MAYNOOTH CASTLE

MALLOW CASTLE.

It remained in the Desmond possession until the forfeiture of their princely estates in 1584.

At this time it was in the hands of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s son, who was overtaken near Castlelyons and killed by a former servant of his own. His body was hung over one of the gates of Cork for some years, and his head sent to Dublin Castle.

The following description of the stronghold is takenfrom an inquisition held at this time on the Manor of Mallow:—

“One castle containing in itself two small courts and one great barbican, namely, where the howse standeth the enterance in is on the north side ffyrste into one of the said courts, and then turninge one the lefte hande ye enter by a doore, beinge in a highe wall into the Balne or Barbican, which is reasonable large, and then goinge a little way, turninge one the lefte hande, have ye enterance by an other stone wall, whereas the castell or howse standeth, the lower rooms whereof ar sellers vauled over. And in the wall one the lefte hande there be stay res of stone of xii stepps in heyght that leadeth one the right hande into the Hall, which is about lx foote longe and xxvi foot wyde, within the howse, and is deepe, with a highe roofe, the Tymber wereof seemeth to be sounde, and is covered with thacke, some thinge decayed at the north ende; towards the west corner there is a square buyldinge vaulted as thother is, but not so broade, and riseth somewhat higher than the roofe of the hall in which, over the sellor, ar fower stronge roomes that may be made meete for lodgings: the uppermost, savinge one, is vaulted.”

The siege during the Desmond rebellion must have caused the castle to need repair, and even at subsequent dates it seems to have been in a ruinous condition.

At first after this, the district of Mallow was assigned to Pelham, H.M. Attorney-General, and Sir Thomas Norreys, who was holding the place, writes to Burghley in 1587: “I understand Mallow (a place which I have hitherto had keeping of) is assigned to H.M. Attorney-General, who doth little esteem it. I crave to be admitted an associate in Co. Cork, and still keep that place, which I doubt not the Attorney-General will easily yield to. I affect not the place for any special goodness, but having held it so long am the more unwilling to leave it, and, if I may obtain it, will endeavour the best service I can.”

The same year Sir John Norreys, President of Munster, writes from Utrecht complaining that the honour of his office brings little land with it, and asking that Mallow might be granted to him.

He it was who settled the crown of Portugal on the royal house of Braganza, and Edmund Spencer described him in some of the lines of his “Fairy Oueen.”

In 1588 Sir Thomas Norreys received a grant of the castle and lands from Elizabeth.

Here, in Sir Thomas’s arms, died his brother, the great Sir John Norreys, in 1597, of old wounds which had been neglected and turned to gangrene. One of many fables told regarding his death is that the devil, dressed in black, appeared while he was playing cards, and claimed his soul on the spot in fulfilment of an old bargain.

During the Tyrone rebellion in 1598-99 Norreys had his English sheep stolen from Mallow, and his park wall broken down, so that the deer roamed loose.

Upon the restored young Earl of Desmond’s returning to Ireland in 1599 he spent much of his time at Mallow, where he was said to be in love with Lady Norris, widow of Sir Thomas.

The Attorney-General writes in 1606: “The first night we lodged at Mallow, a house of my Lady Norries, which is a well-built house, and stands by a fair river in a fruitful soil, but it is yet much unrepaired and bears many marks of the late rebellion.” At this time Elizabeth Norreys, heiress to the estate, was a king’s ward, and resided with her mother in the castle.

In 1613 a fresh patent was granted to Dame Elizabeth Jephson, and her heirs for £50 paid by her husband, Sir John Jephson, Knight, she having inherited her father’s estate. The grant included the castle, manor, and town of Mallow, Short Castle,aliasCastle-Gar, &c.

In 1636 the Earl of Cork made an offer for the manor, but he did not come to terms with the owners.

Short Castle, which was on the north side of the town, was in charge of Lieutenant Williamson in 1641, when Lord Mountgarret marched against Mallow, while the larger fortress was placed in charge of Arthur Bettesworth and two hundred men by Captain Jephson.

After many assaults and several breaches, Short Castle was forced to surrender, which its commander did on terms. There are several versions of the following story.

After the castle’s fall its defender and his men were refreshing themselves in a public-house in the town, when an officer and man belonging to Mountgarret’s force entered with a block and sword, stating they had come to behead them. Lieutenant Williamson caught the sword up with one hand and the officer’s hair with the other, and dragged him to the walls of the larger stronghold, where, dismissing him with a kick, he and his men joined the other garrison.

The Castle of Mallow was taken by the Earl of Castlehaven in 1645, and almost reduced to ruins.

In 1666 there seems to have been an attempt made to restore it. Lord Orrery, writing to the Duke of Ormond in this year, says: “This bridge is at Mallow, where there is a castle of good strength if it had a little reparation, and is one of the greatest passes and thoroughfares in this province, and if seized on by any enemy would, in effect, divide the country into two parts.”

During the scare of the French invasion the Grand Jury presented money to repair it, but the Judge seems to have reserved his decision on the matter.

Major-General Sgravenmore sent Colonel Doness to destroy the bridge and reconnoitre the castle in 1689.

