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PIRATAS Y BANDOLEROS EN IRLANDA DEL NORTE

Grace O’Malley, la mujer pirata

La Reina de los Piratas, Grace O´Malley, también conocida como Granuaile y por su nombre irlandés gaélico Grainne Ni Mhaille, es una de las heroínas más famosas de Irlanda y su vida está llena de leyenda. La extraordinaria vida de Grace O´Malley se centra alrededor de una de las conquistas de Irlanda por parte de los Tudor bajo el reinado de la reina Isabel I.  

Grace nació en el año 1530 y era la hija del jefe del clan O´Malley quien controlaba el suroeste del Condado de Mayo y la costa desde su castillo de Isla Clare. Era una renombrada familia de marineros que dominaba las rutas marítimas a lo largo de la costa oeste de Irlanda, cobrando impuestos a pescadores y comerciantes y tenían negocios con Escocia y España. Grace era muy culta y tenía conocimientos de latín, gaélico, español, francés e inglés. Una de las leyendas que la rodean cuenta que Grace, cuando todavía era muy joven, quiso acompañar a su padre a España en un viaje de negocios pero este se negó, poniéndole como excusa que su pelo era muy largo y podía enredarse en las cuerdas del barco. De modo que para poder hacer dicho viaje Grace se cortó el pelo muy corto, haciendo que se la conociera con el mote de "Grace la calva", aunque también sería conocida más adelante como "La Reina del Mar de Connaught".

En la época de juventud de Grace Irlanda era prácticamente independiente, pues aunque pertenecía a la corona inglesa, esta no demostraba ningún interés por el territorio irlandés y la nobleza irlandesa hacía básicamente lo que quería. Sin embargo Enrique VIII decidió recuperar el control de la isla, apoyado más adelante por los Tudor e Isabel I.

En 1546 Grace se casó a una edad muy temprana con el líder del clan de los O´Flaherty y cuando éste fue muerto en batalla, Grace se convirtió en la líder del clan O´Flaherty a su vez. Más tarde se casaría con otro poderoso jefe llamado Richard Burke,también conocido como Iron Burke porque llevaba siempre una cota de malla, pero se divorció de él un año más tarde bajo las antiguas Leyes Brehon que regulaba la duración del matrimonio durante un año; cuando el año se cumplió Grace se divorció de Burke y se quedó con su título y el castillo de Rockfleet cerca de Newport en el Condado de Mayo. De este matrimonio con Iron Burke tuvo un hijo llamado Tibbot (el cuarto, pues ya había tenido tres de su anterior matrimonio) al que dio a luz a bordo de un barco cuando estaba siendo atacado por piratas del norte de África en 1567.

A medida que Inglaterra iba ganando control sobre Irlanda, Grace se encontró bajo una gran presión para ceder ante la corona inglesa. Grace fue atacada por una expedición de Galway en su castillo de Isla Clare, comenzando así su vida como pirata, bloqueando el puerto de Galway y atacando a los barcos ingleses en la bahía del mismo nombre.

Grace era muy valiente y también muy salvaje. Durante un viaje a Dublín intentó visitar al Barón Howth, quien no la recibió con la excusa de que estaba cenando con su familia y no deseaba ser molestado. Grace en un ataque de cólera secuestró al hijo del barón y solamente lo liberó cuando llegaron a un acuerdo que aseguraba que las puertas del castillo del barón siempre estarían abiertas para ella, regalándole el barón un anillo de compromiso para sellar el acuerdo.

En otra ocasión la familia McMahon mató a su amante Hugo de Lacy, lo que propició que Grace les atacara, capturando su castillo de Doona en Ballycroy, matando a los responsables de la muerte de su amante y haciéndose con el castillo.

Cuando el gobernador de Connaught, Sir Richard Bingham, capturó a dos de los hijos de Grace O´Malley, ella zarpó en dirección a Inglaterra para hablar con la reina Isabel I cara a cara. Sus barcos atracaron en el río Támesis de Londres, donde Grace se encontró con la reina Isabel en el palacio de Greenwich. Ante la reina, Grace se negó a hacer una reverencia, indicando que ella misma era reina de su tierra y no era súbdito de la reina de Inglaterra. Las dos, que eran de la misma edad aproximadamente, sintieron mutua admiración y llegaron a un acuerdo; Grace dejaría de atacar a los barcos ingleses para atacar solamente a los españoles y sus hijos le serían devueltos. Sin embargo una vez de vuelta a Irlanda Grace volvió a apoyar la rebelión de los irlandeses.

Grace O´Malley murió en el castillo de Rockfleet en 1603, el mismo año que la reina Isabel.

El pirata Tavish Dhu o Tavish el Negro

Un pirata escocés llamado Tavish Dhu, o Tavish El Negro frecuentaba la costa norte de Irlanda hace 700 años y a menudo anclaba su barco en las islas Skerries,cerca de Portrush donde había establecido su base.

