Historical notes and stories of the County Longford. (First edition.)

Front matter

FIRST EDITION. HISTORICAL NOTES AND STORIES OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. By JAMES P. FARRELL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED BY DOLLARD, DUBLIN. 1886. Price, is. 3d. ; by Post, Is. 6d. DAT, THIS LITTLE WORK IS MOST HUMBLY INSCRIBED TO JUSTIN M'CARTHY, ESQ., Member of Parliament for the County ' of Longford, AND ONE OP THE MOST BRILLIANT WRITERS, THE MOST ELOQUENT ORATORS, AND THE MOST PATRIOTIC IRISHMEN OF THE PRESENT AS A TOKEN OF ADMIRATION, RESPECT, AND GRATITUDE, BY JAMES P. FARRELL. Longford, August 1st, 1886. PBEFACE. It is not without feelings of very great doubt as to the re ception which the following little work will meet with at the hands of professional or local critics, that I venture to place it before the lore-loving people of the County of Longford. I am fully sensible of my utter incapability to figure before the world as an elegant writer, and hence I choose to appear as a nondescript, concerning whom many know nothing and care less.

I desire, however, to say a word in my own de fence in answer to those who may be disposed to quarrel, not alone with the style of my writing, but with the appro priateness of my subject. The meagre details I here supply to my readers have cost me many a weary hour and many a tedious mile's travel to collect ; and, meagre as they are, and unpolished as is the style in which they are put before the reader, they are to my eyes as dear, if not dearer, than the most popular romance of the day is to its aspiring author or sanguine publisher. Very few details are given in any of the Histories of Ire land concerning the County of Longford. I have carefully perused four of the largest and most popular I could obtain, and in none of them did I find pabulum for my pen, or matter appertaining to my subject. This was very discouraging to me, and at the outset of my work I almost felt inclined to give up my search in despair. I was encouraged, however,

Preface

. VI by some friends to give its result a little ventilation in the columns of a local journal, and found that a sympathetic public were willing to support and encourage me in the work I had at heart, namely, the collection of the records of that county which is incomparably dearer to me than any other spot in Ireland. As I went on, too, matter flowed in on me, and I became aware that there was a good deal of profoundly interesting historical facts about the County of Longford which, if put together, might at some future date be the groundwork of an important domain in Irish literature — the exhuming of the old traditions and antiquities of the Counties of Ireland. That such a work will yet be undertaken, I am confident ; and that such a work will be both interesting and successful, I am more than confident.

I must here express, in the most forcible language, the obligations I am under to Mr. John O'Hart, author of the " Irish Pedigrees," " Landed Gentry when Cromwell came to Ireland," &c, &c, for his kind indulgence in permitting me to copy from his recent work on Irish Genealogy the pedigree of the Line of Ir. Indeed, I am conscientiously bound to go a little further, and to acknowledge that were it not for his goodness I would be completely at fault in my research, and in all probability the present work would not appear. I am also bound to acknowledge that I have received a great deal of assistance from works lent me by the President of St. Mel's College, and from the clergy in general of Longford ; and to the many friends who lent me valuable books in which to continue my search, I return my most sincere thanks and gratitude.

I can never forget, indeed, the encouragement and hope that was infused into me by the kindness of Mr. Justin M'Carthy in consenting to review such an ungrammatical piece of composition as what follows, and, as a token of my grati tude, I take the liberty of dedicating this work to him.

PREFACE.

. VII I have thought fit to divide the matter into three parts, trusting my taste will seem as good to the reader as it does to myself. The first part is necessarily short and cheerless, owing partly to the uncompromising array of unpronounce able names which greets the reader. The second part is, I trust, a little more interesting ; and in part third I am treat ing the reader to a lengthy (and perhaps tedious) dissertation on modern events in the County of Longford. A few stories, which I have collected with iufinite trouble, bring the book to a conclusion. I trust that the reader is at least satisfied that I have endeavoured to do him and my subject justice. I had originally named the succeeding collection of his torical notes and stories, " Traditions and Antiquities of the County Longford ;" but, on the advice of a few experienced friends, I have changed this title to its present one.

