From the battles to control Connaught to dissent among the invaders over Irish land .
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1200
1200+
1202
1205
1224
1227
1228
1228
1170-1230
1230
1232
1233
1235
1236
1237
1238
1243
1248
1250+
1251
1257
1263
1263
1264
1265
1270
1271
1273
1279
1280
1282
1286
1200+
Cathal Carrick O’Connor and Cathal Crovdhearg were engaged in fierce battle over the kingship of the province.William de Burgo entered from Munster on the side of Carrick,Crovdhearg, overpowered, withdrew to Ulster where he received additional help from O’Donnell. 1200+The population of Ireland was undoubtedly very small. There was 185 tribes and the king of a tribe was supposed to command 700 fighting men. This would imply an average of 5000 people per tribe or 1,000,000 for the whole country.Estimates for 1660-70 are 1,320 000, this after the rebellion of 1641. We can assume that the population for Connacht in 1200 was about 100,000.
It is also estimated that one quarter of the land was under forest.
1200
Bishop of Annaghdown is given as witness to a grant by O’Flaherty, which seems to defy the synod of Kell’s rulings that the diocese of Annaghdown be dissolved at the death of the reigning prelate.
1200
Bishop of Annaghdown is given as witness to a grant by O’Flaherty, which seems to defy the synod of Kell’s rulings that the diocese of Annaghdown be dissolved at the death of the reigning prelate.Other Bishops of Annaghdown mentioned are: 1201 Conor O’Mellaigh,1241 M. O’Flaherty,1250 Thomas O’Mellaigh…We will continue to follow the sporadic existence of the see of Annaghdown through the years even if it seems of no great concern to us, because it leads to the creation of Galway diocese of which we are part.
1202
Crovdhearg returned to Connacht,this time with De Burgo on his side. They defeated Cathal Carrick who was killed in the conflict,so ending that war.They also plundered the church and town of Cong.De Burgo planned and practically executed that conquest of Connacht.The new king and his Norman ally then made a triumphant tour of Connacht and came northward through Shrule. They stayed at O’Connor’s residence in Cong and de Burgo’s men were billeted in the dwellings of the inhabitants over a wide area, possibly as far as Shrule parish.The Baron then demanded wages for the services rendered by his army, advising Cathal to have it levied from the local people.
This of course made the locals very angry and, when a rumour went around that William was dead in Cong, they turned on the soldiers billeted in their homes and massacred them to a total of 900 men.William, furious, left Cong for Munster to recruit a new army.It seems that William aimed at disposing Crovdhearg and take the sovereignty for himself. This was against the treaty of Windsor and King John confiscated all of William’s properties. William got them all back but with some difficulty.
1205
William de Burgo returned to Cong from where he plundered and burned the surrounding country as far as Shrule, among the churches plundered Cong, Kilmaine and Tuam are mentioned. Cathal Crovdhearg was going to retaliate when trouble started in Munster and William had to leave. He never came back as he died that same year.His eldest son, Richard, was only 14 years old and the de Burgh estate passed to the crown.Crovdhearg was left free to consolidate his power in Connacht.
1224
Cathal Crovdhearg died and was replaced as King by his son Aodh.Within a short time the O’Flahertys took arms against him, which resulted in the land of Magh Seola,Shrule and as far as Kilmaine being plundered again. Aodh’s men came after O’Flaherty into that land, taking hostages and extracting guarantees.
1227
Aodh was in Tir Chonaill when Richard Mor de Burgo appeared, marching northward by the eastern shore of the Corrib, through Shrule and to Kilmaine, plundering, burning buildings, taking hostages…That same year a famine and a great plague (a fever) also killed many of the people in our area.
1228
Aodh O’Connor died, murdered by a foreigner.On the 21 May Richard de Burgh received a royal grant of twenty five of the thirty cantred of land in Connacht, the remaining five, in Athlone and Roscommon, being left to O’Connor. Richard was also appointed Viceroy.Of course that grant still had to be made effective, which resulted in another nine years of conflict without much success for the Norman Baron.
1228
Famine in Connacht that year,and its churches and lay properties were plundered and its clerics and men of skill driven to far foreign regions, having been exposed to cold and hunger through the war of Ruaidri’s son at the time.