En 1314 el conocido Robert Bruce venció al ejército de Edward Bruce en la batalla de Bannockburn, expulsando a los ingleses de Escocia, pero se enfrentaba al siguiente problema: los ingleses tenían un ejército naval muy poderoso y podían seguir acosándole por el mar, incluso si les había vencido en tierra. Los escoceses no contaban con muchos medios navales y no solamente eso, sino que también tenían en su contra a los Reyes de las Islas Occidentales y sus primos en Irlanda que poseían flotas enteras de galeones. De modo que el rey Robert Bruce decidió utilizar una táctica muy conocida, contratar a un mercenario, que en este caso fue el pirata Tavish Dhu, cuya actividad principal era piratear a los barcos en el Mar de Irlanda, especialmente a los barcos ingleses. Su mayor proeza consistió en apoderarse de cuatro de los barcos del Conde del Ulster que se encontraban en Coleraine. Estos barcos iban cargados con víveres y otros suministros para las tropas inglesas y nunca llegaron a su destino, sino que Tavish las condujo a través del río Bann y se los ofreció a Bruce. Hay muchos lugares en Portrush cuyos nombres fueron puestos en honor a este pirata, como Dhuvarren, la zona del tren y el camping de caravanas y una de las isletas de las Islas Skerries, llamada Isla Dubh.

Las crónicas inglesas le describen como un depredador y un pirata cruel, lo que no es de extrañar pues era uno de los mayores enemigos de los ingleses, pero es que las crónicas escocesas le describen como "the scum of the sea" o la escoria del mar!

Eduardo II en Irlanda le persiguió incansablemente debido a todos los estropicios que Tavish le había hecho a sus tropas a lo largo de los años. Le ordenó a Geoffrey de Modiworthe construir un barco especial para ir en busca de Tavish; este era un galeón de 140 hombres, muy grande para lo que solían ser los barcos en aquella época en el Mar de Irlanda y muy probablemente el velero más rápido. Pero aún así no pudieron dar caza a Tavish y tuvo que ser finalmente un noble irlandés llamado John D´Athy quien se echara al mar y acabara con el terrorífico Tavish el negro. En Julio de 1317 John interceptó a Tavish y se produjo una batalla en la que murieron 40 corsarios y Tavish fue capturado y dado muerte. La leyenda cuenta que John D´Athy le cortó la cabeza a bordo de su propio barco y la envió a Dublín, enterrando su cuerpo en las islas Skerries en Portrush (junto con su tesoro por supuesto) aunque se desconoce la localización de su tumba, a pesar de los muchos esfuerzos llevados a cabo por localizarla a lo largo de los años. A menudo se han plantado patatas u otros cultivos en esta zona, con el objetivo de encontrar la tumba del pirata, pero sin ningún resultado.

Shane Crossagh O’Mullan

Las montañas y solitarios valles de Limavady y Roe han sido testigos de las coloridas y en algunos caso sangrientas hazañas de los bandoleros del siglo XVIII. El más notorio de todos ellos fue Shane Crossagh O'Mullan,conocido por ser una especie de Robin Hood del Ulster, que robaba a los ricos para darle el dinero a los pobres y quien también era conocido por ser un hombre muy guapo que rompió muchos corazones a lo largo de su vida. Glenshane o "La Cañada de Shane" le debe su nombre precisamente a Shane O´Mullan, quien juró que "recorrería todo el camino hasta lo alto de la horca" antes que someterse a la tiranía del rey. Huyó a las montañas cuando la familia de su padre fue expulsada de su casa por insultar al hijo de un alguacil y con el tiempo se convirtió en un héroe debido a su costumbre de robar a los terratenientes para repartir el botín con los más necesitados. Su hazaña más famosa fue la desafiante emboscada al general Napier y sus tropas en el lugar que ahora se conoce como el puente del general Napier en Feeny. Tras despojarles de sus armas y objetos de valor, hizo a las tropas quedarse en ropa interior y realizar así todo el camino hasta Londonderry, mientras decía que "No es el uniforme el que hace al general, sino el hombre". Durante muchos años Shane evitó ser capturado, pero finalmente fue detenido y enviado a la prisión de Derry Gaol y colgado junto a sus hijos en la plaza del Diamond en Londonderry el año 1722. Su cuerpo está enterrado en el cementerio de la antigua iglesia de Banagher.

Cushy Glenn

El camino de Windyhill era originalmente conocido como El Camino del Agujero de la Muerte, debido a su historia sangrienta durantes los siglos XVII y XVIII siendo un punto de encuentro popular entre los bandoleros, quienes robaban continuamente a los viajeros que iban desde Coleraine a Limavady. Muchos de estos viajeros “desaparecían” durante el viaje y se dice que sus tumbas sin nombre ni señal alguna yacen en algún lugar en la montañosa vecindad, dando su nombre al camino. De hecho, esta carretera fue llamada "Camino del Agujero de la Muerte" hasta que se le cambió el nombre por el de Windyhill en los años 70!!

El Ram´s Horn Inn también se estableció en algún momento en este camino y aún a día de hoy podemos ver las ruinas de este lugar de leyenda. Se trataba de una cantina con muy mala reputación, pues se decía que sus dueños eran asesinos que solían emborrachar a sus clientes y luego les cortaban el cuello para robarles. Hubo un tiempo en el que había hasta 5 bandoleros operando en este camino, pero el más famoso de todos fue Cushy Glen, el último bandolero de Irlanda al que se le dio muerte en suelo irlandés. Tras haber sido deshonrado y expulsado del ejército, se estableció, junto con su compañera Kitty Glenn, cerca de Sconce en el Agujero de la Muerte, una zona particularmente indeseable porque existía la creencia de ser un lugar donde se llevaban a cabo sacrificios humanos, dándole fama de estar encantado. Cushy se metió de lleno muy rápidamente en una vida de crímenes, observando a los granjeros cómo hacían sus negocios en pubs y tabernas para más tarde esperarles agazapado a que cruzaran el camino de la montaña. Disparaba al caballo de su víctima y él aprovechaba ese momento para cortar el cuello al jinete, robándole y enterrando el cuerpo en una tumba sin señalar. Se cree que en todo esto le ayudaba su mujer. Pero, curiosamente, fue muerto en el año 1799 por un joven mercader de ropa de nombre James Harry Hopkins,de Bolea, que vio a Cushy salir de su escondite llevando un cuchillo en la mano tras haber matado a su caballo. El joven mercader, que iba armado,le disparó matándolo en el acto. Hopkins vivió hasta la edad de 94 años y su casa en Bolea aún puede ser vista, siendo ahora utilizada como un almacén. El cuerpo de Cushy fue encontrado en el camino pero al registrar su cabaña no encontraron ni rastro de Kitty Glenn o del botín que había robado a lo largo de los años. 

