the Ó fiaich treasures · 2019. 2. 12. · successor to authorize the committee of cumann...
TRANSCRIPT
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THE Ó FIAICH TREASURESCARDINAL TOMÁS Ó FIAICH MEMORIAL LIBRARY & ARCHIVE
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
THE Ó FIAICH TREASURESCARDINAL TOMÁS Ó FIAICH MEMORIAL LIBRARY & ARCHIVE
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
AAbraham Exalted Father
Adam Man of Earth
Addison Son of Adam
Adler Eagle
Adley The Just
Adrian The Dark One
Aedan Born of Fire
Aiken The Oaken
Alan Handsome One
Alastair Defender of Men
Albern Of Noble Valor
Albert Noble, Bright
Albion White or Fair
Alden Wise Guardian
Aldis From the Old House
Aldrich Old Wise Leader
Alexander Great Protector
Alfie Form of Alfred
Alfred Supernaturally Wise
Arnold Strong as an Eagle
Arthur Follower of Thor
Arvel Wept Over
Atwater From the Waterside
Atwood Forest Dweller
Aubrey Ruler of the Elves
Austin Helpful
Avery Elfin Ruler
Axel Man of Peace
Albion White or Fair
Alden Wise Guardian
Aldis From the Old House
Aldrich Old Wise Leader
Alexander Great Protector
Alfie Form of Alfred
Alfred Supernaturally Wise
Arnold Strong as an Eagle
Arthur Follower of Thor
Arvel Wept Over
Atwater From the Waterside
Atwood Forest Dweller
Aubrey Ruler of the Elves
Austin Helpful
BBaird Bard or Minstrel
Baldwin Princely Friend
Barclay Meadow of Birch Trees
Barnaby Prophet
Baron Nobleman
Barrett Bear-Like
Barry Marksman
Bartholomew Warlike
Basil King-like
Benedict Blessed
Benjamin Son of Right Hand
Benton Moor Dweller
Bernard Stern Bear
Bert Bright
Bevis Bowman
Burgess Citizen of a Town
Burton Fortress
Byron Bear
Baird Bard or Minstrel
Baldwin Princely Friend
Barclay Meadow of Birch Trees
Barnaby Prophet
Baron Nobleman
Barrett Bear-Like
Barry Marksman
Bartholomew Warlike
Basil King-like
Benedict Blessed
Benjamin Son of Right Hand
Benton Moor Dweller
Bernard Stern Bear
Bert Bright
Bevis Bowman
Burgess Citizen of a Town
Burton Fortress
Byron Bear
presubscribersDDriscoll Interpreter
Dudley Residence Name
Duncan Dark Skinned Warrior
Durwin Beloved Friend
Dwayne Field or Meadow
Dwight White or Fair
Dylan Faithful, Loyal
Driscoll Interpreter
Dudley Residence Name
Duncan Dark Skinned Warrior
Durwin Beloved Friend
Dwayne Field or Meadow
Dwight White or Fair
Dylan Faithful, Loyal Driscoll
Interpreter
Dudley Residence Name
Duncan Dark Skinned Warrior
Durwin Beloved Friend
Dwayne Field or Meadow
Dwight White or Fair
Dylan Faithful, Loyal Driscoll
Interpreter
Dudley Residence Name
Duncan Dark Skinned Warrior
Durwin Beloved Friend
Dwayne Field or Meadow
Dwight White or Fair
Dylan Faithful, Loyal Driscoll
Interpreter
Dudley Residence Name
Duncan Dark Skinned Warrior
Durwin Beloved Friend
Dwayne Field or Meadow
Dwight White or Fair
Dylan Faithful, Loyal
EEarl Nobleman
Eaton From the Riverside
Ebenezer Rock of Help
Edan Fiery Flame
Edgar Fortunate Spear
Edric Prosperous Ruler
Edmond Guardian of the Riches
Edward Happy Protector
Edwin Valuable Friend
Efrain Guardian of the Mists
