SWORDS CASTLE

“In th’ historic pages of Erin’s green isleHow bright shines the name of old Phelim the brave,Who lived where the groves of Shane’s Castle now smile,And Neagh’s crystal waters the green meadows lave.”J. S. M. C.

Theancient name of this fortress was Edan-dubh-Cairrge, meaning “the front or brow of the black rock.”

It is situated near the village of Randalstown, about two miles and a quarter north-west of Antrim. The present demesne, which extends for two miles along the northern shore of Lough Neagh, is bisected by the river Main.

The castle has not been inhabited since it was burnt down on the 15th of May, 1816. A large addition was being erected at the time, and it as well as the older buildings were all consumed. Only the beautiful conservatory and the fortified terrace escaped uninjured. Several turrets and towers still stand to indicate its former extent and grandeur.

A passage about a hundred yards in length runs underground from the castle to the adjacent graveyard, and was the servants’ entrance to the mansion. Connected with this are great vaults which were built at the same time as the conservatory and the rooms near, so as to raise the addition above the level of the Lough, and give the building a better frontage.

An old safe is still to be seen in one of the castle walls, and not far from it a curious figure-head, supposed by

SHANE’S CASTLE.

some to have been brought from the East and to belong to a much earlier date than the ruins among which it stands. Tradition states that when it falls the family of O’Neill will come to an end.

It is recorded that in 1490 Edan-dubh-Cairrge, the castle of Niale, the son of Con, son of Hugh Boy, was taken and demolished by Felim, grandson of Niale Boy. It is probable that the present ruins are the remains of a castle which was erected in the sixteenth century upon the site of an older fortress, though the exact date of building is uncertain.

Edenduffcarrick belonged to the O’Neills of Clandaboy, and a younger branch of the great Tyrone family.

They were descendants of Hugh O’Neill, surnamedbuideorboy—yellow-haired, from which fact the district got its name.

In Queen Elizabeth’s reign Sir Brian MacPhelim O’Neill usurped the O’Neill estates with the help of the English, but they were shortly afterwards confiscated and bestowed by the Crown on Sir Thomas Smith.

In 1573 there is a memorandum by Secretary Smith offering to give up to the Earl of Essex upon certain conditions “Belfast, Massareen, Castle MowbrayaliasEden Doucarg (now Edenduffcarrick or Shane’s castle, in the county of Antrim) and Castle Toome.”

After the treacherous seizing and execution of Sir Brian in 1574 a fierce struggle for possession of Clandaboy began between his son Shane MacBrian and a cousin, Neal Oge. In 1583 Captain Thomas Norreys captured the castle of Edenduffcarrick from Hugh Oge and handed it over to Shane as Captain of Lower Clandaboy.

A writer about 1586, describing Antrim, states that Edenduffcarrig and Belfast were the only wardable castles at that time.

In 1588-89 Lower Clandaboy was divided between Shane M’Brian M’Felim O’Neill, and Neale M’Hue, son of HueM’Felim. The latter was granted the castle with a fourth of the country and followers, but as he was unable to provide the pledges required for the safe delivery of the castle and the payment of rent, he was imprisoned in Dublin Castle until he could find them. In the meantime his men garrisoned Edenduffcarrick.

Shane M’Brian O’Neill endeavoured to get possession of North Clandaboy in 1591 for himself and his heirs, and the Government received warning that it would be best for them to keep Shane’s Castle in their own hands, especially as it could be used to guard the fisheries of Lough Neagh, where a “civil English plantation” might be formed.

The same year Shane and his cousin Neale agreed to submit to arbitration regarding the division of North Clandaboy. Commissioners were, therefore, appointed by the Lord Deputy, and Shane’s Castle was reserved to the Crown according to advice.

The Earl of Tyrone formed a camp near the castle in 1593-94, and the Sheriff of Antrim appealed to the Lord Deputy for a guard to be put in Edenduffcarrick, saying that otherwise the country was unprotected, and that it “is the only mark that these fellows shoot at.”

After this the castle seems to have been allowed to fall into decay, for in 1596 Mr. Francis Shane, discoursing about the rebellion in Ulster, states that upon the edge of Lough Neagh “standeth a ruinated pile called Edendowcarrick,” which being made wardable could be converted into a store for provisioning Blackwater and Coleraine in case of sea storms.

