tranquillizing effect on the rival claimants for the throne of Connaught, and peace was made between them, Cathal Crovedearg being apparently recognised as the superior, for it is recorded that he brought Cathal Carrach into his territory and gave him lands. In the following year, however, Cathal Crovedearg was deposed, banished from Connaught, and Cathal Carrach set up in his place. War then again broke out, in which the Irish chieftains and the English settlers seem all to have been engaged. In the first instance, O'Neill marched to relieve Cathal Crovedearg, but on coming to Ballisodare, he was overtaken by Cathal Carrach, with the chiefs of Connaught and William Fitz Adelm de Burgh, with the English of Limerick. A battle was fought, in which O'Neill was defeated, and Cathal Carrach for the time was placed on the throne.

Whilst the English of the south and west thus took the part of Cathal Carrach, the English of Leinster and Meath, under De Courcy and De Lacy, took the side of Cathal Crovedearg, and marched to Kilmacduagh, where they were met by the King of Connaught, and defeated. From Kilmacduagh they fled to the Shannon, but were closely pursued as far as Rinn Duinn. on Lough Ree, and were there so hemmed in that all who were unable to cross the lake in boats were driven into the water and drowned, or slain on the banks.

The year 1200 opened with a fresh attack on Cathal Carrach by the English of Leinster, who marched to Cloonmacnoise, plundered the town, and attacked the churches, whilst Cathal Crovedearg proceeded to Munster, where he endeavoured to gain over to his side M'Carthy and William de Burgh. The attack made on Cathal Carrach was, for the moment, unsuccessful; and in this year he formally assumed the sovereignty, and promulgated a sentence of banishment against his rival. On the other hand, Crovedearg succeeded in his mission to Munster, and persuaded De Burgh to join his standard. This English adventurer, who had before fought on the side of Cathal Carrach, now joined Cathal Crovedearg, who at the head of the English and Irish forces of Munster, marched from Limerick into Connaught, to Tuam, and thence proceeded to Oran, to Elphin, to the rock of Lough Key, and to the monastery of Boyle, which was turned into a barrack. The fortunes of war, hitherto favourable to Cathal Carrach, now became adverse, and in the battle which ensued he was defeated and slain, as the annalists say, through the miracles of God and St. Kieran.

After the defeat and death of his rival, Cathal Crovedearg and his allies proceeded through West Connaught, and arrived at Cong, where they spent

M

Easter. Here disputes arose amongst them, and William De Burgh and O'Flaherty conspired against the life of the Irish prince; but, in the words of the annalists, "God protected him." The English then demanded their pay for the services they had rendered, and disagreements arising out of this, a conflict took place, in which the Connaught forces were victorious, and De Burgh, having lost 200 of his men, returned to Limerick, whilst Cathal Crovedearg assumed undisputed sway in Connaught.

CHAPTER VII.

CATHAL CROVEDEARG, SON OF TURLOUGH MOR O'CONOR.

(A.D. 1201-1224.)

ATHAL CROVEDEARG having returned from Cong, was solemnly inaugurated as King of Connaught at Carnfree, near Tulsk. The manner in which he was inaugurated was written at the time by his own historiographer, Donough, son of Toney O'Mulconry, who was present at the ceremony, and whose proper office it was to place the royal sceptre in the king's hand. As an illustration of the manners and customs of the times, it may not be uninteresting to give an abstract of the proceedings as recorded by him :

"This is the lawful form of inauguration of the King of Connaught, as it was established in the olden time, and ordained by St. Patrick on the day that he inaugurated Duach Galach, and on which occasion he was assisted by twelve bishops. And it is necessary that the successors of these bishops should be present at his inauguration, namely, the successor of St. Patrick at Elphin, the successor of St. Bridget' at Ballintober, the successor of Dachonna of Asmacnerk (now Assylin), the successor of Beo-Aedh of Ardcarn, the successor of Barry at Clooncorby (now Kilbarry), the successor of St. Fathlenn of Cloontuskert, the successor of St. Brendan of Ogulla, the successor of St. Colman of Mayo, the successor of St. Giallan of Moygillen, the successor of Bishop Sochell of Lough Salchern, the successor of St. Grellan of Creeve, the successor of St. Callin of Fenagh, the successor of St. Finian of Clooncraff.

"It was also ordained that the twelve dynasts or sub-chiefs of Connaught should be present at this inauguration, namely, O'Flannagan, O'Mulrenin, O'Finaghty, and Mageraghty,

This document is preserved in a vellum MS. in the Stowe collection, Codex iii., fol. 28. A part of it was translated by Dr. O'Conor in his Stowe Catalogue, p. 168, and in Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores Vet., Vol. I., Proleg. 2, p. 91. The whole of it has been printed for the Kilkenny Archæological Society, Vol. for 1853, p. 338.

'O'Donovan remarks on this that St. Bridget was a female bishop. Probably she was the patron saint of the see of Ballintober.

(who were called the four royal chieftains of the King of Connaught); O'Flynn, O'Hanly, O'Fallon, O'Beirne, O'Concannon, O'Heyne, O'Shaughnessy, and O'Teige, who was chief of the household of the King of Connaught.

"It is also required that the following chiefs should be present at his installation, namely, O'Rourke, O'Reilly, O'Hara, and O'Gara, with their followers, and M'Dermot, chief of Moylurg.

"It is the privilege of O'Mulconry to place the rod in the hands of O'Conor, the day on which he assumes the sovereignty of Connaught, and it is considered unlawful that any man should be along with the king on the carn except O'Mulconry and O'Connaghten fronting O'Mulconry, or more truly fronting O'Mulrenin, who kept the entrance of the carn.