There are few things I have found more difficult to fix upon than what I would call a comprehensive title — one embracing and focussing the subject hereinafter treated of — and if my choice does not please the reader, I hope he will pardon the error. In the succeeding pages my many references to the O'Farrells of Annaly and the Line of Ir, will, I fear, leave me open to the charge of being more or less egotistical; or, as a friend phrased it, "inclined to blow my own horn." The number of times which I have to drag in the name, and the care I am taking to demonstrate its antiquity, coupled with the fact that I am the possessor of the same handle myself, certainly looks suspi cious. But I solemnly can assure the reader that no idea of self -laudation has ever crossed my mind, and that, were the ancient possessors of our county other than the O'Farrells, I would go to the very same trouble to prove their antiquity ; and, where I have found it my duty to speak roughly of the conduct of the Princes of Annaly, I have not neglected doing so in these pages. .

PREFACE.

. VIII A recent very entertaining and most learned discussion in the columns of the Freeman's Journal, on the subject of " The Best Hundred Lrish Books," has been of very great assistance to me in directing my steps towards fountains of unpublished historical details about the Counties of Ireland, preserved in the Royal Irish Academy of Dublin. Here I have obtained a large amount of hitherto unpublished historical matter, preserved in manuscripts written by the late Mr. John O'Donovan, of the Ulster Ordnance Survey Staff, during his tour of Ireland, made in 1837. The great kindness of Mr. J. J. M'Sweeny, the polite and learned librarian of the Royal Irish Academy, I can never forget ; and, whilst anxious as far as I can to avoid flattery, I am bound to say that Mr. M'Sweeny's unassuming polite ness and general urbanity was very pleasing to me, who, diffident as to my chances of success in this volume, was greatly encouraged and assisted by his experienced hints to me.

Having collected the original publication on this subject, which appeared in the columns of a local journal, I submitted it to Mr. Justin M'Carthy, M.P. (himself the author of so many fascinating novels of the present day), and, in reply to the request for a criticism, Mr. M'Carthy wrote as follows : — 45 Ebury-street, S.W., l6t/i November, 1885. My dear Sir, I return you your little book, which I have read with much interest and pleasure. I think it would make a very useful little History of Long ford, and would be found interesting to all Irishmen at home and abroad. It would, of course, need some revision in order to make it suitable for book-form ; for instance, the little passages here and there which refer to previous articles would have to be omitted, so as to make it a continuous and symmetrical narrative. I am sorry to have had to keep it so long, but I was very busy. I hope that it may be a decided success in its book-form

PREFACE.

. IX Only one adverse criticism I must make — I cannot agree with you in your poor opinion of Goldsmith's verses. He is a great favourite of mine. The little book has distinct literary merit. Faithfully yours, IUSTIN M'CARTHY. Letters of encouragement, too, from all the clergy to whom I have written, have flowed in on me from the start of my undertaking— many of which I would be glad to publish, but that I have not permission to do so. I now take the liberty of making my bow in presenting this humble, crude, and (I hope) not unentertaining volume to the public. In so far as diligence, research, and painstak ing can make it acceptable to the reader, I have done my best ; and I only ask from the people who may be inclined to cavil at myself, my subject, or my style of writing, a mode rate share of that toleration which the experience and civiliza tion of the last days of the nineteenth century are supposed to bring in their train.

I have endeavoured to avoid as much as possible the introduction or discussion of religious or po litical subjects ; and yet it is by no means easy to deal with county history and steer clear of one or the other. I am afraid that my exuberant spirits have, in some cases, out stripped " My better judgment." But then, may I not hope, when the blessings of a native legislature have once more visited our country, I will be for given, although I fear, if I have offended in this respect, I will not be lauded. We must all, some time or another, make a mistake — it is the inevitable failure of human nature ; and if I have in any of the following pages made a mistake which the cooler, calmer, and wiser heads of my readers will condemn, I only ask that they will set it down,

PREFACE.

