The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-06-09

R,E& dict on the one side the
klg- chiyalrous old Gaelic war
L-SE riols, with ,har Eghung
W ranks iuterspersod with
bards and hrehons. strug
giine 10 save the landmarks OF the ma,
tive civilization, on the other hand
were the astute Tudor dipIomatists
with their deputies and sheriIs, striy,
ing 10 cast tho imperial net about the
fair hill and wooded moTasses Of VI
ster. For both sides the times were
critical and each fought for it's very
existence In Ireland One defeat IN
battle was always liable 10 throw tie
native or The castle cause ont OF reck-
onlng for generation.
The appearance OF Shane ONenl iu
history was in opposition to Mathew
t4e son of the earl OF Tyrone whom
the government had nominated to rule
Ulster In hose days there were
castle chiefs just as In latter days
there were castle bishops There was
the queens OReiIly" and the royal
candidate for the O'Neillship-th SUI
preme Of all Irish titles. Shane
claimed It on his merits as a free
man of the ruling house and the clan
rallied round him. Upon the sacred
stone of his race at Tullyoge in the
County Tyrone Git " now an Orange
hamlet and the stone of inaugura-
ton has been hammered into frag-
mentsD Shane was solemnly declared
to be the O'Nell par excellence. The
OHagan, his brehon, read out his
claim and title while the OKane. his
Inauguration, placed a white wand in
his hand as the scepter of o'Neill-
land.
So firmly was Shane settled in pop
ular support and military strength that
Sidney the deputy was unwilling to ad-
venture an attack. For the time Shane
was left to fortify his castles at Dun
cannon and Ardglass and to recruit his
clansmen. In the following year Sus-
sex was made deputy with directions
to restore Mathew O'Neill and to com
pei obedience from Shane either by
fair means or foul" Sussex had not
the troops TO venture on an Ulster
campaign, which in those days was
combination of forest and guerrilla
warfare. Uls'er was Eugland's Mex
leo. There was a rivalry of chiefs
and English policy was TO recognize
one against the other. Sussex endeay.
ared to rouse the OReilly and the
ODonuel against O'Neil Shane was
not unprepared He crushed OReilly
with the help of Scotch mercenaries
or "Redshanks,' as they were called
doubtless they wore kits and showed
raw, wind-bitten knees) ODonnell
he carried off with his wife into cap
tiylty. The deputy had no course left
but to essay military adventure him
self. The effect was disastrous. His
dispatch from the field is still extant
in the state papers and has a quality
Of the frank and personal note not dis
coverable in the ambiguous dispatches
Of modern warfare.
Never before" wrote Sussex,
burst Scot or Irish look an English
man in the face in plain or wood, and
now Shane hath with 12O horses, and
a few Scots and gallowglass charged
one whole army--the fame of the Eng
lish army so hardly gotten is now
vanished and = wrecked and dishon-
ored by other mems deeds"
The deputys next step was to dis
honor himself even more signally by
his own deed. He bribed Shane's mes
senger to slay his lord, but the plan
miscarried. The fidelity of the clan
stood like a FURNISHED cuirass between
the O'Neill and the enemies Of O'Nell,
foreign or native. BY this time, the
Annals Of the Four Masters tell US,
Shane had assumed the sovereign
command Of all Ulster from Drogheda !
to the Erne, so that he might be called !
the provisional king of Ulster" Eliz. |
abeth was bound to treat him as an
equal and when he suggested parley
in London, a safe-conduct was for
warded under the royal sign-manual. |
Shane set forth with his retinue Of !
bard, brehon and gallowglass and en-
tered the English capital in semi |
regal state, much to the wonder Of |
Clan London. He was perfectly will |
ing to recognize Elizabeth as SOW
ereign of Ireland but he would not be |
pestered by her deputies and he in
sisted on being recognized himself as
the O'Nein in all privileges and trib-
utes thereto appertaining. The cour-
tiers made great play Of his preten-
slons and dubbed him "O'Neill the