Book of Ryans - Dynasty
These dynamic events in England voided the earls and native princes submission to Richard, and for all practical purposes, English law ceased to exist and the chieftains merely provided nominal acknowledgement of Henry IV. The rise of Henry IV was a turning point for England because she became more internally focused, and Ireland for the next several hundred years would be monitored less closely. This retreat from Ireland's affairs signaled a new age for the Irish, and they began reverting to their original customs and laws which they maintained until the mid 16th century. By the end of the following century the Irish had recovered over two thirds of their original lands, and while Gaelic custom became commonplace, English influence in Ormond remained much stronger than in other parts of Ireland. The Irish living in the Ormond Palatinate including the O'Mulryans, O'Kennedys, and O'Meaghers probably adopted traditional customs and habits less rapidly than other tribes in Ireland. When the 15th century opened the O'Mulryans emerged as a major Sept in Owney and Kilnamanagh along with other Gaelic princes such as the O'Dwyers, O'Briens, and O'Carrolls.
Statute of Kilkenny
The Statute of Kilkenny was created to regulate the relations between the Anglo-Irish and the Gaelic Irish in 1366. Lionel of Clarence became weary of the constant warfare, so he summoned a Parliament at Kilkenny to create 35 acts which made it illegal to practice Celtic laws or customs by anyone of Norman heritage. This legislation attempted to define the enemies of England, and 'these enemies' included those Anglo-Irish who did not agree to its terms. Some of its regulations included:
. Musicians and poets were viewed as enemies of the state.
. Ecclesiastical offices should not be granted to someone of Irish descent.
. Intermarriage with the Irish was forbidden.
. Bare back horse riding forbidden for the well-to-do.
Hurling, a past-time similar to American football, was forbidden.
. Use of Irish farm laborers was forbidden.
. No trading arrangement with the Gaelic population.
These statutes were defined to prohibit the Anglo-Irish from intermingling with the local population. As later centuries showed, the Anglo-Irish assimilated with the 'mere' Irish and became 'more Irish than the Irish themselves' as has so often been quoted in Irish history. Maurice Fitzgerald similarly wrote in his journals that being 'Anglo Irish' created a dilemma for the Irish of English descent:
`To the English, we are Irish, to the Irish we are English.'[1]
New Monarchy
Lead him to fight for native land,
His is no courage cold and wary
The troops live not that could withstand
The headlong charge of Tipperary
From "Tipperary"
The increasing strength of the O'Mulryans during the latter part of the medieval period reflected their increased influence with the Butler earls of Ormond. Although subjection to the overlord was often expressed in informal terms, more powerful members such as the Ryans eventually displaced the old landholders surrounding them. These shifts in landed ownership were frequently observed in the aged journals such as the displacement of the O'Briens by the O'Connor's in Connaught, or the Dillons replacing the lordship of the MacCarrons in Westmeath. This dynamic movement of land within Ireland began shifting the base of political power on this island, but more importantly it affected the delicate relationship the English monarchy held with its Irish subjects.
The English monarchy was finding it difficult to manage the Irish nobility because it lacked a centralized monarchy as that found in England. England could not negotiate with a single monarch; instead she had to deal with every border chief, like the O'Mulryans, to provide protection for the English settlers and maintain peace in their districts. The English made a policy of paying protection, or 'black rent', to Gaelic chieftains lasted well into the 16th century. These extortions were commonplace as Mac Murrough and others continued to benefit from England's desires to retain a foothold on this uncivilized island.
