A Short History of the Irish people ... to the Plantation of Ulster ... Edited, with notes, by R. R. Kane, etc

Front matter

A SHORT HISTORY OP THE IEISH PEOPLE DOWN TO THE DATE OP THE PLANTATION OF ULSTER. BY THE LATE A. G. RICHEY, Q.C., LL.D., M.R.I.A., DEPUTY BEGIUS PROFESSOR OF FEUDAL AND ENGLISH T.AW IN THE UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN. EDITED, WITH NOTES, BY ROBERT ROMNEY KANE, LL.D., M.R.I.A., A. LEGAL ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER UNDER THE LAND LAW (IRELAND) ACT 1891. DUBLIN : HODGES, FIGGIS, AND CO., GRAFTON STREET, PUBLISHERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. LONDON: LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1887. PEEEACE Having been asked by the widow of my lamented friend, Dr. A. G. Richey, to edit for publication a new Edition of his Lec tures on Irish History, I gladly accepted the task as a tribute to the memory of one who, as truly said in the Edinburgh Review for April, 1886, p. 437, " saw his way through the complexities of Ancient and Modern Celtic life with a discernment almost intuitive in its appreciation of facts, while his scrupulous love of truth was only equalled by his pity for the long darkness of human misrule, which made him say, ' The. study of Irish history teaches us sympathies with all parties.'" That this description is true his writings show, but how true can only be known by those who have had, as I have had, long friendship and intimate association with h;na.

Dr. Richey's Lectures were published in two volumes. The first, published in 1869, under the title of Lectures on the History of Ireland doivn to 1534, consisted of eight Lectures delivered to the pupils of the Alexandra College, Dublin, in 1869. The second, published in 1870, under the title of Lectures on the History of Ireland, from a.d. 1534 to the date of the Plantation of Ulster, consisted of ten Lectures delivered in Trinity College, Dublin, in Hilary Term, 1870, in continuation of the previous series. To show the plan of, and the principle adopted in, the two volumes as originally published, I cannot do better than cite here from the Introduction to the second series : — ■ " A consecutive narrative of the events which took place in Ireland during the years embraced by these Lectures cannot fail to be monotonous and tedious. The plan adopted in this, as in the VI

Preface

. previous volume, is to break the history into periods, which are distinguished by successive phases of policy and principles, on the part either of the English Government or the natives, and to illustrate them by the leading events in which the character of the struggle is most clearly developed. " The Lectures have been enlarged by introducing into the text numerous extracts from Statutes and State Papers, which were originally merely referred to. " It is often a legitimate subject of comment that a book should contain so large a proportion of extracts as has been introduced into these Lectures as now published ; but this course is on the present occasion advisedly adopted. " It is desired that both the English Government and its various opponents should be allowed, as far as possible, to state their own views and intentions in their own language ; and the authorities referred to, although most of them exist in printed books, are not of easy access to those who do not possess a private, or habitually use a public, library.

" In citing public documents and private correspondence, an attempt has been made to avoid the error of treating them as evidence of all the facts stated in them. In the present work reference has been made to Statutes, official instructions, and correspondence, subject to the following restrictions. " Public State Papers, such as Statutes, Proclamations, &c, are cited as evidence only of facts stated in them, which were of such notoriety, that any false statement relative to them would have been at once detected by the general public of the day; with this exception, all recitals or preambles in such documents are treated merely as statements of their case by the Government or their authors, especially adapted to the prejudices and opinions of those to whom they were addressed ; but all such documents may be read against their authors, so far as they admit anything which, at the time of their publication, would have been esteemed unfavourable or discreditable to the party by which they were issued.

To secret State documents, such as instructions to the Deputies, reports to the Irish Council or officials, and the correspondence between the Irish and English Government, which were never intended for publication, greater credence may be given ; they may

PREFACE.

