i/-s m HISTQRYo^ in Words of i George ^outledge& Soxs, *) ij^jlf* LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, ~^n\ Shelf ...S-li- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. BRI-AN BOR-U, ON THE PLAINS OF CLON-TARF. HISTORY OF IRELAND IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE BY, AGNES SADLIER COP/O USL Y ILL US TRA TED / NEW YORK *~^ GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS 9 Lafayette Place IT' IN UNIFORM STYLE, Words of One Syllable. illusthated. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. HISTORY OF GERMANY. HISTORY OF UNITED STATES. HISTORY OF FRANCE. LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. IIISTOR Y OF IRELAND. GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, 9 Lafayciie I lute. New York Copyright, 1885, Bv Acnes Sadi.ier. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Ire-land in its First Known Days . 7 CHAPTER II. Pat-rick Comes to Ire-land 14 CHAPTER III. Pat-rick Goes to Ta-ra 18 CHAPTER IV. The Dan-es Land in Ire-land, ~ 24 CHAPTER V. Bri-an Bo-ru, 29 CHAPTER VI. End of the War with the Dan-es 34 CHAPTER VII. Tin: En-glish come to Ire-land 37 CHAPTER VIII. King Hen-ry II. comes to Ire-land, 43 CHAPTER IX. Kino John comes to Ire-land, 46 CHAPTER X. Bruce Tries to Free Ire-land 51 Contents. I'AGE. CHAPTER XI. Art McMur-rough, King of Lein-ster, ... -57 CHAPTER XII. En-glish Laws for Ire-land. The Dukf of York, . . 60 CHAPTER XIII. Tin-: Earls of Kil-dare 64 CHAPTER XIV. Pro-test-ant Rule 69 CHAPTER XV. Sham: O'Neill 74 CHAPTER XVI. Tin: Ger-ald-ine Lea-gue, 75 CHAPTER XVII. Hugh O'Neill 80 CHAPTER XVIII. Tin. Reign of Char-lfs I., 82 CHAPTER XIX. Crom-well's Rule — Ciiar-i.es II., 85 CHAPTER XX. James II 88 CHAPTER XXI. Pe-nal Laws, 95 CHAPTER XXII. Tin: I-rish Par-lia-ment Erfed, 99 CHAPTER XXIII. Tin-: U-ni-ted I-rish-men, 103 Contents. PAGE. CHAPTER XXIV. Wolff. Tone Seeks Aid of French and Dutch, 107 CHAPTER XXV. The Ri-sing of 1798, .• 110 CHAPTER XXVI. End of the War, 115 CHAPTER XXVII. The U-nion — Rob-ert Em-met, 125 CHAPTER XXVIII. Death of Em-met — Hard Times 131 CHAPTER XXIX. Dan-tee O'Con-nell 137 CHAPTER XXX. Dan-iel O'Con-nell, 146 CHAPTER XXXI. O'Con-nell Fails to Get Re-peal, 158 CHAPTER XXXII. Smith O'Bri-en and his Men 166 CHAPTER XXXIII. Par-nell and his Men 177 CHAPTER XXXIV. A Deed of Blood — Hard Times Once More, .... 188 History of Ireland. CHAPTER I. IRELAND IN ITS FIRST KNOWN DAYS. High up from the main land of Eu-rope, and cut off from it by deep, wild seas that toss great white waves on their shores, lie two isles which bore the name of the Isles of the North when those who gave it did not know much else of them. One has now for a long time been known as En-gland, and one as Ire- land. The old name of Ire-land was Hi-ber-ni-a or E-rin, and the folks there bore the name of Celts. The Celts seem to have known more than the Brit- ons, and a great deal for those days. The air there was mild ; great woods of birch, oak, and ash trees rose through the land, fish were thick in the streams, AT THE GI-ANT S CAUSE-WAY 8 History of Ireland. the soil was rich, and the Celts knew how to grow wheat. The great place of the land was Tar-a. Five great roads led to it, one from each part of the isle, and here dwelt the High-King of the land. The isle was cut in four parts, and a piece of ground from each of these four parts where they met went to form Tar-a. The four parts had for names : Lein-ster, Ul-ster, Mun-ster, and Con-naught. Each of these parts had a king who dwelt 'neath the rule of the High-King. Each third year these five kings, and all the wise men of the realm, and the dru-ids or priests, met at Tar-a to find out the state of the folks, and make laws if need were. The gods of the Celts were Ba-al, the sun, and Re, the moon. They had but one i-dol of wood, which bore the name of Crom. They gave to these gods the spoils which they won in time of war, and in time of peace, the fruits of the earth. The Celts thought that there were spir-its, too ; such as the Phook-a, who took the shape of man or beast to lure folks to death, and the Ban-shee, who told when death was near by moans and sighs of deep grief. The dru-ids, or priests, held great might, and all the choice things of the land were theirs. No war was made till they said it might be done, and no peace was made or kept if they said it should not be. io History of Ireland. Like the Brit-ons, the Celts dwelt in huts of wood and clay, though the chiefs had homes of stone. These huts had a hole in the roof to let out ST. PAT-RICK'S CA-THE-DRAL, DUB-LIN. the smoke. The poor wore skins of beasts, but the rich had clothes of soft wool, of a gold or white hue. The men wore dark red cloaks with a gold brooch Ireland in its First Known Days. 1 1 to clasp them on the breast ; their wives wore white caps which they strove to have as nice as they could be made, and cloth cloaks with fringe. Each dame of high birth had a head-dress of gold. A slave could have but one hue in his dress. The Celts knew well how to fight and hunt. In their great oak and birch woods dwelt the wolf, the red deer, the wild boar, and the brown bear. They had huge bows of oak whose strings were made out of the hide of beasts. From these bows they shot darts of flint. Each man had an ax, too, a long, sharp, dark green spear, and a knife made of flint. They had war cars, some of which were drawn by four steeds, and the shields of the chiefs were bright with the fine ores which the Celts had dug out of the earth. The chiefs, too, wore gold chains, and their swords had hilts of gold. For food the Celts had fish, flesh, and fowl. The trout, pike, and smelt swam in their streams, and we know what good food these are ; and the crane and duck were to be found in the isle, too. They had milk, for the Celts' great wealth was in cows, and they had bees to give them hon-ey. They knew how to make bread, which they put to bake on the hearth. The rich had pots of brass in which to boil their meat, but the poor had to put it on a spit 12 History of Ireland. to roast. They had cheese, too, made in the shape of bricks. They had knives of flint, the same as those which they took to the hunt or to war, but no forks. There were no chairs, and a bench ran round the walls of the room. When night came they had to put fire on large flat stones and place these in the parts of the room where there was need of light. As time went on, wicks with wax round them came in use at Tar-a. Here the bards sang to the sound of their CHOIR OF ST. PAT-RICK'S CA-THE-DRAL, DUB-LIN. hor*r»Q f"V|P DT^ISP or blame of their chiefs in war. Each great chief had a bard of his own. At Tar-a, too, the great fairs were held. On one night in the year, which Ireland in its First Known Days. 13 is that of our feast