CONTENTS—VOL. I.

[BOOK I.]
[CHAPTER I.—The First Inhabitants]
[CHAPTER II.—The First Ages]
[CHAPTER III.—Christianity Preached at Tara—The Result]
[CHAPTER IV.—The Constitution, and how the Kings kept it]
[CHAPTER V.—Reign of Hugh II.—The Irish Colony in Scotland obtains its Independence]
[CHAPTER VI.—Kings of the Seventh Century]
[CHAPTER VII.—Kings of the Eighth Century]
[CHAPTER VIII.—What the Irish Schools and Saints did in the Three First Christian Centuries]
[BOOK II.]
[CHAPTER I.—The Danish Invasion]
[CHAPTER II.—Kings of the Ninth Century (Continued)—Nial III.—Malachy I.—Hugh VII]
[CHAPTER III.—Reign of Flan "of the Shannon" (A.D. 879 to 916)]
[CHAPTER IV.—Kings of the Tenth Century—Nial IV.—Donogh II.—Congal III.—Donald IV]
[CHAPTER V.—Reign of Malachy II. and Rivalry of Brian]
[CHAPTER VI.—Brian, Ard-Righ—Battle of Clontarf]
[CHAPTER VII.—Effects of the Rivalry of Brian and Malachy on the Ancient Constitution]
[CHAPTER VIII.—Latter Days of the Northmen in Ireland]
[BOOK III.]
[CHAPTER I.—The Fortunes of the Family of Brian]
[CHAPTER II.—The Contest between the North and South—Rise of the Family of O'Conor]
[CHAPTER III.—Thorlogh More O'Conor—Murkertach of Aileach—Accession of Roderick O'Conor]
[CHAPTER IV.—State of Religion and Learning among the Irish previous to the Anglo-Norman Invasion]
[CHAPTER V.—Social Condition of the Irish previous to the Norman Invasion]
[CHAPTER VI.—Foreign Relations of the Irish previous to the Anglo-Norman Invasion]
[BOOK IV.]
[CHAPTER I.—Dermid McMurrogh's Negotiations and Success—The First Expedition of the Normans into Ireland]
[CHAPTER II.—The Arms, Armour and Tactics of the Normans and Irish]
[CHAPTER III.—The First Campaign of Earl Richard—Siege of Dublin—Death of King Dermid McMurrogh]
[CHAPTER IV.—Second Campaign of Earl Richard—Henry II. in Ireland]
[CHAPTER V.—From the Return of Henry II. to England till the Death of Earl Richard and his principal Companions]
[CHAPTER VI.—The Last Years of the Ard-Righ, Roderick O'Conor]
[CHAPTER VII.—Assassination of Hugh de Lacy—John "Lackland" in Ireland—Various Expeditions of John de Courcy—Death of Conor Moinmoy, and Rise of Cathal, "the Red-Handed" O'Conor—Close of the Career of De Courcy and De Burgh]
[CHAPTER VIII.—Events of the Thirteenth Century—The Normans in Connaught]
[CHAPTER IX.—Events of the Thirteenth Century—The Normans in Munster and Leinster]
[CHAPTER X.—Events of the Thirteenth Century—The Normans in Meath and Ulster]
[CHAPTER XI.—Retrospect of the Norman Period in Ireland—A Glance at the Military Tactics of the Times—No Conquest of the Country in the Thirteenth Century]
[CHAPTER XII.—State of Society and Learning in Ireland during the Norman Period]
[BOOK V.]
[CHAPTER I.—The Rise of "the Red Earl"—Relations of Ireland and Scotland]
[CHAPTER II.—The Northern Irish enter into Alliance with King Robert Bruce—Arrival and First Campaign of Edward Bruce]
[CHAPTER III.—Bruce's Second Campaign and Coronation at Dundalk—The Rising in Connaught—Battle of Athenry—Robert Bruce in Ireland]
[CHAPTER IV.—Battle of Faughard and Death of King Edward Bruce—Consequences of his Invasion—Extinction of the Earldom of Ulster—Irish Opinion of Edward Bruce]
[BOOK VI.]
[CHAPTER I.—Civil War in England—Its Effects on the Anglo-Irish—The Knights of St. John—General Desire of the Anglo-Irish to Naturalize themselves among the Native Population—A Policy of Non-Intercourse between the Races Resolved on in England]
[CHAPTER II.—Lionel, Duke of Clarence, Lord Lieutenant—The Penal Code of Race—"The Statute of Kilkenny," and some of its Consequences]
[CHAPTER III.—Art McMurrogh, Lord of Leinster—First Expedition of Richard II. of England to Ireland]
[CHAPTER IV.—Subsequent Proceedings of Richard II.—Lieutenancy and Death of the Earl of March—Second Expedition of Richard against Art McMurrogh—Change of Dynasty in England]
[CHAPTER V.—Parties within "the Pale"—Battles of Kilmainham and Killucan—Sir John Talbot's Lord Lieutenancy]
[CHAPTER VI.—Acts of the Native Princes—Subdivision of Tribes and Territories—Anglo-Irish Towns under Native Protection—Attempt of Thaddeus O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, to Restore the Monarchy—Relations of the Races in the Fifteenth Century]
[CHAPTER VII.—Continued Division and Decline of "the English Interest"—Richard, Duke of York, Lord Lieutenant—Civil War again in England—Execution of the Earl of Desmond—Ascendancy of the Kildare Geraldines]
[CHAPTER VIII.—The Age and Rule of Gerald, Eighth Earl of Kildare—The Tide begins to turn for the English Interest—The Yorkist Pretenders, Simnel and Warbeck—Poyning's Parliament—Battles of Knockdoe and Monabraher]
[CHAPTER IX.—State of Irish and Anglo—Irish Society during the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries]
[CHAPTER X.—State of Religion and Learning during the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries]
[BOOK VII.]
[CHAPTER I.—Irish Policy of Henry the Eighth during the Lifetime of Cardinal Wolsey]
[CHAPTER II.—The Insurrection of Silken Thomas—The Geraldine League—Administration of Lord Leonard Gray]
[CHAPTER III.—Sir Anthony St. Leger, Lord Deputy—Negotiations of the Irish Chiefs with James the Fifth of Scotland—First Attempts to Introduce the Protestant Reformation—Opposition of the Clergy—Parliament of 1541—The Protectors of the Clergy Excluded—State of the Country—The Crowns United-Henry the Eighth Proclaimed at London and Dublin]
[CHAPTER IV.—Adhesion of O'Neil, O'Donnell, and O'Brien—A new Anglo-Irish Peerage—New Relations of Lord and Tenant—Bishops appointed by the Crown—Retrospect]
[BOOK VIII.]
[CHAPTER I.—Events of the Reign of Edward Sixth]
[CHAPTER II.—Events of the Reign of Philip and Mary]
[CHAPTER III.—Accession of Queen Elizabeth—Parliament of 1560—The Act of Uniformity—Career and Death of John O'Neil "the Proud"]

