The Washington times., 1901-08-14
IRISHMEN TO CELEBRATE.
An Excursion in COmmemOratiOn of
the Battle of Ballaghboy.
Three Hundred and Second Ami
versary of the Defeat of the Eng
lfsh-Stirring Victory of the Sons
of Erin Under O'DonneI and O'NeiIl

versary of the Defeat of the Eng
lish-Stirring Victory of the Sons
of Erin Under O'DonneI and O'NeiIl
Local sons of Erin will rejoice tomor-
row over the 302d anniversary of the VIC
tory of Ballaghboy. Curlew Mountains in
the reign OF Elizabeth. by Hugh Roe
O'Donnel over the English armies. Ac-
tive preparations have been made sSr the
celebration Of the event in this city. The
programme will include an excursion to
Chesapeake Beach. while speeches and pa
triotic addresses will form a feature
wherever Irishmen congregate.
The day which is to be celebrated Is also
| the 5000 anniversary of the victory OF
Yellow Ford The following description
OF the battle by Mitchell is interesting:
Hugh Roe O'Donnel had shifted the
coming battle from afar, and on the 9th
OF August joined O'Nein with the Clans
of Connaught and Tirconnell. They drew
up their main body about mile off Port
more. on the way to Armagh, where the
plain narrowed to a pass, enclosed on one
side by thick wood ard on the other by
bog. To arrive at that plain from Ar
| magh the enemy would have to pene-
trate through wooded hills by winding
and marshy hollows. in which flowed
sluggish and discolored stream from the
boys: and hence the pass was called Beal-
an-atha-buidhe (the mouth of the Yellow
Ford. The tenth morning of August
(McGee says it was the fifteenth rose
bright and serene upon the towers of Ar
magh and the silver waters of Avonmore-
Before day dawned the English army left
the city (Armagh was now again in the
hands of the enemy in three divisions.
and at sunrise they were winding through
the hills and woods behind the spot where
now stands the little Church of Grange
THE sun was glancing on the corslets
and spears of their glittering cavalry:
their banners waved proudly and their
bugles rang clear in the morning air.
when suddenly froE. the thickets on both
sides of their path a deadly voliey of
musketry swept through their foremost
ranks. O'Neill had stationed here 500
light-armed troops to guard the defiles.
and in the shelter of thick groves of fir
trees they had silently waited for the en-
envy Now they poured in their shot. vol
ley after volIey, and killed great numbers
of the English.
But their first division, led by Bagnal
in person, after some hard fighting car
ried the pass disiodged the marksmen
from their position. and drove them back
ward into the plain. The centre division
under Cosby and Wingfieid. and the rear
guard led by Cuin and Billing. supported
by the cavalry under Brooke, Montacute,
and Fleming, cow pushed forward, speed
lily cleared the difficult country, and
formed in front of the Irish lines Bag
nal at the head of the first division, and
aided by a body of cavalry, charged the
Irish light-armed troops up to the very
entertainments, in front of which O'Neill's
foresight had prepared some pits cover
ed with wattleS and grass, and many of
the English cavalry. rushing impetuous-
ly forward, rolled headlong. both men and
horses, into these trenches and persisted
Still the marshal's chosen troops. with
loud cheers and shouts of st George for
merry England resolutely attacked the
entertainments that stretched across the
pass, battered them with cannon. and in
one place succeeded. though with heavy
loss in forcing back the defenders. Then
first the main body of O'Neills troops
was brought into action, and. with bag
pipes sounding a charge, they fell upon
the English shouting their fierce battle
cries, 'Lamb-Dearg-Aboo and O'Donnel
Aboo. O'Neill, himself at the head of a
body of horse, pricked forward to seek
Bagnal amidst the throng of battle But
they never met. The marshal, who had
done his devoir that day like good SOL
der. was shot through the brain by some
unknown marksman- The division he led
was forced back by the furious onslaught
of the Irish and put to utter rout, and.
what added TO the confusion, a cart of
gunpowde-- exploded amidst the English
and blew many men to atoms
And now the cavalry of Tirconnell and
Tirowen dashed into the plain and bore
down the remnant of Brooke's and Flem-
ings horse the columns of Wingfield and
Cosby reeled before their rushing charge.
while in front to the war cry of 'Batail-
lah-Aboo' the swords and axes of the
Gallo-glasses were raging
among the Saxon ranks By this time
the cannon were all taken, the cries of
st. George had failed or turned into
death shrieks, and once more England's
royal standard sunk before the red hand
of Tirowen. And at last that fine army
was utterly routed and fed pell-mell to-
ward Armagh, with the Irish hanging
fierc :ly on their rear.
Amidst the woods and marshes all con-
nection and order were speedily lost, and.
as O'Donners chronicler has it, they were
pursued in couples. in threes, in scores.
in thirties, and in hundreds and cut
down in detail by their avenging pur-
suers In one spot especially the carnage
was terrible. and the country people point
out the lane whore that hideous rout
passed by and call it to this day The
Bloody Looming Two thousand five hun
lred English were slain in the battle and
fight including twenty-three superior
officers, besides leutenants and ensigns.
Twelve thousand pieces of gold, thirty
four standards. all the musical inStru-
ments and cannon. with long train OF
provision wagons, were the rich spoil of
the Irish army. The confederates had
1nly 200 slain and 800 wounded.
Fifteen hundred English found shelter
In the city which was forthwith invested
by the victorious Irish, and for three days
and three nights nothing passed in or
out. On the fourth day they surrendered
the Mace and although some of the
cheftains would have taken revenge upon
these unfortunate survivors of the bat
tie. O'NeillS voice prevailed. and they
were disarmed and sent in safety to the
Pale. POrtmore was instantly yielded and
its garrison dismissed with the rest
Thus says Camden. 'Tirowen triumphed
to his earth's desire over his adversaries.
All Saxon soldiery vanished speedily from
the fields of Ulster and the bloody hand
waved over the towers of Armagh and
Newry. Surely this was glory enough for
one day"
THE AUTO RAN BACKWARD