Later it was evidently taken possession of by Shane M’Brian O’Neill, who had joined with his great namesake and kinsman, the Earl of Tyrone, for in 1597 Sir John Chichester, with the help of Neale M’Haghe (the other claimant to Clandaboy) took the castle from him. It was a somewhat unexpected victory, as Sir John did not at first intend the capture. He had divided his forces intothree companies of a hundred men each. One party he sent to seize some horses of the enemy, the second was detailed to harass the rebels, and the third, which he himself commanded, was intended to prevent a sally from the castle. The garrison did make an attempt to issue forth, and he presently came up “pell mell with them,” and entered the bawn.

After two assaults the English came so near that they set the building on fire. It was said to have contained large stores, and that its loss was a great bridle to the Earl of Tyrone.

After this the chieftains of both the Clandaboys laid down their arms and gave hostages.

The castle had not long been in Government hands when the warders, although well provisioned by the help of Shane M’Brian (now siding with the English), made a raid upon the country people, and carried off a number of horses.

Neill M’Hugh M’Phelim, having escaped from prison, took up the people’s cause and assaulted the castle. They broke the bawn and burned the door of the main keep, whereupon the garrison killed their prey in the cellar, and as it is reported, “by this wilful accident put the house in danger.”

A new door was ordered, and also a more plentiful stock of provisions for the garrison.

In 1598 Sir Hugh O’Neill resided at Edenduffcarrick, it having passed again out of the hands of the Government.

In 1607 King James I. finally settled the castle and estate upon the descendants of Shane MacBrian O’Neill. It is most likely that the present name of Shane’s Castle is derived from this man. Richard Dobbs uses this designation in 1683, so that the popular belief that the name was altered by French John who came into possession in 1716 is clearly erroneous. He was called “French” John because, being of a younger branch, he had made his ownway in the world engaged in the wool trade abroad. When he came into possession of the estate he displayed in the castle hall the very wool-cards he had used in his poorer days to show he was not ashamed of his calling. It was he who built the family vault in the adjacent graveyard in 1722.

In 1798 the first Viscount O’Neill, who was then the family representative, rode into Antrim on the day of the battle of that town. He received a mortal wound from a pike in his side, and being conveyed by boat to Shane’s Castle, he lingered for a fortnight. It is supposed that it was at his wife’s instigation that he enlarged the castle demesne and removed the ancient village of Edenduffcarrick.

A most interesting note from Mrs. Siddon’s diary, mentioning her visit to the castle in 1783, is as follows:—

“When my Dublin engagement concluded I made a visit to Shane’s Castle, the magnificent residence of Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill. I have not words to describe the beauty and splendour of this enchanting place, which, I am sorry to say, has since been destroyed by a tremendous fire. Here were often assembled the talent, and rank, and beauty of Ireland. Among the persons of the Leinster family whom I met here was poor Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the most amiable, honourable, though misguided, youth I ever knew. The luxury of this establishment almost inspired the recollections of an Arabian Night’s entertainment. Six or eight carriages, with a numerous throng of lords and ladies on horseback, began the day by making excursions around this terrestrial paradise, returning home just in time to dress for dinner. The table was served with a profusion and elegance to which I have never seen anything comparable. The sideboards were decorated with adequate magnificence, on which appeared immense silver flagons containing claret. A fine band of musicians played during the whole of the repast. They werestationed in the corridors which led into a fine conservatory, where we plucked our dessert from numerous trees of the most exquisite fruits. The foot of the conservatory was washed by the waves of a superb lake, from which the cool and pleasant wind came to murmur in concert with the harmony from the corridor. The graces of the presiding genius, the lovely mistress of the mansion, seem to blend with the whole scene.”

The great fire already alluded to occurred in 1816, and is supposed to have originated in a chimney where jackdaws were building. It quickly spread to the drawing-room, and nothing was saved except the family papers and plate. A most valuable library and many pictures were destroyed.

The sky was crimson for miles round, and people flocked to all the adjacent hills to witness the magnificent sight.

The present family residence is about a quarter of a mile from the old castle. The owner, Lord O’Neill, is the 2nd Baron, the former title having become extinct in 1855.

“The Rockery,” formed from an ancient quarry and stocked with rare plants, is one of the attractions of the demesne.

