CHAP. II.

OF THE ANCIENT FAMILIES AND CUSTOMS

OF THE COUNTY OF LIMERICK.

R. YOUNG mentions three races of people

Min

in Ireland, fo diftinct as to strike the leaft attentive traveller; thefe are the Spanish, which are found in Kerry, Limerick and Cork, tall and thin, but well made, a long vifage, dark eyes, and long black hair. The time is not very remote, when the Spaniards had a fettlement on the coaft of Kerry. Valentia ifland received its name from them. The Scotch race is in the North, where are to be found the features and accent, which are fuppofed to mark that people; and in the county of Wexford, the Saxons have preserved their language to this day.

THE Milefians or defcendants from the Spaniards are chiefly to be found in Connaught and Munfter; a few confiderable families, whose genealogy is undoubted, remain, but none of them with confiderable poffeffions, except the O'Briens and Mr. O'Neil, whofe ancestor enjoyed a property, which now forms fix or feven of the greatest eftates in the kingdom. *

ABOUT the midle of the tenth century, Sirrames were first introduced into this county, and in the eleventh were adopted throughout the kingdom. But when they came into general ufe, care was taken that they fhould not be arbitrarily affumed. Every family was obliged to add to their Chriftian name, that of fome particular ancestor, renowned for piety or courage

Young's Tour, vol. 2. page 106,

courage, The Sirname with the adjunct O, or Mac, was affumed only by the chief of the name. O'Brien, Mac Carthy, O'Neil, import-` ed the chiefs of Thomond, Defmond or Tyronë, and they were addreffed by no other title.

IN the course of this work, we have endeavoured to givé fome family anecdotes, but it is extremely difficult to trace them to their original. Time which in hiftorical matters, is often the mother of truth, ferves as frequently to baffle the utmoft diligence in genealogical enquiries. The fcience of heraldry was unknown until after the conqueft. The expeditions made in the 12th century to the Holy Land, laid the firft foundation of that useful science. Bodies of men from various countries, being affembled into one army, it became neceffary for each commander to diftinguith himself by a particular badge or device, that his troops might be encouraged to follow him on to victory, or in cafe of a defeat, to rally about his perfon. This was the original of bearing coats of arms, and it was ftill later, before family. names came to be generally used in England and Ireland.

ACCORDING to Bruodin's Hiftory, § the illuftrious families of the county of Limerick, were O'Brien, de Burgo, Gerald, the Earl of Defmond, the Barons of Castle-Connell and Brittas, the Knights of the Vally and Clan Gibbon, || of whom the eldeft was commonly called the white Knight, de Lacy, Fitzftephenfon, Purcel, Mac Mahon, Kenedy, O'Hurley, Browne, Nath, Dondon,

Bruodin de Rebus Hibernicis, page 976.

There was a third Branch of this Family, called the Knights of Kerry now reprefented by Robert Fitzgerald, efq.

1

Dondon, de Wall, Clanchy, Burgate, Welih, Heyn, Rawly, Herbert and Lyfaght.

ACCORDING to Ortelius's map improved, and published about four years ago by the Dublin bookfellers, the families who inhabited the northern parts of the county, or rather the vicinity of the city of Limerick, were the Harrolds, Arthurs, Roches, Stritches, Brownes, Creaghs. The fouthern parts were occupied by the O'Gradys, O'Quins, O'Hurlys, Macmahons, O'Briens, de Lacys, Fannings. The weftern parts by the Mac Sheehys, Whites, Aylmers, Moronys, Sarsfields, O'Gormans, *Mac Eneirys, Nafhs, Fitzgeralds, Fitzgibbons, O'Hallinans, O'Scanlans.

JOHN, Lord of Ireland and fon to King Henry II. by his charter made at Waterford, infeofs Ranulph de Glanville, and Theobald Fitz Walter, of five cantreds and an half of land in the kingdom of Limerick or North Munfter, viz. the borough of Kildalou, with the half cantred called Truoheked Meleth, wherein said borough is fituated, and the cantreds of Elikarvel, Eliogardi, Evermund, Aros and Woedene, Woedene-occadelon and Woedene-oidernan, with the donations of parifh churches, to be held by them and their heirs, by the fervice of 22 knights fees, and judgement or trial of water and iron, duel and combat; excepting the donation of bifhopricks and abbeys, and the dignities which belong to the crown. The former of these lands were Eliogerty, Ormond, Owny

*The feat of Mac Eneiry was in the barony of Connello, where we find the ruins of a large Monaftery, and fome other publick buildings, which evince the dignity and piety of that ancient family.

+ Carte's Life of the Duke of Ormond, vol. 1. page xix.

Owny and Arra; the latter was Wotheney or Woney, now Abingdon. And though the names are differently spelled, it is evident, this grant contained the fame lands which were granted to Philip de Braofa, and were purchafed from him. See page 18.

THE above mentioned Theobald, who was the head of the Ormond family, founded the abbey of Wotheney or Abingdon, in 1205; he haftened from England to finish it, and died the year following, the 7th of King John. He was buried in this abbey, at Abingdon in the county of Limerick, which was not the only religious houfe of his foundation, for in the year 1200, he founded and endowed the priory or hofpital of St. John the Baptift near Nenagh, for the maintenance of Auguftine Canons, and the fick who served God there. * It appears from Carte's Life of Ormond, that Theobald Fitz Walter and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, were defcended from the fame stock. †

In the year 1565, Gerald, earl of Defmond,t on the death of his father, reforted to the power and attachment of his followers, to defend his claim to the fucceffion, againft a brother and competitor. He indulged his rude pride, was oppreffive and affuming, impofed

the

* See Carte's Life of Ormond, vol. 1. page xxi. † Id. p. 10.

The Defiond family not only poffeffed the greatest extent of territory, but flourished longer in opulence and power, than any other chieftain of thofe rude times. We find Sir Nicholas Browne of Hofpital, ancestor to Lord Kenmare, was married to Lady Eliza Fitzgerald, daughter to the above Gerald, the fixteenth earl of Delmond. See Smith's Hiftory of Kerry. From him was immediately defcended feveral families of the Fitzgeralds; the Knights of Glin and Kerry, and the White Knight,

the Irish exactions on all thofe within the fphere of his authority, and was involved in various quarrels with the earl of Ormond. He claimed lands, liberties, and revenues poffeffed by the Earl, and relying on his ftrength, attempted to feize them by force of arms. Ormond collected his followers, and repelled the outrage; their petty war ended in Defmond's defeat, who was wounded and taken prifoner. As he was conveyed from the field, ftretched on a bier, the Ormondians exclaimed, with a natural triumph, "Where is now the great Lord of Defmond!" he had fpirit to reply" Where, but in his proper place? ftill upon the necks of the Butlers."+

DESMOND poffeffed above five hundred and feventy thousand acres of land in Munster, great part of which lay in the county of Limerick. This proved an irresistible temptation to the chief governors and other English adventurers, to make, er to proclaim him a rebel, as the forfeiture of his eftates would be the confequence of either. About a month before he was proclaimed a traitor, his countefs had delivered up their only fon, together with Patrick O'Haly, biihop of Mayo, and Cornelius O'Rourke, a Francifcan friar, both nobly defcended, and who had fled to her for protection, to Sir William Drury, the Lord Justice, at Limerick, as hoftages for her hufband's loyalty. But when the earl attended Drury's fummons to Kilmallock, with a well appointed company of horfe and foot, he was committed to cuftody on bare fufpicion, because

he

+ Leland's Hiftory of Ireland, vol. 2. p. 238. Historical Review, page 14 See alfo Leland's History

of Ireland, vol. 2, p. 302.