Betrayal of Clannabuidhe
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The Clandeboye massacre in 1574 was a massacre of the
O'Neills O'Neills Irish International Sports Company Ltd. is an Irish sporting goods manufacturer established in 1918. It is the largest manufacturer of sportswear in Ireland, with production plants located in Dublin and Strabane. O'Neills has a long re ...
of Lower
Clandeboye Clandeboye or Clannaboy (from Irish language, Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin, Northern Irelan ...
by the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
forces of
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, KG (16 September 1541 – 22 September 1576), was an English nobleman and general. From 1573 until his death he fought in Ireland in connection with the Plantations of Ireland, most notably the Rathlin Isl ...
. It took place during an attempted English colonisation of Ulster as part of the
Tudor conquest of Ireland The Tudor conquest (or reconquest) of Ireland took place under the Tudor dynasty, which held the Kingdom of England during the 16th century. Following a failed rebellion against the crown by Silken Thomas, the Earl of Kildare, in the 1530s, He ...
. The Lord of Lower Clandeboye, Sir Brian McPhelim O'Neill, had violently opposed these attempts at colonisation. O'Neill would invite Lord Essex to
parley A parley (from french: link=no, parler – "to speak") refers to a discussion or conference, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people. The term can be used in both past and present tense; in prese ...
at his
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
; however, at the end of the feast, the English forces turned on the O'Neills and killed up to 200 of them including women and children. Essex ordered that O'Neill, his wife and brother to be seized and executed for treason and for opposing the plantations.


Background

Sir Brian McPhelim O'Neill (
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
: ''Sir Brian mac Feidhlimidh Ó Néill'') claimed the title of Lord of Lower Clandeboye, a ''
túath ''Túath'' (plural ''túatha'') is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. ''Túath'' can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory. Social structure In ...
'' or
Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
territory in the
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
in the north of
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Lower
Clandeboye Clandeboye or Clannaboy (from Irish language, Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin, Northern Irelan ...
covered a large part of what later became
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
in the east of Ulster. This claim was backed up against rival claimants by his acknowledgment as ruler by
the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
and he had been knighted in 1568 for service to the Crown.Pollard, Albert Frederick
"O'Neill, Brian MacPhelim"
In Lee, Sidney. ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''. Smith, Elder & Co., 1901.
In 1571, however,
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
authorised a privately-funded plantation (colonisation) of eastern Ulster, and privately granted large portions of both Lower and Upper Clandeboye to two Englishmen: Sir Thomas Smith and The 1st Earl of Essex. Smith and a band of colonists (or "adventurers") landed on the
Ards Peninsula The Ards Peninsula () is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast of Ireland. It separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel of the Irish Sea. Towns and villages on the peninsula include Donaghadee, Millisle ...
in 1572 and attempted to build a colony, but were thwarted by O'Neill, who set about razing buildings in the area to deny them shelter. In 1573, Lord Essex landed in
Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
with another band of colonists and 1,200 soldiers. They too met opposition from O'Neill and made little headway. Essex seized some of O'Neill's cattle and there were small skirmishes. O'Neill and other Irish lords "shrewdly asserted" that Essex was acting of his own will and that his actions were not backed by the Queen. In October 1574, Essex wrote to the Queen that "since this people have refused your mercy, and taken upon them wilful war and rebellion, I trust to be the instrument, under you, to punish their breach of faith".Rapple, Rory. ''Martial Power and Elizabethan Political Culture''. pp.230-232