of All-Saints, all the fires in the land had to be put out, and be lit once more with fire from the Hill of Tar-a, for which each one had to pay three cents to the King of Mun-ster. One of these High-Kings had wells dug for the folks, and one rave lands to all who knew arts to teach to the folks, and built a school at Tar-a which bore the name of "the house of the wise." The drink of the Celts was mead, which they drank out of horns, some of which were of gold, or stone cups. Stone cups were put at all the wells. The Celts had coin in use, too, in those old days, which bore the form of Hi-ber-ni-a, with a wand in her hand on which a snake wound. If you were to turn the coin you would find the head of a horse on it. The Celts were most fierce in war, and their war cry was Fall on ! Fall on ! Smiths went with them to the fight to mend their swords, wise men to staunch their wounds, and the dru-ids to praise or blame. The Celts knew how to play chess, but most of all, when they sat round their fires, did they love to hear the bards sing to the sound of their harps, of the pride of the race or clan of which they were. CHAPTER II. PATRICK COMES TO IRELAND. The last High-King of E-rin, ere the faith of Christ was brought to her shores, was Dath-y. He was brave and great in war, and led his troops to Gaul [France] to fight. He won, but at the foot of the Alps he died, and his men brought him back to E-rin and put him with the dead kings of the land. It was such men as he who kept the Ro-mans out of the isle ; the Celts were so brave that when they were led by great chiefs they were sure to gain the day. But the time was now ripe for the seed of faith to be sown in Ire-land, and God sent Saint Pat-rick to do this good work. It seems that Pat-rick was born in Gaul, and that his real name was Sue-cat, which means brave in war. When but a boy, the troops of the I-rish king Ni-all took him to Ire-land as a slave and sold him to a man of the name of Mil-cho, in the coun-ty of An-trim, who put him to feed sheep or swine. Here the boy led a hard, lone life for six years, Patrick Comes to Ireland. 15 and he would have been more sad than he was were it not for the thoughts of God that were in his heart, and the help he got from Him. At last, in the qui-et of the night, a voice that was not of earth spoke, and told him to go to a port near by, where he would find a ship that would take him to his own land, The boy so, THE FOUR COURTS, DUB-LIN. got to the ship those on board cried out : " Do not try to come with us," and the boy went back. But soon a man came to him and said: "Come, they call you." And Sue-cat went on board, and so got back to his own land. 1 6 History of Ireland. When he grew up he was made a priest. But all the time he thought of the poor folks in the isle where he had been a slave, who knew not Christ. So he went to the pope and told him of his wish to go and spread the true faith there. The pope was glad to hear it, and said he might. He then gave him the name of Pat-rick, which means great. From Rome Pat-rick came back to the north of Gaul, and there was made bish-op. Then he set sail for Ire-land. He got to shore at a point near Dub-lin. A man came out to drive him back, with a band of men with spears, but when he found out who Pat-rick was and what he had come for, he got to be friends with him and let him tell of Christ. This man bore the name of Di-cho. He was the lord of the soil, and, with all in his house, was made a Christ-ian. Af-ter a brief stay with him, Pat-rick set out tor the place where Mil-cho dwelt, with whom he had been a slave. When Mil-cho heard that Pat-rick was on the road to him, it is said that his rage was so great that he set fire to his house and died in the flames. Pat-rick went on to Tar-a. He got to a spot near it on the eve of Eas-ter Sun-day, and lit the fire which the Church says must be lit on that day. Now, on this night at Tar-a, w r as held the feast of Patrick Comes to Ireland. 17 the fire of Ba-al, at which time all fires were put out and not lit till the fire was seen on the hill of Tar-a. So when the red light of Pat-rick's fire shone, the king's wrath was great, and he set out at at once with all his men that fought in war, and bards, and dru-ids, to find out who the man was that had been so rash as to break this rule. When he came to the spot, he sent men to bring Pat-rick to him. Then the kin£ told all who had come with him to show in no way that they held Pat-rick great when he should be brought in. But in spite of this, when the saint came, a man of the name of Ere rose up and made a bow to him. For this God gave him grace to be a Christ-ian, and in course of time he was made a bish-op. The king said much to Pat-rick, and Pat-rick said much to the king ; and the end of it was that Pat-rick was told to come to Tar-a the next day and talk with the wise men of the land. j? $^iim0^^ Arms of the Roy-al I-rish A-cad-e-my. CHAPTER III. PATRICK GOES TO TARA. The next day was Eas-ter Sun-day, a day most fit for such a -scene. The small band set out for the king's home, where he and his court sat in state to meet them. On the way Pat-rick went first, clad in his long white robes, and with a staff in his hand. Eight priests were with him, clad in white robes, too, and they all sang hymns as they went. The king had said once more that no one should show by his acts that he held Pat-rick great ; but in spite of his words his chief bard and dru-id, by name Dub-tach, rose up and made a bow to the saint. Then Pat-rick spoke. He told them of Christ, and so sweet, so grand were his words, that the king, though he would not be a Christ-ian, said the saint might preach all through the land, and ' make Christ-ians of all who should wish to be made so. So Pat-rick went through the land. When he got near Con-naught he met two fair young girls, daugh-ters of the king. They had heard the chant SAINT PAT-RICK GO-ING TO TAR-A. 20 History of Ireland. of the priests as they came, and when they caught sight of them in their white robes, and found that the priests held no books from which to read what they sang, they thought that they must be from on high, and said to them : "Who are ye ? Are ye of the sea, the sky, or the earth?" Then Pat-rick told them of the true God. "But where does He dwell?" said they. "In the sea, or in the sun, or on the hills, or in the vales, or in the streams ? ' And Pat-rick told them that all the world, and the sea, and the sky, too, was the home of his God ; and the young girls heard his words and in that same hour were made Christ-ians. Then the saint went on to Mun-ster. The king there came forth to meet him and told him of his great wish to hear of Christ. So Pat-rick told of the true God, and the king made up his mind to be a Christ-ian. In