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2 ‘Lfe qf Pfselim O’Comrar.
advantageous polition, waited cooly
for the brave but nngovernable onfet
of the Iriih army. The lriih, after
- the lirll difcharge of their arrows,
which were tipped with lleel heads,
but not much above half an ell long,
wrapt their mantles about their left
arms, to fcrve them as targets, then
claihing theirfwords againll each other
with their right hands, and railing a
war Ihout in a tremendous manner,
according to the ancient cultom of
their nation,“‘ they rulhed upon the
enemy fiercely and girnpetuoulty with-
out much order or array, rather headed
than commanded by Felim O'Connor.
It was the molt obltinate and,bloody,,
' them that courage is tremendous
engagement ever fought between the
two nations, it was fought about that
feafon of the yearlwhen the-light of
the fun-continues longtft with us, by
the refradtion ofits rays after fun fet. .
The battles of thefe days were fought
as they were recently by the lrifh,
not to gratify the ambition of a few
courtiers, the avarice of a minillcr,
or the refentment ofa prince. Every
foldier was interelled in every llroke:
the flake contended for was more or,
iefs property., and every man felt the
neeeiiity ofdefending his own family, ‘-
honours and poiiefiions againlt the
violence of lawlefs depredation. To
-fuelr foldieri the young chief who led
“them to the field had only to lay--
’ “ Hear me ye fons ofancient Cvael,’f ”
’ They are the parents who protected
i Y0“ ‘V1161! not able to protect your-
‘ft-lyes. They are the cradles of your
"children, the beds of your wives, and
‘the'poiTeiiiorrs of, your families, that
‘yhouare marching to ‘defend, againlt
. '. The furniture, or an 'lrilh‘horfeman, was a flrong brafs bit, Hiding reins, a (hank,
:prllxon without ftirrups, andhe charged ‘his fpear aloft above his head. [have heard -
foreign npllarts and aiiaiiins. (Clanna
Gal) Alas ! our wives and children
have had already too much teafon to
lament the unrevenged deaths of our
friends, whom the Saxons boall. of
having murdered in the dark, for you
know that the laws of the Saxons do
not punifh a murderer, if the murs
dered perfon is a countryman of ours.
But now my friends! let us at leall ‘ I
have the fatiafaftion of making our
deaths as terrible to our enemiesas
they are bitter to our Families. Rub. ‘ A
bets are conquered by thcirconfci-
. ences even before they fall ; but, fup.
poling thofe to be hardened againlt
the voice of conlcience, let us lhuv
when it originates in deipair.
Such "was the fpeech‘of Felim.
and To great was the enthuliaim of
his army, that 10,000 of his men,
and 29 of the fubaltern chiefs of
Connaught, were killed in this deci-
live: engagement. Tradition fays,
thatlikc'theFa&ianf:1mi(y, O’Cunor.
was foeompleatly defeated, that
’throughout all Connaught not one
of .the name, (Fclims brother ex-
. eepted) could be found able to carry
arms; . t . g
The annals remark they were de-
feated by the fuperiority oftlre Eng-
lilh ‘archers, who fwept ‘oil every .
thing that oppofed them, and that
Feiim was killed on the field of bat-
tle, in the 23d yearof ‘his age,
after performing prodigies of valour,
which ihewed he was as worthy, as
Bruce, of the monarchy of all Ire-
land.aH ed he fucceeded at the battle
cl; Athenree, it is probable that lire‘;
an
5"" 3'93‘ W-'“'fl0l’5 fly, that in an the fcrviccs they had fcen abroad in foreign counttitsn
they never (law a more comelyman than the Irilhman nor thateometh on more bravely
in his ‘charge :
flirrup was callcdfo in fcorn,
Enghfh word STY,
‘ . . neither" is his manner of mounting unfeemly, tho’ he lacketh Rirrups, for
‘tn his getting Kip, his horf: is (lill going, whereby he gaineth way: and therefore the
‘ ‘ as it were a (lay to get up, being derived from‘ thb..9ld
‘Wlnchas to get up or mount. Spencer’: view oflrcland. ‘ ' "