As England relaxed its control on the 'mere Irish', many of the Anglo-Irish earls saw an opportunity to seize more independence from England, and their virtually unchecked actions at length led to violent conclusions. In 1404, war raged between the houses of Ormond, headed by James known as the White Earl, and Desmond, led by his cousin Katherine of Desmond. During this dispute, many parts of Tipperary were destroyed as well as lands occupied by the O'Mulrians. A significant assault on the Ryans resulted from a dispute between the Burkes of Clanwilliam and the O'Carrolls, subjects of Ormond. These two great families clashed at Kilkenny, and because the O'Mulryans country was inside the territorial lordship of the Ormond earls, they undoubtedly participated in this violent quarrel. If it were not for the intervention of the English monarchy, the earls' warfare would have devastated a much greater area in southern Ireland
It is noteworthy how the English viewed their Irish subjects. Polydor Vergil noted that its inhabitants were of two types: "one is gentle and cultured, living in English manner of life, obedient to the King, and mostly understanding the language; the other type of islander is savage, rude and uncouth, known as the wild men of the woods because of their primitive habits.[2] These views of Ireland were substantiated by what others saw in the countryside. Most of the people were peasants who either farmed or tended cattle for the gentry. Universally, most agreed that their lot was extremely arduous by then present European standards. They lived in small mud huts with roofs made of thatch or straw. Most of these structures were one-roomed hovels without a chimney or window, however, the landowners usually had larger houses that contained a general living and dining area in addition to bedrooms.
Although the populace was uneducated and poor by European standards, they were zealously devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. This commitment was evidenced by the number of reconfirmed grants that the Irish nobility bestowed upon the monasteries and abbeys during the 14th century. One such grant in 1424 by Henry O'Ryan Lord of Idrone "confirmed to the daughter house at Killenny, which had been absorbed by Duiske, a grant of lands made by his ancestor Dermot, Lord of Idrone, about 1164 and confirmed by King Dermot"[3]
Abbey of Owney
Gold priests, wooden chalices
in Ireland in Patrick's time.
Golden chalices, wooden priests,
as the wretched world stands now.
An Duanaire, Translated by T. Kinsella
The clans grew more powerful as the course of the century progressed, and a situation in 1435 involving the Ryans of Owney suggested how influential these newly emerging families had become. In this year, the O'Mulryans decided that it was time to have an Irish abbot installed at the abbey of Owney <also known as Wetheny, Wony, or Abington>, and according to its registers, this monastery was headed by an abbot of English descent since its founding in 1205. The abbey was established by a descendent of one of the Norman conquerors as an annal entry by Duald McFirbis recorded:
1205 Abbey of Wetheny in Limerick is founded by Theobold Fitzwater Butler, Lord of Carrick.[4]
The Butlers acquired the lordship of Ormond from the King of England. The Butler's received special favors from Henry because Theobold's wife was the sister of St. Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, whom was murdered by several of Henry's followers. Theobold was a favorite courtier of King John II, and he assigned Butler a lordship containing large grants of lands in northern Tipperary and southern Wicklow. This special relationship allowed Theobold Butler to establish monasteries in both Ireland and England, and it was at Abbingdon where Theobold was eventually buried in 1206. The descendents of Theobold never claimed Abbingdon as their traditional burial ground, and therefore, the successive Butlers would use a burial plot at Arklow instead. As Abbingdon was patronized by later descendants of Theobold Butler, the administration of the monastery continued to be filled by men of English persuasion until the O'Mulryans challenged their appointments. O'Mulryan nominated Dermot O'Gleeson to head the abbey much to the displeasure of the English clergy. On May 31st of 1435, a letter in Latin was sent by the monks of Owney abbey to James, Earl of Ormond, complained that an Irish born monk named Dermot O'Gleeson had "been intruded upon them by the violence of the laity, headed by Connor Y. O'Molreyan and his son contrary to the king's statute and mandate."[5] The letter also mentioned that O'Gleeson, with the aid of the O'Molreyan's, behaved inappropriately by confining and preventing the leave of the religious men from their castle, "and were reduced to the greatest straits by want of food, while divine service was entirely discontinued and neglected. They entreat the Earl with tearful sighs to listen to their griefs and provide a remedy by causing the intruding Hibernicus to be expelled and an Englishman put in his place."[6]
The monks in this order were Cistercians from the Abbey of Citeaux in Normandy, and extensive grants of lands and moneys to this order, including additional grants to the abbey at Owney, were presented by king John. The Cistercians generally disliked the Irish, and while they were regarded as an inferior race not all shared this sentiment. These 13th century monks were patronized by the Anglo-Irish lords whom financed their missionary endeavors, and becoming too emotionally attached to their Gaelic flock was disapproved of by the Butlers and other English lords. The early records showed that in 1290 an Abbot was fined for showing sympathy with the Irish, and in another, Abbot Thomas was deposed for a similar infraction.[7] These monks had a difficult role to play because they were asked to befriend the native Irish, yet at the same time, they were told that English traditions, including the embedded loathing of the Gaels, was to be upheld. As time progressed, their abusive dogmatism became institutionalized in the Cistercian order; and subsequently, the monks became less sympathetic to the social and political impediments facing the general population. Their missionary responsibilities became dispassionate, and in many cases their coolness evoked violent overtones:
The remonstrance of the Irish to Pope John XXII in 1318 declared that the Cistercian monks of Granard <Abbeylara> and of Inch openly declared it no sin to kill an Irishman, and would even celebrate mass after doing so.[8]
Social Upheaval
Ireland is a woman risen again
from the horrors of reproach...