Egan Ardent
Egbert Formidably Brilliant
Egerton The Edge
Egil A Sting
Elbert Nobly Brilliant
Eldon Respected
Eldwin Sage Friend
Elijah Highest
Elias Jehovah is God
Elliott Close to God
Ellery Cheerful
Esmond Protective Grace
Ethan Constant, Firm, Strong
Ethen Endurance
Eugene Born of the Yew Tree
Evan Young Warrior
Everett Wild Boar
Ezra The Helper
Elijah Highest
Elias Jehovah is God
Elliott Close to God
Ellery Cheerful
Esmond Protective Grace
Ethan Constant, Firm, Strong
Ethen Endurance
Eugene Born of the Yew Tree
Evan Young Warrior
Everett Wild Boar
Ezra The Helper
CCadman Warrior
Calvert Shepherd
Caldwell Near a Cold Well
Caleb Faithful
Calvin Bald
Carrick Rock
Carl Farmer
Carlton From Carl’s Farm
Carney Warrior
Cadman Warrior
Calvert Shepherd
Caldwell Near a Cold Well
Caleb Faithful
Calvin Bald
Carrick Rock
Carl Farmer
Carlton From Carl’s Farm
Carney Warrior
Cadman Warrior
Calvert Shepherd
Caldwell Near a Cold Well
Caleb Faithful
Calvin Bald
Carrick Rock
Carl Farmer
Carlton From Carl’s Farm
Carney Warrior Cadman Warrior
Calvert Shepherd
Caldwell Near a Cold Well
Caleb Faithful
Calvin Bald
Carrick Rock
Carl Farmer
Carlton From Carl’s Farm
Carney Warrior
FFabian Bean Farmer
Fairfax Fair Haired
Falkner Falcon Trainer
Farley Distant Meadow
Farrell Man of Valor
Felix Prosperous
Fenton From the Flat Lands
Ferdinand Adventurous in Life
Fergal Brave and Couragous
Fergus, Strong and Virile
Ferris Iron Worker
Finbar The Fair
Fitzgerald Son of Gerald
Fleming Originating from Flanders
Fletcher Arrow Maker
Floyd The Hollow
Forbes Prosperous
Forrest Woodsman
Foster Bird Catcher
Fox Cunning
Francis Free
Frank Free Man
Frasier Strawberry
Frederick Peaceful Ruler
Freeman A Freeman
Falkner Falcon Trainer
Farley Distant Meadow
Farrell Man of Valor
Felix Prosperous
Fenton From the Flat Lands
Ferdinand Adventurous in Life
Fergal Brave and Couragous
Fergus, Strong and Virile
Ferris Iron Worker
Finbar The Fair
Fitzgerald Son of Gerald
Fleming Originating from Flanders
Fletcher Arrow Maker
Floyd The Hollow
Forbes Prosperous
Forrest Woodsman
Foster Bird Catcher
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, Archbishop of Armagh, died 8 May 1990. In his will, dated 30 November 1989, he asked his successor to authorize the committee of Cumann Seanchais Ard Mhacha, the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, to make suit-
able arrangements for the accommodation and care of his historical
papers and library. Tomás Ó Fiaich was associated with the founding
of the Society, 17 May 1953, and was editor of its journal, Seanchas
Ard Mhacha, 1954-1977. In response to his will a charitable trust was
established by Cardinal Cahal Daly, named ‘The Cardinal Tomás Ó
Fiaich Memorial Library & Archive Trust’. A special committee set up by
Cumann Seanchais Ard Mhacha appointed Fr Fergal Granell, OFM,
Franciscan House of Studies, Killiney, Dublin, and Mr David C. Sheehy,
diocesan archivist, Dublin, to investigate how the cardinal’s books and
papers should be accommodated and form a nucleus for expansion.
