1586 - 1587 AD  

1586 AD  Thomas Fitz Gerald the sixteenth Earl of Desmond was "officially" declared a traitor by Elizabeth 1st  the Welsh Tudor English Queen, and the main part of his Munster Province Estates were then confiscated to the English Crown, and Edmund Spenser the secretary to Lord Grey her English Lord Deputy in Ireland was granted 3,028 acres at Doneraile along with the Fitz Gerald's Kilcolman Castle in Co. Cork, and the Munster Province itself was then also "planted"  with English Ascendancy Episcopalians, south of the River Shannon, but not in Co. Clare in the north - west where they were  able to continue to use Gaelic place names. Another of her hangers on Sir Edward Denny was also granted Tralee / Traig Li (The Shore of the River Lee / Li,) in Co. Kerry in the south - west of Munster, which in ancient times had been named after the son of Dedad / Li Mhic Dedad, and Sir Edw\ard Denny then took it upon himself to devestate the Dominican Priory of Holy Cross there, and the Dominican monks from out of there in order to survive were forced to go into hiding for the next 47 years until 1633 AD.       

     The Irish and Anglo - Irish  Old English Catholics in the Munster Province, the Leinster Province and the Connacht Province had by this time been basically subdued by the inceasing numbers of the English Military forces of Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Tudor English Queen's authorities set up in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre), but not so in the Ulster Province in the north, where both of the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Septs, the Cenel Conaill under the O Donnells in Tir Conaill  / Tyrconnell (The Land of 91.Conall Gulban) in the north - west of Ulster, and the Cenel nEogain under the O Nialls in Tir Eogan / Tyrone (The Land of 91.Eogan) in Central Ulster, continued to still hold sway there. 

      Sir John Perrot, Elizabeth 1s  the Welsh Tudor English Queen's English appointed Lord Lieutenant in Ireland was worried by the friendship, which now existed between the "aged" Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Donnell  / The O Donnell, (who was a son of Manus O Donnell), and 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall, the son of 125.Ferdoragh O Niall, the English appointed second Earl of Tyrone in the Ulster Province, who had previously been taken and reared in England for an English purpose, as 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall had since married The O Donnell's daughter, Siobhan O Donnell. He had also come to fully realise what the English authorities, under the direction of Elizabeth 1st, was really doing in Ireland to the Irish population, and he was now personally working towards uniting both of the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Septs with the rest of the oppressed Irish Septs and Anglo - Irish, under one overall leader, intending to drive the English trangressors out of Ireland altogether. Sir John Perrot had already taken strong measures to ensure that The O Donnell complied with his instructions by demanding that he should send his youngest son, Rory O Donnell to be held as a hostage in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre), by the English to ensure that he toed the English line in Ireland, but The O Donnell was well aware of the treatment that was metered out to any of the Irish who were incarcerated there. (Under the Irish Brehon Law hostages were also taken by the Irish Kings to ensure good faith between the various Irish Septs, but the difference was that they were treated as their own in their households, and were given pledges in return. On the other hand the English authorities in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre), always treated their Irish hostages badly, putting them in the prison there, and did with them as they liked, while giving no pledges in return, or if they did, as usual they never ever kept their word. 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall the second English appointed Earl of Tyrone had already informed the English Council in Dublin that because of the previous treatment of the Irish hostages by their English authorities in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre) it was impossible to find any “volunteers” to act as “hostages.” Meanwhile 126.Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall the English appointed second Earl of Tyrone had also formed an alliance with the outstanding aristocratic warrior and leader Fiach mac Hugh O Byrne / The O Byrne the Heremonian Cu Corb Ui Dunlainge King who had his kingdom and territory stronghold at Ballinacor in the Wicklow Mountains in Co. Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster in the vale of Glenmalure just to the south of Dublin. (The English had long learnt to their sorrow not to go there.)     

1587 AD The "aged," Aodh Dubh / Black Hugh O Donnell / The O Donnell the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill King, (the son of Manus O Donnell), was by now in failing health, both mentally and physically, and the "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Septs were to be split over who was now to be elected to become his successor Prince / heir - apparent / Tanaiste. under the Irish Brehon Law, although The O Donnell's "aged" uncle, Aed mac Aed Dubh mac Hugh O Donnell had already been chosen previously as their Tanaiste as allowed within 4 generations to replace him should he suddenly die or become incapacitated, but because of his age there was now the prospect of another much younger rising star among the Cenel Conaill O Donnells. Besides this The O Donnell also had an older son from his first deceased wife in Donnell O Donnell, but due to his particular characteristics he had not been entertained as a very responsible prospect for this most important position, and after his first wife died, The O Donnell had married again, and his second wife, Fionnuala Mac Donnell / Ineen Dubh had then produced both the young Rory O Donnell, demanded by Sir John Perrot as his hostage, and his older brother, the 14 year old Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell. Because of his youth he alone now stood out as the best prospect for leadership of the next generation of the Cenel Conaill to take up the position of Prince / Tanaiste / heir apparent and also both his father and mother wanted the position to go to him eventually, although at the moment he was still very young, but he was considered to be the best future prospect to be "elected" within the 4 generations under the Irish Brehon Law.