Se cuenta que Kitty volvió a casarse al tiempo, pues en la sección de matrimonios del 11 de Noviembre de 1807 del periódico Belfast Newsletter podemos encontrar la siguiente publicación:

"La señora de Cushie Glen, viuda del fallecido Señor Patrick Cushie Glen del Camino del Agujero de la Muerte, se casa con el Señor Wm. Lecky, clavador, Newtonlimavady."

En la actualidad se puede visitar una impresionante escultura que representa a Cushy Glen, creada por el escultor Maurice Harron en el área de picnic de Langantea como parte del Sendero de Esculturas de Mitos y Leyendas. En esta escultura el bandolero se muestra al acecho en las sombras, cuchillo en mano, esperando a su siguiente víctima desgraciada. Hace muchos años que ya corre el rumor que el fantasma inquieto de Cushy Glen había comenzado a deambular por esta zona, buscando su tesoro.

Los O’Haughan

Nacidos al pie de la montaña Slemish y criados por sus padres en un pequeño trozo de tierra perteneciente a la familia O´Hara, los O´Haughan tuvieron una infancia dura e indisciplinada. Viviendo en los desprotegidos páramos y en circunstancias muy pobres, su madre sabía que una cosa era segura: sus cuatro hijos tenían que ser fuertes y atléticos si querían sobrevivir y alcanzar una vida larga. Ella se encargaba de que sus hijos crecieran fuertes animándolos a saltar montones de heno y a correr más rápido que cualquier otro allí donde iban. El pequeño terreno donde vivían pertenecía a O´Hara, señor y propietario de la región.

Los O´Hara eran dueños en aquel tiempo de grandes extensiones de tierra en la zona. Pero ésta era una parte de Irlanda problemática y difícil en los siglos XVII y XVIII y no todo el mundo disfrutaba del estilo de vida de los O´Hara. Rondaba el año 1832 y la población local no era precisamente muy civilizada por aquel entonces, así que, cuando los alguaciles fueron a desalojar a los O´Haughan de su casa, no fue ninguna sorpresa que surgieran los problemas.

Mientras veían que sus padres  eran despojados de todo, uno de los cuatro hermanos O´Haughan, mató a un desgraciado alguacil. Este trágico hecho provocó que los cuatro hermanos tuvieran que huir, convirtiéndose en personas fuera de la ley, asalvajados y sin reglas. Desde aquel día, Nessy O´Haughan fue considerado como una especie de Robin Hood, robando a menudo a los que pertenecían a familias pudientes y dando a los pobres parte de lo que robaba.

Cuentan que Nessy fue un día a robar a una granja donde vivía una pareja de ancianos enfermos. Aterrorizados al ver a O´Haughan en su puerta, le explicaron que no tenían dinero y que ya estaban muertos de miedo esperando la llegada del recaudador, que llegaría en cualquier momento para cobrar los impuestos, no sabiendo cómo iban a poder pagar sin dinero.

Nessy se vio reflejado en esta historia y se alejó de la granja sin hacer ningún daño a la pareja de ancianos. En su camino se cruzó con el recaudador que se dirigía a cobrar la renta. Nessy rápidamente se arrojó sobre él le quitó cuanto llevaba y, acto seguido,  volvió a la granja,  entregó el dinero que acababa de robar al recaudador a la pareja de ancianos y les dijo que era para pagar la renta la próxima vez que el cobrador llamara a su puerta.

Pero no todo fue tan bien para el resto de los hermanos O´Haughan. La leyenda nos cuenta que el más joven, que era adoptado, fue ahorcado en Gallows Green cerca de Carrickfergus. Su crimen fue haber sido visto llevando un abrigo robado en la ciudad aquel mismo día.

Por aquel entonces los vagabundos siempre tenían puesto precio a su cabeza y los chivatazos podían venir de las fuentes más inimaginables. Si Shane Og, el mayor de los hermanos O´Haughan, hubiera evitado el enfrentamiento que tuvo con su cuñado James McKinstry, habría evitado las consecuencias que aquello le traería.

James, enfadado por la riña, se vengó informando a las autoridades de dónde se escondía Shane Og, recibiendo por esta traición una recompensa de 10 libras lo que, por aquel entonces, representaba mucho dinero. Así que el destino de Shane Og se unió al de su hermano menor en la horca de Carrickfergus.

Nessy, durante este tiempo, se dedicaba a huir de las autoridades y su vida se complicaba cada vez más. Uno de sus últimos encuentros con la ley tuvo lugar cerca de un tramo profundo del río Lagan. Los Casacas Rojas le perseguían, esperando dar caza, por fin, al más famoso de los hermanos O´Haughan. Nessy estudió las opciones que tenía de escapar a medida que los soldados se iban acercando rápidamente.