Aboutseven miles from Dublin, on the chief highway to the North, is situated the town of Swords, Sword, Surd, or Swerdes, as it is variously termed in ancient manuscripts. From the earliest ages of Christianity the church founded by St. Columbkille, with its attendant offices and monastery, made the neighbourhood a powerful ecclesiastical centre; so that, when in later years the church lands of Swords became joined to the see of Dublin, they formed no inconsiderable part of the Archbishop’s revenue.

In the Bull of Pope Alexander III. in 1179 to St. Laurence O’Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, confirming his archiepiscopal see, Sword is placed second on the list of churches in importance.

Therefore it is not surprising that the Englishmen who succeeded O’Toole in the see of Dublin should have erected their country residence in a town, from the surrounding lands of which they derived so much of their income.

The site for the castle or palace was chosen on the east bank of Swords River, and the area covered by the buildings was more extensive than is usual for a Norman fortress, while the defences were somewhat less, as we hear no mention, nor see any remains, of the keep, which forms so universal a feature of the chief baronial strongholds.

Authorities place the date of building variously between 1184 and 1282, which gives a somewhat wide margin, but its erection is most generally assigned to John Comyn, thefirst English Archbishop of Dublin, who was elected at Evesham, 1181, and who was one of those to welcome Prince John at Waterford in 1185. An inquisition of 1265 finds that there was a constable of the castle in this Archbishop’s time.

The palace was built in castellated style, and the range of embattled walls flanked with towers is still complete. The warders’ walk is yet easy to trace. Over the gateway were the apartments for the guard, and just below is still visible the bakehouse chimney, of which mention will be made later.

SWORDS CASTLE.

Like so many of the castles of Leinster, Swords provided for years a convenient quarry for the neighbourhood, and what had once been corner stones of a palace went to support the thatched roofs of the surrounding cabins, so that few of the buildings which stood inside the battlements are now traceable.

In the line of walls is a large window which onceoccupied the gable end of what is likely to have been the great hall. The mullions of this window, which remained intact until recently, were remarkable for being of red sandstone, which is unknown in the country.

The situation of the chapel may still be discerned by the remnants of some of the stone carving which once adorned its sacred walls.

In 1192 Archbishop Comyn obtained a patent authorising him to hold an annual fair in his manor of Swords, and in 1387 this privilege was confirmed to Robert de Wikeford.

King Henry III. enlarged the possessions and added new privileges to the manor, which he granted to Henry de Loundres in 1216, on condition that he should build and maintain Castlekevin, near Glendalough, County Wicklow, to defend the pale in that quarter from the invasions of the great Irish families of O’Toole and O’Byrne.

We read later (1380) that Sir Nicholas Daggeworth seized the manor of Swords as Commissioner of Forfeitures, on the plea that the conditions above stated had not been complied with. He, however, afterwards confessed that the charge had not been proved, and therefore a writ of restitution was issued by the Treasurers and Barons of the Exchequer to Robert de Wykeford, Archbishop of Dublin.

The great prelates seem to have lived in almost royal state within their manor of Swords. They had their own seneschal, who was exempt from the authority of the sheriff of the county, and the law courts. The archbishops could try every case except the four pleas of the Crown, and their gallows was erected near the town on an eminence since known as Gallows Hill. Every writ issued from the civil courts had to be transferred to the prelates’ seneschal before it could be served.

The office of chief constable of the palace was a post of considerable importance, and survived the occupation of the castle for a considerable time. William Galrote heldthe position in 1220, Sampson de Crumba in 1240, and Thomas Fitzsimons in 1547.

In 1624 we read that Patrick Barnewell, of Grace Dieu, received pardon for alienation of certain interests, amongst which was the Constableship of Swords with ten acres in the Broad Meadow that belonged to the office.

It was most likely in connection with this post that the Lords of Kingsland were required to attend the Archbishop whenever he visited Swords, and to hold his stirrup as he mounted or dismounted, for which service they held lands to the value of some £300 a year.

It seems to be uncertain at what exact period the castle ceased to be used as a residence by the Archbishops, but in 1324 Alexander de Bicknor built the archiepiscopal palace of Tallaght, which was used as a country seat for the Archbishops for centuries, and only ceased to be considered as a palace in 1821.

It is most likely, therefore, that the invasion of Ireland by Edward Bruce, brother to the King of Scotland, rendered the position of Swords palace (which was not wholly built for defence) a somewhat dangerous one, as Bruce, having his headquarters at Dundalk, was in possession of the country almost up to the walls of Dublin.

