The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-23
Limerick.


although the walls and the gates and
the prentice boys of Derry are better
known to most people than the Tho
mond Bridge and the Treaty Stone Of
Limerick, still the two sieges and what |
followed them are the great landmarks
in the history of two counties. 1t was
after the Battle Of the Boyne. The
Irish army, under the command OF the
Frenchman Lauzun, for James had fled
the country, retired behind the shannon,
and Williams victorious progress south !
ward met with no resistance TIL ms
forces approached Limerick from the
TiDperary side. At Limerick however,
lie quickly discovered that he had TO
measure swords with no ordinary sol
der. Laumn had had no heart for the
fight. He had taken one look at the
fortifications Of the city, and, mutterlh8
10 himself that such walls might be
battered down with roasted apples
had retired into Galway. His place,
however. had been taken by a man OF
very different metal. Patrick SarstieId
had 10 thought Of giving up the city
without struggle, and, when William
army finally took up its position on the
ridge Of Singland ii found the Old town
grimly determined on defense. 1t was
no question OF a blockade, as it was
with Derry. The next seventeen days
were full Of incident William was SLOW
and methodical. With him it was
question of concentrating sufficient
force against the city, in the way OF
artillery. To reduce il without much
loss. Sarsheld pinned his faith to
Ibewildering rapidity Of movement, and
the story Of how he and "Galloplng
Hogan" slipped out one night with
few followers, went across Thomond
Bridge. struck up the valley of the
shannon suddenly fell on one of VIII
liam's artillery trains as it approached
the city. destroyed everything in sight
land then returned through Glare to Linn
ericl,, contains the central episode Of
the siege.
Finally. Of course, Sarsfield won, and
William was obliged to retire But
this outcome was only respite. a
year later Aughrim was fought and lost
and Sarsleld was again locked up IN
Limerick This time he was forced to
surrender, although on his own terms
The treaty which was signed at the
- head Of the Thomond Bridge secured
certain definite rights to all who had
followed James, whilst he himself left
the citv at the head of his men, drums
/ beating and colors flying and more than
, 10000 Of his soldiers took ship with him
for France, to enter the service of King
Louis "It was the first flight of the
e Wild Geese"
, Looking back from this central point
o. in Limericks history, its annals still
cover centuries Many people insist
that Limerick is the Regia Of Ptolemy
/. and the Rossede Naillagh Of the An
j, nails of Multfernan. and that st. Pat
{ rick visited the city in the fifth cen
y urv. BE all this as 1t may, when the
curtain rings up certainly on its history
II is a Danish settlement, and the
Danes and the Irish are fighting eacf
other as they did, off and on, for many
n centuries for possession of the famous
e island, in the midst of the shannon
which formed the nucleus of the city
At last, in the tenth century, BriaE
N Boroimhe came against the Danes VIII
n a mighty host, and finally drove then
10 into the sea. And 50 from llO6 unu
its conquest by the English in lli+
Brian Boroimhe and his successor
IS reigned in Limerick as kings of Tho
l. mond. Henry II gave the Kingdom L
d Herbert Fitzherbert, in 1l79, but tn
city was frequently in the possession O
the Irish chieftains, and as time wen
1t on. ii developed into a great and pros
N porous seaport, with its merchants an
IS its traders and its Overweenlng desire
r. outdo its rival Galway. In the sever
teenth century, some years before IN
b. siege, it reached perhaps the height
'd its prosperity but, from the time
of the siege onward, as one writer has pl
II IT, Limerick has no history And "
today it is a prosperous city enoug
and nothing can take away from II
q beauty of its situation. 1t lies at II
ry extremity Of the richest tract of Irelan
ar the Golden Vale, which intervenes b
y tween the Shannon and the Galtee
*, great stretches of rich country Will
beyond il lie the hills OF care ana IL
Z" perary.
nd Oh Limerick Is beautiful city
mt everybody knows,
The river Shannon, full of fish clio
''' by that city flows
And so, as a certain writer has saI
es one may go from the bridge leading o
90 of the English town to the Irish tow
al and follow up the long street-lol
ISL ana winding with the curves that she
w. one has not here a planned city, but
ne village casually grown into town-pa
u' alleys with windows opening on the
from houses that stood there i'll I
time of the siege, and so out to
K Johns Gate, on which are still to
seen the flakes and scars" made
an Williams artillery.