She was owned for a while by foreigners,
She belongs to Irishmen after that.
Inauguration ode for Niall Mor. O'Neill, king of Tir Eoghain
The "Four Masters" mentioned the death of Henry O'Ryan, Lord of Idrone, in 1438. This Henry was a descendent of Harry O'Ryan who sought peaceful communion with the English in the previous century. Another reference in the journals was made in 1455 showing Matthew O'Mulryan being installed as abbot of Holycross Abbey. It was a period which represented a 'dark age' in Ireland where literature and record-keeping were marginally maintained. Information was relatively scarce concerning the captaincies of certain Gaelic nations, yet it was undoubtedly a period when the Ryans expanded their influence inside their countries of Owney-on-O'Mulryan, MacKeough near Borrisoleigh, and Idrone in Leinster. The scarcity of information was nearly universal because even information surrounding the lives of prominent Norman lordships like the earls of Ormond was inconsequential. His life would nearly be unknown if it weren't for his expedition into the palatinate to destroy the castle at Owney-on-O'Mulryan. This assault on the O'Mulryans occurred in 1452 where according to the Four Masters, the Earl of Ormond, then the Lord Justice, broke down the doors to the castle of Owney which was home to the prince of the Ryans, Connor O'Mulrian. The events leading up to this conflict resulted from the political and social events troubling Ireland in the latter 15th century. England was having trouble maintaining its presence in Ireland, and her inability to police the country allowed "Irish enemies" and "English rebels" to despoil Anglo-Irish villages. English settlers had very little protection from the Anglo-Irish nobility, whom for the most part lived outside of Ireland and seldom, if ever, visited the lands they governed. In addition, court records and letters complained of the long-term feud between the earls of Ormond and Kildare which also added to the uneasiness of the residents within contested demnse lands. The culmination of these disastrous events forced Richard, Duke of York, to visit Ireland at Howeth on July 6, 1449, and within a month many of the great chieftains of Ireland, including Ormond and Kildare, bowed to the king and swore their fealty to him.
Richard's intervention in the internal affairs of Ireland eased tensions temporarily, but during this unsettling period the feud between the two earls surfaced again. One of the earls, perhaps sparked by an unwelcome gesture, destroyed crops and homes in the territories of the O'Mulrians, O'Demseys and O'Reillys. This devastation must have been quite signficant because even Duald McFirbis documented Desmond's wasting of the northern section of his palatine in 1452.
Maurice, the Earl of Desmond's son being slaine on Vaithny <Owney> by Connor O'Maelrian after the castle of Vaithny was broken on Connor by the two Earls, Maurice only returning against the pursuers wounded his horse and fell down and was killed. John Cleragh, son to the said Earl died. A defeate given to Connor O'Maelrian after that by the sons of the Earls and Connor escaped by the goodness of his horse and there was killed his two sons and thirty four of the best men of their army and all the foot were slain too, and he that has beaten the Earl's son was cutt in pieces afterwards."[9]