Recordando sus entrenamientos cuando era un niño, corrió y cruzó el río de un salto, dejando a los soldados atónitos. Pasó un tiempo antes de que nadie volviera a ver a Nessy pues se mantuvo escondido, hasta que decidió irse a Inglaterra y se alistó en el ejército.

En Inglaterra observó las apuestas que hacían los soldados sobre quién podía saltar dos caballo de un solo salto. Era un juego bastante común entre los soldados para pasar el rato. Cansado del juego, uno de los soldados decidió subir el listón y puso en línea tres caballos en vez de dos. Se empezó a formar una multitud alrededor  comentando que nunca antes nadie había conseguido saltar tres caballos.

Nessy vio la oportunidad de ganar un dinero que necesitaba urgentemente y se preparó antes de saltar ágilmente por encima de los tres caballos. Pero cuando estaba recogiendo el dinero de los atónitos espectadores, se oyó una voz entre la multitud que decía “¡Arrestad a ese hombre!”. Era un oficial que sólo había visto a alguien saltar así antes, ¡a un irlandés huyendo a la orilla del río Lagan! De tal modo que las habilidades que la pobre madre de Nessy le había inculcado con tanto esfuerzo a su hijo creyendo que le ayudaría en tiempos difíciles, fue precisamente lo que le hizo acabar en la horca.

Bea H.

IN ENGLISH!!!

Highwaymen or 'pad robbers' are written into English history as mere robbers, but here in Northern Ireland the Highway men more often had a political agenda, or a quest for justice, and rare are the stories of them robbing the ‘common folk.’ and often enough the poor benefited from their acts. Many are the stories of rapparree leader, Captain Lightfoot, then there was Captain Gallagher, a Highwayman who reeked havoc on the upper crust of society. Whereas the English Highwayman Dick Turpin stole sheep and sold them to the butchers to sell on as meat, the Irish highwaymen more often stole cattle, butchered them and in the middle of the night left huge parts of the carcass’s outside the doors of the homes of peasant people. To put a wedge between the people and the rapparee highwaymen the English soldiers would burn down or evict a family who were known to have accepted such meat as ‘gifts’, in the end often enough the poor people were so frightened to touch the meat that it lay rotten in front of their houses whilst the family was near enough starving to death.

Grace O’Malley, the 16th Century Pirate Queen of Ireland

Grace O'Malley (also called Granuaile) was a famous pirate, seafarer, trader and chieftain in Ireland in the 1500's. She was born in 1530 in County Mayo, Ireland and was the daughter of sea captain Owen O'Malley. As a young child, Grace always knew she wanted to be a sailor but as a female, she was discouraged repeatedly.  Extremely upset when her father refused to take her on a sailing trip, legend has it Grace cut off all her hair and dressed in boys clothes to prove to her parents that she could handle the trip and live a seafarer's life. Seeing this, her father and brother laughed aloud and nicknamed her "Grainne Mhaol" meaning "Bald Grace" (which is believed to have led to her nickname "Granuaile.") Eventually, through her persistence, she was allowed to go to sea with her father and his fleet of ships.

As a child, Grace often sailed with her father on trading missions overseas. Once, upon returning from a trip to Spain, their ship was attacked by an English vessel. Grace had been instructed by her father to hide below deck if they ever were attacked, but she did not heed his advise. Instead she climbed up onto the sail rigging. Watching the battle from above, she noticed an English pirate sneaking up on her father, raising a dagger behind his back! The brave Granuaile leapt off of the rigging, through the air and onto the pirate's back.... screaming all the while! The distraction this caused was enough for the O'Malleys to regain control of the ship and defeat the English pirates.

She spent her young life learning the ways of the sea and grew to be quite the sailor--eventually having her own fleet of ships.  Her family had become wealthy mainly through fishing and trade, but in her later life, Grace took up piracy by taking on Turkish and Spanish pirate ships and even the English fleets. She grew her estate to include a fleet of ships as well as several islands and castles on the west coast of Ireland.

In her later years, Grace developed her reputation as a fearless leader through her efforts in battle alongside her followers. Legend has it that Grace gave birth to one of her sons while out to sea. The very next day following the birth of the baby, the ship was attacked by Turkish pirates. Though exhausted from giving birth Grace grabbed a gun, went on deck and proceded to rally her men against the Turks, forcing their retreat.

Grace married two times in her life. Her first husband was Donal O'Flaherty who was the son of the chieftain of the O'Flaherty clan and next in line for the post as chieftain. Grace and Donal married when was about 16 years old. In those times, it was common for families to arrange marriages so the union between Grace and Donal was probably more political than emotional at first. The O'Flahertys were a seafaring people, much like the O'Malleys, so Grace was right at home with their clan. Over the course of their marriage, Grace learned more about seafaring from Donal and his clan and added to her knowledge of sailing and trading at sea. Grace was soon in charge of the O'Flaherty fleet of ships and ruled the waters surrounding their lands. Although it was unusual for a woman to lead men, Grace earned the respect of all who followed her through her shrewdness as well as her knowledge of sailing and bravery at sea. Her husband, Donal, had a reputation for being quite a "hot head" and his temper eventually cost him his life in battle against a rival clan. They were married for a total of nineteen years.

