The Story of Ireland

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 23, 24 June 1925, Page 7

The Story of Ireland

(By A. M. Sullivan.)

LXII —How • Glorious Limerick f Once More Braved the Ordeal. How at ; 'Lengthfa Treaty and Capitulation was Agreed Upon. How Sarsfield and the Irish Army Sailed Into Exile. Gal way surrendered on favorable terms ten days after the battle. Sligo also, the last western garrison,,; succumbed: soon after, and its governor, the brave Sir Teige O'P.egan, the hero of Charlemont, marched his six hundred survivors southward to Limerick v

Thus once''nidre all eyes and hearts in the British Islands were turned towards the wellknowncity of.the lower Shannon.

»On the 25th of August, Ginckle, reinforced by all the troops ho could gather in with safety, invested the place on three sides. It appears lie had powers, and indeed urgent directions, from William long previously, to let no hesitation in granting favorable terms keep him from ending the war, if it could be ended by such means, and it is said he apprehended serious censure for not having proclaimed such dispositions before he assaulted Athlone. He now resolved to use without stint the powers given to him, in the anxious hope of thereby averting the necessity of trying to succeed where William himself had failed—beneath the unconquered wails of Limerick.

Accordingly, a proclamation was issued by Ginckle, offering a full and free' pardon of all "treasons" (so-calledmeaning thereby loyalty to the king, and resistance of the foreign emissaries), with restoration for all to their estates "forfeited" by such "treason," and employment in his Majesty's service for all who would accept it, if the Irish army would abandon the war.

It is not to bo wondered at that this proclamation developed on the instant a "peace party" within .the Irish lines. Not even the most sanguine could now hope to snatch the crown from William's head, and replace it on that of the fugitive-James. For what object, therefore, if not simply to secure honorable terms, should they prolong the struggle? And did not this proclamation afford a fair and reasonable basis for negotiation? The Anglo-Irish Catholic nobles and gentry, whose estates were thus offered In be secured' to them, may; well bo pardoned if they exhibited weakness at this stage. To battle further was, in their judgment, to peril all for a shadow.

;■ Nevertheless, the national party, led by Sarsfield, prevailed, and Ginckle's summons to surrender was courteously but firmly refused. Once more glorious Limerick was to bravo the fiery ordeal. Sixty guns, none of less" than twelve pounds calibre," opened their deadly firo against it. An English fleet ascended the river, hurling ' its missiles r right and left. Bombardment by .land and water showered destruction upon the city—in vain! Ginckle^how" gave 'up all hope' of deducing the place by assault, and resolved to turn the siege into a blockade."■' Starvation must, in time, effect what fire and sword had so often and so vainly'tried to accomplish. The

treason of an Anglo-Irish officer long suspected, Luttrell, betrayed to Ginckle the pass over the Shannon above the city; and one morning the "Irish,;-;to their -, horror,-: beheld the foe upon the Clare side of the river. Ginckle again offered to grant almost, any terms, if the city would but capitulate; for even still he judged it rather a forlorn chance to await its capture. The announcement of this offer placed further resistance out of the question. : It was plain there was a party within the walls so impressed with the madness of refusing suVi+erms, that, any moment, rhey might, of themselves, atte:."j t i» hand over the city. ..-......,

Accordingly, on the 23rd September, j 1691 —after a day of bloody struggle from early dawn —the Irish gave the signal for a parley, and a cessation of arms took place. Favorable as were the terms offered, and even though Sarsfield now assented to accepting them, the hews that the struggle was to be ended, was received by the soldiers and citizens with loud and bitter grief. They ran to the ramparts, from which they so often had hurled the foe, and broke their swords in pieces.. "Muskets that had scattered fire and death amidst the British grenadiers, were broken in a frenzy of desperation, and the tough shafts of pikes that had resisted William's choicest cavalry, crashed across the knees of maddened rapparees." The citizens, too, ran to the walls, with the arms they had treasured proudly as mementoes of the last year's glorious struggle, and shivered them into fragments, exclaiming with husky voices "We need them now no longer. Ireland is no morel"

