1561 - 1556 AD
1561 AD 125.Shane O Niall "The O Niall" the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain King let be known that 700 farmers had moved up to the Ulster Province from out of the English Pale region to gain his protection, and to make his future intentions well known he drove off the English under Fitz Gerald the Earl of Kildare and Butler the Earl of Ormonde and also made contact with France to supply him with 6,000 troops to support him in Ireland to drive the English out of Ireland altogether, which came to nothing. He had also captured his main opposition, Calvagh O Donnell from the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Sept who had his kingdom and territory in the north - west of Ulster and formed a serious attraction to his wife, Catherine Mac Lean, who after Calvagh / Calbhach O Niall's eventual demise he was to marry. They were to produce the unfortunate young, 126.Art O Niall, who would die in 1592 AD after escaping from long term incarceration in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre) and his brother, 126.Aed Gavelach O Niall who would be executed in 1590 AD by the English authorities. 125.Shane O Niall " The O Niaill" had become "England's Greatest Fear" as he was now in control of all of the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill in Ulster, and the English Earl of Sussex, who was the English Lord Lieutenant in Ireland for Elizabeth 1st, decided that he would have to do something about him before he became too strong and attracted other Gaelic forces to the Irish cause in Ireland. The English Earl of Sussex set out from the The English Pale in Dublin with an English Military force and headed north passing through the O Melaghlins Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill kingdom of Midhe / Meath in Northern Leinster and then through the Dal Cuinn Colla Da Crioch kingdom of Orghialla to the north in Co. Louth and then into Co. Armagh in the south - east of Ulster to confront him head on, but 125.Shane O Niall was too smart for that trap and he kept his Irish forces out of harm's way, while a few guerrilla skirmishes were carried out by 125.Shane O Niall's forces along the way, and the Earl of Sussex was then forced to continue on looking for 125.Shane O Niall and his men. In desperation of getting any result he also besieged other O Niall territory in Tir Eogain / Tyrone to Loch Foyle where he confiscated 4,000 head of cattle from the Septs there, and then returned down to Newry in Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster.
Finally, realizing who they were really up against Elizabeth 1st decided it might be better to offer 125.Shane O Niaill "The O Niaill" an opportunity to put his case to her personally, and he accepted her offer and took the risk of travelling over to London taking along his Gaelic Irish entourage with him in all their splendour, including some of the galloglasses who also carried their battle - axes and coats of mail and continuing the ruse by playing her game, 125.Shane O Niall openly submitted to her overlordship, explaining that he was in fact the real deal as "The O Niaill" and he also promised her to clear the east of Ulster Province of the Mac Donnells the Scottish galloglass / mercenaries from the Hebrides. She personally detested, the Colla Uais Mac Donalds / Mac Donnells, who were Catholic, and had previously crossed over into Ireland and re - settled into Co. Antrim and 125.Shane O Niall, now feeling that his "official" position was now recognized by Elizabeth 1st, could take over the territory there also in the north - east with impunity if he so desired, but on her behalf.
Unfortunately for 125.Shane O Niall - the Proud he was to play her game too well and was to decided to take on the Dal Cuinn Colla Uais Mac Donnells who had their stronghold in the Dunluce Castle in the north - east of Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province, situated on the high rock on the sea next to the Giant's Causeway at Bushmills in Co. Antrim where it had been constructed and held initially by the original Anglo - Norman Barons, the de Mandevilles, who later on had Gaelicized their name to Mac Quillan / Mac Uillin (Descended from a son of Hugh). The Mac Quillans had been previously driven out of there by the Mac Donnells / Mac Donalds who had returned to Ireland as mercenaries / galloglass from the Scottish Isles under Soyle Boye Mac Donald who then had to struggle with the English to hold on to it. (It is now held in trust by the Government, but it is only a ruin.) (While in occupation Rory Mac Quillan had also founded Bonamarghy Friary on the River Marghy at Ballycastle in Co. Antrim where there is a Mac Donnell tomb, while the Mac Donnell's first residence is west of there in the Dunayne Castle).
