Aug. 12th." P. 303, Pat. 14, Pt. I., XXVI. 19.— "Power of Attorney from James Turnor, of Kishock, in Dublin County, Esq., to Francis Edgworth, Esq., of Longford County, to make a surrender of the ofl&ce of Second Engrosser and Comptroller of the Pipe in the Exchequer. — 14 Aug. ■ 14th." P. 806, LXXXIII. 14. — " King's letter for a surrender and re-grant of lands in favour of Sir Patrick Fox, of Dublin, Knt. — 11 Jul. 14th." XLIY. 13. — " Licence to Sir Richard JSTugei^t, Knt., Baron of Delvin, to hold a Tuesday market at Fina, in Westmeath County, and two fairs there, one on 8th September, unless that day should occur on Sunday, in which case the fair is to be held on the Monday following, and the other on Whitsun-Monday ; with courts of pie-powder and the usual tolls ; rent, £1, Ir. ; also a fair at the abbey of Fower, in "Westmeath County, to be held on 15th August, except on Sundays, as hefore; rent,' 13s. 4d. Ir.— 12 Feb. 14th." P. 342, Pat. 15, LXVII. 27.— "Deed, whereby damfe Mary Shane, widow of the late Sir Francis Shane, Knt., and Henry Fynnings, of Ballymore, gent., son and heir of William Fynnings, late of London, barber-surgeon, assign to Edm. Humfrey Richard the manor of Granard, ill the Annalie, in Longford County, with its appur- tenances, which had bden demised to Sir Francis by Queen Elizabeth, 20th Nov., 36th of her reign, to hold for 45 years after the termination of the leases then in being ; also, the tithes of such lands as the heirs of Morough O'Ferrall held in Longford County, and the tithes of Magheri- granardjin the same county, and of the rectory. of Strade, and the fields HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 69 therepfjWith 20a. arable thereto belonging inWestmeatli County, demised to Henry Sheffield by Queen Elizabeth, 25 Nov., 33rd of her reign, for 31 years after the expiration of a prior demise by the said Queen, lOth May, 20th of her reign, to Thomas Plunket, of Loughgowre, gent., and Thomas Qosgrowe, of Dublin, merchant, for 21 years, and afterwards demised by the said Queen, 20 Nov., 36th of her reign, to the said Sir Francis, for 45 years after the expiration of Sheffield's lease. To hold during the residue of the term, to the use of Sir Francis Aungier, Knt., paying thereout all rents and reservations stated in the former grants thereof.— 4 Jul. 15th." P. 45, Pat. 15, p. 348-9, V. 45.—" The King having, by letter dated 8th Sept., 1617, required the Lord Deputy to grant to such person as the Lady Mary Shane should nominate the following lands — Longford County, the manor and castle of Grranard, and 120 rent beoves, payable yearly by the inhabitants of the Annaly, with all the lands, rents, work-days, works, customs, services, and other hereditaments, at a rent of £36, Ir., and to maintain two able horsemen for the defence of the kingdom ; which lands had been de- mised by Queen Elizabeth, 20th November, 1594, for 45 years, to Francis Shane of Killane, in Westmeath County, Esq., in reversion of all leases then in being ; having also required him to grant the tithes of Maghery-Granard, and the rectory of Strade, all the tithes, within the territory of Maghery-Grranard, and the tithes of all the lands which the heirs of Murrough O'Ferrall lately held, at a rent of £8, and of £1 for O'Ferrall's lands ; which, together with those of Strade, had been de- mised, 25th Nov., 1591, to H. Sheffield, gent., for 31 years in reversion after a lease thereof, made for 21 years to Thomas Plunkett, of Lough- gowre, gent., and T. Cosgrowe, of Dublin, merchant, from 10th May, 1578. Also, p. 349, Westmeath and Longford Counties — The rectory and tithes of Strade, and 20a. of the glebe of the said rectory; the advowson, &c., of the vicarages, &c., of Granard and Strade, at a rent of £8 ; parcel of the estate of the abbey of the JB. Y. Mary of Larrha, otherwise Granard; and she having, by two deeds, 4 July, 1617, 70 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED, together with Henry Fynninge, of Bally more, gent., son and heir to William Fynninge, of London, barber-surgeon, deceased, sold the said premises to Sir Francis Aungier, Knt., Master of the Eolls, for the sum of £850, Bng., the King confirms the same to him and his heirs by this patent, with power to hold courts leet and baron within the manor of G-ranard, and to hold a Tuesday market at G-ranard, and two fairs there on 23rd April and St. Matthew's day, and the day after each, unless such days occur on Saturday or Sunday, in which case the fairs are to be held on the Monday and Tuesday following ; with courts of pie-powder and the usual tolls ; rent, £1, Ir. — 30 Jan. 15th." P. 36t XXXVI. 13.— "Grant from the King to Sir Thomas Eotherham, Knt.^Longford County. The castle and fort of Ballyleigg, otherwise Bealaleig, and 300 acres then or late in the tenure of Sir Richard Greame, Knt., lying about said castle, and next adjoining to the River Shannon. Total rent, £2, Ir. To hold for 21 years, from last Michaelma,s, for a fine of £3, Ir. — 2 Mar. 15th." Pat. 16, XXI. 46.—" Grant from the King to William Crowe, of Dublin, Esq., assignee of David, Viscount Fermoy, by deeds dated 20th Feb., 1614, and 22nd Jul, 1615. — Longford and Cavan Counties, or one of them. The tithes of the parish church of Dromlonan, otherwise Dromloman ; parcel of the estate of the monastery of Granard, other- wise Larrha; rent £3, Ir. Longford and Cavan Counties. The tithes of the parish church of Ballimachewe, otherwise Ballimack, parcel of the estate of the said monastery of Granard; rent, £2 13s. 4d., Ir." P. 401, Pat. 16. — "Longford, &c. &c. Deed between the most high and mighty Prince James of the one part, and Sir Robert Jacob of the other part, whereby, in consideration of faithful services, the King granted to the said Sir Robert, Longford, &c. &c., the tithes of Bally- managh, alias Ballynemanagh, and the tithes of certain lands in the lordship or country called McGermon's country, parcel of the posses- sions of the monastery ot Granard ; rent, £3 6s. 8d." P. 420, Pat. 16, XXIV. 39.^ — Proclamation against giving shelter or assistance to Richard, Baron of Delvin, who escaped from Dublin Castle : .:i*i;«i- -> a. o rt (D ^ m a -^ « fQ § H c g a o fc (b jj g a 1^ rfi H 1" 1^ (D a> i (D 6 IS H c3 ^' 3 H n <« ' a H § 1 en J3 s s O 43 « •rt fil 3 OU HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 91 and ,in Hs absence to take care that he sustains no injury in his employments or perquisites of office. — Westminster, 26th Feb. l7th." XLIX. — " Complaint presented by the Lord Delvin, Sir Christopher Plunkett, and Mr. Dougan, Recorder of Dublin, setting forth to James Rex, among other things, the bad system prevalent throughout Lein- ster, of the Registry of Deaths, &c., &c. ; Spirit Licenses, Ploughing by the Tail, Registry of Horses, &c., &c." (p. 472). LX. 21. — " King's letter to Sir Richard Nugent, Lord Delvin, doubting lest there might be omission or misrecital in former letters patent, and that in order that he may securely and quietly enjoy his possessions, to have a new grant of the late dissolved monastery or abbey of Inchmore, alias Inishmore, in the County of Longford, and the late dissolved priory and manor of Fower, in the County of Westmeath, and all his other lands and tenements, subject to such tenures, rents, and services as they appear of record formerly to have been subject to — Westminster, 15 July. 18th." " G-rant under the commission for the plantation in Longford, etc., to James McConnell Farrall. — Longford County. The castle, town, and lands of Tenelick, with one water-mill and 145a. ; Lisgilbert, 90a. ; Macereogh, 60a. ; 2 Drombardoons, 268a. ; Cartronfyn, 67a. ; Kilcurre, 120a. pasture, 8a. wood and bog ; Kyllynegawkan, 208a. ; Pellicebegg, 86a. pasture, and 8a. bog and wood ; Rath, 98a. ; Killmacshane, alias Ballyclynshemas, 77a. pasture, and 42a. bog and wood ; Killynevoare, 27a. pasture, and 15a. bog and wood; Lismacmurgh, 22a. ; Knappoge and Tybber, 170a. pasture, and 68a. bog and wood, barony of Shrowle; Bally kenny, 180a. pasture, and 60a. bog and wood; Kilmore, 291 a. pasture, and 194a. wood and bog ; and 1 water-mill on the lands of Tullagh, containing 70a. pasture, and 70a. bog and wood, adjacent to Ballykenny, barony of Longford, and a parcel of bog and wood called Derrychanbegg, Derrychanmore, and Derrychanbulskane, 55a. To hold in capite, by military service ; with remainder to his heirs male, and in default thereof to Faghny McConnell Farrall, his brother, and his heirs male, and in default thereof to the right of the said James ; rent for the G 92 HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOBD. 2,035a. pasture, £2 3s. lljd., and for the 466a. bog and wood, 14s. 8d., Engl. The above lands erected into the manor of Teneliok, with 600a. for demesne lands, power to hold courts leet and baron, to appoint seneschals and other officers, and to have jurisdiction in all actions for debt, covenant, and trespass for any sum under 40s., Ir. ; to have free warren and park ; to enjoy all waifs, strays, all wrecks of the sea, and all tithes, great and small ; 1 yearly fair, to be held for ever at Drom- barden, alias Taghseny, on 29 June, the feast of St. Peter the Apostle, with a court of pie-powder, and the usual tolls and customs ; rent, 20s., Engl. To Faghny McOonnell Farrall — Longford County. Coweishell, 140a. pasture, 210a. bog and wood; Drombane, 160a. ; Killinlasseragh, Lissivare, and 1 water-mill, 170a. pasture, 203a. bog and wood; Drom- logher and Grrillagh, 122a. pasture, and 49a. bog and wood; Cloncawell, 73a. pasture, and 101a. bog and wood ; barony of Ardagh. To hold in free and common soccage for ever to him, and in default thereof to the heirs of his brother, James McOonnell Farrall, and in default thereof to his right heirs; rent for the 655a. pasture, £6 l8s. 6Jd., and for the 563a. bog and wood, 17s. 72d., Engl. The above lands erected into the manor of Killinlasseragh, with courts leet and baron, and power to appoint seneschals and other officers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt, covenant, and trespass, for any sums under 40s., Ir. ; to enjoy all waifs and strays,'and to have all wrecks of the sea, and the tithes, great and small. To Grerald McKeady Farrall — Longford County. Core- cloncallowe, Balletampane, alias Monetampane, Tennecossane, and Killingall, 124a. pasture, and 113a. bog and wood ; Cartronkeele and Kaldrakevin, 84a. pasture, and 68a. bog and wood, barony of Moidowe ; rent for the 208a. arable, £2 3s. 4d., and for the I9la. bog and wood, 7s. Hid., Engl. To Edmund McHubbert Farrall— Longford County. Liscormick, 41a. pasture, and 14a. bog and wood; Calvamanus, 43a. pasture, barony of Shrowle ; rent for the 122a. pasture, £1 6s. 5\d., and for the 48a. bog and wood, 2s., Engl. To Donell McWilliam Farrall — Derrymore, 64a. ; Tril, 30a. wood and underwood ; rent for the pasture lands, £1 10s. 4d., Engl, and for the 30a. underwood, 3d. HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. 93 To Keadagh McConnell Farrall — Longford County. Camlisks, adjacent to the lands of Lacken and MuUinvroe, containing ll3a. ; rent, £1 6s. 6|d. To Rictard McBrian Farrall — Longford County. Dirry- negody, 61a., barony of Longford ; rent, 6s., Engl. To William McOwny Farrall — Longford County, Killemehan and Derrinecross, 61a. pasture, and 394a. wood and bog, barony of Longford ; rent for the 60a. pasture land, 12s. 6d., and for the 394a. wood and bog, 8s. 2d., Engl. To Murrough McTirlagh Farrall — Liscarrileightra, 45a. pasture, and 5a. bog and wood ; Lisscarrillowghtragh, 1 3a. ; Ballymacwilliam- owghtra, 47a., barony of Ardagh ; rent for the 105a. pasture, £1 Is. lO^d., Engl., and for the 5a. bog and moor, 2^d. To hold in free and common soccage, with all the usual clauses as are inserted for the native proprietors ; to enjoy all waifs and strays ; to have free warren and all wrecks of the sea, with tithes, both great and small ; all antient glebes, vicarages, and rectories excepted; not to alien or make leases to any person not of the English race or name. — 10th July. 18th." XXVIII. 12.— "Grant from the King to Gerald Murtagh.— Longford County. The ruined fort of Ballybighand, the lands of Braccagh, Belaleigh, Knock, and Aghamore, 200a. pasture, [and 30a, wood and moor ; Clonbonmogh, Garry and Corry, 200a. pasture, and 10a, wood and moor ; Leary, 224a. pasture, and 100a. bog and moor ; excepting 60a. of Leary, assigned to Lisagh Oge O'Farrall ; rent for the ruined fort, and 564a. pasture, £5 l7s. 6d., Engl. ; and for l40a. bog and wood, cs. lOd. To hold a Tuesday market, and a fair on St, Peter and St. Paul's, at Belaleigh, for ever, with a court of pie-powder, and the usual tolls and customs ; rent, £1, Ir, To Andrew Verdon — Longford County. Eathmore and Bealagare, part 100a., adjacent to the lands of Tangie, barony of Shrowle; rent, £1 Os, lOd., Engl, To Donald McJames Farrall — Longford County, Prucklesan, alias Phru- lesan, 74a, pasture, and bog and wood ; rent for the 74a, pasture, 15s, 5d., Engl.; and for the iSa. bog and wood, 9d. ; all ancient glebes, rectories, and vicarages excepted. To hold in soccage for ever, in the 94 HrSTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. territory of Ely O'Carroll, with the usual covenants to native pro- prietors, not to set or let to the mere Irish, but to persons of the English race or name. — 18 Aug. 18th." II. 2. — " Grant from the King to OHver Fitzgerald, gent. — Long- ford County, in Eathcline barony. The town of Moylackan, containing a water-mill, and 1,045a. arable and pasture, l77a. bog and wood; except all glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold for ever by military service ; rent for the arable and pasture, 23s. 0|d., Engl. ; and for the bog and wood, 7s. 0|d. To G-arrott Fitzgerald, gent. — The town and lands of Carrowle, 198a. arable and pasture, and 165a. bog and wood, 7s. O^d. ; 6a. arable and pasture in Cornedoogh, and Barneviaragh, adjoining Carrowle ; and the wood of Dirriechallin, in the Mointaghcallowe, 20a. arable and pasture, and 40a. bog and wood, in said barony, lately in the tenure of Connor McThomas O'Mulvihill ; except all the other woods and underwoods in the Mointaghcallow, and all glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage ; rent for the arable and pasture, 46s. 8d., Engl. ; and for the bog and wood, 8s. 6^d. To Teige McConnocke, gent. — The town and lands of Lislea, 105a. arable and pasture, also 58a. arable and pasture, and 14a. bog and wood, in Corbally, adjoining Glanmore, and 50a. arable and pasture, and lOa. bog and wood in Glanmore, adjoining the lands of Corbally, in Moydow barony ; the town and lands of Lisglassoge, 52a. arable and pasture, and 10a. bog and wood, in Shrowle barony ; except the glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold for ever, in free and common soccage; rent for the arable and pasture, 12s. 6d., Engl. ; and for the bog and wood, 5d. To William Oge O'FarroU, gent. — The town and lands of Ballymicknemeaeltra, 60a. arable and pasture, and 16a. bog and wood, in Shrowle barony; the wood of Clonagh- beg, otherwise Clonberly, in the Mointaghcallowe, 12a. bog and wood; except all other woods and underwoods in the Mointaghcallowe, and the glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the arable and pasture, 12s. 6d., Engl. ; and for the bog and wood, 14d. To Connor Ferrall, gent. — Kynaghootra, 52a. arable and pasture, HISTORY OF THE COITNTY LONGPOED. 95 and 87a. bog and wood ; Lawghill, and TuUenedalle, 159a. arable and pasture, 56s. 2|d., Engl, and for the bog and wood, Is. 5d. To Richard Fitzgerald, gent. — The town and lands of Cornedoogh and Barneviaragh, in Rathclin barony, except 6a. adjoining the town of Corrowe; 171a. arable and pasture, and la. bog and wood ; the woods of Corleagh and Dirrebroliske, 30a. bog and wood ; except glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the arable and pasture, 35s. 7Jd., Eng., and for the bog and wood, 4s. 7|d. To Lissagh Oge O'FarroU, gent. — 60a. arable and pasture ; lOa. arable and pasture, and 10a. bog and wood, in Leherie, adjoining Corfin and TuUeveran, in Rathclin barony ; except the glebe lands, with arable and pasture, and 98a. bog and wood ; Creagh, 34a. arable and pasture, and 50a. bog and wood; Carfcron-Ivare, 66a. arable and pasture, and 15a. bog and wood, in Rathlin barony; a parcel of wood and underwood, called Edera, adjoining Lawghill, 30a. ; except the glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the arable and pasture, £3 4s. 9^d., Engl., and for the bog and wood, 8s. 8d. To Garrott McShane FarroU, gent. — The town and lands of Cornemucklagh, 145a. arable and pasture, and 61a. bog and wood; Kildordan, 71a. arable and pasture, in Shrowle barony ; except the glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the arable and pasture, 45s., Engl., and for the bog and wood, 2s. 6^d. To Lissagh M'Connock Farrall, gent. — The town and lands of Listibbot, 28a. arable and pasture, and 40a. bog and wood ; Killiateeteige, 68a. arable and pasture, and 26a. bog and wood ; except glebe lands, with their tithes. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the arable and pasture, 20s., Engl., and for the bog and wood, 2s. 9d. ; saving of a right for 3 years to raise and draw away timber, stones, and slates. The tenants of the grantees to erect their houses in town-reeds, and not scattered, under a penalty of £5 per annum for every house not so built ; each grantee to sow la. of hemp for every 100a. ; to exact no uncertain rents or Irish exactions ; not to demise for a longer term than] 31 years to any mere Irish, or not of English descent or name, on penalty of forfeiture ; like penalty for 96 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. rebellious or treasonable practices, for taking the name of the Grreat OTarroU, or for demising any lands on the Irish tenure of gavelkind. — 10 July. 18th." P. 490, XIII. 30.—" Grant from the King to Richard Browne and Mary, his wife, lately wife of James Mclrriell Farrall. — Longford County. The towns and lands of Cargin, 48a. arable and pasture, and 25a. wood and bog; Lissekitt, 51a.; Olonskoteightra, 61a. arable and pasture and 21a. wood and bog ; Olonkeene, 49a. arable and pasture, and 24a. wood and bog; Caldraghmore, 69a. arable and pasture, and 39a. wood and bog; the castle and lands of Castlereogh, with a water-mill, 203a. arable and pasture, and 125a. wood and bog; Tonyn, 53a. ; Clonevett, 38a. arable and pasture, and 25a. wood and bog ; Clonkirr, 201a. arable and pasture, 69a. wood and bog ; Lissegory, 52a. ; Bruckin, 64a. arable and pasture, and 44a. wood and bog ; Cullagh, 50a. arable and pasture, and 72a. wood and bog ; 45a. in Multyny, adjoining Aghenaspick ; Oorrelagan, in capita, by military service; rent, £8, English. To Eoger Tarrall, son and heir of James Maclrriel Farrall — The castle, town and lands of Mornyn, with a water-mill ; the town and lands of Bealagh, Mauragh, Coryn and Clonefad, 268a. arable and pasture, and 131a. wood and bog ; Oorrkreaghan, 132a. ; Corhobereny, 69a. ; Clonscotoughtra, 97a. arable and pasture, and 40a. wood and bog, all in Moydowe barony ; Barry- begg, 70a. ; f of Doory, estimated to contain 62a. arable and pasture, and 8a. wood and bog, adjoining the town and lands of Aghnoran, con- taining 88a. arable, 49a. arable and pasture, and 22a. wood and bog ; all in Moydowe barony ; Clantymoylan, 63a. arable and pasture, and 208a. wood and bog, in Ardagh barony ; except all ancient glebes belong- ing to rectories or vicarages ; containing in all 1,096a. arable and pas- ture, and 689a. wood and bog. To hold during the life of said Mary ; remainder to Roger Farrall, son and heir of the aforesaid James Mclrriel Farrall, and the heirs male of said Roger ; remainders to the heirs male of Irriell, father of said James Mclrriell ; remainder to the right heirs of said Roger for ever. To hold and pasture, and 6a. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGPORD. 97 wood and bog, in Shrowle barony ; a parcel of wood and underwood called tbe Moher, 167a. inMoydowe barony; Clogbankeogh., Garrimore, Agbelost and Tornegeegt., 193a. arable and pasture; Camaghmore, CoUokenurbill, Aghnegrannagb and Shanvallyloskey, 171a.; CamagL.- begg and Aghanaspick, 75a. arable and pasture, all in said barony ; Neddevarry, Boledrynagh and Carrowgurtin, 79a. arable and pasture ; 64a. arable and pasture, and 29a. wood and moor in Agboneagh, next adjoining Castlereogli and Mornyn ; 9a. arable and pasture in the Ardes, Agliebowne and Kilmakonlane, next adjoining CuUegh. ; 34a. arable and pasture in Clonany, next adjoining Bruckin ; 4a. arable and pasture in Knockantirlagli, next adjoining Lissegory; Corromore, 71a. arable and pasture, and 55a. wood and moor, in said barony ; -^ of Aghnegore, Grarrynecrech, BealadriMd, Munyhille, Shee, Tawnarrigge, Royn, Clonard, Cloncorkie, Meelegg, Ouappoge, Tristernan, Ballyntobber, Thogher and Curraghmore, being 82a. arable and pasture, and 108a. wood and moor, in Longford barony ; ^ of the wear of Snavosule, on the Shenen ; Eneyn, 40a. arable and pasture, and 46a. wood and moor ; Litter keeragh and Tonemachugh, 40a. arable and pasture, and l74a. wood and moor ; Crodromyne, 4a. arable a pasture, all in said barony ; Briskelbegg and Briskilmore, 60a. arable and pasture, and 260a. wood and moor ; the parcels of wood and underwood called Donchill, Mag- herymeene, Magherygarrowe, and one of the three Clontees, next adjoining Derryoghill, being 30a. wood and moor, in Rathclin barony ; all the ancient glebes pertaining to any rectory or vicarage within the pre- mises excepted ; the whole being 1,712a. arable and pasture, and 1,414a. wood and moor. To hold in cajnte by Knight's service, by the said Roger Farrall, and his heirs male ; remainder to the heirs male of Irriell Farrall, grandfather of Roger ; remainder to the right heirs of said Roger forever; rent, £12, English. The castle of Mornyn and all the rest of the premises to be the manor of Mornyn, with 1,000a. of demesne land; license to alienate the rest to any persons not being mere Irish in blood and name ; to hold a court leet and view of frank-pledge twice in the year, also a court baron, with jurisdiction of debts under 40s. 98 HISTORY OF THE COL'NTV LONGFORD. Irish, with the fees and other perquisites thereof. In case Eoger Farrall die before the age of 21 years without heirs male, the premises to go to his sister, Jane Farrall, and her assigns, for fifteen years after, with remainder to the heirs male of Eoger, and afterwards to his right heirs, she and her assigns paying to the heirs of Roger during said period £20, English, annually, besides the £20 payable to the Grown thereout. To Terence Farrall — The town and lands of Corrycahill, 53a. arable and pasture ; 100a. arable and pasture in Bderclone and Grortin- roe, next adjoining Corrylongford, in Grranard barony ; all glebes, as in preceding, excepted. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage; rent, 31s. lO^d., English. To Keadagh McConnell Farrall — The town and lands of Bealanamore and Caldragho- bedagh, 79a. arable and pasture, and 91a. wood and moor, in Moydow barony ; Clontehy, 18a. arable and pasture, and 221a. wood and moor ; Clonelane, 40a. arable and pasture, and I70a. wood and moor, in Long- ford barony; all glebes, as before, excepted; all being 13 7a. arable and pasture, and 482a. wood and moor, lOs. 0|d. To Edmund Nugent Fitz- Edward, the town and lands of Tonyn, 97a. arable and pasture, in Grranard barony ; 130a. arable and pasture, in Killereher and Bealacryn, next adjoining Janaghmore, in Longford barony ; 33a. arable and pasture, and 1 5a. wood and moor, in Janaghmore and Bundonagh, next adjoining Killereher; Corkillen, 49a. arable and pasture ; a moiety of Shangar, 32a. arable and pasture, and 145a. wood and moor ; a moiety of Donchill, 16a. arable and pasture ; all glebes, as before, excepted. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the 357a. arable and- pasture, £3 14s. 4^d., English, and for 160a. wood and bog, 3s. 4d. To John, otherwise Shane McHulbert O'Farrell, ^ of Clonrollo, 20a. arable and pasture, and 135a. wood and moor, in Longford barony ; f of Shen- ballyteige, being 82a. arable and pasture ; all glebes, as before, excepted. To hold, as before ; rent for the 102a. arable and pasture, 21s. 3d., English, and for the 136a. wood and bog, 5s. 7^d. The grantees to allow the cutting down, raising and drawing away of timber, stone, plates and sand, during three years, for erecting buildings in Longford HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 99 County, or Ely 0' Carroll ; to exact no uncertain rents or Irisli exactions; to cause their tenants to build in town-reeds and not dispersedly, on penalty of £5, English, for each offence ; to sow hemp at the rate of la. for every 100a. ; to forfeit any lands granted to mere Irish, and not of English surname ; not to assume the ' title of the Glreat O'Farrall or to let the lands according to the Irish custom of gavelkind, on pain of forfeiture.— 8th Feb. 18th." XIV. 34. — " Grant from the King to Kedagh McLisagh Farrall. — Longford County. The towns and lands of Clonfowre, viz., Kilnerana, Knocknedarragh, Trienboy, Carrownegappull, Carrowarale, Boynagh, Aghentobane, CarrowenchoUen, Carrownaghyady, Corgarruff, Carrow- nesringie, Carrowneshane, and Shanballyhugh, parcel of Clonfore, 279a. arable and pasture, and 106a. wood and bog ; -^-f of Aghnegor, G-arryne- crech, Bealadrehid, Munyhill, Shee, Tawnarigg, Royn, Clonard, Clan* korky, Meelegg, Knappoge, Trislernan, Ballintober, Clogher, and Curraghmore, towards the west and adjacent to Clonogher and the River Shenen ; 221a. arable and 158a. bog and wood, and f of the weir of Shanveowle, on said river ; Clonsillen, 100a. wood, underwood, and bog, near Monytaghcallowe ; all other woods and underwoods in Moinytaghcallowe, and 126a. wood and bog ; Cloncalgo, 18a. arable and pasture and 105a. wood and bog; Clongiherry, l8a. arable and pasture, and 107a. wood and bog. — Longford County. 22a. arable and pasture in Corry-Longford, next adjoining Ewkynyeghtragh ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the 158a. arable and pasture, 32s. lid., Engl., and for the 796a. wood and bog, 16s. 8d.. To Grillernow O'Kenny and Tirlagh M'Uhny Farrall — Dromodowtra and Gurtinboy, 102a. arable and pasture; Carhowmeanagh, 23a. arable and pasture, and 30a. wood and bog, in Moydow barony ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the 125a. arable and pasture, 26s. 0|d., Engl., and for the 34a. wood and bog, I7d. To Eory McCahell Farrall — Longford County. Leytrim, 95a. arable and pasture and Ilia, wood and bog, in Longford barony; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the 95a. arable and pasture, lOO HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 19s. lO^d., Bng., and for the Ilia, wood and bog, 4s. .6^d. To Thomas McTeige Farrall — Clonyn, 73a. arable and pasture, and 40a. wood and bog ; 78a. arable and pasture, and 20a. wood and bog in Tenemoldone, next adjoining Clonyn, in Grranard barony; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the 151a. arable and pasture, 31s. 6^d., Engl., and for the 60a. wood and bog, 2s. 6d. To James McMelaghlin Farrall — Oarricke, 64a. arable and pasture, and 176a. wood and bog; Clonproghlissee, 82a. arable and pasture, and 85a. wood and bog, in Longford barony; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold &c., as before ; rent for the 136a. arable and pasture, 28s. 4d., Engl., and for the 261a. wood and bog, 10s. lO^d. To Peter or Piers McMelaghlin Farrall — Clonart, 24a. arable and pasture, and 116a. wood and bog; Clonin- slughtamagha, 15a. arable and pasture, and 73a. wood and bog; Bunenassa, Boheene, and Clonynbegg, 24a. arable and pasture, and 252a. wood and bog; Aghnagh, 16a. arable and pasture, and 180a. wood and bog ; Clonbarr, 10a. arable and pasture, and 49 a. wood and bog, in Longford barony ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the 89a. arable and pasture, 18s. 6^d., Engl., and for the 670a. wood and bog, l3s. ll-^d. To Magha M'Shane Farrall — Ballagh Iknolane, 63a. arable and pasture, 149a. wood and bog ; Corgrany, 20a. arable and pasture, and 220a. wood and bog, in Longford barony ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before; rent for the 83a. arable and pasture, 17s. 3^d., Engl., and for the 369a. wood and bog, 15s. 4^d. To Robert Magenor — 420a. arable and pasture, 108a. wood and bog, in Leytrim, Lisnecorr, Lismacgillegad, Aghnekille, Ooolerowan, Aghekanan, Toome, Corbane, and other parts of the territory or precinct of Mountergarran, in Granard barony, next adjoining the County of Cavan, and as far as Loughgawny, with an island there called Inesh- kerin ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before the 420a. arable and pasture and 12a. wood and bog, in Lisryan, next adjoining Kilfenton and Blewtoge, in Ardagh barony; 21a. arable and pasture and 6a. wood and bog in Freaghan, next adjoining Ballygoola ; all ancient glebes excepted. To hold, &c., as before ; rent for the 120a. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 101 arable and pasture, 25s., Engl., and for the 18a. wood and bog, 9d. The grantees to allow the assignees of the Lord Deputy 1)o cut, raise, and draw away, during 3 years, timber, stone, sand, and slates, for buildings in Longford County or Ely 0' Carroll country ; to cause their tenants to build their houses in town-reeds for mutual defence, and not dispersedly, on a penalty of £5 for each house so built ; to sow one acre with hemp for every hundred acres ; not to let the lands on undetermined leases, nor to grant lands to the mere Irish, or to per sons tio^ of English blood or surname, for a longer term than three lives, or 40 years, on pain of forfeiture." P. 492, XIX. 41.—" Grant from the King to James Yonge, Knt.— Longford County. The castle, town andlands of Barne, 102a. arable, wood and pasture, and 14a. bog ; Lissenure, 214a. arable, wood and pasture, and 74a. bog; Tomdoghan, Liscahelmore, and Lisoweene, 217a. arable, wood and pasture ; Lissegreesie and Gneeve, 122a. arable, wood and pasture, and 268a. bog; Motvoad, 96a. arable, wood and pasture, and 43a. bog ; Kilsallagh and Cleamuck, 190a. arable, wood and pasture, and 89a. bog; Aghadonoghowe, next adjoining Barne and Lissenure, 46a. arable, wood and pasture ; 13a. arable, wood and pasture in Ballinrie, next adjoining Toandogham, all in or near Ardagh barony. To hold for ever, in ca^pite, by military service ; rent for the 1,000a. arable, wood and pasture, £12 10s., Engl. ; and for the 488a. bog, 20s. 4d. The premises to be the manor of Barne, with 600a. of demesne land ; license to set any part of the other lands to persons not being under- takers in Longford, or Ely 0' Carroll, or mere Irish in blood and surname, with a penalty of forfeiture for so doing. To hold a court leet and view o£ frank-pledge at Barne, twice in the year; also a court baron, with jurisdiction to the amount of 40s., Ir., with the fines, forfeitures, and other perquisites thereof ; right reserved to the Crown to cut, raise and draw timber, stone, sand and slates during three years, for erection of buildings in Longford and Ely O'CarroU ; the tenants to build their houses in town-reeds, and not dispersedly, penalty of £5, Engl., for each offence ; to sow under one acre of hemp annually for every 100 acres. — 20 July. 18th." 102 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. XXII. 47.— "Grant from the King to Thomas Dallyell, gent.— Longford County. The town and lands of MoUalogher, 119a. arable and pasture, 228a. wood and bog ; Lisenorlane, 63a. arable and pasture, and 34a. wood and bog ; Mullagh, 65a. arable and pasture, and 23a. wood and bog ; Liscloghan, 34a. arable and pasture, and 24a. wood and bog; Aghereogh, 74a. arable and pasture, and 185a. wood and bog; 45a. arable and pasture, and 40a. wood and bog in TuUagh, adjoining Mullagh, all being in Longford barony ; ancient glebe lands excepted ; rent for the 400a. arable and pasture, £5, Engl., and for the 534a. wood and bog, 22s. 3d. To Claude Hamilton, gent. — 400a. arable and pasture, and 150a. wood and bog, in Bnnagh, adjoining Cavan County, and Lough Gawney, in Granard barony ; ancient glebe lands excepted ; rent for the arable and pasture, £5, Engl., and for the wood and bog, 6s. 3d. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage, by fealty only ; the reservation of a right in the Crown to cut timber and raise stone, sand and slates for three years, for the erection of buildings in the Queen's County and Ely O'CarroU country. The grantees to cause their tenants to build their houses in town-reeds, and not dispersedly, on penalty of £5, Engl., for every house otherwise built ; to sow hemp at the rate of one acre for every hundred ; to have their principal mansion in their respective premises on penalty of forfeiture ; not to alienate to the mere Irish, or to persons not of English or British surname, and not to English undertakers having lots in the county, unless by favour of the royal license. — 30 Oct. IHth." P. 498, LXXXIV. 33.