In 1326 this same Alexander de Bicknor having displeased Edward II., and also being in arrears with his accounts as Lord Treasurer, the profits of his See were seized by the King to compensate for the deficiency, and in order to ascertain their real value inquisitions by jurors were held on the different manors.

The finding as regards the palace of Swords was as follows:—

“Who being sworn, say on oath, that there is in this place a hall, and the chamber adjoining said hall, the walls of which are of stone, crenelated after the manner of a castle, and covered with shingles.

“Further, there is a kitchen, together with a larder, thewalls of which are of stone, roofed with shingles. And there is in the same place a chapel, the walls of which are of stone, roofed with shingles. Also there was in the same a chamber for friars, with a cloister, which is now prostrate. Also, there are in the same place a chamber, or apartment, for the constables by the gate, and four chambers for soldiers and warders, roofed with shingles, under which are a stable and bake-house.

“Also, there were here a house for a dairy, and a workshop, which are now prostrate. Also, there is on the premises in the haggard a shed made of planks, and thatched with straw. Also, a granary, built with timber and roofed with boards. Also, a byre, for the housing of farm horses and bullocks.

“The profits of all the above-recited premises, they return as of no value, because nothing is to be derived from them, either in the letting of the houses, or in any other way. And they need thorough repair, inasmuch as they are badly roofed.”

This gives some idea of the lost buildings, and also shows that even at this date the castle was beginning to decay.

Later the manor of Swords seems several times to have been granted to archbishops who wished during their lives to resign the arduous duties of the See. In 1484 we read that “Doctor Walton, Archbishop of Dublin, being blind and infirm, resigned his dignity, and reserved to himself for a maintenance the manor of Swords during his life, which reservation was confirmed to him by Act of Parliament during the following year.” And again, in 1562, it is recorded that, by Act of Parliament, John, late Archbishop of Dublin, was assured the manor of Swords for his life in consideration of surrendering the bishopric to Walter FitzSymons.

There is no evidence to show that these aged prelates ever resided in the castle, and as the following extract,written in 1583, records its state of ruin, it is most likely they were content with the revenues alone.

Sir Henry Sydney, Lord Deputy in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, when sending to Sir Francis Walsingham a summary of his services in Ireland, says: “I caused to plant and inhabit there about forty families of the reformed churches of the Low Countries, flying thence for religion’s sake, in one ruinous town called Surds (Swords). And truly (Sir) it would have done any man good to have seen how diligently they wrought, how they re-edified the quite spoiled old castle of the same town and repaired almost all the same, and how godly and cleanly they, their wives and children lived. They made diaper and ticks for beds, and other good stuff for man’s use, and excellent good leather of deer skins, goat and sheep fells, as is made at Southwark.”

Upon the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland the castle ground was purchased by the late Charles Cobbe, Esq., who leased it to the late Henry Baker, Esq., whose successor still holds the land.

The ground enclosed by the walls is at present laid out as an orchard and garden, and the castellated battlements, which were built to protect the royal state of wealthy prelates, have now no sterner duty than to shelter the delicate apple blossoms from the harsh spring winds, and to catch the sun-rays for the ripening fruit.

Notfar from Ardrahan, in the County Galway, stands this castle, which originally belonged to the Burkes or De Burgos. We read that Ulick, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde, married a daughter of Burke of Tullyra, but it seems to have passed to the Martyns during the sixteenth century. This is generally supposed to have been through marriage. Hogan mentions the Martins of Tillyra in 1598.

In one of the upper chambers is carved the date 1614, accompanied by the initials “S. B.”

A somewhat modern doorway opening into the courtyard is surmounted by a stone shield bearing the Martyn arms. They are said to have been presented to the family by Richard I., who was accompanied by Oliver Martyn when he went to the Holy Land.

Underneath the arms on the right side are the letters “R.M.,” and on the left “C. M.”

In 1702 Oliver Martin of Tulliry, Esq., was allowed to retain his lands after the rebellion, because he had assisted so many Protestants during the insurrection. This was an almost unique concession at the time.

The present owner, Mr. Edward Martyn, of literary fame, has recently erected a beautiful modern mansion near the old fortress.

