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1602 January 2nd: Although the Battle of Kinsale was to mean the end of the Brehon Law, and Gaelic Ireland, in the meantime Daniel Mac Carthy, the son of "The Mac Carthy Mor," the previous English appointed 1st Earl of Clan Carty, along with O Connor "Kerry," who would stick it out to the end, the Anglo - Irish Earls, Fitz Gerald the Knight of Glin, and Fitz Gerald the Knight of Kerry, and others still joined in with the Irish Chieftain, Donnell “Cam" O Sullivan to try and continue to defend the Munster Province against the English onslaught. Besides these Irish Chiefs and the Anglo - Irish Earls, he also enlisted William Burke and Richard Tyrell from the Connacht Province, along with their galloglasses / mercenaries, at three pence a day and their keep, giving him a force of 2,000 men, and he tried to convince the Spanish commander, Del Aguila who had an anti - Irish outlook, to hold the fort at Kinsale. Instead, Del Aguila, attacked the English forces head on, on his own volition, and would have to eventually sue for peace, making friends with Mountjoy and Carew. (On returning with his forces to Spain under liberal terms, he was in disgrace and fell out with Philip 111 over his surrender and personal attitude towards the Irish.) January 9th: Without first consulting with Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan and the other Irish Chiefs in Munster, Del Aguila made an agreement that the Spanish forces would hand over all of the Irish castles to Mountjoy.

January 12th: Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan seized Carriganass Castle, belonging to his cousin, Sir Owen "Oge" O Sullivan, and on hearing of the Spanish surrender to Mountjoy, decided to retake his own castle of Dunboy back from the English, and with 1,000 men he went back to Dunboy and during the night he made a hole in the wall, and retook the castle losing only 3 of his men in the skirmish, and then wrote a letter to Philip 111 justifying his actions.

Sir George Carew, the English appointed President in the Munster Province, believed that he was personally entitled to vast estates in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, that were previously granted by Henry 11 to his ancestor, Robert Fitz Stephen nearly 4 Centuries before. Years before his uncle, Sir Peter Carew, had originally stirred up the Fitz Gerald Desmond Rebellion in the first place, while trying to get his hands on their supposed mythical possessions in Ireland, but he had died in 1575 AD, before he could fully accomplish this mission. His nephew, at this time, was as determined as he had been, to get his hands on all of the land in Munster also, and decided to make an example of Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan, as he now represented the main Irish resistance to any future plans he had there to take over the territory there personally. Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan, had petitioned Mountjoy for a pardon, but he had refused to consider it, so he left Richard Geoghegan from the "Southern" Ui Niaill in charge at Dunboy Castle to defend it, along with other members from the individual Septs there. It was inaccessible by land, but not by sea, so he kept back 3 of the Spanish gunners, who were still willing to fight for the Irish cause, to man the cannons, and sent the rest back to Spain, and an 18' high sod wall was then built to absorb the cannon fire from the English artillery. He sent his 5 year old son and heir, to the protection of the Spanish Governor of Galacia also, informing Philip 111 of this, and his intention to defend the castle and criticised Del Aguila for surrendering in the first place, while requesting Phillip 111 also to send a small ship to Ireland for the rest of his Family to be able to escape, if it became necessary.

March: Sir George Carew, the English appointed President in the Munster Province, had O Brien the 4th English appointed Earl of Thomond, take 3,500 of his men and 500 English soldiers, and reconnoitre the Beare Peninsula in Co. Cork, where he had him also carry out Elizabeth 1st's "Scorched Earth" policy, burning all of the corn at Carbery, Beare and Bantry, and had him also seize all of their cattle, and then march down to Bantry Abbey, and put 700 men on Whiddy Island, which was opposite the Dunboy Castle, and then returned to Cork City to report back to Sir George Carew. March 23rd: Sir George Carew, then set out on his mission to personally take Dunboy Castle himself, but at Skibbereen and Bantry he came up against Irish resistance from the Heberian O Sullivan Sept, and the Ithian O Driscoll Sept. March 31st: Sir George Carew and his Military Forces finally reached Bantry Bay, were he set up in one of the castles of O Sullivan "Beare" at Dunnamark, and renamed the castle after himself calling it Carew Castle, and this was where Sir Owen "Oge" O Sullivan came to meet him, and went over to the English side also, in anticipation of his just reward of becoming The O Sullivan "Beare" in the future, in his own right. There they waited for Sir Charles Wilmot the English commander and his Military Forces, who was also at this same time devastating all of Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province.