—" Grant from the King to -Patrick Hanna, gent. — Longford County. The " octo decim octavam pt." of the town and lands of Drominge, Garrycaw, Killmeene, Dorroge, MuUaghdrom, Ballaghlaskagh, Bealacloghan, Corderybeg, Corderymore, and Boulskan, being l62a. arable and pasture, and 110a. wood and bog; 110a. arable and pasture and 68a. wood and bog in LisdufEe, Cartronkeele, Towrallen, and Cartrongarrow, adjoining Drominge, all in Moydow barony ; 28a. arable and pasture in Lisraiellowtra, in the western part thereof, in HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOEr. 103 Ardagh barony ; except 4a. wood in the lands from Drominge to Boul- skan, botli inclusive, adjoining the togJier of Ardagh, set apart for the glebe of Ardagh church, and all other ancient glebes ; rent for the 300a. arable and pasture, £3 15s., Engl., and for the l78a. of wood and bog, 7s. 5d. To Robert Hanna, H of the above lands from Drominge to Boulskan, both inclusive,, except the ancient glebes, being 200a. arable and pasture, rent, 50s. Engl., and 100a. wood and bog, rent, 4s. 2d. To hold to Patrick and Robert Hanna for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage, by fealty only ; to have all tithes, and to enjoy all waifs and strays, with free warren and chase. Right reserved to the Crown to cut, raise, and draw timber, stone, sand, aud slate, for three years; the tenants to build their houses in town- reeds, and not dispersedly, under a penalty of £5, Engl., for each trans- gression; to sow hemp at the rate of la. for every 100a. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage, by fealty only. Right reserved to the Crown to cut, raise, and draw timber, stone, sand, and slates for building for three years. Glrantees to demise their lands on fixed rents only, and not to demand Irish exactions ; to build their houses in town-reeds, and not dispersedly, under a penalty of £5, Engl., for each transgression ; to sow hemp at the rate of la. for every 100a. ; not to demise lands for a longer term than 3 lives or 40 years to mere Irish, or to persons not of English surname, on pain of forfeiture ; the like penalty in case of rebellion, or for assuming the title of the Great O'Ferrall, or for granting lands in gavelkind. — 24 Nov. 18th." XCI. 41.—" Grant from the King to Tho. Nugent, Esq. — Longford County. Coolamberbegg, 129a. arable and pasture, and l4a. wood and bog; Cartron, Mallyah, and Monegehowlegan, 91a.; Correhe, 83a.; Freaghmeene, 82a. arable and pasture, and 32a. wood and bog, with a water-mill ; Cloncahy, 65a. arable and pasture, and 246a. wood and bog ; 24a. arable and pasture, and 7a. wood and bog in Freighan, adjoining Freighanmeene ; 44a. arable and pasture, and 11a. wood and bog in Clonshenagh and Motewrally, adjoining Freighan and Freighanmena, 104 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. all in Ardagh barony; a castle, 100a. arable and pasture, and 30a. wood and bog, in Blightoge, adjoining Lisreane ; rent for the castle and 618a. arable and pasture, £6 8s. 9d., Engl., and for the 340a. wood and bog, 14s. 2d., Engl. To Cahall Farrall — 166a. arable and pasture, and 21a. wood and bog, in Lisrian, adjoining Ballaghgoole ; Ballagh- goole, 114a. arable and pasture, in Ardagh barony ; rent for the 280a. arable and pasture, 68s. 4d. English, and for the 21a. wood and bog, lO^d. English. To Oliver Nugent — 162a. arable and pasture, and 41a. wood and begin Bleoghtoge, adjoining Lisrean; rent for the arable and pasture, 33s. 9d. English, and for the 41a. wood and bog, Is. 8^d. English. To Connell McMurogh Farrall— Camagh, 108a, arable and pasture, and 269a. wood and bog in Longford barony; rent for the arable and pasture, 22s. 6d. English, and for the wood and bog, 5s. 7Jd. English. To Brian McTeige Farrall and Donough McBrian Farrall — Carrhey, 155a. arable and pasture in Grranard barony ; rent, 32s. S^d. English. To James McTirlagh Farrall and Con- nock McMorogh Farrall — 120a. arable and pasture, and 61a. wood and bog in Clonshennagh and Mottenevally, adjoining Freaghan ; rent for the arable and pasture, 25s. English, and for the 61a. wood and bog, 2s. 6^d. English. To Tirlagh Farrall — 162a. arable and pasture, and 28a. wood and bog in Freaghan, adjoining Olonshannagh in Ardagh barony ; rent for the arable and pasture, 33s. 9d., English, and for the wood and bog, 14d., English. To Brian McEory Farrall — One-fourth of Dowlerick, 30a. arable and pasture, and 30a. wood and bog; Dirrekelan, 20a. arable and pasture, and 131a. wood and bog ; Oornehunshin, 20a. arable, and 220a. wood and moor in Longford barony; rent for the 70a., I4s. 7d. English, and for the 381a. wood and bog, 8s. 9-|d. English ; all ancient glebes, rectories and vicarages excepted. To hold for ever, as of the Castle of Dublin, in free and common soccage, by fealty only. Right to reserve to the Crown to cut, raise, and draw away timber, stone, sand and slates for building, during 3 years ; the grantees' tenants to build their houses in town-reeds and not dispersedly, on penalty of £5, English, for each trangression ; to sow hemp at the rate HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 105 of la. for every 100a. ; not to levy uncertain rents or Irisli exactions ; not to demise lands for more than a term of life, or 40 years, to the mere Irisli, or to persons not of English descent or surname, on pain of forfeiture ; not to engage in rebellion ; not to assume the title of the Grreat O'Farrall, or to let their lands in gavelkind, on like penaltyl — .18 May. 18th." XCV. 57. — " Grant from the King to Catherine Dalton of an annual rent-charge of £10, Engl., out of the following lands. — Longford County. The castle, town and lands of Mornyn, with a water-mill ; Beallagh, Mauragh, Corry and Cloonfeed, 268a. arable and pasture, and 131a. wood and moor; Corrkreaghan, 132a. arable and pasture; Corhobereny, 69a. arable and pasture ; Olonskotowghtra, 97a. arable and pasture, and 40a. wood and moor, all in Moydow barony; Barrybegge, 70a. arable and pas- ture, in Shrowle barony ; f of Doory, 62a. arable and pasture, and 80a. wood and moor, near Aghenoran; Aghenoran, 88a. arable and pasture, and 6a. wood and moor ; the Moher, wood and underwood, 167a. ; Cloghan- keogh, Garrimore, Aghelost and Tarnegeehe, 193a. arable and pasture ; Camaghmore, CoUokenurwill, Aghnegrannagh, Shanvallylosky, 171a. arable and pasture ; Camaghbegg and Aghanaspick, 75a. arable and pasture ; Neddevarry, Boledrynogh, and Carrowgurtin, 79a. arable and pasture ; 64a. arable and pasture, and 29a. wood and moor in Aghoneagh, adjoining Castlereogh, and Mornyn ; 9a. arable and pasture in Ardes, Aghmehowne, and Kilmakonlane, adjoining CuUegh; 30a. arable and pasture in Clonany, adjoining Brackin ; 4a, arable and pasture in Knockantirlagh, adjoining Lissegorry; Corromore, 71a. arable and pasture, and 55a. wood and moor ; ^g- of Aghnegore, Garry- nekreegh, Bealadrihid, Monyhille, Shee, Tawnaccarrigg, Royn, Clonard, Clonkorkie, Meelegg, Cuappoge, Tristernan, Ballintobber, Clogher, and Curraghmore, being 82a. arable and pasture, and 108a. wood and moor, in Longford barony ; g- of the weir of Suaveowle on the Shennon ; Enyn, 40a. arable and pasture, and 46a. wood and moor; Litter keragh, and Tonemachugh, 40a;. arable and pasture, and 174a. wood and moor ; Crodomoyne, 4a. arable and pasture, all in Longford barony ; Briskill- 106 HISTOKY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. begg, and Briscolmore, 60a. arable, and 260a. wood and moor ; Donchill, Maherymeene, Maberygarrowe, and one of the 3 Clontees adjoining Derryoghill, being 30a. wood and moor, in Eathclyn barony. To hold for life. To Honora Dillon— A rent-charge of £18, Engl., out of the above stated lands. To hold for hfe. To Jenn Farrall, daughter of James Mclrriell Farrall— A rent-charge of £50, Engl., out of said grant to Kath. Dalton. To hold for 10 years, if Eoger Farrall, son and heir of James, or any issue male of Roger live so long. And if said Eoger attain the age of 21 years and then die without issue male, the King grants a further rent-charge of £50 sterling out of the premises, for 4 years after Soger's death.— 5th Feb. 14th."— The end of the 18th Patent. Pat. 19, Pt. I. (96), X. 15.— « Grant to Francis Aungier, Knt., of the title of Baron Aungier of Longford, and to his heirs male, in con- sideration of his justice and prudence as Master of the Rolls, and his services in the plantations of Ulster, Leitrim, and Longford, and in a great many parts of the province of Leinster.— 29 June. 19th." P. 503, XIII. 24. — "Grant to Daniel Gookin.— Longford County. The lands of Ooolermerigan, 26a. ; Killenawse and Garrynegree, 48a. ; Rossemyne, Lisduffe, and GarridufE, 78a. pasture, and 29a. bog and wood ; Lissemagunen, 96a. ; Lissard and Corribolum, lOla. ; Shiroe and Kilderin, 61a. ; Bragwie, 90a. pasture, and 40a. bog and wood, adjacent to the lands of Lismagunen, in the territory of Ely O'CarroU; rent for 500a. pasture, £6 5s., Engl., and for 69a. bog and wood, 2s. lOgd. To hold in free and common soccage, subject to the conditions of the plantation of Longford ; with the addition of the prime bird out of every eyry of great hawks annually. — 10 June. I9th." P. 511, CV. 33.— " Grant to Daniel Gookin.— Longford County. The towns and lands of Coolemerigan, 26a. ; Killenawse and Garry- negree, 48a. ; Rossemyne, Lisduffe, and Garryduffe, 78a. pasture, and 29a. bog and wood ; Lisseinagunen, 96a. ; Lissard and Corrybolum, lOla. ; Shiroe and Kilderin, 6la. ; Breaghwie, 90a. ara,ble, and 40a. bog and wood ; excepting %U rectories, vicarages, and ancient glebes. 'lf"^^% -''.'i'S-^— — -^x. ft*. ^.^- S^wVjS^ >«^ JS HISTOET OF THE CODNTT LONGFOED. 109 To hold for ever, subject to the conditions of the plantations in Ely O'CarroU's territory, the Queen's County, and Longford. — 15 July. 19th." CVI. 34.—" Deed, dated 16th July, 19th James I., whereby Daniel Crookin, in consideration of the sum of £350, Engl., granted, bargained, sold, and assigned to Francis Edgworth, all the lands and premises in Ely O'CarroU's country, in the County of Longford, in the preceding patent more particularly mentioned. To hold to the said Francis, his heirs and assigns, for ever, subject to the previous conditions and covenants in said patent mentioned. Livery and seisin delivered according to the tenor, form, and effect of the -within deed, by Thomas Stafford, attorney for the said Daniel Grookin." P. 512, CXXXYI. 50. — " Grant of livery and pardon of intrusion to Andrew Newgent, brother and heir of Robert Newgent, late of Dissert, in the County of "Westmeath ; for a fine of £90, L*. — 28 Nov. 19th." Dorso, P. 518, XXX. 7.— "King's letter to create Thomas Nugent a baronet, with remainder to his heirs male. — Westminster, lOth Dec. 19th." P. 519, XLV. 24. — " King's letter for a grant, without fine or rent, to Sir George Calvert, Knt., or to such persons as he shall nominate and appoint, of certain lands within the plantation of the County of Longford, undisposed of to any undertakers, namely, Dromlish, Bar- raghbegg and Barraghmore, Derrowle, Greaghmore, GreagisboU, Meneoghill, Knockmaguiskin, Gorteneny, Garncochild, in Janabegg, and Corlea, Calfeed, Aghowadan, Carrowdonegan, Cowletegle, Cal- draneged, Carrowhobbegan, Carrowbolgenagh, Carrickglingh, Lis- william, Ballingurtin, Lismackegan, and Mullaghbreake, containing 2,314a. ; subject to the usual provisions in the grants to undertakers in the plantations of Leitrim and Longford, &c. — Westminster, 2 January. 19th." L. 26. — " King's letter to the Lord Deputy, to admit, as undertakers for the plantation of Longford and Ely O'Carroll, such persons as 110 HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. Walter Alexander, servant to the Prince of Wales, shall nominate, for the portions of land granted to William Dromond, 600a. ; James and William Alexander, 1,000a., and to James Philip, 300a., he having purchased the same for the benefit of his children, who are so young that they cannot perform the conditions of the plantation. — West- minster, 28th March. 19th." XIV. 64. — " Grant to Emanuel Downinge and Robert Dixon, reciting a direction, by privy signet, to pass letters patent to Theobald Bourke, Baron of Brittas, of lands and tenements of the annual value of £50 ; and that the latter, by deed dated l5th December, 19th year, assigned to Emanuel Downinge and Robert Dixon so much of the said lands as would amount to the annual value of £50 sterhng, and all the interest and benefit of the said letters patent. — Longford County. The great pool, commonly called Loughry, in the Shannon, and the entire fishing and all the islands in the same ; Minchinf arme, 2 messuages and 70a. in several parcels in the town and fields of Cromblin; all the lands lately parcel of the possessions of the monks of Grracedew, alias Gratia Dei, in the lands of Cromblin ; 7a. of mountain in Hollywood, in the occupation of John Bath, late the estate of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem ; the entire fishing in the river, water, bay, or creek of Bree, alias Brae, and in the high sea next the lands of Brae, with all liberties thereto appertaining." XLIY. 34.—" Grant to George Calvert, Knt., Chief Secretary of Ireland. — Longford County. The castle, town, and lands of Ulfeede, 295a. arable, and 272a. wood and bog, in the barony of Rathclyn ; Aghowadan, 11 6a. arable; Carrowdonegan, 47a. arable; Cowletegle, 37a. arable ; Coldraghnegee, 109a. arable ; Carrowhobbegan, 99a. arable; Carrowbolganagh, 122a. arable ; Carrickglingh, 2Ila. arable; Liswilliam, 25a. arable; Ballyngurtin, 136a. arable; Lismacegan, 64a. arable, and 10a. wood and moor ; MuUaghbrack, 63a. arable, in the same barony ; Dromlishe, 223a. arable, and 74a. bog and wood ; Barrowbegg and Barraghmore, 104a. arable, and 248a. bog and wood ; Dorrowle, 99a, arable, and 98a, wood and bog ; Greaghmone, 109a. HISTORY OF THE OOTjNTT LONGFOED. Ill arable, and 109a. wood and bog ; Greagliisell, 24a. arable, and 41a. bog and moor ; Moneoghill, 49a. arable, and 99a. bog ; Knockmaginskin, 41a. arable, and 83a. bog ; Gortevonny, 90a. arable, and 36a. bog ; GrarveogHU, 102a. arable, and 206a. bog; l59a. arable, and 130a. bog and wood, in Sbanaghbegg and Corlea, adjoining Moneoghill and G-arTeogbill, excepting 20a. in Ulfeede, assigned for the glebe of the Church of Cashell, barony of Longford. To hold in capite, by military service ; rent for the arable land, £28 16s., Engl. ; and for the bog and wood, 12s. Ojd. All the lands erected into the manor of Ulfeede ; with courts leet and baron, and jurisdiction under 40s. ; subject to the conditions of the plantation of the county. — 18th Feb. 19th year." P. 533, yill. 17. — " G-rant under the commission for the plantation of Longford, and the territory of Ely O'CarroU, to Robert OTarroU. — Longford County. The castle, village and lands of Bawne, 88a. ; Cartronvally, 59a. ; Breackagh, 80a. pasture, and 10a. bog ; Aghene- knappagh, 74a. ; Corredevine, 81a. ; Townnacossane, Townelostrane, Townetaskyn, and Townedrassoge, 70a. ; Trilligtemple 56a. ; Gurting- law, alias Gurtiueglum, 74a. ; Glasclone, 39a. pasture, and 53a. bog and wood; Trilligmore, a^ias Thrilligpatrick McDonnogh and Clonakre, 81a. pasture, and 96a. bog and wood ; Tonebegan and a water-mill, 123a. pasture, and 28a bog and wood ; Graffoke and Lisfcstan, 65a., barony of Moydowe. The castle, town and lands of Lissardowle and Torefin, 75a. pasture, and 6a. wood and bog ; Agharickard, 33a. ; Aghaneevan, 80a. pasture, and 6a. bog and wood; Frehalmen, 84a. pasture, and 17a, bog and wood ; Cloncosury, 68a. pasture, and 4a, bog and wood ; Car- troncappull, 61a. pasture, and 6a. bog and wood ; Ballymacwilliam- yeightragh, 80a.; Coolcagh, alias Vallereagh, 80a. pasture, and 89a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh ; the wood and land in Mointaghcallow, called Cloncrew, 24a. To hold in capite, by military service ; rent for the mill, and 1,451 pasture, £l5 2s. S^d., Engl.; and for the 339a. bog and wood, l4s. Igd. The premises created the manor of Bawne, with courts leet and view of frank- pledge, and courts baron ; power to appoint seneschals and other officers, with jurisdiction in all actions 112 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. for debt and covenant where the damages do not exceed 40s., Ir. ; with power to make tenures ; to enjoy all waifs and strays ; to have free warren and park. To Robert Oadell — Longford County. Lehard and Monny (except 4a. adjoining the lands of Corleagh, assigned to Gerald Murtagh), containing 11 7a., and 39a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh; Cartronreagh, 35a. pasture, and 8a. bog and wood, adjoining Crane- laghes; Millegan, 16a. pasture, and 142a. bog and wood; rent for the 168a. pasture, 20s., Ir. To John Mc James boy Farrall — Longford County. Bealaglassan and Lissegowher, 36a.; Toorenegore, 37a. pasture, and 16a. bog and wood; Agherannagh, 53a. pasture, and 46a. bog and wood ; Tunnereduffe, CoreneheflS.n and Correchsirke, 60a. pasture, and 18a. bog and wood ; Oornehowne, alias Aghownehowne, 33a., barony of Shrowle ; rent for the 209a. pasture, £2 5s. 7^d., and for the 80a. bog and wood, 3s. 4d. To Grerrott McHubert Ferrall — Longford County, Trillickbegg, 45a. pasture, and 70a. bog and wood Clonkyne, 66a. arable, and 26a. bog and wood, barony of Moydow; rent for the Ilia, pasture, £1 Os. l^d., and for the 96a. bog and wood, 4s. To Hugh McFirlagh Farrall — Longford County. Lissardlissenore, Aghenoddy, Eynnenye, Aghecrenin, alias Aghanacreehee, and Correveline, alias Corvelneline, 160a., barony of Ardagh; rent, £1 I3s. 4d. To Bryan McBdmond Farrall — Longford County. Craighduffe and Cartionwogan, 141a. pasture, and 123a. bog and wood; Cartronkeele, LisdufEe, Toorallen and Cartrongarrow, l70a. pasture, and 100a. bog and wood, barony of Moydow ; rent for the 31 la. pasture, £2 4s. 9|d., and for the 223a. bog and wood, 9s. 3^d. To Faghny McRory Farrall — Longford County. Ravaldren, 107a. pasture, and 32a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh; rent for the 107a. pasture, £1 2s. 3^d. ; and for the 32a. bog and wood, Is. 4d. To Brian McMelaghlin Farrall — Longford County. Lissenegard, Cowle- cray, Currin, alias Srahnecarrow, and Shenballyntegell, 120a. adjoining the lands of Brackagh, and the River Shannon ; Clonfoune, alias Clontefounes, containing 30a. in Mointaghcallow ; rent for the 120a. pasture, £1 5s., and for the 30a, wood and underwood, Is, 3d. To HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOBD. 113 Jacob McHubert Farrqll — Longford County. Grortnornyn, 148a., barony of Longford; rent, £1 12s. lid. To Connell McMurrough OTerroll — Longford County. The castle and lands of Bealaclare, and a "water-mill, 82a. pasture, and 61a. bog and wood ; Dromodeiglitra, 60a. pasture, and 244a. bog and wood; Agatramore and Aghatrabegg, 50a., and a parcel of underwood called the 2 Clontyes, adjoining Derradda, containing 33a., barony of Moydow, excepting all wood and underwood iu Mointaghcallow ; rent for the 192a. pasture, £2, and for the 335a. bog and wood, 7s. To Richard McJames Farrall — Longford County. Lenynowtra, 205a. ; Cargin, 31a. pasture, and 12a. bog and wood, and a certain part of underwood called Derrygart, containing 1 6a. in Mointaghcallow, barony of Moydow ; rent for the 236a. pasture, £2 9s. 2d., and for the 28a. bog and wood. Is. 2d. To Gerald McRory Farrall — Longford County. The castle and lands of Barry and Bunn- valla, alias Cartrondrome, and a water-mill, 45a. pasture, and 30a. bog andVood; .Aghafyn, 28a. ; Barnegoole, aZms Lisneroige, 80a. pasture, and 41 a. bog and wood ; Toyme, 113a. pasture, and 95a. bog and wood ; Corbane and Aghenemauragh, 113a. ; Agherannagh, 84a. pasture, and 36a. bog and wood ; Cleduffe, alias Cartroncleycheny, Tenecrosse, Teneclabbechan and Loynedihie, and a fishing wear on the river Bnny, 62a. pasture, and 42a. bog and wood ; Killnecarrow, 30a. h,og and wood, in Mointaghcallow; rent for the castle and 523a. pasture, £5 9s. 4|d., and for the 274a. bog and wood, lis. 5d. ; all ancient glebes, vicarages and rectories excepted out of the above grants. To hold in free and common soccage, as of the Castle of Dublin ; to have free warren, with all escheats and fines, and all tithes, great and small ; not to assume the stile or title of the Great O'Farrall, or to receive or pay any rent, tax- ation or service, or to divide their lands, or hereditaments according to the Irish custom of gavelkind. The above grants to be subject to the conditions of the plantation of Longford, according to the King's letter, dated 30th Sept., l7th.— 3 Jan. 19th." IK. 29. — " Grant under the commission for the plantation of Long- ford, to Thomas Nugent. — Longford County. The town and lands 114 HTSTOEY OP THE COUNTY LONGPOKD. of Corroboymorej Correyboybegg, Agbenteskin, Carrickmacinleney, Fyermore, Agbencownalle, alias Aghenitanvally, Lissenuske, Killoge, Keallragb, Clennenegenny, Lenemore, and Corlukillog, 643a. pasture, and 46a. bog and wood, excepting thereout tbe lands of Ballene- goshenagb, 96a., and Ballygarnett, 296a. pasture, and 43a. bog and wood ; Cornemow, 50a. pasture, and 6a. bog and wood, barony of Long- ford; the castle and lands of Lissenoannagh, 113a. pasture, and 24a. bog and wood, barony of Granard ; Clonedarramner and Annaghguillen, 32a. pasture, and 298a. bog and wood ; Clonf elym, Clonynbegg, Diry- ushy, and DerrycuUm, 30a. pasture, and 137a. bog and wood, barony of Longford. To hold in capite, by military service ; rent for the 1,164a. pasture, £12 2s. 6d., Engl., and for the 554a. bog and wood, lis. 6jd. Those lands created the manor of Correboymore, with court leet and view of frank-pledge and court baron ; with power to appoint seneschals and other oflScers, with jurisdiction in all actions for covenant and tres- pass where the damages do not exceed 40a., Ir. ; with power to make tenures ; to have free warren ; to enjoy all escheats. To I*helim Quym — Longford County. Lissedrinagh and Lisscrossan, 100a., barony of Ardagh; rent, £1 Os. lOd. To Eichard Delamere — Longford County. Colraghquillan, 34a. pasture, and 38a. bog and wood; Corclaragh, 93a. pasture, and 151a. bog and wood; Camliskes, adjoining Balinesegart, 40a. ; rent for the 167a. pasture, £1 14s. 9^d., and for the 189a. bog and moor, 4s. To Cormick McBryen and Murrogh Mclrriell Farrall — Longford County. Agnegore, Garrynekreeth, Bealadrehid, Munyhille, Shee, Tatbuanarrig, Eoyn, Clonard, Clonkorkie, Meeleg, Cnappoge, Tristernan, BaUintobber, Clogher, and Curraghmore, 80a. pasture, and 108a. bog and wood, barony of Longford, adjoining Aynenore ; rent for the 80a. pasture, 16s. 8d., and for the 108a. bog and wood, 4s. 6d. To Edmund Nugent Fitz Christopher — Longford County. ShanmuUagh, 60a. pasture, and 539a. bdg and wood, barony of Longford ; rent for the 60a. pasture, 12s. 6d., and for the 539a. bog and wood, 16s. lOgd. To John Quin — Longford County. Half of the lands of Correchorke, Tumreduffe, Correnaghfyn, and Aghnerannagh, 60a. pasture, and 9a, HISTORY 01? THE OOtlNTT L0Nf4^0RD. 116 bog and wood, barony of Shrowle ; rent for the 60a. pasture, 12s. 6d., and for tlie 9a. bog and wood, 4|d. To Brian Qninn— Longford County. Tenelagli, 70a. pasture, and 33a. bog and wood ; Tireneene, 45a. pasture, and 15a. bog and wood, barony of Shrowle ; rent for the 115a. pasture, £1 3s. ll^d., and for the 48a. bog and wood. Is. To Edmond McMurrogh Farrall — Longford County. Kilfentons, 60a. pasture, and 26a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh ; rent for the 60a. pasture, lis. 6d., and for the 25a. bog and wood, 13d. To Theobald Delamare — Longford County. Eyngawny, 159a. pasture, and 57a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh; Calraghquillan, 31a. pasture, and 37a. bog and wood ; a parcel of wood, called Bsker, adjoining Drombada- more, 20a. pasture, and 155a. bog and wood; rent for the 210a. pasture, £2 3s. 9d., and for the 249a. bog and wood, 5s. 2id. To Lissagh Duffe Farrall — Creene, 118a., barony of Longford; 10a. bog and wood in Dromeerely; the castle and lands of Newton, 241a. pasture, and 37a. bog and wood; Glannaghowghtragh, 59a. ; Aghen- teese and Ballehoulegan, 1 36a., and a water-mill; MuUynoragh, 128a. pasture, and 10a. bog and wood ; rent for the castle and 682a. pasture, £7 2s. Id., and for the 57a. bog and wood, 2s. 4^d. The above lands created the manor of Newtown, with power to hold courts leet, view of frank-pledge, and courts baron ; power to appoint; seneschals and other QjB&cers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt and covenant where the damages do not exceed 40s., Ir. ; with power to make tenures, to have all waifs and strays, escheats and deodands. To Brian Duffe McConnell — Longford County. Agheleasse and Burrin, and other parts of the territory called Muntergarren, adjoining the land lately assigned to Wilham Dermott on the one part, and the above lands on the other part, and from thence to the lake called Laughgawny, barony of G-ranard; rent for the 100a. pasture, £1 5s., and for the 33a. bog and wood. Is. 4|d. To hold in free and coinmon soccage, as of the Castle of DubHn : to have all tithes, great and small ; all ancient glebes, vicarages, and rectories excepted ; not to assume the name, style, or title of the Grreat O'Farrell, or to give or pay any rent, taxes, or 116 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. services, or to divide their lands according to tlie Irish custom of gavelkind. The above grant subject to the conditions of the plantation of Longford, like the last grant. — 14 June. 19th." XYI. 2. — "Grant to "William Hamden, under the commission for the plantation of Ely O'CarroU's country. — Longford County. Clough- Thomas-Brown, 86a. arable, and 35a. bog and wood; Monisillagh, 64a.; Corgina, 68a. pasture, and 11a. bog and wood; Cartrinbrack, alias Cartronveagh, 66a. ; Lismacmorrogh, 116a. ; rent for the 400a. pasture, £5, Engl., and for the 45a. bog and wood. Is. lid. To Henry Piers — Longford County. Grlanmore, 150a. pasture, and 31a. bog and wood; Corbally, 50a. pasture, 31a. wood, and 12a. bog; rent for the 200a. arable, £2 10s., and for the 43a. bog and wood, Is. Q^d. To Walter Hodges — Longford County. Knockivagan, the Ardes, Kilmac- kanlan and Aghenehowne, 80a. arable, and 80a. bog and wood ; Coolene- hinsie, 80a. arable, and 242a. bog and wood ; Aghowla, 140a., barony of Moidowe ; rent for the 300a. arable, £3 15s., and for the 320a. bog and wood, 13s. 5d. To Andrew Newgent and Richard Delamare — Longford County. The castle and lands of Mastrim and Bungare, 94a., always excepting 20a. pasture adjoining the Church of Mastrim as a glebe; Aghenriaghan, 76a. arable and 7a. bog and wood; Aghefinmore, 149a. ; Aghencarea and Glarryandrew, 63a. ; the freedom and common- age of turbary in the lands of Lisnekeeragh, barony of Ardagh ; rent for the 372a. arable, £3 17s. 6d., and for the 7a. bog and wood, 3-|d. To hold in fee and common soccage ; all ancient glebes, rectories and vicarages excepted ; power to make tenures; to enjoy free warren and chase, and to have all tithes, great and small, subject to the conditions of the plantation of Longford. — 20th August. 18th." XYIII. 8. — " Grant to William McFergus Farrall, under the commis- sion for the plantation of the County of Longford. — Longford County. The castle, town and lands of Ballintobber, and the lands of Agheglass, 43a. pasture; Aghagortie, 77a.; Carrickedmond, 97a.; Knapoge, 103a. pasture, and 33a. bog and wood ; Ballybeg and Leggan, 145a. pasture, and 95a. hog and wood ; Keele, 45a. pasture, and 167a. bog and wood ; HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 117 Kmockneskeagh, Cooleiiagli and Tonemrinagli, l46a. arable, 6a. pasture, and 6a. bog and wood, barony of MoydoTve ; Lagan, 27a. pasture and 4a. bog and wood ; Scriboge, Aghenedin, alias Senagbmore, Lisclogber- nagb, Lisclevan, and Segmagh, part of Scriboge, 93a. pasture and 37a. bog and wood ; Carne, Agbedarragb, Lisard, Agbemabin and Quinlagh, 147a. pasture, and 30a. bog and wood; Carrickullen, Carrickboy, Toorenemona, Ardvarne and Agbenemauragb, 106a.; Derrygerin and Clonfimvoye, 30a. bog and wood, barony of Shrowle. To hold in capite, by military service; rent for tbe castle and arable lands, £10 16s. 6^d. Tr., and for tbe 400a. bog and wood, 12s. 6d. The above lands created the manor of Ballintober, with power to create tenures, and to empark 500a. for demesne land ; to hold courts leet and view of frank-pledge and courts-baron ; to appoint seneschals and other ofl&cers, with juris- diction in all actions for debt, covenant and trespass, where the damages do not exceed 40s. Engl. ; to enjoy all waifs, strays and deodands ; to have free warren and chase, with all tithes, both great and small. To Lisagh McJames Parrall — Longford County. Eallshrooly, 52a. arable and 118a. bog and wood ; Lislea, 37a. pasture and 5a. bog and wood ; Dromderge, 150a. pasture and 223a. bog and wood ; Kilcloagh, 14a. pasture and 130a. bog and wood; Corlenan, 92a. arable and 272a. bog and wood ; Curredine, 21a. ; Baghelboy and Carrowentoyne, 52a. pasture and 18a. bog and wood ; Agheshanka, 101a. pasture and 112a. bog and wood, barony of G-ranard ; rent for the 51 8a. pasture, £4 7s. Id. ; for the 772a. bog and wood, £1 4s. l^d. ; for the lOla. pasture in Agheshanka, £1 Is. Id., and for the 112a. bog and wood, 3s. 6d. To Brian Boy McHubbert Farrall — Longford County. The house in which he resides, and all the buildings belonging thereto, and I part of the lands of Aghenore, G-arrynekreeth, Bealadrehid, Manyhille, Shee, Tawnanarregg, Royn, Clonard, Clonkorkie, Meelegg, Koiappoge, Tris- ternan,Ballyntobber, Clogher and Curraghmore, convenient and adjacent to the house in which said Brian resides, containing 100a. pasture, and 48a. bog and wood, barony of Longford ; rent for the house and 100a. arable, £l Os. lOd., and for the 48a. bog and wood, 2s. 5d. To 118 fltSTOEY OP THE COTTNTT LONGFOED. Christoplier Browne — Longford County. Agheboy, 60a. pasture and 25a. bog and wood, barony of Grranard ; Bracklagb, 80a. ; a moiety of Shangare, 33a. pasture and 108a. bog and wood, barony of Longford ; rent for the lOla. pasture, £1 Is. 0|d., and for tbe l73a. bog and wood, 7s. 2^d. To Teige McCormicke — Longford County. Tbe 2 Farnaghts, 69a. pasture and 70a. bog and wood; Lismacever, 69a., always excepting 20a. pasture out of the 2 Farnaghts, adjoining the Church of Ballymaccormicke, as glebe land for said church, barony of Ardagh ; rent for the 108a. pasture, £l 4s. 7d., and for the 70a. bog and wood, 2s. lid. To Shane McHugh Farrall — Longford County. Dromure, 24a. arable and 24a. bog and wood ; Inaghmore and Bundonagh, 55a. pasture and 15a. bog and wood, barony of Long- ford ; rent for the 79a. arable, 16s. 5^d., and for the 39a. bog and wood, Is. 7^6.. To Lisagh McGillernew Farrall — Longford County. Fivorkill, 474a. pasture and 325a. bog and wood ; Lisnegan and Casraghbegg, 115a ; Kealdramore, 104a.; Aghenloghan, 23a., and a certain parcel of wood and underwood called Derrymigran, Derrymanny and Derrynduffe, 40 a., barony of Rathclin ; rent for the 7 16a. pasture, £7 9s. 2d., and for the 366a. bog and wood, 7s. 5|-d. The above lands created the manor of Fivorkill, with power to create tenures ; to hold courts leet and view of frank-pledge and courts baron ; to appoint seneschals and other ofl&cers, with jnrisdiction in all actions for debt, covenant and trespass, where the damages do not exceed 40s. Ir. To Edmund Kearnan — Longford County. Bnnagh, adjacent to the County of Cavan and the water of Loughgawny, con- taining 48a. pasture and 12a. bog and wood ; two islands in Lough- gawny, called Inshestavoge and Inshconnill, 12a. and l49a. pasture, and 48a. bog and wood in the town and lands of Aghnekilly and Aghacanon, and all parts of the territory or precinct of land called Muntergeran, adjoining the lands now assigned to Richard Nugent, on the one side, and "William O'Dermott's on the other side, along to Loughgawny, barony of Granard ; rent for the 219a, pasture, £2 6s. 7^d,, and for the 60a. bog and wood, 2s. 6d. To hold in free and common soccage all HISTOEY OP THE COUKTY LONGFOED 119 ancient glebes, rectories and vicarages excepted ; to enjoy all waifs, strays and deodands ; to have free warren, subject to tlie conditions as undertakers of the plantation of Longford. — 9 July. 19tli." P. 538, XX. 20. — " Grant to Edward Dowdall under the commission for the plantation of the County of Longford. — Rynroe, 164a. pasture, and 96a. bog and wood ; Killasonnowtra, 239a. pasture, and 102a. bog and wood; ArdcuUen, 193a. pasture, and llOa. bog and wood, barony of Granard; Ballow, 132a. pasture, and 22a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagb. To hold in free and common soccage for ever ; rent for the 780a. pasture, £7 9s. 7d., Engl., and for the 330a. bog and wood, 13s. 9d. The above lands created the manor of ArdcuUen, with power to make tenures, to hold courts leet and view of frank-pledge and courts baron ; to appoint seneschals and other officers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt, covenam and trespass to the extent of 30s., Engl. ; to enjoy all waifs and strays ; to have free warren and chase, with power to empark a moiety of the above lands. To William McDonnell — Longford County. Clownefynne, l79a. pasture, and lOOa. bog and wood, barony of Granard; rent for the l79a. pasture land, £1 17s. 3|d, and for the lOOa. bog and wood, 4s. 2d. To Edmund Dillon — Longford County. Ardughill and Cartronkeel, 95a. pasture and 23a. bog and wood; Gurtinclarin, Aghevicgillemore, Cowlelina, Aghewmonekayne, Aghow- gooddan, Lissbrenny, alias Lissevrenny, Gustingare, Lissindorragh and Graffely, 188a. pasture, and 2 12a. bog and wood ; Garryuchurry, CartrontuUagh, Cartronestraide, Cartronkealdragh and Bealanore, 76a. pasture, and 30a. bog and wood ; Ballyboy, Cartroneghnegnene, Car- tronlachill, Cartronshanvally, Lackagh and Cartronaghuncha, I24a., barony of Eathclyn ; and also a certain wood and underwood called Dirryloghbannow, 10a., part of Mointaghcallow ; rent for the 483a. arable, £5 7s., and for the 275a. bog and wood, lis. 5^d. To Nicholas Archibald — Longford County. Formolughe, 100a. pasture, and 333a. bog and wood ; Dromard, 80a. pasture, and 200a. bog and wood ; Cor- grane and Ballenlogh, 126a. pasture, and 43a. bog and wood, barony of Longford ; Garvagh, 28a. pasture, and 20a. bog and wood ; Balline- 120 HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. geeragh, alias Ballaghnekeeragli and MoindufE, 90a. pasture, and 39a. bog and wood ; Ewkyneightra, alias Ewkinbane, 67a., barony of G-ranard ; rent for the 490a. pasture, £5 2s. 3|d. ; and for tlie 635a. bog and wood, 10s. To Fergus Farrall — Longford County. The castle and lands of Tully, 83a. pasture, and 46a. bog and wood ; Ballynemony, alias Mony, 46a. ; Leyn, 34a, pasture, and 7a. wood ; Tooreknappagh, 35a. ; Lisraghtegan, 82a. ; Oartronkardagh, 45a. bog and wood; Asnaghes, 25a. pasture, and 29a. bog and wood; Aghetoome, 50a.; Toonebardon, 373a. pasture, and 259a. bog and wood; Mickershawe, 199a. pasture, and 54a. bog and wood ; Coolecorre, l46a. pasture, and 17a. bog and wood; Shenclone, 93a. pasture, and 30a. bog and wood; Annaghkilleene, lOOa. pasture, and 127a. bog and wood, barony of Granard; rent for the l,40la. pasture, £14 lis. lO^d., and for the 569a. bog and wood, £l 3s. 8^d. To hold in capite, by military service. The lands created the manor of Tully, with power to make tenures ; to hold courts leet and view of frank-pledge and courts -baron ; to appoint seneschals and other ofl&cers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt, covenant, and trespass, where the damages do not exceed 30s., Engl. ; to enjoy all waifs and strays ; to have free warren and chase. To Edmund McRichard Farrall — Longford County. Barnerekelly, 40a. ; a moiety of Dougall, 16a. ; f parts of Annow, lOa. pasture, and lOOa. bog and wood, barony of Longford; Lisnekeeragh, 70a. pasture, and 5a. bog and wood ; Killf entons, 20a. pasture, and 4a. bog and wood ; Lissenune, 8a., barony of Ardagh ; Clownfynn, 52a. pasture, and 72a. bog and wood, barony of Granard; rent for the 260a. pasture, £2 5s., and for the 181a. bog and wood, 7s. 6^d. To William O'Dermott — Longford County. Clonagh, Killmore, Terenes, all other parts of the territory of Mountergerran, containing 480a. pasture, and l43a. bog and wood; adjoining the lands of Richard Nugent, Sir Christopher Nugent, Knt., William Parsons, Edward Dowdall, Henry Crofton, Robert Dillon, and Thomas Nugent ; barony of Granard ; rent for the 480a. pasture, £5, and for the 143a. bog and wood, 5s. llgd. To hold in free and common soccage ; all ancient glebes, vicarages, and rectories HISTORY OF THE COHNTI LONGFORP. 