. X not to the discredit of the man, but the rashness of the youth. I am aware that my attempted explanation of the aboriginal population of this county is intricate, if not a little con fused ; but I have found it very difficult, indeed, to reduce order from chaos, and to put each stone in its proper place. 11 the fabric of county history which I have endeavoured to erect falls to the ground as an ill-constructed building ; if my poor attempt is devoid of that merit which similar works possess — that of being interesting to the reader — then I say, as a defence, that I have attempted that which no other man before me has attempted, and that better men have failed — but few at better work. Your obedient servant, JAMES P. FARRELL. Longford, August, 1st, 1886. CONTENTS.

Part II

Ecclesiastical Notes ... ... ... ... ._ ■••54 Complete List of the Bishops of Ardagh ... ... ... 60 The Ancient Abbeys of Annaly ... ... ... ... 69 Protestant History of Ardagh ... ... ... ... ... 86

Part III

Chapter I.— Granard ... ... ... ... ... 88 Chapter II. — Parishes of Lough Gownagh ... ... ... 100 Chapter III. — B.illinamuck and Drumlish ... ... ... 102 Chapter IV. — Edgeworthstown, Killoe, and Clonbroney ... ... 122 Chapter V. — Clongish and Killashee ... ... ... ... 127 Chapter VI.— Longford .... ... .„ ... ... 139 Chapter VII. — Ardagh and Moy dow ... ... ... ... 159 Chapter VIII. — Carrickedmond, Clough, and Legan ... ... 172 Chapter IX. — Newtowncashel and Rathcline ... ... ... 176 Chapter X. — Abbc-yshrule and Forgney ... ... ■•- 184 Particular Events ... ... — ••• 203 Conclusion ... ... ... ■•- •■• 211

Part I

historical #otcs ait& Stories OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD.

PART I.

Introduction. Geographers generally admit that Longford is the most central county in Ireland ; historians and general writers scarcely admit that such a place exists at all ; whilst the general public, including the natives of the county, know as little, and seem to care as much about the history of the " flowery land of the O'Farrells," as they know or care about the history of Hong-Kong or Timbuctoo. A recent work on the geography of the British Isles contains the following short and meagre reference to this most central portion of one of what people call the United Kingdoms, viz. : — " The little County of Longford, which lies to the northward of Westmeath, forms almost the central point of Ireland, where three of its provinces meet. On its northern border Longford adjoins Cavan, in Ulster ; and on its western side it is bounded by two counties of Connaught — Leitrim and Roscommon.

Lying wholly in the basin of the Shannon, its surface is generally low and flat, and its pastures are watered by a multitude of small streams which pass westward to that river as it skirts the border of the shire. On one of these small affluents lies the little county town of Longford." This description of a county endeared to him by many ties of kindred, faith and home, struck the writer of these lines as so unjust in many respects, and so unmeaningly scanty, that he was fain to attempt, in the columns of a local provincial paper, to show outsiders that though the County of Longford is small, and apparently unworthy of attention to the person who knows nothing about it, yet it contains quite as much ancient B HISTORICAL notes and stobies and valuable records and traditions as any other county in Ire land.

Whether his opinion is just or not he leaves the fol lowing pages to show. The County of Longford to-day contains 269,000 acres, or, roughly speaking, about 450 square miles of land, and has a population of 62,000. In the year 1841 the population of Longford was 115,500 ; so that in a period of forty-four years, the numbers have decreased to the enormous extent of 53,000 souls ! Without entering on an explanation of this terrible destruction, the reader is left to judge for himself how it came to pass that so very many people have left a county the land of which is generally admitted to be of average quality ; but, of course, it is obvious to the mind of any man who has studied the remarkable, or rather terrible, decimation of the ranks of the Irish people for the last half-century, that the same engine of destruction which has created such havoc all over Ireland has not been idle in Longford.

