THE HANDSTAND

august 2005

borris house,
The Story of Art McMurragh

Outbreaks of violence had occurred all through the 1380's in Ui Cinnsealaigh. Then things quietened down for a while and English officials were able to travel through the country very much as they pleased. This was not to last. In 1383, Art, son of Thomas Fionn Kavanagh, of the the clan of the McMurraghs, was killed by the English at Wexford. The result was that a sweep of the area was made by the McMurraghs which caused such devastation that in 1389 Sir John Stanley, the Deputy, wrote to the King to inform him that the settlers in Carlow were so reduced in numbers such that the Bishop of Leighlin could neither approach nor dwell in any part of his diocese in consequence.

Art McMurragh was no fool in regard to selecting a wife, and in 1300 he had married Elizabeth de Veal, the daughter of Robert, who owned the Norragh in County Kildare; she was the widow of Sir John Staunton. Through his wife he therefore had connections with the Anglo-Normans as both the De Veals and Stauntons were old Norman Catholic stock. It is not known if she was the mother of all, or any, of his children but she outlived him, dying in 1445.

Making his plans from his base in Garryhill in 1394 Art captured the castles of Enniscorthy and ferns and except for a small piece of land around the towns of Wexford and New Ross, he ruled all Wexford and most of Carlow. Perhaps there was a sense of atonement in Art's mind as he ravaged the country, endeavouring to recover and hold by the sword the whole of Leinster. and the land his ancestor Dermot McMurragh had given to Strongbow - this had been part of a marriage dowry when his daughter, Aoife, was married to Strongbow. Despite all this the Norman owners of land never gave up their claims though such numbers of them fell before Art's campaign that one writer called Leinster "the cemetry of the Gauls".

Perhaps the greatest aspect of the his time as leader of the clan was the fact that he survived the two incursions into his territory by Richard II, who came to Ireland with what was probably the largest and best equipped armies ever to land on the Irish shore. From his base in Garryhill Art McMurragh could control land from the River Barrow to the River Slaney, and that he knew every bog and forest in that land between and beyond both rivers. He never gave the Normans chance to engage in hand-to-hand combat but lured them into the bogs and forests where they were no match for his hit and run tactics.

Sometimes the question is asked: Why did Richard II come to Ireland then? The answer is that he did not trust his Deputies or his officers and he was questioning the reason for trouble and the problem of Art McMurragh and his security in Garryhill.After signing treaties with the French and Scots he decided to come to Ireland - he would 'teach this fellow a lesson that he would never forget'. He commenced by ordering the return of all absentee landlords to their territories - these included Sir Roger Mortimer, Lord of Connaught, and the Earl of Nottingham, Lord of Carlow. Artisans, craftsmen and labourers who had travelled to England from south-east Ireland were also ordered to return. RichardII landed in Waterford on the 2nd October he had 6000 Archers and as many men at arms; an army that was to be augmented by local soldiers and yeomen.

The clans had sworn never to rest by day or by night as long as there was an enemy on the land. They had sworn this by all their Saints - Saint Moling of the Royal Race, St Kevin of the Valley, Saint Laserian the Learned, Saint Bridget the Spiritual Mother of Ireland, and Saint Aidan to bear witness to their oaths. Richard was in no doubt as to the danger Art McMuggahs posed to Leinster.

McMurragh formed an alliance with the chiefs of many of the Leinster clans. they annexed the barony of Idrone and threatened Kilkenny, Dublin and Kildare. The whole of Leinster was now in danger.

Richard's orders had been simple - his troops were to scatter across Carlow and the Wexford border. Once they reached the Blackstairs Mountains they were to burn every village and homestead they came across. They were to put any McMurragh supporter to the sword - and this probably meant anyone they came across. In a letter at the time, sent to England, it was reported that they slew many of the people of the McMurragh, burned nine villages and captured 8000 of his cattle.In a night raid McMurragh and his wife were lucky to evade capture in Garryhill. On this occasion they had left behind the Great Seal of the McMurraghs. And among Art's great achievements at this time was the capture of New Ross in an attempt to cut off supplies to Richard's forces. But time came for Art, rather than see more slaughter of the people, he submitted to the English. The agreement however was to forfeit their land, which they could not do under Brehon law, so this agreement meant nothing to them.

Eager to make peace the King summoned the four great Gaelic Kings, McMurragh, O'Connor, O'Neill and O'Brien to Dublin in March 1395 where they were knighted. Richard left Ireland in May and appointed Sir Richard Mortimer as his Viceroy. However in trying to assert his authority Mortimer was soon in conflict with the O'Neills of Ulster and the Kavanaghs of Leinster. He was killed in a skirmish with the Kavanaghs near Kellistown,Carlow in 1397; the town of Carlow had been seized by Donough McArt Kavanagh who was the founder of the Carlow septs of the Kavanaghs.

Richard II returned to Ireland to Waterford in June 1399 with a small but well equipped army. Richard decided to bring his army through Ui Cinnsealaigh and past Garryhill on his way to Dublin. Art watched and waited and pounced at every opportunity and he cut this straggling and starving army to bits by the time they reached Arklow. (Where, it is said, even the officers jumped into the sea to obtain food from three ships sent there from Dublin)

Lands changed hands, battles were fought but none could tame the Eagle of Garryhill. Then the English vice of underhand war claimed the life of Art McMurragh by poison in1417. He was poisoned at New Ross with his chief Brehon lawmaker Doran. Art was succeeded by his second son Donough Mor McArt, King of Leinster, founder of the Carlow septs of the Kavanaghs.

In the graveyard at St.Mullins there is an unusual headstone in that the inscription reads as follows: Sacred to the memory of Art King of Leinster. Faithful defender of his Country. Poisoned at Ross 1417.RIP. Erected by the St,Mullins exiles in New York. But there is no monument dated from the time of his death erected to his name.

received from Billy Kirwan, Inistioge.