121 excepted out of the above grants. Those grants are subject to the conditions as undertakers of the plantation of Longford. — 24 June. 18th." Patent Roll, 20 Jas. I., Pt. 1.— V. 9.— "Plantation of Longford.— 01. Grrandison. — ^Whereas the King's most excellent Majesty, out of his royal favour to the undertakers in the territory of Ely O'CarroU and County of Longford, hath, by his Highness's letters, dated at Westminster the 28th of March, in the year of our Lord Grod 1621, given direction to us, the Lord Deputy and his Highness's , Privy Council in this kingdom, that the fines and rent for the said territory and county being answered to his Majesty, the conditions and other particulars concerning the undertakers there should be framed like to those of the plantation in the County of Leitrim, notwithstanding any former instructions to the contrary, as by the said letters further appeareth. And whereas some of the said undertakers, which had passed their patents upon the former instructions, and were to have the benefit of his Majesty's said letters, have been humble suitors to us, that they might not be put to the charges of taking out of new several letters patent, but that some provisional act of state might be made for their relief and ease, and yet his Majesty secured that they shall per- form the articles and conditions appointed for the County of Leitrim ; which request we think very reasonable, in regard the said under- takers have been put to great charges in taking forth several letters patent, according to the former instructions for Ely O'Carroll and the said County of Longford ; and that it would be very burthensome unto them to obtain new letters patent of their several portions ; and for that his Highness hath signified, by his said letters, that his Majesty is ready to afford them any favour which may stand with the good of his Highness's service ; and therefore, for the ease of the said undertakers, and for their encouragement to perform the' conditions and articles of the plantation, according to his Highness's said letters, we do, by this our act of state, declare, order, and decree that the said undertakers, their heirs and assigns respectively, shall not, from henceforth, in any- 122 HISTORY OP THE OOTJNTT LONGFORD. thing, fines and rents only excepted, wMch. are to be answered according to his Majesty's directions for the said plantation of Ely O'CarroU and Longford, be charged, restricted, or bound, by virtue or colour of any former letters patent, or instructions in that behalf, to observe, keep, or perform any articles, covenants, and conditions for or concerning the said plantation, other than such articles, covenants, and conditions as the undertakers which have like portions in the County of Leitrim, respectively, are tied and bound, and ought to perform and observe, anything in the said former letters patent, or former instructions, or any other thing, cause, or matter to the contrary, in any sort, notwith- standing ; provided always, that the last-mentioned articles, covenants, and conditions be well and duly observed by the said undertakers of Ely O'CarroU and the County of Longford, their heirs and assigns, respectively, or that in default thereof he or they which shall not observe and perform the same, shall incur and be subject to the same forfeitures and penalties which, by the intent of the articles, covenants, and conditions, and letters patent for the undertakers in the County of Leitrim, are to be incurred and sustained by the undertakers of like proportions in that county, for or by reason of any breach of the same covenants, conditions, and articles, and letters patent, respectively, anything in this act of state to the contrary notwithstanding. And to the intent that his Majesty's oflB.cers, and others whom it may concern, may take due notice hereof, we do hereby further order that this present act of state shall be enrolled in his Majesty's Courts of Chancery and Exchequer. Given at his Majesty's Castle of Dublin, the 6th day of April, 1622. Ad. Loftus, Chanc. ; Hen. Yalentia, Toby Caulfield, Ed. Blayney, Dvd. Norton, W. Parsons, J. Kinge." YIII. 12.— " G-rantto Arthur, James and Robert Eorbes, natives of Scotland, to be free denizens, and to have all the benefits, franchises and privileges of the Kingdom of Ireland, with a grant to Arthur Forbes. — Longford County. The town and lands of Clongisse, 120a. pasture, and 298a. bog and wood ; Ballinibrien, Quinesin, Lisse and HISTORY OF THE OOTTNTY LONGFORD. 123 Correnallin, 393a. pasture, and 299a. bog and wood; Tooreboy, Lissnegard, Carre and Dromnesliee, 42a. pasture, and 3 la. bog and wood; and also 65a. pasture and 40a. bog and wood in the lands of Lisbbrack and Corvelane, excepting ' 20a. pasture adjacent to the Cburch of Clongisse, barony of Longford ; rent fOr tbe 600a. pasture, £7 10s., Engl. ; and for tbe 600a. bog and wood, 13s. lid. James Forbes — Longford County.' Tbe town and lands of Some, 126a. pasture, and 380a. bog and wood ; Derrylaban, 74a. pasture, and 37a. bog and wood, barony of Longford; rent for tbe 200a. pasture, £2 10s., Engl., and for tbe 41 7a. bog and wood, 8s. 8^d. Robert Forbes — Longford County. Tbe town and lands of Dromeelie, 83a. ; Corgarrow, 29a. pasture, and 22a. bog and wood ; Bwkyneowtra, 44a. pasture, and 11 8a. bog; more in tbe same, 13a., and also 31a. pasture and l7a. bog and wood in tbe lands of Breagbwy, adjoining Ewky- neowtra, barony of Granard; rent for tbe 200a. pasture, £2 10s., Engl., and for tbe 147a. beg and wood, 3s 3^d. All tbe lands in tbe County of Longford created tbe manor of Gastleforbesse, with court leets and view of frank-pledge and courts baron ; power to create seneschals and other ofl&cers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt, covenant and trespass where the damages do not exceed 40s., Ir. ; to enjoy all waifs and strays ; to have free warren and chase, with all tithes, great and small ; excepting all ancient glebes, rectories and vicarages. To hold a Thursday market at Clongisse, and one fair on the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, (24) August, and the day after, for ever, with a court of pie-powder and the usual tolls and customs ; rent, lOs., Engl. To hold in free and common soccage; sub- ject to the conditions, provisoes, limitations and agreements, as under- takers of the plantation of Longford and Leitrim. — 1st April. 20th." P. 546, XXXYII. 9. — " Commission to Lord Aungier, Master of the Bolls, authorizing him to minister the oath of supremacy to the Lords Commissioners. — 2nd May. 20tb." P. 548, LXXXII. 44.—" Grant creating Oliver Tuite, of Sonnagh, a baronet, with remainder to his heirs male, — l6tb June. 20th." 124 HISTOKT OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. rV. 8. — " Grant to James G-ibb, under the commission for the plan- tation of Longford County. — Kilreher and Ballacryn, I04a. ; 12 part of the lands of Oornemo, 10a. ; l36a. pasture and 136a. bog and wood in the lands of Dromenewre; the lands of Lissevaddy, containing 70a./ and 35a. pasture, and 40a. bog and wood in the lands of Clonany; Lismore, I6la., in the barony of Longford; Barlane and Cordooe, 121a. pasture and 35a. bog and wood ; Oappagh, in Kiltebegg 149a. pasture and 66a. bog and wood ; Lisneenrragh and Allmagh, 139a. ; Clowne- crosse, 75a. pasture and 40a. bog and wood, barony of Ardagh ; rent for the 1,000a. pasture, £12 10s., and for the 31 7a. bog and wood, 9s. lid. Those lands created the manor of Lissevaddy, with power to make tenures ; to have free warren, with all waifs and strays, and tithes, great and small ; to hold courts leet and baron, with view of frank-pledge ; to appoint seneschals and other officers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt where the damages do not amount to 40s. Ir. To hold in capite. To Henry Acheson — Longford County. G-urtincas- lane, I09a. ; Forehoe alias Fogher, 125a. pasture and 151a. bog and wood; Greagfin, 18a. pasture and 55a. bog and wood; Dromhowghloe, 124a. pasture and 215a. bog and wood; Cornedan, 86a. pasture and 84a. bog and wood ; Dromnenceely, Killencore and Dromlitter, 56a. pasture and 17a. bog and wood ; a moiety of Clontumchor, 22a. pasture and 91a. bog and wood; fa parts of Cornemoe, 61a. pasture and 80a. bog and wood; Gurtinhowle, 19a. pasture and 79a. bog and wood; always excepting 20a. pasture of the lands of Dromhowghloe, adjoining the Church of Kills, assigned as glebe-land, barony of Longford ; rent for the 600a. pasture, £7 lOs. Engl., and for the 700a. bog and wood, £1 Is. lO^d. Those lands created the manor of Forehoe, alias Fogher; with power to make tenures to the extent of 200a. ; to hold courts leet and baron ; to appoint seneschals and other officers, with jurisdiction in all actions for debt where the damages do Tiot amount to 40s. Jr. ; to enjoy free warren and chase, with all waifs and strays, and tithes, great and small. To Walter Alexander — Longford County. The castle of Ballynlagh, alias Ballinlogh, and the lands of Ballynlagh and Lissafatt, -WW^i"^^^- ^m"?^^ s_ ,f?%^-ii-X'f"'*^ %-( fc Ai'jvV f>yt T, An old inhabitant of the parish says that at the time of the intro- duction of the Reformation into this county, the Reformers thought to make a church out of the chapel, and did roof it for this purpose. The next morning the roof was found in a part of the Dash River, called PuUnawatha ; and the Reformers did not again attempt to meddle with Ballymacormack Church. In the dreadful days of the mortality of '32, the Parish Priest of Longford used to go out to this old ruin and say Mass in it — the congregation kneeling away from one another, through fear of the contagion. Such, indeed, was their fear of one another during those days, that it was with difficulty they could be induced even to enter any church or chapel to assist at divine service. There is a similar building in the Cemetery of Clondra, beside the Roman Catholic Chapel, concerning which I find an old reference, as follows : " A.D. 1323. GrioUa Airnin O'Casey, Archdeacon of Cluan- da-rath, died." Protestant History of Ardagh. The Protestant Reformation was established in the County Long- ford by Queen Elizabeth, who joined the Diocese of Ardagh to the Diocese of Kilmore, in virtue of her powers as Head of the Church. This occurred about the year 1600 ; and, in 1633, one William Bedell, who had been first Protestant bishop, resigned his appointment, and John Richardson, a native of Chester, in England, and Protestant Archdeacon of Kerry, was advanced in Church preferment to the See of Ardagh. This man foresaw the effects of the constant plundering of the Catholics by the Elizabethan soldiers, parsons, and ruck of followers, which terminated, as history informs us, in the foundation, in 1641, of the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny. Accordingly, in HI STOUT 01' THE COTJNTY LONGFOED. 219 tha summer o£ 1641, he gathered up all his earthly belongings, folded his tent, and went into England, leaving his flock to take care of them- selves. A short time previous to his departure, he had forcibly wrested from one Teigue Roddy, a kinsman of the O'Farrells, some of his hereditary tenements in Ardagh. Teigue resisted the injustice, and applied to the Irish House of Commons for protection ; but the mem- bers being all of one mind when a native chieftain was to be plucked, declined to interfere on Teigue's behalf. Teigue then applied to the English House of Commons for that which was denied him at home. Thereupon, the Protestant Bishop of Clonfert rose in his place in the Irish House of Lords, and moved that Brother Richardson, of Ardagh, being a member of the Irish House of Lords, was exempt from any jurisdiction possessed by the British House of Commons. He, therefore, proposed that the Lord Chancellor communicate this to the Speaker of the British House, and that a resolution be passed by the House to prevent such " Episcopal grievances " in future. And thus, in obedi- ence to the intolerant spirit of party ascendancy, poor Teigue O'Roddy was denied the benefits of the protection of the law. So much for the justice that prevailed in those days. In 1654 Bishop Richardson died ; but his see had been kept vacant by the Cromwellians, from the estab- lishment of the Commonwealth, in 1649, until the restoration of Charles II. — during all which time its revenues had been sequestrated by the Puritans. In 1660 it was reunited to Kilmore ; statu quo it remained until 1692, when the bishop, William Sheridan, was removed from the see, owing to his Jacobite tendencies, and Ulysses Burgh, an Englishman, appointed in his stead. The union of both dioceses was then broken, and Ardagh was constituted an independent diocese, which it remained until the year 1742, when it was placed under the Arch- bishopric of Tuam, the Most Rev. Bishop Harte being spiritual pastor of both dioceses. The union between Ardagh and Tuam continued until the year 1840, when Ardagh was taken from the latter and given to Kilmore — the Diocese of Elphin being added to both — and the present bishop is, I believe, the Most Rev. Dr. Shone, his predecessor, 220 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. Most Eev. Dr. Darley, having been at one time Rector of Temple- micliael, and highly esteemed by Protestant and Catholic alike whilst in the town of Longford. He is now about two years deceased ; and although the present bishop may be a worthy successor, yet I think he will never maintain the same place in the affections of his Catholic fellow-countrymen as did the late bishop. The foregoing histoi-ical references to the ecclesiastical history of the County of Longford are, doubtless, amply sufficient to convince the reader of the fact that our county enjoyed the great blessing of the presence of a large number of monasteries, abbeys, and convents in their midst, in the troubled days of the Danish and Anglo-Saxon invasions. During the days of persecution and trouble a good many of these were destroyed by the furious bigotry which then prevailed, and only their ruins now remain to attest that they once existed. JSFevertheless, on the ruins of persecution and of trouble, and on the debris of religious bigotry and intolerance, are rising up to-day, thank God, convents and colleges in our county which bid fair to rival the ^cloisters of Lerha and the schools of Lough Ree. PART II, GENEALOGICAL RECORDS OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. The O'Farrells of Annaly. Although there seems to be some doubt amongst genealogists as to the exact location of Annaly, I do not think there is anyone who will read these lines will doubt that, prior to the English invasion, and long before, the O'JFarrells were the Chieftains of Annaly. Any doubt at all which exists on the pomt seems to rest on the fact that on St. Patrick's arrival at Grranard, in the middle of the fifth century, a prince named HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 221 Cai^bre, wlio, according to O'Hart, was the progenitor of tlie O'Kearneys and O'Kearys, lived there ; whilst at the same time the posterity of Mann lived in Southern Annaly. It would also appear that the tribe which afterwards conquered Cairbre and Mann's posterity, and i]i the tenth century assumed the name O'Fearghail, lived more eastwa/d, or nearer to the great heart of Erin at Tara. Again, recent writers locating the ancient territories of the chief- tains of Ireland, have gone the length of asserting that Lower Annaly extended from Longford to the Country of Fenagh, or the MacRaimels' country, and Upper Annaly from Grranard eastwards to Meath. This would entirely exclude South Longford of the present day, and move Annaly of old more eastward and northward than the dwelling-places of its inhabitants in the tenth and subsequent centuries would warrant. My own opinion on the subject is, that the O'Ferralls were direct descendants of Mann, who gradually spread themselves by families from the Inny to the Shannon in a north-western direction ; and that after the battle of Clontarf they assumed the title of O'Fearghail, by which, as a clan name, they were afterwards known in Irish history. To contend that in those days of rude warfare any sept would be able to dislodge and banish from its country for ever the people whose inheritance it had been, is childish and unten- able, whereas the records of the kingdom show that even the Ard- Eigh-n'EiriBn was unable to do that, except on very rare occasions. I dismiss, therefore, from argument that uncertain tale; and come to the time when all of the present County Longford was the exclusive patrimony of the O'Ferralls, Princes of Annaly, The most important event in connexion with their rule was that related at page 23, under date 1445. This was the creation of Upper and lower Annaly, the latter being that part of the present County Longford adjacent to Leitrim, and Upper Annaly almost corresponding lo the South Longford of to-day. The chiefs who ruled Lower Annaly were called O'Farrells Bane, and those who ruled Upper Annally O'Farrells Bui or Boy. Coming down to the year 1571, we find that Fpghny 222 HISTOEi' OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. OTarrell Boy of Palles and Mornin, was the Chief of Upper Annaly, and Fergus O'Farrell Bane of Tully, was the Chief of Lower Annaly. In the indenture of surrender agreed upon by the O'Farrells, in 1570, the O'Farrell Boy was made Seneschal of the County Longford, but in the next year his appointment was disputed by Fergus O'Farrell Bane, and the others of that name, including Lisagh O'Farrell, who was the last native O'Farrell, Bishop of Ardagh. This was, of course, the result the English conquerors and diplomatists had in view, and amply was it gained. They played for disunion in the native camp, and they won. The official records pre^nted of the litigation and lawsuits which the O'Farrells revelled in at this juncture, prove most amply the success of the invader. Passing away from that, and coming to look for the descendants of Fergus O'Farrell on one side, and Faghny on the other, we find that Iriell became head of the Bane family, whilst James was the successor of Faghny, as head of the Buidhes. From James the patrimony descended to Roger, of Mornin, whose birth is recorded in 1 647, after which it is difficult to trace the main line of the O'Farrell family. It may have been that the Boy line became extinct on the male side, in which case the last living representative of it would be the daughter, Jane O'Farrell, who married in 1660, and of whose issue there is no record. In the subsequent troubles that occurred in Ireland, many of the .O'Farrells went to France, Spain, and Austria, where" they became military commandants, and raised themselves to places of honour and emolument in their adopted countries. Several of their descendants are living to this day in these countries. I have diligently looked up the family records of the various O'Farrell or Farrell families now living in Longford County, and I regret to express my inability to 'give a fuller list of direct descendants still living "in the old spot" than the following : — Nominally, Edward More O'Ferrall, J.P., D.L., of Lissard, County Longford, is looked upon by genealogists as the head of the old O'Farrell Clan. Such a claim, if made by himself^ could not be upheld. Mr. O'Ferrall's family originally lived in Ballinree, near Edgeworthstown, where they held a farm, and were in comfortable HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 223 cirtjumstances. By the death of an old gentleman named Eoger O'Farrell, who was no relation of theirs, and who owned a large lot of house property in Dublin, as well as landed property in the country, they became possessed of the Lissard estate, which Mr. B. M. O'Ferrall owns at the present day. Their family could not, therefore, be said to occupy more than a sub-chieftaincy in the old days of Brehon laws and tanistry succession in Ireland. A very much more ancient family than they, were the O'Farrells of Camliskmore, near Bdgeworthstowu. [See foot-note, page 147.] They are actually to-day in possession of some of the old patrimony to which Connell O'Farrell was restored by Charles I. in 1660. Quiet, unassuming people, they have not adopted the Anglified manners of their more fortunate (?) former neigh- bour's family, which is now represented by Mr. E. M. O'Ferrall. Next in the order of merit I would mention the family of Mr. John Forbes O'Ferrall, of Corbeagh. They are some of the old O'Ferrall Bane stock, who have never parted with the idea of their ancient descent. After them I would put the family of the Farrells of Aghanaspick, who, on the female side, are descended from the oldest family in the barony of Moydow. In " A Eegistcy of Popish Priests, compiled by order of one of the penal statutes of Queen Anne, in 1704, the name of Michael Farrell, of Aghanaspick, appears as security " in the sum of £40, for the good behaviour " of a " Popish " priest, then resident in Longford. At that time this Mr. Farrell was the only native Catholic in the barony of Moydow whose surety for the good conduct of the Eoman Catholic clergyman would be accepted. At page 97 it will "be seen that the O'Farrell Boy, of Mornin, was granted a number of townlands, which were erected into the Manor of Mornin in 1621. Amongst the town- lands so left is that of Aghanaspick ; and taking into account the near relations subsisting between the chieftains and their feudaries in those days, I am almost certain that this family of Farrells could rightly claim connexi'on with, if not descent from, the O'Farrells Boy of Upper Annaly. Another family of the old stock are the Farrells of Lehery and Lis- 224 HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. nacuflha, in the parish of Kathcline. At page 93 the reader will find re^eience to " 60a. of Leary, assigned to Lisagh (Lewis), Oge O'Farrell." This Lisagh was ancestor of the present Lehery and Lisnacusha family. Amongst the families unfortunately extinct are those of the O'Farrells, of KQlen-Crubock, in Legan, and that of Mr. Fergus Farrell, who was expelled from the Irish House of Commons for being " an active instru- ment against the Protestant interest " in 1690. Of the former family, the late Rev. Richard O'Farrell, P.P., of Killashee, was the last repre- sentative. Of him there are many strange stories told ; but as they touch on matters religious, I do not deem it prudent to relate them for the sneers of the sceptical or the laugh of the ignorant. The family of Mr. Fergus Farrell became extensive seed merchants in Dublin, where they flourished in the early part of the present century ; but consump- tion getting in amongst them, they all died off many years ago. I will close this lengthened genealogical survey by giving a table of the " old stock," from Ir down to Roger O'Farrell, who was born in. 1 647, and of whose subsequent career there is so little known : — BRANCH. Bry B( 'anei ;Villiam OTarrall, of Ballintobber Irie Boy 3lma -rail, Jaitiirach_ Bo: Bog Boy Col o"; J O' Bo aul: toS: Sy( E bon Daughter of Nangle, Baxouof Navan Catlieriue, daughter of Fag-hny OTairell of Moate Conve Ball (blind) Ferrall Joaue Butler, daughter of Lord Viscount Mountgarrett Hubert Ferrall, of Xjiscoxinac Teige Ferrall, of Lis lea, male line extinct Edmond Farrall, of Pallas, Longford, male line extinct Lewis Farrall, of Listibbot, male line extinct Daniel Farrall, of Doory Honor O'Dwyre Hubert Ferrall Capt. Edmond Ferrall, died unmarried Daughter of O'MoUoy Capt. Marks Farrell, no male issue I Bryan I Farrall, ot I Ballintobber Mnrgery, daughter of Arthur Nangle Margaret, daughter of Col. Phihp O'Reyley I Edmund Ferrall Ca nuUiut Jilius) Major Kedagh Eob. Ferrall Daniel Koe, heir to his cousins, no issue Jane, daughter of Bayly, Bishop of Clonfert Joan, wife of Col. Edward Boy O'lieyley Teige Farrell, of Liscormac HISTORY OP HE OOITOTY LONGFOED. 229 Genealogy of the Princes of Annaly. 1 . Ir : 37tli from Adam. 2. Heber Donn, his son. 3. Hebric,liis son. 4. Artreus, his son. 6. Artrurus, his son. 6. Sednans, his son, and one of the monarchs of Ireland. 7. Fiachus Fion Scothach, his son, and a monarch of Ireland. 8. OUamh Fodla, his son, a king of Ireland, and the Solomon of the Irish nation, who first laid the foundation of constitutional government. 9. Carbry, his son. 10. Lauradeus. 11. Brathaus. 12. Finnius, his son, and a monarch of Ireland. 13. Longimanus, his son, a monarch of Ireland, so called because of his long hands, the fingers of which reached the ground when he stood up ; slain B.C. 865. 14. Argetmarus, his son. 16. Fomarius, his son. 16. Dubius, his son, so called, because of a hesitating nature. 17. Eossius, his son. 18. Strubius, his son. • 19. Indercus, his son. 20. Grlassius, his son. 21. Carbreus, his son. 22. Feberdil, his son. 23. Folgenus, his son. 24. Dubuis, his son. 26. Sthric, his son. 26. Eory More, his son, and a monarch of Ireland, who died 218 li.o. He was the founder of the Clan-na-Rory. 27. Rossius, his son, who had a brother called Aongus, from whom descended the Clan MacGuiness. T 232 HISTOEY OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD 79. Grillacius O'Farrell, his son. 80. Morocli O'Farrell, tis son. 81. Charles O'Farrell, his son. 82. Thomas O'Farrell, his son. 83. Charles O'Farrell, his son. The next family we will turn our attention to will be the Dowdalls, of Ballinamore, in this county. Their family record, procured from a reliable source, is one that tells its own story : — Pedigree of the Dowdall Family of Ballymalion and Ballymacormach, in the Go. Longford. Arms. — The arms of this family are a crowned dove and six martlets, and are to be seen on the family vault at Shrule G-raveyard. Motto. — " Innocentia ut Columba " — " Innocent as a dove." Descent. — The Dowdalls are of English descent, having originally settled in Louth, when they became very strong in numbers and wealth. The old saying of " Riherniores Hibernis ipsis " was equally true in their case as in that of the Fitzgeralds, Burkes, &c., for no more sturdy foes confronted English tyranny in Ireland since the twelfth century than the Dowdalls of the County Louth. Pedigree. 1446. Robert Dowdall appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. 1450. Sir Thomas, son of Sir Robert Dowdall, married Elizabeth, daughter of James, third Baron of Delvin. Issue — An only daughter, who married first Baron of Navan, and then Viscount Gormanston. 1460. Sir John Dowdall, of Newtown and Termonfeckin, near Dub- lin, was next of the name, and was succeeded by — 1471. Sir Thomas Dowdall, who, in 1478, was created Master of the Rolls in Ireland. 1610. To him succeeded Sir William Dowdall, who had issue three sons — George, John and James. George became Archbishop of flISTOET OP THE COUNTT LONGFORD, 233 Armagli in succession to George Cromer, but for defending tte Catholic doctrine of tlie Mass liad to fly to tlie Continent. Henry YIII. appointed Hugh Grodacre as archbishop ; whilst Pope Paul III. appointed Robert Wauchop, a man who was blind from his infancy. In 1554, during the reign of Queen Mary, Dr. Dowdall was recalled, and rein- stalled in his office by letters patent from the Queen and the sanction of the Pope. In the same year he received a commission from the Head of the Church to depose married and impenitent ecclesiastics. 1540. Sir John Dowdall succeeded Sir William. The youngest son became Solicitor-General, 1554 ; Judge of the Queen's Bench, 1565 ; and Chief Justice, 1583. James's issue were — Edward, Patrick, Nicholas, Antony and Jennett, who erected the crosses at Duleek and Baronstown 1570. To Sir John succeeded Sir John, whose children were all daughters, and he made a settlement of his property amongst them. Honor, the yoiuigest daughter, married her relative, Laurence, son to Edward and great grandson of Sir William, thus uniting the properties in Louth County with those in Meath, purchased by Sir James when Chief Justice. To ~ Sir John succeeded Laurence of Athlumny, the grandson of James. 1647. Sir Laurence Dowdal , of Athlumny, was one of the Confede- rate Catholics who attended the Confederation of Kilkenny. He was on that account deprived of life and estates by Cromwell's Act of 1652. Issue — Luke, who su.cceeded Henry of Drogheda, John of Glaspistol, Patrick of Termonfeckin, Laurence of Quelca. 1661. Sir Luke succeeded under the Act of Grace of Charles 11. He married Mary 0' Byrne of Cabinteely, and had three sons — Daniel, who became a priest, James, John. 1691. To Sir Luke, his youngest son, John, succeeded, but only to the name, for there was no quarter for Catholics in those days. He married Margaret Allen, of St. Woolstans, Celbridge. Issue— Patrick, George and James, who came to Ballymahon and remained there. 1750. Patrick (m.) Catherine Tyrrell. Issue — Patrick of AtWbne, 234^ HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. James of Mornine. G-eorge (m.) Mary M'Loughlin. Issue — Henry, George of Ballymahon. James Dowdall, born 1702 ; died unmarried, 1806 ; lived at Moigh, and purchased Terlicken and Ballyglasson. Greorge of Athlone, son of Patrick (m.) Mary Kelly. Issue — Matilda, who married Greorge G-artlan, Esq., J.P., Newry. William Dowdall (Captain) of Ballymulyy, son of George, (m.) Mary Skelton. Issue — Marcella, who (in.) George Fitzgerald, of Bullock, Dalkey. -1793, born; 1881, died— Henry Dowdall, solicitor, son of Henry, (m.) Anne Coffey. Issue — Anastatia, who married Captain Arthur Croker. 