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January 14th: Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan, and his remaining Heberian Eoghanacht followers from Co. Cork in Southern Munster, finally reached Co. Leitrim in Northern Connacht, after 14 days of unbelievable terror, after initially leaving Glengarriff previously with 1,000 of them, whose numbers were by now down to only 35, including 16 fighting men, 18 civilians and only one woman. (Over the next few days more of the "survivors" from Co. Cork were to continue to wander on in to Co. Leitrim also.) Brian "Oge" - the Younger O Rourke "The O Rourke," the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Breifne Chieftain, was still holding out in Co. Leitrim against the English Military Forces of Elizabeth 1st, although some of his kinsman too had gone over to the English side. He was also holding onto Dromhair / Drom Dha Eithiar (The Ridge of the Two Demons) on the River Bonet, which was the main seat of the Ui Briuin Breifne O Rourkes. Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan soon began building up his own Irish forces again, while using the Spanish gold, until he had a company of 300 men, and he then joined up with Brian "Oge" Maguire the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Colla da Crioch Chieftain and his forces, and they both set out towards Loch Erne in nearby Co. Fermanagh in the south - west of the Ulster Province, which was situated 30 miles to the north - east of Co. Leitrim. They discovered that Loch Erne, and the fords that crossed over the River Erne, were still being held by some of the other Maguire Septs who had gone over to the English side also, so instead they decided to cross over further down at Belturbet, in the territory of the Ui Briuin Breifne O Reillys in East Breifne in Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster. They set up their camp along with their families, in behind enemy lines, where they soon came under attack, but were able to drive their attackers off. With their combined Irish forces, they besieged the English Military forces throughout the region, and were able to defeat them, which gave them added momentum to also besiege the English held garrisons set up on the islands in Loch Erne, and they were able to defeat them also, one by one. They then pushed on eastwards into the interior for another 50 miles, always with the intention of joining up with the other Irish Septs who were under the command of Black Hugh O Niall "The O Niall" who was by now down to his last 60 horsemen near Slieve Gallon in the north - east of Loch Neagh in Ulster.

March: After 9 years of endless fighting against the English Military forces of Elizabeth 1st the Welsh Norman English Queen, and the terrible devastation throughout Ireland, and especially the ongoing turmoil that the English Military forces were causing to the general Irish population, with her continuing policy of "Slash and Burn" against them, their cattle, their property and their crops, Black Hugh O Niall "The O Niaill" finally decided it was time to give up the fight. (Blount / Lord Mountjoy, the English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland, arrived at Mellifont in Co. Meath in the north - east of Northern Leinster to receive his personal surrender. March 24th: Mountjoy had received word that Elizabeth 1st had been dead in England a few days before, but he had kept it to himself, so as to ensure that Black Hugh O Niall would not become aware of it. On March 30th: Black Hugh O Niall arrived and surrendered himself up to Blount / Mountjoy, under the proposed Treaty of Mellifont, still not aware that the never ending belligerent Elizabeth 1st, was long gone. (It was agreed under the Treaty that he should retain his English title as the 2nd Earl of Tyrone together with his main territory.) Rory O Donnell, the younger brother of the recently deceased Hugh "Roe" O Donnell "The O Donnell" became the newly English appointed Earl of Tyrconnell, and retained the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel Conaill territory in Co. Donegal in the west of the Ulster Province, where the English Appointed Chief Baron, Pelham was to conduct the first English Assizes / trials.

Meanwhile, Donnell "Cam" O Sullivan and Brian "Oge" Maguire had arrived to join up with Black Hugh O Niall, but it was too late, and Brian "Oge" Maguire, William Burke, Tyrell and many others also submitted, while O Connor "Kerry" went directly to Scotland to see the English heir - apparent James V1, who would soon became James 1st in England, and was given back his estates in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province. On the other hand, Brian "Oge" O Rourke did not submit, and was to die within a year, while still keeping up the resistance to the English oppression on all things Irish and Catholic. Sir Owen "Oge" O Sullivan, the younger turncoat, received what he considered was his just reward, and was granted Beare in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, and many of the Irish leaders along with all of Donnell "Cam's" O Sullivan's family were now to make it to Spain, where they were to die in service there to the Spanish King, in opposition to English domination in Ireland, and married into the Spanish nobility. Meanwhile, the Catholic Irish and the Anglo - Irish were excited by the news that there was to be a change in the English monarchy, and were expecting that James V1 / James 1st, who was the son of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots and of maternal Gaelic Irish blood, would be much more tolerant then his predecessor Elizabeth 1st, and they began taking back or reopening the Catholic churches in Ireland for Catholic services in the Munster Province, and also in the Leinster Province, including Co. Wexford and Co. Kilkenny.