1170-1230
During that period, Teampall Cholmain, the great parish church of Shrule was built, 91ft. long in Gothic style, by a descendant of Torlogh Mor O’Connor, in place of the older one founded by St. Patrick.That church stayed in use,except in penal times, until the nineteenth century. It replaced Cloghvanaha Abbey as an administrative church.There is a mention of a Bishop of Shrule in the old annals but his name is not given.Some said that a Bishop of Cong might have taken residence in Shrule, so as to be more independent from the O’Connor.To the same period as Teampall Cholmain also belongs the church of Kinlough, which replaced Moyne as the parish church for the wes- tern part of the present parish. Moyne continued to function for many years.
1230
Richard attacked O’Flaherty in his castle in Galway and drove him out to the North, O’Connor came to his aid, many Connachtmen came through Cong to reinforce them and more crossed the lake by boats,many skirmishes then took place on this side of the Corrib, as far as Shrule and even through Mayo, the Irish, using guerrilla tactics brought the efforts of Richard to nothing.
1232
After two years of conflict, with Felim O’Connor taken hostage, Richard had made no real progress.Richard lost the support from Hubert de Burgh who had fallen from power in England.The King of England ordered Richard to release Felim but he failed to comply.Maurice Fitzgerald was then made Viceroy at his place and ordered to take up Connacht.
1233
Richard Mor de Burgo helped King Henry in Marshall’s rebellion,and in doing so regained favour.He then came back to the west of Ireland and captured Galway from O’Flaherty, building a castle there.The power of O’Flaherty was much lowered by that action.
1235
Fedhlim son of Cathal Crovdhearg and king of Connacht, with the support of the O’Brien of Thomond, refused to acknowledge submission to the English throne.This gave Richard all the excuse he needed to take Connacht.Fedhlin decided to take with him,towards O’Domhnaill, all the cows he found in Conmaicne Mara and Conmaicne Cuile and those belonging to all that obeyed his counsel, and to leave the country wasted for the foreigners.
1236
Shortly after this Richard asked the help of Maurice Fitzgerald and a expeditionary force was set up, it included Hugh de Lacy,Walter de Ridelesfort and John Cogan,the Birminghams, the Prendergasts, the Fitzgriffins and the Botillers.Other Normans mentioned are Staunton, Roche, de Barry, Barret, Cusack, Flemming and de Exeter.The Irish taken by surprise made a last minute alliance of the O’Connors, O’Flahertys, O’Briens, O’Heynes and some minor clans and chieftains.
The Normans first plundered Roscommon and Sligo, then turned southward to meet the Irish forces who were easily defeated. At that point the O’Flahertys and the O’Heynes changed side.The invasion forces then turned north once again and went to Westport via Tuam and Ballinrobe where they broke up a tribal rally.Felhim O’Connor was captured and brought to Boyle, the Irish crushed.The Normans left the countryside wasted, Connacht “without food or clothing in church or territory, without peace or quiet or prosperity.”. Shrule parish suffered again from war and famine this time accompanied by “great rain and bad weather”.Richard build a castle in Loughrea then left for England.There followed the distribution of Connaught amongst the Normans.
5 cantred were reserved to the king of Connacht, who had to pay tributes to the crown of England.Richard de Burgh aquired the baronies of Loughrea,Leitrim and Longford plus some large track of lands. He was also the overlord for Connaught.Hugh de Lacy: 5 cantred in north Mayo, which he sold or exchanged. Maurice Fitzgerald:The western half of Conmhaicne Cuile and the baronies of Ross and Sligo. He later purchased two baronies from de Lacy and the eastern half of Conmhaicne Cuile from Stephen Roche.Walter de Ridelisford: Admekin and Corofin John de Coghan: South Claregalway Prendergast: Claremorris and the eastern half of Conmhaicne Cuile.
He sold that half to Roche who in turn sold it to Fitzgerald.Staunton got Carra, Bermingham got Dunmore, Botiller Burrishoole, 4 cantred went to the O’Kellys, the rest was divided between Joedan, Nangle, Dillon, Roche, Petit, Carew, Barrett, Fleming.Following the invasion the native chieftains were banished and their estates went derelict, in some cases the Normans used the existing Celtic defences as in Ballisnahiney where the castle is build on top of a ring fort.
The annals of Connacht describe that year as follow:“ This was a year of wet and storm and war, of hunger and scarcity of food and clothing, armed band and evil doers without reverence for church or privilege, being excommunicated by the hand of bishops; the reverent clerics of the catholic church in fear and dread every day and night; frequent routs and escaping from Gael and Gall to the churches, and churches used as dormitories, this year and for the space of twelve years ever since O’Niell’s war;
Galls and Gaels plundering by turns, no lordship or government, but Connacht lying open for the Galls to ruin whenever they came into it, and it’s king and eligible princes plundering and violating church and countryside in their wake.