1791, born; 1875, died — George Dowdall (son of Henry and Eliza Cassin), married Anne Agnes Watson, Abbeyshrule. Issue — Henry Francis, James, Joseph, William Laurence. James Joseph Dowdall, youngest son of George, is a priest, and at present Catholic Curate of Ardagh, the ancient See of St. Mel, which brings down the pedigree to the present day. We will now give the pedigree of the modern nobility of Longford County. Pedigree of the Pakenhams of Longford. The ancient and noble family of Pakenham is of Saxon extraction, and was settled at Pakenham in the County of Suffolk, in England, where William de Pakenham, one of the Judges, resided in the reign of King Edward I. His eldest son. Sir Edmund Pakenham, Knt., in the reign of King Edward II., married Rose, one of the daughters and co-heirs of Robert de Valvines, by whom he had two sons, viz., William and Edmund, which latter died in 19 Edward III. William married, had issue, and was succeeded by Thomas, his eldest son, who died in the reign of King Henry IV. ; he was succeeded by his eldest son, Theobald, who died in the latter end of the reign of King Henry V,, or beginning of Henry VI. About this time the. family changed their place of residence to Lordington, in the HISTOBY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOED. 235 County of Sussex, where Hugh, the eldest son of Theobald, lived in the reigns of King Henry YI. and Edward IV. ; he was succeeded by his eldest son. Sir Hugh Pakenham, Knt., who died in the reign of King Henry YII., leaving issue two sons, viz., John and Nicholas, and also a daughter, Anne, married first to Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam, who was slain at Flodden-Field, 4 Henry VIIL, and afterwards to Sir "William Sydney, Knight Banneret, by whom she had issue, Henry Sydney, Knight of the Grarter and Lord Deputy of Ireland ; she died in 1644. John, the eldest son of Sir Hugh, was knighted, and died in the reign of King Henry YIII., leaving issue a daughter, Constance (with whom the lordship of Lordington went at her marriage to Sir Gleoffry De la Pole, Knt., second son of Sir Eichard De la Pole, Knight of the Garter, and died 5 Henry YIII.), by his wife, Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury, only daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, brother to King Edward lY. Nicholas, the younger son of Sir Hugh, married the daughter and heir of Clement, Esq., of the County of Cambridge, and died in the reign of King Henry YIII., leaving issue one son, Robert, who, through the interest of his uncle. Sir William Sydney, chamberlain of the house- hold to King Edward YI., was made Clerk of the Green Cloth, which employment he held to his death, residing generally, when not in attendance at court, at Tooting-Beck, in Surrey ; he possessed a very extensive property, which he much improved by marrying Elizabeth, daughter and heir to Sir Maurice Berkeley, of "Wymondham, in the County of Leicester, Knight. Robert made his will, September 2nd, 1552, proved 30th November that year, and died soon after, leaving issue by his wife, Elizabeth (who re-married with Robert Livesey, and had two sons, Edward and Gabriel), four sons, all minors, viz. — Robert, Edmund, who married Frances Sackforde, and died in 1601 ; John of Wimbleton, in the County of Surrey, died 1592 without issue; and Anthony. The wardship and marriage of Robert, the eldest son, was in the first year of her reign granted by Queen Mary to Sir Henry Sydney ; 236 HISTOBT OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD. ■which Kobert married Ursula, daughter of Clement Chicheley, of "Worsely, in the County of Cambridge, Esq., and had issue by her, who died before him, two sons, Henry and Clement, and having made his will in February, 1595, died soon after, leaving his said sons minors. Henry, who resided usually at Northwitham, in the County of Lincoln, was in 1609 made a knight by King James I., and dying unmarried in March, 1620, was buried at Northwitham, and his fortune devolved to his brother Clement, who, being a man of an extravagant dis- position, and having no children, dissipated and sold the greatest part, if not the whole of the great estates he mherited from his brother. He died in 1651, was buried 5th July, with his brother, and administration to his effects was granted to Jane, his widow, who died in 1667, and was buried with him, 17th August, at Northwitham. The elder branch of the family becoming extinct on the death of Clement without issue, we return to the younger sons of Robert, Clerk of the Grreen Cloth, who died in 1552. Edmond, second son of the said Robert, accompanied Sir Henry Sydney, in 1576, when he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and was one of his family. He married Frances, daughter of Thomas Sack- forde, Esq., who was also one of the Lord Lieutenant's confidential ser- vants ; and after the death of Sir Henry Sydney, he settled at Wimble- ton, in Surrey, and died there in 1604, leaving issue of five sons, viz., Philip, Henry, Edmond, Thomas and Robert ; and one daughter, Mary. John, the third son of Robert, Clerk of the Green Cloth, was educated at Cambridge ; he made his will, 24th November, 1601, and died in 1602. Anthony, the youngest son of Robert, died young. Philip, the eldest son of Edmond, second son of Robert, Clerk of the Green Cloth, was knighted by King James in 1616, and died without issue, as did his three next brothers, Henry, Edmond, and Thomas. Robert, the youngest son of the said Edmond, succeeding to North- witham and the remaining part of the estate of Clement, -married Eleanor, daughter and heir to Clement, to Thomas Horsey, of Clifton, Dorset, and had four sons, Edward, Henry, Philip, and Robert; the HISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 239 eldest died 1 670 ; the others subscribed the greater part of their fortunes as adventurers, and in 1642 obtained commissions and went over to Ireland, each with the command of a troop of horse, among those who were sent on the breaking out of the rebellion of 1641. They obtained considerable grants of lands in consideration of their adventures and services. The second son, Henry Pakenham, had a grant of the lands of Tullynally, County "Westmeath, which he called Pakenham Hall, as also other lands in Westmeath and Wexford, confirmed by patent 20 Charles II.; M.P., Navan, 1661; made his will 16th January, 1690; proved 7th July, 1691 ; buried at Mayne, aged 80, having married first, Mary, daughter of Robert Hill, of Trim, County Meath; she died 12th June, 1665, having had issue. He married secondly, 1670, Anne, widow of Bridgewater, and sister of Sir Thomas Pigot, master of the ■ Court of Wards, and a son, Robert, rector of Kilbeggan, County West- meath. His eldest son, Sir Thomas, knighted by William III., 1692, created Prime Sergeant-at-Law, 1695 ; M.P., Augher, County Tyrone; died 1706, having married first, 1673, Mary, daughter of Richard Nelmes, Alderman of London, and had issue. He married secondly one Bellingham. His grandson, Thomas Patkenham, M.P., Longford borough, created Baron of Longford, in the Peerage of Ireland, 27th April, 1776 ; born May, 1713; died 20th April, 1776, having married, 5th March, 1739, daughter and sole heiress of Michael Cuffe, Esq., of Longford (nephew and heir of Ambrose Aungier, second and last Earl of Longford, of the first creation). She was created Countess of Long- ford, 5th July, 1785 ; died 27th January, 1794, having had four daughters and three sons — (1) Edward Michael, succeeded as second baron. (2) Robert, M.P., County Longford, 1768, captain, 33rd regi- ment; born November 1748; died unmarried at Gibraltar, 7th July, 1775. (3) Hon. Sir Thomas, of Colure, County Westmeath, C.C.B., admiral of the red, M.P., Longford, 1783, storekeeper of the ordnance ; 1788; born 29th September, 1757; died 2nd February, 1836, having TI 240 HISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGPOED. married, 24tli June, 1786, Louisa, daughter of the Eight Hon. John Staples (Bart.) ; she died, having had with other issue six sons and four daughters. Edward Michael, second Baron, post-captain R.N., M.P., County- Longford, 1765, P. C. 1777; born 1st April, 1743; died 3rd June, 1792, having married, 25th June, 1768, Catherine, daughter of Eight Hon. Hercules Langford Eowley and Elizabeth Viscountess Langford ; she died 12th March, 1816, having had, with four daughters, five sons. (1.) Thomas succeeded as third Baron and second Earl. (2.) Hon Sir Edward Michael, major-general in the army, G.C.B. ; born 19th March, 1778 ; fell in action, 8th January, 1815. (3.) Hon. Sir Hercules Eobert, K.C.B., lieutenant-general in the army; born 29th September, 1781; died 7th March, 1850, having married, 25th December, 1817, Hon. Emily Stapleton, daughter of Thomas Lord le Despencer ; she died 26th January, 1876, having had six sons and three daughters. Thomas, third Baron and second Earl of Longford (on the death of his grandmother, Elizabeth Countess of Longford) ; born 14th May, 1774; died 24th May, 1838, having married, 23rd January, 1817, Lady Georgiana Charlotte Lygon, fifth daughter of William, first Earl of Beauchamp, and had seven sons and three daughters. (1.) Edward Michael, third Earl, major 2nd Lifeguards ; born 30th October, 1817 ; died unmarried 27th March, 1860. (2.) William Lygon, fourth and present Earl; born 1819 ; succeeded his brother 1860; married, 1862, the Hon. Selina, third daughter of Greorge, third Lord Dynevol ; sits in the House of Lords as Lord Sil- chester, U.K. (cr. 1821); educated at Winchester ; is Lord Lieutenant and Custos Eot. of County Longford, a J.P. and D.L. for County Westmeath, a general in the army, and hon. colonel 1st and 2nd Batts. Northumberland Fusiliers ; was Under-Secretary of State for War, 1867-8, and formerly Adjutant-General to the Forces in the Crimea and in India. He has three sons and two daughters. Pakenham Hall, HISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 241 Castle Pollard, County Westmeath.; Carlton, "White's, and United Service Clubs, S.W. ; 24 Bruton-street, London, "W. Heir, his son Thomas, Lord Pakenham ; educated at Winchester, and Christ Church, Oxford ; born 1864 ; succeeded to the title on death of his father, in 1 888. — Authorities : Lodge, Foster, and "Waif ord's " Peerages." Descent of the Earls of Laneshorough (from Lodge's " Peerage" Revised hy Mervin Archall, 1789). Ulick Viscount G-alway married Frances, only daughter of Greorge Lane, Lord Viscount Lanesborough (who died in August, 1684) and sister to James Viscount Lanesborough (who died without issue the same month in 1724), and by her (who in 1691 re-married with Henry Fox, of East Horsley, in Surrey, Esq., and died in December, I7l3) had an only daughter, who died an infant. — Vol. I., p. 138. Dorcas, the second daughter of Sir Anthony Brabazon, in the County of Louth, third Earl of Meath, was married 21st March, 1644, to G-eorge Lane, created Viscount Lanesborough, Secretary of State, and Privy Councillor to King Charles the II., Clerk of the Star Chamber, Keeper of the Kecords in Birmingham Tower, and Secretary at War, to whom she was first wife, and by him, who died 11th December 1683, and was buried at Lanesborough, had two sons and two daughters — James, born 7th December, 1646 ; Brabazon, baptized 10th February, 1647 ; Charlotte and Mary ; and deceasing 18th July, 1671, she was buried in St. Catherine's Church. — Vol. I., p. 274. Edmond Fitzmaurice, eleventh Earl of Kerry, is said to have a daughter, Catherine, who was grandmother to Emelina or Amy, daughter and heir to Cormac O'Farrell, who was married to Captain •George Lane, and was mother of Sir Eichard Lane, of Tulske, Knight and Baronet, who died 6th October, 1668, father of George, created Viscount Lanesborough, by his first wife, Mabel, daughter and heir to Gerald Fitzgerald, Esq., who died 10th November, 1680.— Vol. II., p. 190. 242 HISTORY OP 'M& COUNTY LONGFORD. Butler, Earl of Lanesborough. This noble family is descended from John Butler, of "Waresley, in the County of Huntingdon, living there in 1376 (50 Edward III.), who married Isolda, daughter and heir to William Gobyan, of "Waresley, who by will, dated 19th April, 1371, gave all his lands there to his said daughter, Isolda, and in 1376 bound himself to his son-in-law, John Butler, and Isolda, his wife, in the sum of 20 marcs. He was succeeded by his son John, who, marrying Elizabeth, daughter of Gonnell of Croxton, in the County of Huntingdon, had issue Edward Butler, of Stratford, near Baldock, in Bedfordshire, Esq., who married to his first wife, Etheldred, daughter of Richard Pollard, by whom he had Gleorge, his heir ; and secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Gascoigne, of Cardington, in Bedfordshire, Recorder of Bedford, and by her he had a daughter. Prances, married to Molyns of that county. George Butler, Esq., who succeeded his father at Stratford, was also of Fenny-Drayton, near St. Ives, in the County of Cambridge, and of Tewing, or Tewingbury, in Hertfordshire, anno 1575; marrying Dorothy, daughter of Stephen, and sister to Sir Stephen Beckingham, of Toleshunt, Beckingham, in Essex. He had issue six sons and four daughters : — (1.) Beckingham Butler, of Tewing, Esq. (2.) Sir Stephen, of Belturbet, in the County of Cavan, ancestor to the Earl of Lanesborough. Daughters : — Elizabeth, Etheldred, Mary, and Rose. We shall now proceed with Sir Stephen Butler, of Belturbet, Knight, ancestor to the Earl of Lanesborough. He removed into Ireland in the reign of King James I., being an undertaker in the plantation of the province of Ulster, which that King had greatly at heart, and received a grant of 2,000 acres, called Clonose, in the County of Cavan, upon which he erected a castle and bawn of great strength, HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOBT). 243 and in 1618 was able to arm 200 men witli very good arms, whicli he had deposited in his castle, besides others dispersed to his tenants for their security, having then upon his estate forty families, besides under- tenants, who were able to make 135 armed men. And Sir Stephen, with the undertakers of the precinct of Loghtee, being obliged, by their conditions of plantation, to plant a town in Belturbet, for which they were allowed 384 acres of land, and to build a church, Mr. Pynnar, in his " Survey of Ulster," tells us there were built at that time thirty- five houses, all inhabited with British tenants, most of whom were tradesmen, each having a house and garden plot, with four acres of land, and commons for great numbers of cattle. He married Mary, younger daughter and co-heir to Gervais Brindsley, of Brindsley, in the County of Nottingham, Esq., and by his will, dated 8th September, 1638, ordered his body to be buried in the Chancel of Belturbet Church, and dying 21st April, 1639, was there interred, having issue by her, who re-married with Edward Philpot, Esq., three sons and four daughters, all minors. — Vol. II., pp. 393, 394. Francis Butler, of Belturbet, Esq., who succeeded his brother Stephen, bore arms in the service of King Charles I. dunng the course of the rebellion ; and with his said brother represented that borough in the first Parliament after the Restoration, but became obnoxious to King James II., and was involved in the Act of Attainder, 1689, having his estate sequestered. He married Judith, daughter of Sir Theophilus JoneSj of Osbertstown, in the County of Meath, Knight, Privy Coun- cillor to King Charles 11., and dying at Belturbet, 16th August, 1702, aged 68, was there buried, having five sons and five daughters. Brinsley, the second Lord Newtown-Butler, succeeded Theophilus, Lord Newtown, in 1711 ; in May, 1726, King Greorge II., on his acces- sion, advanced him to the dignity of Viscount of Lanesborough. Brinsley, the second Earl of Lanesborough, who was born 4th March, 1728, on the decease of his father succeeded to the honours, and took the oaths and his seat in the House of Peers, 3rd May, 1768. 244 HISTORY 01* THE COUNTY LONGJPOED. His lordship married, 26tli June, 1754, Jane, only daughter of Robert, the first Earl of Belvidere, and deceasing 24th January 1779, left issue two sons and six daughters. Eobert Herbert, the third Earl of Lanesborough, was born 1st August, 1759, succeeded his father, and took his seat in the House of Peers, 8th August, 1780. His lordship married, 5th January, 1781, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Right Honourable David Latouche, of the city of Dublin, and by her ladyship, who deceased in London, of a putrid fever, in September, 1788, had issue two sons, viz., Brinsley, Lord Newtown-Butler, born 22nd October, 1783; and David, born 27th April, 1785. Titles — Robert Herbert Butler, Earl and Viscount of Lanes- borough, and Baron of Newtown-Butler. Creations— Baron of Newtown-Butler, in the County of Ferma- nagh, 21st October, 1715, 2 George I. ; Viscount of Lanesborough, in the County of Longford, 12th August, 1728, 2 George II. ; and Earl of Lanesborough, 20th July, 1756, 30 George 11. Motto.—" Libert^ tout entiere "— " Perfect liberty." So much for Lodge's " Peerage." Annaly-^Pedigree of. Luke White, Esq., M.P., who had acquired considerable wealth, purchased Lord Carhampton's estate of Luttrelstown, and changed the name of it to Woodlands. He married first Eliza Maziere, and had four sons and three daughters. I. Thomas, of Woodlands, J.P., High Sheriff, 1840 ; colonel. County Militia ; married 31st August, 1819, the Hon. Julia Vereker, daughter of Charles, second Viscount Gort, and died 4th May, 1847 ; his widow died 14th February, 1866. II. Samuel, of Killakee, Rathfarnham, County Dublin, lieutenant- colonel, Dublin County Militia, M.P., County Leitrim, 1842-7; married Salisbury Anne, daughter of General Rothe, Esq., of Mount Rothe, County Kilkenny, and d. & p, 1854. His widow died .27tli Nov.,^ ISSD. HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGf OBI). 245 ' * III. Luke, of Rathcline, M.P., died iTnmarried, 1854. IV. Henry, created first Baron, Annaly and Kathcline, County Longford, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, 19th August, 1863 ; died 3rd September, 1873, aged 83, having married 3rd October, 1828, Ellen, daughter of William (Soper) Dempster, having had with other issue two sons and two daughters. 1. Luhe, second and present Baron. 2. Hon. Charles William, Lord Lieutenant, County Clare ; M.P., County Tipperary, 1866-73, 1873-5 ; captain late Scots Guards ; born 9th September, 1838. The Earls of Granard. In pursuance of the King's Commission of January 29th, 1620, for the "plantation" of Leitrim, Arthur Forbes, Master of the King's Horse, did obtain for ever 500 acres of arable land and 670 acres of wood and bog in the County of Leitrim ; and by a Commission bearing date Sept. 20th, the year previous, he obtained 1,268 acres in the parish of Clongish, County of Longford, the whole grant being erected into the Manor of Castleforbes, with all the privileges then existing. All these grants were confirmed to his son. Sir Arthur Forbes, in 1637, by Charles I., and he was then created a baronet of Nova Scotia. Sir Arthur de Forbes spent most of his life, after getting possession of these estates, in foreign countries on active military duty, and was seldom at home. He left the care of his lands to his wife. Lady Jane Lauder, who appears to have been a woman of the most vigorous tempe- rament. She succeeded, in 1624, in building the Castle of Forbes, which was, as will be shown, subsequently burned down; and in 1641 she held the castle against the Irish troops of Colonel Owen Preston, one of the four generals of the Irish Confederated Catholics. As history explains, about that time a vigorous and determined effort was made by the Catholics of Ireland to remedy their miserable condition ; and, in order to give force to their demands, the Council of the Confederation, which sat in Kilkenny, appointed four standing armies — one for each province. And it was the Leinster army, under Preston, that entered 246 HISTORY OP THE OOTJNTT LONGFORD. the County of Longford to dispossess the English garrisons. And they did actually dispossess the garrison at that time occupying the Castle of Longford ; for, on their refusal to surrender, it is recorded that the Irish troops assaulted the castle, in which were quartered a com- pany of English soldiers, and succeeded in capturing it and putting the garrison to the sword, after which they sacked the town and marched to Castle Forbes. The latter, however, was far better protected than Longford Castle, being surrounded by a good moat and rampart, and being defended by some cannon. Defences are very good when a man's stomach is filled, but in this case the canny Scots, who formed the garrison, had not the wherewith to fill their stomachs, and after a valiant show of resistance on the part of their female commander, they surrendered prisoners of war, and were marched off as such by Colonel Preston to Trim, where they were subsequently released, and whence Lady Jane went into Scotland, where she died. Her husband. Sir Arthur de Forbes, was shot in a duel in Hamburgh in 1632. Sir Arthur Forbes, his son, was the first Earl of Grranard, and gained his honours and titles as well by the force of his ambitious character, as by the allegiance he displayed towards his English masters. In 1641, when only eighteen years of age, he raised a company of men and marched to the relief of his mother, who was then besieged in Castle Forbes, but failed to effect his object. He next crossed over to Scotland, where Oliver Cromwell was beginning to shed the light of his benign gospel, and here he displayed his loyalty to the English Kings, Charles I. and Charles II., and was for it confined in Edinburgh Castle for two years. In 1653 he, in conjunction with some other Scottish loyal lords, attempted to raise a rebellion against the Common- wealth, but was defeated by Greneral Monk; he then returned to Ireland, where, in 1655, he resumed his Irish estates on terms made by him whilst in Scotland with Monk, according to which he was to enjoy his estates in Leitrim and Longford as heretofore. On March 19th, 1660, Charles II. appointed Sir Arthur Forbes, one HTSTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 249 of, the Commissioners of his Court of Claims, and in 1661, he was granted the manor and lands of Mullingar for his loyal services to the king, and also received another large slice of the County Longford. In 1663, being then in the north, he discovered what he deemed a great plot against the Crown and Constitution, and immediately pitched upon one Staples, M.P. for Strabane, as the chief conspirator, and had him arrested and confined, through which valour he saved Ireland from a rebellion, and did not fail to duly report same in the proper quarter. Being remembered for this and, doubtless, similar acts, in 1670 he was made a privy councillor and commander-in chief of the British army in Ireland, receiving nearly £700 a year for the post, as well as £600 a year pension, which he enjoyed for certain seceet services rendered to the English interests in unhappy Ireland. In 1671 he was a lord justice of Ireland, and in 1672 was ordered to go to the king in England. The Earl of Essex, then Lord Lieutenant, gave him several very flattering letters of introduction, in which his usefulness to the Castle is clearly set out. These letters from Lord Essex had, after some time, the desired effect; and, after several journeys to England, and being again a lord justice of Ireland in 1674, at length, in 1675, he received his nobility from Charles II., creating him Baron Clane- hugh and Yiscount G-ranard, of the County Longford. In 1676 his ambition prompted him to lay claim, through a petition, to the lands of Artain, in the County Dublin, but it was proved that they belonged to another, and so his ambition was disappointed. In 1678 he disposed of the remnants of a small estate of his in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and purchased, in conjunction with one Colonel Alexander M'Donnal, the Manor of Limerick, in County Leitrim, of which, in 1680, they made a division. In the same year he received four other townlands to farm in it. In 1684 he raised a regiment of infantry, called the 18th Foot, and on November 29th was created Earl of Grranard, which completed the goal of his ambition, and left him one of the most powerful men in the kingdom at that day. In 1685 the ill-fated and unfortunate James II., the champion of 250 HISTORY OF THE OODNTY LONGFOED. Catholicity, and yet the cowardly monarcli who, by his pusillanimity, lost his kingdom, came to the throne. He did not ask to disturb the Earl of G-ranard from his high offices, but appointed him and the Protestant Archbishop of Armagh lords justices of Ireland. As the year advanced, however, James showed a disposition to confer on the Catholics some of the ordinary civil rights which were so exclusively possessed by the Protestants. Up to this no Catholic could sit on a jury, possessed a vote at any election, or could hold any position of trust or honour whatsoever, whether in the army or civil ranks. James, who was a devout Catholic himself, wished to place them on an equal footing with the Protestants, and in attempting to introduce this simple measure of justice in 1685, he met with a most vigorous opposition from all the Protestant Irish, and especially from Lord Granard, whom he had appointed lord justice. It was in vain that James tried to show him that he simply meant to do justice to the Catholic Irish ; Lord G-ranard was not content. And so, in 1686, the king appointed a lord lieutenant for Ireland, making Lord G-ranard president of the privy council, having previously removed him from the command of the army, to which post he had appointed the noble Duke of Tyrconnell. Lord G-ranard refused the proffered post as an unprecedented office in the king- dom, and in 1687 went over to England, where he died some years later. Sir Arther Forbes, second Earl of G-ranard, succeeded to that title in 1696, being then exactly forty years of age. His life, previous to his accession to the title, had been spent mostly in foreign countries, where he served, it is said, with distinction in several wars, having taken part against -the Turks in 1686, when they besieged Buda, and when, were it not for the bravery of the ill-fated John Sobieski, King of the Poles, Europe would have been overrun by them. On his father resigning his command of the troop of infantry he had raised, Lord Forbes, as he was called, was made colonel of the regiment, and before he had been any time in this post he was made a brigadier-general. In 1688 he was called upon by King James to serve him with his regiment in England, which he prepared to do, and HISTORY 0^ THE COUNTi' LONGFORD. 251 having sent portion of tlie troops over before him under the command of his colonel and major, he was very much surprised to find the latter coming back in a few days. They told him that the king had dismissed them because they were Protestants, at which Lord Forbes became very indignant ; and bringing them back, he reinstated them in the regiment. When he arrived at head-quarters, King James sharply reprimanded him for this, and Lord Forbes was on the point of resigning his regi- ment, but was recalled by a remark of the king to a sense of his duty. When pusillanimous King James at length fled from England without even attempting to strike a blow for his crown, Lord Forbes gave up his regiment, his command being thereupon handed over to his own lieutenant-colonel, one of the Edge worth family. Early in 1689 the Prince of Orange, suspecting that Lord Forbes was a partisan to James, committed him to the Tower, where, after spending nearly a year, he was released. Whilst imprisoned the king made, it is said, several covert attempts to bribe him, but to no purpose. In June, 1690, a rumour spread that the country was about being invaded by the French, whereupon the king again committed Lord Forbes to the Tower, from which, however, he was soon released on bail. In February, 1695, he was once more, and for the last time, committed to the Tower, in which he spent a year, through some con- nexion with a conspiracy on the hfe of the king. In 1698 he came back to Ireland, where he found his affairs in a dreadful state of disorder through the mismanagement of a steward to whom he had entrusted them. He set himself to the task of putting them in order again, but only partially succeeded, and in the year 1717 he made them over to his eldest son, on condition that an annuity was settled on him, on which he retired to private life in the suburbs of Dublin until 1734, when he died and was interred in the family burying- ground at Newtownforbes. He had been Lord Lieutenant- of the County Longford from 1715, but took no part in the affairs of the county after he had made over his estates to his son. Sir Greorge Forbes, third Earl of Granard, was what is commonly 252 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. known as a great man ; and few political intrigues in the world of his day went on without his acquaintance. He was born in 1685, and com- menced life as a midshipman on board one of his majesty's ships. In this service he was present at several battles, at one of which his brother was killed and he himself promoted for gallantry. Time progressed. The wars of the Continent during Anne and George the First's time took place, in which Lord Forbes took part in Spain with the English army. In 1736 he became Earl of Grranard, after which he was made Minister to Eussia, and in this capacity, which is represented to have been one of considerable difficulty, he acquitted himself as only an Irish- man can, being always polite and deferential to all those he came in contact with. Having in the latter end of his days become eccentric, and, at the same time, disgusted with the disgraceful traitorism at that time a peculiar characteristic of the English Parliament, he retired from public life altogether, and became a student of classical works until his death, which took place in 1765. He was interred at the old Clongish graveyard. His son, Sir Greorge Forbes, who was an army officer of considerable repute, succeeded him, having been born in 1710, and died in 1769, of a sudden attack of scorbutic humour. He had been appointed lord lieutenant of the county in 1756, and this post was con- ferred on his son, Sir George Forbes, fifth Earl of Granard, imme- diately on the death of his father. The fifth Earl was born in 1740, and in 1772 was appointed a member of the Privy Council in Ireland. He was twice married, but does not seem to have been in any higher position than lieutenant in the army previous to his accession to the title. He died in 1780, leaving the title to his son, Sir George Forbes, who became sixth Earl of Granard on 15th April, 1780, and who took part in the rebellion of 1798, being present at the " Races of Castlebar " with the Longford Militia, who deserted him and went over to the side of their country. It is said that Lord Granard on this occasion endea- voured with all his might to rally his troops, but failed to do so. He subsequently took part in the engagement at Ballinamuck, and for his activity against the rebels is " honourably referred to " in the " Memoirs HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOEJD. 253 at Lord Oornwallis." He had a son called Lord Forbes, whose name during the troubled days prior to the Catholic Emancipation Act being passed, was a terror to the poor peasants of the county, whom he mer- cilessly rode over and hunted down when any chance to do so was given him. He died in 1836, a year before his own father, and so the estates went into Chancery until the coming of age of the late earl, who succeeded to the title in 1854, and died in 1889. The present Earl is a minor, aged about fourteen years. PART III. RAMBLES THROUGH LONGFORD. "We will next read a chapter on the ancient legends and stories told in the different parishes of the county. Nothing, I am certain, reflects so truly the National character as the aptitude of our peasantry for relating at each fireside on winter nights the " Seanachus," in which the glorious traditions of mother Erin find so prominent a place. There are few parishes in Ireland in which there are not numbers of haunted places, where the ghosts of the restless dead appear at stated times to remind the unwary of the end of us all. In addition to ghost stories, there is a never-failing supply of stories of the " good people," and the numerous forts or raths scattered about Longford give quite as much food to its people on this matter as there is to be found elsewhere. I do not think it necessary to print these stories. In fact, although the matter that follows is largely a re-print of what I published in August, 1886, I am sure the reader will easily observe that a considerable number of the stories have been omitted. Such has been done because I found so much divergence of opinion on these stories, that I deemed them better omitted altogether. We will commence our ramble in the 254 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOEC. north, and travel southwards. If the reader takes the trouble to refer to the plates of any of the old buildings met with in his rambles, it will greatly assist him to understand, the importance of