It must be admitted that the dreadful mortality of 1832, 1846, 1847 and 1848 had something to do with this reduction in figures, but yet one does not hear that Longford was more severely visited than any other portion of the country ; nor can it be said that the people were shipped from it in the same wholesale, bar barous way that they were from a neighbouring county. The fact stubbornly forces itself on the mind of the writer of this sketch that a steady, ceaseless flow of the population of the county has been and is going on, and that unless steps are taken to put a stop to this flow, matters will become so bad that the plains of Longford will remind one of the grazing plains of Westmeath and Roscommon. However, this is not to the point perhaps. There are four principal towns in Longford— viz., Longford, Granard, Edgeworthstown and Ballymahon.

The population of Longford Town is 4,000; of Granard, 2,500 ; of Edgeworthstown, 960 ; and of Bally mahon, 1,000. It wfll be interesting to know that under the Redistribu tion of Seats Act, passed in 1885, the County of Longford, which has for a long time been represented by two M.P.'s[ was divided into two divisions, called respectively North and South Longford, the line of demarcation between them being a large portion of the Camolin River. There are three poor law unions in the county, Longford, Granard and Bally mahon, the two former-named towns being incorporated under the Towns Improvement Act. Indeed, it is but quite lately that Granard has been confirmed in the exercise of the powers conferred by this Act, and has, in the discharge of those powers, elected nine civic fathers. Longford township is divided into two wards, which are represented by fifteen town commissioners.

Besides the four principal towns mentioned, there are about ten small rural towns or villages, some of which are older and more historic perhaps than their more pretentious neigh bours. Such of them as do present features either modern or ancient will be fully described in the succeeding pages. The general aspect of the County of Longford, viewed from an eminence on a fine summer's day, is as inviting and as pleasing as any county in Ireland could present. Taking one's stand on the summit of Lisduff Mountain, and looking due north, the visitor will see a deep rolling plain stretch out before him for a distance of perhaps six miles, terminated or bounded by historic Cairn Hill. On the right and left of this hill the country slopes down to a fertile level plain, beautifully wooded, through which the Camolin meanders its peaceful way to the Shannon.

In a north-eastern direction from it the rising country about Granard looms up in a succession of hazy hillocks, between which and the visitor a sylvan succession of bright green pastures aud dark green plantations, combining in themselves a most admirable picture of Nature's beauty, intrudes itself. Looking to the east, the visitor is delighted with the view of Ardagh's woody heights, beyond which (although obstructed to his sight) he may imagine he sees a lovely stretch of fertile country, and on the right of which rises the historic mountain of Castlerea, thickly planted as it is — not with human habitations, alas ! — but with the hardy pine and hazel tree. The continuation of this mountain is lost in the woods that succeed each other in an unbroken line to the horizon, as one looks to the south, and then turning to the west — the land of the setting sun — an extremely level stretch of country, interspersed with green patches of woods and plenty of brown bog (both combining a picture worthy of the pencd of a painter, when the summer's sunsets behind the mountain of Slieve Bann) extends from the slope of Cairn Hill along by the Shannon, until terminated by the sylvan topped heights of Newtown-Uashel, beyond the old and well known village of Lanesborough.

Watered as it is by " a multitude of small streams that flow westward to the Shannon," bounded on the south by the River Inny, and drained through its very centre by the old Camohn, it should be no wonder at all that the County of Longford would present most important data for the attention either of the moralist, the painter, or the historian ; and when it is taken into account that neither one nor the other have troubled their heads about it, it is no wonder that the people of Longford would know little about the past history and venerable ruins of their county. It is to be earnestly hoped, however, that when this crude effort to throw some light on so important a matter has been placed before them, and that they are shown that after all there are some things worth knowing which they do not know about the county, they will seize with avidity on the ancient relics of the past glories of this country, and uphold their traditions, as did the Druids and bards of centuries ago, when Ireland was Great, glorious and free, First flower of the earth, And first gem of the sea.