May 11th: Elizabeth 1st sent over further Navel ships from England, that were carrying extra munitions to be used on the resiting Irish population, and so did Sir Charles Wilmot her English commander in Ireland, and on May 12th: further English cannons were to arrive on more English ships, and on May 31st: Sir George Carew took his particular English Military Forces to the south of Bantry Bay, so as to be opposite to Dursey Island at Beare in Co. Cork.

June 1st: O Brien, the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond, now took his men over to Bear Island, followed by Sir Charles Wilmot and his English Military Force, followed by Sir Richard Percy's and then Sir George Carew's totalling 4,000 English troops all together, who were now directly opposite to Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan's Dunboy Castle. Captain Richard Mac Geoghegan, who had been left to defend the Dunboy Castle by Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan rowed over from the castle to talk to O Brien the appointed English 4th Earl of Thomond, who informed him to surrender up the castle. In the meantime, a small Spanish craft, the Santiguillo, had arrived at Ardea Castle on the River Kenmare, just across the Slieve Mish Mountains to the north, giving hope of further Spanish reinforcements, and Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan had gone across the Caha Mountains to meet up with it, where he was informed that further Spanish reinforcements would be arriving shortly. Bishop Owen Mac Egan, the Catholic Bishop of Ross, wrote to Richard Mac Geoghegan, advising him that he believed that reinforcements were on their way from Spain, amounting to a great army of 14,000 men, but unbeknown to them all, was the fact that Philip 111 had decided instead to cut his losses, and they were never to arrive. Sir George Carew, disliked Bishop Owen Mac Egan immensely, as he had been responsible for Phillip 111 sending his force to Kinsale in the first place, after he had been appointed by Pope Clement V111, who had made him responsible for the defence of the Munster Province. June 6th: On this day, Sir George Carew, landed two cannons and two regiments onto the Dinish Islet, which was situated between Bear Island and Dunboy Castle, intending to hammer the sandy beach with cannon shot, and he also sent another two English Military Regiments with further reinforcements to the eastern side, where they were able to then establish a beach head, driving the Irish Septs there back to Dunboy Castle. Richard Tyrell and his mercenaries escaped from the trap, and informed Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan of the situation at Dunboy Castle, who was himself at Ardea Castle, as the whole of Dunboy was now surrounded by English warships and English Militia. Castle Dermod, another of the the O Sullivan's castles, on the mainland of Co. Cork, had also been previously secured by the English Military Forces, and by now, Sir Owen "Oge" O Sullivan along with his two brothers, who had all gone over to the English side, due to their personal ambitions, had set out to capture the Heberian O Mahony's castle also at Dunmanus in the next bay.

June 12th: The English Military Forces, which now also included Sir Owen "Oge" O Sullivan, set out to take over Dursey Island, and the castle of his uncle, Dermot O Sullivan, who was also the uncle of Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan, in which there were many refugees, along with 40 fighting men under the leadership of Connor O Driscoll, the son of Sir Fineen O Driscoll of Baltimore, who only had three small Spanish cannons to protect them. Unfortunately, they were to be taken by surprise, and everyone there was then massacred, including all of the women and children, who they threw over the cliffs onto the jagged rocks below and into the sea.

June 16th: Sir George Carew, then set up his English cannons, to begin the siege on Dunboy Castle, drawing them up to within 140 yards of the walls, and then began firing, and soon a messenger came out from those who were still surviving in the castle, offering to surrender, but Sir George Carew only had him taken way and hung, so 40 of the defenders who were now naturally in a panic, escaped into the sea where they were all then shot and drowned by the English Military Forces who were based on the ships surrounding them. Despite this 77 people were also still surviving in the castle cellars, and they also offered to surrender, but this too was refused, so 26 of them somehow managed to get out of the castle and gave themselves up, while Sir George Carew kept firing on the others, hoping to bury them alive. He then had O Brien the appointed English 4th Earl of Thomond, hang another 58 of the survivors in pairs, while Thomas Taylor an Englishman and a mercenary, who had taken command, along with 15 others were reprieved, until they too were eventually to be executed also. Thomas Taylor, was taken to Cork City, where he was to be executed, and Brother Collins, the lay Jesuit teacher, was executed in Youghal from were he had originally came from, while Morty "Og" - the Younger O Sullivan's body was dragged behind an English Navel ship from Bantry Bay to Cork Harbour and Sir George Carew was heard to comment, "That so obstinate and resolved defence had not been seen."