the places he visits ; and now to begin. GrBANAED. There is no place in the County Longford possesses so much interest for the antiquarian stiident as the neighbourhood of Glranard. In fact, in the old pagan days of our country, and up to 1315, G-ranard was the only capital of the County Longford, if we are to understand by that the ancient kingdom of Annaly. The word " Glranard " was supposed by the learned Dr. O'Connor to be derived from the two Celtic words, " Grain," the sun, and " ard," a high place or hill ; so that the proper meaning of the word "Grranard" would seem to be "the Hill of the Sun." The reason this name was given to the town would appear to be, that in the early ages of the population of Ireland the people were sun and fire worshippers — that is, they worshipped these things as a deity, potent to relieve them from troubles, and to afford them safety in dangers. It is also said that they worshipped the moon and stars. It is thought that this worship prevailed amongst our pagan forefathers, just as amongst the Aztecs in the days of Montezuma. The usual place from which the people prayed to the sun was off a high hill or emi- nence. At the foot of this hill they stood in a circle, whilst the Druids ascended and offered sacrifice to their deities. Now, Grranard is very favourably situated for such worship. On the one side they had the Hill of Grranardkill and the Moat of Q-ranard ; and on the other side they had the Hill of Carragh, which commands a view of the whole county. An old bard, who sung of the Kings of Conmacne, describes, in the peculiar weirdly-thrilling chant of his profession, the " glories and magnificence " of Grranard in these old days. The Glranard of to- day is not the actual site of old Grranard, which was built about half a mile from the present town, in a somewhat western direction. This old town was destroyed by Edward Bruce, in Ids march towards Dublin, in 1315, having been, it is told, up to then, the residence of King Con HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 255 0'Farrell, of Annaly, who lived here in royal splendour at the time. Its destruction is described a little further on. Mr. O'Donovan thinks that the correct interpretation of Grranard is, the Ugly Height, from the fact that when the father of a king named Carbre was getting it built, he called it an Ugly Height, or, in Irish, i^^, j^aiia, ajto, 6, meaning, '' it is uglily high." Another derivation Mr. O'Donovan gives is, Gran-ard — meaning Grainhill, which, he says, would go to prove that there was a great deal of cultivation here for a long period. He subsequently says that the Moat of Granard, or Slieve Cairbhre, in the north, and the River Eithne, or Inny, in the south, were anciently the boundaries of Annaly. Carbre, who gave his name to Slieve-Carbrey, was the eigh- teenth in descent from O'Catharnaigh, who was progenitor of many families in ancient Teffia, or Meath, including the Foxes, O'Quinns, Carneys, Careys, &c. It is related in Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum," in reference to this Carbrey, that when St. Patrick reached Granard on his apostohc mission, where King Carbre lived at his fortification — the Moat — this monarch refused to listen to his teaching ; and some of his chieftains in the then fertile plains of Ballinamuck presented the Apostle with a hound dressed for dinner. The saint, naturally moved with anger at such treatment, pronounced a malediction on the sons of Cairbre, as well as on the land of the place he was in ; and, as a result of this malediction, the land became barren, and misfortunes came on the line of Cairbre, from whose race the sceptre passed away. Sub- sequently, it is said, that his sons received the saint with all honour, and presented to him the beautiful place of Granard. There is another version also given in reference to the cursing of Cairbre, which the following note, taken from the life of St. Patrick, will explain : — " Cap. iv.. Part ii. — But on the first day of the week, Patrick came to Taelton, in the County Westmeath, where the royal fair and public games and exercises of the kingdom used to be held yearly ; and there he met Carbreus, the son of Niall, and brother of King Laogarious, and like his brother in ferocity of mind and cruelty. When Patrick preached the word of life to him, and pointed out the way of salvation, the man 256 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD, of adamantine lieart not only refused to believe the preached truth, but laid projects for the death of him who was propounding the way of life, and caused the companions of the holy man to be scourged in a neighbouring river, called Sele, because Patrick called him the enemy of Grod. ' Then the man of God, seeing that the man was of inveterate mind and reproved by. Grod, says to him : — ' Because you have resisted the doctrine of the Heavenly King, and refused to carry His sweet yoke, neither shall kings nor the pledges of the kingdom rise up from your stock ; but your seed shall obey the seed of your brethren for ever ; nor shall the neigbouring river, in which you have whipped my com- panions, although now it abounds in fishes, ever produce any fishes.' " These two versions of the same story differ a little as to locality, cause, and effect ; but it is certain that St. Patrick did visit Granard on his first apostolic mission and tour of Ireland, because the old town was a place of great natural strength, as well as being an important town in the kingdom in those days. The Moat of Granard is well known as being one of the largest and oldest of its kind in Ireland. It seems to have been originally cut out of a large hill, because it is situated in such a position that the hands of man could not possibly have framed it. The approach to it is steep, and the visitor comes to a fosse, or trench, which surrounds it, before he can approach the side ; after this the ascent has to be made in a zig- zag direction, in order to avoid the dangers of a sudden fall; and when we come to the top we find a level and partly hollowed surface, wide enough to support a large body of troops, and partly protected in several places by the remains of what formed the rampart of the original fortification. Mr. O'Donovan says that he was told that an old castle existed inside the moat, to which there was a secret entrance ; and that the Tuites and Daltons built it as a protection against the attacks of The O'Farrell in the 13th century ; but he thinks it was a storehouse for grain in the days of King Carbre. It is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters under dates — 236, 476, 765, 1069, 1272, 1275, 1475, 1586. But the events which took place at these dates HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD 259 were merely nominal ; and it will here serve my purpose just as well to mention them to show the exact amount of importance attached to this old and venerable structure, which I believe can compete with any in Ireland for its antiquity and size. It is not so long since I was upon its top, from whence I could discern the spire of Longford Cathedral, twelve miles away ; Lough Sheelan, in Westmeath ; and Lough Grownagh, stretching away into the County Cavan. We have referred to the destruction of Old Cranard. King Con O'Farrell was a brave soldier, and renowned for the glory of his military exploits. When Edward Bruce landed at Carrickfergus, a number of the native chieftains flocked to his standard ; but a number stayed away also, mainly because they were jealous that a foreigner, as they unfortunately looked on him, should come to rule over them. Amongst those was the King of Upper Annaly (so called by O'Connor; O 'Donovan calls it North Teffia) — perhaps prince would be the better title to give him; he had also another motive in absenting himself, which was, that a neighbouring chieftain, with whom he was at feud, was one of Bruce's strongest adherents. Bruce, as the reader of history knows, first tried to approach Dublin by Drogheda, but subsequently had to fall back on the approach of the Saxon troops. He then deter- mined to go by the midland route, and did penetrate as far as Lough Owel, in Westmeath, in the year 1315, when the severity of the winter compelled him to go into quarters. He had previously been refused admission into Old Granard by Prince Con, who proudly refused to surrender when called upon to do so ; and so returning, when he saw further progress was impracticable, he hurled his whole force against the gates of G-ranard, so that for two days an awful carnage reigned, until the living made a road of the bodies of the dead ; after which Bruce's superiority in numbers prevailed, and Grranard, the erection of thirteen centuries, was taken, and was subsequently levelled to the ground by Bruce before he left the spot. Many old thrilling tales are told of the days when the head of the O'Farrells ruled in royal state in Granard. Thus, it is told of one y 260 HtSTORT OF THE COtJNTT LONCTFOUt). monarch., named Congal, that his wife, the most beautiful woman in Leinster, was smitten down in child-birth, her demise being so sudden that Congal accused his chief Druid of using some sacred rites to destroy her. It was in vain that the latter protested his utter innocence. The king's ire was raised, and he ordered his execution after one year from the time of his wife's death. In the meantime he shut himself up in his palace, and refused to let anyone even see his face, at which bis subjects were very much troubled. The end of the year was drawing nigh, and the chief Druid's day of doom was surely coming. At length his daughter prevailed on him to allow her to intercede with the king for pardon ; and her father consented, believing that, like all his subjects, she could not see the face of her monarch. The maiden, however, disguised herself as a servant, and hung continuously about the royal entrance. In the end her patience was rewarded. One day the king asked for a drink of pure water, which the Druid's daughter imme- diately fetched to him, and on entering into his presence, fell on her knees and implored the pardon of her father. The king was struck with her singular beauty, which attracted his attention immediately, and he told her that if she attended him every day for twelve days he would give her a decisive answer. Bach day, accordingly, she brought him the same drink, and at the end of the twelfth day he not only granted her request, but asked her to take the place of the wife he had lost. This request, according to the laws of the country, she could not accede to, nor could he marry one beneath him in station without the consent of his people, which they refused to him, nor could all his arts persuade them. At length he abdicated his throne, and allowed his son to reign in his stead, in order that he might enjoy a peaceful life with the object of his sudden affection. On another occasion, a King of Annaly, having married a wife whom his brother had previously loved vainly, incurred the mortal hatred of the latter. He collected a large force of the enemies of the fortunate monarch, and one night treacherously surprised the town, putting every man in the king's service, himself and his wife ta a cruel HISTORY OP THB COUNTY LONGFORD, 261 death. He then set himself up as king ; but the kingdom that had formerly been a model of peace, was now a den of disorder and debauchery. Meantime, Nemesis was approaching in the person of the lawful son of his murdered brother, who, on the night of the massacre, was saved by his nurse, and had since been reared at the house of O'Rorke, in Breffni. Twenty years passed away, and he grew to man's estate, and then, swooping down like the tiger on his prey, he hurled the usurper and his disorderly crew from their ill-gotten possessions, and, ascending the throne himself, commenced a reign which, for pros- perity and happiness, exceeded any ever known in the kingdom. So much for the old traditions ; now for a few modern stories. Of late years the story of the headless horseman occupied a great deal of attention in Granard, where it was almost universally believed that each night a man rode through the streets of Granard on a headless horse, himself being also headless. This story arose from a very singular and unexplained suicide, which occurred in the barracks of Granard during the early years of the eighteenth century. Almost the very first regiment quartered there was one of the most ungovernable corps in the British service. Its captain, one Blundell by name, in dress, manners, sporting propensities, and general recklessness, was the cream of the service. One night a great ball was given in Granard by the officers, at which he was the leading figure ; and the next morning, not having turned up at the usual hour, his room was broken open, and he was found lying dead upon the floor, his head being severed from his body. No one could have committed the act, because the captain's door was closed on the inside, and his window barred on the outside. Neither could any motive be ascribed for it; and the matter has remained a mystery ever since, giving rise to the weird story of the headless horseman and his midnight rides. Granard, from its very antiquity, is naturally the spot from which one would expect to hear such stories. I am sure that, could the treasures buried in the ruins of Old Granard be dug up, a fund of fireside lore sufficient to make many volumes would be the result, But, alas ! man is made of dust, 262 HISTORY OP THE OOUNTT LONGFORD. and into dust nnist return ; and whether it be on stone or parchment that man's acts are written, they are equally liable, as he is himself, to temporal decay. Granard was the scene of very active work during the Rebellion of 1798, and here were enacted some of the most bloody deeds history can record. I have given a history of the momentous battle which took place at Ballinamuck, in 1798, taken from the Corn- wallis Correspondence. Dark, cruel, and dreadful as were the scenes that took place at Ballinamuck, they were but mere play towards the treatment meted out to the "rebels" in Granard. Thither a small band of the County Longford insurgents, under the command of Deniston, of Clonbroney, O'Keeffe, of Prospect, and Pat Farrell, of Ballinree, " the biggest man in the county," had retreated after the affair at Ballinamuck. Above all other places in the country, there is none so well adapted, in every sense of the word, to warfare as the town and neighbourhood of Granard. The town is almost surrounded on all sides by hills, and on the moat alone a thousand men could keep a hundred thousand in check, such are the facilities for defence. The approaches to it, too, are hilly and inaccessible ; and so we can well vinderstand that, under the command of an able and skilled general, a small force could keep a much larger one at bay for long enough. As I have said, to Granard went Farrell, Deniston and O'Keeffe, with a small force of men, after the route at Ballinamuck. They found, on their arrival, the whole place in a state of confusion and uproar. People were running hither and thither in the wildest confusion, because every minute Lake and his bloodstained soldiers were expected from Ballina- lee, whilst another squad was said to be on the march from Cavan. The appearance, therefore, of the three local and well-known leaders, with even a small body of men, was hailed with triumphant shouts, and immediately a council of war was held, at which it was unanimously resolved to make a bold stand for liberty, and to defend Granard. Scouts were at once posted on the moat and Granard Kil to watch the approach of the enemy, whilst all the entrances to the town were bar- ricader). To O'Farrell fell the lot to defend the Finea entrance, to HISTOBT OP THE COTJNTT LONGFORD. 263 Deniston the Ballinamuck, and to the approacli from Ballinalee the command was given to O'Keefe. The first to appear in sight were the Finea troops under the command of the famous Hepenstal, who had specially gone to Cavan to bring them up in hot haste. O'Farrell was a very tall man, fully seven feet high, with immense breadth of chest and strength of muscle, and during the struggle between both parties it is said the giants met, and O'Farrell, with one ponderous blow of his broken sword-hilt, put Hepenstal hors de combat, and his ragged mob of yeomen' soon after took to flight. Almost before a pursuit could be made, a messenger arrived from Deniston, to inform him that a large force of the enemy were approaching from Ballinamuck. The brave man at once recalled his pursuing followers, and collected all his forces to oppose the entry of Lake's men into Grranard. The three batches were massed on the Barrack Gate road, where a short, desperate engage- ment took place. By word and act Pat Farrell did all that a brave man could do to animate his sadly-thinned little force ; and in this he was ably seconded by O'Keefe and Deniston. Here, there, everywhere he ran ; now striking a blow, now parrying one, and again dashing for- ward into the very thick of the conflict. In the middle of the combat — luckless misfortune — Hepenstal and his Finea yeomen 'returned to the fight, and finding no opposition to their entry, soon attacked the now jaded Irishmen in the rere. In trying to extricate his force and Deniston's, the two friends became separated. Eound Deniston gathered Hepenstal and his F'inea militia, whilst O'Farrell was cut off by the • Ballinamuck yeomen. Like an enrage^d tiger, the latter turned in his saddle to relieve Deniston, when a bullet from .Hepenstal pierced his heart, and he fell to rise no more. Deniston managed to catch his horse as he was dashing away, and endeavoured with might and main to retrieve the fortunes of the day. But the fall of Pat Farrell had already decided it, and it was no longer a question of fight, but a question of how best to retreat. In this attempt the insurgents were captured in dozens, and Deniston, seeing that to remain were worse than madness, whispered to O'Keefe to mount behind him, and they 264 HISTOET OV THE OOITNTT LONGPOBD, would make a bold dash for freedom. O'Keefe had been fighting all through like a valiant soldier ; and he and Deniston escaped in safety, but were outlawed for three years afterwards, until a general pardon was proclaimed, when both men returned to their homes, only to find that the hand of the despoiler had filched from them their lawful pos- sessions, to which they were never restored.- The same night Pat Parrell's mare, Bonnie Bess, galloped home to his house at Ballinree riderless, and conveyed to his sorrowing family the sad tidings that Grranard was lost, and Pat Farrell had died a patriot's death; But the darkest scene in this melancholy battle had yet to be enacted, namely, the executions. As I said before, the effort to make a retreat had resulted in the capture of the rebels in dozens. These poor men — most of them country farmers and labourers — -were tied hand and foot, and thrown for a whole night on the streets of Grranard, guarded by a strong batch of yeomen. In the morning a number of yeomen, who had been sent out during the night to gather cattle for provisions, arrived with a drove of fat bullocks, and without any ceremony they drove this herd over the fallen, prostrate Irish, until they trampled the very life out of them ; and such of them as showed any signs of anima- tion after this brutal treatment, were given over to the tender mercies of Hepenstal, who swung them out of existence as fast as they were handed to him. History does not record this horrible British cruelty, neither does the historian who composed or compiled the Cornwallis Correspondence ; but tradition, the unwritten history of every nation, does ; and it is well known that the whole incidents of the battle have been carefully suppressed in order to hide these facts. More than once have I seen references made to the cruelty of the British troops in foreign countries ; but if they could be so cruel at home in Ireland, what must they not be away ! Doubtless, Hepenstal may have insti- gated the commission of this wholesale sacrifice, though that is scarcely likely, seeing he was so fond of acting the hangman himself. A fearful fate overtook this Hepenstal afterwards ; for we are told, in a book called "The Informers of '98," that he was seized with morbus pedicu- HISTOET OP THE COTjNTY LONGFOED. 265 iaris, witli -wliicli disease liis body "was devoured by vermin, and he died after twenty-one days in great agony. He is said to be interred in St. Mictan's Churchyard, in Dublin. Grranard, since '98, has been a comparatively quiet and easy-going sort of place, but has managed to keep up in the race with the rest of Ireland, whether in political or commercial matters. The accession of the town within the past few years to corporate dignity, is in itself a proof of its increasing prosperity ; and whilst there are few places more worthy of the attention of the antiquarian or the poet than Grranard and its moat, I regret to say that very few people, even in the place itself, seem to care for its ancient glory. Many respectable families live in its neighbourhood. The Eeillys and O'Reillys, of East Breiffny, or Cavan, form a strong element here too, and are mentioned to the number of sixty-two as living in Grranard Barony in the year 1659. There is no doubt that this parish was considered in olden days the central parish of Ireland, and that much importance was attached to it by the English of Meath and Leinster. A very well preserved Druidio circle is found near Springtown, within a mile of Granard. DeOMAED — AbBETLAEA — COLUMBKILLE. I must confess my utter inability to give anything like a connected nairative of the history of these parishes. They formed part of the kingdom of King Lagaorius, the son of Niall, the father of Carbry, who reigned at Grranard when St. Patrick visited it, and, beyond that, history tells us Little or nothing about them, except that Lough Gowna was invaded by the Danes in 800 a.v., and that there was in the parish of Columbkille a castle on the townland of Rossduff, the ruins of which now form a piggery. In the parish of Abbeylara, in the townland of Rathbracken, there is a ciu-ious and very ancient well, which is said to be the fountain spring of the great Lough Growna. It is called by the name of Tobhar Gramnha, or the Well of the Calf; and, in the year 1837, an old man in 266 HIST0E7 or the county LONGFORD, the parish, then nearly one hundred years of age, named Farrell Linchy, told the late Mr. O'Donovan that, in the real old times, a well existed here, which was considered to be very holy and possessed of great healing powers. One day a woman in the neighbourhood washed a lot of dirty clothes in the well ; and, ere she had done, a large calf came up out of the bottom, who ran off in a zig-zag direction from the place, and who was followed by a gurgling stream, which ran into a valley and formed the Lake Gownagh to-day. In the middle of the lake is the Island of Inohmore, on which stands the ruins of Inismore Abbey. Some time ago these ruins were strewn over with skulls and fragments of bones ; and people used to come long distances and drink the water of a neighbouring holy well from the skulls to cure diseases in the head. This custom has now died away ; but there was a stone here, which was called St. Oolumb's stone, and in which there were the marks of his hand and two knees. From the little cavity so made, people were in the habit of drinking the water for pains and headaches, when any was collected in it. In the townland of Ballybay, very close to the boundary of Abbeylara with the parish of Granard, Mr. 'Donovan found, in the year 1837, the sacred well of Tober-reendonny, or, as he translated it, the Well of the King of Sunday. This is a very ancient well, covered with bushes and brambles, which grew at the foot of two large trees, at the edge of the fountain. In old times no animal dare drink of its waters save man ; and on one occasion, when the people thought they could draw water from it for their cattle, and wash clothes in it, the cattle died, and the clothes refused to dry, despite all their endeavours. Mr. O'Donovan considered that this was a pagan well, in the dark days of Irish paganism, and its name was never changed, fearing the change would affect the inhabitants' veneration for the first principles of Christianity. He also inferred that there was a sacred well near the Abbey of Lerha, which was called the Well of the Saintesses, from which he thinks that a nunnery existed there very early in the days of St. Patrick. In a letter to a friend, which I have seen, he tells him that the present HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 269 patron saint of the parish of Abbeylara is St. Bernard, but that the oldest inhabitants always venerated St. Kieran, the first Bishop of Clonmacnoise. It is said that there was an old castle, the ancient property of the OTarrells, near the Abbey of Lerha, where the sons of Iriall OTarrell lived after their split with the head clans, in 1445. In the year 1478, Melaghlin, son of Hugh Boy MacGheoghagan, Lord of Kinel Fiachra, came to visit the sons of Iriel, at their castle of Lerha ; and during the night, whilst Hugh Boy was asleep, three of his attendants fell upon and murdered him in his sleep. They were arrested the next morning, and the crime was considered so inhuman that they were burned to death for it. Columbkille parish is named after the celebrated Saint Columb, who was said to have lived at one time at Inchmore, and to have made numberless prophecies about the fate and destiny of this country and the world. During the late French war, when people's minds were somewhat excited about events passing round them, a curious pheno- menon was witnessed in many parts of Ireland, when, during a fine summer's night, the sky appeared blood red. A great many people thereupon declared that this phenomenon, which was nothing more or less than a phase of the aurora borealis, was prophesied by St. Columb- kille to be the forerunner of dire misfortune to the Irish race ; and so alarmed did some people become over it, that the clergy had to inter- vene to allay the general clamour. Ballinamuok and Deumlish. The word " Ballinamuck " is derived from " Beal-aith-na-muic," which means, " The Mouth of the Ford of the Pig," the pig here referred to being no other than the celebrated black pig which rooted up the Danes' Cast in Armagh, and came as far as Ballinamuck, making her famous trench until she arrived at the Ford of Lough Gaun, where a man knocked her on the head with a blow of a stone and put an end to her rooting. The hollow trench extending from Ballinamuck to Lough Gowna, and said to have been formed by 270 HISTOEY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. this pig, was at one time recognised as the barrier between Ulster and Leinster, and subsequently the barrier between BreifEny and Annaly. The Danes' Cast in Armagh here referred to was a celebrated line of fortifications which extended from near the city to the old ruins of Bmania — the residence of the ancient kings of Ulster. The fabulous black pig was supposed to have commenced her operations here, and rooted onwards until she came to Lough Gownagh, where she was killed by a man who had been born predestined to destroy her. The course of her peregrinations was naarked by a deep valley, which is plainly traceable from this place to Armagh. In 1848 the landlords made a desperate effort to depopulate this locality. Such indeed was the venom with which the King-Harman family set about this monstrous task, that the tenants, bad and all as they were with the pangs of hunger, rose up en masse, and every attempt at eviction was a bloody massacre, in which the tenants fought wildly and madly for their homesteads ; and many of them were sent to their last account by the use of the rifle. The fearful sacrifice of life con- siderably subdued them, and their vengeance then took the form of mid- night attacks on the " planted " families, during which several of them were killed, and one whole family wiped out. A strong police barracks, loop-holed for musketry fire, was then erected by the Harman family, which is the martial-looking building I have referred to at the com- mencement of this chapter. But after all these determined attempts to exterminate the people, it is gratifying to know that they are still "to the front," and that there are few better men in the county than in this same Ballinamuck. Drumlish, which is the southern end of the joint parish, extends from the eastern side of the parish of Clongish to a short distance beyond the village of Drumlish, a view of which I give. To say that this portion of the County Longford has anything about it either interesting or uncommonly fertile, would not be to speak the truth, for, as a matter of notoriety, the inhabitants of it are hewers of wood and drawers of water on the worst land in Ireland. Seen as I saw it, in the HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. 271 dull, drear aspect of a December morning, it was incomparably the "wildest-looking part of tlie County Longford. But wild-looking and barren though, it is and was, yet it has produced a class of men com- pared to whom many in the county are, for endurance, long-suffering, and privation generally, but children. Living, as they are, on the worst of land, their lives but one continual struggle to eke out an existence, either in the bogs, or the wet, heavy, unproductive upland, it would be at all no wonder if some of them " fainted by the wayside." But still they fight on the battle of life, and when a manly, bold, determined stand has to be taken, no men step into the gap so readily and fear- lessly, as the following anecdote will show : — On January 12th, 1881, a very unwelcome visitor indeed was ushered into the village of Drumlish, surrounded by a posse comitatus of con- stabulary, who were designed to be his protectors. This was the bailiff, who came to serve processes for rents which the people of Drumlish were unable to pay, at the behest of his employer, the Earl of G-ranard.. Now, at this very time the Land League agitation was in the zenith of its prosperity ; and if a messenger from the lower regions were sent to those poor people, he would have been more welcome to them than was this individual. They regarded him in the same light as does the victim about to be executed regard the hangman, and so they might, for as the latter takes away the life of the former by the halter, or some other fearful instrument of his callmg, the process-server, ever odious to the Irish people, takes from them their life when he bids them quit the homesteads where they were born. It was no wonder, then, that the people of Drumlish and Ballinamuck prepared to resist the approach of the process-server to take the bread from the mouths of their families, when it is considered that for seven months of the previous year they had been supported on alms, collected for them by their priests, to sustain them during the terrible distress that prevailed in the year 1880 in Ireland. During that period the reverend and zealous parish priest, whom God, as if by a special mercy, had placed over the people, found it on more than one occasion necessary for him to call upon the public 272 HTSTOEY OP THE OOTINTT LONGFORD. in their charity to prevent famine killing numbers of his flock. In one of these appeals he pithily described the condition of his poor people as follows : — " There are many houses in this parish at present in which the last pound of meal has been consumed; the, last bed-covering worth a shilling has been deposited in the pawn-office ; and the last fire of turf collected from the saturated heap on the bog has died away upon the hearth, the last dying embers being the livid emblem of that death from starvation which is already creeping in upon the threshold. It is with a view to avert such a calamity that I am reluctantly con- strained to ask support for these people." Such was the condition of the people of Drumlish ; and but for the exertions of their priests to ward off famine, they would have fared badly. Scarcely, however, had famine been put from their door, when a new danger cropped up to confront thenj in the person of the process-server. They were just after storing the result of their harvest — the result, after Grod's blessing, of their own hard work. But to be compelled now to pay a rackrent was unbearable, and so, with one accord, they resolved to resist the process-server's intrusion. The latter was to serve the processes on the 12th inst., and in order to be prepared for him before the morning's sun had risen, the Land League drums were being beaten on the streets of Drumlish, and the ringing of the chapel bell announced that something dire in its con- sequences to the people was about to occur. To the crowd which the noise soon collected, the cry of " the process-server is coming " was an all-sufficient notice — too well did most of them know its meaning — and, with one accord, every man vowed he would assist his neighbour to resist the invasion. At ten o'clock in the forenoon a vast crowd had assembled on the road leading to Newtownforbes, on which, in a short time, they saw the unwelcome visitor approaching, surrounded by a small force of Royal Irish Constabulary. The latter were unprepared to meet such a large crowd, and fixed their bayonets when approach- ing, until they were stopped in their march by these instruments of HISTORY OF THE OOUNTT LONGFORD. 