AN ACCOUNT OF THE O'DEMPSEYS CHIEFS OF CLAN MALIERE BY THOMAS MATHEWS DUBLIN HODGES, FIGGIS & CO., LTD. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL &- CO., LTD. MCMIII Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co. At the Ballantyne Press THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE TO RICHARD STUDDERT REEVES OF ROSEDALE, SHANKILL, CO. DUBLIN THE LINEAL DESCENDANT OF THE CHIEFS AND VISCOUNTS OF CLANMALIERE THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THE COMPILER CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. FROM THE FOURTH TO THE EIGHTH CENTURY • I II. FLORENCE, FIRST CHIEF OF CLAN MALIERE, AND FIRST TO ASSUME THE NAME OF O'DEMPSEY, CIRCA I08o • • • I I III. DERMOD, CHIEF OF CLAN MALIERE AND LAST SUPREME CHIEF OF OFFALY • 22 IV. FROM 1250 TO 1329. • • • 34 V. FROM 1329 TO 1490 • • VI. CONQUEST OF CLAN MALIERE • VII. REGRANTS, ETC. • VIII. FROM 1577 TO 1615 • IX. THE BREHON LAWS, INQUISITIONS, ETC. • • IOI X. SIR TERENCE CREATED VISCOUNT CLANMALIERE II6 XI. THE CLAN MALIERE IN 1641 • • 127 XII. FROM 1642 TO 1652. • • . 142 XIII. THE CLAN MALIERE DISPOSSESSED BY CHARLES II. 164 XIV. LAST BATTLES OF THE CLAN • • 180 vii THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE CHAPTER I FROM THE FOURTH TO THE EIGHTH CENTURY THE O'Dempseys of Clan Maliere, like the rest of the Offaly septs, derived their pedigree from Rossa F ailghe, King of Leinster, eldest son of Cathaeir, surnamed the Great, monarch of Ireland, of the line of Heremon (a), who was slain at the battle of Tailtin, now Teltown, Co. Meath, and buried near the river Boyne,1 circa A.D. 373· Cathaeir (pron. Cahir), who was the last Ard Righ of his line, had several sons, " most comely princes and heroes all''; and his will, to which Ross Failghe was executor, is still preserved in the Books of Leinster and Ballymote. Before he fell in battle, we are told, '' he ordered his son Ross Failghe to give legacies to the rest of his sons and the other·nobles of Leinster," and blessing him he said :- " MY SOVEREIGNTY, my splendour, My nobleness, my vigour, My wealth, my strength, 1 Keating; Note, Four MM., to A.D. 123, by O'Donovan. r A 2 THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE My power of protection To my fierce Ross, to my vehement Failghe, That they may be the memorials of succession To every one (of his race) on whom they descend, For to him belongs to make presents, That he is not to hoard wealth perpetually. (But) let him give unto all fair wages; Clement is a great and comely hero, My vehement son smooth-minded, Victorious in his border-battles ; He shall contend for the plain of Teamhair (Tara), He shall not abandon it to his relatives ; He will give bis aid to my steadfast sons Against the attacks of their enemies ; To the multitudinous day of judgment (is this) blessing­ Better than every man shall Failghe Ros be." And he gave him ten rings, and ten shields, and ten swords, and ten drinking-horns,. and he said to him:- "NOBLEST SHALL BE thy descendants among the descendants of my children.'' 1 Ross Failghe, or" Ross of the Rings," gave his name to the territory of Ui Failghe, which at the time of the English invasion comprised about one-third of the present King's County, including the baror1ies of Upper and Lower Philipstown, as well as Geashill, W arrenstown, and Coolestown. About one-fifth of Queen's County, in­ cluding the baronies of Portnabinch and Tinnahinch. And more than one-fifth of Kildare, including the baronies of East and West Offaly, which still retain the name anglicised O'Faly, or Offaly. It seems to have varied in extent at different times 1 Book of Rights. THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE 3 until the twelfth century, and evidently at one time included part of Meath, East and West. Ross was succeeded in the chieftainship of his tribe by his son Nathi, and in the lordship of Lemster by Daire Barrach (ancestor of the O'Gormans), second son of Cathaeir, for the latter's descendants-all the great O's and Mac's of Leinster-got possession of the entire province.1 Nathi was father of Eogan Bruidne, or, as M'Firbis calls him, " Eogan of Breen da Choga," now Breenmore, Co. Westmeath. In his time the descendants of Ross Failghe were first called the Ui Failghe, that is, the grandsons or descendants of Failghe. This name afterwards applied to the tribe, which included others than the descendants of Ross Failghe (or Cathaeir), and also to the territory. The Ui Failghe, until the latter end of the eleventh century, formed one single tribe, the chief of which had the Irish title of Righ Ua bh-Failghe,2 or King of Offaly. In Eogan's time St. Patrick arrived in the territory, preached Christianity, and was well received; and in his time also St. Bridget, whose mother, Brocessa, was of the Ui Failghe tribe, received the veil at the hands of St. M'Caille, Bishop of Ui Failghe, and nephew of St. Patrick, the ruins of whose church are still to be seen on the Hill of Croghan. St. Bridget, "in response to the invitation of the people of her native place," established herself at Drumcree in the territory, some time about the year 470., and constructed a cell under the shadow of "a goodly 1 Keating. 