rrh.;---- ---FEJ -------~ VOL. I. NOVEMBER, 1947 NO. I. CONTENTS FOREWORD DONEGAL IN SONG AND STORY EDITORIAL COLINTY DONEGAL IN ANGLO-IRISH LITERATURE NOTES ON SHORE DWELLERS AND SANDHILL SETTLEMENTS PA'Ot1A1C 6 beutn (1857-1947) NOTES ----QUERIES- ---BOOK BllLIOGRAPHY OF COUNTY DONEGAL Venerable Archdeacon Kerr J. C. T. Macbonagh P. J. MacGill m1ceAt 6?; REVIEWS MacDonagh and Macintyre
Ube \.tount~ IDonegal bistorical Societ~ -- Founded at Lifford on 20th December, 1946 -- President: Mr. ANDRlEW LOWRY, Arg.rey, Ballindralt. 11111111 Vice-Presidents: Captain JOH.N HAMELTON, D.L., Brownha.11, Ballintra. Very Rev. THOMAS MOLLOY, P.P., D.D., Dunglow. Qaptain EAMON O'BOYLIE, Marlb-0rough Road, [)ublin. Mr. HARRY P. SWAN, P.C., F.R.!S.A., M.RI.A., Buncrana. Council: M~s. J H. Bewglass, Mrs. Hugh Cochr~ne, Mrs. W. T. C. Oochm.ne, Miss Maire Gille®ie, Very Rev; Charles Boyce, P.P., Very Rev. Wal!te·r Hegarty, P.P., Verry Rev. Peadar MaeLoingsigh, P.P., Rev. E. J. Mullin, C.'C., Rev. James Ma.cLaughlin, M.A., MeS&rs. F. P. Britton, Rupert O"Cochlain, L. Emerson, W. Ross Henderson, J.P., S. P. Kerri_gan, M.B., P. J . M.ao0-111, N.T., Sean D. MacL6chlainn, Liam M~U:amin, B.A., N.T., Seamus Ruadh O'!Donnell, N.T., and Dominick O'Kelly, B.A., B.Ph. . Joint Honorary Secretaries, Joint Honorary Treasurers and Editorial Council: Rev. H. :sonar, B.A., S.T.L., St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny Liam MacMenaanin, '.B.A., N.T., Labadish, Manorcunnlngham.. J . Q. T. MacPona~h, B.Ootnm., M.IJB.I., Ball~ey (Hanora.ry Editor).
Objects of the Societj 1. The study and preservation oi Co. Donegal history and antiquities. 2. The prerparation and pTesentation of statistical surveys of the county with a view to publicising past, present and future pro·blems of social, economic or topographical intereiJt. 3. The arr.anging of excursions to places Of historical a;: statistical interest .and the dellvery and publication ()If lectures thereon. 4. The production of an annual bilingu.al publicati.~m style<l ''The Journal of the the County Donegal Historical Society." 5 The establishing of County Archives. 6. Tke focussing of attention on the desira!bility of a County Repasitm:y where objects of archaeological, historical, or cultural value would be suitably housed and 'disQJ'la~ed. the Society 1. The Society shall be governed by a C'ouncil consisting of a President, four Vice-Presidents, an Honorary Sec·.:etary, an Honorary Treasurer and not more than twenty-four other Members, to be elected at the Annual General Meeting. 2. The Ctrnncil shall have poiwer to fHl any vacancy until the following Annual Meeting. 3. The Annual Subscription shall be 10/6 and shall be due on each January lst. 4. Members shall be entitled to ·receive the Journal of the Society free, but it shall not 1be supplied to any member whose subscription is in arrear for more than three months. 5. Each member shall be entitled to introduce visitms to the lectures, ordinary meetings and excursions of the Society. 6. The General Rules applicable to Irish Historical Societies shall be also observed by this Society. 7. Lectmes and Papers connected with the ob·jects of the Society may afterwards be printed in the Journal ot the Society according to the discretion of the Council. It is to be distinctly understood that the Council will not hold themselves responsible for statements and opinions contained In Papers printed in the Journal. Pavers on Local, Historical, Antiquaria71, Statistical arnd Literar.y $U.bjects, Notes and Queries, the .Loan of Manu.scripts, Scarce Books, etc., shoruld be addressed to ettlzer· of the Honorary Secreta!ries. We ;have already be;gun to compile a. bibUogrwphy (books, pam!Phlets and MSSl Of the county, and members are invited tai co-overate with ius in making this section of the Journal as comprehensive a\S pa,~sib·le. MEMBERSHIP OF THE SOCIETY IS OPEN TO EVERY PERSON INTERESTED IN COUNTY DONEGAL
FOREWORD ANDREW LOWRY PRESIDENT I CONSIDER it a. :greait privilege, indeed, to have the owortttntty of contributinp a brief foreword to the first number of the Donegal Historical Society Journal. I 'lna.y say that this Society, with its assacia.ted Journal a·nd proposed Re'J)Q;sitory, bid fair to fulfil a- !wpie I Jutit;e entertained Jor qwite a lCJ119 time. May I take this O'IJ'POrtu:nity o~ . a•sking the c.o-opera.tion and SU•PPorl of emeryooe ·who ~- Jielp, and $0 stremut;hen the hamds of our energetic Secretary_ and Editor, to make the ootire qJrr'Otiect worthy of orur g~and iold County, . . - . Which offers so TmLCh. interest to au of us-quite trrespecti.ve of cree__d, class, Political affinities ·or. r'a'ciat baokgroun·ds. Let us all help in creating a vlewPoint- "Whenee in far visions of the Past we see ·Dim forces moulding what we yet will be."