273 •death toucliiiig tlie breasts of some of the stalwart men who formed the advanced guard of the contingents. The latter, however, never flinched, but shouted defiantly that " not a process they would allow to be served." The process-server cried out that he had no processes for them ; but, not believing him, they demanded why he came there if he had not ? After some parley, however, they let the police and their protege get into the barrack. Immediately a telegram conveying news of the resistance was flashed into L ongf ord, whereupon all the available police there hurried off to the scene of the row, in charge of the kind and humane Resident Magistrate of Longford at the time, H. W. Rogers, Esq. The police were in charge of District Inspector Home. Immediately on their arrival a hollow sqiiare was formed, in the centre of which was placed the unlucky process-server, who was fairly shivering in his clothes with fright. The whole force then marched to the house of a man named Rogers, who was the first on the list of intended victims ; but the crowd dashed on ahead of them, and surrounded the house in so complete a manner, that the police could not even get into a small field in front of the house. Here were three thousand deter- mined men, armed with sticks, stones, scythes, &c., who defied the poHce to get near the house they wanted. In vain the magistrate cursed, raved, and swore at them ; in vain he read the Riot Act ; in vain he lathered them with soft soap — all was useless ; for the sturdy defenders refused to budge one inch. The latter received fresh encouragement every minute, for from all directions, across hedges and ditches, came running men and women, armed with every available weapon. It was, therefore, useless to attempt to serve any processes that day ; and after a consultation, the magistrate and his forces deter- mined to retreat to Drumlish and await further reinforcements. The retreat was not as pleasant, however, as they would wish, for they were followed by a mocking crowd, who mercilessly pelted the jackdaw process-server with jeering remarks the reverse of complimentary to his personality. The magistrate, however, warned the people that he would return next day and complete his work. To this they replied that they 274 nisTORT OF the county LONGFOED. would meet "force with force;" and they prepared to carry out their promise. During that night horsemen were sent in various directions to summon forces to repel the invaders ; chapel bells rung, and drums beat the whole live-long night, and the result was that by morning's dawn 20,000 men had been drawn together about the village of Drum- lish. In the meantime the landlord element had not been idle, and, by permission of the Grovernment, one troop of cavalry, three companies of infantry, and ] 20 police, were placed at Lord Grranard's disposal to assist him in insisting on his legal right. But what a strange sight met these soldiers' eyes on the morning of the 13th January, 1881. Far as their eyes could reach were to be seen men with deep-knit brows and flashing eyes, in whose hands were grasped the ever handy lay, the scythe, the blackthorn, billhook, &c., &c. These brawny, sinewy, determined men sent up a chorus of defiance as the long file of infantry and cavalry approached them, and formed into line for forcing their way through the dense mass that choked up the road. The whole military and police force — I should have mentioned that the latter had arrived in the village mostly during the night of the 12th — was under the supreme control of Mr. Rogers, mentioned above. This gentleman had some experience of battles in India ; and, well knowing the fearful carnage that would result that day from the loss of a drop of blood in Drumlish, hesitated before resorting to extreme measures. One of his first acts was to address the people at some length, pointing out to them the folly of resisting the law, and asking them, for Grod's and their own sake, not to force him to use the power vested in his hands. The people were somewhat mollified by his kindness, and even cheered him, I am told ; but they refused to leave the way unless a promise would be given that no pro- cesses would be served. This promise Mr. Rogers could not give, and so the whole cortege of infantry, cavalry, and police — followed, pre- ceded, and surrounded by the crowd — moved again towards the scene of the preceding day's operations. "Who, it will be asked, directed the movements of what might be called the geande armeb — the people ? HISTOBT OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 275 WTio controlled and guided such a mass ? It was no other than the venerated and much-beloved parish priest of the place — Rev. Thomas Connefry. Father Connefry, a nephew to the late Most Rev. Dr. O'Higgins, was a native of the parish — a Soggarth aroon in every sense of the word — and the man to whom, under Grod, the people on that day owed their salvation. To him the people looked for guidance ; him they obeyed; and he it was that, through the most superhuman exertions, saved Drumlish from being another Mullaghmast. Should I say Mullaghmast ? No ; because the tragedy there was but a painted picture towards what would have been the result if one drop of blood had been spilled in Drumlish. An old and experienced inhabitant of the parish, who had seen the Tithe riots of 1832, told me that they were but child's play to what was nearly occurring that day. However, to proceed. The military and police marched to Rogers' house again, and here a halt was made to enable the miserable minion of the law, who was the cause of all the hub-bub, to drop his precious missive ; but no — the people were determined no such service should be per- formed. Immediately the house was surrounded, and the crowd defiled into a BORBEN leading to it. Up this the military endeavoured to force a way, but failed ; and suddenly, trying a feint, debouched into a field on the right, with the object of coming to the rere of the house. But the people were before them, and in the twinkling of an eye, the field was packed with men, whilst the threatened dwelling was surrounded back and front, being filled inside with armed men and women, who had hot water ready to fling on the advancing host. Here the Riot Act was again read and defied, as on a former occasion, whilst the Rev. Father Connefry flew about from one to another, remonstrating, entreating, and commanding in turn, in order that no chance would be given to the authorities to draw blood. After many attempts to carry out their mission, a conference took place between the priests and Mr. Rogers, with the result that the forces of the Queen were withdrawn until negotiations for a settlement with Lord Grranard could be entered into ; and once more the process-server retired, foiled in his object. 276 HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. He never served the processes, simply because a settlement was arrived at between the Earl and his tenants ; but for fully a month the forces of the Crown held Drumlish in a state of siege, until about fifty men, who had taken a prominent part in resisting the law, were bound over to the peace, after a week's imprisonment in Mullingar Jail. In reference to this famous period in the history of the Irish land agitation, the following scrap is taken from the issue of The Tablet, of January 22nd, 1881, on a question asked by Mr. McCarthy in the House of Commons : — " The Earl of GtRanaed as a Landlord. "Mr. Justin M'Carthy having alluded on Monday to a tumult caused by the serving of certain processes of ejectment on behalf of Lord Grranard, Mr. Brrington, on Tuesday, vindicated the character of that excellent nobleman as a good landlord. These remarks were warmly received by the House, as was also Mr. Errington's testimony to the pacific influence of a Catholic priest on this occasion, and to that which the Catholic clergy in general might be expected to exercise. ' There was another point also,' continued the member for Longford, ' to which he wished to allude. He meant the conduct on the occasion in question of a priest who was present. He believed it was due mainly to the Christian and manly behaviour of the parish priest, under difficult and dangerous circumstances, that, if not blood- shed, at all events serious disturbance was avoided. His name should be mentioned here. It was the Rev. Father Oonnefry, P.P., of Drum- lish. The House would agree that his conduct was that at once of a good priest and a brave man. As to the connection of this episode with the main question, the House would hardly consider the fact that even so kind and indulgent a landlord as Lord Grranard was reluctantly compelled to invoke civil and military aid to preserve order, was a logical reason for suspending the employment of such forces through- out the country. With reference to what fell from the hon. member for Carlow, he agreed with him that the Catholic clergy had found that .-•^t .^ ^'ir;^ 1^ •^fe 'Ts _2ife .^./^v- HISTOEY OP THE COITNTY LONGFOED. 279 the present agitation was going too far for them to support it ; but whatever the result might be, of this he was confident, that in the future they would show themselves as they always had in the past, ministers of peace, opposing any movement, however popular, as soon as it went beyond the strict limits of justice, of religion, and of honour.' " Mr. Errington's sense of the " limits of justice, of religion, and of honour " in those days was rather undefined, I think. At the Longford Spring Assizes, on the 8th of March, 1881, ten young men were indicted before Lord Justice Deasy for conspiracy, and on the occasion of addressing the grand jury, his lordship fully described the offence committed. Lord Justice Deasy, addressing them, said "he was sorry their county was not in as satisfactory a condition as to tranquillity as it was when he had the honour of presiding at last assizes. The number of offences had increased very considerably. Some of the cases had been disposed of at the winter assizes, but a number still remained undisposed of, and bills on them would now be sent up by the Crown. He was very glad to say that no case had occurred involving the loss of human life, and there would, therefore, be no bill sent up for murder or manslaughter. The principal case or cases arose out of an unfortunate affair at or near the neighbourhood of Drumlish, which was made, according to the depositions, the scene of great disturbances, which continued for a period of three days. The disturbances appear to have been of a serious character, in some respects amounting, as they did, almost to an insurrectionary movement against the law. He sincerely hoped that such a state of things would not occur again. Bills in the case would be laid before them (the grand jury), who would give the evidence in support of the charge the best consideration they could. The bills charged ten persons with participating in the riots which unfortunately occurred at Drumlish, and which, as he had said, lasted three days. Perhaps it would be con- 1 A 280 HISTOET or THE COUNTT LONGEOED, venient to give a short outline or general statement of tlie facts for the consideration of the grand jury. It appeared from the facts, as they appeared on the face of the depositions both of the resident magistrate and sub-inspector, that Lord Grranard employed a process-server named Murphy to serve processes for rent on some of his tenants in the neighbourhood of Drumlish, and in order to enable the process-server to discharge his duties, he sent his bailiff, who was acquainted with the tenantry, to point out the persons upon whom the processes were to be served. It was apprehended, and not without reason, that there would be resistance to the service of the processes on the part of the tenants and those who sympathized with them, and accordingly, the resident magistrate and two sub-inspectors went with a force of 100 policemen to protect the bailiff and process-server. And having got to Drumlish they found that the place was crowded, and that the people attempted to obstruct the passage of the bailiff and process-server through the village to the scene of their intended operations. However, the police forced their way through the crowd, and got to the police barrack, and there the resident magistrate and sub-inspectors left fifteen men, and proceeded with the remaining eighty-five constables to the residence of a man named Thomas Rodgers, about half a mile from Drumlish. The crowd accompanied them, and along the road the numbers of the crowd were considerably augmented by various contingents. Having pro- ceeded some distance, the police found that there was a lane leading from the road to Eodgers' house, and from the aspect of the people, which was very menacing, the resident magistrate and the ofl&cer in charge of the police thought that it would be inexpedient to proceed through the lane, which was, of course, flanked by ditches and hedges which would afford cover to the crowd in the event of any disturbance occurring. They then made a detour or flank movement through the fields, and by pressure of the eighty-five men with their swords on the crowd, they succeeded in approaching the house. When they got to the wall near it, they saw that the house was deserted, and as they had no authority to break open the door, the service of the process was HISTORY OF THB COUNTY LONGFORD. 281 on that occasion ineffectual. The resident magistrate thought it "would be inexpedient to go further, and he fell back upon Longford, taking with him the process-server and bailiff, to protect them from the violence of the mob, for the threats of the mob against the process-server were of an exceedingly violent character. They declared they would have his life, and it was probable that if he had not been protected he would have met with serious violence at the hands of the mob, and serious disturbances would have taken place. That was on the 12th of January. The police, seeing the threatening attitude of the people, came bacJk to Longford, where they were reinforced by two more magistrates, and, what was perhaps equally important, they were joined by a number of extra policemen, thus bringing the force of con- stabulary then present up to three hundred men, and with this addi- tional force the parties returned to Rodgers' house, where they saw a crowd of about five hundred persons, and a band came apparently to join them from Mohill. The police returned to Drumlish, having with them the bailiff and process-server, and protecting them in what was called ' a hollow square.' Another attempt was made on the 14th of January with a like result. It was right to state that but for the exertions used by the parish priest, the Eev. Mr. Connefry, there might have been serious disturbances. He got in among the crowd, and disarmed some of the men by taking their bludgeons from them, but, of course, in a crowded assembly he was unable to do more than take a few of them ; and there was nothing wanting on his part to prevent acts of violence and breaches of the peace. Whether the people took the priest's good advice, he (his lordship) was unable to say. The state of things disclosed by the depositions appeared to be lament- able, and amounted, as he had said, on a small scale, to a sort of insur- rection against the law, and, unfortunately, so far with temporary success. Ten persons would be charged with participating in . these riotous proceedings, and it would suflB.ce to say that if the prisoners were aiding and abetting, although they did not strike a blow, they would be guilty of taking part in a riot. Evidence of overt acts on the 282 HISTORY OF THE COTJNTT LONGFOUB, part of tlie several defendants would be given, and that being so, the duty of the grand jury would be very plain. He (his lordship) under- stood the accused parties would be positively identified, that overt acts would be proved against them, and that being so, the duty of the grand jury would be to find true bills, leaving it to" the parties accused to defend themselves before a petty jury in this court. Though the language of the mob was violent, and their disposition towards the bailifE and process-server hostile, through the intervention of the police no violence was inflicted upon anyone." Three of the ten men indicted were sentenced to' short terms of imprisonment, and so this interesting episode in the history of the Irish Land Agitation terminated ; but it is only fair to add, that ever since the people of Drumlish have been the bone and sinew of the land war in Longford. EdGEWORTHSTOWN — CloNBEONET — KlLLOE. Bdgeworthstown, or the parish of Mostrim, has a population of about 3,000 souls, nearly all Roman Catholics, of which the town absorbs fully 1,000. It is so called because of its being the residence for the past two hundred years of the Bdgeworth family, of which another branch lived in the parish of Clonbroney, the present representative of the former being Antonio E. Edgeworth, a gentleman who has, I am told, lived a considerable time in Italy. The little town of Edgeworthstown is pleasantly situated enough, and a considerable portion of the land about it is the very best to be foui^Jin the County Longford. Like all other places though, the landlord'^disinclined to give it at a mode- rate rent; and quite recently a very animated dispute took place between him and his tenants, during which he invoked the power of the law and held a sheriff's sale in the town. Edgeworthstown House, beautifully situated a short distance from the town, is the birthplace of the famous Maria Edgeworth, daughter of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, who died in 1817, and whose remains are interred in the cemetery of the place. Maria Edgeworth was born in 1770, and died in the year 1849, at the ripe old age of eighty. Her HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 283 teng and useful life was chiefly passed in Ireland ; and many of her earlier works were produced by the aid of her father, who was a man of very eccentric character, but great intellectual activity in devoting him- self to educational experiments and the improvement of society. Miss Edgeworth was a novel writer, who in her works endeavoured at once to please the taste and educate the mind ; and the most valuable series of her early educational stories were the charming tales entitled "Rosamond," "Harry and Lucy," "Frank," published under the title of Early Lessons. These tales are written in the simplest style of language, and are both intelligible and interesting to the youngest readers ; whilst the knowledge of character they display, the sound practical lessons they convey, and the naturalness of their incidents, make them morceaux choisis to the adult reader. In a work called the Parents' Assistant, Miss Edgeworth endeavoured to teach people of a more advanced age the very lessons contained in the previous sketches ; and she next tried, in a short series of stories, such as Simple Susan, which is a masterpiece of grace and style, to combat the follies and prejudices of youth. Her best novel was a story entitled Castle Back- rent, in which the miseries and wretched state of poor Irish tenants, and the tyranny and hardships to which their landlords subjected them, are vividly sketched ; and a defence of the badly vilified Irish character makes Maria Edgeworth do for the Irish what Sir "Wajter Scott did for the Scotch. Her other literary efforts included two very good stories — The Absentee and Patronage, in both of which she endea- voured to correct other social errors, and not unsuccessfully either, for she has done more good in the cause of common sense than any other similar writer in the ranks of British literature. Her father, brother, and some of her cousins were decidedly noted for their literary propen- sities ; and whilst none of them showed the same rare gifts and talents as did herself, yet the family deserve specially to be complimented on their literary ability. Their exertions, too, in the cause of education deserve well for them from the people of this county ; for, during the lifetime of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, prior to the passing of any edu- 284 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. cational measures, he patronized no less than eight different schools in the town, which was noted amongst surrounding towns for the excel- lency of its teaching and general proficiency of its scholars. In the year 1740 a Latin School was taught here by the Eev. Patrick Hughes, at which Oliver Goldsmith spent two years ; but, strange to say, despite his descriptive ability and general references to places he met with, he makes no mention either of the size or population of Bdgeworthstown. It, however, appears to me to be about 200 years erected, during which it has undergone vast improvement for the better. About the year 1800 a great part of the town was rebuilt, owing to roof dilapidation and other causes, and at this time it is said to have consisted of 145 houses, which was by no means a small number for those days. The only historical reference I can find made to this parish is under date — " 1430. Owen 0' Neill, accompanied by the chiefs of his province, marched with a great army into Annaly. He went first to Sean Loug- phort, and from thence to Caoillseallach (Kilsallagh), where he resided for some time." The Bdgeworth family settled early in this place, to which they gave their name, the old name being Mostrim. The district which they obtained at the time of the plantation of Annaly previously belonged to the O'Farrells of Oamliskmore. The ruins of an abbey existed on the lands of Cullyvore, in this parish, in 1837. Very little more than the foundation-stones of it now remain, although it was in a tolerable state of preservation then. There can be no record of its existence found in any ecclesiastical work I have seen. The patron saint of the parish of Mostrim is unknown ; but Mr. O'Donovan believes, from the fact that a well called Barry's Well was lying almost beside the old ruins, that the ancient patron of this parish was St. Bearach. The present patron is the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose feast is celebrated by the people on August 15th. At a place called Noghaval, some distance from this parish, in the year — "1462. O'Farrell of Annaly was defeated by the sons of Con HISTORY OP THE COTJNTT LONGFORD. 285 O'MelagMin, Laviseach, the son of Eoss, and the Dillons of Westmeath. Edmund O'Ferrall, and eleven men who were descendants of Murtogh Oge O'Ferrall, were taken prisoners, after a loss on their side of seventy men in the battle." During the visit of O'Neill in 1430, his army fell short of provisions, and a bull having been procured, it is said that O'Neill had him roasted alive. His roars were so great that all the kine in the country ran towards him, and O'Neill, putting an end to his sufferings, captured all the other beasts. Portion of the parish of Streete which is cut off by the boundary of this county from Westmeath, adjoins the mearing of this parish. Mr. John O'Donovan believes that it should be dedicated to St. Fintan, because there is a holy well here in the townland of Queensland ; but he makes no historical reference to that part of the parish in this county. Glonbroney. This is an extensive parish, generally low and flat, lying to the north-east of the parish of Mostrim, and directly between Longford and G-ranard. In the middle of the parish is the pleasantly-situated town of Ballinalee, which up to the year 1800 was known as the Cor- poration of St. Johnstown, and returned two members to the Irish Parliament. No doubt, the existence of such a place as a borough would create considerable feelings of risibility were one to visit it as such to-day. It was created, however, in the year 1680, for the purpose- of being a convenient and handy " pocket " from which to return two upholders of " law and order." Between Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown is the celebrated Moat Ferrall, and also Charlton's Folly, both relics of a past age, worthy of the attention of the historian, poet, or painter. Moat Ferrall is about the same size as the Moat of Lisserdowling, but more elevated and ancient- looking. A tradition is preserved amongst the people that the interior of it is hollow, and that in old times there was a private entrance to it by which the O'Ferralls entered when they were fleeing from their enemies. 286 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. and remained in concealment here until danger was passed. Another story I have heard of it was, that here were inaugurated the ancient chief- tains of Annaly prior to the dissensions which occurred amongst them in 1445. The ceremony of inauguration was a curious and solemn one. When the ruling chieftain died, or was killed in battle, as most often happened, his remains were borne on a bier to the moat, on the top of which they remained for one whole day and night, his people meantime keeping watch over the body in respectful silence. At the expiration of the appointed time for waking it, the body was removed, and the new chieftain, who had been selected in iihe meantime, ascending the moat, took an oath to observe the customs and laws of his country ; and a white wand being presented to him, he thus assumed the lordship of his chieftaincy. Two hundred years ago the lands of Moat Ferrall belonged to a Mr. Charlton, who at his death willed them and his estates in Longford, Meath, and Westmeath to be divided in certain sums of money between young married labouring couples. This will has been a subject of much litigation. In order to spend as much money as he could, he built in this neighbourhood a rambling old structure, now in ruins, which, from the lot of money expended on it, and the way it is built, is called Charlton's Folly to this day. Both these places are well worthy of a visit from any person. In the year 1798, there encamped in the village of Ballinalee the blood-stained soldiers of Lord Cornwallis, who' hanged more men during his three days' stay in it than ever were known to be executed at one period in the county before. If the reader refers to Part I. of this work, he will find full statistics given of the men who represented St. Johnstown in the Irish House of Commons. At a place called Firmount, in this parish, was born the celebrated Abb^ Bdgeworth, who attended Louis XIV. on the scaffold at his execution in Paris in 1789. He belonged to the Bdgeworth family; and was at the time of his death esteemed a very learned and holy man. He was converted to the Catholic faith whilst travelling in France in his young days. '^iVi,. '>( *t 4* <• 1 •^«<% ^ *g, i- tw . ^ \ t» & HISTOEY OF THE COUNTX LONGFORD. 289 * Grenerally speaking, the parish of Clonbroney is one of the most fertile and pleasing-looking to be met with, in the county. I am not very well versed in the topography of the parish ; but- 1 know that not far frora the town of Ballinalee the CamHn takes its rise ; and into the CamHn the surplus waters of the small lake of Grurteen discharge them- selves by a natural underground sewer, forming one of the most curious phenomena to be met with in any part of Ireland. On the slope of Cornhill, and to the west of the town, there is also some splendid natural scenery in a place called the Grlen, well worthy of a visit from any person — even the tourist who has visited the hills of Switzerland or the Lakes of Killarney. This beautiful place, which has not been at all improved by the loss of some trees lately cut down by the landlord, consists of a fairy dell, through which a tiny rivulet runs, falling in its course over a succession of natural cascades, in one of which there is formed a regular pot and pan, out of which the water dashes and forms a miniature fountain, very pretty to see on a fine day. On the whole it is the most beautifully fairy spot in the County Longford. Killoe. The parish of Killoe, which is bounded on the north by Cornhill, on the east by Clonbroney, west by Drumlish, and south by Longford, is, according to Mr. O'Donovan, a wild parish generally, low, flat, and boggy, and on the whole far from fertile. Nevertheless, the men of this parish have been at all times good stout men, ever in the breach when the call of duty required their presence. I have referred to Cornhill, which is so called because of the existence on its top of a large cairn, or huge pile of stones, which marks the last resting-place of some of the Irish kings. It is questionable if any relics of the monarchs could be discovered were search made beneath the cairn ; but I have no doubt that an interesting suite of martial weapons would be discovered. It was on this hill that the beacon was lighted which proclaimed to the people that the Rising of '98 had been accomplished; and O'Rourke, 1 ii 290 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. in his marcli to Ardagli in 1172, stayed at the foot of the hill for one night. I am sorry to say that, except for these few and uninteresting records, I have found no other references to these parishes. OlONGISH and KlLLASHEE. Clongish. The parish of Clongish extends in an oblong direction from the bridge of Clonart to the cross roads of Kilmore — a distance of about four miles, its greatest breadth not exceeding three. It is entirely flat and uninteresting, except that in the very centre of it almost stands Castle Forbes, the residence of the Earl of Grranard, a costly fabric of recent erection, standing between the village of Newtownforbes and the Shannon. The castle is erected about one mile from the main entrance to the demesne, which is about a mile square in circumference, the entrance opening into the single street of the village itself. It consists of a minaretted tower of solid and substantial proportions, attached to which is the main or house portion of the building, five stories high, erected of purely-dressed limestone. At right angles to this building is another similar building forming a triangle without a base, the apex of which is the tower. At the base of this triangle a line of stables runs parallel to the northern wing of the building, in which the carriage and other horses belonging to the Earl of Grranard are kept ; and were a comparison to be instituted between them and the wretched dens in which some of his lordship's tenants are forced to live, a very fair idea would be gained of the fetid passion which often impels human beings to fondle a pug dog and spurn a Christian from their doors at the same time. There are inside the walls of the demesne, and behind Castle Forbes, the remains of a graveyard in which, prior to the year 1800, all the people of the parish had leave to inter deceased relatives. But the fourth Earl of Grranard, having spent much of his time in fencing in the demesne with walls and palings, determined to close this graveyard HISTORY OF THE OOITNTy LONGFOED. 