The Descendants of Ir. Camden, a British historian, who is by no means favourable to the Irish character, admits, in page 728 of his " Britannia," that " from the deepest sources of antiquity the history of the Irish is taken, so that in comparison to them that of other nations is but novelty and a beginning " A firm of Scotchmen in issuing a cheap edition of the high-souled Thomas D'Arcy Magee' s History of Ireland, write as portion of their preface : " Ireland, lifting herself from the dust, drying her tears and proudly demanding her legitimate place amongst the nations of the earth, is a spectacle to cause immense progress in political philosophy. Had it been possible to kill the Irish nation, it had long since ceased to exist. But the transmitted qualities of her glorious children, who were giants in intellect, virtue and arms, for 1,500 years before Alfred the Saxon sent his children to Ireland in search of knowledge with which to civilize his people — the legends, songs, and dim traditions of this period, and the irrepressible piety, sparkling wit, and dauntless courage of her people, have at last brought her forth, like Lazarus, from the tomb."

An old work issued in 1800, on the Geography of the World, contains the following note on this subject : — " By some historians Ireland is supposed to have been peopled from Spain, but from many circumstances they appear to have the same origin in common with their neighbours, and that this country was first peopled from Scythia ; so that to look for their antiquity in the nearer periods of European history will but distract the enquirer, and disappoint his researches." And a late writer on this subject proves beyond yea or nay that the first inhabitants of Ireland were directly descended from the Scythians, who in turn were sixteenth in descent from Adam, the first man. Thus it will be seen that the people of Ireland to-day, with all the faults which partial critics and avowed enemies can lay to their door, are, of their surrounding neighbours, by so much the more ancient as Ancient Rome is older than Modern Melbourne.

The Four Masters, to whose indefatigable researches and exertions is due the existence of a clear and defined Irish genealogy, state, at the commencement of their Annals, " God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who was from all eternity, did, in the beginning of time, of nothing create red earth ; and of red earth formed Adam, and of a rib out of the side of Adam formed Eve." Then follow the names of nine patriarchs, until we come to Noah, in whose time occurred the dreadful visitation of the Deluge, in the year of the world 2348. As every schoolboy knows, Noah had three sons, amongst whom he divided the world, by giving all Asia, from the Euphrates to the east of China, to Shem ; Syria, Africa and Arabia to Ham ; and all Europe to Japhet. With neither Shem or Ham need we trouble ourselves further, because none of them were really ancestors of the Irish people.

But Japhet had fifteen sons, who spread across the face of Europe, and were fathers of fifteen different nationalities. No less than six of these struggled each with the other for the mastery of " beautiful Ireland." In fact they all appear to have been so delighted with the beauties of this western isle, that even when banished from it for ever, apparently, the thought of what they had lost remained fixed in their mind, to nerve their arms when strong enough to recover the lost treasure, to return and oust the invader. This is proved clearly as follows : — A race of people called Partholans were the first inhabitants of Ireland after the Deluge, and, having enjoyed the possession of the country for 300 years after that event, were destroyed by a plague in one year. The next race of people who came to inhabit the island were called Nemedians, and they possessed the country for 200 years, until they were attacked by a hardy race of pirates called Fomorians, who, not without most serious loss to themselves, succeeded in driving the Neme dians out of Ireland.

One part of the refugees sought shelter in North Britain ; another took refuge in the North of Ger many, where they became a powerful nation, under the name of Tuatha-de-Danaans ; and a third went to the South of Europe, where they were put into a state of slavery, and called Firbolgs or Bagmen. Ireland after this event remained for nearly 200 years a desert waste, until the Firbolgs, having increased much in numbers, resolved to throw off their slavery, and so they seized upon their masters' vessels, and putting to sea, sailed back again to Ireland, of which they took undisputed pos session. But this possession they were not very long destined to enjoy, for in about thirty years afterwards the Tuatba-de- Danaans, recollecting the ancient traditions of their birth right, and having recruited in numbers so as to be a powerful force, set sail from the North of Europe and landed in the South of Ireland.

