Part II. History of Thomond
Chapter 12. History of Thomond before it was formed into an English county: From the earliest times, to the death of De Clare, and expulsion of the English in 1318.

Chapter 12. Footnotes

1. MacLiag’s account of the Carn Conall in O’Curry’s Lectures, on the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish. Vol. ii., Lec. 6, p. 122, and Vol. iii. Lec. 22, p. 74. The places last mentioned cannot be identified.

2. Annals of Four Masters, A.D. 1014. Annals of Ulster.

3. Idem, A.D. 977.

4. Annals of Inisfallen, A.D. 975.

5. A.D. 982. Dalcais was plundered by Maelsaghlin, King of Leinster, and the tree of Aenach Maigh Adhair cut down. Ann. Four Mast.

6. Ann. Four Masters.

7. Keating’s History of Ireland, A.D. 1012, p. 90.

8. See Petrie’s Description of Tara in Vol. xviii. of ‘Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy’;—And see in this volume under the head “Killaloe” a description of Brian’s great banquets, p. 176. See also O’Donovan’s Book of Rights, p. 43.

9. Ann. Four Masters, A.D. 1050.

10. Idem, A.D. 1051.

11. Idem, A.D. 1055.

12. Idem, A.D. 1068.

13. Ann. Four Mast., A.D. 1077.

14. Idem, A.D. 1068.

15. Idem, A.D. 1019.

16. Idem, A.D. 1080.

17. Idem, A.D. 1086.

18. Idem, A.D. 1087.

19. Ann. Inisfallen, A.D. 1089.

20. Ann. Four Mast., A.D. 1088.

21. Idem, A.D. 1090, 1091, 1092, 1093.

22. Idem, A.D. 1101.

23. Idem, A.D. 1101.

24. Idem, A.D. 1130.

25. The bishop had been a widower at the time of his ordination. His descendants became a powerful family in Clare; said to be represented in 1770, by Francis O’Brien, of O’Brien’s Castle. See Lodge’s Peerage of Ireland, by Archdall, Vol. ii., p. 13.

26. The story of Conor-na-Catharach is taken from the Annals of the Four Masters.

27. A.D. 1151. Four Masters. A.D. 1158. Donald O’Lonergan, Archbishop of Cashel, of the tribe of Dalcais, died. Ann. of Inisfallen. A.D. 1159. Donald MacNamara was drowned in the Shannon.

28. Ann. Four Masters, A.D. 1169.

29. Lodge, Vol. ii, p. 14. A.D. 1171. A.D. 1170. Lorcan Ua h Echthighern (Ahern) was slain by the sons of MacNamara, and the Ui Caisin. Four Mast.

30. Four Mast. A.D. 1174-1176. A.D. 1182. Brian, son of Turlogh O’Brien, was slain by Regnal MacNamara Beg. Four Mast.

31. Bishop O’Brien’s pedigree, apud Collectanea, and apud Lodge.

32. This relic is yet extant, but in very bad preservation, in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy.

33. Wars of Thomond.

34. Annals of Four Masters, A.D. 1258. Wars of Turlogh O’Brien.

35. It is right to remark, that the Four Masters say, that O’Neill was voted to the supreme authority, at this meeting, but M‘Grath, author of the Wars of Turlogh, asserts that it broke up without making choice of any king of all Ireland. His account is the more worthy of credit.

36. Ann. Four Masters, A.D. 1268.

37. King Henry III. had granted to Robert Mucegross the patent of a market and fair at Bunratty, but he never used the privilege.—Camden.

38. See Wars of Turlogh. Ann. Four Masters, A.D. 1277. Ann. Clonmacnoise, A.D. 1277. See Remonstrance of Irish Chiefs in O’Flaherty’s Iar Connaught, edited by Hardiman.

39. Wars of Turlogh O’Brien: Ann. Inisfallen, A.D. 1278.

40. These districts comprise the present baronies of Elyogarty, Kilnamanagh, Ormond Upper and Lower, and Clanwilliam in the county Tipperary; and in Limerick the baronies of Owney, Clanwilliam, and Coonagh.

41. This place cannot be identified.

42. Supposed by O’Donovan to be Cnoc-a-Daingin, in the parish of Dromcreehy. See Letters of Ordnance Survey of Clare in Library of Royal Irish Academy.

43. This is the road from Gort to Killinaboy through Rockforest Wood.

44. This place cannot be identified.

45. The road between Corofin and Killinaboy.

46. Although some of the places mentioned by MacGrath cannot be identified, there is no doubt that Dermot marched by the road which leads from Ruan to Corofin, thence by the hill of Lena, to Castletown, and to Corcomroe Abbey.

47. This place cannot be identified. Perhaps it is Leitra in Kilkeedy parish.

48. Among the killed were four knights, viz.:—Sir Henry Capel, Sir Thomas Naas, Sir James Caunton (or Condon of Fermoy), and Sir John Caunton. Also, Adam Appleyard and 80 more. De Clare’s body was removed to Limerick, and buried in the Franciscan church there.

49. We here lose the valuable information contained in the Cathereim Toirdhealbaigh, or the History of the Wars of Turlogh O’Brien, written in 1459. Although the work is compiled in the vilest style of bombast, it gives many incidents relating to the history and topography of Thomond of great interest and value. The writer lived so near to the times of which he narrates the story, and his office of historiographer gave him such facilities for collecting information, that his narrative may be received with implicit faith. His name was John, son of Rory MacGrath. An excellent transcript of the tract was made in 1721, by Andrew MacCurtin, of Ennistymon, one of the best Irish scholars of his day, and is now deposited in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. See O’Curry’s Lectures on MS. Materials of Irish History, Dublin, 1861, p. 234. I cannot discover where the patrimonial lands of the family of Magrath were situate in Thomond. Several references are made to them, and to their learning, in the Annals of the Four Masters. I subjoin them here:
“A.D. 1410. Thomas, the son of Maoelmurry Magrath, Ollav of Thomond in poetry, died.
1411. Dermot, the son of Gillaise Magrath, Ollav of Thomond in poetry, died.
1425. The son of Flan Magrath, Ollav of Thomond in poetry, a prosperous and wealthy man, died.
1461. Aengus Magrath, a learned poet, died.
1573. William Magrath, son of Aengus, Ollav of Dalcais in poetry, a learned man, distinguished for his knowledge of the sciences and of agriculture, died.”