MR. ANDREW LOWRY PRESIDENT
)OURNAL OF . THE CO. DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY· VOL. 1 NOVEMBER, 1947 No. 1. EIDllTOlilllAll THE Journal of the County Donegal Historical Society makes its bow to the general public. With it we seek to carry into effect some of the object!i for which the Society was formed. lts immaturity is compatible with the youthfulness of the Society. We can assure our readers, however, that we have no wish to make it a medium of abstruse scholarship and do not intend to overload our pages with exclusive topics of academic interest. We invoke God's Blessing on our efforts and commend our work to everyone who is genuinely interested in the beautiful and historic County of Donegal. The Society is grateful to Mr. Louis Emerson for the very artistic cover which, we hope, will be the standard for our future issues of the Journal. We also wish to place on record our gratitude to the President and Council of the Royal Irish Academy for permission to reproduce arid the loan of the blocks of plates published by them, in their "Proceedings," to illustrate a Paper read before them entitled "Recent acquisitions, from Donegal, in the National Museum;" and contributed by Dr. S; P. 0 Rior-· dain. · · · · Congratulations to the following members of our Society on their recent publications: Very Rev. Charles Boyce, "Biographical ·sketch of the Rev. John Boyce, D.D. (1810-1864)"; C. D. Milligan, "The Murray Club Centenary" ("Derry Sentinel," 1947); H. P. Swan, "Roman.tic lnishowen" (Hodges Figgis) ; D. J. O'Sullivan, ''Lightkeeper's Lyrics" (Oundalgan Press) ; and Father A. Gwynn, S.J., "Mediaeval Province of Armagh" (Dundalgan Press) . . Our membership li~t and the proceedings of the Society will not appear in this issue of the -Journal as they are not yet complete. J. C. T. MacDONAGH
6 JOU.RNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL. HISTORICAL SOCJETY. ·----··------···--·--- - - ----····-- - -· '-·-----'-------- - ·----- ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • : DONEGAL IN : • • • • i SONG AND STORY i • • • • ···········~····· by__ •••• Ven. Archdeacon Kerr, P.P. Lecture delivered during Ballybofey-Stranorlar Civic Week ONEiGAL has the honour of IF\\ being credited with giviI11g an · !JI a·tode to the .first human inhaibitants of Ireland. Accordin~ to the Lea.bhar Grubhala Parbh-01-an landed at and settled in the place now occupied by Ballyshannon. H!s wife biad a favourit·~ dog which Partholan slew in a fit oi jealousy. 'Ilhe dog was burled on the little island near the estua·ry, and t.ha:t island-has ever since been called Inls S1aimer, as Saimer was t'he name of th.a.t much :prized animal. Ac-cording to the ancient a.ccounlli Saimer was also ·the name of the river and of the take in Fermana.gh. T!b.e name of the river an.:i lake was afterw.arids chianged to ·the Erne in memory of a Fi11bolg chie,f C'3.1led Eamai. The boout.!ful and useful waterfall, Bas Aodha R:waidh, is sup.posed to owe l~s name to the fa.et .t•hialt t\Jodh Ruadth, a monarich of Ireland, was drowned there five centuries before the Chr.ir:itl:an era. This Red Httgh was .the father of Macha of the Gi:>Id:en 'Hair who, it is sta•ted, built the Royal Fort of Eamh:an Macha, or Emani,a, wh1oh figures so 1:argely in the stories of Gonor Mac Nes~a and the Red Boo.ncll Knights. It was here in the O'Donnell Castle of Beal-Atha-Seanaidh th:a,t Red Hugh was weic·omed by his father a1ter his esc'lllp e from ca,vtivilty ln 159'2, and here also, five .y•ears later, he won his signal victory over the EnigJ.iSh forices commanded by Oliff.Ord. The pr1I11cLPal Castle of the O'Donnells was in Donegal Town. Dun n:a niGall, or Fort of the Foreignen1, was oo caHed, it is said, because some Danes settled there in the ninth and tenth centurh~s. At the Inquisition held a:t Lifford in preparation for ihe pol:ant.a:tlon in 1509, the county was called Donegial af'ter the place which had been for 200 years the princ:Ja;al residence of the Chiefs of the· territory. Aodh Ruadh, son of Nian, and his wife, Fionngualoa, built a monastery for the Franc~cans in Donegal, in 1474, and it flourished until 1ts d estrucl:llon in 16!J.1. At that time Niall Qarlbh, who took the side oi the English, seized the Aibibey. _'\odh RUadih laid seige t;o it and the famous Alblbey was burned. Near Donegal 1he ~a:mous CWthach of Columcille was k~pt m t.he custody of tJhe Mac Gro.irt;s. The Family of Mac an Bhaird were OHam,hs and Bards to the O'Donnells. Aftier the fl!gh't of the ElaJ>1s and . the deaths of Ruaidhri and cathbh'iri' OfDc?nnell, Eoghan Rwadh Ma.c an Bh~ird wrote a touching elegy. Nuala, their stster, w·ho was married to }{1'all Garbh, but who left him when he threw i:n his·- iot w!·t.h the English, is represented· by the pcet as stand'lng ahme in the Eternal City weeping over the grave of her c}eparted brothers: O woman of the piercing wail, Who mournest o'er yon mound of clay With si~ and gioan, ' Would God thou •W'ert among the Glael! - This poem reminds us of another ooauUful lament, oontalnlng the praises o.f Ddne.g,al, placed on the lips of Nuala ~aughter ~f O'Neill, who once reigned m nroona111 a.s thie wife of O'Donnell. l r .<>.01l'.>1n11 , .<l.Ot·l'.nnn i:::ftt .O.o1M 1M. n -<:> <.\c, 1r_ <1.01fimn "' bl<.\u 45'Ur A con.at ; n1 <!.Otfine ltom n.C. 6 fin Anl<.\C Q UJ110m t n<.\md. 50 m u111·1.'>lM<\ .'-·COfid l:U 11Mtl rnc.'6 .<\}\ "00 lilt~tr l nt'.le AI' CtfC .6.f CU.an 11<.\ 11·5"-':ll., CrtoD b.<\tle O. ro e.c.nn le Sl'e111, lr mA1111rc1" slese<'L 'Ocnn n~, ,,5c.lL. lr .c.011.'>11111, N}tt~11111 b~.tL <1n De&1111 ,,, -0.5 e1rS·e 4\nldC 'OUJi:; 1)16,J'()ln ceOUdC ;
JOURNAL OF THE. COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. --~·~-- --·- ---···----- lH ~"lot1'>1w t10m n~'i. be~\l ,&t.._ Sc.i.n<1n), 1r 0 f1tl <\HM.c 50 DC! 'Orum Cu,rn1 ! 1r J.010111n, 401omn lnir 1111c l1MJ1r. 1r crnrn .6. brJ.on 'r 1r m1t1r " bl.dt, 1r re,,n5 J.11 re-Atir.M'», 1r tnnn <l.n cuM~, 1r bric l'l<1U"'-C' le n-<1 btW<\l: .:l.5 rnJ'lll. 1 11UC111 11-0. 115.6.ll c.S. 1105,,. 50.C. reou, lla1te t.H -Oomn<11lt 1r uor nc. Hios, be11t mo OCX\1111-0.CC•f.<.\ FJ -06 :So be~'\rnc.r m<}r t1re ~o~·>c,. Like Oisin she reveals her i-dentity in the final s1;anza:-- lr me l1ual.:l., m.E;eo.n Ui l1e1n t'H re.:1.l 1 5ce1m 1 nUGn 116 115<1.ll. m,q1 E;ut Lorn 1 ucom le1r rem C.6.1·m '1101r 1 seem 'r mo ce1le6.o.