the midst of his court, who held great state, Pat-rick made him so. The saint had in his hand a staff which had at its end a long, sharp pike by which to plant it in the ground, and he now did so, but did not know that he had put it through the king's foot till the blood w r as in a stream on the ground. The saint told the king how sad he felt for this act, which he had not meant ; but the king said he did not mind, that he thought it was what all men had to bear who were made Christ-ians. Patrick Goes to Tar 21 Pat-rick now went to Ul-ster. Here a rich chief gave him ground on which to build a great church. The town of Ar-magh now stands on the spot. But the saint's work was done and his death was at hand. He went to a still spot, wrote a book of his life and work, and then died on the 17th day of CUS-TOM HOUSE, DUB-LIN. March, four hun-dred and nine-ty-two years after our Lord had come on earth. He who had been Hi^h-kin^ when Pat-rick came to Ire-land, had died while the saint did his oreat *-* work. The king who came next was not a Christ- ian, and when he had been on the throne for quite IN-TE-RI-OR OF THE LI-BRA-RY, TRIN-I-TY COL-LEGE. Patrick Goes to Tara. 23 a long time, he was slain by the son ot him who had been Hi^h-kin^ when Pat-rick came. At this time some of the I-rish who had gone to Scot-land to live were made to go out of that land by the Picts, for such was the name of the folks there. So more of the I-rish, led by Fer-gus, went to try to gain Scot-land. They took with them the Stone of Des-ti-ny on which to crown Fer-gus. These staid in Scot-land and from them sprang the Stu-art race of Scot-land. While Saint Pat-rick was still with men, a child was born to whom they gave the name of Brig-id. When she had grown up, she went with eight more young girls of high birth to dwell in a con-vent at Kil-dare. She was a great saint, and the I-rish folks had, and still have, a deep love for her. So we see that the two names of Brig-id, or Bridg-et, as we now spell it, and Pat-rick, were borne by great saints ; and that is why they are so much in use by the I-rish race, who love to give them to their girls and boys. Arms of Ire-land. CHAPTER IV. THE DANES LAND IN IRELAND. Der-mid I. was now High-king. The yel-low plague swept through the land in his time and slew a great part of the folks. By this time schools had been built, and in this king's reign more were built, and from far lands men came to learn at the great I-rish schools. Not only did the men in these schools know a great deal, but they led such good and grand lives that soon Ire-land got the name of the "Isle of Saints." A throne of great I-rish-men went forth, too, to teach in Gaul, in Ger-ma-ny, and in En-gland. Saint Co-lum-ba went to the Picts, in Scot-land, to tell them of Christ. He built a great place for monks in I-on-a, and a great throng went there to dwell with him. The monks who taught these schools knew all that could be learned in that age of the world, and could do some things that can not be done so well in our own day. As proof of this we may cite the Book of Kells, that is, the four Gos-pels, which is to-day in Trin-i-ty Col-lege, Dub-lin. Kells was a town that grew up in Meath in the days when the monks had to flee from I-on-a for fear of the Danes. They did not then know how to print, as we do, The Danes Land in Ireland. 2 5 and all things in the shape of books had to be done by hand. The Book of Kells was done by Saint Co-lum-ba. We can give you no just thought of how fine and well made are the let-ters in this book ; the best of type could not give us the like. Some who have seen it have said that it is the work not ON THE LEE, CORK. of men, but of one from on high. It is done on vel-lum, that is, fine white calf-skin, and has round each page fine views of trees and birds in choice tints and hues. In the reign of Char-le-magne, in France, one great I-rish-man went from his own land to Par-is to found a school there, and one went to Pa-vi-a to do the same. 2b History of Ireland. While Der-mid was on the throne, and when the kings and wise men oi the realm were met at Tar-a to find out the state of the land and of the folks, and make laws if need were, a prince there slew a man. Now to break the peace at this time by a rough act was held to be so wrong that if a man SHAN-DON ON THE LEE. did it, he had to die. But, to save his life, this prince fled to a church near by, for it was a rule in those days that if a man got to a church he was not to be brought out, nor slain in the church. But Der-mid broke through this rule. He had the prince brought out and put to death. Then Saint The Danes Land in Ireland. 27 Ru-ad-an went round the hill of Tar-a and cursed it, and from that day it is said no king has sat at Tar-a. But two years went by and Der-mid was slain in war. Huoh was next High-kin^, and the States met at Drum-ceit. In this king's reign it is said that Saint Bren-dan came to A-mer-i-ca and as far as O-hi-o. The next king of note was Hugh VI., in whose reign the Danes, a fierce folk, came from the North in ships. When they fought on land, men ran first who tried to act like wolves, and bears, and dogs, so as to make the Danes more fierce still. This they need not have done, we are sure. It was the schools and the homes of the monks who had done so much for the land that these fierce men tried most to tear down or burn, and take off all that they thought was good. Books they thought were no good, and so thev threw them in the lakes and streams, or burnt them. Soon the Danes got so strong in the land that they made their home in it, just as they had done a long while back in En-gland. They drove all the wise men who knew how to write books to the wild spots in the hills, or put them in jail. They would not let the I-rish wear their own clothes ; " slaves," they said, " must wear the clothes which 28 History of Ireland. those who had the rule cast off." Nor would they let them have games in which they would bear arms. A Dane was put in each town to rule it, and in each house, though those in it were as poor as could be, a Dane had to be kept and fed, and each man had to pay a tax to keep his nose on his face. But at last, when the Danes had gone on in this way for more than a score of years, Mal-a-chy I., King of Meath, got their chief in his hands and put him to death. This was a sign for all the I-rish to rise up and kill the Danes, or drive them to their ships. For the next year the White Danes fought the Black Danes, and this was a good thing for the I-rish, for it gave them peace. Then the Danes fought the I-rish once more, and a long line of kings tried to drive them out, but to no use, though at times the I-rish would win in the war. But then the Danes would gain the fight, and so it went on for