     126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill English appointed second Earl of Tyrone, whose first wife had also died, had since married Siobhan O Donnell, (the daughter of the "aged" Aed Dubh O Donnell  / The O Donnell, who had been from his first wife, and who was the older full - sister to Donnell O Donnell and a half - sister to the two youngsters, Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell and Rory O Donnell and it was now his intention to betroth one of his own daughters from his first marriage to the future young heir - apparent Aedh Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell, to create a greater bond between the two main Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Septs. Meanwhile the actual overall head of the O Nialls themselves at this time in the Ulster Province was still 125.Turlogh Luineach O Niall (who had been supported into this position by the English) and was therefore considered by the Irish Septs there in Ulster to only be an English "puppet," who was not only a drunkard, but was also in very poor health. Therefore there was also still great rivalry among the Ulster O Niall Cenel nEogain Septs as to who would eventually become his successor Prince / Tanaiste / heir apparent also under the Irish Brehon Law, and included among these now was his kinsman, the previously mentioned 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall the English appointed second Earl of Tyrone who was now in reality both an English Peer and a Gaelic Ulster Chieftain.

Autumn: Sir John Perrot, the English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland for Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Tudor English Queen, devised a scheme to forcibly take hostages from The O Donnell  the "aged"  Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill  Cenel Conaill King, from out of his territory in Tyrconnell / Co. Donegal in the north - west of the Ulster Province, and to ensure the success of his devious plan he had to first physically remove the "aged" The O Donnell himself from out of  Co. Donegal to carry it out without him being aware, so to this end he demanded that he come down to Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre), to explain why he had not sent his younger son, Rory O Donnell to be imprisoned there and held as a hostage by the English authorities in the Dublin Castle. To further carry out his plan Sir John Perrot sent John Bermingham, a Dublin merchant, on board the "Matthew" under its skipper Nicholas Barnes, to the village of Rathmullan situated on Loch Swilly in Co. Donegal, on his secret mission to physically gain any hostages that he could by any means necessary from the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Cenel Conaill Sept there, and on arriving into Loch Swilly the pair pretended to have brought wine over from Spain to trade with the "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Sept. Donnell Mac Sweeney of Fanad, who was in command of Rathmullan Castle there for the Cenel Conaill O Donnells, then sent word down to Donegal town via his son, Donnell Gorm Mac Sweeney to the O Donnells to advise them of the arrival of a supply of wine into Loch Swilly. (At first they were wary of why this wine ship had not gone directly down to Donegal town itself, or even to nearby Killybegs, but they finally decided to take it at face value.) As the young 14 year old Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell had been in fosterage with both Eogan mac Sweeney of Doe and Mac Sweeney of Fanad it was agreed that it should be he who would go and represent the Cenel Conaill O Donnells to purchase the necessary supplies of wine, and he was to be accompanied by his young friends, Donnell Gorm Mac Sweeney, and Eogan O Gallagher the son of Toole O Gallagher. On arriving at Rathmullan, the young trio were enticed aboard the ship by the secret English agents to sample the various wines, where they were physically handled with force and kidnapped and taken as prisoners back down to Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre) and Sir John Perrot  was then sure that the physical removal of his young son into imprisonment in the Dublin Castle, would have a great influence on the "aged" The O Donnell and that that it would now be much easier to coerce The O Donnell with his son locked away, and at the behest of his personal mercy and that of the English authorities in the Dublin Castle. The English were now to lock the young Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell safely away in the Dublin Castle permanently, along with his two young companions, Donnell Gorm Mac Sweeny and Eogan O Gallagher and when Sir Lucas Dillon, who was a friend of Sir John Perrot and a member of the Great Council, came to visit him there, he could see that the young Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell had already been brutally beaten, as his left eye was swollen shut, and his face was covered in bruises. As usual also to ensure further compliance by the Irish Septs, situated on the outside of the Dublin Castle walls at this time there were many Irish heads impaled and left rotting on the spikes there as a further warning to any of the Irish Septs looking on, including the friends of the young, Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell, or anyone else in Ireland who might think of attempting any sought of rescue attempt.