<1r m<1tl. Niall Garibh was d'etested and little compassion w:as felt tor rom when he was imprisoned by the English whom he had assisted. When he died in London in 1626, some poeit, pro1ba,hly one o'f the O'Clery's, was chruitalble enough to write an elegy. T'his poem empha:sises the one virtue th~t could be admired in Niall Garbh, his personal ooavery. Here are a couple of verses from the poem:- Niall Garbh O Domhnaill do dhul A ttor ghiall Grianan Lund.an, Creach ra-domhain do ghalbh geall Ar bharamail Fer. nEirenn, Fedh a therma a ttor an riogh Foirm Gaoideal gabus dimbriogh, San tor-sain an tann do-choidh Dob am osnaidh da a n-onoir. Leaving untouched the wealth of hisltoric data associated wLth the Gastles and .Abbeys of Ballysihannon and Donegal, we pass through Inver NaiUe and Dun Oon:gaile, near which, .acorditng to the !firemde stories, Gailbldin Gabhna forged armour and taught prowe:ss to the young nobles, and pause by the quiet harbour of Killy'begs. This plaiCe is caUed ln Irish "na Cealla Beaga," or little cells. T:hese were evidenJtly hermit cells, but their exact location has not been .ascertained with certainty. Curiously enough, the ipa:rish is dedicated to St. Oatherlne of Eg;y.p.~. There Is a story tha.t a ship once a,rri.ved there fr:om f'o:rtel·gn parts with a bishop on board. The biSh-OIP conducted his f.ellow pas.sen'g·ers to a little nook wh·ere he returned thanks for their safe delivery .from the perils of the sea. He blessed a well there and dedicated it to St. Catherine of Egypt. In the 15th century the Mac Su11bhne of Banagh -erected a Franciscan Alblbey near ms own. ·castle, and that also was caUt"d St. Oatherine's Abbey. There were three l:l'ranches of the Mac Suilbhnes in Donegal: those of Fanad, Due~ und Bail'agh. They can)'e aci.io.ss ".rom ·scot-· land to Fanad in the 13th century, am1 were captains of the Gall Oglaigh .o" the 01Donnells . .Mter a couple of generaitions one of the Fanad Ma,> Sulbhnes settled in Doe having wrested their territory• from tlle O'Boyles. Sollie of the Mac Suilbhnes also settled in Connaug:ht and Munste·r, and these of Banagh were a branch of the Mac sutbhnes of Conniwught. A few Sihtps -Of the UHated Spa.:1ish Armada in 1588 sought shelter in the ha.rlbour of Killybe.gs. One of them sank at the haribour mouth; the others, three in num'ber, under the command of Don Allonzo de Leva, refiL~3d at Kill:r· IYegs and sailed for Sciotland. These were wrecked on their way east of Portru.sih. The survivors vf t'·;a·, disaster were seized and hanged by the English. Eigh't years later, in 1596, three other S•paniSh ships arrived in Killybegs, 1bringing a,.n amlbassa.dor tfro.m Philip ol Spain to O'Neill and O'Donnell. Killybegs must have been well known t;:i the Spaniards in thos.e days. For a period af about twenty years duri!llg the l&th century, Killybegs was tihe centr~. of a considerable whaling industry. We must now hasiten on tJ Giencolumbkille, merely bowing our ar.knowledgments to St; Carthach as we pass. Over Glencoumbkille towers the· majestic Sli'aibh Lia.g, whose sea cliffs, rising 1,900 f·eet ahOVP, the re;;tless wave:.;, have no serious scenic competitors in <111 Europe. Aodh Mac Bric had his ·11erm1t. cell on Sliabh Li!a.g ill the 6th oentury, and. bleEsed a well there. Tl'.l this mountalri, according ·to Clol,gan, St. Assicus, the guileless Bishop of Elphin, mpaired J.lor six years to do penance becau.sie he had unwittingly told an untruth. Manus O'Donnell, in his life of Columcille, tells a strange story .aib-OUt the glen. When Sit. Patrick banisihed the demons fl'Orn Croagh Pa.trick, they came across the bay and settled in the S.ean <Nrleann, which they fortllwith enveloped in a thick f'otg. There they remained until the time of Sit. C'obmba. When the Saint ap.proaah·ed the glen the demons became very angry and one of them threw a j.aivelin whlich struck Oearc, one of Columcille's arttendants. This took place beside a stream, and the spot has ever since been c:a.lled S'rath na Circe, or Cearic's Htolm. S·t. Oolumba threw roack the }arveHn and a hoUy buSh grew where it fell. Some will psrhaJps venture to point -0u1t tnat bush still in
jou~AL oF THE: cottNfY DONEGAL HISTORICAL s66rEit'Y. Meenaneary. The Saint then threw a. stone, before which the fog receded. Finalv he tlhrew a bell, and the demons fled before it into the se:a, where they were converted into fishes. Les•t any one shouLd catich and be tempted to eat one of these metamorphosed demons, an identificiation mark has b·een placed up:on t.hem: they bear a red mar.k, and are blind of one eye. Manus Ol'DJnnell further adds that the advent of Columiba was for·etold not merely by pro1uhe1ts but by pagan Druids as well. The ce1e1b.rated Finn Mac C'umhail, by chewing his salmon-sic:orched thumb, could penetmte the secrets of t~e future and dis·cov·er the hidden mysteries of the present. One day he pursued a sta:g as far as the Sean Ghleann, >but ~us usually k·een cing refused to cl:o®e wat.h its q:u:arry. Suspectin~ some. myst~nous cause for the hound s ina.ct10n, F1nn a.pplied himself vfgorousy to h~ Ordog Feasa, and it was re·ve.aled to hllIIl tha,t a man, who should >be kn01wn as C:olumlba would be J::orn nine .generations from Connac, the High King, .and tlhat the pla·ce where the stag stood would be sacred to him. The place was called Bea~ach Damhain, or the path of the sta1g. M .a .place whi·clh, I think, is called Bun na dTri Sruthan, there stands the remains of what is known .as the Spanish Church. In 1756 a Spanish cruiser was wrecked on the coast. It was a stormy night and a Father Owen Garr took st.11el1t~r from the storm at M'alinbeg. Returning home afterwards with an attendian:t, .he heard moaning coming from the directi.on of the cliffs. He climlbed down and found a dying Spanish officer pra:y.ing earnesUy. F.ather Carr, who had been educated in Salamanca, ~e Sipanish weU. He heard the dying man's confession, and giave hiJm the l·ast, rites of the Ghurch. T'h'e officer .gave him his belt, whLch was filled with gold coins. This he gave as a.n offering of thanks for the ministrations of a priest a.It his last moments. Wtth this money Fa1ther Carr repaired the church at F'augher, and built the Spanish Church; whose walls are still stand1inig. Much could be said a1b:ou1t the monastery, the wells, the crosses, and the Turas of Glencolum!bkille, but time does not p~rmit. There is a poem entitled ''Gruach an t8a1g.airt;" whL<;.h has Slia.bh Liag for its setting. It begins: 11..,11'.> me .<\:S i::ru&ll, 'C4·l1l1d111:SI: .<\l1 .<\tl . cle111 "11 FOStl.<\til. The poem is . rather obSlcure. It descrilbes the hospitality of the priest, and ·gives an exa.gger.a1ted description of the natural wealth and beauty of the p~ace. ·Probably this poem was written in the Penal Days when an tAthalr Domhnall $Pent a month on the mountain to minister to the faithful of the surrounding district. It ends thus: 'ClOCf<WO Ol1<\1!l11 411 l.& .<\ mben:) c11umn1U .