a long, long term of years. Large, round tow-ers of stone, which may still be seen, are thought to have been built in this time, to keep the wives and girls and boys of the I-rish safe from the fierce foe. CHAPTER V. BRIAN RORU. The next high- king of note was Mal-a-chy II. As soon as he got to the throne he led his troops to Dub-lin, and got it from the Danes. A great throng of I-rish were in the town, whom the Danes had kept there, BLAR-NEY CAS-TLE, CORK. and tllCSC WGTQ set free by Mal-a-chy, and we may feel sure that they were glad to get back to their homes. At the same time that Mal-a-chy was High-king, Bri-an Bor-u was king of Mun-ster. At first the two were not good friends, but at length they both made up their minds to join their men and try to drive out the Danes. This they did, and made the Danes of Dub-lin give them gold, and some of the Danes with it as a proof of their good will. The 30 History of Ireland. next year, in Wick-low, they fought with the Danes and slew the son of the Dan-ish king with four thou-sand of his men. But by this time Bri-an had made up his mind to be High-king. This thought was no doubt put LAKES OF KIL-LAR-NEY. in his head by the fact that the Danes said they would pay what both kings had said they must give to Bri-an, but not to Mal-a-chy. So Bri-an took the part of the Danes, and gave the son of the Dan-ish king, whom his men gave up to him, his child as wife. Then he told Mal-a- Brian Boru. 3 1 chy that he would give him a year in which to make up his mind to fight for his throne or give it up. At the end of the year the two met at Tar-a, and Mal-a-chy, whose men had said they would not help him, had to bow to Bri-an as High-king. Though Bri-an did not act right in this, still he was a good and great king when he got the throne. He brought back peace to the land, built up the schools and church-es that had been torn down in the lonQf, fierce wars, and built forts and roads. He went through the land time on time, and made all feel that he had the might, and that they must heed his words and do as he told them. With their first name he made folks take the name of the clan of which they were, and then add on " Mac," for son, and "O," for grand-son. The laws were so well kept in his reign that it is said in a song that a fair dame went through the land with a white wand that bore a gold ring on the top, and found no one to touch it or her. He was to Ire-land, as far as he could be, what Al-fred was to En-gland. For twelve years he strove to do the folks good in all the ways that he could, and then the end of his life came, and in this way : Bri-an held court at Kin-cor-a, in Mun-ster. One day when the Prince of Lein-ster was there, the son of Bri-an went to play at chess with a friend. The 32 History oj Ireland. Prince of Lein-ster, who stood by, told the son of Bri-an, Mor-ogh by name, to make a move which lost him the game. Mor-ogh was put out at this and said to the Prince that it was like the move he had told the Danes to make which had lost them a fight. This woke the rage of the Prince of Lein- ster, and he left the court. Bri-an sent some one to bee him to come back, but to no use. He would not go, but went on his way to rouse all the Danes and tell them that he would lend his help for one grand blow. So the Danes came from En-gland, from Den-mark, from Scot-land, and from the Isle of Man, and made a grand league to gain the land. All this time Bri-an tried his best to make all things fit to meet them with. Mal-a-chy, whose throne Bri-an had got, was great and good, for he took Bri-an's part, and gave him all the help he could. So Bri-an soon had twen-ty thou-sand men fit to fi^ht this great foe. Then met the Danes and I-rish at Clon-tarf, near Dub-lin, at dawn on Good Fri-day, 1014. Their fi^ht was most fierce. All the men w T ho led on both sides were slain. At last, at e-ven-tide, the Danes were beat. While the fight went on, Bri-an, who was now an old, old man, had to stay in the rear. He was in his tent, where he had gone to pray, when a Dane Brian Boru. 33 of the name of Bro-dir ran in. At first this man thought Bri-an was a priest ; but when he found out that he was the king he struck him in the head with an ax, and Bri-an fell dead at his feet. It is said that he then held up the head of the old king and said : " Let it be told from man to man that Bro-dir slew Bri-an." Bri-an's son Mor-ogh was slain, too. Mal-a-chy now got back the throne. He was a good and wise king, and kept up the war with the Danes. Things were not well with Ire-land for the next score of years. There was no real king, though not a few strove to be so. Men did not do what was right to God or man. But things grew more like what they should be as time went on. The great church of Saint Pat-rick, at Dub-lin, Ho-ly Cross Ab-bey, and the Ca-the-drals of Cork, Lim-e-rick, and Wa-ter-ford, were built round this time. It got to be a law at this time that he who had done a great wrong should lose his sight. CHAPTER VI. END OF THE WAR WITH THE DANES. It now came to pass that the Nor- mans came to En-gland in their ships, from France, and got that isle for their own. This made the fourth time that En-gland had been won by foes who BBiBr came from far lands. In Ire-land at this time a king of the name of Murth-osfh rave to the church the town of Cash-el. This was a good deed, for the priests, as a rule, were good men, and did all they could for the land and the folks in it. Round this time the Danes made a last raid on the land. They were led this time by Mag-nus, King of Nor-way. But the I-rish rose up and drove them back to their ships, and they set sail for their own land and came back no more. And so an end came to the long war with that fierce, hard foe that had come down on all the lands near by, 'and whom the I-rish at last drove out, but not till they had fought them for three hund-red years. Some gave in to the I-rish king, and these were made Christ-ians and dwelt in towns by the sea, and lived by trade, which was a good thing for the End of the War with the Danes. 