According to Irish law, widows were entitled to a portion of their husbands estates. But for some reason, the O'Flahertys did not follow this tradition. Grace was forced to rely on the O'Flaherty clan for support. She did not like this, so she set out on her own, taking with her a loyal group of followers and traded on the seas to earn her own way. She used what she learned from her father in her youth and from her husband and eventually was able to break away from the O'Flaherty Clan altogether. Grace moved back with the O'Malley clan bringing her followers with her -- Grace had become a Chieftain in her own right and the heir as Chieftain of the O'Malley clan.

In equally as political a move, Grace married her second husband, Richard Burke in an effort to strengthen her hold on the west coast area of Ireland. Since the death of Donal, she had built her empire to include five castles and several islands in Clew Bay, but needed Rockfleet castle in the northeast side of the bay to complete her stronghold on the area.

Legend has it that Grace travelled to the Castle Rockfleet, knocked on the door and proposed marriage to Richard for a period of one year. She explained that the union would enable both clans to withstand the impending invasion by the English (who were slowly taking over the Irish lands around them.) It is believed that after exactly one year, Grace said to Richard, "I release you," apparantly offering him the option to end the marriage, but he must have really fallen for the lovely Granuaile, because they remained married until he died some seventeen years later.

Grace had a total of four children. Donal and Grace had three children, 2 boys and 1 girl. Their sons were Owen and Murrough and daughter Margaret. Later, when Grace married Richard, they had a son, Tibbot (or Theobald).

In 1593, after many difficult years fighting against the English and the capture of her brother and son by English forces, Queen ElizabethGrace visited Queen Elizabeth to make peace and ask for the release of her brother and son. Events leading up to the meeting between Grace and Queen Elizabeth had a significant impact on the meeting itself and Grace's behavior afterward.

Over Grace's lifetime, the English had taken over much of Ireland a peice at a time through a process called "Sumit and Regrant." The English would convince (or force) Clan leaders to submit their lands to the English and in return they were given an English title. Some Cheiftains surrendered, many rebelled-- Grace among the rebellious. She maintained her independence longer than most of the rest of Ireland, but in her later years, the pressure from English forces began to weigh heavily on her.

At 56 years old, Grace was captured by Sir Richard Bingham, a ruthless Governer appointed by the Queen to rule over the regranted territories. Soon after his appointment, Bingham sent guards to arrest Grace and have her hanged. Grace was apprehended and along with members of her clan, imprisoned and scheduled for execution. Determined to die with dignity, Grace held her head high as she awaited her execution. At the last minute, Grace's son-in-law offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the promise that Grace would never return to her rebellious ways. Bingham released Grace on this promise but was determined to keep her from power and make her suffer for her insurrection. Over the course of time, Bingham was responsible for taking away her cattle, forcing her into poverty, even plotting the murder of her eldest son, Owen.

During this period of Irish rebellion, the Spanish Armada was waging war against the English along the Irish and Scottish coastlines. It is not known whether Grace assisted the English against the Spanish or if she was merely protecting what little she had left-- but around 1588, Grace slaughtered hundreds of Spanish soldiers on the ship of Don Pedro de Mendoza near the castle on Clare island. Even into her late 50's, Grace was fierce in battle.

In the early 1590's, Grace was still virtually pennyless thanks the constant efforts of Bingham to keep tight controls on her. There was a rather large rebellion brewing and Bingham feared that Grace would run to the aid of the rebels against the English. He wrote in a letter during this time that Grace was, "a notable traitoress and nurse to all rebellions in the province for 40 years."

Grace had written letters to the Queen demanding justice, but received no response. In 1593, her son Theobald and brother Donal-na-Piopa were arrested and thrown into prison. This was the final straw that prompted Grace to stop writing letters and go to London in person to request their release and ask for the Queen's help in regaining the lands and wealth that were rightfully hers.

Grace set sail and managed to avoid the English patrol boats that littered the seas between her homeland and London. The meeting took place in Greenwich Castle. The only record of this meeting that has survived are the lyrics to an old song that tell of Grace's presence in the court of the Queen:

No one really knows why Queen Elizabeth agreed to meet with Grace (let alone why she did not have her executed or imprisoned). Grace was fluent in Latin and thus was able to converse freely with the Queen. Grace explained that her actions in the past were not rebellion but rather acts of self-defense. She told of how her rightful inheritance from both husbands' deaths were wrongfully withheld from her and asked for them to be returned. She also asked for the release of her son and brother. In return for all of this, Grace agreed to use her strength and leadership to defend the Queen against her enemies by land and by sea.

The Queen agreed and Grace returned to Ireland and demanded Bingham release her son and brother and return her assets by order of the Queen. Bingham did release the two captives, but never did restore Grace her rightful possessions.

One interesting story is also worth noting. This allegedly occured during Grace's meeting with the Queen in England. It is said that during the meeting, Grace sneezed in the presence of the Queen and her lords and ladies. A member of the court, in an act of politeness, handed Grace an attractive and expensive lace handkerchief. She took the delicate cloth and proceded to blow her nose loudly then tossed the kerchief into a blazing fireplace. The members of the court were aghast that she would be so rude to toss an expensive gift so easily into the fire. The Queen then scolded her and said that the handkerchief was meant as a gift and should have been put into her pocket. Grace replied that the Irish would never put a soiled garment into their pocket and apparantly had a higher standard of cleanliness. After a period of uncomfortable silence, (during which the members of the court expected the Queen to have Grace executed for her rude behavior) nervous then roaring laughter followed. The Queen was amused.