June 22nd: The English Military Forces siege on Dunboy Castle, finally came to an end, with over 80 of the English Military Forces also being killed during the fighting, and the castle was then blown to pieces with dynamite, and the ruins are still there to be seen on the southern shore of the Beare Peninsula in the west of Co. Cork, at the narrow entrance to Beare Haven Harbour, opposite Bear Island beneath the shadow of the Caha Mountains, which includes Hungry Hill.

June 30th: Sir George Carew, left for Cork City in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, leaving behind 6 English Military garrisons in Carbery, to finish cleaning up the area, and the O Mahony castle at Leamcon, was also taken near Carbery, but despite this Donnell "Cam "O Sullivan's remaining Irish forces carried on with their guerrilla warfare in Muskerry, until they retook both the Carrignacurra and the Dunareerke Castles from the Mac Carthys, the Macroom Castle from the O Donoghues of the Glens, and the Carrigaphooca Castle, which was the Mac Carthys stronghold, and many more of the Irish Septs from their also joined in with them.

Blount / Mountjoy the English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland, then began to create divisions among the forces of the Irish Chiefs, by creating ill - feeling, by using of forged letters, and also forced the Irish Chiefs in Co. Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster and Co. Monaghan in Southern Ulster to submit to him, and was to also attack the Ulster Province generally, leaving it totally desolate and the people in Co. Monaghan, Munster Province and Ulster, were now also dying from hunger due to the desolation he had created during the continuing "Scorched Earth" policies of Elizabeth 1st carried out by the English Military Forces in those particular territories.

June: Blount / Mountjoy, the appointed English Lord Deputy in Ireland, built Charlemont Fort on the River Blackwater in Co. Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province, to further control the Irish forces there of Hugh "Dubh" O Niall, and then broke the Ui Niaill "Tullahogue Coronation Stone" / Leac na Ri situated on a high hill near Stewartstown in Ulster, to stop any further Inaugurations of the Ui Niaill Chieftains. The Tullahogue Stone was in the shape of a chair, and it was the responsibility of the O Hagans, who were the third Sept of the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain, who during the Crowning Ceremony, would cast a shoe over the head of "The O Niall" who had been selected from within 4 generations to lead the Tuath / Family region. The "Northern" Ui Niaill O Nialls held their Aonachs / Fairs, sporting events, laws and trading there, attended by their Aos Dana / Learned Class, which included the Judges, Brehon Lawyers, Medical Men, Craftsmen, File / poets, Seers and Visionaries, many of whom had taken over their roles previously from the Druids in earlier times. (The other north - eastern Cenel nEogain Sept of the "Northern" Ui Niaill, the O Nialls of Clandeboye / Clann na Buidhe who had their territory in the north - east of Ulster, were buried for Centuries at Ballymena in Co. Antrim. )

July 18th: Father Archer / Airseir, who was of Anglo - Norman origins, whose original family had arrived in Ireland in the 13th Century AD, and settled in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster, also went to Spain to try and get further assistance from Philip 111, but was also not successful, as Phillip 111 was by now knee deep in the Dutch Wars. September 10th: Hugh "Roe" O Donnell, was also still waiting at Corunna in Spain, for Phillip 111 to supply him with a fleet to try and free the Ulster Province, and after deciding that he could wait no longer, approached him again, with the same result. September 16th: Hugh "Roe" O Donnell / "The O Donnell," who was still only 29 years of age, was poisoned at Simancas in Spain, a month before his 30^th birthday, by James Blake, an English secret agent acting on behalf of Sir George Carew, and he was buried there in Spain, at Valladolid, with great ceremony, and his brother Rory O Donnell then became "The O Donnell" of the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill in Tyrconnell in in the north - west of the Ulster Province, to replace him.

At this time also, Richard Boyle, an English Church of England Episcopalian, who was anti - Catholic in his outlook, had also arrived into Ireland previously, with very limited financial support, but this did not stop him from eventually becoming the biggest landholder in Ireland, and the 1st appointed English Earl of Cork, but despite his personal outlook he never let his anti - Catholic sentiment effect him in his commercial considerations. He always told the English officials, that he had no Irish tenants on his Estates in the Munster Province, when in fact they all were, and he even fostered out his many children to the Mere Irish to rear. One of Elizabeth1st's hangers on, Sir Walter Raleigh, was to also sell him Lismore Castle in Co. Tipperary in the north - east of Munster. The Collegiate of Fitz Gerald, the Earl of Desmond, at Youghal in eastern Co. Cork in Southern Munster, that had also been taken over by Sir George Carew, was to come into his hands eventually also. 12,000 English Episcopalian Planters were to be eventually bought into the Munster Province up to 1622 AD as the Irish Septs there were removed from their territories.