They recommended a purpose built library/archive with equal status to
the two distinct professions; it would promote study and research and
specialize in Tomás Ó Fiaich’s interests
in Irish history, especially ecclesiastical history
in Irish culture, especially the Irish language and Irish games
in Irish-European links; and
in Irish-American links
(now extended to Irish abroad generally)
P & B Gregory, Architects, were appointed to plan the new building and
a site in the vicinity of St Patrick’s Cathedral was graciously granted
by Cardinal Daly on behalf of the Archdiocese of Armagh. The new
foundation was to be free and independent and open to the public,
but it would accommodate the Armagh Catholic diocesan archives
and would serve long-term diocesan needs. A diocesan collection,
donations from companies, institutions, and individuals and a most
generous grant from the British Heritage and Lottery Fund enabled the
building to go ahead. Subsequently some financial aid was received
from government in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The
committee was greatly indebted to Mr Séamus O’Hara, Belfast, who
drew up the trust deed and negotiated the grant from the Heritage Lot-
tery Fund.
Fittingly on the Eighth of May, 1999, the ninth anniversary
of Tomás Ó Fiaich’s death, the library/archive was opened by Dr
Marjorie Mowlam, Secretary of State, Belfast, and Dr James McDaid
TD, Dublin, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation representing
the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Both addressed the guests present. Dr
Pa nonsequatat ut pa deliquatum volent etur
Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, 19??
foundations of the library
Mowlam unveiled a plaque recording the official opening of the library/
archive. Mrs Primrose Wilson also unveiled a plaque, recording the as-
sistance given by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Present also were Most Rev. Luciano Stirero, Papal Nuncio to Ireland,
Archbishop Seán Brady, who gave the address of welcome, Arch-
bishop Robin Eames, Dr Samuel Hutchinson, General Secretary of the
Presbyterian Church, the Rev. David Kerr, President of the Methodist
Church, Dean Proinsias Mac Giolla Earnáin, Mr Seámus Mallon, MP,
Deputy First Minister Designate, Mr John Hume, MEP, recipient of
the Nobel Peace Prize, former history student of Cardinal Ó Fiaich,
representatives from Armagh City and District Council, the Southern
Education and Library Board, the Department of Education, sport per-
sonalities and Mrs Deirdre Fee and close relatives of Cardinal Ó Fiaich.
There was a varied gathering of churchmen, historians, representatives
of local historical societies, donors and members of Cumann Sean-
chais Ard Mhacha. The church leaders joined Archbishop Brady in the
blessing prayer.
There was high praise for Mr Paul Mongan and Mr Peadar Murphy of
P & B Gregory Architects, Belfast, who designed the beautiful building,
and for O’Hanlon Brothers, builders. In his speech Mgr Raymond
Murray, chairman of the library/archive management committee, paid a
special tribute to trustee and friend Dr Micheline Kerney Walsh, former
director of the Overseas Archives, who left to the library/archive her
vast collection of French/Irish, Spanish/Irish material. Some years
later, under the presidency of Dr Art Cosgrove, University College,
Dublin, donated the remainder of her collection to the Ó Fiaich Library/
Archive. Mgr Murray thanked among others, Mr Andy Morrow, SELB,
Mr Gerard Lyne, National Library of Ireland, Mr Anthony Malcom-
son, Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, and Professor Mary
McAleese, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University, Belfast who
recommended the establishment of the library/archive and gave it
unreserved support. Ms Fiona Trainor provided background music
on the harp and Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin sang the Cardinal’s favourite
song Úr-Chill an Chreagáin. Mr John Hume gave the address at the
dinner celebration. Author and friend of Cumann Seanchais Ard Mh-
acha, Róisín Ní Mheara-Vinard travelled from Austria for the occasion
and, again emphasizing Cardinal Ó Fiaich’s interest in early Irish links
with Europe, Dr Peter Ochsenbein, librarian of the Stiftsbibliothek, St
Gallen, Switzerland, crowned the day with an illustrated talk on the Irish
treasures in the famous St Gallen Library.