Norreys was added to the family surname Jephson in 1838, and some years later Sir Denham Jephson Norreys erected a mansion in Elizabethan style close to the old fortress. Sir Bernard Burke remarks of it: “Here are mullioned windows, pointed gables, tall chimneys, and all those various intricacies of building which characterisedour noblest seats in the days of the Virgin Oueen; somewhat fantastic, it is true, but picturesque in the extreme.”

The manor and castle are still in the possession of this family, Mrs. Atherton-Jephson-Norreys being the present representative.

MAYNOOTH CASTLE.

“Ye Geraldines! ye Geraldines! how royally ye reignedO’er Desmond broad, and rich Kildare, and English arts disdained,Your sword made knights, your banner waved, free was your bugle call,By Glyn’s green slopes, and Dingle’s tide, from Barrow’s banks to Youghal.What gorgeous shrines, what Brehon lore, what minstrel feasts there wereIn and around Maynooth’s strong keep and palace-tilled Adare!But not for rite or feast ye stayed, when friend or kin were pressed;And foemen fled, when “Crom a boo” bespoke your lance in rest.”Thomas Davis.

Situatedabout twelve miles west-by-north of Dublin, this ancient fortress of the Pale was the chief stronghold of the Kildare branch of the Geraldines. It was built by Maurice FitzGerald (the first of the great family to settle in Ireland) to protect the lands of Offaly, granted to him in 1176 by Strongbow in lieu of part of Wexford which King Henry wished to retain.

From the excellency of the twelfth-century masonry, the great keep, with walls some 8 feet in thickness, and the gate-house, are the best preserved parts of the ruin. The large corner tower and three round arches adjoining belong to the thirteenth century, while the fifteenth century is represented by an oblong tower, now used as the belfry of the Episcopalian Church. The rest of thebuildings which connected these, now isolated, structures have almost entirely disappeared.

The fortress was surrounded on two sides by water, being at the junction of the River Lyreen, a tributary of the Liffey, and a smaller stream.

In 1248 we read that Luke, Archbishop of Dublin, erected the chapel of Maynooth into a prebend of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at the request of Maurice, second Baron of Offaly. This building, which was once the castle chapel, is now the parish church.

At the beginning of the fourteenth century Maynooth seems to have been the favourite residence of the FitzGerald family. John, the 1st Earl of Kildare, and Thomas, the 2nd Earl, both died there (1316 and 1328). The latter bequeathed the castle to his wife. It is described as being “built of stone, with numerous offices partly of stone, and two gates, one leading to the town, and the other to the garden.”

The castle was added to in 1426, and is said to have been “one of the largest and richest Earl’s houses in Ireland.”

In 1534 the Earl of Kildare, being Lord Deputy, was summoned to London, and appointed his son, Lord Offaly, Vice-Deputy in his absence. Upon a rumour that his father had been executed, Lord Thomas, who was very young, went into rebellion, and such nobles and chiefs as refused to join his standard he sent as prisoners to Maynooth.

A division of the English army, landing at Howth to raise the siege of Dublin Castle, was met by “Silken Thomas” with two hundred men. An engagement followed, in which Lord Offaly was victorious, and the survivors of the King’s troops were sent captive to Maynooth.

At this time the castle was splendidly fortified with men and ordnance.

Hearing that the whole English army was about to arrive, Lord Offaly left Maynooth in command of Christopher Paris, his foster-brother, and went into Connaught to raise forces.

In January, 1535, seven hundred men were sent from Dublin to burn Maynooth Castle. A skirmish took place, and although some of the rebels were slain, the royal troops retired.

The Lord Deputy, Sir William Skeffington, now collected his forces, and marched in full strength against the stronghold. The siege began on the 14th of March, and was continued until the 23rd.

Upon arriving at Maynooth, Sir William demanded the surrender of the castle, and offered free pardon and reward to all the garrison.

To this he only received a jeering reply, so planting his cannon to the north of the building towards the park he opened fire. The attack was varied north-east and north-west, but though this continued for over a week little damage was done, save destroying the battlements.

Towards the close of this time a letter was shot out of the castle to the Lord Deputy from Christopher Paris, offering to find means of letting the besiegers enter the castle for a certain sum of money and provision for the rest of his life.

Sir William Skeffington agreed to the terms, and upon the 22nd, a field-piece having been captured from the besiegers, the Governor made it an occasion for high revelry. Thus, while the men who guarded the outer battlements were sound asleep after their carouse, the King’s troops easily entered the castle by scaling-ladders early on the morning of the 23rd.

Sir William Brereton led the attack, but the resistance was very feeble, the drunken soldiers believing that the cry of “St. George! St. George!” was but a dream. SirWilliam hoisted his standard from the highest turret, so as to inform the Lord Deputy that the castle had been won.

Sir William Skeffington entered in the afternoon. The garrison consisted of thirty-seven persons. Two singers of the chapel were pardoned, at the intervention of Chief Justice Aylmer, on account of their sweet voices.

Twenty-five of the men were beheaded, and one hanged, outside the castle gate, and the principal heads placed upon the battlements. Amongst these was that of the Dean of Kildare. Paris was paid the sum stipulated for his treachery, but as he had forgotten to make his safety a condition, he was executed with the rest.