35 land. But their priests and bish-ops said they must have the Arch-bish-op of Can-ter-bu-ry in En-gland for their head. And the I-rish let them have their own way in this. A great man who lived at this time was Saint QUEENS-TOWN. Mal-a-chy, Arch-bish-op of Ar-magh. He strove with all his strength to keep peace and build up the schools and the homes of the monks, which had been torn down by the Danes. But like all who strive to do right and make those round them do right, his life was hard at times. He was a great 36 History of Ireland. friend of the great Saint Ber-nard, and went to his home for monks at Clair-vaux, in France, to see the pope. When he got to Clair-vaux the pope had gone and the saint took sick and died. We now come for the first time in the tale of Ire-land to the name of Der-mod Mac Mur-rough, King of Lein-ster. If we judge him by all the woe and pain that his act brought to the I-rish, we must call him one of the worst men that have been in the world. His whole life, as far as we know, was bad. He took a nun from her home, and of those who tried to save her he slew two and put out the eyes of more. Then he toojc off the wife of the Prince of Meath, and so he went on, till all rose up and drove him out of the land. He set sail for En-gland, for he had his mind made up to have his own way, right or wrong, and he thought that the En-glish king would help him. Stone Wea-pons and Tools. CHAPTER VII. THE ENGLISH COME TO IRELAND. Up to this time the Sax-ons and the I-rish had been £ood friends. The Sax-ons had come to Ire-land to sell their goods, or to learn things, or to be safe if they had fear of ioes. But now this was at an end, and if Der-mod had not gone to En-gland, we may feel sure that the En-glish would have tried to gain Ire-land in time. When Der-mod got to En-gland he found that Hen-ry II., who was king there at that time, had gone to France. So he went there, too, and had a talk with Hen-ry and told him of what he said were his wrongs, and plead for aid to get back his part of the land. Hen-ry said yes, and gave him a let-ter in which he gave leave to all the men in the land to go with Der-mod. But the En-glish did not seem to care to go with him, and at last he spoke to Rich-ard de Clare, Earl of Pem-broke, who went by the name of Strong-Bow, so great was his skill with the bow. Der-mod told him that he would let him have the throne of Lein-ster at his death, and give him his fair young child, E-va, as wife. To two Welsh knights he said he would give the town of Wex-ford and a great deal of land. 3 8 History of Ireland. So they went, and as soon as they got to Ire-land I VAL-LEY OF GLEN-DA-LOUGH. 2 — IN GLEN-DA-LOUGH. they laid siege to Wex-ford and got that town. MAR-RIAGE OF E-VA AND STRONG-BOW. 40 Histo7"y of Ireland. Rod-er-ick was High-king at this time, and at first he thought that the En-glish but meant to get Der- mod's throne for him ; but when he saw that they had come to get the whole realm, he made all the men in Ire-land meet at Tar-a, and from thence he led them up to Dub-lin. Der-mod then went back to Ferns, but Rod-er-ick went there, too. Then Der-mod and Rod-er-ick had a talk, and Der-mod gave his word to bring no more foes to the isle. But he did not mean this, and said it just to gain time. In a few days more men came from En-gland, and then Der-mod made up his mind that he would try to take Dub-lin. Soon Strong-Bow came, and the next day they took Wa-ter-ford and put to death a great throng of those who dwelt in that town. Strong-Bow and E-va were now wed in the midst of war and strife, and then the foe went on to Dub- lin. They laid siege to it, and though the men there fought hard, in the end they had to give up the town, and the En-glish slew a great throng of them. The priests and some more good men in Ire-land thought this new woe which had come on the land had been sent by God for the sin of sla-ver-y. The I-rish had bought Sax-on slaves for a long time, and a great throng of these were at • • • this time in the isle. So when the priests told the The English Come to Ireland. 41 folks how great their sin had been in this, and that no doubt they were now to feel God's wrath for it, they rose up and set these slaves free ; and they, we dare say, went back with joy to their own land. Der-mod did not live to reap much good from what he had done ; for he died in the course of the next year, and then all the I-rish-men that had been on his side in the war came to fight with the men of their own land. Saint Law-rence O'Toole was at this time Arch- bish-op of Dub-lin This great man thought that now w r ould be a good time in which to drive the foe out. So the I-rish got help from the Isle of Man, and Strong-bow was shut up with his men in Dub- lin, both by land and sea. Their food gave out and the I-rish told them that they must give up all claim on Ire-land, and give their word to quit it on a day that the I-rish would name, or they would get no food. But the foe made up their minds to try one more way ere they gave in. So when the I-rish had not the least thought of such a thing, they cut their way right through their ranks and made them flee to all sides. Strong-Bow took part of his troops to Wex-ford and left part in Dublin, with much food that they had got in the I-rish camp. But soon Strong-Bow had to leave his troops at Wex-ford and go back 42 History of Ireland. to En-gland, for he heard that King Hen-ry was put out with him, and so had to go to plead his own cause. He told Hen-ry he might have "all the lands he had won in Ire-land," which was most kind, we must say, when we think that he did not own in truth one inch in that isle as yet. Then Hen-ry gave him back his En-glish lands which he had tak-en from him, and got to be great friends with him once more. STRONG-BOW S TOMB. CHAPTER VIII. KING HENRY II. COMES TO IRELAND. The next thing of note was that Hen-ry came to the scene of the war. He said that he had come to make things all right and stop war, and the I-rish thought that it was so. Some chiefs gave up to him, the towns of Cork, Wex-ford, and Wa-ter-ford let him in, and he gave Dub-lin to the folks for whom there was no room in the town of Bris-tol, in En-gland. Then he made all the bish-ops and priests meet him at Wa-ter-ford, and there read them what is known as the Bull of A-dri-an — that is, leave from the pope to go and make Ire-land his. Some say that the pope gave him no such thing, that Hen-ry, who was a man of much craft, made it up so that the I-rish, who thought a great deal of the pope, nwht be led by it to o-ive in to him. If it be true, • • iii"i if A-dri-an did give him leave in truth, he did so for the best, for all say that he was a good man. At the time that Der-mod fled to En-gland strife had grown S o fierce that the folks were kept back. i 11*/* Each tribe or clan fought the next, and no chiel was found so strong as to put down strife once for all and bring the land 'neath the sway of one king, as En-gland had been brought. The folks could 44 History of Ireland. not turn their minds in peace to learn things that help to make a land great and rich. So if A-dri-an sent Hen-ry, he did so for the good of the folks in Ire-land, in the hope that he would be so strong as to rule and give a peace there that would last. But, as we know, Hen-ry was not a good man. MEET-ING OF THE WA-TERS AT THE OLD WIER BRIDGE. It was not the good of the I-rish that made him cross the sea to their shores. Since the time of the date of the Bull, he had put men up to the bad deed of the death of Thom-as a Beck-et. So now he heard that the pope had sent wise men from his court to learn just what part had been the king's in King John Comes to Ireland. 