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THE O'BYRNES and the Confederation of Kilkenny 1640-1650

Picture
The City of Kilkenny 1610
 By inquisition taken 5th August 1638 at Wicklow and now in the  Rolls office of Chancery Dublin the O'Bymes country was found to consist of the Baronies of
  Newcastle, Arklow and Ballinacor, and the territory of Shillelagh and all which
  adjoins the county of Wexford, and nearly half the county on the sea coast as
  well as considerable parts of east Carlow. Its chief town Wicklow a sea port
  assize borough market and post town partly in the parish of Rathnew barony of
  Newcastle but mainly in that of Kilpoole barony of Arklow - its ancient name  Wickinglow is derived from its situation at the southern extremity of a narrow  creek shut out from the sea by peninsula call the Murrah.
 It was one of the Danish ports before occupation by the Normans in 1170 and called by the Danes Wiggingelough - Lake of ships afterwards it  formed part of the extensive possession granted by Strongbow to Maurice  Fitzgerald who commenced the building of a castle for protection but which was discontinued on his death in 1176. His sons were dispossessed by William Fitzaldelm. In 1301 the town was burnt by the O'Byrnes but the castle was afterwards put in a state of defence by William Fitzwilliam. From its vicinity
to the O'Bymes and the O'Tooles it was a frequent object of contention and fell back into the hands of the O'Bymes in the early 1500's and it was surrendered  back to HenryVill in 1534. In 1641 Luke O'Toole invested the castle, but had to  came the siege on the approach of the English army but not before slaughtering  the inhabitants of the town.

REBELLION 1641-1651
The rebellion was an alliance of old English and Gaelic Irish -  Catholics and supporters of the King against the New English Puritans and Scottish parliamentarians
The chief agitator of the rebellion of 1641 was Rory O'Moore and  his associates Hugh O'Byrne a fierce conspirator whose father had been oppressed  and deprived of his lands by Parsons the Lord Justice, Turlough O'Neill, Philip  O'Reilly, Hugh McMahon, Sir James Dillon and Brian Byrne.
The troops levied for the Spanish service were detained in  Ireland by Huge O'Byrne and his fellow confederates and for their pay they  proposed to seize all other rents of the kingdom and expected a reward from the Popes funds. The insurrection was intended to be favourable general ant the  time was to be winter so that supplies would have great difficulty coming from  England. October 23rd after a delay was to see commencement of hostilities.
  O'Byrne and O'Moore were to surprise Dublin Castle they were to employ 200 men
  from Ulster and Leinster - and to force two gates at the one time. Colonel Hugh
  O'Byrne also represented Owen Roe O'Neill at negotiations.