Thisfortress was one of the castles of the Pale, and is situated in the County of Dublin on the right-hand side of the road which leads from Balrothery to Greenhills.

The name Timon or Timothan is derived fromTeach-Munna, signifying “the house of St. Munna.”

The stronghold is built upon an esker and is therefore conspicuous for a considerable distance round.

There seems to be no trace of outworks, which were probably unnecessary owing to the castle having formerly been surrounded by marshes. In recent years the land has been drained and the water carried off by a small stream which crosses the road near the castle and is a tributary of the Poddle.

The building consists of a square keep with a projecting stair tower adjoining the south-west angle, which is now covered with ivy. The main structure was formerly divided into two floors by an arched roof over the lower room. The battlement slightly projects. The east wall has been destroyed, while about two-thirds of the north wall and some of the south have gone. The western side is still perfect.

There is a narrow window splayed outwards on the ground floor, while several “slit” windows and larger openings are noticeable at different heights. There are a few recesses in the walls.

A flue projection resting on two corbels is to be seen near the summit, and also a walk inside the battlements at the top of the tower.

The entrance was in the west wall, and a small machicolation for pouring lead or water on an enemy was situated over the arched doorway. There were holes at each side of the entrance for securing it with wooden bars.

A great rent now runs from base to summit of the ruin.

A view of the castle as it was in 1770 is published in Handcock’s “History of Tallaght.”

The fortress is supposed to have been erected in the reign of King John, who granted the manor to Henry de Loundres for his expenses incurred in fortifying Dublin Castle. This grant was confirmed in 1231.

Timon was constituted a prebend of St. Patrick’s in 1247, and it is so still, but without endowment, though in 1306 it was valued at £10 a year.

In an inquisition in 1547 it is described as a “ruinous fortress,” and three years later being a suppressed prebend it was granted to Bartholomew Cusack for twenty-one years. Two or three years later the lands were granted to James Sedgrove, after which they were purchased by Sir Charles Wilmot, from whom they passed to the Loftus family.

Dudley Loftus was in possession of the castle when he died in 1616, and in 1618 the property was confirmed to Sir Adam Loftus.

William Conolly purchased the estate, which still remains in his family.

Some peasantry inhabited the castle towards the close of the eighteenth century.

There was once a village of Timon, of which no trace now remains.

Thetown of Tralee, formerly Traleigh, meaning the “strand of the River Leigh,” is situated in the Barony of Trughenackmy, in the County Kerry. It is nearly two miles east-north-east of Tralee Harbour, and the Lee Rivulet, from which it takes its name, formerly filled the moat of the great castle. Sir Thomas Denny made it run along the Mall in the eighteenth century, and it is now covered over.

The town had originally four castles, only two of which were standing during the famous siege of 1641. Short Castle had disappeared in 1756, while the great castle was demolished in 1826 by consent of its owner, Sir Edward Denny, for the improvement of the town. Its former site, and that of the bowling green attached, is now occupied by the handsome thoroughfare known as Denny Street. The entrance to the castle demesne or “green,” is at the top of this street, and the public have always had access to it.

The great mahogany doors from the castle may still be seen, cut down to fit ordinary doorways, in the houses in Denny Street belonging to Sir John Neligan and Mr. Francis M’G. Denny. Mr. Denny also possesses some parts of a grey stone mantelpiece carved in high relief with the Denny arms, crest, and motto, which also came from the old fortress.

This last castle was a restoration of the chief seat of the Desmond FitzGeralds for close on four hundred years.

There are several versions of the legend which accounts for the crest and supporters of the Geraldines being represented by monkeys. One of these is that in 1261, after the battle of Callen, where MacCarthy Reigh slew the chief heads of the Munster FitzGeralds, only a little baby of eight months old, at nurse in Tralee, was left to represent the great family. Upon hearing the news of the disaster the child’s attendants rushed into the streets, when to their horror they presently beheld their charge exhibited on the battlements of the castle in the arms of a pet ape. The animal, however, returned the baby unharmed to his cradle, and afterwards this Desmond was known as “Thomas a Nappagh” or “of the ape.” Some authorities mention the abbey as the scene of the child’s escape.

Sir Henry Sidney, in his report on Munster, declared that there would be “neither peace nor order in the South, until the palatine jurisdiction of both Ormond and Desmond (East and South Munster) were reduced.”

