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The Life of Mr. Charles OConor.

(Continued from January's Magazine)

Here Mr O'Conor efcapes notice until 1743, and I find n thing worth mentioning relating to him, except that he had commenced housekeeper on a farm, which his father gave up to him, when he was married; there he employed himself in domeftic and literary purfuits until 1749, when his father died, and his houfe was the refort of fuch of the native Irifh as fympathifed in the melancholy tale of their ancient and recent misfortunes ; his Irith hospitality even at this period Was too well known to require an addition from the oftentatious difplay of the Mc. Swineys. Intimately acquainted with Mr. Contarine the country clergyman, on whom Goldfmith paffes the most deferved eulogy in his deferted village. He was like him,

More bent to raise the wretched, than to rife.

but with this difference of being a roman catholic, and a native, his houfe

NOTE.

In the parish of Kilmurry, and county of Cork, the Mc. Swineys fet upa ftone near Clodagh, on which they infcribed in Irish an invitation to all paffengers to repair for entertainment to the houfe of Mr. Swiney.

was refortsd to by much more nume rous crowds of broken foldiers, and ruined Irisha en.

Pleafed with his guefts the good man learned to glow,

And quite forgot their vices in their

woe.

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Almoft the whole of life paffes away in little incidents of no importance to pofterity; but though years thus imperceptibly glide on before the retrofpective eye of hiftory, yet they are filled up by the common occurrences of life, and the interftices,' fays Dr. Johnson, between those events which memory can detail with dignity, are far from being the leafi important in focial intercourfe. ince they are the most frequent, and make the cup of mortality iweet or bitter, as the air makes us fick or healthy, we breathe it without attention and enjoy it without gratitude.'

Among thofe mental endowments which tend to render trivial things a fource of happiness in domeftic life, 】 reckon as principal ingredient, that calm ferenity of temper, the unclouded funfhine of the mind, without which, virtue itfelf is aufterity, and learning is but a formidable endewment,' Of all Mr. O'Conor's engaging qualities this was the predominant; by avoiding every appearance of fuperiority, he encouraged among his inferiors a freedom by which he often reaped folid advantages; he got a nearer view of the paflions of his cotemporaries; a more extenfive krowledge of their family connexions, and a confidence which men feldom repofe in their equals, and never in their fuperiors in fortune or abilities. Nor was it among the better fort only that he gained friends by his eafy familiarity; he defcended into kind converfation with the lower orders on their

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Many of the poor were indebted to him for the promotion of their children in the church at home, and the armies abroad,he joined in their fports played their old mufic, was the favorite of their clergy, and attained to fuch a degree of popularity among them as no one perfon experienced fince the days of counsellor M'Donagh, and no one perfon has any profpect of ever attaining again. He was the writer of their pedigrees, the receiver of fmall remittances for many from France, Spain and Germany, he recounted to them the adventures of many of their fathers after the battle of Aghrim, he added a native grace to his Irish narratives, and knew how to captivate a people with thofe genius and manners he was intimately acquainted. It was on this account that O'More of Ballyna called him Ultimus Romanorum. Convinced that in all fyftems, the greater number must be poor, he loved to inculcate in a thousand fhapes, fuch old maxims as helped to alleviate the calamities he was not able to remove.

;

During Lord Carteret's adminiftration from 1725, to 1731, the poor of Ireland experienced a confiderable fhare of lenity, even in the the interior parts of the kingdom; the

laws fuppofed and the great affected to fuppofe that no fuch people exifted their religion drew an infuperable line between them and their rulers, and hiftory is filent relative to their domeftic tranfactions, except when Primate Coulter condefcends, inthe fullnefs of his zeal for the interefts of another nation, to advert to the Jacobitifm of those whom he ftyles the Papifts of Ireland; or when fanaticifm lights a torch of perfecution on their obfcurity:

But it

But this filence extorts even from the most unwilling an acknowledgement that the difpofitions of the lower orders were peaceable and orderly during thefe unhappy times; for it is the nature of party to be active in accumulating mifteprefentation. Nothing contributes more than this to the uncertainty of hiftory, and even without its influence, there is fomething malevolent in the generality of hiftorians, which makes them induftrious in recording every thing that is wicked, and configning every thing that is virtuous to oblivion. would feem that party dreffes this malevolence in a manner peculiar to herfelf; let any perfon compare the hiftories of Lutheranism and Calvinifm, by Maimbourg, with those of Robertfon, Seckendorf, Bayle and Jurieu, he will find the fame facts fet down in different lights, evidence is darkened, truth is embroiled, and unhappily we have but too much reafon not to expect from moft hiftorians any thing but the fpirit, the prejudices, the interefts, and the taftes of the party on whofe fide they write.