45 this vile deed. He heard, too, that his wife, Queen El-e-a-nor, and his sons, had made plots, so he had to eo back to England. He made Strono-Bow Vice-roy of Ire-land, and set sail at once. Still the I-rish did not give in. They kept up . the war, and at times won. Af-ter a while Strong- Bow died. The I-rish might now have got a chance to throw off the yoke, but their chiefs did not keep to the same plans. Soon, John, the son of Hen-ry, came to Ire-land and staid eight months. He took the name of Lord of Ire-land, and put tax on tax on the I-rish. It was round this time that Rod-er-ick, the High- king, was made to give up his throne by his two sons. He went to the house of the monks at Cong, and there died. Then there was no High-king, and the kings in all the parts of the land kept up the war, but not to much use. They were swept off the scene one by one. For long years the tale of the isle is but that of a few great clans who fought to get spoil and have might in the land more than to drive out the foe. Hen-ry II. now died, and Rich-ard I., whom men call Li-on-heart, got the throne. There was now strife in the ranks of the En-glish, and it would have been a fine time for the I-rish to free their land for orood and all, but it was the sad fate of this 46 History of Ireland. fine race to have no great man in their midst at this time whose sole thought would be to save his own dear land. Don-aid O'Bri-en, the last king of Lim- er-ick, and Hugh de La-cy won most fame at this time. CHAPTER IX. KING JOHN COMES TO IRELAND. When King John got the En-glish throne, he made a man of the name of Fitz-Hen-ry, Vice-roy of Ire-land. The O'Con-nors fought in Ker-ry. One of them sought the help of Hugh O'Neill, of Ul-ster, who had fought the English with all his might. But soon O'Neill was made to go out of Ul-ster, and O'Lough-lin got the rule there ; but when a few years had gone by, O'Neill got back his land. The feuds of the great I-rish clans had their match in the feuds of the En-glish in Ire-land. Hugh de La-cy was now made Earl of Ul-ster. En-gland at this time was put 'neath the ban of the pope for the bad acts of John, its king. When the See of Can-ter-bu-ry had need of an Arch-bish-op, he put a man of his own choice, and so, we dare say, not a good man, to fill it. But the pope would King Jo Jui Comes to Ireland. 47 not let the man of John's choice have the See, and chose in his stead the great Ste-phen Lang-ton — he who gave so much, if not the most, aid when they wrung the Mag-na Char-ta, or Great Char-ter, which gave men rights that no king could take from them, from King John, and which the folks of En-gland in our own day look on still as the ground of all their good laws. So those who say that priests like to keep down the folks in all lands should think of Ste- phen Lang-ton when he stood up at Run-ny-mede with the chief men of the land and fought for, and got what was right from that bad, hard king. While the ban of the pope hung like a cloud on his land, John set sail for Ire-land. The folks there, you may be sure, gave no sign of joy when he set foot on their shores. It was now a year since a throng of folks from Bris-tol, in En-gland, who had learned that a plague in Dub-lin had slain huge crowds there, thought that now there would be room for them to live there, and set sail at once. They got to Dub-lin, and had been there but a few days, when, as they were in great sport and glee at a place of the name of Cul-len's Wood, the O' Byrnes and O'Tooles came down on them from the Wick-low Mount-ains and slew three hund-red of them. For a long time this day bore the name of Black Mon-day. 48 History of Ireland. De La-cy fled when John came. John took Car-rick-fer-gus Cas-tle from his men and put his own troops there. Some of the I-rish kings bent the knee to John ; of these were Hugh O'Neill and Cath-al Crov-derg. The Nor-man lords, too, had to swear to be true to him. The chiefs who dwelt in the north and west of the isle kept still, and John went home at the end of six-ty days. At the close of this reign two great I-rish chiefs, O'Neill and O'Don-nell, joined their men and fought the foe once more. His son, Hen-ry III., got the throne at the death of John. A form of the Mag-na Char-ta, with a great deal of the good cut out of it, was now put in force in Ire-land. The I-rish got the En-glish to say just what the Vice-roy should or should not do. He was bound to say what he did with the aid, and all the gold that was got from the I-rish, and had to keep up all the forts and lands of the king as they should be, by means of that gold. And now a fierce feud rose as to who should have the prov-ince of Con-naught. For ten years the fight went on. De Bur-go put in his claim to it as the king's gift to him ; Cath-al said it was his by right of his sire, Crov-derg ; Tur-lough said it was his by right of w r ar, if he could get it. This last seems to have been most the choice of the folks, King John Comes to Ireland. 49 and so O'Neill made him chief. So fierce was this feud that it is said in the books of that time that there was no man left in the fields to reap the grain. CAR-RICK-FER-GUS CAS-TLE. The En-glish at this time made a plot to take the life of Rich-ard, Earl of Pem-broke, the grand- son of Strong-bow. By the most mean and vile acts they got him in a spot where they could kill 50 History of Ireland. him, and did so. Hen-rv the Third was sad when he heard of Rich-ard's death. But the times were not all bad. There were good folks still in the world. When one tries to tell of the past he must dwell more on feats of arms, of course ; but we must not think from this that there was naught else in the world. Good and kind monks and nuns were in the land all this time, and did their best to keep up the arts of peace mid the din of war. They wrote books, they fed the poor, they sowed the fields and took in the grain when it was ripe ; the foot-sore found a place to rest 'neath their roof, and, friend or foe, a hand to dress their wounds, or, if need were, help to meet their God. SIG-NA-TURE. CHAPTER X. BRUCE TRIES TO FREE IRELAND. At length the I-rish chiefs made O'Neill king of all Ire-land, and he died in a war for this name with the lord chief-jus-tice. Art, the lord of Meath, fought the En-glish too at this time. Hen-ry III. now died, and Ed-ward I. came to the En-glish throne. At this time it is said the I-rish harp came in use in It-a-ly. Rich-ard de Burgh, the " Red Earl" of Ul-ster, now got to be the great lord in Ire-land. His home in Trim was just like a court, and his acts