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HISTORY & HERITAGE |
Introduction Owen Roe O'Neill |
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Owen Roe O'Neill
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Born in Co. Tyrone in
either 1595 or '97 Owen Roe was quite a young boy when his uncle, the great Hugh
O’Neill lost the Battle of Kinsale. His father Art Og O’Neill of Cloghar was
brother of Hugh O’Neill and left Ireland with him in The Flight of the Earls
in 1607.
Like so many Irishmen
who went to the continent Owen Roe turned to soldering after attending the
famous University of Salamanca in northern Spain. After his early years of army
training he became a sergeant of foot in the Spanish army and after some time
transferred to the army of the Spanish Netherlands an area comprising modem
Holland, Belgium and northern France (Flanders).
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The O'Neill family crest
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It was here he
distinguished himself in July and August 1640 in the Spanish-French War by
holding out for 48 days defending the town of Arras with a mere 2,000 men
against a French army of 25,000 foot and 10,000 horse. In the reports of the
Spanish army he is referred to as Eugenius Rufinius O’Neill a most competent
and illustrious officer.
When the Irish
rebelled in 1641 to overthrow the Plantation of 1609 their most important leader
was Sir Feilim O’Neill, a cousin of Owen Roe The Anglo-Irish were keeping a
watchful eye on proceedings at home and on divisions in England between Charles
1 and Cromwell as traditionally they were Catholics and so opposed to Cromwell
and the Puritans but loyal to the king. We know Owen Roe took a great interest
in the war in Ireland as he wrote at the time to his friend in Louvain, Fr. Luke
Wadding of Waterford
“time slips
away and Ireland groans and suffers worn out not so
much by her miseries as by the weary hope of foreign help long expected but not
yet arrived. I feel I at least should wait no longer and that in this hour of
Ireland’s troubles I should not be absent or seem wanting"
This clearly shows
his great devotion to his fatherland and would seem to indicate that he sees
himself as the lawful O’Neill successor living in exile. With a group of Irish
exile officers he landed at Castledoe, Co. Donegal in 1642 not
far from where he had emigrated 35
years earlier. The Irish in Ulster received him warmly and appointed him their
commander but he was very disappointed in not getting the title "The
O’Neill” his right to it being disputed by his kinsman Sir Feilim O’Neill
who had commanded the Irish in Ulster before Eoghan Roe’s arrival.
In May 1642 The
Confederation of Kilkenny was set up to try to bring about some unity between
the Irish and the Anglo-Irish. This body appointed Owen Roe as commander of the
Northern Army. Among those who welcomed Owen Roe on his arrival in Ulster were
the O’Reilly’s of Breffni one of whom was Edmond McMulmore O’Reilly of
Kevitt and his son.
It would seem that
Owen Roe soon moved south from his native Tyrone and in 1643 camped in Cavan,
Mohill (Co. Leitrim) and then moved to Portlester, near Ballivor, Co. Meath to
train his new army. It was here in the summer of 1644 when Myles the Slasher
O’Reilly was killed holding the Bridge of Finea against the Ulster Puritan
commander Munroe in a rearguard action to save the army of Lord Castlehaven.
In the Spring of 1646
Owen Roe moved back to Breffni to prepare for the attack on Munroe’s army and
camped at Knockanore beside Killydoon. A few months later he moved
to Cavan town and in the first
days of June began his march
northwards to cross swords with Munroe. Munroe was to link up with Coote at
Glaslough but by brilliant tactics Owen Roe lured him away from Glaslough before
Coote arrived and after a long day of forced marches in hot weather he trapped
Munroe’s army at Benburb and gained a classic victory, capturing large numbers
of its high ranking officers and weaponry. After the victory he returned to
Cavan to rest his troops at Lismore beside Crossdoney.
Here he was visited
by Monsignor Massari, Dean of Fermo in Italy who had come to Ireland with the
Papal Nuncio to the Confederation of Kilkenny, John Baptist Rinuccini. The
Monsignor accompanied by Fr. Egan kept a narrative of his journey
from Kilkenny, where
the victory of Benburb had been celebrated, to Cavan to present Owen Roe and his
officers with certain gifts. On arrival in Crossdoney on the evening of June
28th he was warmly welcomed at Lismore castle by Philip O’Reilly. From a
hillock nearby it was possible to see Owen Roe’s camp.
Next day on learning
of the Monsignor's arrival Owen Roe sent his son, Captain Henry Roe, to welcome
him. In the afternoon Owen Roe himself came together with Bishop Heber McMahon
of Clogher who had stopped off on his way to Limerick.. Owen Roe, Bishop
McMahon, the Monsignor and his companion Fr. Egan retired to a room in the
castle to consider how best to take advantage of the victory of Benburb. It
would seem that some, at least, of the Anglo-Irish were jealous of Owen Roe,
which prevented him from reaping the full fruits of the victory of Benburb. We
have to understand that the divisions, jealousies, suspicions and intrigue
between the Irish and Anglo-Irish and between these two and the Puritans beggars
description.