<\11· -0.11 ().Jn, .Sm nu"111 4 oe.dr c.&c "5 e111se. 'r nil .<\On 1:ie.<\Cdu 4l1Mtil .<\ nue411n mum 1 n;s"n t10r no or .&11u, n&c mibe1u lmn 'n.&11 LJ.ril-rc11ib1nn. f 4l1.<\0l1, 1r r111ne .<\CJ., tn411 C.d01l11S oe4u c.11 r11.&.rn, 6 cMll murn .&11 re.at uiu111, 're .dn i::-0.td1l1 'Oorhn.<\ll dCJ. me 11J.'6, :So 5cutirnt11E;1u lll n-0. 115'11.&ri::' e, 'r 5dl1 .d5d11111 .<.\111 ~C rpJ.r mior.d· In all mountainous disitricts the siheep is a very important possession. Up till very recent times the old Brehon La.ws governing the grazing of .sheep were Observed in Teelin and Glencolumlbkme. The sheep were coralled and countt:d in the s1pring. S10.me trusted man .aeted as bre,hion, and allotted the sheep to each farmer· in propnr1tton to the amount of araible land he possessed.. Tihe peoiple were fond of their sheei>, and one does not, wonder that oome poe·t should be moved to ex:press in song wfia:t is f.elt by the p10ibr owners oif a feiw valued sheep. The Teelin poet, Eamonn O hAsgain, wriote a so,ng, in the form of a d:i:a1o1gue •between himself and a l:Lttle she·el}, in wh~ch he w:arns httr to k·eeip from n~bbling tlhe young corn, le:&t dire consequences should follow: -0. C<\-0114 (le<\5 uil1r, F.<\11 tudr :so C10!111 mior<.l, lr n<i bi tur.d .<\5 frL1u .dti 5eMil"l1 ;s-0.c l.&; 116 oe111re"11 'un w15e tu, boe1'6 uioso.&1t 4' oiu 0111:, 'Sn<.lc q1u<.l.;S uuti:: -0.n ni 'Oe.&nMi1 cu111re-0r tu 'un b.&IJ'. rn conl.<\1111 r-011 01uce .de .<\5 ornM51L 1]' d:S rm.<\01C1(1, So mben:"> cur,, 1 bp11.iorun re<1rc" }'401 c..\111 ; -0.<': c. r1: <>111i11 1110 c1101'6e, fCMC.<\1!1 -0.11 ni <.\Dd1, CUl)Wdr c.n i::rniom .<\11 '00 r:s e d'Odt1Mt1 b.&n. R"c',\11'> mire r1,111 ;so mull.<\(: Ste1f>e l L15 So 1'.>~'Ctcn'> me 4n Flcll -0.t.1111 'Ooti111<\ll. lr p111Je l.10111 n<i lJ.L1<11-11 :so •>Ci'n t.& ·" Going eastwards we pass through the land where the names of Clona1 Gaol, Seanachan and Dalhm ForgaHI still linger on the lips of the seanachaidhe. Around the GWeelblarm we may pick up
J6tiitijiJ. OF ri!E oou:NtY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. a terw songs. The lament for :mamonn Buidb!i.. Q'l ·Q'B·. o• ·.yle was Jl'ieked. . up b.y tJhe late ·~ MQI'l'i$, and placed in his ~lendld eolleeti<:>n. This l!lamonn 'B\ltdhe was buried over two hundred years ago in the gra,yey;aird of Inis CM·l ait the mouth of the Gw.eeibarra, where St. Conal oaOl bu1llt a church. The O'Boyles' were a powerful family once and ~ve their name to the Barony of Boylagh. This is the first stanza of the song:- ~ .e~momn \')u.i:Oe-tnQ mile Lean 'r mo cf'A'O- . Uo tor.(). f.().01 LI.as, 1r cJ.'n ct.11 reo no UhUU m.a11 cJ. ; lr cu t>J.111Sin b.a -oilre no J'.'io11-rc01t 'S4e'Oe.at C11iC' fJH., ln 1nir c-0.01L, r.a·114\or, 1 5q1e so brJt. In. ano·ther stanza the poeit remi.nds · the tombstone of the treasure that lies 'beneath it: · · ~n eoL uu1cre, .a m611-ctoc n6 1.att-le.1c lift, ~n reo11c·"' .().1-cme "'11 c6111 l'>e1t mr -0.n cir reo .att· ucur 1 flft beo 'Oen po11 r111 .ac uir no c111ur, 1r bio'I'> bl16'0 011c_ cJ 6111-c1rc:e 5.dc b.do-1;SHA.1e.().(: flit::. Then we meet with humorous song's. In the song C!alled ".An Obiiobog," a young ma.n bewails his mamiage to a wilfe who has iproved herself a useless housekeeper: bt1A111 m611 'r-0.' c.dca reo, ba 1'.>e.1r mo cut.d1t e.4'0.d1S; b.d lutm.,,11, ed-'Oc11om, .dlJSe.dnC.4, .d - 1'.>ed11iF.dmn be.an .a t'>11ea5.au. .O.c t"'-'·nncu1S m1re .dn s10b65, mar l'li cupl.d bo m-0.11 rp11e .d1ce, .O.sur u'rJ.s r1 .dfl• .an -0.n...,,r me, "'sur mo c11101ce.dnn se& 5M1 te1111u. .0. t'Ju.ic.i1tili, 'r "' t'>u.16.d1tu, An mem ftA"O .111 n-0, bJ;0.111'l; 5mu1mre Ri 11.d n-O.mse~\L-Se toc11mSe.ar n.i. ptJnem- :So Le1511'.> Se rlJ•n 11..1 bU.<\C..11Lli S<\11 concat'J.d1·rc .dfl· b1t t'JJ.1uce. "CJ. 401t'Jne-0r 1 n:Oo111e le-0.c Co1Mtll 1Mc l'lFAC-0.r -01"1-01i1 r.dn .a1c: rm; r:..;. w11·-0r -05 11.. ,om Con.all -01111 -0.sur m1ott•l'>J1Lci 50 W.nriMfl ; ~c be1r·c nior r1urK.dt$e nJ mo cl-01111r.i. nl flAt'J rta"O l·e f..l.1\., AUil, "C..l. 'Q1li1L -05-0.m n..l.tt pe.dCUl;S r1-0u 6 b.a1crce-0u 1-0.u 'n.i. bp..l.1rqu. C!onllng through the Rooses we cast our eyes seaiward, and note the many isles that lend enchantment to thds part of the Doneia'l coas;t. One of these, Ims Mac Duirn, or Rutland, has passed on a legend wh:iich has been relieved in a cameo of beautiful verse by Br·igid MacGinley, the poetess of Glenswilly. Tlhls ooem I find' in WHMarn Hiarkin's "North.:.West Donegal." Arranmore, which w::.s bae scene of a tragic drowning ddsaster a few years a1ro, has wllitnessed more than one tragedy in the course of its hJ1>tory. Tbe following is the brief outline of a story that has come down to us t·rom the latter haH of the 17th century. There lived a:t tihat time on Arranmore two splendid types oJ manhood, who were also f1ast friends: Aodh Ban O'Donnell and Seamus Crone O'Gallaigher. Alodh B'an was then in · the prime of Ufe, the sole support of an aiged mother, and Sea.mus Ctone was in hi's declilning year1>. One of C'romwell's captains, named C:onynhiam, l1ived in Doe Castle whence the Mac Suibhnes' ihad been ex;peUed. This captain used to raid the country around for booty whenever the evil impulse incited him. He raided Arranmore and took poss::ssion of al1 the cattle and sheep on the h;il1and. .a5A1tl cJ. s.in p6r.iu, l tl • r.an+." t:Ulr-1(> 'ltl.re .dn ,..10b6,,. mN• The .Peop e fled in terror and som,e " " "' <:> "' ,. hid themseives in -the- .caves. tJnforSe4t;t, .a11 l'>e.a5J.n ool.dcc; tunately one woman looRect -nut from b're.&1111 llom cA1Un SL.dn .as.i.m 65 hier Hiding plac.e and was olbservecCos p1lte4'6 u-0rn c11.&tn611..1, a pieket of soldiers. Conynham, on n -·--.- · .... · · L hearing of the presence of refugees '-' ... ua~-<-d.tJ~~ . ~~ re-0.cc.ame e cur hidden on the island, set a party of ..1.mAc '01.i 'Oomtl-.iJ~--------~rs b-y land, and another by sea. to seek ~._hapless people whom he The emig:rla.ition of our .boys to Sc~t- had robbed. -~ massacre enland ha-& a1wiays \been. a sourice of gne:f sued. S'ome of the peoPie escaipe-a;-tnalld anxiety to .the parents they leave dudlng A'Odh Ban and Seamus Crone. behind them at home. . Here are a Among the viotims · was the aged couple .of verses from a song· in which mother of Aoc;Jih, and he swore a solemn a fa.~er r~eals his an~ety and love oath that be would avenge his mother's for hl:S sons.-. murder. He and Seamus made their nu.dtfl A ccim an \'.'Mt1-11se E;attt'> 're mo C•l101Ue t'>ior Cft.\l'l'>t:e, Sm40Jt:1li 4l1 nc. bMcc.1t.U m.& tl1om1 wav in due tLme to the vi!cinity of Doe Ciastle, and a.waited th€dr opportunity. Che day they observ.ed Conynham rlde to® with only a :single attendant.