Massacre

In November 1574, O'Neill invited Lord Essex to
parley A parley (from french: link=no, parler – "to speak") refers to a discussion or conference, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people. The term can be used in both past and present tense; in prese ...
and feast at
Belfast Castle Belfast Castle (Irish: ''Caisleán Bhéal Feirste''Ireland Highlights: Belfast Castle. https://www.irelandhighlights.com/info/belfast-castle/ ) is a mansion located in Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a prominent position ...
in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, which at that time was a small town or village. This castle stood in what is now the centre of Belfast. The gathering was said to have lasted for three days. Then, without warning, the English attacked the O'Neills. English soldiers killed up to 200 of the O'Neills and Essex ordered his men to seize Sir Brian O'Neill, his wife and his brother Rory Óg. They were sent to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and executed for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
.''A New History of Ireland: Volume III''. Oxford University Press, 1991. p.98 According to Essex, he had been told by "persons of credit" that O'Neill planned to betray him, and so "with the advice and consents of all the captains in the camp", he gave the order to arrest O'Neill. Lord Essex wrote that "resistance was offered by his men lodged in the town and 125 of them were slain".Horning, Audrey. ''Ireland in the Virginian Sea: Colonialism in the British Atlantic''.
University of North Carolina Press The University of North Carolina Press (or UNC Press), founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina. It was the first university press founded in the Southern United States. It is a member of the Ass ...
, 2013. pp.69-70
In another letter he wrote that he arrested O'Neill and "certain of the principal persons, and put others to the sword, to the number of 200 in all places, whereof forty were his best horsemen". According to the ''
Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'', women and youths were also killed by the English soldiers.''Annals of the Four Masters''
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.
Audrey Horning writes that "In violating the rules of hospitality, Essex not only inflicted maximum humiliation on O'Neill through his disdain of Irish custom; he also sent an aggressive message to the Gaelic leadership".


Aftermath

The Irish annals state that this "wicked and treacherous" massacre "was a sufficient cause of hatred and disgust of the English to the Irish". English officials were also troubled by the massacre. Shortly after, Lord Essex issued a proclamation justifying his actions. He countered charges that O'Neill had been under protection at the time of his arrest. He listed O'Neill's past breaches of trust in dealing with Crown officers, although he admitted that O'Neill had been pardoned of these offences. In 1574, Brian McPhelim was hanged for opposing the local plantations. Essex's additional justification for O'Neill's execution were allegations that he, in collusion with the MacDonnells of Antrim, had been plotting to cut the throats of English soldiers in his territory. The following summer, Lord Essex ordered an attack on the MacDonnells of Antrim, in which his forces massacred 600 men, women and children on
Rathlin Island Rathlin Island ( ga, Reachlainn, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. ...
. After Sir Brian O'Neill's death, Lord Essex promoted Brian McPhelim's son-in-law, Neill McBrian Fertagh O'Neill, to the lordship of Upper Clandeboye above the other claimants. The inter-familial disputes that arose between rival claimants led the
Lord Deputy The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland. The plural form is ''L ...
,
Sir John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as Lord Deputy of Ireland, lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, t ...
, to divide both Lower and Upper Clandeboye between the competing members of the Clandeboye O'Neills in 1584.


In popular culture

The massacre was the subject of the poem "The Betrayal of Clannabuidhe" by Irish poet
Ethna Carbery Ethna Carbery, born Anna Bella Johnston, (3 December 1864 – 2 April 1902) was an Irish journalist, writer and poet. She is best known for the ballad ''Roddy McCorley'' and the ''Song of Ciabhán''; the latter was set to music by Ivor Gurney. In ...
(1864–1902)."The Betrayal of Clannabuidhe"


See also

*
Glencoe Massacre The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, alleged ...
, a similar incident in Scotland *
Rathlin Island Massacre The Rathlin Island massacre took place on Rathlin Island, off the coast of Ireland on 26 July 1575, when more than 600 Scots and Irish were killed. Sanctuary attacked Rathlin Island was used as a sanctuary because of its natural defences and ...
*
Massacre of Mullaghmast The massacre of (or at) Mullaghmast ( ga, ár Mhullach maistean) refers to a summary execution of Irish gentry by the English Army and Tudor officials in Ireland. It may have occurred at the end of the year 1577 or beginning of 1578. There is ...
*
Treachery of the Long Knives The Treason of the Long Knives ( cy, Brad y Cyllyll Hirion) is an account of a massacre of British Celtic chieftains by Anglo-Saxon soldiers at a peace conference on Salisbury Plain in the 5th century. The story is thought to be pseudohist ...


References

;Attribution * {{Connachta 1574 in Ireland History of Belfast Massacres in Ireland Massacres committed by England O'Neill dynasty Massacres in 1574