"The king's clothing and arms were given to O'Mulconry, and his steed to O'Flynn, the coarb of St. Dachonna, who was privileged to mount that steed from O'Conor's back. An ounce of gold was decreed to O'Connaghten as a perennial tribute, on condition of his repairing the carn when it required repairs. The following are the subsidies paid to the different chieftains of Sil Murray by O'Conor, King of Connaught. Twelve score milch cows, twelve score sheep, and twelve score cows, to O'Flannagan, and the same number to Mageraghty and O'Mulrenin. The office of High Steward to O'Conor was ceded to O'Flannagan, O'Hanly is the keeper of his hostages, and he had the command of his fleet from Slievein-iarain to Luimnech (Limerick), with all the perquisites thereunto belonging. MacBranan is his henchman, and chief of his kerne, and the caretaker of his hounds. MacDockwra is his procurator-general, who is bound to furnish light and bedding. It is the duty of O'Flannagan, O'Beirne, and MacDockwra to guard the spoils of O'Conor, whenever he encamps to rest. MacBranan has the perquisites arising from O'Conor's marchership, from Curragh-Kinnetty . (near Roscommon) to Kells in Meath; O'Flynn the marchership in the tract extending from Curragh-Kinnetty to Croaghpatrick, together with its stewardship.

"The chief command of O'Conor's fleet belongs to O'Flaherty and O'Malley. O'Kelly is the chief treasurer of his precious stones, and all other species of treasure. MacDermot of Moylurg is his marshal; O'Teige the chief of his household; O'Beirne his chief butler; O'Finaghty his chief doorkeeper; O'Mulconry the recorder of all his tributes; MacTully his physician, and MacEgan his brehon (judge).

"Twenty-four townlands constitute the lawful patrimony of each of these eight chiefs, in payment of the offices they discharge for O'Conor. Forty-eight townlands constituted the patrimony of each of his four royal chiefs, O'Flannagan, O'Mulrenin, Mageraghty, and O'Finaghty, together with all dead Church lands.1

"The chiefs tributary to O'Conor were those of Galenga Costello, Clann Cuan, Conmaicne, Carra, and the two Leynies. In short, there was not a king, or royal heir, or chieftain, of a cantred, or a district, or a hundred-cattled farmer of a townland from Assaroe to Luimnech (Limerick), and from Uisnech in Meath to Inish-Boffenne, and from Lough Erne to Lough Deirgderc, who was not specially bound to attend with his forces at the hostings of O'Conor.

"The free states of Connaught are the following, namely, Ui-Bruin of Brefney, the Ui-Fiachrach of the Moy, and the race of Muiredhach, son of Fergus, and even of these, notwithstanding their freedom, two are bound to attend with their forces at the hostings of O'Conor, and to assist him in all his troubles and difficulties. "2

'O'Donovan interprets this to mean "lands wrested from the Church by the violence of laymen, or forfeited by the crimes of the Church."

Dr. O'Conor's translation of a part of this is somewhat different from O'Donovan's.

The inauguration here described usually took place at Carnfree in the plains of Rathcroghan, in the old barony of Ballintobber. "Here," says Hardiman, "a remarkable upright stone, about seven feet over ground, called the 'lia Dearg,' or the red stone, is pointed out as the monument of Dathy, the last pagan king."

The territorial integrity of Connaught, the hereditary kingdom of the last Monarch of Ireland, had been preserved intact, as guaranteed by the treaty of Windsor, up to the date of the accession of Cathal Crovedearg; but the conflicting claims of the different rivals for the throne, after the abdication of Roderic, had undermined its stability, and rendered the recognition of the supremacy of the English sovereign more necessary than ever. Cathal Crovedearg, a few years after his installation, about the year 1204, is stated1 to have gone further than this recognition, and to have resigned two-thirds of Connaught to King John, with an undertaking to pay an annual subsidy of 100 marks for the remaining third. This statement is based upon the following letters from King John, dated August, 1204, and 20th December, 1205:—

THE KING to MEYLER FITZHENRY, JUSTICIARY OF IRELAND. "The justiciary has advised that the King of Connaught quit-claimed to the K. twothird parts of Connaught, the other third to remain to the King of Connaught by right of inheritance, at a yearly rent to the K. of 100 marks. The K. and his council deeming this expedient, the K. commands the justiciary that he select for the K.'s use the two-thirds in which lie the best towns and harbours, those fittest for the K.'s interest and for fortifying castles. That he take from the King of Connaught hostages and security for his faithful service, for which service the third of Connaught shall remain to him; that he cause the villeins and fugitives from the K.'s two-thirds to return with their chattels and retinue; that he strengthen castles, found towns, and assess rents in those parts; that to the best of his judgment he forward the K.'s interest, and that, for these purposes, he take, if necessary, the issues of the land and the K.'s rents. When the justiciary shall have advised what he has done in this matter, the K. will give his charter to the King of Connaught."

DEC. 20TH, 1205. THE K. to MEYLER FITZHENRY, JUSTICIARY OF

IRELAND.

"Dermot has laid before the K. that the King of Connaught demands to hold in fee of the K. a third part of Connaught as a barony, at 100 marks a-year, and for two-thirds of that land he will render a tribute of 300 marks. He will, moreover, grant to the K. two cantreds out of these two-thirds with their villeins to farm, or do the K.'s pleasure therein. Mandate.

Leland, Vol. I., p. 175.

2 Close, 6 John, m. 18. This letter is also recorded in Rymer's Fadera, &c. London, 1816, Vol. I.,

p. 91.