SURRENDER OF CLONMEL.

587

fowran; but if he considered the resistance to have been too obsti usually put the whole garrison to the sword, as at Drogheda, Callan, and elsewhere. The desperation with which he was at Clonmel made him pay dearly for this sanguinary policy. ning parties were twice hurled back from the breach with terghter. The shattered houses inside the breach were filled with gallant northerns, who fought with the energy of despair, and olved to hold their ground to the last man. But at length night end to the fierce struggle, and the garrison having exhausted munition, and all having agreed that the place was no longer O'Neill marched off his men under cover of the darkness, and w to Waterford, while the townspeople made favorable terms for ves, and in the morning opened their gates to Cromwell, who only scovered that the garrison had departed. He lost 2,500 of his fore Clonmel, and as he himself expressed it, "had like to bring le to a ninepence." He had already received pressing despatches he parliament, urging him to return as speedily as possible to d, where a storm was threatening from the north; and having comthe command of the army to Ireton, who had been made lord ent of Munster, he sailed from Youghal on the 29th of May. le north Heber MacMahon struggled for some time, with occasional s, against numerous foes; but his army received a total overthrow, 21st of June, at the pass of Scarrifhollis, on the river Swilly, near -kenny, from the forces of sir Charles Coote and colonel Venables. attle was lost through the indiscretion of MacMahon, who unforely led his army where it was exposed to the enemy on both sides, as compelled to hazard a battle, although the English cavalry were than twice as numerous as his. The northern army was completely ilated on this occasion; and two days after Heber MacMahon elf was made prisoner near Omagh, by major King, and although ised quarter, was shamefully hanged by order of Coote, notwithing the service which, in concert with Owen Roe, he had rendered to at Londonderry less than a year before.*

e detached Irish garrisons through Leinster and Munster were

ever there were circumstances which could render military strife compatible with the clerical ter they were those presented by the state of Ireland at the troubled period under our notice. lies and their religion were threatened with extermination. Their struggle was not aggresit was for their faith and their lives; and forbearance, which entailed evils not alone on thembut on countless generations after them, would have been a crime. Among the Irish eccles who were thus forced to become the leaders of their people in the battle field, one of the

easily reduced by Hewson, Broghill, and other parliamentaria and under color of hunting down the unhappy outlaws, who w to lead in the woods the wild life of freebooters, and w "tories;" many acts of ferocity were committed in which th country people were the victims. The Cromwellian color distinguished himself in these services. Preston, who had a government of Waterford, surrendered that city to Ireton of August. The fort of Duncannon followed. The city of the castle of Athlone, and the whole of Connaught and Cla ever, remained in the hands of the Catholics.

Ormond, finding that the inhabitants of Limerick refuse from him a garrison, solicited the intervention of the Cath who accordingly met in that city on the 8th of March. Thei were not very palatable to the marquis, who withdrew where the bishops held an adjourned meeting, and on the 2 published a declaration, expressing their conviction that loyalty was unshaken, although the people had ground er trust and jealousy, and urging that some settled course sh to give them confidence. There was surely nothing in th of Ormond or Inchiquin which could induce the Irish Cat reliance on them; and it was said that at this very time they with the Cromwellian authorities for the admission of the P among the royalists to protection. Hugh O'Neill, the ga of Clonmel, was now governor of Limerick, and it was suggestion that the magistrates invited Ormond to come garrison; but as soon as the marquis appeared at the tumult arose, and he was prevented from entering. H to Connaught, where he found that Galway had followed Limerick. On the 6th of August a congregation of the bi met at Jamestown, in the county of Leitrim, and on th the bishop of Dromore and Dr. Charles Kelly with a mes

most distinguished was Heber MacMahon, bishop of Clogher. He is fi introduced to us while a simple priest, during the government of lord S information to sir George Radcliffe of the movements among the Irish ref object then, no doubt, was to avert the anarchy of civil war; but a fu dangers of his country induced him to become one of the first associate and lord Maguire in the conspiracy of 1641, and he ever after continued upholder in the council and the field of the thorough Irish and Catholic pa Owen Roe O'Neill. He was lamented by the Ormondists, whose cause he O'Neill's junction with them, and the barbarities of Cromwell, had tended t Catholic party. See the notice of him in Clarendon's Hist. of the Civil W Ed. 1756.

DEPARTURE OF ORMOND.

589

ending him, as the " only remedy for the preservation of the nation his majesty's interest therein," to withdraw from the kingdom delegate the royal authority to some person in whom the people have confidence. This was a deadly wound to the pride of the y Ormond. He replied, that he would not retire from the y until necessity compelled him; and the bishops published a decladenouncing "the continuance of his majesty's authority in the is of Ormond, for the misgovernment of the subjects, the ill conof the army, and the violation of the peace." In fine, they ened to present articles of impeachment against him to the king, ablished an excommunication against all who would adhere to him, ld him subsidy or obedience, or who would support Cromwell's

nment.