. VII be cited as evidence of facts within the reasonable means of in formation of the writer, and as generally fairly expressing his character, opinions, and objects. They also can be fairly used against their authors, as far as they admit or disclose failures, or anything which then (or perhaps even at the present time) would have been considered discreditable. " In these Lectures, therefore, it has been desired to avoid the error of citing against the Celtic population the statements con tained in English and Irish State Papers, or of citing against the English the unsupported allegations of Irish writers ; each party is left, as far as possible, to detail their own actions, and explain their own policy." After the delivery and publication of these two series of Lec tures, Dr. Richey delivered two lectures in Edinburgh, the one upon the Physical Geography of Ireland, the other upon the for merly existing Legislative Restraints upon Irish Commerce and Manufactures.

The former of these constitutes the first chapter of this work ; the second was conversant with a later period than it extends to. He was, at the time of his last illness, engaged in writing a more detailed History of Ireland — a task for which he was eminently, perhaps more eminently than any other man then living, fitted ; but of this only the first chapter was written at the time of his death. This chapter constitutes the second and third chapters of this work. He was also one of the Editors of, and wrote the Introductions to the third and fourth volumes of, The Ancient Laivs and Lisli tutes of Ireland. These Introductions show clearly his great historical and juridical learning, keen critical acumen, and above all, his deep insight into the nature and characteristics of early societies and early habits of thought ; but although the reader will find many references to them in the Notes, especially in those to the third chapter, they could not be embodied in this work.

What I have done in preparing this work for the press has been this — I have put together the two series of .Lectures already published, the first Edinburgh lecture, and the fragment of the History, into one connected series, divided into chapters instead of into lectures. The Introduction consists of the introductory part CONTENTS. PAGE

CHAPTER X.

The English Government and Policy in Ireland from a.d. 1366 to a.d. 1534 ... ... ... 215

CHAPTER XI.

CHAPTER XII.

The Church of Ireland before the Reformation, ... ... ... 269

CHAPTER XIII.

Reign of Henry VIII.— Civil Government and Policy, ... ... 302

CHAPTER XIV.

Henry VIII. — his Ecclesiastical Policy, ... ... ... ... 346

CHAPTER XV.

CHAPTER XVI.

The Reign of Philip and Mary, ... ... ... ... 419

CHAPTER XVII.

The Reign of Elizabeth.— The War of Shane O'Neill, ... ... 446

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Desmond War, and the Plantation of Munster, ... ... 492

CHAPTER XIX.

The War of Hugh O'Neill, ... ... ... ... ... 530

CHAPTER XX.

The Flight of the Earls, and the Plantation of Ulster, ... ... 593 lNDE* ... A SHORT HISTORY OF THE IRISH PEOPLE.

Introduction

. IN every system of national education on the Continent the history of their native country is considered a necessary subject of instruction for the young. In France a French history for the use of schools has been compiled, and is regularly written up under government direction. The case is otherwise in Ireland. The young of this country are left in absolute ignorance of the history of their forefathers. There do not even exist books suitable for instruction in this department. The indifference of the middle classes upon this subject is so great, that no author with a reasonable prospect of success attempts to publish an Irish history. Two reasons are alleged for this anomaly. We are told that a knowledge of Irish history is dangerous ; and further, that the history itself is useless and uninteresting.

I maintain, on the contrary, that a knowledge of the truth is never dangerous, though ignorance may be so ; and still more so is that half knowledge of history which enables political intriguers to influence the passions of their dupes, by misleading them with garbled accounts of the past, so inaccurate that they would be rejected with contempt by their readers, if they knew anything of the matter at all. I do not confine these observations to the writers of any creed or politics. I deny that the history of Ireland is either dangerous to learn, or uninteresting, or unprofitable to study ; so far from exasperating the feelings of those who have honestly engaged in it, the study of Irish history does not excite political animosity, but leads to the B

INTRODUCTION.

. very opposite result. Thoroughly to appreciate the history of this or any country, it is necessary to sympathise with all parties — to understand their prejudices, their difficulties, and their errors. Those who take an interest in the subject must feel a warm sym pathy for the tragic decay and ruin of the noble Celtic nation, but will feel an equal sympathy for the gallant Norman gentlemen, who, turning their backs upon France and Italy, were wafted by an ill wind to. this country, and thus involved in a net of difficulties common to themselves and the conquered. To understand the wars of Elizabeth, we must appreciate the difficulties and high aims of the Tudor statesmen, while we mourn over the despairing struggles of the last Irish prince. We must understand the per plexity of the Catholic noblemen of the Council of Kilkenny, and the loyal Protestantism of the Duke of Ormonde.

