John McCullagh

Among those in Ireland who were put out by this was Marshall Bagenal. There is a record of a letter from the Privy Council in Dublin to Bagenal requesting him ‘to spare his house in Newry for Essex and for him to remove himself to some other place for a convenient time’. 

This thing the Marshall positively refused to do.

The following year Essex returned to England and in his stead Sir Henry Sydney (friend of Bagenal’s friend the Earl of Leicester) came to Ireland as Lord Deputy. 

He ‘pacified’ the Pale (put his enemies, the Irish, to fire and sword) and moved northwards on 5^th October with 200 horsemen and 400 foot soldiers. 

Perhaps the friendship mentioned above coloured his view of Bagenal’s estates, as he wrote …

‘I found soche good pollecye and order in the countrie where the Marshall dwelleth, his Landes so well manured, his Tenants so cherished and maintained, the town so well planted with inhabitants, and increased in bewtye and building, as he is much to be commended as well, that he useth his tenants to lyve so welthilye under hym, as his own bountie and large hospitallite and housekepings so able and willinge to geve entertainment to so maney and chiefely, to all those that have occasion to travel to or froe Northwards, his house lyeing in the open highway to their passage’.

The above words are often quoted in Bagenal’s favour. 

The present writer remains most sceptical, especially since Bagenal had point-blank refused the Privy Council’s entreaties the previous year for hospitality on behalf of the former Deputy! 

Sydney was merely promoting his friend – and the soldier who had campaigned before with him in brutally repressing the ‘mere’ Irish. 

One example, the repression of the ‘Desmond Rebellions’ follows …

… more Desmond Rebellions ….

In October Nicholas Bagenal was restored to the position of Marshall – a fairly nominal appointment brought about by the intervention of his friends in high places for he was still apparently landless since Newry remained in the possession of the Irish for quite some considerable time. 

On 12^th November the Queen instructed Sidney to bring Shane to a conference where he might account for his deeds but the proud and victorious O’Neill was not interested. 

In a letter written by Bagenal from Dublin in February 1566, to his friend the Earl of Leicester Nicholas expressed his feelings bitterly. He states that he never knew the country so out of order – robbery, stealing and killing throughout the English Pale.

Shane was in possession of all the countries from Sligo to Carrickfergus, from there to Carlingford and south to Drogheda. 

All this was despite the Queen’s Deputy’s efforts to quell him.  

And he had forged a sure bond with Scotland (which, we remember was in the sixteenth century still an independent country and usually – as then – hostile to England and her interests). 

… death of Shane …

…. more later ….

In the end it was the McDonnells of Antrim who were to be his undoing. 

In the meantime the articles of peace concluded at Westminster on 30^th April 1562 (last history article here) had to be enacted and to that end a meeting was arranged at Dundalk, but Shane failed to appear before the English commissioners. 

He observed the peace terms only fitfully and selectively and the English government was soon plotting against him again. 

Shane was harrying his inferior chieftains (the Armagh O’Neill’s castle at Glassdrummond was taken and fired, for example) and harassed the garrison of Armagh city repeatedly. An English army marched to relieve it and then retreated to its permanent camp at Newry, taking a prey of Shane’s cattle. 

From time to time Shane concluded further pacts with the English: on 18^th November 1563 at Benburb he agreed to wage war on the Queen’s enemies while he further won the right to the title of The O’Neill under Con’s patent. A memorandum in reference to this agreement signed by O’Neill is dated 28^th February 1564 at Fedan. 

This is evidence that Shane O’Neill possessed a castle at Fathom just a few miles from Bagenal’s house at Newry. Bagenal may have even resided there from time to time but likely in Shane’s absence on his many conflicts. 

For example in early 1565 O’Neill confronted the Antrim Scots on their home territory, eventually routing them and taking two leaders, James and Sorley Boy MacDonnell prisoner. This was also in pursuit of his promise to wage war on the Queen’s enemies. 

Again on 25^th August of that year Shane wrote, from Fathom, to the Privy Council informing them of the success of those operations. 

Ironically, in that same month Shane swooped from Fathom to take back the monastic seat – the old Abbey – that even in his memory had been seized by the English adventurer Nicholas Bagenal from the holy monks who had built it and possessed it and ministered to their people there for ages past (more than four hundred years). 

Bagenal appears not to have been at home at the time.

To consolidate his position Shane went on also to seize the Castle of Dundrum on the coast from the Marquis of Kildare. 

Despite this clear signal of Shane’s intent to consolidate his power base throughout Ireland, the rulers of The Pale seemed unwilling to break with him, contenting themselves with requesting the restoration of Newry castle to Bagenal – a request which was scornfully ignored by Shane O’Neill. 

Shane rampant …

… more later …