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O’Connolly’s relation of the plot to seize Dublin Castle

  • Reference:  MS 840, fols 001r-004v
  • County: Dublin
  • Date: undated
  • Type: Miscellaneous
  • Nature of Deposition: Military Action, Investigative
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    • fol. 1cr



    No. 1
    A trew Relation of the treacherous designe of the Irish in Ireland on the Castle of Dublin at the beginninge of the Rebellion there And of the particular passages in the Discouerie of that plott and of what I heard of theire Intention there went halfe a yeere before, from the said Captain Hugh oge mcMaughon that did discouer the plott to mee
    <1.> Beinge in Company with the said Hugh oge in Dublin, he being my neer kinsman and Intimate friend, he tould mee that he was mightely troubled with the proud and Haughty Carriage, of one Mr Aldriche that was his neighboure in the County of Monnoughan, which was a Justice of the peace, and but a vintner or Tapster few yeers before that he gaue him not the right hand of fellowship neither at the As{sizes} nor Sessions, he being also in Comission with him,
    I wished him that he would not thinke of that and that he wo{uld} Consider, that the Irish weer subordinate vnto the English in regard they were Conquered by them, he tould mee that he heard it shou{ld} not be so longe, and that he hoped
    <Owen O’Connally’s &c.>

    fol. 1cv



    that wee should soone be deliuered from bondage and slauerie vnder which wee groaned, I demanded of him which way, and tould him that I thought it was an Impossible thinge, he replied that there was an a nationall oath to be taken by all the Irish in the kingdom, against English gouerment vpon which I desired him as he tendred his owne good, the preseruance of his and Estate, that he would in no sort intermeddle w with it or Assent therunto. And that he would doe very well to acquaint the Lo: Justices therwith, which would redound to his great honnour And that for my part the very mention of such a businesse was very unsauorie to mee, espectially to heare it out of his mouth, vrginge him further, either to reueale it him selfe, or to binde him selfe by promise, never to haue any hande in it by b e ing aiding or Assenting therunto * <but for my { } I could not {be}lieve that any thinge would { } be { }>he parte he perceuinge how distastfule the report of this Horrid intended treacherie was unto mee, made large promises, with protestation vtterly to desert the businesse

    fol. 2r



    3

    so I tooke my leaue of him, and retorned into the North whear my habitation was, Acquaintinge seuerall Magistr{ates} there, with this accidentall discoarse which they conceiued to be a matter of no moment not ther by And not conceaue any ground from for the Apprehension of a gennerale insurrection of the Irish so I heard nothing more of him vntill the 18th of 8ber 1641 which was about half a ye{re} after, when hauing occasion to trauaile againe to dublin, and being 20 miles onward on my Journey, at Drapers towne in the County of London Derrie, I received a letter from him, the Conten{t } whereof as followeth
    <the date of the letter the 18th of 8ber> Cousen Owen, as you tender your owne good, and my lou{} fail not to be with mee, at my howse in the County of Monnoghan; on the 20th, or th{e} 21th of this Instant,
    My Answer was, that I could no{t} possibly come to his howse, but wou{ld} meet him in dublin, if his occas{ion} Called him thither or else when I ha{d} dispacht my businesse, o n my returne

    fol. 2v



    would visite him, at his owne hous{e } this Answer retourned him I went onwoard to Dublin towards Dublin, at and Lodginge at dongannon that night, I could not rest sattisfied, until my former resolution was Altered in goinge first to Dublin, before I saw him was changed, and I aneu Resolued to see him at his howse first as he writt desired, the next day being the 21th I rode came to his howse in the County of Monnohan, and found him not there, he being gonne the same morninge towardes Dublin, as his people towld me, and also that he left word, in case I came, I should eithter stay there for his retourne or of Imediatly followe him to Dublin he hauing not receiued my lettres before his departure
    the 22th being the next day I Rode to Dublin, a Journey of being 60 Irish miles it being about 7 of the Clocke at night, eere I could reach thither, And alighting at the howse where be vsually lodged, he mett mee at the dore, and towlde me, I was a wellcome guest vnto him

