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1596 AD "The Mac Carthy Mor," died, who was the last English appointed 1st Earl of Clan Carty and all his Irish territory was also confiscated by Elizabeth 1st and given over to the English Episcopalian Planters and as he was the overall leader and overlord in the south of the Munster Province of Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan - "The O Sullivan Beare," who was also his neighbour, he along with all the other Irish Chiefs in the Munster Province now had much more to worry about.

June 22nd: King Philip 11 of Spain said that he would assist Hugh "Dubh" O Niall - "The O Niall" to drive the English out of Ireland to allow freedom of religion and the Ulster Province Chiefs attempting to end the ongoing religious persecution made one last desperate call on the English Government and Elizabeth 1st to stop harassing the Catholic clergy.

Lost completely to the Irish cause Donough O Brien the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond again assisted the English Governor Sir Richard Bingham against the Anglo - Irish Burkes in the Connacht Province.

Dunkeron Castle had been built by the Heberian Eoghanacht Chief, "The O Sullivan Mor" at Neidin - Little Nest at Kenmare in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province and the remains of the O Sullivan Cappanacrushy Castle is also still to be seen nearby.

1597 AD Donough O Brien the English 4th Earl of Thomond assisted the English Governor Sir Richard Bingham again, against the Anglo - Irish Burkes in the Connacht Province and combined with the other O Brien who was now also the English Baron of Inchiquin and they went further north out of Connacht and also attacked the Northern Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill Ulster Chief, Hugh "Roe" O Donnell at his Castle at Bally Shannon - Belashanny in Co. Donegal in the west of the Ulster Province. They then crossed the River Erne were O Brien the English Baron of Inchiquin was killed and was later buried at the Cistercian Assaroe Abbey and Bingham's English forces were defeated who then retreated back across the River Erne leaving all their artillery pieces behind for Hugh "Roe" O Donnell while his ally Hugh "Dubh" O Niall kept the English at bay near the River Blackwater. The Irish forces also won a battle at Tyrrell Pass in Co. Westmeath in the north - west of the Leinster Province, where the ruins of the Anglo - Irish Tyrrell's aka Tirial stronghold is still there to be seen.

The dominance of the Anglo - Irish Fitz Geralds of Kildare in Central Leinster and the Fitz Geralds of Desmond in the Munster Province had been done away with by the English Government, which had also ensured their control over most of Ireland and the Irish Ui Niaill under Hugh "Dubh" O Niall - "The O Niall" and Hugh "Roe" O Donnell - "The O Donnell" in the Ulster Province were all that was now left of the actual Mere Irish leadership in Ireland. Only they now stood between the unending ethnic and religious oppression of the English Government under Elizabeth 1st and the total obliteration of the Irish Septs and to further their ends the English Government now also tried to remove their Irish and Anglo - Irish allies by carrying out negotiations for a peaceful solution with them also up to this point.

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 in Ireland totally controlled The English Pale from Dundalk in Co. Louth in the north - east of the Leinster Province down to Dublin in the mid - east of Leinster and Hugh "Dubh" O Niall - "The O Niall" the Ulster Chieftain who was now also a widower had 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 "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 at the Yellow Ford only 2 mile out of Armagh were they defeated the English forces under the command of his new brother - in - law, the English Chief Marshall in Ireland, Sir Henry Bagenal who was killed in the battle together with 23 of his commanders and 2,500 of his men and 34 English Banners together with the English artillery and supplies were captured. The English forces there had suffered the heaviest defeat ever in Ireland and the Irish forces allowed the defenders of the fort to leave unmolested with only 200 of the Irish being killed and 600 wounded, which further encouraged all the Irish Septs and Families of Ireland to rally to his cause against the never ending English ethnic and religious oppression and to try and rid Ireland once and for all of their presence.

Philip 11 the King of Spain, died, and his son, Philip 111 was in and also promised assistance to Ireland against the English ethnic and religious oppression and Elizabeth 1st was to now send Sir Robert Devereux the 2nd English Earl of Essex with a further 20,000 English troops to crush the Irish Septs and totally govern Ireland for England by crushing any further Irish resistance.

1599 AD Edmund Spencer, died in London as a pauper, and his descendants came back to live in Ireland until the late 18th Century AD including John Spencer who was to 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 Lord Lieutenant with 20,000 English troops and went about subduing the Munster Province and then headed north eventually where he was to come up against Hugh "Dubh" O Niall - "The O Niall" at the Ford of Annaclint on the border of Co. Monaghan in Southern Ulster where he decided to make a truce with him. He was then to return to England without authority to see Elizabeth 1st to explain his reasoning for doing so and where he too was also to be executed by her.

Elizabeth 1st with her anti - Irish Catholic edicts in Ireland had tried to ensure that all the Irish and Anglo - Irish must become members of the Episcopalian Church of England - Ireland or else, as this was now the only condition in Ireland to obtain any chance of gaining positions in Public Life and any chance of ever owning or controlling any of their own Irish Land. The English Pale, known now as the "obedient shires," ran along the east coast in the Leinster Province from Dundalk in the north to just below Dublin, and over the following two centuries the introduced Episcopalian Planters were to be utilized 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 as the Conchies.

Hugh "Roe" 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 Governor in the Connacht Province, in the Curlieu Mountains at Ballinfad - Ballaghboy in Co. Sligo in the north - west of Connacht and had then cut off his head and had it delivered to the leader of the O Connors - "The O Connor" in Connacht at his castle at Collooney. "The O Connor" at this time had gone over to the English side to survive and was collaborating with them by holding out his castle for them and they both hoped that this drastic action would be enough to convince him to surrender it up. The leading Heremonian Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Ai O Connors who were descendents of 80.Conn of the Hundred Battles through 87.Brion who were previously held in such esteem from now on were never to regain the position they had held in Ireland. Hugh "Roe" O Donnell then split his army 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 4th Earl of Thomond for also selling out his own Irish Dal gCais people and his territory. Sir John Chichester the English commander in the Ulster Province was also defeated by the Heremonian Dal Cuinn 3 Colla Uais Mac Donnells of the Glynns of Antrim at Ballycarry in Co. Antrim in the north - east.

September: Elizabeth 1st had her favourite, Robert Devereux, the 2nd English Earl of Essex executed by beheading and he was then succeeded by Sir Charles Blount - Lord Mountjoy as the English Lord Lieutenant in Ireland who was to be more methodical in his approach to taking on Hugh "Dubh" O Niall - "The O Niall" in the Ulster Province. He intended to follow Elizabeth 1st's wishes to the letter with a "Scorched Earth policy" and let nothing stand in his way, women, children, stock, property, whatever it took was subject to the "Scorched Earth" policy and he began by building forts in Co. Derry in north - east Ulster and elsewhere to try and and keep Hugh "Dubh" O Niall enclosed in Ulster so as to cut off any chance of him receiving any assistance from any of the Irish Septs in the south of Ireland.

+On to 1600 AD

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook & 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.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com