 THE O'BYRNES AND THE CATHOLIC CONFEDERATION OF  KILKENNY
Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny 1642
 By 1641 the political situation in England was set to boil over into civil war. Ireland was ruled by two lord justices Barlase and Parsons. Both were Puritans and their rule was very harsh. The oppressed Irish decided to rebel. The principal leaders of the old Irish were Felim O'Neill, Conor Maguire, Rory O'Neill and Brian and Hugh MacPhelim O'Byme. Brian MacPhelim was the O'Byrne chief since 1630. Father Luke Wadding sought help from the Pope and  Richelieu.
The plan was to capture Dublin Castle. But this plan was given away by a traitor. The fighting first broke out in Ulster. The O'Neills under  Sir Felim O'Neill killed 10,000 settlers. The rising swept the country. Hugh
MacPhelim O'Byrne was declared an outlaw in 1641.
Fiach O'Byme of Kilcloron was proclaimed a rebel on 8th February 1641. The Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny was founded in 1642. This was a  parliament for Catholics. The established parliament was for Protestants. The men who met at Kilkenny were not united. The Anglo Irish Lords were fighting to
protect the Catholic religion. The Gaelic Lords were fighting to preserve their language, civilization and regain their lost Lands. In 1642 Owen Roe O'Neill and General Preston returned from the continent. Meanwhile the English Civil War had begun.
In Wicklow the Confederation forces held all the principal  castles. The O'Byrne and O'Toole held the Black Castle in Wicklow. Sir Charles  Coote later Earl Mountrath took the castle. He gathered the local Catholic
  population and locked them in the Catholic Church. He then proceeded to burn  the Church to the ground. The Franciscan Abbey was also  destroyed.
Hugh MacPhelim and Brian O'Byrne were appointed Lieutenant  General and Colonel in the Confederation army respectively. The Confederation  army retook the Black Castle in 1646. Colonel Luke O'Toole of Castlekevin was  the commanding officer of the castle. Arklow castle was occupied by the  Confederation forces. They were driven out. But they reoccupied the castle on  5th of June 1647. On the 20th of September 1648 Lieutenant General Hugh O'Byrne  was appointed governor of Wicklow. In 1649 Cromwell destroyed the Black Castle.  The Confederation forces retreated into the mountains. Cromwell's troops burnt
  Glenealy Church and massacred the local inhabitants at Madden's Bank. The  Cromwellions moved into the mountains after the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles. Brian  MacPhelim O'Byrne ambushed large amounts of Cromwell's cavalry in the mountain  passes. Christopher O'Toole stole Cromwell's horse. The eternal destroyer  attempted to ransom his horse but the O'Tooles refused.
Arklow fell to Cromwell on September 29th 1649. Eight weeks  Arklow was under siege by Confederation forces under Brian MacPhelim O'Byme and  his brother. This time Arklow was saved by the timely arrival of General  Hewson, with 1,000 men.
In January 1650 the O'Byrne/O'Tooles laid siege to the Castle once more. The constable of the castle, Barrington was not intimidated and marched out of Arklow. He met the clans and fought a long and bitter battle. It was a very bloody battle and no quarter was given on either side. It resulted in one of the most hard fought victories the English ever won in Ireland. It was the final effort made by the ancestral Princes in Wicklow to recover their ancestral lands. Never again did they threaten or appear in force before Arklow.
The O'Bymes and the O'Tooles retreated into the hills.
A peace was signed on 12th May 1652. From their hills the O'Bymes refused to accept the peace and continued to resist. Along with the Kavanaghs  and the O'Tooles they continued to resist. The Cromwellians were determined to  starve them out of their mountain fortresses. The Cromwellians gathered an army
  of 7,000. They destroyed the harvest of 1652. Without corn and cattle they  reckoned resistance would crumble. This resulted in a mini famine in Wicklow  Brian and Hugh were in constant danger of betrayal. Donogh McShane, McMurtha  tried to capture the brothers.
The brothers O'Byrne were exempt from all pardon and a reward of  £400 was placed on their heads. During 1652 Lieutenant General Hugh O'Byrne managed to reach a Catholic country. Brian O'Byrne hid on the island of  Inisbofinn with Rory O'Moore. Rory O'Moore died there: Sir Felim O'Neill was  executed. Colonel Luke O'Toole of Castlekevin was brutally executed by  Cromwell's creative’s at the Castle.
Now wholesale eviction of the Catholic gentry of Wicklow  commenced. Cromwell gave them the choice of "to to hell or to Connaught".
An officer of Hugh MacPhelim O'Byrne, Lieutenant Colonel James O'Byrne returned to his former lands in 1659. He was caught on 8th August 1659 and transported back to Galway. Hugh McPhelim O'Byrne's fate is unknown. Brian MacPhelim O'Byrne, the O'Byrne chief is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in
Rathdrum.
 This was the part the Clan O'Byrne played during period of  Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny. It was a part they paid a heavy price for.  It shattered O'Byrne power as a military force. Never again would they be a significant threat to the English.

Dr Emmet O'Byrne, first published in An Leabhar Branach, Clan  O’Byrne 1992


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