The Irish standard., 1910-12-31
Philadelphia Descendants Purchase
the Castle of That Name
in Tyrone.
Back in the Sixteenth Century it
Was the Fortress of Gen.
Phelim O'Neill.
The American Owners Were Born at
Dungannon, Within Sight
of the Old Castle.

| Francis O'Neill, a woolen manufac-
turer of Philadelphia, who has just
returned from trip through the
Emerald Isle, announced the purchase
Of the ancient Castle O'Neill in Coun-
! ty Tyrone, near Dungannon, by him
self and his brothers, Peter, John and
Joseph O'Neill. By the purchase the
lands taken from the Irish centuries
ago are coming back to their descend
ants. The castle was the fortress of
General Phelim O'Neill.
The purchase of the historic castle
by these Philadelphians recalls one Of
the hardest yet one of the saddest
fights for separation from British
rule the Irish, perhaps ever made in
the history Of their numerous strug-
giles, and which is known as the "In-
surrection of 1641.'
In each stage of this memorable
contest General Phelim O'Neill, a
cousin of General Owen Roe O'Neill,
Who fought with him, and nephew
of Hugh Roe O'Neill, Prince of Ty-
rome, looms up prominently. The cas-
tie fortress now the property of the
O'Neill brothers, .Hneal descendants OF
the dauntless Phelim, bore the brunt
of many furious assault of the in
vaders while the prosecuted of the
locality found shelter within it's stur.
dy walls during the insurrection and
the bitter days that followed it.
1t was in this castle the Irish gen
erals decided upon the uprising and
selected Phelim O'Neill, Lord General
Of the Ulster Army, and it was here
the council of war was held that Sc
!ected Owen Roe O'Neill, president of
Ulster, and also general of the
forces, because of his military expert
ence on the continent where he had
gone when an infant with his exiled
uncle, Hugh Roe O'Neill and Red
Hugh O'Donnell, Prince of Tyrcon-
nell.
Owen Roe achieved a grand vic
tory after persistent fighting when he
routed the Scotch army Of General
Monroe at Benburb, though his own
army numbered one-third less. He
next moved to Munster and drove the
invaders from the lands Of Lord Bar.
rymore, and this was followed by a
crushing defeat he administered to
Essex in his march towards DUNCAN.
non.
Unfortunately Owen Roe; the great.
est general in the revolt, met his
death, and Phelim O'Neill assumed
command of a wing of the army and
after marching from Munster, he
moved to the castle and from there
to Donegal, where he captured Bal.
!yshannon, held by the British forces
From this point there was bitter fight
ing until the castle of Phelim was
reached. The structure withstood
The repeated assaults Of the invaders
and Of the cannon which was brought
to bear upon it with the exception OF
the rear portion of it, which was well
battered down, but afterwards re-
built and remained intact for a lonp
period.
1 Phelim was holding the strong Brit
ish forces in check while Bishop Mac
Mahon, who commanded one of the
worn out divisions, made a heroic
stand at Clogher, in Donegal, but lost
the fight and also lost his head, fol
the British cut it off at Omagh, in
the County Tyrone. After the f1gh,
at the castle, Phelim O'Neill was also
captured. He was taken a prisone,
to Dublin, where he was tried fol
treason and sentenced to death.
On the scaffold Phelim O'Neill was
offered his life If he would say tina,
King Charles I was responsible fol
the insurrection. He spurned the of
fer and decapitation followed. His
lands were declared conflscated and
banded over to some of the generals
whom he had defeated. That was
their pay for fighting for the suppress
sion of the insurrection.
!, Their descendants have owned the
land continuously until it was pu,