Therefore, in 1576 Sir William Drury, Lord President of Munster, declared his intention of giving the Queen’s writ currency in the palatinate.

At the Council the Earl of Desmond tried to dissuade him, but being unsuccessful he offered him hospitality during his visit.

Upon approaching Tralee the Lord President was met by seven or eight hundred armed men who emerged from the cover of the wood, and rushed towards him shouting and brandishing their weapons. Sir William, not knowing whether the display was friendly or otherwise, determined to be on the safe side, and gathering his body guard of a hundred and twenty men round him, he charged the on-coming troop, who did not wait for an attack, but withdrew as hastily as they had advanced.

The President rode on to the castle, where he demanded admittance and explanation, both of which were given tohim by the Countess, who received him at the entrance, and assured him (or endeavoured to do so) that he had but received an Irish welcome, and that her husband had meant no harm, but awaited him in the fortress to go hunting.

In 1579 Sir William Drury, then Lord Deputy, sent Henry Danvers to the Desmonds to enlist their aid in repelling a threatened invasion of some foreign mercenaries. This he failed to do, and upon his return journey he slept a night in Tralee Castle, having formerly been a great friend of Sir John of Desmond, the Earl’s brother. This friendship is said to have weakened Sir John’s influence among his countrymen, and that in consequence he determined to show it had ceased to exist. Be that as it may, he demanded admittance to the castle during the night, and he and his followers murdered Sir Henry Danvers, the Justices Meade and Charters, and their servants, while they slept. It is said that Danvers awoke and seeing Sir John said, “My son, what is the matter?” But his murderer answered, “No more of son, no more of father, make thyself ready, for die thou shalt.”

Tradition always pointed out a room in the castle as the scene of the murder, which had a small room off it in the thickness of the walls, from which access was obtained to a narrow stairway and postern. This was commonly called the “murdering hole,” and regarded with great superstition.

A despatch to Cecil in 1580 states “all the houses in Trally burnte and the castles raised.”

The Earl of Desmond’s estate was forfeited in 1583.

“Traylye” was granted to Sir Edward Denny in 1587, and delivered to him by Mr. Thomas Norreys.

The castle was at this time in a ruined condition, and when the family came to Ireland they resided at Carrignafeely Manor until the close of James I.’s reign.

The “Sugan” Earl of Desmond seized the fortress in1599 and employed a hundred and fifty men to undermine it. Sir Charles Wilmot surprised the rebels with fifty horse. He killed thirty-two, and seized the arms of about a hundred more while the rest escaped to the mountains.

In 1627 Edward Denny, grandson to the first grantee, began to rebuild the stronghold.

Upon the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641 Sir Edward Denny collected his English tenants and the loyal Irish, and they fortified themselves in the two castles. Lady Denny and her children went to England, while Sir Edward joined the President. His step-father, Sir Thomas Harris, took command of the Tralee garrisons, but it was not until early in the following year that the Irish laid siege to the town, under the command of Florence Carty with six hundred men.

The guns of Short Castle opened fire, but nevertheless the Irish raided the town. They stripped or murdered all the inhabitants they captured, and hundreds fled to the two strongholds for protection.

Upon the 10th of February a spy named Laurence gained admittance to the larger castle, on the plea of seeing the Governor, who was asleep. He carried a pass from the rebel poet, Pierce Ferriter, who commanded the Irish forces in the district. His movements at length awakening suspicion he was taken prisoner.

Shortly after this the Irish took possession of the town during the night. The guns of both castles played with little effect, and some of the inhabitants were drawn up into Short Castle by ropes. The Provost, who had left the town to see to some outlying property, was prevented returning, and Sir Thomas Harris had command of both castles, a line from the top of each conveying letters from one fortress to the other.

About four hundred persons fled to the strongholds, so that the provisions intended to last two years gave out inseven months. Water failed, and although thirteen wells were sunk twenty feet each, only thick black water could be procured.

Captain Ferriter and a townsman of Tralee demanded a parley with Sir Thomas and asked him to surrender, but he refused.

They then hauled “sow” engines against the strongholds. The one sent against the great castle was smashed by a small cannon ball, and a cooper in Short Castle dislodged a pinnacle of the building on the top of the other, which they afterwards burnt. The Irish lost about twenty men and their engines in the attack.

An effort was made to relieve the town by sea, but the small force sent for the purpose was entirely routed.