The Lord Deputy left a garrison in the castle and returned to Dublin.

Lord Offaly was marching to the relief of his stronghold with an army of seven thousand men when the news of its fall reached him. At this, most of his forces melted away, and the rebellion became rather a series of raids than regular warfare.

At last, Lord Thomas, tempted by a promise of pardon, surrendered himself, and was sent prisoner to England. Here, after some months of captivity, he and his five uncles were beheaded at Tyburn.

There is a tradition that the last evening “Silken Thomas” ever spent at Maynooth he played the harp under the venerable yew which is now enclosed in the grounds of St. Patrick’s College.

A bill of attainder was passed in 1536 against the Earl of Kildare and his heirs; and Maynooth, being forfeited to the Crown, became a King’s castle. It seems to have been a favourite residence of the Lords Deputy at this time.

In 1552 Edward VI. restored Gerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, to his title and estates. His widow lived at Maynooth until her death; and it was in the castle gardenthat Lord Delvin was first approached by the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell to join the insurrection in 1606. In a letter written by the Countess of Kildare she expresses her regret for such an occurrence.

After the death of the 14th Earl in 1612, Maynooth Castle seems to have fallen into a state of dilapidation on account of his son’s minority. It was restored by his guardian, the great Earl of Cork, who placed an inscription over the gateway recording its restoration, and bearing the date 1630.

In 1629 we hear of the Earl’s title deeds being preserved in the Council House, which was a stone building that stood on the site now occupied by the President’s house of St. Patrick’s College. It was removed about 1780. The doorway is still preserved in a school of the town, and the council table, bearing the date 1533, stands before the Duke of Leinster’s residence at Carton.

The 12th Earl of Kildare lived at Maynooth until civil war broke out in 1641. Shortly after hostilities began the castle was plundered and the valuable library destroyed.

In 1643 Captain Michael Jones, under the Marquis of Ormond, held possession of the fortress; and in 1644 the Earl of Kildare asked for powder and men to increase its defence, he having taken down the spouts to make bullets.

In 1647 General Owen O’Neill sent a detachment from Trim, which carried the castle by assault. Twenty-six men of the garrison and some officers were hanged, and the fortress dismantled.

The next Earl lived chiefly at Kilkea Castle, and Maynooth gradually fell into decay.

In 1707 Robert, 19th Earl of Kildare, wished to restore the building, but finding it too dilapidated he decided to enlarge Carton House instead.

Houses were subsequently built among the castle ruins,and these were removed by the Duke of Leinster in 1848, and the space round planted and enclosed.

Thiscastle is situated on the banks of the Foyle where it narrows inland, somewhat over a mile south of Saint Johnstown and seven miles from the City of Londonderry.

Only the keep now remains, but during the last century the walls of the courtyard which lay between the Foyle and the fortress were still standing, and over the arch of the gateway was a small stone engraved with the initials “I.S.E.S.T.” and the date 1619. This has, however, now disappeared. Another inscribed stone bears the following: “The Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of John Lord Culpeper, and widow of Colonel James Hamilton (who lost his life at sea in Spain, in the service of his king and country), purchased this manor, and annexed it to the opposite estate of the family, which paternal estate itself has improved by her prudent management to nearly the yearly income of the dower she received thereout. She has also settled her younger son, William Hamilton, Esq., in an estate acquired in England, of nearly equal value in the purchase to this, and given every one of her numerous offspring, descended from both branches, some considerable mark of her parental care. Her eldest son, James, Earl of Abercorn, and Viscount Strabane, hath caused this inscription to be placed here for the information of her posterity, Anno, 1704.”

There are two incidents in the castle’s history which are of particular interest. In the sixteenth century it was thechief residence of the beautiful “Ineen Dubh,” daughter of Macdonnell, Lord of the Isles, and mother of the famous Red Hugh O’Donnell, Chief of Tyrconnell.

It was said of her that she was “excelling in all the qualities that become a woman, yet possessing the heart of a hero, and the soul of a soldier.”

The State Paper recording her possession is as follows: “From Cul-Mac-Tryan runs a bogg three myles in length to the side of Lough Foyle—in the midst of the bog is a standing loughe called Bunaber—here at Bunaber dwells O’Donnell’s mother (Ineen Dubh M’Donnell). Three miles above Cargan stands a fort called McGevyvelin (Mongivlin) upon the river of Lough Foyle—O’Donnell’s mother’s chief house.”

The fortress is mentioned in 1619 in Captain Pynnar’s Survey of the Escheated Counties of Ulster in the following manner: “Sir John Stewart hath 3,000 acres called Cashell Hetin and Littergull. Upon this proportion there is built, at Magevlin, a very strong castle, with a flanker at each corner.”

James II. was the guest of Archdeacon Hamilton at Mongevlin during the siege of Derry. From there he sent proposals of surrender to the garrison by his host, which were rejected.

A sad incident occurred in connection with the castle last century. A servant lad being employed by the owner of the time was so terrified by the ghost stories he heard in connection with the building that he left his situation and went home. His friends persuaded him to return, but the matter so preyed upon his mind that he shortly after hanged himself.

