1603 AD - 1
1603
AD January 1st:
Donnell
Cam
O Sullivan and his
1,000 followers had left
Ballingeary
through Keimaneigh
/ Ceim
an Fhia (Deer's Pass) in Co. Cork in
Southern Munster,
which was the natural boundary between the
Gaelic Milesian
Heberian
Eoghanacht Chasil O
Sullivans
and the Gaelic Ithian
O
Learys kingdoms and territories, and along the way
they were to stop over at
Gougane Barra
and
Eachross at
Gorten Killa
were they camped beside the little church whose ruins are still there to be seen near the
River
Bunsheelin (Little
Cillin). Donnell Cam O Sullivan and his followers
then went onto
Ballyvourney in the
Sullane Valley, which was still in
Co. Cork, that was a place of pilgrimage, as it was a healing
centre, and above there is the Church
of St. Gobnat
/
St. Gubenta / Tempaill Ghobnatch
who had been a
Princess
of
Connacht, who had founded a nunnery
there
at
an Bulla
(The Bowl) where
it had curative powers, and it is
also still
to be seen there in the hole outside the wall. (St. Gobnat
was interred there to the south - west of the church under
a circular mound, which has a surface slab with three small rocks on top with
hollows in them, where the water retained there has renowned healing powers for
warts and sore
eyes. In the parish church at
Ballyvourney itself there is
a
Holy Well in a garden that is surrounded by trees and a small wooden
27" figure from the
13th Century AD of
St. Gobnat that was previously
used for healing also, which was originally in the care of the
Heberian O
Herlihy Chiefs who were the Erenaghs of the territory
surrounding there and
Ballyvourney
is now also part of the other little village of
Ballymakeery, with both being on the
Killarney
to
Macroom road on the River Sullane.
January 2nd: Donnell Cam O Sullivan and his 1,000 followers who were now the actual survivors from the previous English Military campaigns carried out on their territory in Co. Cork were now attacked by Thady Mac Carthy and his men while they were on their way to Millstreet and there was irony in this attack as Donnell Cam O Sullivan had previously given Thady Mac Cathy Spanish gold at Ardea to join in with him to take on the English Military, but despite his monetary incentive Thady Mac Carthy had once again gone over to the English side, so Donnell Cam O Sullivan had laid siege to his 14th Century AD castle at Carrigaphooca, (This particular Mac Carthy castle is still in existence today, overlooking the River Sullane on the road to Macroom), and because of his change of heart Donnell Cam O Sullivan had then also taken back the committed gold. Thady Mac Carthy's men were now to keep up the attack on Donnell Cam O Sullivan's group for 4 hours, always attacking them from the rear until finally Donnell Cam O Sullivan turned his warriors around and went after them and after he demise of some of them, they then ran off and Donnell Cam O Sullivan and his followers where to eventually arrive at Millstreet after being on the road nowfor two days.
January 3rd:
Donnell Cam
O Sullivan
and his
surviving group
were able to reach the Ford of
Bellaghan on the
River Allow, were
they found also that they had to fight their way across, against the forces of
the Anglo - Norman Lord John Barry who had
48 men from the
Liscarroll Castle who were supporting him,
and unfortunately another 4
of the O Sullivan party
were killed
during this conflict after which they
continued on, through
Awbeg to
the Ballylhoura Hills,
and stayed over night there at
Ardpatrick
Meanwhile
Eoghan
Mac Egan
the Heremonian Dal Cuinn
Colla Da Crioch
Ui Maine Catholic Bishop of Ross
in the Munster Province who had stayed behind in Co. Cork hoping for reinforcements from
Spain was killed in a battle in
Co. Kerry
in the south - west of Munster
when he was shot dead, while 100 members of the Irish
population there had been defending themselves
against the ferocity of the English Military forces on the north side of the
River Bandon.
Eoghan Mac Egan had decided that there
was no other alternative to survive there, but to join in with the
Irish there who were being led by the sons of
Sir
Owen Mac Carthy
whose
400 men
had been surrounded by the English
Military forces there under the command of Captain
Taafe, who was acting
for Sir
George Carew, and among
them was
Edmond Fitz Gibbon / Fitz Gerald
the Anglo - Irish
collaborator,
who was also to be
the last White Knight.
(The death of
Eoghan Mac Egan was to be the final straw
for the surviving members of the Irish
Families there
in Co. Cork, due to his total commitment to
their defence in the
Munster Province.