Granuaile was known as a fearless leader and fierce fighter. In her 70 years of life, she and her family saw the English rule spreading throughout Ireland, but through her strength and leadership saw that her clan and those around her were mostly unaffected by it. It is said that from the year of her death in 1603 and onward, that no Irish chieftain had been able to preserve the old Gaelic way of life as Granuaile and her family had done in her lifetime.

The Pirate Tavish Dhu or Tavish the Black

In 1314, Robert Bruce famously defeated proud Edward’s army at the battle of Bannockburn, sending the English out of Scotland and creating the fledgling state that would become modern Scotland. He had an immediate problem however, in that the English had a fleet of ships, and so could continue to harass him by sea, if not by land. Scotland did not have a readily available navy. Worse than that, the Kings of the Western Isles and their cousins in Ireland who did command fleets of galleys were actively opposed to him. King Robert turned to the tactic of employing a privateer, and Tavish Dhu took the commission. How he got his ships is now unknown, but he soon put them in the employ of the Scots. Similarly his origins are obscure. One annal calls him “Thomas of Down (an Dunn)” and a history book from the last century thought this meant he was from Downpatrick. Another chronicle calls him Thomas Dunn, though these are undoubtedly mistranslations by English speaking writers of the Gaelic word “Dubh” - Black. The etymology and connection becomes clearer with his first name, Tavish being the Scottish version of the name “Thomas”. Tavish Dubh -”Black Tom”- is an excellent nom de guerre for a pirate, every bit as chilling as Blackbeard.

His main activity was piracy in the Irish sea, directed at English ships. His fleet also acted as a a de-facto navy for the Scots, ferrying Edward Bruce’s invasion force from Ayr to Larne in Ireland in May of 1315. He enters the Irish annals when he is mentioned as taking four ships of the Earl of Ulster just off Portrush in County. The ships were were laden with supplies to help the English war effort including food which was a precious commodity in what was a time of not just war but also famine. Portrush now claims Tavish as their own, running their pirate festival in his honour. There are several local legends around him. Dhuvarren, the site of the railway station and a caravan park, are supposedly named after him. A book from the 19th Century, entitled “Sketches of County Antrim” relates this about the Skerries, the set of islands just off the East Strand in Portrush: “The islet furthest east is called Island Dubh. It is probable that it is named after Tavish Dubh, a pirate, who once frequented the Skerries.”

That he knew the area is undoubted. John Barbour wrote an account of Edward Bruce’s Irish invasion within living memory of it happening. Edward’s army got into difficulty at Coleraine and Tavish sailed up the mouth of the Bann river to rescue him, ferrying Edward’s soldiers across the river and out of the clutches of the army of the Earl of Ulster.

English chroniclers describe Tavish as "a perpetrator of depredations on the sea" and "a cruel pirate", which is understandable as they were on the wrong end of his activities, however he must not have been a very nice person as John Barbour, writing from the Scottish point of view also calls Tavish a “Scumer of the Se” - scum of the sea.

Tavish then extended his activities. He raided Holyhead in Anglesey with four galleys and captured a laden cargo ship, the "James" of Caernarvon, it is said after receiving intelligence from a local "rhingyl" (official) who may have sent out a boat to advise him of the opportunity. The Welsh then rose in revolt and Edward II was forced to return to Wales the troops he had recruited to send against Scotland. Now taking the threat of Tavish and the Scots in Ireland seriously, Edward recalled the Cinque Ports fleet as well. When the King of France protested this withdrawal of support against the Flemings, Edward II claimed all his ships were needed for the defence of Ireland.

Edward II had had enough. He ordered a Geoffrey de Modiworthe to construct a special ship and go after Tavish. This was a 140 man galley, very large for those days in the Irish Sea, and probably the fastest vessel in those waters. Even with that, though, they could not catch the pirate and it took an Irish noblemen, John D’Athy, to take to the seas and finally end Tavish’s reign of terror. In July of 1317, John and his ships intercepted Tavish and his fleet at sea. A sea battle ensued in which 40 of the privateers are said to have been killed and Tavish captured.

Sketches of County Antrim says about the Skerries at Portrush that Tavish “died in his ship here, and was buried on the island, but the place of his grave is unknown”. Whether or not that was true we don’t know. D’Athy cut his head off and sent it to Dublin and that was the end of the pirate’s adventures. The loss of the ships spelt doom for Edward Bruce’s invasion of Ireland. However for his brother Robert, Tavish was only ever a tactical stopgap. By that time he was already building his own navy,having instigated a ship building program on the Clyde, a tradition that would continue for most of the next 700 years.

Perhaps Tavish’s last stand was at the Skerries. Perhaps his treasure is still buried there too. It would make a great story if it was.

FAMOUS BANDITS

The Notorious Highwayman Shane “Crossagh O Mullan”

Shane “Crossagh O Mullan” roamed the highways of Derry and Tyrone. Also known as John O’Mullan, his father was a small farmer from Faughanvale who had been evicted from his Farm for non-payment of rent (Eviction was a common practice during the late 1600s)

The name “Crossagh” means “Pock-Marked” probably referring to an ancestor who was blemished, as Shane himself had no such problem and was considered handsome and dashing by the local female population. His father, Donal and brothers were also called Crossagh and this, as is the practice in Dungiven, may have been used as a “nickname” to differentiate families with a similar surname thus distinguishing his family from other O’Mullans.