Situatedat the western extremity of Cork Harbour, in the Barony of Kerricurrihy, is the now ruined castle of Monkstown. The name is derived from the Monastery Legan, belonging to the Benedictine Monks, which was formerly established here, it being a cell of Bath Abbey.

The castle consists of a quadrangular building, flanked by four square towers, having machicolated defences projecting from their angles. The windows are in excellent preservation, being of square Tudor style, divided by strong stone mullions, with horizontal weather cornices. The moulding of the door displays excellent workmanship.

The estate belonged to the Archdeacons, who changed their name to MacOdo, or Cody.

The castle was erected in 1636 by Anastasia Archdeacon,neeGould, who intended it as a pleasant surprise for her husband, who was a naval officer, and away on a voyage at the time.

Tradition says that it only cost the thrifty lady a groat. At first she found that the builders objected to go to so out-of-the-way a situation, as provisions were difficult to procure. Nothing daunted by such an excuse the lady offered to supply the workmen with provisions at the ordinary retail rate. This she did, but as she purchased her goods at wholesale prices she found when she came to balance her accounts that she was only 4d. out of pocket.

The castle was erected in a twelvemonth and a day, and the date 1636 appears on one of the mantelpieces.

Smith states that the fortress was originally styled Castle Mahon or O’Mahony’s Castle, and in an ancient MS. document (probably now in the possession of Captain Shaw, late of the London Fire Brigade) it is described as being “remade” at the above date, so that it may occupy the site of an older stronghold.

The following interesting extracts are taken from the manuscript alluded to, which has been preserved in the Shaw family, they having at one time leased the castle: “A.D. 1636, Monkstown Castle and court were remade. Reader, you are to observe that it was not John Archdeacon, but his wife, Anastatia Gould, who built the four castles of Monkstown, and the court, in his absence, as he was from home. On his return he did not like the building, and said that a building near a harbour was a building of sedition, which, alas! turned out so.”

“A.D. 1660.—Archdeacon died, as when Cromwell came to Ireland he was deprived of his castle, lands, &c., but not his life, which they did not covet.”

In 1612 the wardship of the son of the late John Archdeacon, of Monkstown, was given to Sir John Jephson Knt., and it was this ward’s wife who afterwards built the castle.

He died in 1660, and both he and his wife are buried in the disused graveyard of Teampul Oen Bryn, west of the castle. Upon his tomb appears a long Latin inscription which, among other things, states that—“Here lies the body of that most noble man, John Archdeacon.”

Colonel Hunks, one of the three deputed to execute the death warrant of Charles I., was granted the lands of Monkstown by the Commonwealth before the demise of John Archdeacon, who lost his estate on account of loyalty to the Stewarts. Hunks sold it to Primate Boyle, brother of the Earl of Cork, for £400.

But it evidently returned to the Archdeacon family upon the Restoration, for it was again confiscated in 1688 on account of the family’s loyalty to King James.

It then passed again into the hands of the Boyles, and through two granddaughters of the Primate it descended to the present owners, the Lords De Vesci and Longford.

In 1700 Dive Downes writes: “Mr. O’Callaghan, a Protestant, lives in Monkstown, in a good square castle with flankers.”

Later in this century it was rented by the Government as a barrack.

Lord De Vesci leased the castle to Bernard Shaw in 1861.

Therehave been three consecutive castles at Portumna, which is situated in the Barony of Longford, Co. Galway. The town stands at the head of Lough Derg, about eleven miles west of Birr. The name signifies “the bank of the oak.”

The territory formerly belonged to the O’Maddens, and was included in the grant to De Burgo 1226.

Soon after this the first castle was erected close to the River Shannon. The ruins were removed some years ago, but its position can still be traced.

The second fortress, which was an imposing castellated building of the Tudor period, was burnt in 1826. The chief apartments were the great hall, handsome state drawing-room, and library—a beautiful long room in the upper storey. They were all completely destroyed, only the walls being left.

Some of the out-offices were fitted up as a residence for the Dowager Countess of Clanricard shortly afterwards.

Since then the Earl of Clanricard has erected a magnificent modern residence in the demesne, but on a different site.

The manor passed, by the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of William de Burgo, Earl of Ulster, to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, through whom it passed to the Mortimers, and later to the Earls of Clanricard.

In 1582 it was held by Ulick Burke, Earl of Clanricard,to whom Portumna and the earldom were confirmed, as his brother John disputed his right.

In 1608 it was granted to the Earl, with other houses, to be held by knight’s servicein capite.

The Earl of Strafford held a council in the castle in 1634 to establish the King’s title in Connaught. The jury, however, negatived the matter, whereupon the Earl arrested them and the sheriff, and sent them prisoners to Dublin.

In 1641, Ulic, 5th Earl of Clanricard, was at Portumna upon the breaking out of hostilities. He fortified the castle and proceeded to Galway, of which city he was governor. He used every effort to maintain peace, and in 1650 was appointed Lord Deputy in place of Ormond. At this time he made Portumna his chief place of residence.

In 1659 General Ludlow laid siege to the fortress.

In the struggle between James and William it was garrisoned for James, but surrendered to Brigadier-General Eppinger, who, with one thousand two hundred horse and dragoons, arrived to reduce it.