291 against future interments, except of members of his own family. When this became known it aroused a great deal of anger and discontent in the parish ; so much so that many persons had recourse to burying their friends in the graveyard at night sooner than forego their right to interment in it. This Lord Granard always resisted, by having the remains lifted and deposited outside the castle walls as soon as he dis- covered that an interment had taken place. There lived in the parish at this time a notorious prize-fighter and village Sampson, whose prowess with the fists had gained for him the pugnacious title of the " BuUa- watha." This man fell sick in the course of time, and, when dying, called his sons to his bedside. "Bury me," said he, "in the graveyard in the demesne, where my father before me rests ; and put a good blackthorn stick at my right hand in the coffin, for if anyone disturbs me you'll hear something." The man died soon after, and the direc- tions he gave to his sons were faithfully carried out ; and at midnight his remains were placed in a grave in the forbidden burial-ground. Next day the earl came to hear of it, and ordered the removal of the remains. His orders were promptly obeyed, and poor " Bulla-watha " was left on the road side; and the people of Olongish heard next morning that Lord Granard was dead. There is a good story told of the wife of Sir George Forbes, fifth Earl of Granard. She, it seems, was a very benevolent lady, who recognised that " those who give to the poor lend to the Lord." One day she was walking in the demesne of Castle Forbes, accompanied by her husband, the earl, when they were accosted by a poor mendicant, who craved of them an alms. Lady Granard immediately put her hand ia her pocket, and took from her purse a guinea, which she handed to the poor man. The earl, who was rather "tight" in money matters, expostulated with her on such extravagance, and said guineas were not so plenty as to be given away at random. Her lady- ship requested him to lend her half-a-sovereign and she would exchange it for the gift she had just made ; and having called back the mendi- cant, she said, " Here, poor man, his lordship desires to add a donation 292 HlSTOET OF THE COUNTY LOKGFOED. to my small gift." She tHeii gave him the half-sovereign, and, having rejoined her lord, informed him what she had done. It is needless to say that his lordship did not again interfere with his lady's bequests. About the year 1780 an innocent man was ordered to be executed in Longford Jail for the crime of sheep-stealing. In vain the poor fellow protested his innocence of the crime with which he was charged ; there was no mercy for him, and when the day appointed for his exe- cution had come, he was brought out to a large tree in the neighbour- hood of Longford Jail, and there publicly strung up like a dog. In those days a man's friends obtained his body after death ; and in this case, as soon as the oflB.cials of the jail had departed, the body was cut down and borne off by the relations. When bearing it away some of them observed that it was very warm, and that the tongue did not protrude as in the ordinary case where a man's neck is broken by a fall ; and having applied restoratives they had the satisfaction of seeing the appa- rently dead man come to in a few hours, an injury to his spine being the only serious result of the hanging. The truth was, that in those days hanging was an every-day occurrence almost, and in this instance, the officials had been so careless in performing their ugly task, that they had not carried out the sentence of the law. From the effects of the injury to his spine, the man was hunched during after-life. His friends succeeded in conveying him away in secret to the woods of Castleforbes, where they built for him, in a secret place, a small hut. Here he lived in privacy for about five years, never daring to go out except after dark. One day, however, a frolicsome boy ran into his hut, and shouted to him that the soldiers were coming, and the poor fellow got such a fright that he dropped dead on the floor. Du.ring the stormy days of '98 and 1803 this parish was the scene of very active work. Lord Forbes, son to the Earl of Granard, was then about in his maturity, and his father, the earl, in virtue of his command of the Longford Militia, had at his back a company of about 120 yeomen. "With these men the young viscount was in the habit of sallying out and searching for rebels, as he was pleased to call any person who had HISTORY OF*rHB COUNTY LONGFORD. 293 rep.dered himself obnoxious to the ruling powers. On one occasion intelligence was conveyed to him that a rebel who held a command at Ballinamuck, was concealed in a house in his father's bog. Imme- diately the young lord and his minions dashed out and scoured the whole country, but without avail. It was afterwards known that the hunted patriot had lain in a boghole whilst the yeomen searched the bog, and these gallant sons of Mars never thought of looking in such a place for him. His father, the Earl, who had a seat in the Irish House of Lords, opposed the passing of the accursed Union ; and it is said of him that neither bribery nor offers of promotion could induce him to give his assent to it. When the union was passed, he, in company with twenty- eight other peers of Ireland, entered a written protest in the most solemn manner against it. He is said also to have invariably supported Charlemont, G-rattan, and Curran in their Irish policy. It is gratifying to find that in so important a matter Lord Glranard took the right side ; and it would, in my opinion, do a great deal for his grandson to-day in the estimation of the people of Longford, if he could bring himself to support the policy of the great statesman who is endea- vouring to undo the chains which have bound Ireland since 1800. I have at some length previously referred to Lord G-ranard's action at Ballinamuck in no very complimentary terms. At that time I was not aware of his other action in 1800 ; and whilst I am most willing on all occasions to show up the bad acts of men in power, I would not wish to be understood as a partial critic who looked but to the one side of a picture. In Lord Granard's demesne there is a kind of old stone pier, with a curious inscription in Latin carved upon it. This inscription is sup- posed by Mr. John O'Donovan to be dedicated to Barbacela, " the guar- dian of the spring" a well that once bubbled forth from the root of an ash-tree in the vicinity. I have never seen the inscription or the monu- ment myself, but I take the liberty of attaching hereunto Mr. 'Dono- van's translation of it. He says that the people of Olongish call this 294 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOHD. monument Granuewael's Tomb, but in this tbey are, of course, mistaken. He also says that the parish of Olongish was originally founded by St. Eilether, according to Colgan; but the name of the saint, or when he lived, is no longer even remembered by the present inhabitants. In a previous notice of the Earls of Granard, I have given the recorded events that took place during the Irish Confederated Catholic War in 1641, and also the events of the War in 1690. I will now conclude my notice of this parish with a word about The Baebacela Monument. O'Donovan's translation of the inscription on this monument is : — " Polycletes, tell why has old fame Extolled thy arts and raised on high thy name, When the fair figures fashioned by thy hand Can ne'er the wasting power of time withstand. Why boast of Phydia's nobly sculptured forms, As they have not defied the rage of storms. But look at me with artless native face, Sit here, eternal vigil of the place ; For snows and storms may rage In vain to strike me with the marks of age. I still retain the beauty of my prime. And bid defiance to the hand of time. G-ood friend, whene'er thou travellest this way, Shouldst thou be thirsty from a sultry day. Consulting for thy stomach and thy head, Drink freely of this well — 'twill serve instead Of wine and all such artificial drink. Which cause the body and the mind to shrink. But when thou travellest here some offering bring To Barhacela, goddess of this spring." Killashee. The word " Killashee " means " the wood of the fairies," and this parish is so called because of the number of forts which are to be found HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGrORD. 295 in.itj and whicli, some hundreds of years ago, were covered with, trees. This is an uninteresting parish, free from many historical reminis- cences. It is mostly composed of low land and bog, which, except for some fertile and productive spots, is generally of a very inferior quality. It is said that at the old graveyard of Ballinakill there stood in ancient times a monastery for Grey Franciscan Friars, the remains of which are still plainly to be seen in the old graveyard, which is nearly midway between the villages of Killashee and Clondra, and is very picturesquely situated. In reference to this monastery, I find that there were fifteen Franciscan convents founded in Leinster, and that in " 1302. The Convent of St. John the Baptist, near Killashee, in the County of Longford, was founded by Dhonmal O'Farrell, Chieftain of Annaly." Dhomnal O'Farrell is mentioned as 76th on the O'Farrell pedigree from Ir, the founder of the Iran Monarchy. The date at which the Convent of Killashee was destroyed or deserted is not given ; but we may reasonably suppose that in the reign of Elizabeth it shared the same fate as the other monasteries and abbeys in Ireland. An old story is told in reference to it, which is the most interestmg about this parish. This is, that at the time of its suppression there was a splendid musical bell suspended from an ash-tree beside the old monastery ; and the soldiers who demolished it took away the bell, and set it up on the belfry of a church which they had erected for their own use, near the Shannon. The bell, however, was not disposed to. call to prayers people to whose religious feelings its own were not consonant ; and the Sunday fol- lowing its removal, when the time came for Mass, the bell sprung from the belfry on which it had been placed, and, flying back through the air, clanging aloud to the people to assemble for their ancient worship, once more become settled upon the tree, from which it fell to the ground and was broken. This beautiful legend in reference to the sound of the bell in the air is yet told amongst the people of this parish, and many of them will also tell the querist of their having heard it them- selves — auribus ipsis. There is in Killashee, as well as in every other 296 HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFORD. place, a holy well called by tlie name of Ardneeves Well, to tke waters of wHch certain miraculous powers are attached. Rynmount House is a very old erection near Clondra, and was at one time the residence of a family of Montforts. The little village of Clondra, at the upper end of the parish, is an ancient place, and was the head-quarters of all the grain merchants of the county prior to the introduction of the canal into Longford, in 1826. A tremendous traffic was carried on between this place and Dublin at or shortly before the time of the Union, which was subsequently transferred to Longford, and carried on there for years. There was a distillery here in those days, too, which carried on a large trade. Many accidents, too numerous to record, have occurred about the canal and locks which open into the Shannon. Unfortunately, the trade done on these high- ways of traffic has largely decreased. In the graveyard of Clondra there stands the ruins of what the inhabitants of this parish call " Cromwell's Church," which is one of the strongest-looking structures I have seen, and is certainly in a state 'of great preservation. Inside and outside the walls are surrounded with bushes and brambles, which add a good deal to its ancient appearance ; whilst the long, narrow slit windows testify to its undoubtedly strong claims to antiquity. I have made a careful examination of the ruins, and my own belief is that this place was once a friary chapel of some sort or other, in which the clergyman who officiated lived. My reason for believing that the latter lived here is, that at the rere of the building there is a kitchen-like apartment, the roof of which is composed of small stones, arched and grouted together. A flight of stone steps leads on to this roof, which is thus made a gallery of. Probably the whole building was roofed in like manner in the good old days gone by. The walls of this priory chapel, which is exactly similar to Abbeydearg, Ballymacormack, and Longford, are very thick ; and in the graveyard itself there is to be seen more than one old stone carved in raised Irish letters. Irish scholars should note this fact, and pay a visit to Clondra graveyard. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 299 , I have been told that almost at the edge of the Shannon, and in a bee-line south-west from this old ruin, there was erected a castle, the remains of which are now scarcely discernible. I have found no historical mention made of it. Coming back to the village of Killashee, we pass, on our way into Longford, Ballyclare Castle, reference to which will be found in the extracts from the Patent Rolls of James I. Longford. The parish of Longford is at the present day made up of the parishes of Tempi emichael, Sraid, and Ballymacormack, and numbers 7,000 inhabitants, of whom 4,000 live in the town of Longford. The town of Longford is incorporated under the Towns' Improvement Act, 1854, and is represented in the Town Council by fifteen Town Com- missioners, of whom one is borough magistrate and holds a Court of Conscience once a week ; whilst the electorate is divided into two wards, called respectively the Longford and Abbey Wards. The Upper Barracks, built about the year 1790, was used as the depot of an artillery regiment, and possessed many more attractive features about it than a mere outside inspection would attach to it. The Lower Barracks, which was built about the year 1815, has served for the head- quarters oE a cavalry regiment up to within a few years ago, when, contrary to the wishes of a large number of the people of the town, whose trade was benefited by the presence of the soldiers, the head-quarters were removed, and have not since been restored. Among the other buildings in town worthy of notice, are — the county jail, the county infirmary, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, St. Mel's College, St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy, and the Protestant church. The county jail is a comparatively new erection of very formidable proportions, and capable of holding 150 prisoners. Up to a recent period it was the jail in which all prisoners from the county were confined ; but owing to the diminution of crime in Ireland, as well as to the paring economy of our rulers, the county jail of Longford is now an empty building, in which no 1 300 HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFORB prisoners are confined. After its erection, a practical system of remu- nerative labour introduced at the time into Irish prisons was carried out here with great success, and starch and Indian meal was ground by the prisoners on the treadmill ; whilst female prisoners were employed in sewing sacks and other useful articles of house use ; and so very eco- nomically was the business managed, that the governor at the time, after feeding his prisoners and paying them Id. per day, had a profit to balance his accounts with. Now all this has been changed, and the prisoners, instead of being employed at some useful work, are sent down to Sligo to break stones for road contractors, and to cost the cesspayers in railway fares more money than if they had been left in Longford. The county infirmary was erected in 1848, and is capable of holding about sixty patients, whose wants are attended to by a staff of nurses, a doctor, and aii apothecary. The present doctor is by repute a clever surgeon ; and very few cases of death have occurred under his hands, although it is not to be expected that there are the same appliances, medical and surgical, here as one meets with in a city. It is a great pity that the Government do not empower their universities to place such hospitals as these on the list of those places from which students could obtain a medical degree ; and I am sure that if such regulations were put in force regarding county infirmaries, the result would be tp greatly assist the doctors and to tend to the general welfare of the patients. With regard to the County Longford Infirmary, a good story is told of its first doctor. This was a Frenchman named Dubedat, who exercised all the medical and surgical skill the patients needed at that time, and is said to have been a wondrously clever man. Be that as it may, after his death it was rumoured among the patients that they had " seen " Dr. Dubedat, or rather his ghost, and forthwith it was ordained as an unwritten law that Dr. Dubedat's appearance meant the death of the patient whom he visited ; and up to a few years ago Dr. Dubedat's visits were almost as regularly reported as the advent of a new moon. HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOBD. 30l ' The Eoman Catholic Cathedral of Longford is the largest building of its kind in Leiaster. For the stupendousness of its proportions, the height of its tower, the massiyeness of its columns, and its gorgeous interior decorations, the Cathedral of Longford can vie with any other in Ireland. The first stone was laid on the 19th of May, 1840, by the then bishop. Right Rev. WilKam O'Higgias, and it was completed and opened on 29th September, 1856, by the Right Rev. John Kilduff, his immediate successor, than whom no greater benefactor of the Church ever lived. The cathedral is cruciform in shape, consisting of a nave, two transepts, two aisles, and a spacious chancel. In the aisles and round the whole church, at a distance of some twelve feet from the ground, there are niches placed between each window, in which the present illustrious and saintly bishop has erected costly statues of the saints and the Holy Family ; and in recent years a large sum has been expended in the interior decoration of the church. The roof is sup- ported by more than 24 large columns, massively thick, and cut out of a limestone quarry in the parish of Newtowncashel. Underneath the floor of the church are vaults for the interment of priests, and there are also here interred the remains of the founder and opener of the cathedral. The erection of this stupendous building cost £60,000, and the high altar (which is cut out of French marble) and the grand organ cost £10,000. The collection of this vast sum to erect a fitting temple for the CathoHcs of the centre of Ireland surely reflects credit on those who undertook the herculean task ; and the writer is fully sensible that he is unable to do sufficient justice to the result of their labours. The architectural beauty and finish of the mouldings of the ceiling are alone worthy of the greatest praise ; but it would require a more skilled and experienced writer than I am to adequately describe the whole building, a personal visit to which will amply repay the stranger. St. Mel's College is nearly twenty years doing practical good for the Catholic youth of the county, and already it has passed through its portals some eminent men, including Joseph R. Cox, Esq., M.P. for East Clare, and his brother. Dr. M. F. Cox, a distinguished man in the 302 HISTORY OF THE COtTNTY LONGPOED, medical profession in Dublin. The number of priests who have been educated in St, Mel's College is beyond reckoning, and a good many of its students at the present day occupy high places in the various professional ranks of our country, whilst not a few have obtained creditable places in the Civil Service. St. Mel's College is built in a north-eastern direction from the town, and presents to the eye all that is needed to make a college a healthy home for students. The teaching staff is large, the curriculum varied, every subject necessary to a man's present day education being taught by it. Not the least attractive feature is the foundation of a number of valuable bourses by the present bishop, which are offered for competition each year to the students ; and every care and attention is bestowed by the authorities on the latter. St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy ib a recent building which cost a large sum of money, and is admirably fitted for the wants of the large community that dwell within its wallls. The community is under the spiritual care of the Eev. Mother Mary Joseph Howley, and the patronage of the Lord Bishop of Ardagh. To the convent are attached the young ladies' and other schools, in which a very good education is given to the Catholic female youth of the town. The Protestant Church of Longford is built in the same style as nearly all such churches are built throughout the country, and there is nothing peculiar about it except that it is said to be erected on the site of the old parish church of Longford. The present church is not more than eighty years erected, having superseded an old and shaky building which had stood in the same place from the reign of Queen Anne. The building of to-day is the plainest of the plain — neither pretentious in its outward nor (we believe) interior appearance. There are also in Longford a Methodist chapel, opened in 1843, a Presbyterian church, and what is called a Bartonite meeting-house ; and we have national schools to correspond to all these persuasions. Coming to historical matter, I may be permitted to say that never have I ever experienced more difficulty than to discover the origin and history of the town of Longford. The name Longford, how- HISTOEY OF THE COTINTY LONGFORD. 303 ever, gives us a clue to the origin of the town. We are told in an old record that the Gaelic name of this place was Athfada, which means the long ford — ath being the Gaehc for ford, and fada long. Our forefathers had a curious fashion of calling every place by its peculiar natural characteristic, and when the Saxon came, in order to name places he simply translated the Gaelic name, and gave him- self no more trouble about it. Thus, by the translation of Athfada, we have Longford, the name we know to-day. The Castle of Lios-ard-abhla, erected at the Moat of LisserdowHng, and now represented by a few crumbling old walls at the foot of the moat, is within the parish boundary of Longford, and is well worthy of a visit from the people of the town, who do not seem to know that such a place exists at all. The ruins of the castle, as shown in the old walls, prove it to have been a large and important erection ; but I have been told that nearly all the main portions of the structure, which was iu a tolerable state of preservation up to some short time ago, have been removed. The people who live in the neighbourhood tell that the moat is hollow within, and that they remember the time when a chimney-shaft was open on the top of it. They also say it was believed by many old people that the owners lived within and had underground passages from it to escape through in case of attack or surprise. I am inclined myself to think that, like the Moat of Granard, Lios-ard-abhla was used, if for anything, as a storehouse for grain, but as nothing else than that. The first mention that we find of the existence of such a place as Longford, occurs in the year 1400, when we find that Dhomnal, or Donnell O'Earrell, chieftain of Annaly, founded a monastery which con- tinued to flourish for more than one hundred years, until the suppres- sion by Elizabeth. The next thing we know is that Longford became a borough, and was represented in the Irish House of Commons by two members of Parliament from the year 1613 to 1800. The whole county was, during this time, represented by ten members — not a few of whom were celebrated men — such as Sir John Parnell, John Hely 304 HISTORY OF THE OOUNTT LONGFORD. Hutchinson, Arthur Grore, &c. It was during those days that the Aungiers became Lords of Longford, having obtained large grants of land about the present town in these days ; and they, in my opinion, erected the present old Castle of Longford. Perhaps it would be well now to say a few words about the Castle of Longford. This castle consists at present of a large tower and a square building attached, the whole forming a large and com- fortable dwelling-house, which is let out in tenements to the wives of the soldiers of the adjoining barracks. The tenement rooms are large and airy ; so large, indeed, that some of them would make a very good little dwelling-house in itself. In this respect alone they show their age and antiquity, for, together with the old houses built round them, they are now in use more than 200 years. The Castle of Longford was built by Lord Aungier, the first Lord Longford, about the year 1627. Lord Aungier, in building the castle, attached to it a keep for soldiers, and surrounded it with a fortification, which extended in parallel lines from the back of the jail to Mullagh Bridge, thence across to the Kiver Camlin, which formed the southern and eastern fortification to the castle. The Eiver Camlin at this time flowed in a straight line from the Bridge of Longford until it joined its small tributary at a point midway between the railway and Mullagh Bridge, whence it swept round to the north and flowed by an at present clearly defined channel into its present course. The old course of the river will be plainly seen if the reader takes the trouble to walk from the end of this old channel towards the Lower Barrack back gate, when he will find a green track leading him straight till he strikes the river at the point where the present new cut was made for it. The track of the old fosse or fortification will be also plainly discernible if the reader draws a straight line from the wooden bridge to the end of Abbeycar- tron lane, and thence across to the north side of the present barracks. The space inside and outside this old boundary is called The Demesne, and has never lost the title bestowed on it by the first owners, who in those good old days had it planted with fine oak and birch -trees, which HTSTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOKD. 305 are now all cut down, but traces of which are yet plainly to be seen in the number of little mounds that now cover the whole flat pasture of this portion of the land. The Castle of Longford remained in possession of the Aungiers as long as they continued Lords of Longford, and passed from them to the Pakenhams, when they obtained the title (which was about the year 1765), who continued to reside in it until the year 1816, or thereabouts, when, owing to the suicide of one of the family in it, they abandoned it for good as a residence, and went to reside near CastlepoUard, where they still live. The Pakenhams are first men- tioned in connexion with the county about the year 1730, on 6th October, 1747, Thomas Pakenham being elected M.P. for the Borough of Longford. His son, Edward Michael Pakenham, was created first Yiscount Longford, and the present earl is the fifth of the name who holds the title. Many and thrilling are the stories which could be told concerning past events in the town of Longford. It is built on the Camlin, which, many hundred years ago, was a wide and shallow stream, flowing by an irregular and zig-zag course to the Shannon. Its course at present is very irregular, it is true ; but then efforts have been made, and not without success, to build up proper embankments, &c., to repress the overflow of the river ; and in many places are to be found traces of an old and (now) disused course such as I have described. The peasantry of the county have always told that there was a pro- phecy made by St. Columbkille about this stream. The prophecy was to the effect that it would be seen to run red with blood on three different occasions, the last being a warning of the approach of the end of time. The people aver that already this prophecy has been fulfilled twice, each fulfilment having occurred during times of sore trial to the Irish people. On the first of these occasions the river was reddened by the blood of the men slain at Ballinamuck, which a body of soldiers washed off their garments in the river at Ballinalee. The second took place when, during the great cholera epidemic of 1832, 306 HJSTOIiy OP THE OOTTNTY LONGFORD. a butcher in Longford killed a number of sheep on the banks of the river. If the prophecy ever was made, and that its fulfilment was of such direful moment to the people, it is no harm to say that we hope the third fulfilment will not occur, at least during the present generation.. Several very cruel events occurred upon the advent of the satellites — lay and clerical — of Queen Bess in Longford. One of the stories told of it is, that on their arrival they found three monks of the Order of St. Dominick in the old parish chapel. The times these men lived in were times in which a man's life was held at very little value ; and, of course, everyone is aware that, as well as Mahomet in Arabia, Elizabeth in England and Ireland " made men's consciences by the sword." Thus it came that the discovery of the poor Dominican friars was somewhat like a godsend to the soldiers, who immediately led them out to execution. Two of them were strung up at once to a large elm- tree that grew near the present church entrance. The third, a vener- able grey-headed old man, was offered his life and liberty if he would renounce his faith and lay aside his Dominican habit. The old gentleman calmly listened to the proposals made to him by his enemies, and then he said : " In these garments I have lived my life — in them I will meet my death." The words were scarcely uttered when he fell to the ground, pierced to the heart by the sword of the Elizabethan officer in command of the soldiers, whose bloody act was loudly applauded by his coarse-minded, vulgar soldiery. This story is probably an unauthorized version of the martyrdoms related at page 181. Some time previous to 1798, a poor man was one fine morning going to the fair of Ballymahon to sell a cow, and in walking along the road he met a party of four men carrying the bleeding corpse of a fifth, whom they were after murdering. Naturally the poor man was very much alarmed at meeting such persons, for it is an old saying that " he is a wise man who never finds a dead man;" but there being no hope for it, he boldly advanced towards them. One of them ran away, but three remained, and, in order to shut the new arrival's mouth, they made him take the place of the man who had fled, and assist them to "^T^T^ETX^ -^!v^s^' •"^i^'tZ — ij • ' ' -^ ^^'^i Way Vfc J PS- Pi •', s I. S5 Q 12; o a n SI w o 6 S5 o O P5 HISTOET OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 339 Wakefield" (1766), "History of Eome" (1768), "The Deserted Village " (1770), " The Traveller," " She Stoops to Conquer," " Eetaliation," " The Haunch of Venison," " The History of Greece," and " The History of Animated Nature." Some of these works rank as first-class masterpieces of their style, such as the poems, " The Traveller " and " Deserted Village," and the comedies of " She Stoops to Conquer," and " The Grood-natured Man." " The Vicar of AYake- field " and the " Letters of a Citizen of the World " also rank as some of the best and purest of good English compositions. Oliver's mistakes and mishaps in this life have often enough been the subject of laughter to all those who have read of his chequered career ; and it seems to me that in attempting, as it were, to rip up the ground afresh, I would be doing that which would neither reflect credit on me nor on the subject of my pen ; therefore, I will simply cursorily refer to these stories, lest, perchance, I might offend the susceptible or irri- tate the critic. Oliver's purse and friendship was ever open to the needy and distressed, as I have said before. Thus, when appealed to by either a professional beggar or a fitting subject of charity, he never refused a gift. Whilst in Trinity College, he was one day during the middle of winter, and whilst himself suffering from extreme poverty, accosted by a poor woman, who told him that her husband was in prison, and she .and her children were starving for want of food. Oliver had not tasted food for twenty-four hours at the time. However — " His pity gave ere charity began " in this case ; for, remembering that he had at home on his bed a good blanket and coverlet, he brought them to the poor woman and gave them to her, telling her to sell them for food for her and her children. Next morning when a friend went to call Goldsmith, he could see nothing on the bedstead but the bare mattress of feathers After call- ing some time, however, a head was popped up out of a hole cut in the cover, and Oliver announced to the astonished visitor that he would be with him directly. Goldsmith, having no other shift to make for a bed IG 340 -HISTOET OP THE OOUNTT LONGFOED. after his extravagant gift, cut a hole in the feather tick, and slept in the feathers all night. The death of Goldsmith's father in 1747 rendered his condition at college so precarious, that in addition to receiving gifts from his friends to support him, he was often compelled to pawn his books for a support. It was then that he began first to scribble verses, which he used to sell privately to a small shop for five shillings a piece. He would then stroll out of an evening to listen to them being sung by ballad-singers in the streets of Dublin, and to observe how the crowd received them. After an attempted attack on Newgate Prison, made by the T.C.D. madcaps, in which several of the warriors came to grief, Groldsmith gave a feast in his rooms to make up for the disgrace which he, as one of the rioters, suffered. He had just won one of the minor prizes of the college, value thirty shillings, and thought by him to be a little fortune. He forthwith gave a dance and a supper in his rooms to several persons of both sexes from the city, which was a flagrant viola- tion of the rules ; but the sound of the fiddle reaching poor Noll's tutor's ears, he rushed to the room, inflicted corporal punishment on the father of the feast, and turned the astounded guests out of doors. Groldsmith's description of his life in Edinburgh, to which he had gone to study medicine and to take out a degree (in both of which he, as usual, failed), is witty and laughable. Describing the hostess's method of making up a hocus-pocus mess for him, he wrote : — "A loin of mutton would serve me and two fellow-students for a week. A brandered chop was served up one day, a steak another, collops with onion sauce a third, and so on until the fleshy parts were quite consumed, when finally a dish of broth was manufactured from the bones on the seventh day, and the landlady rested from her labours." En route from Edinburgh to Leyden, in Holland, to study medicine, the ship was forced by stress of weather to put into Newcastle. Here Goldsmith and other voyagers went on shore to refresh themselves, but were taken prisoners, on suspicion of being French spies. This arrest HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 341 saved Groldsmitli's life, for the vessel sailed without him, and was lost, with all hands, at the mouth of the Garonne, in France. On his arrival in Holland he wrote home the following description of a Dutchman :— " The modern Dutchman is quite a different creature from him of former days ; he in everything imitates a Frenchman but in his easy way. He is vastly ceremonious, and like a Frenchman in the days of Louis XIV. Such are the better bred ; but the downright Hollander is one of the oddest figures in nature. Upon a lank head of hair he wears a half-cocked, narrow hat, laced with black ribbon ; no coat, but seven waistcoats and nine pairs of breeches, so that his hips reach almost to his armpits. This well-clothed vegetable is now fit to see company or to make love. But what a pleasing creature is the object of his appetite ! Why, she wears a large fur cap with a deal of Flanders lace ; and for every pair of breeches he carries she puts on two petticoats." On his travels through the Continent, during which he picked up the materials for his splendid poem, The Traveller, Goldsmith became travelling tutor at Geneva to a mongrel young gentleman, son of a London pawnbroker, and himself an attorney's clerk before a legacy left him plenty of money, of which he was a pettyfogging miser. Goldsmith describes their connection as follows : — " I was to be the young gentleman's governor, with the proviso that he should always govern himself. Avarice was his ruling passion, and all his qiiestions on the road were, how money could be saved, and whether anything, if bought on the way, could be turned to good account in London. Such curiosities as could be seen for nothing, he was ready enough to see ; but if the sight of them was to be paid for, he usually asserted that he had been told they^ere not worth looking at. He never paid a bill that he would not remark how amazingly expensive travelling was ; and all this, although not yet twenty-one. Arrived at Leghorn, as we took a walk to get a view of the port, he inquired the expense of a passage by sea home to England; and finding it was but a trifle compared to his return by land, he paid me the small part of my salary that was 342 5IST0EY or the COITNTY LONQFOED. due, took his leave, and departed, with, only one attendant, for London." After Groldsmith's return to London, in 1756, he became usher in a boarding-school, his career in which may be pretty well understood from the following extract from one of his works : — " This is, indeed, a pretty career that has been chalked out for me. I have been an usher at a boarding-school myself, and may I die by an anodyne necklace, but I had rather be under-turnkey in Newgate ! I was up early and late, browbeat by the master, hated for my ugly face by the mistress, worried by the boys within, and never permitted to stir out to receive civility abroad. But are you sure you are fit for the position ? Let us examine you a little. Have you been bred apprentice to the business ? No ! — then you won't do for a school. Can you dress the boys' hair ? No ! — then you won't do for a school. Have you had the small-pox ? No ! — then you won't do for a school. Can you lie three in a bed ? No ! — then you will never do for a school. Have you a good stomach ? Yes ! — then you will by no means do for a school. The truth is, in spite of all their efforts to please, the tutors are generally the laughing-stock of the school." After trying his hand at medicine for some time, he had again recourse to the schools as a method of earning a living ; and here he met the editor of the Monthly Review, who gave him his first task in litera- ture ; and after some time he began to sell literary productions to a Mr. Thomas Newbury, a bookseller in St. Paul's Churchyard, whom Goldsmith subsequently described as follows, in his own work, the "Yicar of Wakefield":— " This person was no other than the philanthropic bookseller in St. Paul's Churchyard, who has written so many little books for children ; he called himself their friend, but he was the friend of all mankind. He was no sooner alighted than he was in haste to be gone, for he was ever on business of importan(3e, and was at that time actually compiling materials for the history of one Mr. Thomas Trip. I immediately recognised this good-natured man's red-pimpled nose." flISTOET OP THE COUNTY LONGPOED. 