Irish History Synopsis; Flight of the Earls

When the Great ONeill left Ireland on a ship out of Lock Swilly at Rath Mullen bound for France which had been obtained for him by Cuconnaught O Donnell, he left behind his bodyguard of 600 soldiers which Elizabeth allowed him to keep.These men were without land or substance and had not been paid O Neill haveing the prudence to take with him his collected rents. These guard had nothing but their swords and their cloaks. They were distainful of work as beneith their dignity. There only occupation had been by training as swordsmen. Hence the Rapparee was born meaning a menace. The woods of Lissford were full of kerns. Consequently they preyed the neighborhood for food and shelter for a period of time and were considered a bunch of pests by the incoming land grabbers of the confiscated lands..
James 2 magnanimously sent over three ships to load them onboard by impressment and sent them all to the Swedish wars. Hugh Boy ONeill escaped to Flanders Others made their way from there to Tyrone who was still in Brussels.

During this transition period the Irish generally were deprived of a means of living, land and dignity not being treated with any respect by the incomming undertakers and the Kings Army present.

Henry Dowcra was appointed Commander of these forces in Ireland at Lock Foyle with 4000 foot and 2000 horse at his disposal to control the Irish.
The lands confiscated were all of Tyrone, Derry. Donegal, Fernmanagh,Armagh,Cavan and Inishowen peninsela.These were placed under th Commisioner John Davies with a Committee composed of Sir James Ley, Dowcra, Anthony St Leger,James Fullerton, Sir Oliver St John.These commissioners were to hold juries to determine which pieces of land should go to which undertakers generally.


At that time under old Irish law lands were held by the septs of the fine with lands designated for the use of the Lord such as ONeill during their lifetime.The lord when declared chief did not own the land in the sence of English private property. Ownership with rights of inheritance. Nor did the comman Irish Peasant own any land but was allowed to graze his cattle on the sept lands or the lords lands for a rental fee.these fees in cattle were determined by the number of cattle these creights grazed on the common lands. These Betags usually lived in temporary mud huts or sheds till the wondering cattle ate thegrass at hand and than they moved on in nomatic existance. Just as the landless and nowadays cattleless Travelers do this day.Now known as Tinkers for their earning their keep formerly by making tin pots or shapening local knives and such.
They
were pressured by the new English coming in to settle and become tenant farmers sowing wheat and oats and building houses.This even the chiefs objected to saying it would ruin the race.
Ireland did not deal in coins or money but in cattle, oats ,butter, meal, hogs ,mutton and other stuff. No Money was needed in the society.
The land was divided into tracts called Ballybetagh of 1000 acres [irish acres]
or ballyboes of 60-120 acres.the rest of the land including bogs lakes rivers and such were held in common for the use of all.

With the new plantation System devised by the Court the land confiscated would be divided by the Commission
to Servitors- for governement service with the civil or military.These were not to employ the Irish and the must be Prodistant and most were Puritans. Menial Irish occupations were permited..
The Undertakers were given by grant without pay 2000 Acres and were required to build a Castle.
A knight was given by grant 1500 acres and must build of stone or brick
Land in Socage[ which cannot find in english dictonary of today] was 1000 acres which must have a habitation built of wood
The undertaker was to plant 48 men in 3 years who had been born in England or Scotish lowlands and establish 20 families with a demesne of 600 acres
and must place 4 fee farmers on 120 acres, create 6 leseholders on 100 acres ,and have 8 families of artificers husbandmen and cottagers.
Some grants were made to the native irish if they could establish their loyalty to the Crown but these grants were to be only on the plain where they could be kept under observation.There holdings were to be 10 acres under a lease.
The peasant Irish were near starvation at this point.Chiefs and Lords were displaced by these Undertakers. They were not needed as slaves or tenants at will.who were allowed to stay at the pleasure of the Undertakers with no gurantee that they would not be evicted next day or in the middle of the night.All these grants were made by king James in fee simple to the holders and their heirs.

There were 104 undertakers in Ulster
56 servitors
and 286 natives all bonded with regular accountsof their activites and profits to King James.
In addition several London corporations were granted land such as the London Livery Company which acquired derry /colerane was given in grant to the city of London hence the calling of Londonderry which means oak wood of London.

Previous to this decade Sir Walter Raleigh was granted 140 million acres of wood unspoiled in Leinster on the south coat of Ireland by Elizabeth which he promply denued at great profit building the casle like structure still standing in that area. These planters completely denuded the ancient forests of Ireland leving us the bare 40 shades of green so prominent in tourist guides.

The earl himself was unable by storms under the captainship of Captain John Bath to land as planned but they made land in Noramndy. he was welcomed there but encouraged to move on which he did to Brussels later from there to Luavaine and hence to Switzerland where he crossed over into Italy avoiding French territory on his way south. He was unable to obtain any militry or other help for his land and died some years later in Rome on July 20 1616 where he is buriend on the Januculan hill next to Rory O Donnell at the church of San Pietro.

Conn Bacah ONeill was driven out in poverty from his family house at Castle Rea. He died in this state in 1620 at Hollywood and was buried at BallyMaghon church with nothing but his tomestone.This was later removed to the British museum where it remains tody. Why it is there we no not.The man was not even left his grave marker!
The famous cattle of Ireland gradually disapeared into the british belly The manor house replaced both the norman castle and the wooden houses and raths of the Chiefs for mud huts with thach roof on small tenant holdings throughout the land. The religious monastaries never recovered from their dismemberment by Henry 8.
James declared the Brehon law unlawful and it became extinct in favor of Engish courts of azzises. the country ws shired New burough were created by James 1 and seconded by the Irish parliment at Dublin as Auger,Armagh,Ballyshannon.Bangor,Belfasr[ of which sir Arthur Chischester was created Baron] Belturret,Charlemont,Clogher, Limavady, Monahan, Newry and Strabane.

The Irish lost not only their lands and livelihood ,their ancient pre cristain culture and works but their senachies and history falling into a mire of deprivation confusion and ignorance bound to subservience.
A state in which they continued through the Great Famine of 1845 which in a sence liberated them by emigration.
Today they are seeking slowly their own past in smigins as we are here now exploring and trying to recover a basic of their language which knowledge they need to understand the fragments of writing preserved in various librarys throught Europe and some in America still lost to them. Meitheam 9 07

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007




Copyright August 1 2007