Foundation and Opening of the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library & Archive
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
T he primary emphasis in this collection is on native Irish sports and pastimes, Gaelic games – hurling, shinty, Gaelic football, handball and camogie – and road bowls in particular. The range of hundreds of books available in the library
on these subjects rivals any other library collection.
Among the most valuable items held here are the minute-books
of the Ulster Council of the GAA from 1917 to 1975. These are
important not merely for sporting history, for they also provide
an insight into northern Irish nationalist perspectives through
the early years of partition. Alongside these are minutes of GAA
Central Council meetings and national congresses from as far
back as the 1930s.
Equally, the collection contains many other GAA minute-books
from which precious information on the history of local sport
and society may be gleaned: those of the Armagh County
Board from 1933 to the 2000s; those of the Tyrone County
Board from 1926 onwards; a minute-book of Armagh Harps
club from 1904; various minutes books of the Brian Oges
Gaelic Football and Hurling Club, Cookstown
from 1907 onwards; and miscellaneous
records and items of correspondence
from counties Down, Monaghan and
Cavan over the decades.
The collection of material on Irish sport in the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive is one of the most impressive and popular aspects of the library’s holdings.
Pa nonsequatat ut pa deliquatum volent etur aborrup tasiminto ius,
optios nulpa conserro doluptam harchic imporeris sunt, quiatur eperae.
Itatias et esti berae doluptat vendae et essum in rersper ibusam, am
aliasitem es eum hilluptate etur molorpori nonsedi id ex ese quam
dellaut que maximin con nonsento velest que prepernat est volland
Another special feature of the CÓFLA Gaelic games collection
is the large archive of old match-programmes, which includes
All-Ireland and Ulster championship final souvenirs right back to
the early 1940s. These are complemented by an extensive set of
Gaelic games periodicals and numerous scanned photographs of
GAA-related material
The focus on road bowls in the CÓFLA collection reflects the
long and unique history of this sport in the surrounding Armagh/
Tyrone area. Among the items of memorabilia relating to this
game to be found in the library are the minute-books of An Ból-
Chumann, Ard Mhacha, from the 1960s and 1970s, and various
books, programmes, photographs and trophies.
On a wider sporting front, there is a wealth of additional material.
The library holds bound minute-books of the Youth and Sports
Council for Northern Ireland for 1962-65 (its inaugural triennial
period) and 1968-71, which are not available in any other public
archive. From these records one may obtain information of great
significance on the first statutory body on the island of Ireland
that was appointed specifically to deal with matters of sport and
recreation, right across the sporting spectrum.
The ever-expanding CÓFLA collection further comprises a large
number of books on sports such as athletics, association football,
cricket, rugby union, golf, motor-racing, boxing, horse-racing and
show-jumping.
Pa nonsequatat ut pa deliquatum
Pa nonsequatat ut pa deliquatum
irish sport
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
In the early twentieth century the Ulster Council and county boards were usually struggling to make ends meet, and generally they could not afford to purchase fitting trophies for their competitions. Instead they relied on generous benefactors to provide their trophies. One of
the earliest and most outstanding examples of this is the McKillop Cup.
William McKillop was born in Scotland, but his father was from Co. An-
trim. He was elected as Nationalist MP for North Sligo in 1900. In 1906
he switched constituencies to run in South Armagh. Upon becoming a
candidate in Armagh, he offered this trophy to the county board of the
GAA. He was duly elected unopposed. The presentation of this cup is
his only known connection to the GAA – although back in 1887 he had
been on the committee that set up Glasgow Celtic FC soccer club – but
even so it was not an unusual action on his part. Various MPs donated
trophies for sport, such as J. B. Lonsdale, a Unionist Member for Mid
Armagh, who gave patronage to local soccer around the same time.
