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1596 AD "The Mac Carthy Mor," died, who was to be the first and last English appointed Earl of Clan Carty and all of his remaining Irish territory was also Confiscated by Elizabeth Tudor 1st the Welsh English Queen and given over to English Episcopalian Planters. As he had been the last overall Irish Chieftain in the south of the Munster Province, Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan / "The O Sullivan Beare," who was also under his subjection and a neighbour, along with all the other Irish Chiefs in the Munster Province, now had a lot more to worry about.

June 22nd: King Philip 11 of Spain, now advised Hugh "Dubh" O Niall ("The O Niall") that he would assist him to drive the English out of Ireland, to allow freedom of religion. The Irish Chiefs, in the Ulster Province, attempting to end the ongoing ethnic and religious persecution of Elizabeth 1st, made one last desperate call on Elizabeth 1st, to at least allow freedom of religion and to stop harassing their Catholic clergy.

Donough O Brien, the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond, who was by now lost completely to the Irish cause, once again assisted Sir Richard Bingham, the English appointed Governor in Connacht against the resistance of the Anglo - Irish Burkes there

Dunkeron Castle was built this year, by "The O Sullivan Mor," the Heberian Eoghanacht Chief, at Little Nest / Neidin near Kenmare in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province. (The ruins of the O Sullivan Cappanacrushy Castle is also still there to be seen nearby.)

1597 AD Donough O Brien, the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond, who was now lost completely to the Irish cause, again assisted Sir Richard Bingham, the English appointed Governor of Connacht, against the Anglo - Irish Burkes in the Connacht Province, and combined with the other O Brien, who was now also the appointed the English Baron of Inchiquin. This year, they also went further to the north of Connacht, and laid siege to Hugh / Aed "Roe" O Donnell the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill and his Castle at Bally Shannon / Belashanny in Co. Donegal in the north - west of the Ulster Province. They then crossed over the River Erne there, were O Brien the English appointed Baron of Inchiquin, was killed, and was later buried at the Cistercian Assaroe Abbey. Sir Richard Bingham's English Military Forces were defeated there, and he retreated back across the River Erne, leaving all of his artillery pieces behind for Hugh "Roe" O Donnell to make use of. Meanwhile, Hugh "Dubh" O Niall, the Earl of Tyrone, who was Hugh / Aed "Roe" O Donnell's ally, kept the English Military Forces at bay near the River Blackwater. The Irish forces also won another battle further to the south at the Tyrrell Pass in Co. Westmeath in the south - west of Northern Leinster, where the ruins of the original Anglo - Irish Tyrrell's / Tirial stronghold is still there to be seen today.

The dominance of the Anglo - Irish Fitz Geralds of Kildare in Central Southern Leinster, and their kinsmen, the Fitz Geralds of Desmond in the south of the Munster Province, had by now been well and truly done away with, previously under Henry V111 and his daughter, Elizabeth 1st, which had also ensured their further control over most of Ireland. The Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Niaill Septs, who were under the control of Hugh "Dubh" O Niall ("The O Niall") and Hugh "Roe" O Donnell ("The O Donnell") in the Ulster Province, were now all that was left of the actual Mere Irish leadership in Ireland. Only these two Ulster Chieftains stood between the unending ethnic and religious oppression of Elizabeth 1st and her "Slash and Burn" policy in Ireland, and the total obliteration of all of the remaining Gaelic Irish Septs. The English Government authorities in Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre), now tried to remove any chance of further support for them, from any of their other Irish and Anglo - Irish allies, by holding negotiations for a peaceful solution with the other Irish Chieftains.

1598 AD October: The Fitz Gerald Desmond Kilcoman Castle, in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province, was burnt down.

Sir Henry Bagenal, the English Chief Marshal for Elizabeth 1st in Ireland, now totally controlled The English Pale, which at this time extended from Dundalk in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster, down to Dublin in the north - east of Southern Leinster, and Hugh "Dubh" O Niall ("The O Niall") the "Northern" Ui Niaill Ulster Chieftain, who was now also a widower, had since further antagonized him by eloping with his sister, Mabel Bagenal, which had upset him no end.

August: Hugh "Dubh" O Niall (The O Niall) and Hugh / Aed "Roe" O Donnell (The O Donnell), besieged the English fort at Blackwaterton in Co. Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province, and were victorious in the Battle of the Yellow Ford there, which was situated only 2 mile out of Armagh, were they complertely defeated the English Military Forces under the command of Sir Henry Bagenal his new reluctant brother - in - law, who was Elizabeth 1st's appointed English Chief Marshall in Ireland. Sir Henry Bagenal was also killed in the battle, along with 23 of his commanders, and 2,500 of his men, and 34 English Banners, together with their English artillery and supplies, were captured by the combined Irish forces. The English Military Forces, in this particular conflict, had suffered the heaviest defeat ever in Ireland, and the Irish forces had allowed the defenders of the fort, to also leave unmolested, with only 200 of the Irish being killed, and 600 wounded, which further encouraged all of the other aligned Irish Septs and Families in Ireland, to rally to Hugh O Niall's cause of bringing about Irish Freedom, against the never ending ethnic and religious oppression of Elizabeth 1st the English Queen, and to try and rid Ireland, once and for all, of their overbearing presence.

