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December 1st: The Ascendancy English Puritan Parliament presented their Grand Remonstrance to Charles 1st, the English King, for him to sign, under the authorship of their leader, John Pym, which included his misgovernment and further "Safeguards against Catholics."

December: The Irish Chiefs in the Ulster Province, captured Strabane in Co Tyrone in Central Southern Ulster, where the Rivers Finn and Mourne unite to form the River Foyle, and where there was also a castle that had been constructed against the Irish Septs there, during the non - Catholic Plantations of Charles 1st's father, James 1st. Although they were not able to take the towns of Enniskillen, Coleraine and Derry in Ulster, many of the Presbyterians in Ulster still returned to Scotland, where the Parliament there offered to send 10,000 troops into Ulster to support them.

Later on encouraged by Eogan "Roe" O Niall's victory in Ireland, the Anglo - Irish Catholic Lords of The English Pale also, were to join in and side with the Mere Irish, which was to lead on to the Irish Confederation of Kilkenny, when Lord Mount - Garret, the uncle of James Butler the English Royalist 12th Earl of Ormonde, was to be chosen as the President of the Supreme Council of Ireland. General Barry, was to be their Supreme Commander in the Munster Province, with his uncle Sir Daniel O Brien from the Heberian Dal gCais Ui mBriain Sept, to be given command in Co. Clare in the north - west of Munster. General Barry, and "The Mac Carthy Mor" the Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil Lord of Muskerry in Southern Munster, were to capture Limerick and it's Castles in Co. Limerick in the mid - north - west of Munster also. Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare, which was now held by the supporters of the Ascendancy English Puritan Parliament, became the only part of Co. Clare that was not by now under the direct control of the Irish forces there.

December: The Ascendancy English Puritan Parliament sent an 1,100 English Military Force over to Dublin, and Sir William St. Leger, who was the English appointed President in the Munster Province, used severe methods against the the Catholic Irish "gentry" there, which was also to force them to join in with the Irish Uprising against them. Meanwhile, Drogheda in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster, which was the northern perimeter of The English Pale, and under the control of Sir Henry Tichborne, for the English Military Forces, was besieged by Sir Phelim O Niall from the "Northern" Ui Niaill' Cenel nEogain from nearby in the Ulster Province for the Irish Confederacy.

The Irish Catholic forces, who were now under the leadership of Lord Mount - Garrett, took Kilkenny in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster, which was then to be retained as their headquarters until 1648 AD, that was actually in the territory under the control of James Butler the Royalist 12th English Earl of Ormonde, who dissolved the Irish Confederation garrison there, and installed a Royalist garrison who were completely loyal to Charles 1st the English King. Despite this, the Irish Confederacy were to regain control of the Munster Province, while Co. Leitrim in Northern Connacht now joined in with them, as did the Ulster Province. Burke, who was now the English Marquis of Clanricarde, held onto the Connacht Province, so as to stay in with the Ascendancy English Puritan Parliament, but within a few months most of it also was to come under Irish Confederacy control, while the town of Galway in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, controlled by the "14 Foreign Tribes of Galway," was to continue to remain neutral for some time, with the fort there also being under the Ascendancy English Puritan Parliament Military Forces.

Munster: Pierce Ferriter / Piaras Feiritear an Anglo - Irish Landlord, of Norman descent whose family had arrived into Ireland in 1295 AD, was a poet, and a Dingle Chieftain, from the Gaeltacht / Irish speaking region there in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province. His castle, (which is now only a ruin) was on Sybil Hill, at the far end of the peninsula near Ballyferriter, and Ferriter's Cove, where there are the 3 rocky points there known now as The Three Sisters. He became an Irish Confederacy Captain, and was to fight under the leadership of Finghin Mac Carthy the Heberian Eoghanacht Chaisil Chief of Co Kerry, who was to capture Castle Maine. The English Military Forces then attacked Tralee there, while Finghin Mac Carthy was called away to assist his overall Chief, "The Mac Carthy Mor," the previously appointed English Earl of Muskerry. Pierce Ferriter, then took over the command there and captured Tralee himself for the Irish Confederacy, and would continue to carry on the fight there later on also against Oliver Cromwell, the future English Lord Protector, until 1653 AD when he was to be the last to submit and was then to be hung in Killarney. Meanwhile, Limerick City in Co. Limerick in the mid - north - west of Munster adjacent to Co. Kerry was also to be occupied by the Irish Confederacy. - Burncourt Castle, situated in Co. Tipperary in the north - east of Munster, was another castle constructed this year, while Clonakilty in Co. Cork in Southern Munster was destroyed, and Ballynacarriga Castle there, which had been also built by the Mac Carthys, was captured by the English Military Forces.