On the 26th September the negotiations were opened, hostages were exchanged, and Sarsfield and Major-General Wauchop dined with Ginckle in the English camp. The terms of capitulation were settled soon after; but the Irish, happily, resolved:to leave no pretext for subsequent repudiation, of Ginckle's treaty, even though he showed them his formal powersdemanded that the lords justices' should come down from Dublin and ratify" the, articles. This was done; and on the 3rd of October, 1691, the several contracting parties met in full state at a spot on the Clare side of the river, to sign and exchange the treaty. That memorable spot; is' marked by a large stone, which remains to this day, proudly guarded and preserved by, the people of that city, for whom, it is a monument more glorious than the Titan arch for Rome: 'The; visitor ' who seeks it on the Shannon side, needs but" to name the" object of his search, when a hundred eager volunteers, their faces all radiant with pride, will point him out that memorial of Irish honor 1 and heroism, that silent witness of English troth punim fides the "Treaty Stone'.-'of» Limerick." ji

The treaty consisted' of military articles;' or clauses, twenty-nine in number; and civil articles,,.thirteen. Set out in all the formal and precise language of the original .document, those forty-two articles would occupy a great space. They were substantially as

/'Vollbvvs The 1 ; military articles-provided-that : *l(ll persons willing to expatriate themselves, as well officers and soldiers, as rapparees and volunteers, should have free liberty to do '''so,' f tj 5 any place beyond seas, except England : and Scotland; that .they might* depart tin .whole, bodies, companies, or parties; that, if ; plundered by the way William's government should'make good their loss; that fifty ships, of two hundred tons each, should be provided for. their, transportation, besides two men-of-war for the principal officers; that the garrison of Limerick might march out with all their'arms,' guns; and baggage, colors flying, drums beating, and matches" lighting! The. garrison of Limerick, moreover, were to be . at liberty to take away any six brass guns they might' choose, with two mortars, and half the ammunition in the place. It was also agreed that those who so wished might enter the service of William, retaining their rank and pay. ■'The civil articles were thirteen in number. Article I guaranteed to members of that denomination remaining in the kingdom ' such privileges in the exercise of their religion as are consistent with the law of Ireland, or as they enjoyed in the reign of King Charles the Second '; this article further provided that, ' their majesties, as soon as their affairs will permit them to summon a parliament in this kingdom, will endeavor the said Roman Catholics such further security in that particular as may preserve them from any disturbance.' " Article II guaranteed pardon and protection to all who had served King James, on taking the oath of allegiance prescribed in Article IX, as follows:—. V :■ \ • ■■■ "T, A. 8.. do solemnly promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to their Majesties, King William and Queen Mary; so help me God." Articles 111, IV, V, and VI extended the provisions of Articles I. and II to merchants and other classes of men. Article VII permits "every nobleman and gentleman compromised in the said articles" to carry side arms, and keep "a gun in their houses." Article VIII gives the right of removing goods and chattels without search. Article IX is as follows: J ''The oath to be administered to such : Roman Catholics as submit to their Majesties' government shall be the oath aforesaid, and no other." - Article X guarantees.that "no person or persons who shall hereafter break these articles, or any of them, shall thereby make or cause any other person or persons to forfeit or lose the benefit of them." Articles: XI sand XII relate .to the, ratification of the reticles, "within eight months or sooner." Article XIII refers to the debts of "Colonel John < Brown, commissary of the Irish army, ; to several •- Protestants;" and arranges ■ for - tlieir satisfaction.Hioforv hurniun) fa'CV ■aOiySOn the; morning of the - sth of October,*; 1691, a singular scene was witnessed on the , northern shore of the Shannon^' beyond the city walls. : On that day the Irish regiments

were to make their choice bet-ween exile Jfor life, or " service '■ in the 'arm '•* of 'their conqueror. 3 At -each end of a - gently rising ground beyond the; suburbs,; were, planted fon one side, the royal standard of Franco, and on the ; other that of England. It was agreed that the regiments, as they marched. out —