January 4th: Donnell Cam O Sullivan and his decreasing number of followers were by now constantly under attack, and since they had set out they had mainly travelled through mountain country, but they now faced the formidable task of crossing the great open area of the Limerick Plain to the north - west, (which is the richest pasture land in Ireland), to be able to reach the safety of the Slieve Felim Mountains and after leaving Ardpatrick they had set out to reach Loch Gur, through the protection of the thickly wooded Glen of Aherlow, which was still in existence then, but is now long gone.
Sir Charles Wilmot on this same day acting on behalf of Elizabeth 1st was still busy executing all of the Irish and Anglo - Irish who had tried to defend the cattle / creaght still left there in Co. Cork belonging to Donnell Cam O Sullivan, while at the same time the English Military forces were also continuing on with the devastation of "Slash and Burn"on the other Southern Munster settlements of Kerry, Desmond, Beare, Bantry and Carbery.
Sir Charles Wilmot had also previously sent off
48 English Militia troops under
the Anglo - Norman Lord
John Barry to personally capture
Donnell
Cam O
Sullivan, but despite the continual harassment
they were suffering along the way the surviving followers of
Donnell Cam O Sullivan
party was able to
reach
Templederry to the
north - east, and cross over the
River Nenagh, and would set up their camp
at
Latteragh on the sixth day out, near
St. Odhan's church. (This little
church had been named for a
Catholic priest who had died there in 584 A.D,
after being sent there by
St.
Ciaran of Saigher,
were he had
300 monks
in attendance).
Nearby there also was the
13th Century AD Anglo - Norman
de
Marisco castle, which is also still in
existence, overlooking the ruined
church, which is also still there to be seen and also there still is
St. Odhan's Holy Well where many remarkable
cures have also been recorded over
the Centuries.
Edmond Fitz Gibbon
/ Fitz Gerald, the last
White Knight, who had
previously submitted,
and betrayed his cousin, James Fitz Gerald
the sixteenth Sugan Earl of Desmond was
now out campaigning with Captain
Taafe, the English commander, near
Bandon,
along with his mercenaries from out of their stronghold at
Hospita and they were attacking any of the
Irish
Septs
who were
in the surrounding district, including
Donnell
Cam
O Sullivan and his followers from
Co. Cork, who still had
25 miles to go to try and reach the
safety of the
Slieve Felim Mountains and the
ensuing battle between them on this occasion was to last for
8 hours, and was to be the
worst that they had encountered so far along the way. Pushing
on further to the north, Donnell Cam
O Sullivan and his followers came upon the village of
Emly
/ Imblech in Co. Tipperary
in the north - east of the Munster Province
where the
Cathedral there had previously been taken over after the
confiscation of the Catholic Church
Institutions by Henry V111.
(It is now long gone as it was to be demolished in the 19th Century AD
when the
Catholic parish priest there in Emly was to try and buy it back after the dis -
establishment of the
Episcopalian Church of England / Ireland in
1869 AD). 3 mile further on theywere
to arrive at
Ballyneety, were
Patrick Sarsfield the
Irish commander also in the future in 1690
AD would dynamite
William
of Orange's
siege train during another terrible time of unbelievable persecution in
Irish History).
Donnell Cam O Sullivan's
goal of reaching the safety of the Galtees
and the Slieve Felim
Mountains still
lay ahead,
as they first had to get past
Donohill
/ Dun Eochaille
(The Fort of the Yew Wood) 30'
high, which was guarded by the
Heremonian Cu Corb O Dwyers.
This destination would lead them all onto any real
chance of keeping out of sight in the
shadows of the
Slieve Felim Mountains
and
Donnell
Cam
O Sullivan
decided that their only chance of achieving this was to take the
O Dwyers head on to also try and obtain further supplies, and
they were able to carry out this action with some degree of success. (The motte of the fort is still there today
to be seen, but Dun Eochaille is long gone).
Despite their success on this occasion, further along the way the
O Dwyers with their
Cu Corb kinsman the
O
Ryans,
still tried to block their way into their territory of
Annacarty, but they were
successful once again and were able to
drive them off, and continue onto
Hollyford on the
River
Mulsteen, where they arrived at
Upperchurch, which was
still
in Co. Tipperary, where he spilt his men up to search for
further provisions for the group.