Connacht: The English Military Forces in Castlebar in Co. Mayo in the mid - west of the Connacht Province, surrendered to the Irish Confederacy and Burke, the Anglo - Irish English appointed Marquis of Clan Rickarde, garrisoned the Burke Castle there also at Clare Galway in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht. 100 of the Gentry and clergy, were killed at Shrule in Co. Mayo in the mid - west of Connacht on the surrender of Castlebar to the Irish Confederacy forces, after they had been previously promised safe conduct by Lord Mayo / Burke and Walter and Ulick Burke gave assistance, but Lord Mayo's son, who had succeeded him as the English Viscount there was to be tried and shot for not protecting them. Co. Sligo, in the north - west of Connacht, was also sacked, including the Dominican Friary there, containing the family tomb of the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin O Connors, and the English forces also destroyed Sligo Abbey there, which has been left a ruin ever since. Ballymote Castle there was also taken by the Irish Confederacy. - The Portumna Castle in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, that had also been constructed originally by the Anglo - Irish Burkes, was later to be destroyed by the forces of Oliver Cromwell the future English Lord Protector.

Ulster: - The church at Galcorm Castle in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, was sacked and the town and the castle of Tandragee in Co. Armagh in the south - east of Ulster, previously belonging to the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Colla da Crioch O Hanlons of Orior in Ulster, was destroyed. - Gosford Castle, held by the Achesons / Atkinsons was destroyed at Markethill in Co. Armagh in the south - east of Ulster. - The town of Derry in Co. Derry in the north - east of Ulster, was also attacked during the Irish Uprising, but not taken. - Lisburn Castle in Co. Antrim also was put under siege, and the Bishop's Castle at Raphoe in Co. Donegal in the north - west of Ulster was another besieged, but it is still there to see, although a ruin. (The de Mandevilles / Mac Quillans had also previously built a Castle at Dunseverick in Co. Antrim in the north - east Ulster.) Captain Rory Maguire, destroyed the Plantation Castle at Tully Bay in Co. Fermanagh in the south - west of Ulster, for the Irish Confederacy, where the ruins are also still there to be seen. - The English Episcopalian Church of England Bishop, Bedell, was to be protected by the Irish during the Irish Uprising, as he had translated the Old Testament into the Irish language, and by doing so had braved the rage of the Ascendancy English Puritan Government authorities in Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre) for doing so. He had also publicly declared the hardships of the Catholic Irish, and English Military Forces would eventually take him prisoner and hold him captive in the O Reilly's Lough Oughter Castle on an island near Cavan in Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster.

Leinster: The Rock of Dunamase, situated in Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster, which was originally the stronghold of 113.Diarmait Mac Murrough na Gall, was now held by Sir Charles Coote for the English Parliament, who had also destroyed the castle at Ferns there, that had been constructed originally by William de Valance one of the Anglo - Norman Barons, on the old fortress of the Kings of Leinster. (The Anglo - Irish Roches / de Roiste from Co. Wexford had also founded Selskar there.) The English Military Forces also captured the Earl of Longford's Castle in Longford in Co Longford in the north - west of Northern Leinster. The Ascendancy Puritan Parliament Military Forces were also to destroy the stronghold of Baldungan in Co. Dublin in the north - east of Southern Leinster, built originally by the the de Berminghams, who were also Anglo - Norman Barons, which was then under the control of the Irish Confederacy. - Mellifont Abbey, situated 3 mile from Monasterboice in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster, that had previously been given over to Sir Gerald Moore in 1535 AD, after the Confiscation of the Catholic Institutions by Henry VIII, and that had been used as a residence by him, was now in the hands of the Irish Confederacy. There were also many battles fought over the town of Athlone in Co. Westmeath in the south - west of Northern Leinster, on the eastern side of the River Shannon, adjacent to the Connacht Province, as it was basically the centre of Ireland.

O Flaherty (1641 AD - 1709 AD) of Moycullen / Magh Cuilinn (The Holly Plain) in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, was born this year who was to write a History of Ireland,

+On to 1642 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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