10 ,JOUR.NAL 01" THE: COUNTY DONEGAL HI$TORICAL SOCIETY. There were tJWo paths, a.ny one of Wl.111c:h Qlonynhram might choose. Aiudh lay in wait along cne path, a.nd Seamus took the other. The ca:ptain came along the path which Soo.mus, the elderly man, was guarding. The captain noticed him, and prep1~red to give fight, b-ttt Seamus was too quLck for him: he discharged h!!s blunderlbuss, kiHing the horse and wound:ing the c:aptaiin in the leg. The captain a,ppealed for mercy, but Aodh Ban, hearing_the report of the '.blunderbuss, rushed up and ended the career of Conynham, saying: "I wrn show you mer;c~· when you restore the Ute of my mother and my friends whom '.Y'ou have sJaughterd without provoca-. tlon." Both men were outla.wed, and a reward of £500 was offet1ed for their ca;pture. They made. their way to Owey Island, and a party of 21 soldiers under an officer, on info1mation . received, was sent to arre6t· them. Arrdving at the shore, the soldiers had no mean~ of Cl'Oss.ing to the island, and they began to ;pass the time b.y playing grunes on the strand. Seamus Crone, dressed in female garlb, blllt carrying his blunderbus.s under his cloaik, made a pretence o1 g1atherin,g- shellfl.sh. He gradually approached the soldiers, a,nd S1,l,ddep.ly _opened .fir.e, killing five of tl~~m before they recovered from their s:ur,prise. - Getting behind a rock . he despa.tched a few more. He was soon joined by hds friend, and not one of the party or soldiers escaped. 'I'.he last man fell at Ollean na gConrach, or the Island of the Ooffi?l,S, on Oruit strand. -- A. ship w.as onee wrec.ked on the island and the Arran ipeoiple helped the:mse1vies ~o what t;hey could find. One p.aor boy merely took a roux~ whioh he needed_as a buarach.. or h.aHer, for !}, cow. ·He 'W-US_ arre&ted, brought 1iO Lifford, transported, and neiver heard 6.f ag.ajn. The incident is comm~mora.'ted in a song which we find in Henry Morris' collection.. .On t •.\ r1n ,, T)}·.\i; m1rc r11<\l'D .u' Cl.Ol'..&in h<\t, .. - ni lM t1ot:c<1i -'11 rnn c'~<1o in- l'o111p, .1i;11r rfn1J "'5 uul. 1 m' aS<l.ru ; - .<\11 ·out "'1101111 "'P l)e<1L .,• n1101cm _ u drj1, ,:·Lm<': me mo 1)~,\t., . 'S ·"5 i:e<\e 111611 '001re lo(· "111 u · 6t me mo t.&1t. 'S <\11 L.& rm of .<\ll C'.<\J1t::.<\ l.&n 1 ni;e.11111 no l'>A-1Le fti1fi, . C<-\1mr P "rtotJ.11 0 n ,,oq:;1t.t. ir tus ro 'O <\li1 t::)1e<1.C ; . .0.11 .,\ 'i>ut Fiti'l> l).~11.e <\11 'Orrn<'lu 11Mn· 11,, t'>116n~c 1110 rct~-~l. · 'S 51111 6.5 p111oru11 lJUt'l 1 le1t-l'le.61{11 ru.,,,, me nc1r e.~'l'l . '<1(: <1.011 r ce.<\L The most stirring e.vent connected with · Gweed()re is ·the arrest of Father iMJacFruclden, and the killing of Iru>pector 'Mar:tin, on Sunday, the 3rd of.February, 1889. Father MacFadden had championed his people's oouse against' · the grJnding tyranny of the landlords. An oroex was given for his arrest •but, like the Ohief Priests of the Jews long a.gio, the dvll au:thoritlies feared a tumult among the peO(ple. The priest's house was guarded by poLice. A night or two bef'ore the arrest, Constable Keenan was p.atrolling in front of the house when somcth1ng happened that made him chilJl with terror. He a:verred tha.t he saw. in the moonlight, the form and f1a.oe of Irapector M'artin lying dead, adorned with helmet a:nd sword, bu:t robed and shrouded as for the grave. He gazed at t!lis form in wonder for a few moments. Then a 'C'loud passed over the face of the moon, and when the mo::in shone forth again the appari~ ~on hiad di.sa1JJ:peared~ . Mar:t1in very unwisely decided to arrest the priest on Sunday morning. Police surrounded the church, and Martin, with seven men, took uip his pOOition on the stflps that led from the church to the reside.nee -~9f the prie:s.t. After Mass, as Flather MacFa.dden was returning to his house, Inspector Martl.n intercept.ed hdm, and said: -"I arrest: you." "Produce your au,h-0rtty. · sir," said the p1ies~. · Thereupon the Iruipector graobed the priest's soutane· by the collar, 'rather roughly, and at the same ti:me brandished the sword which he held in hls hand. The cry went thraugh the people tha.t the priest was being killed. The crowd rushed in and the Inspector, releasing his ho.1d, tried to keep them 'baick with hfa sword. Father Mac Fadden was escorted to his house by two policemen, While the Insipector stro-ve to ward off the angry crowd. In the ensuin:g confuS·ion .In- ~1p<;'Ctor Martin received a violent bh>w, and he fell t.::> r~ise no more. 'Twas on the 3rd February on· ~he morn of that day, FI'om Derr:l"beg they thoughtto take our llply priEst .away, All by the -late Inspector, with -his · nitked sword in hand, He did his 'best for to arrest our holy Cilergyma.n. . The wolf is seen, bis looks were keen, that morrurig on the rock Hlis eyes did gaze all for to seize the shepherd of our fleck. . To save the priest that morning. they fa.ced ·b<:>th steel and ball, ·- Hffn the tyrant fell no one can tell, t.hat day in Dom,gal. · · · · A few years prior to this incident Gweedore was stirred by the news o.f the execution Of one of her sons, Prut O'Donnell, for the siwotln~ of: J~m~s
JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 11 Clarey. There is no need tp repeat. that sad stQry as jjt is we1f known to young and old. ' Ai young man is compelled to kill the informer who has betra1yed those · who took part with him in a senseless assassina;tion. That young man pays the extreme penailty, and becomes the sulbjeet of a song which is still f,requent1y heard: My mime is Pat O'Donnell, I'm a nati.ve of Donega.l, I am, you know, a deadly foe to traitors one and all. For the shooting of James Garey, I lie in LJ)ndon town, And on the dr.ead\f1ul scaffold my Ufe I must lay down. Tiime does not permit us to dwell on the many associations of Cloghaneely and Tlooy, the legen<:liary tale& . ?f Fomorians and Nemidii,ans, and the division of the territory by COlumba, Dulbhl;ihaich, ~onan and Beaigla.och for the spreading of the faith on the isliands and main~Land. We cannot, however, pass over the harrowing episode connected with Tory. Ai:fter the abortive relbellion of. Cahir O'Doher,ty in 1608, a remnan·t of the insurgents followed Sean Mac Mha.ghnuis Og OUonnell: to Tory. The English, undler Sir Henry FoHtot and ClalJ)tain Gore, ha~ing hunted and slalin the fugitives on the mainland, burned au the boats, set guards on ·the shore and invested the garrison on Tury. Ac•cording to the a:bominaible praJCtice, which they had been in the habit of adopting, the lives of a few were promised on oond!i:tion tha1t the heads of so many of the insur1gents were handed over. One cannnt think without a feeling of horror a:t the callous 1butc:hery th:rut marked this last episode of the rebe'lllion. L~t us now wlthdrarw from the gloomy shiaide, and look at It.he ltght that relieves the pic1ture. The "Crulbach" is a very popular song. The CrUlbiaich was the name of a cow that hJad !been bought, it is said, !by Eamonn O Dulbhgain, ..of Tory. The cow disappeared, and Eamonn's .searrch f,or his cow was made the theme of a hiumourous song': .