735 between the forces of Aodh Ollam, King of Ireland, and those of the King of Leinster. The Four Masters relate the complete defeat of the Lagenians, and an ancient poem sang with real pathos, "The great Shannon mourned that fight near the church of Kieran of Clonmacnoise."

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The obituary notice of Tighernach, concerning whom the late Professor Eugene O'Curry in his Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, said that "not one of the countries of northern Europe can exhibit an historian of equal antiquity, learning and judgment with Tighernach," is thus given in the Chronicum Scotorum, A.D. 1088. Tigernach Ua Braoin of the Siol Muireadhaigh Comarba, of Ciaran of Cluain-mic-nois and of Coman died." There are seven copies of these annals, two in the Bodleian, two in the Royal Irish Academy, one in Trinity College, and two inferior ones in the British Museum. Dr. O'Conor, who collected the MSS., held that "no good edition of Tighernach can be founded on any copy in the British isles; for that of Dublin, and all those hitherto discovered, are founded on the Oxford MS. which is imperfect and corrupted by the ignorance of its transcriber." Tighernach dates Irish history from the time of Cimbaoth and the founding of Emania-" Omnia monumenta Scotorum usque Cimbaoth incerta erant." This was about 300 B.C. The annals were continued doubtless by other members of the fraternity down to the year 1407, more than three hundred years after his own death. Augustin MacGrady, "a canon of the canons of the Island of the Saints, a Saoi (Doctor) during his life, in divine and worldly wisdom, in literature, in history, and in various other sciences in like manner, and the Ollamh (professor) of good oratory, of western Europe, helped to compile this book until 1405, according to the entry for that year in the Annals. Some other member of the community carried it on to 1407. And our first great Irish historian Tigernach is not to be forgotten. Many critics, Stillingfleet, Innes and others, commend his historical judgment and wide scholarship. He cites Euscbius, Orosius, Africanus, Bede, Jerome, Josephus, and had a good knowledge of the Hebrew text, which he compared with the Septuagent version.

CHAPTER XVII.

MORE RECENT EVENTS IN THE COUNTY.

A short sketch of the more notable events that took place in the King's County after the subjugation of the Irish septs may prove interesting. On the 22nd of June, 1620, an order was made out by the Lord Chancellor giving Sir Laurence Parsons possession of "the castle and fort-village" and land of Birr, and converting the said land into the Manor of Parsonstown. On the 7th of July Sir Laurence was put into possession by the High Sheriff, Captain Francis Acland. In November of the same year he obtained a grant of a Tuesday market and two fairs to be held in Birr on the festivals of S. Mark and S. Andrew. This was doubtless done in emulation of Sir John MacCoghlan who had obtained a grant in 1612 to hold a market on Thursdays in Banagher. In those days a sheep cost three shillings and fourpence, and a quarter of beef, four shillings and sixpence. The O'Carrolls having tried in vain to be reinstated, Sir Laurence proceeded to give leases to about sixty persons, Irish and English. Some years afterwards the famous Bigo factory of glass was established in the Castle of Clonoghill, the ruins of which are at Syngefield, the residence of Sir Francis Synge, Bart. Molyneux, in his Natural History of Ireland, states that "from this place Dublin was furnished with all sorts of window and drinking glasses. One part of the materials, viz., the sand, they had out of

England; the other, to wit, the ashes, they made in the place of ash tree, and used no other. The chiefest difficulty was to get the clay pots to melt the materials in. This they had out of the north." This factory did good work for some years. Remains of an ancient glass-house with broken crucibles and glass were found at Clonbrone, near Clonoghill, where St. Canice is said to have retired for meditation, and where in 1848 the skull of a bear was found at a depth of six feet among fallen trees of bog-oak by men making a new channel for the Camcor River. This discovery helps us to recreate the surroundings of those early saints, Kiaran and Canice, of Saigher, who lived in the centre of woods where deer and bear and wolf, as the townland of Breagmore or "great wolf" shows, abounded.

Sir Laurence Parsons made several ordinances for the improvement of the town of Birr. In 1626 he made a rule for the paving and cleaning of Birr in which he stated: "Since I am at great charges in digginge and bringinge of stones, which I intend to have layed in the middest of the streete onely, to serve for common passage, therefore it is the least that the inhabitants can doe to pave xii foote broade as well before theire houses as alsoe so longe and as farr as theire houses yards gardens or plotts doe reach and touch upon the streete, still carryinge the pavement twelve foote broade. This to bee done at the tenants charge both for stones gravell and workmanship."

The same ordinance forbade the casting of any "rubbidge filth or sweepings into the forestreete." For every such offence the constable was to levy four pence sterling. Another ordinance for the regulation

of drinking houses made in the same year shows the very modern ideas of the new owner of Birr. It commenced with a recital of the evils caused by allowing young women to "draw ale and beare," and continued in these terms: "Therefore I do ordayne that henceforwards noe single woman other than hired servants for meate drinke and wages or clothes, shall draw any ale or beare, or keepe vittling in this towne, uppon payne to be sett in the stocks by the constable for 3 whole markett dayes, one after another, and those which retaine suche in their houses to paie xx d. sterling for each default; to be levied by the constable and serjant Lewis Jones for repayring the church and bridg of this towne." The repairs here referred to consisted probably of the erecting of the square tower or belfry of the old church. It would be well, indeed, for the whole country if this ordinance concerning the sale of alcohol were the law of the land.

This enlightened landlord also insisted on his tenants having stone chimneys in their houses owing to the fearefull experience that many townes and villages have binn consumed by fire in divers parts of this realme and occasioned thorowe fires made without chimneys." Nor did he neglect the education of his tenants. For in 1626 he presented a petition to the Lord Deputy Falkland requesting that 200 acres of unallotted land in Fearcall might be granted for the use of the schoolmaster of the town of Birr, "who teacheth the youth of that countrey to the great good thereof."

In 1641 the town was attacked by the insurgents under Colonel Moore. Mr. William Parsons, who

had been appointed Governor of Ely O'Carroll and of Birr Castle, defended it with the help of his own tenants and Captain Coote's infantry. The besieged were reduced to great distress, being compelled to eat cats and dogs and horseflesh. They were, however, relieved by Sir Thomas Lucas, Sir Charles Coote, and Sir Richard Grenville, with six troops of dragoons who had to make their way through the woods of Mountrath. The next year (1643) General Preston of the Roman Confederate Forces, who were sworn to bear allegiance to Charles I. and his successors, and to undo the work of the Reformation, attacked the town with a strong force. After a siege of two days the garrison, who were greatly outnumbered, surrendered, and were allowed to march out with their arms, half their plate, and money, all their books, papers, and manuscripts, and as much provisions as they could carry. This was on the 20th of January, 1642. The articles of agreement make mention of Captain Coote, Captain Oliver Darcy, and Lieutenant James Malone. One item is of interest: "It is agreed that the Lady Philips and the Lady Parsons shall have each of them two pair of sheets, and the Governor's lady and Captain Coote's lady shall have each of them two pair of sheets, a pair of pillow beers, and all their clothes of linen and woollen, with their trunk and chest to carry them in, and two feather beds for his children, and the red bed that is laced with willowcoloured lace, with its furniture."

In return for these honourable terms Mr. Parsons promised to use his interest with the Lord Justice and Council for the release of "Nicholas Egan and Catherine Preston, his wife, with her sister, a religious