Here they were opposed by the Firbolgs ; but being skilful magicians and necromancers, they dispersed the latter, and compelled them to retire from the fertile portions of the country to parts difficult of access. Here there appears the extraordinary sight of two different peoples, emanating from the same stock, and expelled by a common enemy, returning to rout each other from the same country. With what affection, therefore, must not these people have regarded " the woody isle," when hundreds of years and un limited hardships could not prevent their return to do battle for its possession ! The Tuatha-de-Danaans remained in undisputed sovereignty of Ireland for a period of fully 190 years, during which they divided the country into different kingdoms. But they were doomed not to be left masters either, for in the year of the world 3500 there occurred the sixth, and it would appear the last of these primary struggles for possession of Ireland.

This invasion was by the Milesians. Before, however, this is touched upon, it requires to be explained for the reader who it was that came to disturb the peace of the country for the sixth time. In doing so a retrospect view of ancient history must be taken. It has been said that Japhet had fifteen sons, who spread themselves across the face of Europe. Partholanus, the founder of the Partholan colony, was one of these, and Nemedh was another ; and, as has been shown, from Nemedh sprung the Firbolgs and Tuatha-de-Danaans. One of the sons of Japhet was called Magog, who, in turn, had a son called Bath, and on the division of the earth by Japhet amongst his descendants, Bath was made king of Scythia, from which stock the Milesians came. The two following kings of Scythia were the most learned men in the world at that time, and first taught languages and formed letters.

They were assisted in this work by a learned man named Ghaedhal or Gatelus, whose posterity was called the Clan-na-Gaedhal, or the Clan-na-Gael, and it was from these people that the Milesians, who invaded Ireland in the year a.m. 3500, and wrested it from the Tuatha-de-Danaans, were descended ; so that without going through a list of unpronounceable names, the reader can understand that the Irish of to-day are descended directly from the Milesians, who, in turn, are descended from the Gadelians, who received their paternity in Scythia from Niulus, the son of Fenins Farsa, the son of Bath, the son of Magog, the son of Japhet, the son of Noah. And if further proof is required of the indisputable right of the Irish nation to lay claim to being the most ancient nation of the earth, the reader has simply to refer to the Book of Genesis to discover the names of the nine patriarchs who preceded Japhet, until he comes down to Adam, who was the first man.

The cause of the sixth invasion of Ireland was rather a peculiar one. During the reign of the twelfth king from Magog, the Gadelians made a great ravage through the Mediterranean Sea and other seas, and, whilst staying on one of the islands which they met in their travels, their chief magician foretold that they never would cease roving about until they came to Ireland, the land of the west. Soon after this they landed in Spain, where they conquered some territory and established a kingdom. Here twelve kings reigned until the birth of Milesius, who was a great warrior, and won very many battles by land and sea. After his accession to his throne, for a period of twenty-six years a great dearth of pro visions prevailed in the kingdom, and, deeming such continued misfortune due to the anger of the gods, because he did not sooner attend to the prophecies made long ago by the chief magician, he sent his brother Ithe in search of "the isle of the west."

Ithe landed in Donegal, and had some friendly negotiations with the inhabitants, but, owing to the nature of his speech to them, they believed he was a spy, and attacked him. He escaped from them wounded, but died in his ship, and his mangled body was preserved by his friends, who ex hibited it on their return to Spain to the Milesians, who, enraged at the sight, resolved to invade Ireland forthwith. During the interval spent in the preparations for the invasion, Milesius himself was suddenly stricken down by a mortal illness, leaving to his sons the task of invading the " land of promise." This the sons did, and landed at a place called Inver Scene, in the present County of Kerry. At first the Tuatha-de-Danaans thought to prevent their landing by using enchanting and magic rites ; but this having failed, through the greater power vested in Amergin, one of the sons of Milesius, they then made an agreement with the Milesians that the latter should re-embark and retire the distance of nine waves from the shore, and if they then could effect a landing, they would be at liberty to possess the island.