Limerick; its history and antiquities, ecclesiastical, civil, and military, from the earliest ages, with copious ... notes and illustrations ... Comp. from the ancient annals, the most authentic MS. and printed records, recent researches, etc., etc. ...

Front matter

■ISP

«P vHHI

HISTOEY OF LIMEEICK.

Dedication

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

EDWIN EICHARD WINDHAM WYNDHAM QUIN,

THIRD EARL OF DUNRAVEN AND MOUNT-EARL,

Preface

Jesuit Fathers, I am indebted to the' kindness of the Rev. Father Hogan, S.J., a laborious and patient searcher after historical truth in this respect. L. Waldron, Esq., D.L., the late M.P. for the county Tipperary, has afforded me information as to the existence of materials in the British Museum, etc., whilst De Lacy Pierce, Esq., and his nephews, of the Adelphi Chambers, London, have most obligingly contributed various illustrative documents derived from the same source, and from their own historical collections and papers. I have got some notes, too, of much interest, from the Hon. Robert O'Brien, from General Sir Charles R. O'Donnell, and from the late lamented John Windele, Esq., Cork; while in translation, research, revision, and general literary assistance, I have enjoyed the constant, efficient, and friendly aid of Thomas Stanley Tracey, Esq., A.B., ex-Schol. T.C.D., who was conveniently near me.

The reader will find in the Index the fullest references to almost everything in the book besides what is contained in the table of contents, the latter, in general, giving only the chief heads of the subjects in the text.

List of principal authorities used in this work: —

Annals of Munster,

Annals of Ulster,

Aphorismical Discovery, etc., MS., T.C.D.

Archdall's Monasticon,

Anderson's Ireland,

Atkinson's View, etc.,

Billing's Fragmentum Historicum,

Black Book of Limerick,

Book of Friars' Preachers of Limerick in

British Museum, Boate's Natural History, Borlase's Bebellion, Bourchier's Historia Ecclesiastica Francis-

corum, Book of Distribution of Irish Forfeited

Estates, Burgundian Library MSS. (Brussels), Book of Rights, Bruodin's Chronicles, Buchanan's History of Scotland, Cambrensis (Giraldus) Irish History in MSS.

Camden's Britannia, Camden's History of Elizabeth, Campbell's Philosophical Survey, Campbell's Political Survey, Clynn and Dowling's Annals, . Campion's History of Ireland, Carte's Life of Ormonde, Castlehaven's Memoirs, Clarendon's History of Rebellion, Comerford's History of Ireland, Colgan's Acta Sanctorum, etc., Conway Correspondence MSS., Cox's Hibernia Anglicana, Crossley's Peerage of Ireland, Curry's Civil Wars of Ireland, Carve's Itinerary, Dalton's MSS.,

De Burgo's Hibernia Dominicana, De Burgo's Extracts from the Protestant

Historians, Dalrymple's Memoirs, Dewar on Ireland,

Dunraven's (Earl of) Memorials of Adare,

Ferrar's History of Limerick,

Fitzgerald and M'Gregor's Hist, of Limerick.

Frazer's Handbook of Ireland,

French's (Bishop of Ferns) Unkinde Desertor and Bleeding Iphegenia,

Froissart's Chronicles,

Gordon's Ireland and Rebellion,

Hamilton's Calendar of State Papers,

Hanmer's Chronicles,

Hardiman's History of Galway,

Harleian MSS. in Brit. Mus.

Harris's Hibernica,

Harris's History of Down,

Heylin's History,

Holingshed's Chronicles,

Hoveden's History,

Keating's History of Ireland,

Kilkenny Archaeological Society's Journal,

King's State of the Irish Protestants,

King James's Irish Army List,

Lewis's Topographical Dictionary,

Lanigan's Ecclesiastical History,

Liber Hymnorum,

Local Traditions,

Ledwich's Antiquities,

Leland's History of Ireland,

London Gazette, 1G50-1-2, etc.,

Lodge's Peerage of Ireland,

Ludlow's Memoirs,

Lynch's Law of Elections in Ireland,

Lynch's Feudal Dignities,

Lynch's Cambrensis Eversus,

Lloyd's Ancient Church Government in England and Ireland,

Mason's Statistical Survey,

Mason on Irish Parliaments,

Marlborough's Chronicles,

Morrin's Caiendary of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery,

MacCurtin's Vindication, etc.,

Memoirs of an Octogenarian (J. Roche, Esq).

PREFACE.

XI

M'Dermot's History of Ireland,

Monasticon H ibernicum,

Molyneux's Diary of the Siege,

MS. Annals (unpublished) of County and

City of Limerick, MSS collections of the Smyth Papers, etc.