When the siege had lasted about six months Sir Thomas Harris fell ill and died through bad water and anxiety.

Immediately after the provisions giving out the garrisons capitulated, the terms being their lives and a suit of clothes each. Most of them joined Colonel Crosbie in Ballingarry fortress on an island in the Shannon.

Of the six hundred within the castles of Tralee three hundred died during the siege. They were reduced to eating bran, tallow, and raw hides.

The castles were burnt upon being surrendered.

The great castle was shortly afterwards restored, but in 1691 it was again burned, by Sir James Colter’s orders, and when the Royalists were defeated at Lixnaw the two Irish officers who carried out the order would have been hanged but for the intervention of Colonel Edward Denny. The famous “Denny Bible” in which this conflagration is recorded belongs to Tralee church, to which it was presented by the Denny family.

In 1698 the House of Commons decided to help in the rebuilding of the castle.

This fortress was of an L shape, but Sir Edward Denny,3rd baronet, who succeeded to the title in 1795, added another wing in 1804, which contained several fine saloons, a large hall with a handsome circular staircase and other apartments. Soon after 1820 Sir Edward went to live in England.

A black coach, with headless horses and coachman, was formerly said to drive through Tralee upon the death of one of the Denny family, and if any one looked out at it, a basin of blood was thrown in his face. Of later years a banshee is said to have taken its place.

“What! rate—rebuke—and roughly send to prisonThe immediate heir of England! Was this easy?May this be washed in Lethe—and forgotten?”Shakespeare.

Theancient name of Trim was Ath Truim, signifying “the ford of the boortrees” or elders, the latter half of which appellation alone remains. It is situated on the Boyne, twenty-two and a half miles north-west by west of Dublin on the Enniskillen road.

The castle lies east of the town, on the right bank of the river, and has been said to be the only castle in Ireland deserving the name. It is certainly the finest specimen of the Anglo-Norman fortress, and was one of the chief strongholds of the Pale. It occupies a sloping mound and its walls enclose a triangular area of about three acres, which measures 486 yards in circumference, and was protected by eight circular flanking towers at nearly equal distances and two gate towers.

The north-east side was formerly washed by the Boyne, but now a low meadow intervenes.

On the west or town side a gate-tower occupies the centre. The grooves for the portcullis are still perfect, and from abutting masonry it would appear that there had once been a drawbridge and barbican. The lower portion of the tower is rectangular and the upper part octagonal.

In the southern side is a circular gate tower of Gothic shape. Here also are the portcullis grooves visible anda recess for the windlass, as well as the remains of arches over the moat, and a barbican beyond.

A moat or ditch surrounded the fortress, on the two sides not washed by the Boyne, which was supplied with water by a small stream.

Where the town wall joined the castle at the south-west angle a mound of earth has been artificially raised to the height of the castle wall. This was probably done for the mounting of cannon when the castle was re-fortified in 1647.

One of the towers near this mound was cleared in 1836. It is of three storeys, and the upper part was found to be a pigeon-house, having holes for 60 or 80 pair, while the lower storey contained a postern leading to the level of the moat water. In 1425 it is recorded that the King granted the custody of the dove-cot to Thomas Brown, with pasture called the Castle Orchard.

The north angle of the bawn contains the ruins of several buildings, one being of three storeys with a high gable, and four large windows in the wall towards the river. The piers for the arched roof are still to be seen, and it is likely to have been the banqueting hall or chapel. A large vault extends under part of it. In one of the towers near this the mint is supposed to have been situated. Another tower contains the remains of a small chapel.

The keep consists of a rectangular figure, on each side of which a small square tower abuts, thus forming a twenty-sided figure from which missiles could be showered in all directions. The walls of the centre tower are twelve feet thick, while those of the adjoining ones measure from four to six feet. Winding stairways lead to the summit, at some 60 feet from the ground, while on each angle of the centre tower is a square turret nearly 17 feet in height.

After Hugh de Lacy had been granted Meath in 1173he erected the castle of Trim to guard his possessions. He surrounded it with a moat, and furnished it with stores. He then entrusted its custody to Hugh Tyrrell and proceeded to England. No sooner had he left than Roderick O’Connor, King of Connaught, descended on Trim with a large army. Tyrrell sent messages to Strongbow for aid, but in the meantime, finding himself unable to hold the fortress, he evacuated and burnt it.

