Page 190 - Demo

190 Stephen Dunford: The Journey of The IrIsh
mountains of Wicklow. Glenmalure, however, proved a barren victory, and because of the triumphant progress of the English forces elsewhere, the rebel leaders received very little support and were unable to follow up their successes. As a result, the following year, when offered terms, O Byrne surrendered and Eustace fled to France.
Desmond’s struggle was now a forlorn hope. The English authorities, supported ably by Lord Ormond systematically devastated the country and captured the Geraldine strong- holds, one by one. The unmercifulness with which the government forces went about their business was so fearful, we are told that:
“The toddling child, the feeble old man, the blind, the lame, the idiot, the strong man as well as the weak, the shepherd, with no weapon in his hand more dangerous than the shepherd’s crook-all were hunted down and put to death by the sword, or else drivern in to perish in the flames of their own houses.”
In 1580, when the rebellion was almost crushed, a Papal force of 800 Spaniards and Italians landed at the aforementioned Smerwick Harbour. They brought with them a large supply of arms, but not finding the Irish eager to avail themselves of their assistance, they entrenched in the fort of Dun-an-Oir where they were quickly besieged by an English army under the military command of Lord Grey and the naval command of Admiral Winter. Attacked by sea and land, the embattled defenders stubbornly held out for four days after which they surrendered and laid down their arms. In the aftermath of the surrender, the English brutally turned on the unarmed men, all of whom were butchered to a man; two notable Englishmen who took part in the massacre were Sir Walter Raleigh and the poet Sir Edmund Spenser.
In 1582 the Earl’s brother John was killed and on the 11 November the following year, the Earl himself, by then a proclaimed outlaw, was savagely hunted down and murdered near Tralee, in county Kerry. His head was brought to the English in Dublin, who, in turn, salted it, then carried it to Elizabeth, who had it set on a spike on London Bridge.
The soldiers of the Crown now ravaged the province with little opposition. It is told that throughout the countryside the grotesque became commonplace and both the aforemen- tioned English soldier-poet, Spenser, along with the Four Masters, all bear testimony to the
fff..ffffff