We all must respect those stern men who maintained their religion and the English connexion behind the walls of Deny, but we should at the same time sympathise with the faith and loyalty of the high-born gentlemen who abandoned home and wealth for their Church and their King. A study of Irish history teaches us sympathy for all Irish parties. We are further told that Irish history is useless and uninteresting : this, again, I deny. Placed far away in the Western Ocean, Ireland was not the scene of any of the struggles which decided the destiny of Europe ; Ireland has not produced historians of genius, whose chronicles take a place in universal literature. The great battles of history have not been fought, nor the great battles of politics decided, on Irish soil j but in Ireland almost every system, social and political, has been successively tried, and found wanting.

The characteristics of political systems are often better tested by failure than by success. The glory of temporary success hides the weakness of a form of government ; but the his tory of its decay discloses the radical errors. As has been observed, in Ireland every system, social and political, during the middle ages met with equal failure. The tribal system was crushed before it was developed into the results which arose in other countries ; it ended in barbarism and confusion. The feudal system was intro duced in its strictest theory, and ended in utter anarchy. The high aims and lofty ideas springing from the notion of Divine right,

INTRODUCTION.

. and combining force and justice, which were maintained by the Tudors, were tried in Ireland, and terminated in tyranny and dis order. The history of these failures cannot but be instructive. Irish history resembles that of Spain during the last three centuries, described by a modern writer as the elaboration of all those ideas of law and political economy, according to which a nation should not be governed. In the present series of Lectures it is not attempted to detail the facts of Irish history, but rather to indicate the several standpoints from which it should be regarded, and the spirit in which it should be investigated. Irish history may be divided into the following periods : — First — The mythical or traditional, extending from remote, antiquity down to the introduction of Christianity into the country.

Secondly — The Christian Celtic, from the arrival of St Patrick until the Norman invasion of Ireland. Thirdly — The Norman invasion and colonization during its period of vigour and apparent success, from 1170 to 1315. Fourthly — The history of the Norman colony during the period of its failure and weakness, from 1315 to 1534. Fifthly — The Tudor government of Ireland, from 1534 to 1603. Sixthly— The Stuart government in Ireland, including the period of Cromwell, from 1603 to 1690 ; and, lastly, the period of Protestant ascendancy, ending with the Union. The present work is intended to deal with the first five periods. CHAPTEE I. THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL PRODUCTS OF IRELAND. THE progress and civilization of a nation are mainly determined by its surrounding physical conditions ; the situation of a country, the nature of its surface and coast-line, its mineral and vegetable productions, the substances available for food, the proportion which the amount of food produced bears to the labour expended, and the peculiarities of the climate, affect the character and habits of the inhabitants.

It is, therefore, necessary to com mence the history of the Irish people by a sketch of the physical geography and natural productions of Ireland. Ireland is situated between the degrees 51° 26' and 55° 21' north latitude, and 5° 20' and 10" 26' west longitude ; it is bounded by the Atlantic on all sides except the east, where it is separated from England by St. George's Channel, 47 miles across where narrowest, the Irish Sea, 138 miles wide, and the Northern Channel, which, of a width not exceeding 13 miles, separates Fair Head from the Mull of Kantyre ; its shape is that of rhomboid, of which the greater diagonal is 302 miles, and the less 210 miles ; its superficial area is 32,524 square miles, or 20,815,460 English acres. Most distinct geographical masses, such as islands or penin sulas, have, near their centre, or in a dominant position, a " dorsal spine " of mountains, the branches of which extend from the centre towards the extremities.