Morrison's Itinerary, Massingham's FJorilegium, etc., Macaulay's (Lord) History of England, Nairne's Stuart State Papers, O'Heyne's History of the Dominicans, O'Reilly's History of Ireland, O'Reilly's Irish Writers, O'Connor's Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores, O'Halloran's History of Ireland, O'Renehan's Collections, O'Curry's MS. Materials, Orrery's State Letters, Ouseley's MS. Corrections and Emendations

of Ferrar, Petty's Survey of Ireland, Tracts, etc., Pacata Hibernia,

Petrie's Round Towers, Tara, etc., Parker's (Captain) Memoirs, Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland, Philopater Irenaeus, Reports of Commissioners of Public Records,

Ireland, Report of the Great Fishery Trials of Mal-

comson versus O'Dea, etc.

Rutty's Mineral Spas, etc.

Rushworth's Historical Collections, Rymer's Foedera, Report of Corporation Commissioners,

Rothe's Analecta Sacra,

Reports on the Fisheries,

Sexten's Chartulary in British Museum ,

Smith's Histories of Waterford, Cork, and

Kerry, Southwell MSS., Spenser's View of Ireland, Strafford's Memoirs, Sir John Davies's Historical Tracts, Strafford's Letters, Stanihurst De Rebus Hibernicis, etc., Story's Civil Wars of Ireland, Stuart's History of Armagh, Seward's Topograph ia Hibernica, Smith's MSS. in the R.I.A., State Paper Office Records, State Papers of Henry VIII., Tours in Ireland (by several authors), Vallancey's Irish Collections, Voltaire's Siecle de Louis XIV., etc., Wakefield's Ireland, Walshe's Remonstrance and Letters, Ware's Antiquities, Bishops, History, etc., White's MSS., White's Apologia, Wynne's History of Ireland, Wood's Ancient Ireland, Wright's Ireland, etc., Walker's Irish Bards, Walker's Dress and Armour of the Ancient

Irish, Warner's History of Irish Rebellion, Watters's Irish Birds.

Young's Tour,

These, and a great number of others, are the authorities, to which reference has been made, and from which matter has been collated bj me. In the Appendices I have added a considerable quantity of matter which was not available until the latest moment; and I contemplate, in the next Edition, to supply such additional facts and historical matter as may be developed by the State Papers, etc., in the course of publication. To unavoidable errors, which I have endeavoured, as far as possible to correct, the reader will, I hope, extend a generous forbearance.

MAURICE LENIHAN.

February 20th, 1866.

LIST OF MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS.

Map of City of Limerick in 1866, to face title page.

Thomond Bridge, King John's Castle, etc., . ... ... ... 50

Inscription and Figure, ... ... ... . ... ... 162

Clare and Limerick Tokens, ... ... ... ... ... 200

French Map of Limerick and its Fortifications in 1691, ... ... ... 258

Heads of James II., and William III., .. .. ... ... 27 1

Inscription on Town Fish House in 15S2, ... ... ... ... 262

Facsimile of inscription on tomb of Galfridus Arthur, ... ... ... 578

Fac-simile of inscription and Castle over Mungret Gate, ... ... loQ

ERRATA.

In the Greek verses on Garryowen some of the vowels have been misplaced*

Page 341, note 3, for Henry O'Sullivan read James O'Sullivan.

Page 482, note, last line, for "established" read " abolished" .

Page 439, lines 1 and 2, for " commons" read " customs".

Page 326, for Heney read Henry.

Page 745, note §, for John Massy, Esq., read John Kelly, Esq.

Index, page 761, for Arthur, father, read Archer. „ page ibid., read Arthur family, page 366. „ page 763, read Cashin's School, 322 ; Castle-

connell described, page 727. „ page 764, read Colleen Bawn, 402, 551 ; Con-

nell, Johnny, 402 ; Coote. Chidley, 321. „ page 764, read Clare Street, 341,

Index, page 765, dele Dowdal family ; Duel, etc., read

page 407. page 772, read Quin, John, page 676 ; Raleighs-

town etc.. page 746. page 773, read Ryan, etc., page 461. page 774, read Swinburne, page 414 ; Tait,

Peter, page 529.

P. S e s m, m- r „ Dr. O'Keefe, *, Dr Lacy

Page, 654 and 657-For Father Meroney, „* ^tenley .

ERRATUM.

- 1 ■•*-.&

Contents

I. Foundation and occupation of the city by the Danes.— Origin of the name of Limerick. — Earliest notices. — Introduction of Christianity iuto. — Wars of the Danes, etc. ... ... ... ••• 1

II. Reign and achievements of Brian Boroimhe, etc., etc. ... ... 10

III. Brian and his immediate successors ; and the Kings of Thomond, etc. ... 17