Bruce and Ferdie

Dear Folk,

August the 10th marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. Let us talk of battles and of explorers.

On August 10, 1316 the forces of the English King and that of Fedhlim O'Conor met in one of the bloodiest battles of Irish history: the Battle of Athenry.

Ireland felt itself sore oppressed by its Norman landlords. The chief Norman was Risteard na gCath (Richard of the Battles.) The Irish respected his strength but hated his rule. Irishmen were not given any status as English citizens. Oh, they had to pay withering taxes under men whose ancestors had taken Irish land instead of payment from King John during the invasion of Ireland in 1170.

The new Anglo-Irish lords soon outgrew the position of English subjects, and to the natives became tyrannical and overbearing petty dictators. They treated the Irish as rude and ignorant savages. This despite the beauty of their architecture, illuminated manuscripts, shrines, schools; I guess that those just grew there by themselves. Gaelic, one of the prettiest of languages was scorned and later outlawed. Finally, despairing of getting a union of their own chiefs, any justice from the English system, they acted.

Some brave Gaels, primarily led by O'Neill of Tyron, invited Robert Bruce's brother, Edward Bruce, to come and be Ard Ri (high king) over Ireland. In 1315, the year after Robert Bruce's victory at Bannockburn, Edward Bruce of Scotland landed at Larne to become King of Ireland. Understand that at this time the Scots and Irish were so close in relations, their language so linked, that poets from Ireland could go over to Scotland and win prizes reciting their compositions in their native tongue.

There was a wee bit of resistance in Ulster, which Edward becalmed with a little application of Scottish steel. Edward had landed with an army of, 6,000 men. He defeated the Red Earl of Ulster (de Burgo) at Connor near Ballymena. Marching through Meath in the following year, he overcame one large force of the Anglo-Normans at Kells (famed for its illuminated manuscript), and another, led by Butler and Fitzgerald, at Ardschull in County Kildare. Attended by a great number of Irish and Scots, he as crowned King of Ireland at Cnoc Mealdúin (Knockmelan), near Dundalk on May 1st (Beltaine), 1316. Of course the Norman governors could not allow that.

Now county Connacht rose under Fedhlim O'Conor (O Conchobair), who wished to regain control of that area and to throw off the hated Normans. Ruaidhri O'Conor had been the last Ard Ri over all of Ireland and had held control of Connacht even after the first Norman invasion 140 years before. So this was their O'Conor family right. Sir William Leigh De Burgo (now in charge of Connacht since his brother Richard was whomped by Bruce) and Risteard na gCath were sent against Fedhlim in an attempt to halt the raids and restore Norman rule.

Fedhlim met them with a strong army. The great families of Connaught - O'Conors, O'Kellys, O'Hynes, O'Flahertys and O'Shaughneys, - the O'Rourkes of Breifne and many from Thomond and Meath joined his standard. It ended in the bloody battle near Athenry on August 10th , 1316. It was a horrible defeat. The English use of longbows was the same as it had been and would be against the Scots and French: devastating. The Irish charged and charged again but to no avail. Their standard was captured. Sixty chieftains were slain, including Felim and Tadhg O'Kelly from whom," say the Annals, " the Gaeil expected more than from any man of his time." Thousands of lightly clad Irishmen died by their chieftains. This battle destroyed the last hope of restoring the kingdom of Connacht.

Even though O'Conor lay slain, Edward Bruce still held a great part of Ireland. His brother, King Robert, came over from Scotland to help. Robert marched against Dublin but Dublin, a fortified town, refused to yield. Dublin remained in Norman hands. What a cannon or air strike could have done.

The war dragged on. Lots of people, mostly Irish, died. The harvest failed due to bad weather and lack of care. Starvation and sickness started doing their inevitable tasks. Sickness claims more battles than bullets ever will. Robert Bruce returned to Scotland but before he did he pulled Edward close. He whispered in his ear, "Don't fight useless
battles." Sage advice; however, when have younger brothers ever listened to sage advice from their elders? Right.

When a large army advanced against him from Dublin in October 1318, he could have avoided it, but he preferred to fight. The Scots were defeated in a fierce battle at Faughart, near Drogheda, and Edward Bruce, King of Ireland, was slain.

The Bruce invasion did not achieve its objective but it weakened the Anglo-Norman "Lordship" and within a few years much of the midlands were in Irish control again. After all, the Normans would have the French to play with during the 100 Years War. The poor O'Conors had gotten some land back but had lost the best of their leaders and most all of their status.

August 10, 1519 saw Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, set out in five ships attempting to gain a route to the Spice Islands (Moluccas.) It was part of an attempt to link Spanish Peru with a treasure trove of consumer goods (spices - pepper, cinnamon, cloves) whose ownership was hotly contested. Portugal claimed these islands and Portugal was a strongly seafaring country.

Funny thing is that Magellan wanted to try this alternate route, sailing west to get to the east, and had approached the King of Portugal first. He was turned down. Like Columbus a few years before him, Magellan found the Spanish more receptive. King Charles I (aka Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) of Spain set Magellan up with ships and crews. Okay, it was only five dinky ships and 237 men with tattoos all over their bodies and strange accents but it was more than he got from Portugal.

It took him three months to get to Rio and there the ships restocked. They went down the coast toward Antarctica. The crew threatened mutiny several times. Several of their number had to be lightly and organically killed to convince the rest to sail on. By October 1520 they rounded the straits of Magellan down by Tierra del Fuego with four ships still intact. The Pacific wasn't terrific. It was big and hungry out there. Guys were down to eating rats, shoes, and sawdust. It was sort of like a college dorm before checks from home get there. Natives were not very friendly. Nor were the Portuguese they happened to run into.

Finally they reached the Philippines (Magellan named it for Philip II of Spain - remember him?). Magellan took it on himself to try to convert a tribal chieftain to Christianity. The natives helped Ferdinand meet his God a little sooner than Ferdie desired. And so it goes. That was April 27, 1521.

The last remnant of the crew made it back home. They had lost men from disease and predation by the Portuguese. On September 8th, 1522, the "Victoria" bore 18 survivors into the port of Seville, Spain. Some of you might say that Magellan did not circumnavigate the globe because he did not make it back. Well, Ferdinand earlier had been the other way ( around Africa to the East route) to about the place he died. That is how he gets credit and all those frequent sailor miles. So what if it was by two trips. Spain was to begin its domination of the sea but Portugal did hold onto the Spice Islands for quite some time.

What have we learned? Shoe leather and sawdust can make a cranky crew? The Irish and the Scots have plenty to be mad at the English about? Sometimes a navigator is without honor in his own country? Even if he is your older brother, he might know a thing or two? Spice is the key to navigation? (Had to throw that in for those Dune-ites out there.) English sure profited by requiring their folk to practice with the longbow? How about: when someone says they are not interested in hearing about your religion, shut the heck up?

Happiest of Birthdays to Bonnie Doris Lovitt who is a hero in her own right for being a great daughter, mother, teacher in public schools and especially for being my sister.

As always, if you want to send this over the seas, keep me sig and tartan on it.

Reading my "Watchtower" and Jack Chick tracts,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

SCA - Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS - Polyphemus Theognis
TRV - Sebastian Yeats