343 At this time he became rather -well known, which soon enlarged the circle of his acquaintances ; and the report of his greatness soon travelling to Ballymahon, his friends thought he could do anything for them. They accordingly wrote to him to ask him for his patronage ; and in reply to the letter he received from a Mr. Hodson, he wrote, inter alia: — "I suppose you desire to know my present situation. As there is nothing in it at which I should blush, or which mankind could censure, I see no reason for making it a secret. In short, by a very little prac- tice as a physician, and a very little reputation as a poet, I manage to live. Nothing is more .apt to introduce us to the gates of the Muses than poverty ; but it were well if they only left us at the door. The mischief is, they sometimes choose to give us their company to the entertainment, and want, instead of being gentleman usher, often turns master of the ceremonies." Soon after writing this letter he obtained an appointment as surgeon on the coast of Coromandel, but failed, from poverty, to appear either in fitting garb or with accurate ideas before the Examining Board of the College of Surgeons. He was examined in December, 1758, but was rejected on account of inefl&ciency, and his spirits were soon after still further damped by the threat of the editor of the Monthly. Review to have him committed to prison, if he did not pay the debt he owed him for a proper suit of clothes in which to appear before the Examining Board of the College. Bishop Percy, of Dromore, called on him during those days, and thus describes his abode : — "I called on Goldsmith at his lodgings, in 1759, and found him writing his ' Inquiry ' in a miserable dirty room, in which there was but one chair ; and when, from civility, he resigned it to me, he himself was obliged to sit in the window. Whilst we wei'e conversing together some one tapped gently at the door ; and being desired to come in, a poor, ragged-looking little girl, of a very becoming demeanour, entered the room, and dropping a courtesy, said : ' My mamma sends her com- pliments, and begs the favour of you to lend her a chamber-pot full of coals.' " 344 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGPOBD. After the publication of his " Inq^iiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe," a furious onslaught was made on him in the Monthly Bevietv, with the editor of which he had the quarrel about the suit of clothes. In this unjust and unnatural attack, poor Groldsmith was described as " labouring under the infamy of having forfeited all pretensions to honour or honesty ;" but the attack' was universally condemned as malignant, and was never replied to by the author. In 1761 he met and made the acquaintance of Dr. Johnson, who quickly introduced him to the host of celebrated men who formed the Literary Club of those days ; and soon after he was on intimate terms with Garrick, Boswell, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and others. In 1763 he published the beautiful story of the " Vicar of "Wakefield," which he followed in 1764 with the poem which made his reputation — " The Traveller " — and which was dedicated to Rev. Henry Goldsmith, rector of Lissoy. This poem raised him at once, in the opinion of the public and of his competitors for literary fame, to the level of the greatest living poet, and added most considerably to his circle of acquaintances, which now consisted of wits, scholars, authors, artists, actors, and states- men, amongst the latter being the great orator, Edmund Burke. Boswell recorded several of the conversational disputes that occurred at the Literary Club between Johnson and Goldsmith. Johnson was somewhat of a bully in conversational matters, and could ill withstand contradiction. One day, when Goldsmith was going to speak, Johnson interrupted him. " Take it," said Goldsmith, angrily. " Sir," said Johnson, angrily, " I was not interrupting you ; I was only giving a signal of attention. Sir, you are impertinent." The same evening he met Goldsmith in company with a friend, to whom he said he would make Goldsmith forgive him. " Doctor Goldsmith," said he, " some- thing passed to-day where you and I dined ; I ask your pardon." It would be much from you, sir," replied poor Goldsmith, " that I would take ill ;" and so the angry feelings were at once allayed. On many occasions he had to do the needful for distressed countrymen of his own. One time a fellow named Glover lived on his bounty for some weeks. ItlSTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 345 and thus described Groldsmitli : " Our doctor, as Groldsmitli -was called, had a constant love of his distressed countrymen, -whose wants, as far as he "was able, he always relieved ; and he has often been known to leave himself without a guinea in order to supply the necessities of others." On May 26th, 1770, he produced his poem, " The Deserted Village," which he followed by producing the Histories of Rome, G-reece, and England for the use of schools, which contain a good deal of matter and some literary merit ; and he took a voyage to France about this time. In 1772 he wrote a play, " She Stoops to Conquer," which was produced in Drury-lane Theatre, and had a triumphant success wherever it was performed, and still retains its place amongst the pieces on the stage. Groldsmith's life was now drawing to a close, and his end was not happy. He had for some time suffered from an nglj complaint, which the extra- vagance he plunged into from his sad and pensive moods gi'eatly aggra- vated; and on 4fch April, 1774, he expired of a slow fever, having some time previously retired to live in the suburbs of London. He was interred in Westminster Abbey, in the Poets' Corner, and the following inscription in Latin stands over his remains : — This Monument is raised to Oliver G-oldsmith, Poet, Natural Philosopher, Historian, Who left no species of writing untouched or Unadorned by his pen, Whether to move laughter or to draw tears. He was a powerful Master over the affections ; Of a genius sublime, lively, and versatile ; In expression noble, pure, and elegant. His memory will last Whilst society retains affection, Friendship is not devoid of truth. And reading is held in high esteem. He was born in Ireland, in the Parish of Porgney, 346 .HISTORY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. County of Longford, at a place named Pallas, 29tli November, 1728. He was educated in Dublin, And died in London, 4tli April, 1774 John Keegan Casey, who wrote some of the most charming and patriotic verses to be found in the whole range of Irish poetry, was born at a place called Castletown Geoghegan, in the County "Westmeath, on the borders of the County Longford, about the year 1845. Whilst the future poet was still a mere child, his father obtained the appoint- ment of schoolmaster in the village school of Gurteen, about two miles distant from Ballymahon, and between that town and Kenagh. Here young Casey was reared, and here, in the neighbourhood of Ballymulvey and the Inny, he inhaled, as it were, the first inspirations of poetry. As soon as he was able to do so, he was called upon by his father to assist him in teaching his school ; and at this occupation he spent nearly ten years. Aboiit the year 1860, he first began to write pieces of poetry, which from their beauty and style, as well as lofty conception, soon obtained a prominent place in the columns of the Weekly News and Nation. Previous to this, poor Casey, whilst yet a mere boy, had been in the, habit, even when teaching a class for his father, of falling into an abstracted mood, out of which he would start by repeating some lines of poetry audibly, which he was thinking how to put together ; and this habit chained for him the very uncomplimentary title of " Shawn the Ehymer." Between the years 1860 and 1864, Ireland's intense curiosity was aroused by the gigantic struggle which convulsed the United States ; and during those days, too, " Leo's " mind (for " Leo " was the nom-de-plume he wrote under) was actively engaged in pouring forth abundant stores of patriotic verses, so that not a ballad- singer in Ireland but was acquainted with him. In 1865 " Shawn the Ehymer " had grown to be " Leo the Poet." Everyone is acquainted with the initiation in that year of a great political movement — a move- ~ 3 \,\i7i <-t.-^v ^ "^^ HISTOEY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOED. 349 flment set on foot by one man, and a morement whicli struck terror into tlie hearts of our ]6ritish rulers. During its early stages, John K. Casey became accidentally acquainted with a prominent Fenian in his neigh- bourhood, and was easily and soon converted to the doctrine for which Tone, Emmet, and Fitzgerald died. He was so enthusiastic, too, in the cause he had espoused, that he was at a loss how to propagate its doc- trine. It is easy, however, to find a way when there is a will. There was at this time in Ballymahon a real true-hearted Soggarth Aroon, named Father Lee. To him Casey applied for permission to start a Purgatorian Society in the parish. Father Lee knew Casey well — knew him from his boyhood — and readily gave his consent to the formation of a society for so charitable an object. The society was easily formed — everyone knew and everyone loved " Leo " — and ere long he had all the young men, and some of the staid men too, in his Purgatorian Society. But after each night's meeting, the scholars used to wonder how it was that the seats would be piled up in a corner, and the floor cleared. They thought that if the " Dies Irce " was being chanted, the society should be seated, or if the Rosary were being recited they should kneel — for neither of which positions would it be comfortable to have the seats piled in a corner ; and so gradually it came to be tacitly understood that whilst " Leo " and his brother-members were doing good for the souls of the dead, they also were thinking of doing good for those who were living — in other words, " Leo " was a Fenian organizer ; and what safer way could he take to make converts ? As for poor Father Lee, he never found out that " Leo " was doing a corporal and spiritual work of mercy at the same time, in holding Purgatorian and Fenian meetings together. Towards the end of '65 he obtained an appointment in the town of Ballymahon as assistant school-teacher and clerk in the Roman Catholic chapel, and was next given a school of his own in the parish of JSTew- towncashel. During this time he was engaged writing anti-Saxon songs, a number of ballads which, under the title of the " Wreath of Shamrocks," were pubhshed in leaflet form, and took a prominent 1h 360 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOED. place in the homes and at the firesides of the peasantry of the County Longford. He does not seem to have liked school-teaching as a profession, for, having been offered an appointment by the Murtagh Bros, as their agent in Castlerea, he resigned his school in a few months, and went to reside there. During all this time he had continued to pour forth, week after week, songs, poems, and ballads of all descriptions ; and he and another contributor to the Nation, who wrote under the nom-de-plume of the " Bard of Thomond," had more than one controversy such as pressmen often engage in. At the close of '66 he repaired to Dublin to live. Here he became a miscellaneous writer, and was attached to the editorial staff of the Irish People, in which position he, his editor, John O'Leary, and many others were arrested after the Fenian rising early in '67. After that he was imprisoned for nine months in Mount- joy Prison, where he fell in love with Mary Briscoe (who, some said, was the daughter of a respectable Castlerea merchant, where, when in the service of the Murtagh Bros., he met and wooed her), and married her privately at Marlborough-street Cathedral on November 20th, 1867. He had been released from prison on condition of leaving Ireland for good ; but how could he leave his young and dearly -loved Mary Briscoe just after the sacred link that bound them inseparably together had been fastened ? " Leo " resolved not to leave Ireland, and for this purpose disguised himself as a Quaker, and took up his residence near Cork-hill, and in fact, in the very vicinity of the Castle. Here, disguised as a Mr. Harrison, he lived in seclusion from November, '67, until March '68, when, throwing aside all fear of further arrest, he came forth from his hiding-place on St. Patrick's morning, and was never after- wards disturbed by the Groverment. During the remainder of '68 and '69 he contributed a number of short spicy tales to the Shamrock and Young Ireland, the best of which were : " Ella, the Dancing Grirl," " My Aunt Tommy," "Marion," and " The Grreen Flag of France." At the same time Casey made several lecturing tours in the South of Ireland and England, the subjects of his lectures being — " The Influence HISTORY OF THE COLTNTY LONGFOED. 351 of National Poetry," " The Irish-women of Letters," and the " Orators Letters;" and a lecture delivered in Dublin and Cork on the first- named subject, gained for him a round of congratulatory critiques on his oratorical powers. It was during those days that the election of Dungarvan took place, which fairly covered him with glory, when, by his burning appeal to their patriotism, the men of Dungarvan hurled Sergeant Barry — the foul libeller of the Fenian Brotherhood, whose conduct during the State Trials of '65 was condemned as an outrage to Irish feeling all over the world — from his position as M.P. for that borough, and adopted in his stead an Englishman and a lawyer, named Mathews, in pre- ference to the traitor Irishman, Poor Casey and Rev. Father Anderson, O.S.A., harangued the people, and roused them to a sense of their duty to their country, and " Leo's " burning speeches largely influenced the election and its result. It will not be uninteresting to some of my readers to know that this same Mathews is, as I write, Home Secretary for England. In March, 1869, the firm of Cameron and Ferguson published the copyright of some hundreds of his poems, including the " Wreath of Shamrocks," which he already had issued before his arrest in '67, and their publication, under the title of " The Rising of the Moon and other Poems," was highly applauded by critics of all shades of religious and political feeling. His death was tragic almost in its suddenness. For some time he had suffered from that dread and terrible disease, a bad chest and affected lungs, but, under the skilful care of the Dublin physicians, was rapidly improving. Early in March, 1870, he was driving down by the quays in Dublin, when a dray came in collision with the cab he was seated m. He went to jump out of the cab, when he fell heavily to the ground, the shock stunning him almost to unconsciousness. He recovered, however, but on next evening when crossing O'Connell (then Carlisle) Bridge, he was attacked with a vomitmg of blood which almost killed him on the spot. He was conveyed home in a very weak state, and lived for a week ; and on St. Patrick's morning, in 1870, after 352 EISTOEY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. vomiting blood for almost five hours, he expired in his wife's arms, fortified by all the consolations of the Holy Catholic Church, of which he was a faithful son during life. His poems were collected afterwards, and, from the profits raised by their publication, the publisher has just succeeded in raising a hand- • some tomb to commemorate the virtues of him who sleeps beneath. Cut off, as he was, in his very prime, regretted by all those who knew him as a pure-souled lover of dear Ireland, how great and how honoured might he not be to-day, had it pleased the Almighty to spare him ! But it was not to be ; and the heartfelt wish of many a patriotic Irishman will be echoed when I say — May the clay rest lightly o'er him ! may the grass there be ever greenest ! and may the soul that dwelt within him rest for ever in the mansions of eternal bliss ! " Leo's " Poems. Casey's poems may be classed under three headings — Legendary, Patriotic, and Amatory. Of these, very few, with the exception of " Shawn O'Farrell," are at all known to the people of the County Longford. The people about Lissoy and Pallas delight in repeating Oliver Grold.smith's verses ; but the people of the same neighbourhood seem to know nothing about J. K. Casey's patriotic verses, written at a time when all Ireland was in a blaze of patriotic ardour, and when the dearest hopes of a struggling nation were being slowly undermined by false friends and open foes. It is, in my opinion, a stain on the literary escutcheon of the people of Longford that they do not get a copy, and devour with all the ardour of their souls the verses of " The Wreath of Shamrocks "or " The Rising of the Moon ;" and I promise any young man or young woman in our county that if he or she read, even in the most passing manner, poor " Leo's " patriotic, amatory, and legendary poems, their love of country and love of Erin's ancient and modern minstrelsy will in nowise suffer. HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. 353 PA TRIOTIG. DTJNGARVAN JAMES. Written at the Dungarvan Election. Vote for him, slaves ; take his hand as a brother ; Shout for him, people, his heart is your own- To the hustings, good patriot, the country's in danger, And Barry will save it, he swears by God's throne. Tho' the gold that he flings so profusely around him Has been won by the blood of the brave that he sold ; Tho' the tongue that you hear bears the slime of soul murder, Vote for him ! cheer for him ! pick up the gold ! He has hunted your kin from their home to the dungeon ; He has spat on the name and the fame of your land ; With the hate of a demon he spied for his master — Then raise up a chorus for Barry the grand. How blandly he smiles with his Hackets around him ! How sweetly he bows to the men at his side ! How blandly he smiled when he strangled the hero Who died for the cause for which Emmet had died ! For the sake of his saintship let mankind be sullied, And all that is glorious dragged into the dust. Shut your eyes to the dock — to the bench be they lifted, As he adds one more link to the fetters that rust. He comes, the Apostle, his deacons around ; Even you must forget all the things of the past — The tongue of the serpent, the scent of the bloodhound. The coil that was woven, the nets that were cast. 354 HIRTOKY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. YES, HAUGHTY LOEDLING. Yes, haugtty lordling, I am poor ; I'm low-bred, if you will — A thing mayhap to please thy sport, And prove thy tyrant skill. But proud's the blood that fills my heart And sets my breast aglow — No bastard blood, proud Saxon lord — Though humble, I'm not low. [5 Verses.] THE BOLD EAPPAEEE. And I'll ride to the north in the morning. And I'll ride to the north in the night. Till I come to brave Redmond O'Hanlon, And give him a lift in the fight. 'Tis then I'll be sporting and courting ; It's then I'll be riding full free. With an eye on the black undertaker Who plundered the bold Kapparee. [2 Yerses.] OTJE TOASTS. Air — The Minstrel Boy. To he learned hy every Longford man. We drink a toast to the brave old land — To the land that we love dearest ; We drink a toast to the men who stand. Who cling to our cause the nearest. Our flag is raised to the rushing wind ; No foe can stain its colour — O Ireland ! soon thy sons shall find Thou'rt freed from chains and dolour. HISTOliY OP THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. 355 We drink a toast to the men who died For the cause of our olden Nation ; We drink a toast to the men still tried In the hulks for our land's salvation. And as we clasp each brother's hand, With the eyes of our sisters shining, There's more than hope for our own dear land — There's more to do than pining. LOrU POEMS. AMONG THE PLOWEES. Every proper name used here has reference to the neighhourhood of Ballymdhon. In leafy Tang the wild birds sang — The brown light lay on Derry's heather ; But years have pass'd since we the last Sat courting in the summer weather. The tender light of stars at night, That soothes the wanderer so weary, Could only show the silvery glow That lit your glance, my darling Mary ! The Inny's shore, and tall Eathmore, ' The sunlight on the trembling meadows. The pastured lea by fair Lough Ree, Are now to me but fading shadows. Two eyes of blue still keep their hue — Two lustrous eyes that never vary. And on me shine with love divine — Those eyes are thine, my darling Mary ! In summer hours, among the flowers, The wandering west wind found thee lonely ; In autumn time the streamlet's rhyme Appeared to chime unto thee only. By wildwood side, by Shrughan's tide, Tou wandered like a gladsome fairy — No winds can tell the airy spell That floated round thy presence, Mary ! 356 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGfOED. loved and lost ! tho' tempest tost, The exile's track is mine for ever ; Far o'er the sea, astor machree, I stray to thee and Inny's river — . For by its side I'd call thee bride, But fortune of its gifts was chary ; A sunlit gleam — a passing dream. And all is gone for ever, Mary ! I have, doubtless, taken an unwarrantable liberty in culling these few verses from an old coverless copy of the " Wreath of Shamrocks," which a friend lent me ; but I am chiefly anxious to show, if possible, the beauty and patriotic fire of poor " Leo's " pieces. I was never poetically inclined myself, nor could I put two lines of poetry together ; but I can conscientiously declare that if ever I did think of attempting to soar into lyrical regions, it was when I read the songs of the dead " Leo." Ballymahon and the parish of Shrewle possess very little further interest for us, if we except the interest attached to its legendary tales, some of which are given in Casey's legendary poems, the beauty and simplicity of which will be apparent on perusal. One of those that I have heard referred to a giant who lived in ages past in the parish, and who was in the habit of exercising himself every morning and evening in throwing a large rock, about twenty tons weight, from beyond the Curneens River into Ballymahon and back again. History does not record this wonderful man's name, but he must not have been the fabulous Finn MacCoul, because Finn never did such foolish things. Another legend referred to the city supposed to be buried beneath Lough Drum, and which a diver, in searching for the lost body of a child, discovered. The diver brought up a pan from the town, and was told by a priest standing by not to attempt to see who called to him for it. He broke the command, however, and got his eye poked out for his pains. A third legend relates to St. Patrick's Well, a holy well about two miles from Ballymahon, the waters of which, J' ^v%4$ Jm i:l^^. 6*1 ^: (^c s?s^ ^.^ ^ie'^- f ij^s' >#>>^-^ ■#,«iC> HISTORY OK THE COUNTY LONGFOEri. 359 "when put on a roaring fire, never boil, no matter how long they are left on,' nor how strong may be the blaze. Outside Ballymahon is New- castle, the seat of Col. King-Harman, a local aristocrat, to whom I shall probably again refer. FOEGNEY. A small portion of the parish of Forgney, which belongs to the diocese of Meath, comes into the County of Longford, and in this small portion is Pallas, the birth-place of Oliver Goldsmith, and not the town of Ballymahon, to which I have given credit. Pallas was anciently called Baile-atha-na-Pailse, where the following historical event took place : — " 1462. Thomas, the son of Cathal, who was son of Cathal O'Farrell, tanist of Annaly, was slain at Baile-atha-na-Pailse (Pallas) at night, whilst in pursuit of plunder which a party of Dillons — the Clan Eonchobhar and the sons of Murtogh — were carrying off. They carried away his head and his spoils, having found him with only a few troops — a circumstance that seldom happened to him." In this parish there were the ruins of an old church which Mr. O'Donovan believed should be under the tutelage of St. Muniseps, and stood in the townland of Forgney. He also found that there was an ancient holy well, dedicated to St. Patrick, who, he says, was not its rightful patron, but no person in the parish knew any other. Those details are all that I can give of this parish. A Personal Memoir. Before I conclude this volume, I would like to say a few words regarding a gentleman to whom I can trace back my first love for history. I refer to my old teacher, Mr. Thomas M'G-eoy, whose lectures about Irish history, at school years ago, first awoke in my heart a love for that study. Of Mr. M'Geoy's services to national education, it is perhaps unnecessary to speak ; but I am one of those who believe that in the dark days, before Irish education was a 1 I 360 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. department of State, Mr. M'Geoy rendered yeoman service to the cause of Irish education here. Regarding his ability to do so,. Assistant-Commissioner Harvey, in his evidence given before a Royal Commission, which presented a report to Parliament in 1870, says: — " Passing from external details, I come next to the teachers and scholars in ordinary National Schools. The teachers may be divided into two groups —trained and untrained. "Were I called upon to characterize these two groups, I should describe the trained teachers as good, and the untrained as indifferent, and sometimes bad. It would hardly be fair, however, to speak in this way without reserva- tion. Amongst the trained teachers I met several whom I could not rank above fair, and among the untrained there were some who by natural aptitude were good. In my district the numbers in the two classes were nearly equally divided. In a list of forty-three, whose schools I examined, there were nineteen who had been six months or more in the Dublin Normal Institution, and twenty-four who had had no such intermediate training. Of these, half-a-dozen or more had enjoyed the benefit of district or minor model schools ; but in order to avoid unnecessary and minute sub-divisions, I shall confine the designa- tion of trained teachers to those who had been educated in Dublin. Without reference to their training, but solely by examination, and under regulations of the Board as to the numbers of their scholars and other matters, the teachers were arranged in three classes — first, second, and third. These again were subdivided into grades, so that altogether there were seven steps from the highest to the lowest — the highest being a teacher of the first division of the first class, and the lowest a probationer. Of the nineteen trained teachers mentioned above, five were in the first class, eight in the second, and six in the third ; and of the twenty-four untrained, there was no one in the first class, eleven in the second, ten in the third, and three were probationers. Of the whole number I met only one who had attained the highest possible rank, whose name and school, honoris causa, I may be allowed to mention — Mr. M'Geoy, of Longford." HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFOKD. 361 Mr. M'Geoy is now considerably over ten years retired from active service as a teacher, and, with his worthy son, Rev. Thomas M'Geoy, Adm., Ballymahon, enjoys in a ripe old age the pleasures won in his long and well-spent life. I trust that many more years will pass before he is called .to that reward which we expect to be the lot of those who fight for faith and fatherland to their latest breath. Conclusion. We have now come to the conclusion of our County history. Nothing that could be done to make it instructive and interesting has been spared by me. I trust that the reader will do all he can to make allowance for anything he meets that may jar on the feehngs or sensi- bilities of anyone. I have endeavoured to the utmost of my ability to give a true narrative, from the most reliable sources, of all the important events that have ever occurred within our borders ; and if one result of my labours will be, that Longford men in exile will find their hearts warmed anew to the land of their birth, and that Longford men at home shall esteem the blessing of being able to live at home as one of the greatest pleasures of their humble lives, because of the traditions of their native county, then I shall be amply rewarded and satisfied. The End. DOLLABB, PBIHTINOHOUSE, DDBUN.