This was where
O
Malley, who was from the Gaelic Milesian Irian Sept in
Co. Limerick, along with another
20 of
his men were also killed, and although
Thomas Burke the Anglo - Irish man, was captured
during this time he somehow managed to escape and a
January 6th: Donnell Cam O Sullivan with what was left of the surviving members of his original 1,000 followers made their way down onto the Shannon Plain with the sound of shot ringing out at them from the castle nearby, with the Slieve Felim Mountains now behind them, and the Devil's Bit, Kilduff and Borrisnoe ahead until they came upon Toomyvarra where St. Donnan had originally founded his monastery in the 7th Century AD in which many members of the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Bloid Ui Turlogh O Meara's had been interred in the 15th Century AD, and where an Augustine Priory had been built. From there they crossed over Knockshegowna, a 700' high hill, that was traditionally the home of the Irish fairies, but where there is now a large illuminated cross on it that shines out every Sunday for all to see. (According to Irish legend, Una the fairy Queen who lived here was the guardian of the O Carroll Sept the Heberian Cianacht Kings of Ely.) Leaving the hill they came down onto flat country once again, surrounded by Loch Derg, but they still had 5 mile to go to reach their greatest barrier, the River Shannon, and they came to Lackeen and set up their camp once again in the territory of the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Bloid Ui Turlogh O Kennedys who also had their Lackeen Castle there, which is now only a ruin. At this time it was still the O Kennedy's main seat, after being originally driven out of Co. Clare in the early 14th Century AD by their Dal gCais Ui Caisin kinsmen the Mac Namaras who had been acting as the Lord Marshalls for the Dal gCais Ui Turlogh Ui mBriain O Brians. The O Kennedy's were to rule the territory there in their kingdom of Aur Mhumhain / Ormond / North - East Munster along with their kinsmen the O Mearas and the Dal Cuinn Colla Da Crioch Ui Maine Mac Egans in 11 castles previously constructed from Lorrha to the River Shannon. The O Kennedys had previously remained an independent Sept here in Ormond until they had acknowledged the overlordship of the Anglo - Norman Butlers in 1553 AD, who were the English appointed Earls of Ormonde. The O Sullivan party were able to bypass all of these castles and eventually once again set up camp beside the ancient Lorrha church in Co. Tipperary. (This church is another example of a totally ruined ancient Catholic Institution where St. Patrick himself had been a visitor, and in the 6th Century AD St. Ruadan had built his monastery here, who was so revered that after he died it also contained his head in a silver shrine, his holy bell, and the Stowe Missal). The Stowe Missal had been originally at the Abbey at Terryglass / Tir Dha Ghlas (The Land of Two Streams), which was also in Co. Tipperary, until Terryglass Abbey was to be destroyed by raiders from Co. Galway in 1164 AD. The Stowe Missal was then removed to the monastery at Lorrha four mile out of Lackeen where it was then hidden in the wall of the castle where it would be discovered later on in 1735 AD).
Donnell Cam O
Sullivan and his group of surviving followers journeyed on from
Lorrha towards the River Shannon
where they
came
upon
Ballymacegan,
were the Dal Cuinn
Colla Da Crioch Ui Maine
Mac Egans from
Lackeen, whose territory was actually at
Kiltaroe (Redwood) where they had
constructed their castle previously in
1580 AD, had also gone over to the
English
side to survive the onslaught in the previous year and later on this castle was
to be used as a centre for historic learning, and it
would be there that
Michael
O Clery, who was to be from the Dal
Cuinn "southern" Ui Fiachrach
Sept, who was to be one of the
4 Masters
who were to compose
The Annals of Ulster,
was to be educated.
The survivors
from the O Sullivan
group had by now finally arrived at their major obstacle, the River Shannon,
where all of the boats and the ferrymen were missing, as they
too had been warned
also not to assist the
O Sullivans
by Donogh Mac Egan
from the
Redwood Castle
who was now operating as the
English appointed Sheriff
for the region and for their overall protection they now had to hide out in the
Wood of Brosnia,
which was actually in the loop of the
River Brosnia and the
River
Shannon. Donnell Cam O Sullivan's "aged" uncle,
Dermot O Sullivan suggested they
kill the remaining horses to provide provisions for the remainingh group, and also make boats out of the horse hides to cross
over the
broad waters of the
Shannon. He then constructed a boat himself that was
26' long, and the
Gaelic Milesian
Irian O
Malleys made up the other one, which was much smaller at the
Polnageapall, and although many of the others in the remaining
group who now consumed the flesh of the horses to gain sustenance, Donnell
Cam
O Sullivan,
Dermot O Sullivan
and
Dermot O Hoolahan
/
Ua hUallachain would
not partake.