2 O'Donovan. 4 THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE high oak '' (b ), afterwards known as Cill-dara, or the Church of the Oak, now Kildare. In the reign of Henry VIII. this saint's head was conveyed to Neustadt in Austria, and thence in 1587 to the Church of the Jesuits at Lisbon, to whom it was presented by the Emperor Rudolf II. A foot of the Saint is now in possession of the Archbishop of Cashel. Kil~are, though now little better than a village, was in ancient times an important city and the metropolis of the Lagenians, or Leinstermen.1 Eogan's death is not recorded in the Annals, but according to the Book of Leinster (introduction), "Cathaeir More, his son Ross Failghe, his son Nathi, and his son Eogan Bruidne," were buried in the same mound or grave called Tulach Eagan, or Eogan's Hill. This name (Tulach Eogan) might now be anglicised Tullyowen. Eagan was succeeded by a son Cathal, or Cathaeir, who in turn was succeeded by a son Bruidgin, or Brudig. In 579 A.D. the Annals of Ulster record " the death of Brudig, King of the Ui Failghe." In a list of the Offaly kings, given in the Book of Leinster (p. 40, col. 3), with the length of their reigns, this chief (Bruidgin M'Cathaeir) is placed third on the list, and in the pedigree of the Ui Failghe, with notes, given in the same volume (p. 314, col. 2), he is set down as fourth in descent from Ross Failghe.2 Brudig was succeeded by a nephew, Aed..li, or Hugh Roin, the first chief mentioned in the Four Masters. Hugh, they say, was slain at Faitche-mic-mencin, thought to 1 " Collections," &c., by Dr. Comerford. 2 Note, Annals Ult. THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE 5 be Ticknevin, County Kildare, by Conal, son of Suibhne (Sweeney}!! in 604. In 596 the Annals record that this Conal's father, Sweeney, son of Colman Beg, Lord of Meath, was slain by his brother Hugh Slaine, King of Ireland, at Bri-damh, according to O'Donovan, in the parish and barony of Geashill, in Offaly. Conal, in revenge, attacked Hugh Slaine and his allies, Hugh Roin, and Hugh Boy, King of Byrn.any, according to Keating at Breen da Choga, where the three fell as we are given to understand in the following lines:- '' The martial Conal with his valiant troops Three battles fought and fortunately conquer'd The three renowned Hughs, Hugh Slaine, Hugh Roin, and Hugh Buidhe, who bravely fell With all their forces," In 635 Cellini, son of F oranan (son of Maluma, son of Brudig), was elected to the chieftainship after the death of Aillil, son of Aedh Roin. This chief fell at the battle of Coolarn, near Gal trim, Co. W. Meath, in 648 and was succeeded by a nephew, Dimusach, son of Congal. Dimusach was cotemporary with St. Eimhin, or Evan, to-whom he granted the lands of Rosglas (i.e. the green­ wood) on which to build a monastery, afterwards known as Mainister Eimhin, or Monasterevan. Colgan states that "from the number of monks that" followed the man of God from his own county of Munster, who were most holily governed by him there, this place began to be called Rosglas na-miamhneach, i.e. of the Momonians, and in process of time grew up into a 6 THE O'DEMPSEYS OF CLAN MALIERE large and flourishing town. There the holy man was famous for many and great miracles, and that monas­ tery, on account of the reverence paid to its first founder, stood in so great a veneration with posterity that it was held a. most safe sanctuary, ·and nobody presumed to offer violence to the holy place that did not soon suffer the Divine vengeance. For the holy man is said to have obtained from God, that none of the Lagenians, who should with violent audacity taste meat, or drink in his sanctuary, or offer any other violence would live beyond the ninth day afterwards." It was a dispute concerning this town and monastery between the men of Munster and Leinster that caused the battle of Ballymoon in Co.