In Ireland the case is otherwise • the entire centre of the island is occupied by a vast plain of but PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL PRODUCTS. 5 moderate elevation above the sea-level ; on every side of this de pression the ground rises toward the ranges of hills or mountains, which, situate generally along the sea-coast, form a circular brim, pierced by breaches, through which at intervals the central plain extends to the sea. The great central plain, the most striking physical feature in Ire land, stretches right across the island from the coast between Dublin and Dundalk Bays on the east, to Galway Bay on the west, seldom exceeding 300 feet in elevation, the average being much less. Towards the north the plain is bounded by low ranges of hills from the foot of the Ox Mountains in Mayo, along the southern slopes of the Arigna or Slieve-an-Ierin Hills, eastward to the coast at Dundalk ; on the west its boundary is clearly marked by Lough Mask and Lough Corrib down to Galway Bay, beyond which it assumes the form of a terraced range of low hills in the Burren district of Clare, and thence sends out an arm to the estuary of the Shannon at Foynes.

On the south it skirts the group of isolated hills which are, as it were, the advanced outposts of the Kerry, Cork, and Waterford mountains ; on the east it is bounded by the granite range of the Wexford, Wicklow, and Dublin, reaching the coast at Dublin Bay along the base of the Three Rock Mountain and Killiney Hill. Throughout the area several isolated hills rise above the surface of the plain, such as the table-land of the Castle comer and Killenaule coal-fields, the Chair of Kildare, and a few detached hills to the north-west. Throughout its greater extent the plain is underlaid by carboniferous limestone, and its limits (except in the north-western districts) may be taken to coincide with the boundaries of the limestone formation as laid down upon a geological map. The limestone of the plain is, however, only occasionally visible, as the greater portion of the surface is over spread by beds of limestone gravel or boulder clay, or by shallow lakes and sluggish streams, and the extensive peat mosses, which are a still more recent covering, and generally occupy the sites of former shallow lakes.

It has been satisfactorily proved by geologists that the central depression was not caused by the elevation of the coast-line, but by the destruction, by water action, of the coal measures, which must be assumed, at a remote period, to have filled the entire centre of THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY the island to the level of the bounding mountains ; in several places, either on the margin or rising from the central plain, there still remain fragments of the upper carboniferous strata, which, having escaped destruction from speeial circumstances, disclose what kind of strata originally overlay the carboniferous limestone in the wide intervals between them ; of these the most remarkable instances are the Castlecomer and Killenaule coal-fields on the south, and those of Arigna, Slieve-an-Ierin, and Tyrone on the north.* The theory of the destruction of the strata overlying the carboniferous limestone by water action, extending over a lengthened period, is illustrated by the otherwise unaccountable course of several of the rivers which drain the central plain, which, instead of entering the sea by the existing valleys, strike across ridges of comparatively hard construction, through which they have cut ravines, and thus, in what seems an unnecessarily difficult and laborious manner, make their way to the sea.

Thus the Shannon, flowing with a very slow current, upon reaching at Killaloe the group of mountains which extend from the Slieve Boughta to the Slieve Bloom hills, instead of bending to the right and making its way across the plain to Galway Bay, crosses one of the hills, cutting it into two sections so similar in structure, that, without the intersecting gorge, they would form one single mountain dome. Similarly the Blackwater, which flows down the valley which ends in Dungarvan Bay, instead of continuing its course along the valley, at about four miles east of Lismore, turns sharply to the south, and, cutting its way through the old red sandstone ridge of the Drum Hills, enters the sea at Youghal. These river-courses can be explained only upon the supposition that the water originally flowed over a plain as elevated as the summit of the ridge cut through, and that the river never deserted its original channel because the lowering of the river-bed by the action of its water kept pace with the denudation of the plain over which it flowed ; if, how ever, the level of the plain was lowered more rapidly than the rock was cut through, the river would altogether abandon its original [*The manner in which the central plain has been formed, as stated in the text, by the denudation of the carboniferous strata, is very fully and clearly explained in Professor Hull's Physical Geography of Ireland Pt II Chap. VI.] course, and be driven into a new and, perhaps, very distant channel.