The Monsignor tells
us they consulted for four hours and reached a decision. Owen Roe then returned
to the camp. Bishop McMahon resumed his journey to Limerick while the Monsignor
and Fr. Egan were most hospitably entertained by Philip O’Reilly. Early next
morning Owen Roe sent his senior chaplain to the castle to invite Monsignor
Massari and his friends to visit the camp. With Fr.Egan and ten others he
proceeded to the camp and was met on the way and welcomed by Owen Roe himself
accompanied by eight officers. He was then conducted to where the army was
encamped which he describes as follows
“From the foot
of the hill on which the tents were
pitched stretched level ground to the extent of about half a mile surrounded by
a little river. On our arrival, the officers with Owen Roe went to their
respective posts, the General alone remaining with me and my companions. He first
brought me to review the cavalry, drawn up in ten small squadrons near the
rise of the hill. Wheeling about in order each one saluted me in military
fashion by kissing the barrel of his pistols which were discharged into the air
during the second maneovere. He next conducted me to the infantry which in five
divisions, formed an oval semi-circle, occupying the whole hill in excellent
order. On drawing near the last division, which was composed exclusively of
pikemen, the others fired a general salvo of musketry. The cannons captured at
Benburb were also discharged. I returned the salute and thanked each of the
colonels and showed how highly I appreciated the honor they had done me”
Then with General
Owen Roe he inspected the soldiers quarters. With the exception of a few tents
for the chief officers the quarters were built and roofed with sods, some three
arms in length others were five or six, so well fitted together that neither sun
or rain, no matter how heavy could penetrate them.
He says most of the
houses in the province of Ulster were built and roofed in the same way. Owen Roe
then conducted the Monsignor to his own tent where they had a meal after which
they drank toasts to Pope Innocent X, the Nuncio Rinnucinni, to the Monsignor
himself, General Owen Roe and others. The genial Italian coming as a stranger to
a strange land has left on record his amazement at the magnificence of the
hospitality he received. (A very nice thought I should imagine for the people of
Cavan today). After the meal Owen Roe and the Monsignor walked "in a great
meadow”. The Monsignor conveyed to Owen Roe confidential information from the
Nuncio They discussed this for the two hours. Returning to the tent the
Monsignor on behalf of the Nuncio presented Owen Roe with a picture adorned with
silver plates and precious stones. To the officers he gave various devotional
objects. Then accompanied by Philip O’Reilly and some of the leading men of
the county he returned to Lismore Castle.~
Next
day Henry Roe O’Neill called to see if he, the Monsignor, wished to visit Loch
Uachtair Castle. Later that day accompanied by the Sergeant Major of Cavalry and
twelve others the Monsignor travelled from Lismore to Loch Uachtair, which he
describes as
“an
impregnable fortress in the middle of a large lake.”
He stayed in a house
on the lakeshore and here he was visited, with the permission of the Governor of
the castle by six Scottish Colonels, captured at Benburb who spoke to him in
Latin. Lord Montgomery of Ards was also a prisoner there but more closely
guarded. At the express wish of Lord Montgomery himself and with the permission
of the Governor an interview was arranged. With Fr. Egan and the Constable of
the castle the Monsignor crossed the lake in a light boat and found Lord
Montgomery in a room almost at the top of the tower. With him were two other
colonels, also prisoners. The Monsignor was surprised to converse with him in
his own native Italian! When the Monsignor was leaving Lord Montgomery presented
him with an elaborate watch, which indicated “the hours, the days, the month
and the phase of the moon.” (this in 1646)
Next morning the
Monsignor received a letter dated July 4th, 1646, from Lord Montgomery asking if
he would arrange an exchange of prisoners. In his reply the Monsignor stated
that the matter did not lie in his or the Nuncio’s hands but he would use his
influence (with Owen Roe, I presume). Primate Hugh O’Reilly whose temporary
residence was in the district also visited the Monsignor the same day. Monsignor
speaks glowingly of the Primate and says he expressed a view that while the glow
of Benburb was still fresh Dublin should be captured and the power of Lord
Ormond (the Viceroy) broken.
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The ruins of the Abbey at Trinity |
The Monsignor also
visited Trinity Island where he saw the ruined Premonstatensian abbey, plundered
some time earlier, on another island he visited the temporary residence of the
wife and family of Colonel Myles O’Reilly.
“The
house” he says "was large and commodious, and on the ground floor and
built in the Ulster style with roofs of sod.”
Visiting Cavan town,
he stayed two days at the Franciscan Abbey and went to see a great fair held in
a field near the town. On returning to Loch Uachtair he found Owen Roe with some
of his chief officers awaiting him. All returned to Lismore where further
consultations took place in the national interest. This concluded the Monsignors
visit to Cavan. From Lismore he went by way of Leitrim, Longford and Roscommon
and thence to Limerick to meet the Nuncio and report on his visit to Owen Roe.
After the departure
of the Monsignor Owen Roe’s difficulties with the Confederation of Kilkenny
grew largely because of the jealousies of the Anglo-Irish and especially their
Leinster general, Preston. He travelled widely through the country in the hope
of getting a united national effort. When his army and that of Preston met to
wrench Dublin from Lord Ormond they nearly came to blows themselves. An outright
battle was narrowly averted. Owen Roe began to realize the heart of Anglo-Irish
was not in the struggle. The constant travel and pressure was taking its toll on
his health and he fell ill at Derry in late Autumn 1649. Despite the
extremity of his sickness “he hurried south at the urgent request of the Earl
of Ormond to make a desperate effort to check the Cromwellian invasion. Reaching
Loch Uachtair castle he consulted Primate Hugh O’Reilly and the army leaders.
His condition gradually grew worse and after lingering for less than two weeks
he died on November 6th (St Leonards Day) 1649.
The old held belief
that he was poisoned is not now generally accepted and tetanus is more likely to
have been the cause of his death. His death was a national disaster and was kept
secret for some time. Under cover of night he was buried in the Franciscan Abbey
in Cavan town. The death of Owen Roe was a colossal blow to the Irish people at
large and particularly the Irish of Ulster.
The country was cast
into deep mourning. Now that Charles 1 of England was dead the threat of
Cromwell and his Roundheads hung over the country and Owen Roe was their sole
protector against him. As the poet most succinctly put it
