CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY =ii r>. ««-. PS"TS" University Library DA 990.L85F24 county "'^'Sfiyiiiiiuitiiift!* Longford / 3 1924 028 071 029 m Cornell University Library ^'^ The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028071029 HISTORY OF THE COUFTY LOI^GFORD ILLUSTRATED. BY JAMES P. FAREELL DOLLARD, PRINTINGHOUSE, DUBLIN. 1891. Price, lUufttrated and Post Paid, Ten Shillings. fool's c& PREFACE. The following pages will, I hope, throw a long-required light on . the history of the most central county in Ireland. I have endeavoured to explain its ancient and modern formation; and no effort of mine has been spared to describe that transition stage when the land of Longford or Annaly passed away from the ancient to the planter owners. At very considerable expense I have secured an accurate copy of the Patent Rolls of James I., showing, as will be found on perusal, who the ancient owners of every townland in Longford County were, and to whom these lands were conveyed by Royal Letters Patent. If the reader is at all of an inquiring turn of mind, it will be very easy for him to fill up the space of two hundred and sixty years with the names of any old families in these townlands, and he lias as accurate an idea as I can give of who are, and who are not, the " old stock " in Longford County to-day. I am aware that many people, from whom better should be expected, have uot hesitated to describe my previous publications on this subject as an attempt to laudato the O'Farrells, as they say, "because I am a Farrell myself." Such an idea can only be harboured by the ignorant. Anyone who knows me will not doubt me when I say, as I have said often before, that were the ancient possessors of Annaly any other family or name but that of Farrell or O'Farrell, I would take as much pains, and probably more than I have taken, to put their history before the world. The illustrations will, I hope, be found interesting—in any case they cannot but add to the interest of the volume. JAMBS P. FARRELL, LoNGiOBJj, Feast of St. Mel, 1891. — HISTOEY THE COUNTY LONG-FORD. History tells us that we Irish are directly descended from the Milesians, who were the sixth and last body of invaders that took possession of this island in the dark ages before the Christian era. Prior to their advent Ireland had been successively the prize of five different peoples Partholans, Nemedians, Formorians, Firbolgs, and Tuatha-de-Danaans. The Partholans were the descendants of a chief named Partholanus, who was the first inhabitant of Ireland after the Deluge. They were expelled from the country by the Nemedians, who, after an occupation of nearly two hundred years, were driven out by a race of pirates called Formorians. One part of the Nemedians went to the south of Europe, where they were put into slavery as bag-carriers, from which they were called Firbolgs. Another part went northwards, and became the powerful race subsequently called Tuatha-de-Danaans. The Firbolgs were the first to turn with a longing eye to the isle they had lost, and two hundred years had not passed away until they reconquered this country, driving the Formorians into the sea. Almost immediately after the Tuatha-de-Danaans began to think of returning to the home of their forefathers, and before their cousins had been thirty years in their reconquered homes, the Tuatha-de-Danaans swooped down from the north and expelled them from the country. Even at such a remote period we see this striking example of the affection with which these rude sons of the forest and the sea regarded "the woody isle," as B 10 HISTORY OF THE GOtTNTT LONGFORD. Ireland was then called. For one hundred and ninety years the Tuatha-de-Danaans reigned supreme in the land, during which time they organized a system of government, and divided the country into kingdoms. But in the year B.C. 3,500 a new race appeared to claim the island in the persons of the Milesians, who had been long established as a considerable nation in Spain. The Milesians were descended from Ghaedhal or G-atelus, who was the sixth in direct descent from Noah, and Noah being the ninth patriarch from Adam, Grhaedal was, there- fore, the fifteenth patriarch in direct descent from the first man. Grhaedal gave his name to his posterity, who were therefrom called Gradelians, and the ancient records of the world prove that the twelfth king of the Ghadelians was Milesius, who was the father of the three sons that headed the Milesians in the sixth and last pre-Christian con- quest of Ireland. When the Milesians arrived at Inver-Scene in the present County of Kerry, the Tuatha-de-Danaans complained that they were taken at a disadvantage, and were unprepared to offer the Milesians battle. They proffered, however, if the invaders would retire the distance of nine waves from the shore to give them battle on return- ing, and to yield up the island peacefully if the issue was against them. To this the Milesians consented ; but when they had retired the required distance, the Tuatha-de-Danaans, who were skilled in the art of necro- mancy, caused a great storm to arise which dispersed the Milesian ships and sunk many of them. Such of them as escaped were driven to the mouth of the Boyne, where they landed, and marching to Teltown, in the County Meath, a great battle was fought, in which the Tuatha-de- Danaans were entirely defeated, and the Milesians became masters of the island. The new masters were commanded by three chieftains—Heremon, Heber Finn, and Ir, and the latter having been killed in the battle, his son, Heber Donn, became co-heir with his uncles to the new possession. Heremon was the elder brother, and scarcely had the difl&culty of beat- ing the enemy been got over until Heber Finn and he quarrelled,, whereupon, as in the case of Cain and Abel, Heremon slew Heber HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD. 11 Finn, and became sole ruler iiimself . He then made a distribution of the land, retaining the fair portion of Leinster to himself, giving Ulster to the son of Ir, Munster to the son of Heber Finn, and Connaught to two of his most trusted chieftains. Thus then was the Milesian invasion of Ireland accomplished five hundred years before the birth of Christ. It will now be our duty to confine ourselves to the particular fortunes of the house of Ir ; because, as we shall see, it was from him that were descended the families who occupied what, two thousand years later, became the County of Longford. It is not the purpose of this volume to give a history of Ulster. That, indeed, would be a herculean task, although in itself scarcely as difficult as to give a history of those ancient days in what became and now is the County Longford. Men, and things, and places were in those days known by names which have undergone so much change, that few there are who can accurately trace the history of any one spot in Ireland. In general it may be safely supposed that the same things which happened elsewhere in Ireland in those days happened in Long- ford ; that there were wars, and raids, and ravages between many con- tending factions in each generation, as when we read in the " Four " Masters " : A.M. 3790. After having reigned eighteen years as monarch of Ireland, Aengus Olumchaidh fell in the battle of Carmen (now in County Wexford). Aengus gained several battles, amongst which was the battle of Ardachaidh, in which fell Smiorgall, the son of Smeatha, king of the Formorians." The Irian race became owners of the" land of Ulster, and their chiefs kings of that province, dwelling with great splendour at Emania, near the present city of Armagh. The twenty-sixth king from Ir was a monarch called Fergus the Great. He had reigned but seven years when he was overcome in battle by the famous Connor MacNessa, and had to fly into Connaught for safety. At this time there lived there the celebrated Queen Maud, or Mave, whose name is connected with so many legends in Ireland. Maud gladly received the exiled prince, and hospitably entertained him, the result beiag that Fergus — — 12 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY LONaPOED. married her. Of this marriage three sons were born, two of whom became founders of the O'Connor family of Kerry, whilst the third, who was the eldest, and whose name was Conmac, received all his mother and father's inheritance. This included, on his mother's side, all of the present Counties of Galway, Mayo, and part of Roscommon, whilst by his father he came into possession of the southern portion of the dominions from which Fergus Mor had been driven. Conmac erected this large inheritance into the kingdom of Conmacne, over which he and his descendants ruled ; but after the lapse of years the kingdom was divided into principalities and chieftaincies according as the race of Conmac increased in numbers. In the course of centiiries a chieftain ruled all that part of the territory of Conmacne bounded on the west and north-west by the Shannon, and the south and east by the Inny. This man's name was Anghaile, and after his time the land he ruled was called " the land of Anghaile, " or, as it was afterwards Anglicized, Annaly.