Inthe Barony of South Ballintobber, County Roscommon, seventy-five miles west-by-north of Dublin, stands the now ruined fortress of Roscommon. Joyce says the name signifies “Coman’s wood,” from St. Comas, who founded a monastery there about the year 746, but O’Donovan traces its derivation from “crooked stick.”

The plan of the castle consists of a quadrangular space enclosed by curtain walls flanked at the angles by towers rounded on the outside. The whole measures about 223 feet in length and 173 in breadth. On the east side the entrance, under a pointed arch, was also protected by two towers, which were connected by a rectangular building inside that probably contained the state rooms.

The lower storeys of the towers were vaulted, although some of them are now broken. The upper floors have larger windows, and also the remains of fireplaces. Most of the windows contain four lights, but some have Elizabethan mullions.

The north-west tower has a winding stair, which leads to the top of the curtain wall. On the western side of the stronghold is a small rectangular tower, which contained a little entrance.

There is now no trace of the moat, but a few remains of earth outworks are visible.

On the east is a long enclosure surrounded by walls and flanked by bastions, which is known as the orchard, although at present it contains no trees.

The north and south walls of the castle, which had beenbroken down, have been again raised for farming purposes. The inside of the walls exhibit traces of blasting. The castle was built of blue limestone, and much of the stone has been used elsewhere.

Weld considers it likely that the fortress was built from an English plan, and remarks on the apparent absence of patching, it all seeming to date from the same period.

Robert d’Ufford, Lord Justice of Ireland, began to erect the castle in 1268, while Hugh, King of Connaught, was too ill to prevent such encroachment on his territory. Some authorities state a fortress existed here prior to this time. During 1270-72 there are numerous accounts of payments for building and fortifying the stronghold.

In 1275-76 is an entry of payment to Brother Maurice, Bishop of Elphin, for the site that had been used, and which appears to have been Church property.

The castle is said to have been razed by O’Conor in 1272, but the word “broken” used in the Book of Howth seems to be nearer the truth, as four years later the Irish again seized it by scaling ladders and overthrew the English garrison.

In Weld’s Statistical Survey he gives an amusing account of the contradictions which obscure the early history of the stronghold, and from which it appears impossible to gather the true facts at this distant period.

In 1277 Sir Robert d’Ufford was again Lord Juctice, and with Thomas de Clare, Maurice Fitz-Maurice and all their forces was hemmed in by the Irish in the Slievebawn Mountains. They were only released on the condition that Roscommon Castle was surrendered to the O’Conors.

It is also chronicled that Hugh O’Conor destroyed it in this year and that it was rebuilt by Maurice Fitz-Maurice.

At any rate it seems again to have been in English possession in 1282-83, as there are entries regarding payment for its fortifications, and a grant to the Prior and Convent of St. Coman of a right to water their animals forever at the lake under the castle. This sheet of water, which was called Loch-na-nean, or “the lake of birds,” has now entirely disappeared.

The names of numerous constables of the castle are mentioned in the State Documents.

In 1290 the castle was garrisoned by Welshmen, and the townspeople were in great distress because of the constables and bailiffs preying upon them. The King issued an order that nothing must be taken without consent and payment.

There was a long trial in 1292 of William de Prene, a carpenter in charge of works at Roscommon Castle, who was accused of various frauds in connection with his contract.

A very interesting account of repairs is recorded in 1304 which gives a fair idea of the extent of the fortress. An artilleryman was paid for repairing war engines, and the well was enclosed by a wall 3 feet thick. It was 5 feet across and 32 feet deep, with a wooden cover. Three drawbridges and two portcullisses are also mentioned. The postern was closed with masonry 7 feet thick. The step of the hall repaired, and the tower near it vaulted with two arches. Also St. Bridget’s well was drained into the lake.

Somewhere about this time Felim O’Conor is said to have laid low the castle, while in 1341 his son Hugh was taken prisoner by the King of Connaught and imprisoned in the stronghold, but was released for a ransom the following year.

Roderic O’Conor occupied the castle in 1375.

While in possession of the O’Conors it was a constant source of dispute between O’Conor Don and O’Conor Roe. In 1409, being in the former’s possession, it was besieged by the latter, but the garrison was relieved by Brian O’Conor Sligo, who managed to get provisions into the fortress.

Rory O’Conor died there in 1453. Tadhg O’Conor was treacherously killed by his own people in 1476, and they took the castle of Roscommon, but did not keep it long.

In 1499 the Earl of Kildare led his forces into Connaught, dislodged O’Conor Roe and installed O’Conor Don. In 1512 the Earl of Kildare again took the fortress, and this time he garrisoned it with his own warders. It, however, immediately reverted to the O’Conors, and remained with them until 1566, when it was taken for Queen Elizabeth.

It had been granted to M’William Bourke in 1544, but as he would have had to drive out the occupiers, it is not to be wondered at that he never took possession.

It was restored by the O’Conor Don, and Sir Thomas L’Estrange made constable in 1569. The O’Conor Roe, having a spite against the constable, attacked and burned the castle in 1573, and L’Estrange claimed compensation to the amount of £1,000.

Sir Henry Sydney lodged a night in the castle in 1576, and complained of having no cheer. The O’Conor Don visited him at this time.