April 5th: The death of Elizabeth 1st, had by now been formally announced, and James V1, the French Stuart, was now in as James 1st the first French Stuart King of England, and he immediately notified Donough O Brien the English appointed 4th Earl of Thomond to enforce English Law on the Irish Septs and impose Recusancy fines to compel all of the Irish and Anglo - Irish Catholics to attend the Church of England Episcopalian services. As hard as it was to believe religious persecution of the Irish and Anglo - Irish Catholics was actually to be increased all over Ireland, as the English Ascendancy Parliament proposed," To finish off the Gaelic and Catholic way of life in Ireland." (The Irish were now also to be forced to cut their hair and dress like the English.) April 9th: Charles Blount / Mountjoy, as the English appointed Lord Justice, Lord Deputy and Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, marched on the Munster Province to restore English Episcopalian Ascendancy authority there also. May: Blount / Mountjoy was recalled to England were he was to be created Lord Devonshire, but would die within 3 years, and Sir George Carey became the new English appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland, and the infamous anti - Catholic persecutor, Sir John Davies was to be the appointed English Solicitor - General in Ireland until 1606 AD. June: The Catholic Irish in desperation, sent delegates over to England to see James 1st, in regards to obtaining some democratic rights, but he was not to give them any answers for another 2 years. From now on there was to be a more French Calvinistic approach in regards to the Episcopalian Church of England as an enforced religion, as James 1st had been reared in the Lowlands of Scotland under the initial influence of the teachings of John Knox. (It was also during this period that Mountjoy Castle was built by Francis Roe at Stewartstown in Co. Tyrone near Loch Neagh in Central Ulster.)

New English Episcopalian Plantations, were begun in Ireland where they only were to run the Government in Ireland, while increased land was granted to Sir Randall Mac Donnell, who brought in both Catholic and Presbyterian lowland Scots into the north - east of the Ulster Province. - Newtownards in Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster was granted to Sir Hugh Montgomery / Lord Braidstaine in Ayshire in England, being a one third portion taken from the territory of Conn O Niall of Clandeboye. - Sir James Hamilton was also granted another one third portion from the same territory, who had previously operated as an informant for James 1st in Dublin, during Elizabeth 1st's reign. Conn O Niall, whose territory they had Confiscated, had originally possessed 60,000 acres in trust on behalf of his particular "Northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain Sept, and they had forcibly held him in Carrickfergus Castle on a charge of Treason. Sir James Hamilton, who was to be created the English Earl of Clandeboye himself, later guaranteed Conn O Niall a pardon, if he handed over a share in the land there, but Sir Hugh Montgomery and Sir James Hamilton both eventually finished up with the whole lot anyway. James 1st, the first French Stuart King of England wanted the Scottish Presbyterians Planted along the sea coast for his future advantage, and created 40 Boroughs with the right to send 2 members, who would have 2 votes each to Westminster Parliament to give him total political control over the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament also in Ireland. He made the town of Gowran in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster one of these, and he also gave a charter to Lifford in Co. Donegal in the west of Ulster, were it is separated by the River Foyle, while the English Earl of Salisbury wanted the whole of Ulster settled "As a spear head in to the Irish flesh," and also to have the Juries stacked "to ensure" convictions were carried out as required, by those in authority in the Ascendancy.

As Elizabeth 1st was now gone the Franciscan monks were feeling much safer also, and they began to return to Ireland, while the 9,000 English Military troops who were still in Ireland, were reduced in number, and Black Hugh O Niall and Rory O Donnell went over to England to appear before James 1st, the new French Stuart King of England, from whom the Irish were now hoping for some relief, due to his original connection to his mother and his Gaelic heritage, as he also had the blood of the Irish Scottish Kings of Dal Riada and the Highlands of Scotland.

John "Fionn" Mac Namara of Dangan, died this year. Inquisition?

+On to 1604 AD - 1606 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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