125.Shane O Niall's other opposition in the Ulster Province for the overall authority was in the form of his kinsmen, the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Cenel Conaill O Donnells who had their kingdom and territory in Tir Conaill / Tyrconnell / Co. Donegal in the west of Ulster, where their leader now was the aged Aed Dubh - of Dark Complexion O Donnell "The O Donnell," who was a son of Magnus O Donnell, and he had also produced the very young Aed Ruadh / Red Hugh O Donnell, who was to be one of the last real Gaelic Milesian Irish Kings in Ulster, and also his even younger brother, Rory O Donnell who were both from his second wife, Fionnuala Mac Donnell, which also connected them firmly to the Dal Cuinn Colla Uais Mac Donnells - of Ulster.
1562 AD 125.Shane
O
Niall
"The O
Niall"
acted on his immediate impulses and besieged the
Scottish
- Irish
Dal Cuinn Colla Uais Mac Donnells in
Co. Antrim
in the north - east of the Ulster
Province, who were by profession
galloglass / mercenaries
initially descended in the Scottish Highlands from John Mac Donald the Lord
of the Isles, and were sons of the Lord of Islay and Kintyre and the
Mac Donnells sent off signals to obtain reinforcements from the
Western Isles, and the conflict between them was to occur a few miles south
of Ballycastle with 125.Shane O Niall and his
followers able to successfully
defeat them by nightfall, and the Mac Donnell leaders were captured along with
13 of their Clann banners
and Elizabeth 1st was more
then overjoyed that
the Mac Donnell Gaelic
Scottish Catholic toehold in Ulster
had been brought to an end.
125.Shane O Niaill "The O Niall" with a further show of what his real intentions were,
then attacked the
south of
Ireland were
Fitz Gerald the English
Earl of Kildare and
Butler the
English Earl of Ormonde
could not stop his onslaught.
The Catholic Christ Church
Cathedral in
Dublin in the north - east
of
Southern Leinster,
which had been originally
begun by
Strongbow 11 the Anglo -
Norman Baron, and
Laurence O Toole, the first
Irish Catholic
Archbishop of Dublin
from the Heremonian
Ui Laoghaire Ui Lughaidh Cu
Corb
Ui Dunlainge
Sept, on the
original site of an ancient Celtic
fort, had also previously been confiscated and taken over by the
Episcopalian Church of England and like
so many others by
this period in time
it too had also fell into
decay, with the massive roof actually caving in and
damaging
Strongbow 11's tomb. (Much later on it would be restored to its
original condition at a cost of
250,000 pounds
by Mr.
Roe a
Dublin brewer).
126.Brian O Niall, died this year, who was a brother to 126.Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Niall who was to become the third English Earl of Dungannon in the Ulster Province, as they were both the sons of 125.Fearadorach / an Fear Dorcha O Niall, whose mother had been the wife of the blacksmith, which made him also an older illegitimate half - brother to the younger, 125.Shane O Niall "The O Niall," as they were also both sons of 124.Conn Bacach O Niall who had been the previous "The O Niall" and overall leader in Ulster who had been the first to accept the position asthe English Earl of Tyrone, which had upset the rest of the Family especially 125.Shane O Niaill.
1563 AD
125.Shane
O Niall
"The O Niall" from the Dal
Cuinn "northern"
Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain who was by now well and truly
"England’s
Greatest Fear" had his first
relapse when he was this year driven back out of
Co. Armagh
in
the south - east of the
Ulster Province.
Donnell O Sullivan the 26 year old Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil King of Beare Haven and Bantry in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, was killed by his O Sullivan kinsman, Mac Gilli Cuddy, and as his son, Donnell Cam O Sullivan was too young, his uncle, Sir Owen O Sullivan became the new Chief there until 1592 AD while his other uncle, Philip O Sullivan was elected as the Tanaiste / heir apparent and given control over Ardea Castle on the River Kenmare but in the meantimee the young Donnell Cam O Sullivan was then taken and educated as usual (as were all the sons of the Irish Chiefs) in Waterford in Co. Waterford in the south - east of the Munster Province for an English purpose. This would once again backfire on Elizabeth 1st and her English officials in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre.). The O Sullivans being a Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil Sept in the Munster Province were subject to their overlord the "The Mac Carthy Mor," Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil King, who also had his "kingdom and territory in Co. Cork.
Dermod Mac Brody,
from the Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil
Sept who was the son of Conor
Mac Brody the son of Dermod Mac Brody the
son of John Mac Brody, who was the Chief Professor
of Ibrackan in Co. Clare, died this year, and was
to be succeeded
into this position by Maolin Mac Brody.
