Part III. History of the County of Clare
Chapter 30. Reign of James II. and William and Mary. 1689 to 1700.

James II. lands in Ireland; Daniel Viscount Clare appointed Lord Lieutenant, and Sir Donogh O’Brien, Bart., High Sheriff of Clare; Lord Clare arms the County, and Sir Donogh undertakes to raise money and military stores; He makes a call upon the gentry to furnish horses for the service of the king

When James II. landed in Ireland and summoned the people of the country to his support, in no part was the call to arms more heartily responded to than in Clare. Sir Donogh O’Brien, Bart., of Leamaneh and Dromoland, was appointed high sheriff, and Daniel Viscount Clare was named Lord Lieutenant of the county. To these were mainly committed the King’s interests, and well and boldly did they show their loyalty. Lord Clare appears to have assumed to himself the duty of raising the men, while to the high sheriff was entrusted the business of providing money and military appliances for the support and equipment of the troops. In a letter from Sir Donogh to the Earl of Limerick, giving an account of horses pressed in the county of Clare and sent to Cork for the service of the King, he says: “I send a list of the chief gentlemen and ablest persons in this county whose names I have returned to the respective High Constables to be summoned immediately to bring in their best horses without delay to go to Cork. Lieut.-Col. M‘Namara was with me at the making of this list, and has sent a squadron of dragoons to each High Constable to go about with them, and immediately to seize such of the several persons as refuse or delay the bringing in of their horses, and to carry them as prisoners before your Lordship. This course will, I hope, expedite the business, so that I make no doubt a good many of the horses will be at Limerick on Monday next, and the rest soon after. My Lord, it is the want of horses generally throughout this country, which have been taken from the people by dragoons and others,—and not the want of good will to serve his Majesty with all they have,—that makes this county so backward in sending their horses as your Lordship says they are. But now, I hope, what they send will please your Lordship, and that you will not impute any default of this to me, since I have endeavoured and always will be ready to execute your Lordship’s commands.—Your Lordship’s humble servant, Donogh O’Brien, Sheriff of the County of Clare. Dromoland, 26^th April, 1690.” ^[1]