The Glenshane Pass is named after him – the Glen of Shane. Stories and songs of his exploits are numerous he often stayed in loughermore area now a forest and managed by the NIEA, but one of the most famous exploits recalled was when he ambushed General Napier and his Troops on a narrow bridge near Feeny. After taking their arms and valuables, he made them strip to their underwear and walk the rest of the way to Derry. The bridge is still called the General’s Bridge. On another occasion he fled through the Ness Wood to avoid capture and jumped from a waterfall on Burntollet River breaking a leg in the process but still managing to escape.

The falls are called Shane’s Leap after this event. Shane Crossagh was eventually captured after he had been betrayed by a weaver from the Dungiven area when Shane called to collect his levy of 10 pennies. He was arrested and taken with his sons to Derry Gaol.

Although offered a reprieve by Henry Carey, whose life Shane had saved years earlier, he did not accept the offer which applied only to himself and not to his sons (Mr Carey Lived in DUNGIVEN CASTLE and had the right to reprieve only one criminal per year). Shane Crossagh O’Mullan was hanged with his sons in the Diamond in Derry in 1722 .

Shane Crossagh was buried at Banagher Old Church near Dungiven. It is said he took the secret of his buried treasure with him to the grave. 

Cushy Glenn

The Windyhill road in Limavady was originally known as The Murderhole Road due to its gory reputation during the 17th and the 18th centuries. This was a well founded reputation, a deadly onewith the area being a regular meeting point for bandits who, on a daily basis, would rob those travellers who were making their way from Coleraine to Limavady. Many of the unfortunate victims "disappeared" during these ill-fated journeys and it it said that their unmarked graves with no names are scattered somewhere along this stretch of highway, giving the road itself its peculiar name. The road was still officially called The Murderhole Road until the 1970´s!

A some point the Ram´s Horn Inn was also established on this road and still today we can see some ruins of this place. It was a very ill reputed cantine and it was said that its owners used to get their clients drunk with the purpose of cutting their throats and robbing them. There was a time in which there were up to five bandits operating at the same time along the Murderhole Road but the most famous of them all was Cushy Glen! This infamous highwayman born in the parish of Magilligan and he was the last bandit of Ireland to be executed on Irish soil. After being dishonored and expelled from the army he established, together with his companion Kitty Glenn, a territory for his robberies close to Sconce, a vicinity close to the Murderhole. This was a particularly unwelcoming area as it was common belief at the time that human sacrificies were taking place in these parts of Ulster and it was thought to be a very cursed place. Cushy very quickly began his pathy towards a life full of blood crimes, watching as farmers did their business trades in pubs and taverns and later waiting out of sight for them to cross the mountain road. He would shoot the victim´s horse and used that moment of complete surprise and panic to cut the rider´s throat, robbing him and burying his body in an unmarked grave. It was believed that his wife helped him with these crimes. But curiously he was killed in 1799 by a young clothing merchant called James Harry Hopkins of Bolea who saw Cushy Glen getting out of his hiding place right after shooting his horse from underneath him. The young merchant also happened to be carrying a weapon and before Cushy Glen could cut his victims throat Harry shot him, killing him instantly! Hopkins lived to the age of 94 and his lower storey house in Bolea is still in use today as a shed. Cushy Glen´s body was recovered from the road shortly afterwards when Hopkins managed to make it to town to alert the authorities to what had happened. The police soon identified the man as Cushy Glen but when they entered his cottage they could not find Kitty or any of the booty which he had illegally and murderously gained along the years.

It is said that Kitty remarried some time later in 1807, and indeed within the marriages section of the Belfast Newsletter of 11th of december of that same year we can find this next entry:

"Mrs. Cushie Glen, widow of the late Mr. Patrick Cushie Glen, of the Murder-hole, to Mr. Wm. Lecky, nailer, Newtonlimavady."

There is a very impressive sculpture of Cushy Glen which we can now visit, created by Maurice Harron, in the Langantea Picnic Area as part of a Sculpture Trail of Myths and Legends. The bandit is shown lurking at the side of "Murderhole Road", hiding with a knife, awaiting his next poor victim.  Many years ago the rumour began that the restless ghost of Cushy Glen had started wandering the area, looking for his treasure.

Nessy O´Haughan

Naoise O’Haughan, or Nessy O'Haughan, was born in 1691, a fearful time for Irish people, for this was the period immediately following the victory of the Dutchman, King William of Orange over the English Catholic King James, who had fought a battle at the River Boyne a year earlier. Hordes of William’s followers roamed the land killing and looting those they felt were not sympathetic to the Protestant principles of William.

Born close to Braid at the bottom of the Slemish mountains and brought up by their parents in a small piece of land belonging to the O´Hara family, the O´Haughans had a hard and undisciplined childhood. Having been brought up in the exposed moors and in very poor circumstances, their mother was sure of one thing, her sons would need to be strong and athletic if they wanted to stand any chance of surviving. She was in charge of encouraging them to jump high bales of hay and to run faster than anyone else wherever they went. The small area of land on which they lived belonged to the owner of the whole region, O´Hara. This family was very rich and owned many lands in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

In the early 1700’s O’Hara’s men came to evict the O’Haughan family, a terrible part of the persecution visited on many a family in those times. The sight of their mother and father being roughly manhandled by the bailiffs was just to much to bear for the O’Haughan sons, Shane Og, Naoise, Robert, Denis and an adopted son Philomy. A fight broke out in which Shane Og killed one of the bailiffs and from that instance the O’Haughan boys became outlaws, ‘Raparees’, Irish patriots on the run.