Philip 11 the King of Spain, died, and his son, Philip 111, was in as the new Spanish King, and he also promised further assistance to the Irish Septs against the continung English ethnic and religious oppression under Elizabeth 1st, who was to now send her toyboy, Sir Robert Devereux the 2nd English Earl of Essex with a further 20,000 English Military Force to crush the Irish Septs altogether, and totally govern Ireland for her by absolutely dong away with any further Irish resistance, by any means that he desired to use.

1599 AD Edmund Spencer, died, this year in London, as a pauper, and his descendants were to eventually come back to live in Ireland until the late 18th Century AD, including John Spencer, who was to eventually have his throat cut by his live - in house keeper on the day he was to marry another woman, and over time many of his descendants also became Anglo - Irish Catholics.

Sir Robert Devereux, the English 2nd Earl of Essex, arrived into Dublin as the English appointed Lord Lieutenant, with a further 20,000 English Military Force, and at first went about subduing the Irish and the Anglo - Irish, in the Munster Province, to the south of The English Pale, and then headed north into the Ulster Province, where he was also to come up against the Irish forces of Hugh "Dubh" O Niall ("The O Niall") at the Ford of Annaclint on the border of Co. Monaghan in Southern Ulster. After many terrible battles along the way, against the resistance carried out by the Irish Septs, and their guerrilla tactics, and the lack of Military support from England, he was forced into a meeting with Hugh "Dubh" O Niall, where he was convinced to make a truce with him. He then returned to England, without seeking the authority of Elizabeth 1st, to inquire why he had not received the support needed to fully take over Ireland. On arriving in England he was to prove to be more popular among the common people then Elizabeth 1st, who then saw him as a threat to her position, and subsequently, he too, was to become another of her victims. when she was later to try him for "Treason," and cut off his head also.

Elizabeth 1st, with her anti - Irish Catholic edicts in Ireland, had tried to ensure that all the Irish and Anglo - Irish were to become members of the Episcopalian Church of England / Ireland, or else, as this was now the only condition she allowed in Ireland, to obtain any chance of gaining positions in Public Life or any chance of ever owning or controlling any of their own Irish Land. The English Pale, known by this time as the "Obedient Shires," ran along the east coast in the Leinster Province from Dundalk in the north to just below Dublin in the south, and over the following two Centuries, the introduced Episcopalian Planters were to be made use of to widen out these perimeters, which were to force many of the "Mere Irish" in the outer regions there, to also progress towards Dublin, were they became known generically as the "Irish Conchies."

Hugh "Roe" - of Red Complexion O Donnell (The O Donnell) and Brian "Oge" - the Younger O Rourke ("The O Rourke") in the last notable Irish victory, before the Battle of Kinsale, had killed Sir Conyers Clifford the English appointed Governor in the Connacht Province, in the Curlieu Mountains at Ballaghboy / Ballinfad in Co. Sligo in the north - west of Connacht. They had then cut off his head, and had it delivered to the leader of the O Connors ("The O Connor") there in Connacht, at his castle at Collooney as the "The O Connor" at this time, had gone over to the English side, while endeavouring to survive, and was collaborating with them by holding out against the Irish forces, by keeping his castle for the English, and both of these Irish Chieftains, were hoping that this drastic action, would be enough to convince him to surrender it up to the Irish cause instead. This main Sept of the O Connors, who were from the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Ai Clann, who were descendents of 87.Brion the original King of Connacht, were previously held in high esteem in Ireland, as they had also produced the last King of Ireland before the Anglo - Norman Invasion. (From now on they were never to regain the position they had previously held in Ireland.) Hugh "Roe" O Donnell, then split his Irish forces into 3 Divisions at the border, and also laid siege to Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province, to also send the same message to Donough O Brien the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond, for also selling out his own Irish Heberian Dal gCais people in his territory. Sir John Chichester, the English appointed commander for Elizabeth 1st, in the Ulster Province was also defeated this year in the Old Mill Glen, by the Mac Donnells / Mac Donalds of the Glynns, the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Colla Uais Clann from Antrim, at Ballycarry / Bale Cora in Co. Antrim in the north - east. He too had been sent by Elizabeth 1st, with Sir Francis Drake, to also bring the Ulster Province under her control, and after he was to kill 100 people there, sparing no person or thing during her "Slash and Burn" / "Scorched Earth" policy, he too was killed there, and interred in a tomb in St. Nicholas' church.

September: During this month, Elizabeth 1st, the English Queen, had Robert Devereux, her previous lover, and the 2nd English Earl of Essex, who had been since held prisoner in the Tower of London, executed by beheading. He had been replaced in his previous position, as the English Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, by Sir Charles Blount / Lord Mountjoy, who was to be more severe and methodical in her policy of "Slash and Burn" in Ireland, as to taking on Hugh "Dubh" O Niall ("The O Niall") in the Ulster Province. He was to let nothing, or no one, stand in his way, Irish women, Irish children, their stock, their property, whatever it took, was now to be subject to this dreadful policy. He began his campaign in Ulster by building forts in Co. Derry in the north - east and elsewhere, to try and and keep Hugh "Dubh" O Niall the Earl of Tyrone, wholly within Ulster itself, so as to cut off any chance of him receiving any further assistance from any of the other Irish Septs in the south of Ireland.

+On to 1600 AD

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook and Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

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