The cup is made of solid silver, weighs over 82 ounces, and as de-
scribed at the time, is beautifully chased in Gaelic chasing, in high relief,
with finely proportioned handles, in the form of a winged Hebes’. It is sur-
mounted with the finely modelled figure of a Gaelic footballer with ball in
hands, standing on a playing pitch clad in shamrocks. On one side of the
cup is depicted a view of an old Irish round tower, with an Irish wolfhound
lying on watch and guard at base, and a sunset in the background. An
ancient Celtic cross and ruined monastery are also blended with the
scene. The cup stands two feet in height and is mounted on an ebony
plinth with silver shields for the winners’ names.
County Championships & Patronage
The McKillop Cup was originally presented to the winners of the county
Gaelic football league, and the first team to win it was Crossmaglen Red
Hands. In 1931 it was reallocated to the county senior football champion-
ship, for which it remained the prize until 1995, when it was replaced with
the Gerry Fegan Cup. Alongside it in the Ó Fiaich Library collection is
the MacOscar Cup. This rose-bowl-shaped trophy which was presented
in 1930 by the county chairman, Rev. H. MacOscar, for junior football
clubs in Ard Mhacha.
There are several other notable old Gaelic games trophies too. The
Owen Roe O Neill Challenge Cup was presented by Anthony Lucy, M.A.
– a London resident who had lived at Carrowcolman, Eglish, as a boy –
to the Presentation Brothers, Dungannon, for competition among local
schools in 1913. There are also several trophies belonging to the Ulster
Council. These include the original Dr McKenna Cup (1925), and the Dr
Lagan Cup (which was the prize for the northern section of the National
Football League from 1943 until the 1960s). [Medals?] There is also a
replica of the Sigerson Cup for inter-varsity football, which was originally
presented in 1911 by Dr George Sigerson, a professor and native of
Holyhill, near Strabane.
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS & PATRONAGE
McKillop Cup
MacOscar Cup
OR O Neill Cup
Sigerson Cup
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARYFROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
Until the second half of the nineteenth century Italy did not exist as a separate political entity Before that the territory was made up of a number of independent states, e.g. the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont, Parma
Tuscany, as well as the papal States, while part of the north was
occupied by Austria.
In 1859 the army of Piedmont assisted by French forces and
Italian nationalists defeated the Austrians, and by the end of
the year a number of the other independent states joined the
movement for unification. The Papal States were now facing
forcible incorporation into the new kingdom, their position
not being helped by the decision of one of the provinces,
Romagna, to vote in favour of a provisional government under
the Piedmontese king, Victor Emanuel. A variety of tactics was
employed against the Papal States.- a vicious propaganda
campaign, encouragement of desertion among the papal soldiers
and of internal rebellion. An attempt was also made to do a deal
with the Pius IX. However, he considered it a solemn duty to
maintain the authority of the Holy See over this territory, and he
decided to appeal to the Catholic world for support.
In Austria there was an enthusiastic response from some nobles
of Irish origin, among them General Count Nugent and Count
Charles O’Donnell. Nugent won the approval of the Emperor
to recruit and train a battalion. O’Donnell, for his part, after an
interview with the Pope and the Cardinal Secretary of State, was
sent to Ireland to establish a military corps for the service of the
Holy See. He travelled through the country making arrangements
for recruiting, his efforts being greatly assisted by A. M. Sullivan,
editor of the influential newspaper “The Nation” and J. F. Maguire,
founder of the “Cork Examiner”, and when he left Ireland plans
were well advanced for the formation of the Papal Battalion of
Saint Patrick.
The idea of defending the Pope and the Holy See was obviously
have been a powerful motivating factor in persuading Irish men
to join, while memories of the achievements of Irish brigades in
the service of foreign armies in previous centuries would also
have been an inspiration. As recruitment was in progress an
official statement from Dublin Castle appeared in the newspapers
reminding the public that entering the service of foreign armies
was illegal, with the result that the recruits had to travel as
emigrants.