1564 AD
Howth Castle
was constructed this year at
Howth
near
Dublin in
the north - east of Southern
Leinster,
as a further defence against the
Irish
Septs surrounding the English Pale.
1565 AD
125.Shane
O Niall
"The O Niall"
from the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill
Cenel nEogain
Sept assumed the overall
Irish leadership of the remaining
Irish
Kings
and besieged
the
English
Pale around
Dublin, with his
Ulster Province forces, of 4,000 foot and 1,000 horse, and for good measure this time also burnt the
English settlement at
Armagh in Co. Armagh in the
south - east of Ulster,
where he had previously suffered his first defeat and.Elizabeth
1st offered to appoint him the English Earl of Tyrone and Baron of Dungannon,
which he refused stating he was above English titles as
"The O Niall "
and English soldiers
were now planted along his frontiers and his subjects were invited to rebel against
him.
Donnell
Mac Carthy "The Mac Carthy Mor"
who had his kingdom and territory in Co. Cork in
Southern Munster had also acknowledged the English Crown
under surrender and re - grant of the territory of his
particular
Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil Sept and had then been
appointed the first English Earl of Clan Carthy
and the
O Sullivans
who were
now under
Owen O Sullivan
of Beare and
Bantry who had their territory in Co. Cork followed suite, and he was also given an English knighthood becoming
Sir
Owen Sullivan and
subject
now to English Law, and controlled
rents were now introduced on their own Irish people against the
Irish Brehon Law of
Celtic
Irish
Tanistry, which was
a re - division of the land only among the Irish Septs.
Grace Dieu Abbey the previous home of the St. Augustine Catholic nuns in the English Pale around Dublin in the north - east of the Southern Leinster, was totally destroyed and the materials from there were used to build Turvey House in the north - west of Donabate near Dublin.
The
Irish Catholic
Bishops of Ossory
from now on were only to
have supervisory authority there, as from now on they would be exiled until 1620 AD, except for
Thomas Strong who would still continue to reside in Ireland
under constant threat of death from 1583 AD until 1584 AD.
1565 - 1576
AD
The Geraldine War against Elizabeth 1st was to occur.
The Fitz Geralds the Catholic English
Earls of Desmond
held the territory from
Dungarvan to
Co Kerry -
Co
Limerick to
Co. Cork
and were by now the most powerful
Anglo - Irish Family in the south of
Ireland,
who were up against the
Butlers the fully committed English Earls of Ormonde and
as
Elizabeth
1st
the Welsh Tudor English Queen also wanted overall control over all of
the
Munster
Province also, the Butlers
began attacking the
Geraldine Fitz Geralds on
their Desmond Estate in Southern Munster.
1566 AD 125.Shane O Niall "The O Niall" the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain King of Ulster was now once again on the move and he burnt the English settlement at Armagh in Co. Armagh situated in the south - east of the Ulster Province but later on he was to have another setback when he had to flee back to his castle on Loch Neagh in Co. Antrim there in Ulster after he was to be thoroughly defeated at Lough Swilly by Aed Dubh / Black Hugh O Donnell and his Dal Cuinn "northern" Cenel Conaill kinsman who was the Tanaiste / heir apparent in Tir Conaill / Tyrconnell (The Land of 91.Conall Gulban). This was to occur while he was trying to further extend his overall authority in the Ulster Province against the O Donnells who had their fortress in Donegal Castle in Co. Donegal in the far west of Ulster as the O Donnells had by now become the main secondary family of the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill, who controlled the river crossing at Mullaghnashee north - west of Bally Shannon. Sir Henry Sidney the newly appointed Lord Lieutenant in Ireland for Elizabeth 1st took an English Military force north to the mouth of the River Blackwater to pursue 125.Shane O Niaill "The O Niall" who only used guerrilla tactics once again against him, but once he was there he captured 125.Shane O Niall's Coney Island stronghold in Lough Neagh, then moved into his kingdom of Tir Eoghan / Tyrone.
1566 - 1576 AD Theobold Butler was now the English 3rd Earl of Cahir and Kilkenny in Co. Kilkenny / Ossory in the south - west of Southern Leinster, which was the site of the Butler fortress.