Rory O Donnell, who was now the "The O Donnell" in Tir Connail / The Land of 88.Conaill "Gulban" / Tyrconnell, in the north - west of the Ulster Province, surrendered at Athlone in Co. Westmeath in the north - east Northern Leinster to the English Military commander there.

October: Richard Tyrell, was defeated along with his mercenaries in Muskerry in the south - west of the Munster Province, by Sir Samuel Bagenal the English Military commander, and Sir Charles Wilmot was now appointed the English Governor at Beare in Southern Munster to carry out further attacks on the O Sullivans, and he brought his men down from Dunkerron Castle near Kenmare in Co. Kerry to Glengarriff, within two miles of Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan who was still backed up by William Burke and his mercenaries. December: They came into conflict in a battle, which lasted for nearly 6 hours, and all of Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan's cattle, including 2,000 cows and 4,000 sheep, were taken from him, and William Burke then gathered together his remaining 200 mercenaries and returned to the north to the Connacht Province. With Dunboy Castle gone, Hugh "Roe" O Donnell dead, no sign of any more Spanish reinforcements, the remaining Mac Carthy Septs now also abandoned Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan, as they had lost all their gains in Muskerry, and Richard Tyrell too had also left with his mercenaries to return to the north to Connacht.

December 31st: Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan of Beare" / Beare Haven and Bantry, decided that he would now take his remaining people away from the turmoil and head north from Glengarriff, to try and join up with Hugh "Dubh" O Niall, and Hugh Maguire at Glenconkeine near Loch Neagh in Co. Fermanagh in the south - west of the Ulster Province. At first he intended to reach the fortress of Brian "Oge" O Rourke in Co. Leitrim in Northern Connacht, with 1,000 of his followers, which included 13 horsemen and 400 of his warriors. He set out from the woods at Dereenafalla / Doire na Fola (The Oak Wood of Blood) to join in with the "Northern" Heremonian Septs in Ulster, who were now under great pressure in the north from the English forces there, but to do this they would have to travel over 300 miles, while under constant attack. His territory in the Munster Province had by now, not only been invaded but totally devastated by Sir George Carew the English appointed President in Munster, and his main castle at Dunboy had been totally destroyed, and all the defenders there massacred, and there was a reward of 300 pounds out for his capture. Despite his best intentions, within 15 days of their departure there was to be only 35 members of his party, at first, to arrive there in the north of the Connacht Province, from the original 1,000 who were to set off initially, which would include his uncle, the 70 year old, Dermot O Sullivan of Dursy Island, O Connor "Kerry" and Thomas Burke. It was to turn out to be a journey of absolute terror, while attempting to cross over the River Shannon along the way, until they were to reach the safety of Co. Leitrim, where they would meet up with Brian "Oge" O Rourke, as the English commanders were to put out an order against them, and also against any of the other Irish Septs, who did not try to stop them along the way. On the first day of their journey, they were to reach Augeris in Muskerry / Muscrai to the west of Cork, after travelling 26 miles, where they rested, and where he was to leave his wife and his aunt, Johanna Mac Sweeney the wife of his uncle, Dermot O Sullivan, at a spot above Glengarriff ,near Nead - an - Fhiolair (The Eagle's Nest) with his young two year old son, Dermot O Sullivan, along with some others members of the group to continue on to Spain for safety. Later on they would all be taken there by Cornelius O Driscoll, about the same time as the remaining O Sullivan group were to make it up to Co. Leitrim.

The Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Mac Dermots, O Connor "Roe," and the O Flahertys, in the Connacht Province, along with other Irish Chiefs, were now also forced to submit to Blount / Mountjoy the appointed English Deputy, in Galway in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, but Brian "Oge" O Rourke, Hugh "Dubh" O Niall, the Maguires, and Richard Tyrell were to still keep up the Irish resistance.

Ossory in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster, from this date was to have no Catholic Bishop until 1618 AD.

+On to 1603 AD / 1

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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