*

*There is this inconvenience to be borne with when we read books that are written by perfons who are attached to party, that we cannot dif cover the truth therein; facts are difguifed, the reafons for both fides are not related with all their force or exactnefs. Bruyere, Charact. p.

121.

A collection of fome of the Mafacres, and murder's committed on the rib in ireland.

[Continued from page 57.1

Conaty of Mayo.

In this County few murders were committed by either fide, tho' the libel faith, that about 256 proteflants were murdered, whereof at Bellicke, 220, whereas not one perfon was mur dered there, which the now lady of Mountrath can witnefs; her ladyfhip and Sir Robert Hanna, her father, with many others having retreated thither for fecurity, were all conveyed fafe to Manor-Hamilton; and it is obfervable, that the faid lady, and the reft, came to Mr. Owen O'Roikes, who kept a Garrison at Drumahier, for the Infh, be ore they came to ManorHamilton, whofe brother was prifoner, with Sir Frederick Hamilton, and the faid Mr. Roike, having fo many perfons of quality in his hands, fent to Sir Frederick to enlarge his brother, and that he would convey them all fafe to him: but Sir Frederick, instead of enlarging his brother, hang'd him the next day, which might have well provoked the gentleman to revenge, if he had not more humanity, than could be well expected upon fuch an occaGoa, and in times of fo great confufion, yet he fent them all fafe where they defired.

There was a murder committed near the Moyn on 27 proteftants, which was all (and that too many) that was commnited in that county. Buchannan, faid to be buryed alive, was kill'd in a private quarrel, and he cut off his adverfary's hand, before hitelf was killed.

pany, and two more, were hanged by the then Governor of the fort of Gafway; the laid lord being then of his Majefty's army, for which action no reparation being given to his lordship, he pretended it to be the occafion of his revolt from the lord marquis of Clanricard. A party of the gantifon of the faid for murdered fix people in Rinveel, among whom one Jefficy Fitz-Thibot, aged about 70 years, and in in a burning fever, with his wife who was old, were murdered in their beds; which action provoked many of the neighbours to ftand on their guard against the faid fort.

Richard Bourk, a colonel in his Majefty's army, had quarter given him by tome of colonel Coote's men, he being taken in a Skirmith between colonel Grace, and fome of Cromwell's party, and being prifoner for fome time, colone! Henry Ingoldfby caufed his head to be cut off.

prac

1652, 1653. It was a ufual tife with colonel Stubbers, then governor of Galway, and others commanding in faid county, to take the people out of their beds at night, and fell them for flaves to the Indies, and by computation fold out of faid county above 1000 fouls.

Murders committed in the faid county of Galway on proteftants,

1642. It is confefs'd, that two protestants were murdered in that County, whereof one was a minister, as the libel fays, but it is most certain the lord marquis of Clanricard caused the three men, who murdered one of them, to be hanged in gibbets in three feveral places; and by his loi dihip's orders, Sir Roger O'Shaghnely hang'd the two cow-herds who murdered the other. Lord Clanmorris having de

County of Galway, and province of clared against the faid fort fer hanging

Connaught.

1642. Serjeant Redmund Bourk, of the lord of Clonmoris's foot com

his fergeant, as above exprefs'd, took fergeant Rowlright, and two or three more of the foldiers of faid fort, pillaging a village near Galway, and

hanged

hanged Rowlright, and the other three.

A barbarous murder was committed by one Edward Alta, an irreligious prophane fellow of the county Mayo, and his accomplices, on tome proeftants at Shruel, a place meeting Galway, on about 30 perfons; and the pamphleteer might well remember, that the neighbouring gentry came, with all expedition to refcue the faid Proteftants; and that they did rescue the bishop of Killala, (who by the pamphlet feems to have been murdered) and his wife and children, with the moft part of faid proteflants; and Bryan Kilkenny a friar, then guardian of the abbey of Rofs, near Shruel, was of the first that made hafte to that refcue, and brought the faid bifhop's wife and children, with feveral others of the faid difti effed proteftants, to his monaftery, where they found as much civility, as was in the faid friar's power to give them for feveral nights, until Mr. Burke of Caftle Hacket, brought the faid bishop, his wife and family, to his own houfe, where they wanted nothing he could afford them for fome weeks; the like being done by feveral other neighbouring gentlemen to the rest of the faid proteftants, until they were fent to places of fecurity by the Lord Marquis of Clanricard's order; yet the faid friar hath been thefe eight years paft, kept a prifoner for his function or calling, without any other crime laid to his charge, now being above 80 years old. And it is obfervable, that in this county of. Galway all the war time, feveral proteftant minifters, viz. Dean York, Mr. Corroyn, Mr. Kelly, and other minifters, had their proteftant flocks and meetings, without interruption, living the Irish.

among

County of Rofcommon.