”The Annals of the four masters shows that the practice of keeping the harvest stored in the church ground is still common at this time, and this might be the raison for so many churches being plundered as it would have being a good source of supply for the armies.“ William Burke left neither rick nor basket of corn in the large churchyard of Mayo or in the yard of the church of St. Michael the Archangel, and carried away eighty baskets out of the churches themselves. They afterward went to Turlagh, on which they inflicted similar calamities.
1237
There was great quarrelling between the O’Connor and other native chiefs among themselves, after Felim visited Henry, accepting the lordship of the five cantred so becoming a vassal to the King and at peace with de Burgo.In the same year, the barons of Erinn came into Connacht and started to build castles in it.
1238
Castles were build in Muintir Murchadha, Conmaicne Cuile and Cera by the Norman barons. A garrison to maintain the lord’s authority, to protect his colonists and to command his country, was housed in this castle. The territory they controlled was generally the same as the old Irish Tuath.
As Prendergast got the area around Shrule but soon after sold it to Roche who in turn sold it to Fitzgerald, it is not known which of the barons started the construction of Shrule castle. The land around each castle was then arranged into estates so as to raise revenue, those estates were like small kingdoms. The lord of the “manor estate” was a law into himself, having the civil, judicial and military power into his own hand.
1243
Death of Richard Mor de Burgo.He is succeeded by his son, also named Richard.Maurice Fitzgerald had the possession of Shrule at that time, and he kept a garrison there, so the construction of Shrule castle must have been finished by then.
1248
Death of Richard II de Burgo, his brother Walter replaced him.
1250+
The Normans encouraged traders to form small corporate towns, by grants of land on burgage tenure.A 16th century tradition tell us that Shrule as it stand today was one of those towns.
1251
Concors is chosen as Bishop of Annaghdown,the election was confirmed by Rome and assented to by the King of England, causing an embarrassing situation for the Archbishop of Tuam who stepped in, seizing Annaghdown and asserted the terms of the Kells Synod which seems to have been unknown to Rome.
1257
Maurice Fitzgerald is wounded by Godfrey O’Donnell,he died a short time later, leaving his estate to be divided between his two daughters, Amabil and Juliana. Which of the girls got Shrule? We do not know. Eventually the estate went to John Fitzthomas Fitzgerald, Baron of Offaly. He was an absentee landlord,subletting portion of his territory. Shrule remained in the possession of the Fitzgeralds until the end of that century.
1263
Thomas, Bishop of Annaghdown, is recorded to have died that year.
1263
O’Donnell invaded the area held by the Normans, he took part in the plundering of Sliabh Lugha, joined Aedh in raveging Mag Seola, then went home via Shrule, Ballinrobe and Tirawley, obtaining his demand from all.
1264
Walter de Burgo, having married the widow of Hugh de Lacy, became Earl of Ulster. Being occupied by his affairs in the North he left his younger brother William Og taking care of Connacht.
1265
A conference took place in Kilmaine, between Tomaltach O’Connor the Archbishop of Tuam, and the Prendergasts, at which many of the Archbishop’s people were slain.
1270
Death of William Og, killed by O’Connor, his son William Liath, the grey, replaced him in Connacht.
1271
Death of Walter de Burgo, his son Richard III “The Red Earl” was to succeed him as soon as he came of age in 1280, in the meantime the estate of Walter passed to the crown.William Liath used the opportunity of the lordship going to the crown to take control of Connacht for himself.
1273
Rory O’Flaherty was driven across Lough Corrib by the Normans, into the hills where his ancestors had driven others before.
1279
The Normans managed to have one of their clergy, John de Ufford, elected as Bishop of Annaghdown, so restarting the controversy.
1280
Both the Red Earl and his brother John claimed Shrule castle, al- though property of the Fizgerald. From then on great dissension broke out between the Burkes and the Fitzgeralds over the land conquered. The Red Earl, busy with his affairs in Ulster, decided to leave his cousin William Liath in charge of Connacht.
1282
De Ufford is still claiming to be Bishop of Annaghdown allthough the Papal confirmation is not forthcoming. At that time there was no Archbishop to refute his claim as the See of Tuam was vacant.
1286
Fullburn, the new Archbishop of Tuam and a Norman, silenced Annaghdown’s new claim and re-affirmed the union with Tuam.