Sir Nicholas Maltbie, to whom the castle was leased in 1577, asked to be made Seneschal of Roscommon in 1580 as compensation for rebuilding the fortress.

Captain Brabazon, Governor of Connaught, summoned a meeting of the chiefs in the castle in 1582. It was held in the “Tower of the Narrow Passages,” and the joistings giving way the whole meeting, including the Governor, was precipitated to the bottom. Chief O’Flanagan died from the fall.

After this the English constable was murdered, and Sir Henry Sydney left a garrison in the castle.

Sir Nicholas Malbie died in 1584, and the castle remained in his family’s possession for some years afterwards. In 1609 Lady Sydley, widow of Henry Malby, Esq., asked allowance for the repairs of the castles of Roscommonand Longford, both of which she rented from the Crown. Roscommon had been ruined by various garrisons which had been placed there by Sir John Norris and others.

One of the charges against the northern Earls was their intention to seize Roscommon Castle amongst others.

The garrison made a brave defence against the Irish in 1642. The castle was chiefly defended by Scotch warders. It is quaintly noted that at the beginning of these “commotions” it had belonged to Lord Grandesson.

Three years later General Preston arrived and laid siege to it, opening fire on both town and castle.

On the ninth day of the siege the garrison offered to make honourable terms, which were accepted. The same day the besieging party had a sharp encounter with a relieving force, who were, however, defeated, and the castle surrendered. Captain Leicester was left in command.

It remained in the possession of the Irish forces until 1652, when it was delivered on articles to Commissary-General Reynolds, of the Parliamentary troops, by Captain Daly.

It is probable that it was demolished at this time. Tradition states it was burned by fugitive Irish after the battle of Aughrim, and some blackened joists are pointed out in corroboration.

It is now leased to a farmer by the Earl of Essex.

ROSS CASTLE.

“Its embers smouldering here and there,Unfed, the civil war-flame dies;But still defiant on the air,O’er Rosse the green flag proudly flies.* * * * *“’Till Birnam wood meets Dunsinane,’Macbeth before no foe shall quail,And Rosse may all assaults disdain,’Till on Lough Lein strange ship shall sail.’”A. B. Rowan.

Thiscastle is situated on what is now known as the Island of Ross, on the east shore of Lough Lene, or the Lower Lake of Killarney, about a mile and three-quarters south of the town.

The island has been artificially formed by cutting across the peninsula orroson which the fortress is built and from which it takes its name.

The channel, which is flooded by the waters of the lake, is crossed by a bridge, although it is usually dry during the summer months.

This bridge was formerly protected by a guard house and gates, which were closed every night, sentinels being posted at the entrance when the castle was garrisoned in later times.

The present ruins consist of a keep, with the remains of the surrounding bawn wall, which was flanked by semicircular towers at the corners. A spiral stone stair leadsto the top of the keep, with doorways opening at the various floors.

The fortress is based on a limestone rock, and sustained on the land side by a buttress of masonry.

The peninsula contains 158 acres, and copper mines were opened on it in 1804, which were worked for four years, in which time £80,000 worth of ore was extracted. Water getting in stopped further work. It was clearly proved that the mines had been worked many centuries before, and a number of stone implements, locally called “Danes’ hammers,” have been found on the island.

The castle is supposed to have been built towards the close of the fourteenth century by the family of O’Donoghue-Ross, who added the appellation of their home to distinguish them from the family of O’Donoghue-More.

A modern barrack capable of holding some two hundred men and officers was erected against the keep, but when it ceased to be used Lord Kenmare had the unsightly erection removed.

There is a legend regarding a great and wise Prince O’Donoghue who possessed the secret of eternal youth, and under whose rule the land prospered greatly. It is related how that during a splendid feast at Ross Castle he rose up amongst the company and made a prophetic oration, recounting accurately all that the future years would bring. In the midst of speaking he walked over to a window (which is still shown) and through it he passed out over the lake. Upon nearing the centre he turned round and waved his hand in farewell to those behind, and, the waters opening, he disappeared beneath them.

On May morning he is said to rise from his watery grave and ride over the lake on a white steed, surrounded by beautiful women and youths. His appearance is looked upon as a sign of a bountiful harvest.

It is also related how a young maiden imagining herselfin love with the phantom prince, cast herself into the lake on a May morning and was drowned.

The O’Donoghues were succeeded at Ross by the M’Carthy Mores, through whom the castle passed in 1588 to Sir Valentine Browne, ancestor to the present house of Kenmare.

In 1651 Lord Muskerry was guardian to his nephew Sir Valentine Browne, who was then a minor of about twelve years old. Hence it was that after his defeat by the Parliamentary forces at Knockniclashy on the 5th of July he retired with his army, numbering some one thousand five hundred men, to Ross.

Ludlow, accompanied by Lord Broghill and Sir Hardress Waller, followed with four thousand horse and two thousand foot.

Lord Muskerry was the last Royalist commander in arms, and his submission was a matter of great moment.

Ludlow reports that the castle was only accessible by the causeway which the besieged had fortified, being otherwise surrounded by water and bog.