No murders were committed by any party in this county, only five per• fons at Ballanafada by one Roger

O'Connor; and no murder was committed at Ballaleague, dnring the war altho' in the fauphlet the contrary is expreffed; nor was auy such man as William Stewart known in that county, nor to have been murdered there, tho' the abftra&t fets forth his being murdered in a moft barbarous manner.

County of Leitrim.

1641.Itwas commonly known to both fides how cruel the Governor of Manor-hamilton was in that county, how he ufually invited Gentlemen to dine with him, and hang'd them after dinner, and caufed their thighs to be broke with hatchets before execution. Alfo the faid governor, being in Ulfter when the rebellion broke forth, defired one Mr. Iraght (a gentleman who profefs'd much itiendship to him) to do him the favour to guide him in fafety to Manor-Hamilton aforefaid, which the gentlemon did, and came near an hundred miles with him, but after being friendly treated for fome days by the faid governor, he was hanged without the leaft occafion; neither was the gentleman in the re bellion, but was hanged left he should. The libel fays, three proteftants were murdered in this county; but on due examination, it will be fonnd there was none.

County of Sligo.

Here is none at this time, who can give any exact account of the murders committed in this County, but one remarkable murder in Crane's-Calle in the town of Sligo, the Irish had a party commanded by Major Richard Burke, (who after obtaining quarter to march away) to the number of about 200 were murdered rendering the caftle. This Sir Audley Meryne knoweth to be true.

[To be Continued.]

E

Account of the Murder of Lord Ma

guire in 1641.

WHEN that unfortunate young nobleman, an hereditary peer of the rain, by a kind of a Trial before a Middlesex Jury, and an English Judge, was convicted of imputed treasons committed in Ireland, he was drawn on a hurdle to Tyburn and there executed. In his last melancholy moments, without a friend to sooth or a priest to console hin, a fanatical villain assuming the name and dress of a cler. gyman, a creature and tool of the legal murderers, obtruded himself at the place of execution on the young nobleman, with an hypocritical and insulting barbarity, addressed himself in this manDer." Mr. Maguire it is not your Ave Marias that will do you any good," "for Jesus Christ's sake, (answered his lordship,) I beseech you to give me a little time to prepare myself." The Sheriff then searched his pockets, and found his rosary, beads and crucifix, which he immediately took away, telling him atthe same time," you must either go to Heaven or Hell, if you do not make an ingenuous confession, your case is desperate," do you account the shedding of Protestant blood to be a sin, or not," his lordship replied, "I think the Irish had a just cause for their wars, for God's sake, let me say my prayers."

All this while, says the lying and bigotted Sir John Temple, his eyes were fixed on his papers, mumbling over something out of them, (that is, he was praying according to the forms of his own church,) whereupon one of the Sheriffs impatiently and brutally demanding the papers, his lordship flung them down, and so was exe.

cuted.

S

On the Keening of the Irish

THE Irish while yet untainted by the fastidious manners and specious innovations of their rude and barbarous invaders, were always remarkable for their funeral lamentations, and once were celebrated for their musical art in their last sad offices to their departed friends. Formerly these duties were performed by dressing the body of the deceased in grave clothes, ornamenting it with flowers, and placing it on a bier; when the relations and keeners ranging themselves in two divisions, one at the head, and two at the feet of the corpse the chief bard of the head chorus, softly accompanied by the harp, sung the funeral song; this being ended, the foot semichorus began the lamen tation, or ullaloo, in which they were answered by the head semichorus. After this, the chief bard of the foot semichorus began the second gol or la mentation, in which he was answered by that of the head; and then, as before, both united in the general full chorus. Thus, alternately were the song and choruses solemnly performed during the night. But whatever merit and de corum there might formerly be in those vocal obsequies of the Irish, they have at present very little either of melody, harmony or dignity. The desolating sword and policy of the invader, unrelentingly, directed against our ancient institutions, succeeded in destroying every dignified establishment that tended to remind us of the name and attachments of our independent country; education of every species was proscribed; our music fell with our arts into the chaos which persecution had gathered on our ill fated country, the Caainan has lost its ancient dignity and degenerated into a disagreeable and disgusting cry.

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