Thus probably were formed the peculiar features in Irish scenery — deep clefts crossing mountain ridges, with the appearance of river valleys, but commencing and ending at a level much above the adjoining plain, such as the Glen of the Downs, in the County of Wicklow, and the Gap of Barnesmore, in the County of Donegal.* The destruction in Ireland of the upper carboniferous strata, including the coal measures, has materially affected the destinies of the country, by depriving it of that which, in modern times, is the prime requisite of the development of manufacturing industry. If a line be drawn across Ireland from Dublin or Dundalk to Galway, it will meet no elevation exceeding 250 feet ; but a section in any other direction will be found to cross a mountain ridge bounding the central plain.

The exterior mountains are broken up into distinct groups, which have little relation or connection with each other. Commencing from Dublin, there are first met the south-eastern highlands of Wicklow, a compact mass of mountains, without spurs, and with few lateral valleys, and extending from the neighbourhood of Dublin to the confluence of the Barrow and the Nore ; Lugna quilla, the highest of this range, reaches the height of 3,039 feet. Abutting upon the southern extremity of this range, commences a series of mountain groups, the Slievenaman, Comeragh, Knock mealdown, and Galtee ranges, which extend in successive elevations of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet across the south of the counties of Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Limerick. The chain of mountains is broken by the coal measures district, which extends from over the west of Clare and the north-east of Kerry ; but they rise again towards the Atlantic, where Mount Brandon terminates the series in the lofty promontory which separates the Bay of Dingle from the mouth of the Shannon.

Southward from these groups the same formation occupies the entire counties of Cork and Kerry; the elevations here towards the east are moderate, and the country fertile ; but they spread over a wider surface, and attain a greater height, as they tend toward the sea, occupying the whole western part of Cork, and the southern portion of Kerry, with precipitous * See Note I., at end of cha^r. THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY and sterile ridges, among which MacGillicuddy's Reeks, in Kerry, rise to 3,414 feet, being the highest ground in Ireland. The county of Clare is rather hilly table-land than mountainous ; but north of Galway, where the central limestone plain touches the sea, the mountains again appear, and extend thence through the district of Connemara to the peak of Croagh Patrick on the southern shore of Clew Bay.

From the northern shore of this bay to Killala, the north-west of Mayo is an unbroken tract of mountains, which are prolonged by lower ridges to within a short distance of Donegal,* where a narrow interval of low land separates them from the exten sive mountain district which occupies the county of Donegal and part of the county of Deny, rising to heights of from 1,500 to over 2,000 feet. East of the Bann and Lough Neagh succeeds the trap district of Antrim, a monotonous and dreary upland ; f and in the southern parts of Down and Armagh there are Mourne and Slieve Gullion mountains, rising to the height of 2,500 and upwards. The only internal mountains of any importance are the Slieve Bloom, Keeper, Slieve Bernagh, and Slieve Baughta ranges, which extend for some distance along each side of the Shannon, in the counties of Tipperary and Queen's County, and Clare and Galway, respectively.!

From the arrangement of the mountain groups round the border of a central plain, the courses of the greater number of the rivers in Ireland are necessarily short. Of those which drain the external districts, the chief are the Blackwater and the Lee in Cork, the Foyle in Donegal and Deny, the Bann and Lagan in Antrim and Down, and the Slaney in Wexford. The rivers of the central district have longer courses, and a much greater volume of water. The chain of Slieve Bloom and the Eskers divide the central plain [* A mass of high land, bounded on the N.-E. by the valley of the Erne, and on the S.-W. by the waters running into Sligo Bay, contains the highest hills of the carboniferous series in Ireland, Truskmore (2,113 ft.) and Ben bulben (1,722 ft.), of limestone, and Cuilcagh (2,188 ft.), of millstone grit, and forms a sort of natural boundary between Connaught and Ulster.] [t The northern edge of the upland breaks into the great cliffs of Bengore and Fair Heads— the former celebrated by its offset, the Giant's Causeway, and the latter, as the nearest point of Ireland to Great Britain.] [\ Keeper Hill, the highest point of this central group, is 2 278 feet liigh.] longitudinally into two unequal portions, of which the western is much the greater.