TRIM CASTLE.

The news was brought to Strongbow as he marched to its relief, and upon his arrival finding the Irish had retreated, and having nowhere to lodge, he pursued them and killed a hundred and fifty.

Giraldus states that the castle was rebuilt by Raymond le Gros, who had marched to its relief with Strongbow, having joined the expedition on the day of his marriage.

King John stayed at Trim, but he did not lodge in the castle, although one of the towers is called after him, and his signet ring is said to have been found in the enclosure.

In 1215 letters were sent from the King to Thomas Fitzadam to surrender the castle, and five years later it was restored by William Peppard, Lord of Tabor.

At this time Meath was wasted by the quarrels between William, Earl Marshal, and Sir Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster.

There was an order in 1224 from Henry III. to the Lord Justice to allow Walter de Lacy to occupy a hall, rooms, and chambers in the castle. The same year the fortress was besieged.

De Lacy died in 1241, and through the female line the castle passed into the hands of Roger Mortimer, who landed in Ireland in 1308 and took possession.

Upon the invasion of Edward Bruce, Mortimer fled to Dublin, and Lord Walter Cusacke occupied Trim.

Orders for repairing the great hall were issued in 1326, and it was most likely at this time that the two arches which formerly crossed the northern division of the keep were erected, for when they fell in 1820 the plaster showed they had been added after the walls were built.

In 1330 Edward III. granted to Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, the moiety of Meath and the privileges exercised in Trim Castle. He was hanged as a traitor the same year, but Trim was restored to his widow.

Roger, Earl of March, was killed by the Irish in 1398, and the next year Richard II. landed at Waterford to avenge his cousin’s death, with Humphrey, son of the Duke of Gloucester and Henry (afterwards Henry V.), son of the Duke of Lancaster. The boys he brought with him as hostages, and upon returning to England he left them as prisoners in Trim Castle. A very small steel spur, inlaid with silver, was found in the castle yard in 1836, which may have belonged to one of the princes.

In 1400 Henry IV. appointed a custodian to the late Earl of March’s records at Trim and elsewhere. At thistime the castle was in his hands owing to the minority of the heir.

The Privy Council in England (1403) notified to the King that the castle was in a most dilapidated condition.

From this time forward Parliaments were continually held at Trim, while in 1418 the Earl of Kildare, Sir Christopher Preston, and John Bedlow were imprisoned in the castle.

Four years later Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, resided in the fortress, and in 1425 Edmund, Earl of March, died there while Lord Deputy.

But, perhaps, the most palmy days of Trim Castle were in 1449, when Richard, Duke of York, came to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant, and held his court there.

The mint was opened in 1460, and the following year Christopher Fox was appointed Comptroller.

A Parliament held at Trim in 1465 enacted that any one discovered robbing might be killed, and in Meath their heads were to be sent to the Portreffe of the town of Trim, to be put on the castle wall. Several skulls have been found in the moat.

In 1495 an Act of Parliament passed at Drogheda provided that only Englishmen should be constables of Trim and the other principal castles.

The liberty and lordship of Trim were at this time annexed to the Crown for ever.

In 1541 an order was issued to restore the castle, half the cost of which was to be paid by the country.

A grant was made to Sir James Carroll, Lord Mayor of Dublin, in 1610, to build upon the ruins of the castle a house for the King, and also a jail within the castle enclosure.

Colonel Fenwicke occupied the fortress with a regiment of foot and some troops of horse in 1647. It was in the Royalists’ hands until the fall of Drogheda, in 1649, and the garrison disobeyed the Duke of Ormond’s instructions to destroy the place before letting it fall into the hands of Sir Charles Coote and his army.

It is stated that the yellow steeple near having been treacherously delivered into the hands of the Cromwellians, was used as a vantage point to make the castle untenable, and that afterwards when the Governor of the castle was reinstated he had one side of the tower blown up. It was in a sally from the town of Trim that Sir Charles Coote lost his life.

It is reported Cromwell-spent one night in the castle, but there is no evidence that this is the case.

Adam Loftus sold the castle to Sir James Shean in 1666, and it seems to have been in military occupation in 1690. The whole property was purchased by the Wellesleys, who afterwards sold it to Colonel Leslie.

It is now in Lord Dunsany’s possession.

Elliot Stock, Paternoster Row, London.

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