Naoise and his brothers took to the hills and reeked havoc on the desolate homesteads of those who they felt ‘lackeyed’ to the wishes of the landlords. Many acts of great kindness are recorded of the gang giving their stolen money to poor Presbyterians and Catholics alike to pay arrears in rents to avoid eviction. Most likely it was through this loyalty of many people around Ballynure, Raloo, Rashee, Umgall that O’Haughan’s gang evaded capture for so long. They say that one day Nessy went to rob a farm owned by a couple of old people. Horrified to see O´Haughan at their door, they explained to him they had no money and that they were already afraid because they were waiting for the collector´s visit to get the tax money they apparently owed and their fear was based on the truth that they didn't know how they were going to be able to pay with no money. Nessy saw himself reflected in their story and left the farm without robbing or hurting the old couple. On his way out he met the collector on his way to get the couple´s money. Naoise attacked him, robbing him blind and he then ran back to the farm, giving what he had taken to the old couple saying that the money was to pay the collector the next time he came by knocking on their door. 

But not everything was good for the other O´Haughan brothers. The legend tells that the youngest, Denis, the adopted son, went off on his own, and soon afterwards he was captured in Carrickfergus when he was spotted wearing the coat of a man he had robbed there just hours before, He was hanged at the nearby gallows Back in those times the vagrants always had a price on their head and the tip-offs could come from the most unimaginable sources. If Shane Og, the oldest of the brothers, would have avoided the confrontation with his brother in law James McKinstry, he would have also avoided the consequences that would bring him before the law. James, angry because of the argument, took revenge by informing the authorities about the whereabouts of Shane Og, receiving for his betrayal a reward of £10.00 which back then was a lot of money. So the destiny of Shane Og was joined together with that of his brother on the Carrickfergus gallows. 

It was in Glenwherry that Naoise and his band of brothers carried out their ‘Robin Hood’ activities for many stories exist of how they robbed local rich landlords and gave the money to the poor tenants to help pay their ever increasing rents. He and his band of wild raparees continued to torment and rob the rich but being so hopelessly outnumbered, and by the betrayal of lackeys and paid informers one by one they were captured. John McCrea, of Ballynure, received £5 for the capture of the brave Randal Dhu Agnew in 1717. Randal was taken to the Gallows Green at Carrickfergus and hanged, as was  Shane O’Haughan earlier.

On another occasion near Ballyeaston, again being pursued by the Redcoats, Naoise came round a sharp corner, out of sight of his tormentors, and seen a gang of farm workers carrying bags of grain. He picked up a bag and walked with the workers, the Redcoats came on and rode straight by. They never realised that one of the workers was the fugitive they were chasing and so Naoise escaped again.

Soon after this Naoise moved to the Divis Mountain range, and stopped around Ballyutoag where he took regular shelter. He continued to roam and raid around Ballymagarry, Ballymurphy, Ballyhill, Hightown Hill and Craigarogan. No doubt he would have been offered shelter among the good folk at Springhill Clachan, at the head of the Mountain Loney. A Clachan, by the way, was a nestling of a few houses built closely together. The present day Springhill housing estate was named from this old community. Before long Naoise O’Haughan encounters and close escapes were becoming more and more regular as the Redcoats closed in on him. Nessy often hid out at the caves below the Hatchet Field on the Black Mountain. His last recorded chase occurred one day along the Belfast Hills with the enemy close behind him. They thought they had him cornered when he came on the banks of the six mile water at a spot too wide to jump and too rough to swim, but Naoise, remembering his training when he was a child, he ran and crossed the river in just one jump, leaving the soldiers behind with their mouths opened in astonishment leaving his redcoat pursuers stranded behind him.

Nothing more was heard of Naoise, it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth Some time passed by before anyone knew anything else about him as he had stayed hidden before deciding to go to England where he enlisted in the army. One day, on a military Barracks Square, where some soldiers were betting on who could jump clear over two horses, the bet was won by an English soldier. The wage was increased and a challenge went out to any one present to attempt to jump over three horses. No one came forward, there were mutterings that it would be an impossible task. Suddenly another soldier, an Irishman, stepped forward and said he could jump over three horses. To everyone’s amazement he took a running jump and cleared the horses easily and to much applause he collected his bets. But not everyone was applauding, an officer stepped forward and pointing at the victor he shouted, “Arrest that man, I have only ever seen one man capable of such a jump, and he was an Irishman too, that man has to be Naoise O’Haughan ”. The officer had been the officer in charge of the Recoats in the pursuit of Naosie when he escaped by making his daring jump over the River Lagan. And so our bold rebel lad was finally captured and brought to Carrickfergus Castle where he was sentenced to die. Naoise was hanged at the infamous Gallows Green, his head cut off and placed on a spike near that of his brother’s Shane Og, who had been hanged two years earlier in 1718. Folklore has it that a wren had built a nest in the skull of Shane, it also claims that Naoise and his party had secretly buried their loot, gold and jewellery, along the Belfast Hills and most has never been uncovered. One box of loot was however found some years later and it is said there was enough money that the farmer was able to build himself a new farmhouse.

Harv. 

(Text in English written by Harv, who based it on the original version in Spanish).