(\ll L<i cu.c.1'() All c11U.bc.c 50 Co11A1t'l, niott C05C.1L ri fO'OAI\ ll.i rec.'11. 'S nio11 t.e15 rtre bu1·11feAc le hoc11.c.r, AC . curhc.1'0 .c. l'>e1t m11t1 uut. r1A:11. nio11l'> f'A.'IM d rec.t. -0.11' An 01le<i0n 5Ul1 t11~.c.lt. ri Att .c.1r 50 c:f11 m611, 'S ue111 uc.ome ll4c 5co1rcp1'i ri All c:u11Ar 5o n5LAnfA1'6 ri c:1mccc.ll S.c.ot 'Oot'.Mll''• b' e111lS ~.c.molln 0 'Out'15A1t1 'n.d tear<.1.m, 1r 'O'f'1c.r11u1 s c.i 'Ot:ec.cA•l'.l .d t'l6, l1u1'111c.u 50 ttc.IJ 1 ffifn <.1.' C~"':'OA1S, n6 1t1 lmr Do fmne u.i comA111. 'Oe111 'OdOllle m.i cue.it> rf 50 CttOIC Sllse MC b.c.osc.t. 'Oi p1Uec.u nior m6, 116 c:<i Co11m.c.c llu.c.'O ueJ.n.c..ril cu1111-0.1S 'r 5u11 c,1'5e c:J. c1101ce.c.nn nA bo. Cormac Ruadh, of CroMy, was suspected, because there was a party gathel'ed there that oould keep a bishop in conversation while the pot kept singing on the fire: lr uonA .c. ct.c.01u me mo tu11.c.r-.c.n r1U1Jc.t nJtt j.'.6.5 c11wt 1n mo rc:u.c.1c On Lmnn1'0 'nonn rtti'O t'>un n.i. le1ce, 'r 50 C1101c Sllse cu15 Co111mc.c lluc.t> t>t cJ1tL1u111 'n.c. d,11e .c,nn, tucc: c:e~5AJt'C, 'r niott ril6tt t.eo-r.c.n m.c.111JA'6 na bo ComneocJ..u r1.i.n com.114''6 l-e ne.i.rboi;, 'r c.n poc:A .c.11 An c:e1n1u i;.it:>Jl'l. ceo1L. We now come to Doe Castle. The Mac Suilbhnes• came to Fa.nad in the l31th centufy. One of these, Domhmll Mor, Claime to Doe in 1360. The . last of the Mac Suibhnes' Cif Doe wa.s Maol Muire an Bhia.,ta Bhuidhe, who With Niall Garfbh, took the side of the English. He was ndt, however, allowed to remain in posse~t:m of his estaites. 'He was a .proud man, and rejected. with indi!gnation the suit of Turlog'11 Og 1J30yile for the hrand of his daughter, Eileen. Turliogh lived at Faugher, and the w:alls of. hls residence may sttU:l be seen on the right-hand side of the road as one approarches Port na B11a1gh from Creeslough. With haughty pride, he says: "Albide, at Faugner by the sea; for you'll never wed the daughter of Maol Muire an Bh1ata Bhuidhe." O'BOyle perSist;ed in seeing Eileen, but Maol Muire !became aware of their sec- .ret meetings.. iHe ambushed, seized, and eventually s<lew the unfortuna1~e O'.Boyle, or allowed him to die of hunrger in .a dungeon. When the corpse was being Cionsigned to the earth Eileen, from the tower of the ,castle, recognised the fe1atures of her lover. She died of grief, hut a baliled state.<> that she threw herself in Jriantic dismay from the castle iba,ttlements. Moving southrwards, we come to Gartan, tfie 'birthplace of Oollimcille. This was the scene of a heart.rending ~peetacle in 1862, when Stewart, the landlord, evicted 125 ~nants to be shipped
to· AustraJ.ia. The .cries of those IJ€Ople . could be heard for miles around as they bade farewell to the hill1s and moorlands that had afforded them a meagre sustenance. Nlot far disfant is the Doon well beside the imp1osing rOC!k, where, aocordi.n;g to tradition, the princes of Tir:conail1 were suc·cessivey .inaugurated as· chiefs over their ·peorpk [t is more likely, however, tha;t the inauguration took pi1wce-in .the mon1as1tery of Kilmacren:an. J, Near Kilmacrenan, there Uved in 179'8 a ·man named Manus O'Donnell, whio wias then .about 40 years of age. He had joined the United Irishmen, and was ia1ppointed captain and second in command -Of the local forees. He was arrested on the information of a spy and cast into a loathsome dungeon, where for sonre weeks with hands and feet ibound in chains, he endured extnime discomfort. An attEmP·t was made to bri'be Mm, but be scorn:fully refused to purchase his liberty and a pension alt t.he e'.lcpense of dishonour. Next year, 1799, he was tried at Lif!iord by a military trilbunal. As sufficient ·evidence to secure a conviction wa§ not forthcoming, he was promised lUberty on cond:ttion th'at he engaged in corr11ba.t with a mqunted dragoon. T'lle dr:ag1oon was to -~e:, armed With a sword and }ance, while O'Donnell, on ·raot, shiould ·have ·only his .pike. . O'Donnell W!as restricted to defensiv'e measures, bult the dragoon had relceived 'secret iiilSitructions to kill his adversar:y. The day w:as fixed, and the encoUnte'r took plaice betwe·en Lifford and Strabane, in a field near where the Finn and Mollil'ne become the Foy'le. Manus, wi1th phe first til't of hi.s pike, cut the reins o.f the horse, making him unmanaig:aible ·for the rider. He succe·eded in eluding the next attack by the dm.goon, and, as the rider was passirng, cauglht his ja.ckeit w~th the hoo1k o·f his .WeaJPOn and. unhorsed him. The dmgoon lay at the mercy ·of O'Donnell, ·who, however, made no attempt even t-0 wound him. Instead of getting credit for ·.this feat, Mlanus incurred the d~s:pleasure of the presi1dent of the court for not dii.ng by the hand of the dra~ gu6n. He ordered that' Manus shou1ld receive..500 lashes. The timely arrival of Lora Oa<van prevented this outra.ge. ·Having heard whatnad transpired, Lord Cavan ordered Manus to be set· at Ji!bert1y. Manus· 01Donnell ended his ,ctays in peace, and was buried in Gartan in 1844. As we are d·ealing with song as well as story, we must Unger for a while around Glenswtlly. There is a very yopular song, entitled '.'The Hilils of Glenswiilly", wt'ilt:ten long ago by Mi'ch:ael Ma;c Gtnley, who died here in ·131all~iPofey a few years agx}. Then we have a poem of considerable merit, written by Bri:gid Mac Ginley, whom we have already mentioned. This poem is entit1ed, "The Hills of Doneg:a.l." I love their puriple heather. and .their rushes, wavin.~ gi'een;1 I love to see their summits gH\t with sunset's golden sheen; I love the smiling valleys, where thr~ cooling dew-drops fail:1, 'Mid the heath-dad hillls the clioudca.pped hills, the folls br Donegal. There is another son1g, entiJtled "The Hills of Donegial", composed, I believe, by the' late Niall M:ac Giolla Bhrighde, of Creesi.ough.. T'he. exHe, having descriJbed his s.ympathetic reaction to all the. familiar scenes from GreesiLough to Moville, becomes reminiscent on reaching Tory. Among those hills Sit. Golumcille le.ft miracles and e:ures, In sh!liles and dells and holy wells, with powers that stiH endure: Green Gartan's cell and old Doon . Well, St. Fi:onan's waterfall Are faithfol shrines of Christai~ times on ·the hills of Donegal. · We have not time to dwell on the many :associations of Letterrkenny and its surroundiing:s. At any rate, the defeat of Scarif.Hollis and the victory of O'Donne11 over Shane Q'NeiU at Fears.at Mor .are well known incidents of history. . From the lore of this district I ·shall seJe1ct one episode, because it has aliways a;pp€aled to the imag;ina,tion of the people. Godfrey O'Donnell had defeated Mauriiee Fit:zigeraild, the Lord JusU.ce at Oredan CifHe, in SJ.i.gb, and was re~ covering from his wounds in his crannog on Lough Veigh, when word was b~ught. th.at O'NeHl ,was mamhing on T1"rcona1l!: .lHe was carried on a litter ait the head of his army to oonwall, where the forces .met;. The forces of Tyrone were routed, but Godfrey died .at the moment of victory, and was buried at Conw:all. Au:brey de Vere has related the incident in a stirring song from whieh I take a stanzas: ' All worn and wan, and sore with wounds from Credan's bloody frey, In Don_eg:M for weary months the proud orDonnell lay; wound his couch in bitter .grie.f hiS trusty clansmen wait, And silent watch, with aching hearts his faint and feeble state. ' We must pass over Rathmullan with its Abibey, ~he kidnapiping of Red Hugh, and ~e Fhght of the Earls. Opipos:Ute the Ohurich of .Mas&mount, in Fanad, a!cross the eas~ern . arm of the Mulroy,