Finding that this made the reduction of the fortress a matter of difficulty, and probably hearing of the tradition which stated Ross Castle could not fall until a ship should sail on the lake, Ludlow asked for a small fleet of boats to be prepared for transport at Kinsale.

In the meantime he found that the besieged were obtaining supplies through the thick woods surrounding the island. A force of two thousand foot were, therefore, despatched to clear the thickets. Some of the enemy were killed, some taken prisoners, and the rest saved themselves “by their good footmanship.”

The rest of Ludlow’s forces were employed in fortifying the peninsular so that a few men could keep the besieged in, while a large company was despatched to Killorgan, on Castlemain Bay, to receive the boats and supplies.

The preparation for the expedition was undertaken bythe Rev. Dr. Jones, and the command was given to Captain Chudleigh.

The vessels were sent in pieces, so that the workmen who accompanied them could put them together in a few days. Two pinnaces carrying ordnance, and capable of holding fifty (or Ludlow says a hundred and fifty) men, were forwarded so as to be ready for use in two days. Also five or six boats to hold fifty men each, and material to make more.

Great has been the controversy as to what route was followed in conveying these vessels to Killarney. The River Laune, which drains the lakes, is not navigable above the place where Ludlow’s force was to receive the goods.

Tradition asserts that they were conveyed by the mountain road, and in Ware’s Annals it is recorded that a ship was “carried over the mountains.” On the other hand, Smith distinctly says they were “brought up by the River Lane, by strength of men’s hands.” He also relates how a recent sexton of Swords, called Hopkins (who had died at the age of 115), had been one of those who “assisted in drawing the above-mentioned vessel into the lake.” It is, therefore, likely that Smith’s informant on the matter had received the correct impression from an eye witness.

On Captain Chudleigh’s tomb at St. Multon’s, Kinsale, the fact is recorded of his having constructed a ship to sail on land for the reduction of Ross.

Some naval men are said to have drawn a vessel up the Laune in later years.

It is on the whole most likely that the hulls of the pinnaces were brought up by the river bed, while the lighter craft were conveyed by road. At any rate the transport and preparation occupied only the short period of four days, at the end of which time the terrified garrison perceived a warship being rowed upon the lake.

It is not unlikely that pressure was put on Lord Muskerry by his superstitious garrison, for no sooner had the vessel appeared than he notified to Ludlow that he was willing to treat.

Commissioners were appointed on both sides, and after a fortnight spent in debating the terms the treaty of Ross was signed. Lord Muskerry’s son and Sir Daniel O’Brien were delivered as hostages.

Fair terms were granted to the Royalist Army, and five thousand horse and foot laid down their arms.

For a long time Ross Castle gave rank and emolument to a governor. One of these owed his position to the confusion of names between New Ross, County Wexford, and the Ross of Killarney, for having rendered valuable service at the former during the rebellion of 1798, the governorship of the latter becoming vacant he was at once appointed.

Theshores of Lough Melvin comprise part of Leitrim, Fermanagh and Donegal. The lake is about six miles long and a mile and a half at its greatest width. The castle of Rossclogher is situated on an artificial island to the south, near the Leitrim shore, and it gives its name to the Barony of Rossclogher in that county.

The Four Masters record the miraculous formation of the lake in 4694B.C., while during the preparation of the grave of Melghe Molbhthach the waters gushed forth. He had been King of Ireland for fourteen years and was killed in battle. The lake was then called Lough Melghe, from which comes the modern Melvin.

The castle belonged to the M’Clancys, who were chiefs of Dartraigh in 1241 according to the Irish annals. They were a subordinate sept to the O’Rourkes and the name is variously spelt Glannaghie, M’Glannough, M’Glanna, M’Glanathie, M’Glanchie, Maglanshie, &c.

The lake fortress of Rossclogher was built by one of this family before the reign of Henry VIII., but the exact date is unknown.

It is interesting to note that the island next it, to the east, is called Inisheher (Inis Siar), meaning western island, having evidently received its name long before the foundations of the castle were laid, which at the present time form the most western land in the lake.

The structure upon which the fortress is built is like that of the Hag’s Castle in Lough Mask, and CloughoghterCastle in Cavan. It consists of a foundation of heavy stones laid in the lake and filled in with smaller stones and earth so as to form an island.

The castle consists of a circular tower surrounded by a wall about five feet in height. It is built of freestone taken from the mainland near, cemented together with lime and coarse gravel. The walls, which are very thick, were coated outside with rough cast, which is unusual in the ancient buildings of the neighbourhood. On the side nearest the land are the ruins of a bastion with holes for musketry. The water is very deep between the fortress and the land, which is about 100 yards distant.

On the mainland opposite the stronghold are the remains of earthworks which would seem to have been formed by some attacking party possessing military skill. On a hill above this is situated the ancient “cattle-booley” of the MacClancy clan. It is a circular enclosure of earth, faced with stone, and is about 220 feet in circumference.

The ruins of a church are also on the mainland, within hailing distance of the castle.

The Four Masters record a night attack made by the O’Rourks in 1421, by which they took MacClancy Oge prisoner, and became possessed of “Lough Melvin and its castle.” The attack, however, is said to have been made on the island of Inisheen, in consequence of the guards of the lake giving up the boats to the attackers. It was on this island the MacClancy’s wooden crannog was situated, and its plundering again in 1455 by Maguire is recorded.