The recruits numbered over one thousand and came from all
classes of society. They included labourers, farmers, students,
shop assistants and doctors as well as old soldiers who had
fought in other campaigns and members of the RIC. Among them
were a few Irish speakers from Kerry.
The man who was given command of this force was Myles O’Reilly,
author of this letter. He was born in Dublin in 1825, educated in
England and awarded an LLD degree in Rome, where he became
acquainted with members of the Catholic hierarchy. On his return
to Ireland he took over the family estate in County Louth where
he was a very successful farmer. He was also a brilliant lawyer,
travelled widely and was keenly interested in educational matters,
but declined an offer from Newman of a chair in the recently
established recently established university. The invitation from
Pius IX to take charge of the Irish battalion was a difficult on for
him as he had only recently been married. However, his loyalty to
the Church was the deciding factor in his decision.
defending the papal states
The volunteers arrived in Italy by different routes in the spring
of 1860 and were quartered in different places in the Papal
States. Conditions were far from ideal – the accommodation
was unsatisfactory, food apart from being unfamiliar was of poor
quality, and pay was very low. Military discipline was new to
many of them and some were unable to accept the conditions
and returned home. There were a few incidents of misbehaviour,
which the hostile anti-papal press exaggerated to blacken not
only the reputation of the Irish but also the whole papal army.
Other problems which had to be faced were the short time
required for training and the quality of the weapons, some of
which were out-of-date.
War was declared on September 11th , but because of the
superiority of the Piedmontese army, not only in numbers, but also
in military skills and experience, the outcome was inevitable. The
Irish were involved in four different engagements – at Perugia,
Castelfidardo, Ancona and Spoleto. Everywhere the Irish fought
with great courage, which was favourably commented upon, even
by their opponent, and in some cases expressed disappointment
when their officers decided that surrender was necessary.
O’Reilly himself was based in Spoleto. He had units from six
different nationalities under his command, and had hoped to
have with him the other Irish who had been stationed at the other
locations but this did not prove to be possible. Spoleto is a walled
city built on the side of a steep hill. One of its features is the
Rocca or citadel built in the fourteenth century; it is a very large
oblong building with six square towers surrounded by massive
walls. This would be the focal point of the defence of the town.
The attack took place on 17th September, the Piedmontese-
Sardinian army being confident that the city could be taken in
two hours. Early in the morning O’Reilly was asked to surrender,
but he refused to do so, saying that he held the city for Pius
IX. Firing began shortly after eight o’clock, and, apart from a
brief ceasefire around eleven o’clock continued until eight in the
evening. At this stage with his ammunition almost exhausted,
the men worn out and several breaches in the walls, O’Reilly
decided to surrender. A representative of the Pope met the Italian
general to seek terms. These were granted and proved to be
very generous, the general speaking very highly of the bravery of
the Irish. As the garrison, now prisoners-of-war, left, the officers
were allowed to carry their swords.
The Irish made their way to Genoa where they were imprisoned
for a short time. After their release they travelled by steamer and
by rail to Le Havre. From here they sailed to Cork, where they
arrived on November 3rd to an enthusiastic welcome.
O’Reilly also was warmly received when he returned to Ireland.
He was elected liberal MP for Longford in 1862. In parliament
he looked after Catholic interests and gave particular attention
to education. He resigned from parliament in 1879 when he
was offered the post of assistant commissioner for intermediate
education in Ireland. He died on February 6th 1880.
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
Ireland was mapped by several cartographers before the seventeenth
century and the product of their combined efforts varied in scale, skill
and accuracy. A number of maps appeared in the second half of the
sixteenth century and in the early part of the seventeenth, most notably
that by Baptista Boazio c.1599. The accuracy of the detail contained in
these maps was much better for the southern and eastern coasts than
for Connaught and Ulster. This was due in a large part to the hostile
nature of these territories and the general absence of a serious attempt
to chart the western and northern coastlines.