at the bishops were not mistaken in the course which they had ed was soon made evident by the news from Scotland, where es II. had landed on the 28th of June, and had not only subed the national and solemn covenants, but, to gratify the fierce ry of the Scots, had, on the 16th of August, signed a declaration uncing the peace with the Irish to be null and void, adding t he was convinced in his conscience of the sinfulness and unlawess of it, and of allowing them (the Catholics) the liberty of the sh religion; for which he did, from his heart, desire to be deeply bled before the Lord." The news of this infamous act of duplicity ned Ireland before the Jamestown excommunication was published, afforded the amplest justification of the strong measures adopted he clergy. Ormond, who was confounded by such a premature osure of his master's principles, protested that the peace should be eld, and cast the blame of the royal declaration on Scottish fanatiBut the sequel will show that Charles was capable of still ter perfidy to his friends. The Catholic noblemen and gentry felt position embarrassing; but the bishops, who, alone, seemed to underd the dangers to be apprehended, and the characters of the men had to deal with, remained firm. Ormond summoned a general mbly, which met at Loughrea on the 15th of November, while he -ped at Kilcolgan, about ten miles distant; but the time was wasted ecriminatory messages between him and the meeting; and, at length, ng left power to the marquis of Clanrickard to assume the duties ord deputy, provided the assembly engaged to obey him, he emked at Galway, about the middle of December, accompanied by lord

.

Inchiquin, Colonels Vaughan, Wogan, and Daniel O'Neill, twenty other persons of distinction, and after a tempestuo in which a vessel containing his baggage, servants, and some was lost, arrived the following month at St. Malo, in Bri Castlehaven, who reluctantly remained behind, he entrusted mand of the army, with an injunction to keep up a bustle, as lous nobleman expresses it, to divert a part of the enemy's this country, while king Charles was preparing to cross the England. Commissioners were soon after deputed by the p treat with the assembly for a final submission of the nation able terms; but the extreme loyalists scouted, such an a although the Irish decidedly sacrificed their interests in reje

A.D. 1651.-The new year found the assembly deeply eng discussion of a project for mortgaging the town of Galwa other places to the duke of Lorraine for a sum of money to for supporting the royal cause in Ireland. The abbot of s arrived in Galway about the end of February as an env duke; but Clanrickard thought his demands exorbitant, and Plunkett and Geoffrey Brown were sent to Flanders to tr dake himself. The bishop of Ferns went on the same e part of the clergy, and lord Taaffe, who had left Ireland be had received instructions for the like purpose, long before duke of York-the king being in Scotland. The influence o bishop of Ferns prevailed, it is said, with the lay agents, who the instructions of Clanrickard, signed, in the name of th kingdom of Ireland, an agreement with the duke of Lorra to be invested with royal powers, under the title of Pr land, he, on his part, undertaking to prosecute the king' to restore the kingdom, and the Catholic religion, to their For the outlay which all this would require he was to be bursed; and, as a guarantee, was to be placed in possessi Limerick, Athenry, and Athlone; and also of Waterford a

It is a curious fact that Inchiquin subsequently became a Catholic; and change of religion as the only cause of his being refused the presidency of Mu ration, a similar change preventing the appointinent of Viscount Dillon of of Connaught. (Hist. of the Ir. Reb. p. 278.) Inchiquin was created ear Cologne, in 1654; he obtained the rank of Lieutenant-General in the Frenc French governor of Catalonia; and was captured by an Algerine Corsair expedition against Spain. He died in 1673, and by his will left £20 to the Ennis, and also a sum "for the performance of the usual duties of the Roma for other pious uses." Sce Lodge.

LIMERICK BESIEGED BY IRETON.

591

when they could be recovered from the enemy. This agreement, which was signed on the 22nd of July, 1651, was repudiated by Clanrickard, and became a dead letter, although the duke of Lorraine had already advanced £20,000 on the strength of the negotiations. The affairs of Charles II. were reduced to a hopeless state after the battle of Worcester (September 3rd, 1651). The Irish towns mentioned as security soon fell under the power of parliament, and the duke of Lorraine left Ireland to its sad destiny.

The reduction of Limerick was the next object of importance to Ireton, who began his operations against that city early in 1651. The parliamentarians had as yet no footing on the Clare side of the Shannon, and until that was obtained Limerick could not be effectually invested. Coote made a feint to attack Sligo, and having thus drawn Clanrickard and his forces to that quarter, made a forced march across the Curlieu mountains and attacked Athlone on the Connaught side, taking that important fortress before any relief could be rendered to it. The road into Connaught being thus open, and Galway threatened, Clanrickard called Castlehaven to consult with him. In the absence of that general, who guarded the Clare side of the Shannon, Ireton forced the passage of the river at O'Brien's bridge, and Colonel Fennell, who commanded at Killaloe, abandoned his post, through cowardice or treachery, so that Castlehaven's troops were dispersed, and Ireton enabled to invest Limerick on both sides. Lord Muskerry raised a considerable body of men in the south to come to its relief; but lord Broghill hastened, by Ireton's orders, to intercept them; and, on the 26th of July, coming up with the advance guard of the Irish near Castleishen, in the county of Cork, drove them back upon their main body. A hard contested fight ensued, it Knocknaclashy, where the hastily collected masses of the Irish were routed with great slaughter. Most of the Irish officers were slain, and Colonel Magillacuddy was taken prisoner. In the meantime the siege was carried on with great energy. The castle at the salmon-weir having been attacked, its garrison retreated in boats, and some of them who urrendered on quarter were butchered in cold blood; so that even reton, fearing the Irish would be driven to desperation, discouraged his brutality on the part of his officers. The besiegers lost 120 men in he first attempt to land on the King's island, and 300 more were cut off n a sally of the besieged; soon after, however, a bridge was constructed o the island, and 6,000 troops marched over, and erected a strong fort here. The plague raged within the city, and many persons having