Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1901-03-16

ser's Castle of Kilcolman, during which
the author of 1.-THE Fairy Queen" lost
his child in the flames. Surely these
chronicles are wild and barbarous"
enough. Space requires that much shall
be omitted.
Strange to say, right alongside this
record lies one of piety. At the begin
ming of the eleventh century Tuathal
O'Malley, chief of the Umhalls, founded
an Augustinian monastery at Ballinrobe;
in 1924 the O'Malleys founded monas-
terry for Carmelite monks on Clare Island.
in 1874 Dermot O'Malley founded Knock
moy Abbey; in 1407-10 the O'Malleys
founded the great Augutinian monastery
OF Murrisk. St. Augustine was the patron
saint of the sept, hence many, even at
this day bear the name of Austin. Murrisk
was sequestrated during the time of
Henry VIII. OF distinguished church
men the family had its share likewise.
In 1901 Conor O'Malley died Bishop of
Annaghdown. The -Four Masters call
him ga brilliant gem and pillar of the
church." Thomas O'Malley was Bishop
of the same diocese from 1247 to 1851 !;
another Thomas its Bishop a century
later. Edan O'Malley was Bishop of
Clonmacnois from 1918 to 1920. The
sept produced several martyrs for the
Faith, the first being Father Romano
o. Malley, hanged (about the year 1861 }
because he would not forswear.
In 1415 division crept into the sept,
war arising between Dermot and Hugh,
the latter Selling great prey" from
his brother, whereupon the latter seized
Clare Island, and later "slew Hugh and
his son Ccnor, and the son, of Thomas,
and Doral and many Others" and
wrested the craftsmanship from all Hugh's
descendants. In 1927 Dermot's son, Hugh,
was slain during foray in Tyrconnell.
His son was slain two years later by Me-
laghlin O'Malley, son of the first line.
In 1850 the O'Malleys aud O'Briens war
red against the McMahons, with many
killed on both sides as a result. A few
years later Brian and Hugh O'Malley
went 10 war (148l) and Brian was killed.
The O'Malleys plundered the town of
Killybegs in 1913 and put many to death;
were pursued and Owen the leader was
slain. In 1924 Dermot O'Malley was
killed by Cormac MacCarthy in the
County Cork, to revenge the killing of
his father. In 1868 the O'Malleys, Nc
Sweenys and McMaurices drove out the
Geraldines and Sheehys who were laying
waste the counties of Kerry, Donegal
and Mayo. The Annals say that 1.-THE
clan Sheehy and the Ceraldines were
defeated with great slaughter. The John
O'Malley of this event was brother OF
Owen, father of the celebrated Grainne
Uiale, or Grace O'Malley, famous in his.
tory, song and story as the last Queen oi
Connaught. Since even an outline OF
her career is not possible in paragraph,
we must reserve a fuller account until
next week. We wish to add, moreover,
that the sketch then presented will con-
tain much matter recently discovered by
one of her race, who has for years pa
tiently investigated her career.
Here it may be of interest to say that
philologists assert that the name O'Mal
lev is derived from the Gallo KelliC
name Manlios, which later took on the
Latin form Manlius. The De Mailys Of
France thus derive their name from g
warrior of ancient Gaul, and Gluck''
"Die bel Caesar Vorkommenden Kelt
ischen Namen" alleges Kelt OF eau
carried the name to Kettle Ireland Ions
before the Christian era. The motto ol
the O'Malleys has been Terra Ma-iqus
Potens" Powerful on land and sea-, foi
nearly thousand years. The family
crest is flying horse; the arms, three
bent bows; a red boar in an argent field
and a galley with oars in action. These
things indicate seattle, and, as said be
fore, for hundreds of years the O'Malley'
were a sea-faring people. Moreover
from the time of Eochaidh and Dathi, II
christian days, down to the time o.
Grainne Uiale, the race had always beer
predatory by land and sea. The formei
plundered the coasts of Britain and eau
in their long galleys; their descendants
limited in territory, first to Connaught
next to the counties of Mayo and Gal
way, and Clare and other islands, pill
LACED and burned, not only "Britisf
towns" at will, but the districts of theii
Irish enemies as well. In stature tbs
men of the governing line OF the sep
were invariably tall and sinewy, blonde
in type, with hair inclined to be fair
This must have been inherited. Nal
of the Nine Hostages, brother to Brian
from whom the O'Malleys descend, hae
hair yellow as a blossom of St. john
wort, while Dathi had chair more yellow
than smelted gold"
If an old legend OF the family may b
credited, furthermore, both the rayaginf
tendency of the sept and the blonde hal
of its rulers were helped at the beginning
of the ninth century. Legend has 4
that when the Danes invaded Ireland il
812. the invading viking had his daugh
ter with him, her hair "red-gold in thu
morning twilight" The Danes landed
in Clew Bay and were met by the men o
Umhall in their gaileys. The battl'
lasted all day, but at set of sun thu
chieftain of Umhall assailed the viking
in his galley. slew him before the eye
Of his daughter and carried her to hi
stronghold on the mainland. Having
converted her to Christianity he married
her and a family began growing III
around them. But the Danes came agaii
to Ireland years after and finding thu
men of Umhall on a foray elsewhere
Stayed the women and children. Whei
the chief of Umhall returned with hi
eldest son aud people he found his wifi
and other children breathing their last
Before the Danish woman died, however
she promised that as long as her bloot
remained in the family her spirit would
warn the race of impending disaster
Thus was the tabled benshee, or warning
spirit, Of the O'Malleys accounted for
Readers of this sketch will allow tina
she must have been kept pretty bus,
for several centuries following.
~.. 1oo1