JOURNAL OF THE COU>ITY DONl!IGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 13 lies the townland of LUTgacloghan. There, accordlng to a persisten!t tradHion, was born 1the Miss Patterson who became the wife of Jerome· Bona•p•arte in Ameri:ca. Opposite this ~:tace, on the other side of the waiter, tow1ard.s the south, lies the .towrrland of Moross, where Still stands the remains of one of the Mac Suibhne residences on carraig iFeile. ln a house in Moross, on the night of the lst April, 1878, a cmwd of men came together to decide UJPOn putting an end to the Earl of Leitrim·, whose tyranny was bec.oming daily more unbeara!ble. Three men crnssed the bay to Oratloe and waited for LQrd Leitrim to pass .that way in the morning1 of •the 2nd of April. Only two men lay in aimlbush; the .third man ~as a:wra.y on the hillside aJCting as sc1out. Lord Leitrim came along with his clerk and driver. A car bearing the Ea:rl's lugigage was a consideralble distanice behind, as the horse that drew tha.t car was conveniently lame. The men who ·a;waited the landlord had no practice in the use of arms, and thek gun was only an old mended pistol. They opened fire. One of Lord Leitrim's attendants was shot, the other died. of heart failure, but the object of atta:ck was untouched. The frighten.~d horses gafiloved off t-0 Milford, and LJrd Leitrim fa•ced his assailants. H: w:ts armed, and .the issue of 1 he atta-::k remained for a moment uncertain. One of the men, who was a giant in strength, broke the Earl's show1der with. the butt of his pistol as he was on the point of firing. A few blows broike his Skulil, and Lord Leitrim fell to rise no more. The two men took to the boat and came a1cross to the Hawk's Nest, on Ranny Hill. One came home by road; the other took to the hills, crossed Knockalla, and reached home before the day was far advanced. Neither was awirehended. The scouit was arreSlted, and died in Lifford Jail. The gial)it· d·ied of fever a giood many years .rugo; the other lived until he had passed well over his 80th year, and only died a short time ago. iMany s.ongs were composed to keep this event in mind. One of those songs would ma1ke it appear t.hat the men who killed Lord Leitrim met him by acddent, and made their decision ori the spot. They ramlbled over moor and mead, their hearts from care being free, Until they came to a wooded shade convenieIJ!t to the sea. And there awhi1le at rest they Jay, for they h!ad ·come afar, when scarcely haU-a-mile away they did observe a car. With steady pace i't onward came, and .as it near them drew, The hated form of Leitrim ap,peared to them in view. Says one: "It is the landlord,·for him rig,ht well I know, Thts d:ay I am determined to p'rove his overthrow." . . The other being quite satis:tf~d with what his friend did state, . ·· Slays: "We'll hold the ground whereon we stand and for the .landlord wai!t: · · · For he h1as cau.sed full many a tear tihese thirty years and more: We'll put an end to his career this day on C'ratloe Shore." An effort of resistance he instantly did m-a:ke, · But in firi.ng off his ·pi·S\tol he made ·a great mista1ke· ·· His enemies escaped him, as you may understand, And ,his driver fell a victLm to his cruel, tyrannous na:nd. In Oarrt.gart we< finthr:a' tombstone which recor.ds that the -~. Domiliiok O'Donnell departed this Ute· in 179a_. .He had been· a; priest; fots.6~ ::the FaJ.th, married the ·rector's ·d1aUighter; and·l'ater was, himseltf, appointed rector. He had a brother who wa.;; a priest. To· this brother is attributed the son:g, which represents the mother 1amelll~ing her son's defection. C!ld'O ore, -0. '001mn1c t1i 'Oomn-0.1lt, nc.c m-0.1115 -0.111-0.m -0. conn-0.1c tu; · l'.H CU '00 f.d.:SC.tt·C '01-0. '001im-0.1s, .0.111 m-0.mm btc. lu-0.m uo 1i11nirc1r. P1t.L, p1u, -0. rum 6, :P1t.L, -0. r·utn 6, -0.sur n.J. h-1mt15 uc.it'h f.lllt ore, -0. cum -0.n cr-0.0E;-0.1L 1i16111, 1r ecipu ei1 'n SL61r· m.J. p1LLe<.\nn eti. 'O.J. ore1C1te.J. uo ue<\ttt"'r c.r -0.11 "'tco1r '01-0. 'Obtim<.\15 .o.:s letE;e-0.m ue le<.\0-0.r .(\. povc:-0.nnc.1r, -°' oior -0.r -0. Le1cmn :so btt6n-0.c, 1r e :suL r:&n er'-'5"'11e 65 'n"' ti1m1rc1r. A s!m.ilar story comes to us from Inishowen. In the be1ginnilll~ of the 17th century, a man named Ma:cLaughHn 11ved \11 Claar, below MovHle. He had two s0ns, Domhnall and Peter, who were to study for the priesthood. It was necessary.for them to go aibroad for their education. on tiieir voyage to 'the Continent th.~y were shi~wre.cked and CJast on the shore of England. A gentleman took them" to his house and offered to educate them if they conformed to the Protes•tant'·religion. Domhnall accepted 'the offer, but Peter refused. p,eter went to the Continent aTld became a priest, while his brother remained in England,
ii .;where he became a minister of the past, tantallsing1y revealing the relics established church. Sy a striange coin- of aneient splendour, yet holding from cldence, one became in after years the us its inscru:taible secrets. It st;ood Parish priest, and the other he rector,. there in its strength long .before the of Olonmany. The mother, Uke Dom!- dawn of history. Its wall. 10 to l5i feet nick O'Donnell's mother, exipressed her thick, built wiith huge stones, wlthout grief for her son's error. cement, like those of Dun Aenguis, b'reJJrr 'OU1c t>e1t "'5 bu..ic"11·t.ite.tcc b6, 'Oo \'Mt::d "oo uorn 1r pluroeo.5 0111:, 11J. '00 fU1'6e "111• fU1nneo5.di .&!1'0.d, -0.5 eirt:e.dct: te 5tort.d1ti mrn1ri:1r. W1th <less of sorrow could I view tomorrow My lo.st one herding on the mountain . !brown, Than strange doctrines teaooing, and new tenets prea1ching, A:t yon lordly wind·ow in · his silken ;gown. We tll.ke our l1ast stand on Afleach. Much that wquld have been of inter·est I have to omit. But I have tried ·to . make my skebchy talk as fair and .as comprehensi'.Y~ as the extent and variety of the subject ma:tter allowed. Aileach stlands there like a messenger from the Stalgue Fort and Knoelk·fennel, indicate either a. ra.ce o.f giants or a marvel of· ico-oper·ative strength. This s~yle of building has been called Clycl0pean Archi:tectiure, because it resembles the construction of the walil·s of Mycenae, which, the Qreeks thought, were ibuilt lby the CY'clop·s. The kings ot the royal line of Nian, the O'Neills and the O'I.Jochlainns, lived there unti'~ it was burned !by Murtagh ()!'Brien in 1101. But the ruins still remain to remind us of the past. God bless the grey mountains of dark Donegal, God bless Royrul Alle·~h, the pride of them a.ill; · · For she sits evermore Uke a queen on her throne To guard the deep vailleys of green JnniShowen.
