Melaghlin O'Donnell

1241

Melaghlin was installed in the lordship of Tirconnell, in the place of
his father. Brian O'Neill, after having been expelled by Mac Loughlin,
came to O'Donnell, and O'Donnell, with his forces, went with Brian
O'Neill into Tyrone, and they gave battle to Mac Loughlin - the battle
of Caimeirge, in which they slew Donnell O'Loughlin, Lord of
Kinel-Owen, and 10 of his family, together with all the chieftains of
the Kinel-Owen. And Brian was then installed in the lordship of the
Kinel-Owen. AFM

1245

An army was led by O'Donnell against the English and Irish of Lower
Connaught, and he carried away many cows and other property on that
expedition. AFM

1246

Maurice Fitzgerald marched with an army into Tirconnell: he gave the
half of Tirconnell to Cormac, son of Dermot, who was son of Roderic
O'Conor, and obtained hostages from O'Donnell for the other half. These
hostages he left in the castle of Sligo. O'Donnell and the chiefs of
the Kinel-Connell, came on All-Saints day to Sligo, and burned the
bawn, but were not able to make their way into the castle; upon which
the people of the castle hanged the hostages in their presence, having
suspended them from the top of the castle, ie O'Mianain, the tutor of
O'Donnell and another who was his foster-brother. AFM

1247

O'Donnell, Lord of Tirconnell, Kinel-Moen, Inishowen, and Fermanagh,
was slain by Maurice Fitzgerald. He was enabled to accomplish this in
the following manner: A great army was led by Maurice Fitzgerald, and
the other English chiefs, first to Sligo, and thence to the Cataract of
Aedh Poe, the son of Badharn (now Assaroe in english, it was the
ancient name of the cataract called the Salmon Leap, at Ballshannon~fin
the county of Donegal). Cormac, the son of Dermot,
Roderic O'Conor, joined this muster. This was on the Wednesday after
the festival of SS Peter and Paul. O'Donnell assembled the
Kinel-Connell and Kinel-Owen against them, so that they did not allow a
single man, either English or Irish, to cross the ford of Ath-Seanaigh
for a whole week. The English then bethouhgt them of sending Cormac
O'Conor with a large body of cavalry westwards along the plain, who was
to turn southwards through the plain, and then eastwards along the
borders of the bog, unperceived by any one, until he should arrive at
Beth-atha-Culuain (a ford) on the Erne. This was accordingly done, and
the Kinel-Connell knew nothing of the movement until they saw the body
of cavalry advancing on their rear, on their side of the river; they
then turned around to them. When the English saw that the attention of
the Kinel-Connell was directed towards the cavalry who had advanced on
their rear, they rushed across the ford against them, being confident
that they (the Kinel-Connell) would not be able to attend to the
attacks of both. The Kinel-Connell were now in the very centre of their
enemies, who had surrounded them on every side. O'Donnell was slain on
the spot, as well as the Cammhuinealach (Wry-necked) O'Boyle, the head
chieftain of the Three Tuathas (3 territories in the northwest of the
county of Donegal), Mac Sorley, Lord of Argyle (Argyle in Scotland),
and other chiefs of the Kinel-Connell. A great number of Fitzgeralds
forces were slain and drowned here, and many others at Termon Daveog,
in pursuit of preys that fled before them. The country was then
plundered and desolated by them (the English) and they left the
chieftainship of the Kinel-Connell to Rory O'Canannan on this occasion.
AFM