"with all the honors of war; drums beating, colors flying, and matches lighting'"—should, on reaching this spot, wheel to the left 'onto the right beneath that flag under which they elected to serve. At the head of the Irish marched the foot guardsthe finest regiment in the service—fourteen hundred strong. All eyes were fixed on this'splendid body of men. On they came, amidst breathless silence and acute suspense; for well .both the English and Irish generals knew that the choice of the first regiment would powerfully influence all the rest. The guards marched up to the critical spot and—in a body wheeled to the colors of France, barely seven men turning to the English side! Ginckle, we are told, was greatly agitated as he witnessed the proceeding. The next regiment, however (Lord Iveagh's), marched as unanimously to the Williamite banner, as- did also portions of two others. But the bulk of the Irish army defiled under the Finn- delis of King Louis: only one "thousand and forty-six out of nearly fourteen thousand men, preferring the service of England!

A. Few days afterwards a French fleet sailed up the Shannon with an aiding army, and bringing money, arms, ammunition, stores, food, and clothing! Ginckle, affrighted, imagined the Irish would now disclaim the articles and renew the war. But it was not the Irish who Mere to break the Treaty of Limerick. Sarsfield, when told that a powerful fleet was sailing up the river, seemed stunned by the news! He was silent for a moment, and then, in mournful accents, replied: "Too late. The treaty is signed; our honor is pledged—the honor of Ireland. Thovyh a hundred thousand Frenchmen offered to aid us now, ire must keep our plighted troth !'" ■ He forbade the expedition to land, with a scrupulous sense of honor contending that the spirit if not the letter of the capitulation extended to any such arrival!. The French ships, accordingly, were used only to transport to France the Irish army that had .volunteered for foreign service. Soldiers and civilians, nobles, gentry, and clergy, there sailed in all nineteen thousand and twenty-five persons. Most of the. officers, ; like \ their illustrious leader, Sarsfield, gave up fortune, family, home, and friends, refusing the most tempting offers from William, whose anxiety to enrol them in his own service was earnestly and perseveringly. pressed upon them to the last;'" Hard was their choice great was the sacrifice. Full of languish was that parting, whose sorrowful spirit has been so faithfully expressed by Mr. Aubrey de Vere in the following simple and touching versesthe soliloquy of -a brigade soldier sailing away from. Limerick: "- ■^ J :^ ; ,.,^,,. ; •/''> Ziddiff t ~-..:t-It.l\rrii : t-It.l\rrii r-ivA-jP-ni' J?£ u-s* I snatched a stone from the bloodied brook, And hurled it at my household door! No farewell of my love fcitioltiWmmiJ I shall see my friend no more. .

I dashed across the churchyard boil rid: "•"■"''■''"- I knelt not by my t parents' grave : There Vang"' from my 1 heart' a clarion sonnd That summoned; me o'er; the wave. \\ > No land to me ; can native be , . - That strangers trample, and tyrants stain : When the valleys I loved are cleansed and "\ free*, i .- '.';.: They are miile ; they are mine again. Till then, in sunshine or sunless weather, By Seine and Loire, and 'the broad Garonne, My war-horse and 1 roam on together '■''£ Wherever God will. On 1 on ! These were not wholly lost to Ireland, though not a man of them ever saw Ireland more. They served her abroad when they could no longer strike for her at home. They made her sad yet glorious story familiar in the courts of Christendom. They made her valor felt and respected on the battlefields of Europe. And as they had not quitted her soil until they exacted terms from the conqueror, which, if observed, might have been for her a.charter of protection, so did they in their exile take a terrible vengeance upon that conqueror for his foul and. treacherous violation of that treaty. . No! These men were not, in all, lost to Ireland. Their deeds are the proudest in her story. History may parallel, but it can adduce nothing to surpass, the chivalrous devotion of the men who comprised this second great armed migration of Irish valor, faith, and patriotism. (To be continued.)

For Children's Hacking Cough, Woods' Great. Peppermint Cure.