were those of a king. He put down the O'Con-nors in Con-naught, and O'Neill and O'Don-nell in Ul-ster. But when he went to Meath, to take the lands of the Fitz-ger-alds, they took him and put him in jail. These Fitz-ger-alds were a great clan. One of them was made Earl of Kil-dare, and one Earl of Des- mond. • Both these men and those of their blood bore the name of the Ger-ald-ines all through their lines. But the " Red Earl" got free by means of an act of the first Par-li-a-ment held in Ire-land. This was held by the En-glish at Kil-ken-ny. It was in this same reign that some I-rish chiefs 52 History of Ireland. were slain at a feast to which Prince Ber-ming-ham, an En-glish lord, bade them. So a great throng of the I-rish went to help Bruce in his war with Ed-ward I. in Scot-land. The En-glish lords in Ire-land went, of course, to help Ed-ward. Don- ald O'Neill, king of Ul-ster, sent Bruce a band of bow-men. At the fight of Ban-nock-burn the En-glish lost the field, and a great En-glish po-et wrote thus of it : To Al-bi-on's Scots we ne'er would yield, The I-rish bow-men won the field. When the I-rish saw how well the Scots had done, they thought they would join their men and try all at once to do as well. So they sent for Ed-ward Bruce to come and take the head of their men to lead them to the fight, and try to make their land free. So Bruce came, and as soon as he got to the shores of Ire-land, met O'Neill and all the I-rish chiefs that had said they would join. They soon took the towns of Dun-dalk and Ar-dee, the " Red Earl" was beat at Cas-tle Con-nor, and all Ul-ster, save Car-rick-fer-gus, was Bruce's. So all the chiefs met at Dun-dalk and Bruce was made king of all Ire-land, and the crown put on his head mid great joy and pomp. This step gave the En-glish a real fright, and their king sought the pope's aid to get the I-rish to ROB ERT BRUCE. 54 History of Ireland. have him for their lord. Don-aid O'Neill then wrote to the pope, too ; he set forth the ills which the I-rish had borne since the land had been made the En-glish king's ; how the En-glish drove them from their homes and lands to the wild spots in the hills, where they had to herd like wild beasts in woods and caves, from which, if they could, their foes would chase them, for they laid claim to each place in turn which the I-rish kept. O'Neill then told the pope that they would try to get their land back, and if Bruce could free it he should have it. So the I-rish kept up the fight, strong in their love for their land. They sent one of the Scotch earls who had come with Bruce for King Rob-ert Bruce of Scot-land, who came and took his place with his broth-er at Car-rick-fer-gus, to which they laid siege. So hard up were the En-glish for food that they ate hides. Then they went on to Dub-lin. The foe had great fear, for they were now more strong and fierce than they had been since first the En-glish came. The De La-cys came 'neath the flag of Bruce. The En-glish put De Bur-go in jail, for his child was the wife of the Scotch king, and they thought he might play his own side false and let the foe in, so they put him where he could do them no harm. They tore down all that they had need of to Bruce Tries to Free Ireland. 55 make the town strong, and so strong did they make it that Bruce saw it would be of no use to try to take it then, so he fell back with his men to a place which bore the name of the "Sal-mon Leap." By this time the Earl of Kil-dare had got troops and led them to fight the Scotch and I-rish troops, who had no food. King Rob-ert, THE SAL-MON LEAP. 56 History of Ireland. too, went back to his own land ; but the Bruce who staid, fought on. Good crops took from them the fear of want of food ; and it was said that two car- di-nals were on their way from Rome to bring back peace to the land. One last grand fight took place near Dun-dalk. The De La-cy and some more En-glish lords fought 'neath the flag of Bruce, why, it is hard to say. Ed-ward Bruce fell, slain by a knight who was at once slain in his turn. The head of the Scotch chief was put in salt in a chest, and put 'neath the eyes of King Ed-ward II. at a feast. He did not seem to mind this sight in the least, but the Scotch lords who were at the board, ran out of the room. As for the En-glish lords, they were put in jail, and got three bits of the worst bread and three draughts of foul drink once in a while till they died. And so came to an end Bruce's brave plan to free Ire-land. CHAPTER XL ART M'MURROUGH, KING OF LEINSTER. Though Bruce had not freed them, the I-rish kept on in their fight with the foe. Ed-ward III. was now on the throne. The En-glish lords tried to get free from his rule ; they had learned by this time to speak the I-rish tongue, and were as I-rish as they had once been En-glish. So Ed-ward took from them all the land which they had got from him or from his sires. The next year he said that no man who had been born or had wed in Ire-land, or held land there, should have aught to do with the State. But the lords met at once at Kil-ken-ny, and told him just how wrong they thought this was, and as Ed-ward was on the eve of a war with France, he had to yield for a time. Ed-ward took an I-rish force with him to Cre-cy, in France, and they won a great name for the way they fought there, and at Cal-ais, too. Li-o-nel, the son of Ed-ward, was now sent to Ire-land with a large force. He went to Coun-ty Clare to root out the I-rish, but got quite a shock when his force was beat with a great loss. It is thought that he took the name of the Duke of Clar- 58 History of Ireland. ence, from the fact that his life was won for him while there by the speed of his horse. Li-o-nel now made new and hard laws. One of these said that to wed an I-rish wife or hus-band should be held as the worst wrong in the list of crimes ; and that to buy or sell from the I-rish should be held to be as bad. This new law said, too, that all the old I-rish laws were to be as if they had not been made, and that the En-glish must go back to their own tongue and their old ways in all things. The I-rish were told that they must not put their herds to feed on En-glish lands, and the En-glish were told that they must not let I-nsh bards or news-men in their homes. A great chief now rose in the land who bore the name of Art McMur- rough. For long years he fought, and fought so well that the En-^lish in the " Pale," for such was the name of that part of the land where the En-glish dwelt, had to pay the chief who led their troops a great sum to go on with the war. Art made the En-glish pay him a tax, to which they gave the name of black-mail. He was king of Lein-ster, and Rod-er-ick was the king of Con-naught. Rich-ard II. now sat on the throne of En-gland, and so great was his wish to get rid of Art, that he led a great force to Ire-land. When he got there he told Art that if he would give up Art McMurroughy King of Leinster. 