The eastern or smaller division is again sub divided by the summit level of the Bog of Allen into a northern portion, the waters of which discharge themselves into the Irish Sea by the Boyne, and a southern district, which sends its drainage in an opposite direction into the Atlantic by the united streams of the Barrow, Nore, and Suir. The western division, which much exceeds the united basins of these three rivers, is drained, except in its most northern portion, wholly by the Shannon. This great river takes its rise as far north as the carboniferous hills of Leitrim and Fermanagh, beyond Lough Allen, the surface of which is only 160 feet above the level of the sea, and, issuing from this lough, flows sluggishly in a nearly southern direction over the central plain for a distance of 80 miles, passing through Lough Ree and Lough Derg, when it enters the gorge separating Slieve Bernagh from Slieve Ana, and with a rapid fall reaches Limerick, when it becomes a tidal river ; here it turns to the westward, and enters the ocean through a broad and generally deep estuary, about 60 miles in length.

The country whose waters it receives is flat, its streams sluggish, and the soil upon its banks either deep and retentive clays or extensive bogs. Expanding into numerous lakes of con siderable size, often overflowing the lowlands on its banks, it may be considered rather a series of lakes than a river in the ordinary acceptance of the term. Of a similar character is the extended line of Lough Erne, which drains the northern portion of the plain and the highlands of Tyrone. It may be observed, that these two rivers, from their nature, can be crossed at very few points ; the passes of the Shannon are at Athlone, Banagher, and below Killaloe ; and the town of Enniskillen commands the only bridge across the Erne. The drainage of that portion of the western division of the central plain, which is beyond the basins of the Shannon and the Erne, is discharged into a numerous series of lakes, which skirt the limits of the limestone country to the west, in the counties of Galway and Mayo, and form a connected series, separating the Connemara mountains from the western plain.

On the north-east, the rivers Bann and Blackwater and Lough Neagh separate Antrim from the rest of Ulster. Notwithstanding the number and volume of its rivers, the THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY internal navigation of Ireland was of a very restricted character. The upper waters of the Shannon were closed by the rapids at Killaloe ; the falls at Ballyshannon forbade access to the Erne ; and the Bann was beset by shoal and rapids ; the Barrow, Nore, and Suir alone, of all the rivers, afforded access to the interior ; and through Galway, by Lough Corrib, the unproductive districts of Connemara and West Galway might be reached by small trading vessels. The numerous and deep bays on the south-western and north western coasts of the island, although affording secure havens to an unlimited number of vessels, are of no mercantile importance, for, being merely prolongations of valleys, and situated upon the 'ex terior of the mountain ranges, they are sunounded by mountainous and inhospitable districts, and possess no easy communication with the interior fertile plain.

The Port of Dublin, a shallow and sandy bay, and perhaps, therefore, the better adapted for ancient vessels of small draught, appears to have been in ancient times the only outlet for the trade of the Leinster plain. The estuary of the Shannon, and the various harbours from Wexford to Kinsale, were available for the trade of the scattered fertile plains lying between the mountain ranges and the sea, but, until a late period, were practically isolated from the interior of the island.* The central district contains upwards of a million acres of bog, comprehended for the most part within the portion of the island which would be included by lines drawn from Wicklow to Galway, and from Howth Head to Sligo. The greater portion of these bogs lies west of the Shannon, in the counties of Galway, Ros common, and Mayo ; the remainder, extending in various tracts through the King's County, Longford, Westmeath, and Kildare, is known collectively as the Bog of Allen.

The peculiar form of the island causes the area to bear an unu- [* Limerick, situated on the Shannon, just above the point at which it widens into its estuary, and at a point where the central plain again comes down to the great river, south of the central mountain group, gave access to the south-western, as Dublin did to the north-eastern, portion of the central plain. This convenience of position for trade, as for raid, was no doubt the cause why these two towns, together with Waterford, situated on the Suir, just above its confluence with the Barrow, became the principal settlements of the Danes in Ireland.] sually high ratio to the extent of the coast ; a straight line joining any two places in Ireland, at any considerable distance from each other, is invariably drawn across the land. The adjoining islands are few and unimportant, being merely the extension of the mountain chains.