As the Nine Years War reached a conclusion and English forces exercised
greater control over the lands of the defeated Irish chieftainships these
previously uncharted territories opened up to new mapmakers.
John Speed began work not as a mapmaker by as a tailor in London.
He became interested in history and cartography and became highly
regarded in this field by the 1590s. In 1612 he had a volume of maps
published under the title of Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. It is
possible that as James I was by this time not only king of England Wales
and Scotland but also regarded as conqueror of Ireland that Speed
decided to include the latter in his atlas as a gesture of recognition.
As with many of the previous maps of the country there is little evidence
to suggest that Speed spent much if any time in Ireland. He readily
admitted employing the work of previous cartographers in his own draft.
Speed does, however, on occasion employ scaled drawings of his own
which by implication tells us that he had some level of familiarity with a
number of settlements. It does not appear that this knowledge stretched
into the interior of the country. On the western seaboard he repeats an
error common on Tudor maps of Ireland in that neither Galway nor Mayo
are given their true westernly extent. The north western coast, however,
is much more accurate that previous surveys probably due to the post
war surveys in Donegal and the fact that the coastline had recently been
charted from the sea.
Among the interesting features of Speed’s map of Ulster is the inclusion
of the sites at Tullaghogue as ye stone where O’Neill is chosen and
Owen Maugh (Emain Mhacha) The ancient seat of the kings of Ulster.
Both of these site were of historical rather than contemporary importance
the latter having been destroyed by the English after the defeat of O’Neill
at Kinsale in 1601. This is probably the first map specifically drawn to
show the extent of the province of Ulster which Speed took to include
ten counties including Louth.
Map of Ireland c.1610
Maps by John Speed
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FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE Ó’FIACH LIBRARY
Ireland was mapped by several cartographers before the seventeenth
century and the product of their combined efforts varied in scale, skill
and accuracy. A number of maps appeared in the second half of the
sixteenth century and in the early part of the seventeenth, most notably
that by Baptista Boazio c.1599. The accuracy of the detail contained in
these maps was much better for the southern and eastern coasts than
for Connaught and Ulster. This was due in a large part to the hostile
nature of these territories and the general absence of a serious attempt
to chart the western and northern coastlines.
As the Nine Years War reached a conclusion and English forces
exercised greater control over the lands of the defeated Irish
chieftainships these previously uncharted territories opened up to new
mapmakers.
John Speed began work not as a mapmaker by as a tailor in London.
He became interested in history and cartography and became highly
regarded in this field by the 1590s. In 1612 he had a volume of maps
published under the title of Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. It is
possible that as James I was by this time not only king of England Wales
and Scotland but also regarded as conqueror of Ireland that Speed
decided to include the latter in his atlas as a gesture of recognition.
As with many of the previous maps of the country there is little
evidence to suggest that Speed spent much if any time in Ireland.
He readily admitted employing the work of previous cartographers
in his own draft. Speed does, however, on occasion employ scaled
drawings of his own which by implication tells us that he had some
level of familiarity with a number of settlements. It does not appear
that this knowledge stretched into the interior of the country. On the
western seaboard he repeats an error common on Tudor maps of
Ireland in that neither Galway nor Mayo are given their true westernly
extent. The north western coast, however, is much more accurate that
previous surveys probably due to the post war surveys in Donegal
and the fact that the coastline had recently been charted from the sea.
Among the interesting features of Speed’s map of Ulster is the
inclusion of the sites at Tullaghogue as ye stone where O’Neill
is chosen and Owen Maugh (Emain Mhacha) The ancient seat of
the kings of Ulster. Both of these site were of historical rather than
contemporary importance the latter having been destroyed by the
English after the defeat of O’Neill at Kinsale in 1601. This is probably
the first map specifically drawn to show the extent of the province of
Ulster which Speed took to include ten counties including Louth.
Map of Ulster c.1610
Maps by John Speed