In 1588 three ships belonging to the Spanish Armada were wrecked on Streedagh Strand.

In one of these was Captain Cuellar, whose graphic narrative of his adventures in Ireland, when he had escaped with his life from the sea, have been published of recent years.

After various wanderings, sufferings and ill-treatment in the neighbourhood, he met a priest who directed him, inLatin, to a castle six leagues off. “It was very strong, and belonged to a savage gentleman, a very brave soldier and great enemy of the Oueen of England and of her affairs, a man who had never cared to obey her or pay tribute, attending only to his mountains, which made it strong.”

On the road he fell in with a blacksmith who forced him to work at his forge until the same clergyman, passing that way, promised to ask the chief to send an escort for him.

The following day MacClancy despatched four of his own people and a Spanish soldier to fetch him. He states they were much grieved at his sore state and assisted him in every way, and he adds: “I remained there three months, acting as a real savage like themselves.”

He describes his hostess as “beautiful in the extreme,” and very kind to him. One day while sitting with her and some of her women friends he began to tell their fortunes by palmistry, and “to say to them a hundred thousand absurdities.” Soon this got abroad, with the result that hundreds of people flocked to him to have their hands told. At length he said he would have to leave, and then MacClancy ordered that no one should molest him in future.

While Captain Cuellar was thus spending his time at Lough Melvin, news arrived that the Lord Deputy, Fitzwilliam, had marched from Dublin with a great force, and was hanging all the Spaniards he could find and punishing those who had succoured them.

MacClancy (Cuellar calls him Manglana) decided to fly to the mountains with his people, most likely by a bridlepath still to be traced from the “cattle-booley.” It was two feet wide, and the paving was enclosed by a kerb. He asked Cuellar and eight other Spaniards what they wished to do. After a conference they offered to defend the castle against the Lord Deputy. MacClancy was delighted, and at once made all provision. They thenretired to the castle, taking with them the church valuables, three or four boat-loads of stones, six muskets, six crossbows, and other arms.

Captain Cuellar describes the stronghold thus: “The castle is very strong, and very difficult to take if they do not (even though they should) attack it with artillery, for it is founded in a lake of very deep water which is more than a league wide at some parts, and three or four leagues long, and has an outlet to the sea; and, besides, with the rise of spring tides it is not possible to enter it, for which reason the castle could not be taken by water nor by the shore of the land that is nearest to it. Neither could injury be done it, because (for) a league round the town, which is established on the mainland, it is marshy, breast-deep, so that even the inhabitants (natives) could not get to it except by paths.”

As the Spanish captain never mentions the name of the fortress, its identification with Rossclogher has been called in question, chiefly because the measurements are much greater than those of Lough Melvin (a league equalling 3·66 miles), but all the distances in the narrative are greatly overstated. Again, Lough Melvin has not been open to the sea within the historic period. A map, however, of 1609 in the British Museum represents the river which drains it as being nearly as wide as the Erne, and we do not read that Cuellar personally explored its outlet.

In all other matters the castle accurately answers to his description, and no other building has ever been put forward as the probable scene of the siege.

When the Lord Deputy appeared upon the shore (with, Cuellar says, one thousand eight hundred men) he could not get nearer than a mile and a half on account of the marshy ground. From this it would seem that he arrived at the point of Rossfriar on the north-west shore of the lough. He then hanged two Spaniards as a warning, and demanded by a trumpeter the surrender of the castle,promising the garrison a free pass to Spain. This they pretended not to understand.

The siege lasted seventeen days, when a great snowstorm obliged the Deputy to return south.

Upon this episode the State Papers are silent; the Lord Deputy merely giving the following account of his northern expedition. “First, therefore, it may please your lordships, I undertook the journey the 4th November, and finished the same the 23rd of this instant, December, being seven weeks and one day, returning without loss of any one of Her Majesty’s army.”

When the English forces had retired MacClancy returned in great delight and fêted the Spaniards. He offered his sister to Cuellar in marriage, but this was declined. The chief decided to keep the foreigners as his guard, by force if necessary, but they hearing this left secretly. After much hardship Cuellar eventually crossed to Scotland from Dunluce, and from thence to Antwerp.

In 1590 MacClancy’s death is officially recorded as follows: “M’Glannaghe ran for a lough which was near, and tried to save himself by swimming, but a shot broke his arm, and a gallowglass brought him ashore. He was the best killed man in Connaught a long time. He was the most barbarous creature in Ireland, and had always 100 knaves about him. He would never come before any officer. His country extended from Grange beyond Sligo till you come to Ballyshannon. He was O’Rourke’s right hand. He had some 14 Spaniards, some of whom were taken alive.”

Thus in trying to reach Rossclogher fortress MacClancy lost his life, his head being exhibited in triumph.

The estates of the sept were forfeited in 1641, and the island fortress now belongs to St. George Robert Johnston, Esq., of Kinlough House, the village of Kinlough being near the ruins.

Upon approaching Lough Melvin from one direction atabout a mile distant the castle of Rossclogher bears a most remarkable resemblance to a ship in full sail upon the lake.

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