jouRNAL OF THE cotJNTY OONEGAL HISTORICAL .socrtd+. • in • • A.ngJo... Jrish Read before the Ballyshannon Branch of the Gaelic League on the 22nd MaTch, 1947, and before the County Donegal Historical Society in t.he Vocational School Stranorlar, on the 26th April, 1947. ' -BY~ J. C. ifaaffe MacDonagh, B.Comm. (N.U.I.), Cert.M.l.B.I. -.... OMIE weeks ago a few enthu- ~, sicasts, like myself, met at LiffoTd ~~-._ and there founded the county ....,,. Donewal Historiical Societ'Y.- This · society h!as for its Olbjects the preservation and diffusion of kn()lwledge pertaining to the literature, history and antiquities of 'the county. The infant society was entrusted to IF'ather Hugo Bonar and myself, and as its joint secretaries we have begun to carry one of the objects in!to effe,ct by compiling a Bibliography of the county.. I have taken on the ,Ang[o-lri.Sh section of this wOTk and my pa;rtner intends to make a similiar survey of the Gaelic literature of the county. We hope to enlist the aid oJl every person interested in the county, and we intend to P'lllbli'sh the result of these efforts in a ·special section of· the Hl..sfurical: Society's annual journaif. I shall be frank with you and must confess .that I hailed your kind inviltation to speak here thiis e.vening as an idea~ opportunity to do a litt~e p·ropagand:a work for the Historical Society. I am here this evening 'to give you some idea Of the work we are doing, for the su/bjec·t matter of County Done- .· gal in Anglo-Irish Literature is based upon a preliminary· survey. A solitar.y individual can only scrlftch the surface ·'-'-la team of workers is required to do the delrving. Here and now I must avow that fastidious literary tastes or a1eademic polemics play no part in my burnt for Co. Donegal Utem.ture and literati. I make this statement at the outset tn c,ase there are purists and stylists amongst you who would allow me to claim William Alllingham, od' Planter stock, as an Anglo-Irish writer, and debar me from speaking of John Toland (E:Oineen-ofthe-iBooiks), a pure-:bred Celt, because his books and pamphlets haNe little or no bearing on any aspe,ct of Irish life. I use the temn Anglo-Irish liiterature in its widest sense, and I can, therefore, speak on any work or part of a wor:.. written in the English lianguage on Go. Donegal or I can refer to any work written by .a na'ti<ve of the county. I shall not preface. my lecture proiper with further introduction beyond reminding you tha;t the opening decades of· the seventeenth century mar;ked an Indian summer for the Gaelic literature Of· Cb. Donegial. This quick,Jy passed aiway with the completion of the Ulster Plantiation, w.Mch destroyed an ancient culture. For well-ntgh two centuries aftenwards the onl'Y continuous litern.ry output from the comity rwere the Gaelic folksongs of a Mdden Ireland which the la.rw did not presume to ex·ist. If these were not ·familiar to me through the woriks of the late Henry Morris, and if I were fo apply the canons of criticism laid down by Thomas MacDonagh in
16 JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL .i!ISTOR.JCAL SOC1ETY: his "Literature in Ireland" I could sa;fely raries of Dublin Uni'Versity, the British say, even at this early stage, that the Museum and the Royal Irish Academy. greater pol'tions of the seventeenth and Some of these, s\l!Ch as the Civii survey e~ghteenth centuries were periods when of OOunty [)onegal, 161)4 :to 1656, .and the the literary output' 'of C'o. Done.gal was CromweHian 1Cens~ Returns, have jus~ completely barren. '1 was amaz.ed ~o been edited :and ~bed by the Irish find that Henry·Morris claimed to be the Historiical !Manuscripts Commi§ion :a.nd proud possessor of the only Penal Day others, such as the Co. !Donegal DeposiIrish manuscript in the Donegal dialect, tions Of 164'1, are being prepared for and this laid side by sl:de with Bishop publication in the near f1uture. .other O'GaHag;her's Sermons mruke .a very ·manuscripts, Hike 1the Catholic OuitlarNTY poor disp\lay. lists of 169·1, ffiliY re~.ain indefinitely a.s such in 'the li!brar:y of Trinity College, Ii I e~clude the works of Toland and Dulblin, or, li'ke the Protestant OutlaiwrY his fellow-renegade Macklin,* my displ:ay Lists of the same period, ·they may aipof Cio, Donega!l Anglo-Irish literw~ure, pear in rare pairnphlet or boolC( {Orm in during' the same period, reveals a simi- gpecific lilbraries such as. 'llh~ $Qnned lar hi:.cuna, ;arid few can plead extenuat- by ·the VeryRJev.. iOean.;·H\ing' ih Derry. ing circumstances . since Co. Donegal These are \but a ·trsc·tron of the .treawas very welil served with English teach- sure.S which were 1.os·t 111 the Public RJeing schools, even in its Gaelt,achtt, from cords' !Clttfice Jn 19212>, and yet there is the re~gn of Charles the Second on-· no reason to deSi1>3.ir, for your town, wards. The only Anglo-Irish literature parish and !barony is still well reipreI can offer to you for thl:s period are a sentedtiby ·marriage setttftements, , m~rtfew religious and se~i-re1iJg1ous poems galges; ·deeds .p()ll, oonv~yaµees; : J$Wby Dr. Croyle, .i:t:ie Bishop of . Raphoe, sui.ts and compl:a:ints, ooverinig many some treatises on surveyi~g by Thomas centuries and well preserved in ,the ReHood, of Newt01Wnoonnmgham, the . gi.stry of Deeds, !Henrietta St., and the . poems of. the Rey. Jam;s Porter, the a·rchives of Trinity Oollege, Dublin. Presbyterian patriot of 98, and some To these yoiu can also add files of docupamphlets. and sermons issued andupub- ments, covered with an age old deposit lished by clergymen in the Ramelton- of dust tn ,'FJstate IAgent·s· and SoUcitors' Letterkenny area. offllces .and Banks throu,ghout the BriThis list is fairly exhaustive; and as tish· Jsles. you see has little or no local colour or th informa.tion in it. For this material we A large 'Part of eighteen . ·~ntury must ·ran back on the spate of eigh- Co. Donegal is even well documented in teenth- century tour and guide books our County Ubrary, lfot ·the C/Qunty whieh began to ·floQd the litera·ry mar- Lilbrarian, Mr. MwclQtyre, has maqe kets with Dr. Pococ:ke's chatty "Journey tyipescript 'COipies of two interestiiig. sets Through Ireland", and reached their ;of.manuscripts .which-. .es~ped ,~he,. wancHmax in Arthur Young's excellent ton ctestTuctlon of the Coo~ty Reco:f~. a "Tours Through Ireland" of the years few years :a;go. The manuscrapts. salv:ed 1776 to 1779. I sh.all not weary you with from this piece' of v:an.dalism were the a long list of Post Ohaise Companions, Reg1sters of :Freehoklers, in. Co.. DoneHibernian Atlases, and various Ittner- gal for ·the years. 1768 to J711:' 'ltUd 'the arles, Gazet.eers, and TopograJ)hles, but Presentme.nts of ·the C'ounty .and .$011le I assure you that picking and co-ordin- of the. Baronial Presentments:from·,the ating 1nforma?lon ·relative.: to et.ghteen y.ear 1753 to . 1800; ' These . .con:ttlin a century Doneigial out of them is as fas- wealth ·of .un1ta1)ped lnfoi'ma:tion ion ;tl)e cinating and as exasperating as a Jig- · social a>nd economic life of,the county, Saw puzzle~ from crimes .and cntriinals up to the lf, howeveT, ·any of you attempt to · write a comprehensive history .puibUc activities of local nolb!.1Ry.. a;nd gentry. of your town; parish or..barony yau can The information contained in these delve · dee.per 'f.1ian th.l.S, and. YOU can manUSCtl1JtS cap:, 'be . aimp·il.fied , by . the supplement your local historles bf Hugh reference tc> The .QathQl'ic . Qualitk.a:- Ailllngham or Dr; ·Maguire with Anglo- tion ROlls, 1718-188kthe elg'h~e»th Irish Manuscript materials which were century Convert RollS~The. Betham. Exunknown to or ignored by these autho·rs. tracts of Wills, . all of. whilch. are:still Seventeenth· century Co. Donegal is now preserved in .the iPubltc. ltecouis'. Qm-Oe, par.ticularly well documented· in various [)uiblin. ..One ,can carry ,this w~r~. :<>n catalo!?ues of State pa~ers and manus-. int.o the las.t. .century ·w;ith . ~the Ti.the ·crl.pits .from repositories snrch :u; the lib- Applotments. Rolls, 1'820,,-1830, in. the (*l am not con:vin·ced that Macklin was a Donegalman), Reool.'ds !Department of the Iir!sb .I,a.nd Commission, .and with·: .. the , pUil)li&hed imarps and lists of the Grfft\th. .Valuation, 18i5~-1·860. ·In these you 1ge~ a de-
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