HISTORY OF IRELAND

BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST INHABITANTS.

Ireland is situated in the North Atlantic, between the degrees fifty-one and a half and fifty-five and a half North, and five and a quarter and ten and a third West longitude from Greenwich. It is the last land usually seen by ships leaving the Old World, and the first by those who arrive there from the Northern ports of America. In size it is less than half as large as Britain, and in shape it may be compared to one of those shields which we see in coats-of-arms, the four Provinces—Ulster, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster—representing the four quarters of the shield.

Around the borders of the country, generally near the coast, several ranges of hills and mountains rear their crests, every Province having one or more such groups. The West and South have, however, the largest and highest of these hills, from the sides of all which descend numerous rivers, flowing in various directions to the sea. Other rivers issue out of large lakes formed in the valleys, such as the Galway river which drains Lough Corrib, and the Bann which carries off the surplus waters of Lough Neagh (Nay). In a few districts where the fall for water is insufficient, marshes and swamps were long ago formed, of which the principal one occupies nearly 240,000 acres in the very heart of the country. It is called "the Bog of Allen," and, though quite useless for farming purposes, still serves to supply the surrounding district with fuel, nearly as well as coal mines do in other countries.

In former times, Ireland was as well wooded as watered, though hardly a tree of the primitive forest now remains. One of the earliest names applied to it was "the wooded Island," and the export of timber and staves, as well as of the furs of wild animals, continued, until the beginning of the seventeenth century, to be a thriving branch of trade. But in a succession of civil and religious wars, the axe and the torch have done their work of destruction, so that the age of most of the wood now standing does not date above two or three generations back.

Who were the first inhabitants of this Island, it is impossible to say, but we know it was inhabited at a very early period of the world's lifetime—probably as early as the time when Solomon the Wise, sat in Jerusalem on the throne of his father David. As we should not altogether reject, though neither are we bound to believe, the wild and uncertain traditions of which we have neither documentary nor monumental evidence, we will glance over rapidly what the old Bards and Story-tellers have handed down to us concerning Ireland before it became Christian.

The first story they tell is, that about three hundred years after the Universal Deluge, Partholan, of the stock of Japhet, sailed down the Mediterranean, "leaving Spain on the right hand," and holding bravely on his course, reached the shores of the wooded western Island. This Partholan, they tell us, was a double parricide, having killed his father and mother before leaving his native country, for which horrible crimes, as the Bards very morally conclude, his posterity were fated never to possess the land. After a long interval, and when they were greatly increased in numbers, they were cut off to the last man, by a dreadful pestilence.