59 to him all the land he had in Lein-ster, he would give him a right to all the lands that he could wrest from the I-rish chiefs. But Art would not hear to this. He would keep his own and steal no man's land from him. So then Rich-ard went out to fight this proud chief; but Art fled as Rich-ard came, and so the En-glish king soon gave up the war and fell back to Dub-lin. Then Rich-ard sent for Art to have a talk with him. So Art came, and he and the king got to be friends, and Rich- ard made Art a knight, though Art said he had been made one when a child, and did not care in the least to have the En-glish king do it once more. Then Rich-ard made his kins-man, Rog-er Mor- ti-mer, Earl of March, Vice-roy, and set sail with his fleet. But he was not well gone when the I-rish chiefs rose once more and in a few years Rich-ard had to come back, for Art put the Earl of March and all his force to death at Ken-lis. The rage of the En-glish king was great, and he brought a great band of men with which to seize Art, who now bore the name of King and Lord of Great Ire-land. He had not much fear of Rich-ard, and when that kinor sought to make terms with him, he sent . . 1 . -1 back word that he would not eive in to him nor do 60 History of Ireland. what he said ; that he was the real king of the isle, and would keep up the war till death When Rich-ard heard these proud words he at once took the field ; but as he went on Art went back and laid waste the land, so that the foe could find no food for his men or beasts. In his rage Rich-ard said he would give a large sum in pure gold for Art, dead or in life. But it was in vain that he held out this bribe ; he had to go back to Dub-lin as he left it, and from thence had to set sail at once for his own land to fight the Duke of Lan- caster, who had laid claim to the throne. For a long term of years Art kept up the war with his foes, and then this brave and great chief died. CHAPTER XII. ENGLISH LAWS FOR IRELAND THE DUKE OF YORK. When Art died he left no one in the land at all like him, for his son Don-ough, who was as brave though not so great or wise as his sire, was caught by the foe and put in the Tow-er of Lon-don, which was a great jail. At this time the En-glish As-sem- bly of the Pale made a law that no man should go from the isle if he did not first oret leave to do so. English Laws for Ireland — The Duke of York. 6 1 They soon made a law which was a fit match for this, for it said that no man should take things to be sold at fair or mart in the parts of the isle which did not form the " Pale." Men had to shave their top lips, or share the fate of I-rish foes, was what one more of these laws said, too. So we need not go far to see why the I-rish race kept up their hate for this hard foe who tried to do naught to gain their love. When Hen-ry VI. got to the En-glish throne while still but a babe, Ed-ward Mor-ti-mer, Earl of March, got the rule of Ire-land, but died of plague the next year, and Lord Fur-ni-val took his place. The son of Art McMur-rough was now let out of jail and came back to his own land. At this time the En-glish would make the I-rish give them food, and coin, and a place to lodge in their homes, and pay them naught for all this. The feud 'twixt the Earl of Or-mond and the Tal-bots in Ire-land was near as dire to that land as the Wars of the Ro-ses in En-gland. At length the Duke of York was sent to rule Ire-land. His wife came with him. This fair dame bore the name of the " Rose of Ra-by." Two of her sons sat on the En-glish throne — Ed-ward IV. and Rich-ard III. The Duke of York tried to please the I-rish by his acts, and they, in turn, 62 History of Ireland. tried to please him. Each day they got to like him more. The great chiefs sent him gifts, and one chief sent two steeds for the use of the Rose of Ra-by. So we see that here, as else-where, love can do much more than fear, and that to be kind is to use true might. But soon the Duke of York's friends made him go back to En-gland. The great War of the Ro-ses did naught for Ire- land, though she clung to the White Rose, no doubt in the hope that it the Duke of York won he would be more just than En-glish kings in the past had been. When he was at last slain some of the great chiefs from Meath and Ul-ster fell with him. The Ger-ald-ines fought on his side, but the But-lers wore the Red Rose. The chiefs who were at home did their best to beat the foe in their land, for they thought it was a good time to do so, and at last left the En-glish but a small space in the isle. When Ed-ward IV. got to be king in En-gland a law was made which said that each I-rish-man who dwelt in the "Pale" must take with his own name the name of a town, as Ches-ter, or Sut-ton, or of a hue, as white, black, or brown, or some name from the list which they gave, or lose his goods each year. There were more laws put in force at this time which made it a hard thing for the I-rish to dwell where the En-glish were, for if an English Laws for Ireland — The Duke of York. 63 En-glish-man was not friends with an I-rish-man he could soon show cause why he had a right to put him to death, and do it. There was a law, too, which said that if an En-glish-man was hurt by an I-rish-man out-side the "Pale," he need spare none of his sept or clan, but make all pay for the act of their chief. All I-rish-men who lived by trade had to bring bows and darts with the goods that they brought from England to the isle. One of these laws, and but one, was good for the I-rish, that which said that the En-glish who dwelt in the "Pale" should have naught to do with them. Round this time Hugh Roe O'Don-nell brought hand-guns to Ire-land, and soon great guns, or can-non came in use. An Act was now put forth by the I-rish Par-li-a- ment which said that for the time to come none of its Bills or Acts should be law till thev had j been seen by the king and his couii-cil in En-gland and sent back to it with the great seal of the realm. CHAPTER XIII. THE EARLS OF KILDARE. When Hen-ry VII. took for his badge the great half white, half red rose, and so put an end to the long War of the Ro-ses, he made the Duke of Bed- ford Lord of Ire- land, and kept Ger-ald, Earl of Kil-dare, as Lord Dep-u-ty, which he had been in the rei ,f #*• IN vjo ,«? LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 021 342 097 5 <*> S 'U <* +8LE. j/lW^Af{ "^MNAVlG* flt fTQ P&RfJlg (|( \ \ "T, ©. ^ ^CV "^ \ fe% *% s >p ; cE $ I.OO EACH, UN,rQH«:w»^ Th , s ^' 0*|£ ^ <^> ALL FOUR VOLUMES FOR SALE BY THE BOOKSELLERS, OR WILt 5E rrnn^ E ^ T PREPAID ON HEQf.PJ OF PRICE BY THE PUBLISHERS GEORGE ROUTLEDGE& SONS 9 Lafayette Place, New York.