    fol. 3r



    And so for that I had seen him, I desired respite, whilst the next morninge to wa{yt} vpon him, and for that I had some busnesse that required present dispatch which he altogether refused tellinge me that I must goe with him to the Lord Mcguires lodginge into the Citty, vpon businesse of great Consequence which there should be Comunicated vnto mee, And accordingly wee goinge togither thither, found not my lo mcguire: but Resolued to stay his Cominge in, And so sittinge doune Called for some beare, and shewing him his letter wherein he writte so earnestly for my Cominge to his howse, desired to know what that businesse was, whervpon he desired aboute 8 more which besides myselfe weer present, to leaue the Roome And then towld me as followeth This is the businesse,
    The lord of Mcguire my self and a hundred more, are Come to the towne this night, a party being out of euery province in the kingd{ome} And our designe is to take the

    fol. 3v



    the Castle of Dublin, which wee can easely doe, they being [ ], and destroy the warders they beinge ould silly men, and [ ] and that this night betwixt 8 and 9 of the Clocke all the English townes in the whole kingdome will be surprised by oure party, who wee haue desyred in each County to they theire seuerall places and so ale the English on a suddaine shale be cut off, which donne, and wee are possessed of the Castle of Dublin, the kingdom is then oure owne, he tould mee further what strength of that there was besides great Artillery powder and Ammunition was then in the Castle to furnish out Compleatly 30000 men which my lo: of Straffor had brought ouer the year before from holland and that the greatest party in the towns being Irish papists would Joyne with them, so they conceiued the opposision that would arise their would very smale, and that that vpon the monday following they would Call out of the seuerall provinces, so many person to receive Armes

    fol. 4r



    As should make a Considerable strength to fall vpon such places in the seuerall provinces of the english a s they had [ ] in th e are a in the premmis es the surprisall of such vpon the first attemp t <of the English in> the seuerall provinces, of the English in case they should mise the surprisall of any vpon the first Attempt This being donne, will free vs from that Tirany and bondage wee ly{ue } vnder, and setles the kingdome in {oure} owne quiett possession./
    And wher as you haue of longe tym{e} binne a slaue to that puritan Sir John Clotworthy, I hope yow shall haue as good a Man, to wayt vpon you he hauinge thus finished his present discourse, that I might haue the better pretence to gett from him desired him to lett on of his men ryde presently downe with mee to the Country for the preseruation of my wife, and I would rewarde him well for his paynes, vpon which he replied, that y{our}wife must no more trouble youre thoughts for all the posts in Christendom can ot would come to late for safety, so [ ] by this tyme it beinge tenne of the Clocke at night and, the lo: Mcguire not co{me} to his lodginge, wee weere Rose vp, and went to a Tauerne, in Wine Tauerne Street wh{ }

    fol. 4v



    whear he had appointed meetinge with some other of his Comrades but they beinge not there, and so wee two with 8 more before formerly in his Company at my lo. macGuires lodginge sate downe to de and Called for one quart of sack, being the more willing to drinke with them, if so any occasion might be offred for my Escape from them, but after wee hadd druncke that quart of sacke vpon my mo ti on wee went for t I tould desir ed him it weer better he [ ] to that wee might goe to oure rest in regarde I had Rode a great Journey that daye, and that wee might be the better fitted to goe about oure occasions the next morninge, which motion he very well liked off, and forth wee went to goe vnto his lodginges at St Ma{ } Abby, and In oure waye, pretendinge to make watter t h e p. the Lord McMoughan and the rest passed by mee and leauing me behinde them gaue opportunity for my Escape from them the night being very darke with all so I presently repaired to Sir Will. Parsons one of the Lo: Justices who then lived on the Marchants Kea where he and Many And diuers gentlemen beinge in company with him [ ] it was very la te, I desire to haue some priuate spech with him vpon which he withdrew himselfe
    <from the Company, and receiued my Information of all the proceeding passages vnto which he would hardly giue Creditt vntill, I replyinge tould him that I had discharged my duty, and and that as he tendred the preseruation of him self, the Citty, and the liues of the brittish protestants there and in other { } vpon some speedy Course to prevent the suprisall




     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2