     Back in the Ulster Province, another Aed O Donnell, who was the son of Calvagh O Donnell, was seeking an opportunity for any chance that his own father too might be able to gain the position of The O Donnell, and to this end he had already formed an alliance with the "puppet" and feeble 125.Turlough Luineach O Niall, who had gained the position previously of the The O Niall due to English support after the previous murder of 125.Shane O Niall / The O Niall, and together they decided to attack the "aged" Aedh Dubh /  Black Hugh O Donnell / The O Donnell, (the son of Manus), and also his ally as he was his father - in - law 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall, who they were able to defeat on this occasion. Feeling that he was now personally well and truly in the running in the future to become The O Donnell himself, Calvagh O Donnell went off to Mongalvin where he was to boast once too often of the deed that he had recently carried out, and he was then soon removed from the running altogether, when he was killed in a drunken brawl. Meanwhile Aed mac Aed Dubh mac Hugh O Donnell, The O Donnell’s "aged" uncle who was the original proposed Prince / Tanaiste / heir apparent and his nephew Niall Garbh - the Rough O Donnell were also at each other’s throats by now over the very same issue, while Donnell O Donnell the older full brother to Siobhan, and an older half - brother to the young 14 year old Aedh Ruadh / Red Hugh and his younger brother Rory O Donnell, was also gathering together all of his supporters, waiting for the right moment to try and stake his claim also to the position of The O Donnell in the future. While all of this Cenel Conaill O Donnell infighting was occurring within their Septs, in the far - west of Ulster, English Military forces, under their commander, Willis, had taken the opportunity offered by all of this internal confusion to infiltrate the region there in Tyrconnell and sack the Donegal Friary, and after they killed Teague O Boyle, the Catholic monk who was in charge there, they manned it with an English Military garrison, and began using it as a stronghold to carry out raids on the Cenel Conaill Septs in the the surrounding Co. Donegal countryside, causing pandemonium and mayhem where ever they went, taking hostages and chattels, including cattle from the various Irish Septs there.     

Mid - May: The "aged," Aed Dubh / Hugh O Donnell  / The O Donnell, (the son of Manus), and his second wife, Fionnuala / Ineen Dubh arrived in Dublin in Co. Dublin in Southern Leinster, and along with their ally, 126.Aedh Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall, the appointed English second Earl of Tyrone, they went to see their young captive son, Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell, who was now 15 years of age, locked away securely in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre.) 126.Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall had already offered Sir John Perrot 1,000 pounds to let the young 15 year old Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell escape from the castle, but it was to no avail as he was too frightened of the consequences from his illegitimate half - sister, Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Tudor English Queen. 126.Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall then decided to await the arrival of Lord Fitz William, who was soon to replace Sir John Perrot as the English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland, as he knew he was more "needy and greedy," as he had been in Ireland before, and together with his parents they informed the young 15 year old Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell that they would leave no stone unturned to get him out of the Dublin Castle, and they then returned home to Co. Donegal. (On the day when Sir John Perrot was to leave Ireland for England, 125.Turlough Luineach O Niall / The O Niall who had been assisted by the English to gain the position, was there to see him off).          

     Meanwhile down in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, Donnell Cam O Sullivan the Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil Chieftain, had made a claim under English Law to regain his father’s title as the Lord of Beare Haven and Bantry, in the the south - west of Co. Cork, which he had lost as a minor, as by now it had been under revue for two years and his uncle, Sir Owen Sullivan, who now held the position, had also been involved in the Desmond Rebellion of the Fitz Geralds, and he was now out of favour with Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Tudor English Queen and the English authorities in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre)). By this time also in the eyes of the English authorities, Donnell Cam O Sullivan too had been another Irish stooge, who they had especially groomed to be one of their puppets in Ireland for an English purpose also, so his title was returned to him. The Mere Irish or Anglo - Irish / Old English during this period in order to receive a decent education or become priests were still forced to leave Ireland and go to France and Spain, by shipping aboard the smuggling boats out of Bantry Bay in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, which was the native Irish territory of The O Sullivan Beare who had his stronghold at Dunboy Castle at Beare, which was situated two and a half miles south west of Castletownbeare in Co. Cork, and Donnell Cam O Sullivan would now come to play a major role on behalf of the Irish cause in the future.

   Cuvea Mac Namara, the son of John Mac Namara, the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Caisin Chief of West Clan Culien, died.

   The de Bathes who were an Anglo - Norman family originally constructed Athcarne Castle at Duleek in Co. Meath in the south - east of Northern Leinster against the Irish Septs there, and the Rathfarnam Castle was also constructed in Dublin in The English Pale, for the same purpose, which is now in the hands of the Jesuit's today.

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