288 O'Hanlon— Site of Battle of " Pass of Flumes." 



us in a vague manner, that while passing through a defile in Leinster r 

 Huon Omorra with 500 footmen set on the Earl of Esses, and put 

 his rere-guard in great disorder, killing some of his captains and sol- 

 diers. (Hist. Cath. lb. Compendium, Tom. iii., Lib. v., cap. ix., 

 p. 207 ; Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition.) On this occasion, the Irish chief- 

 tain obtained military spoils, while the English army forced its way 

 towards Kilkenny.* According to 0' Sullivan Beare, this well-con- 

 tested road, by reason of the quantity of helmet-feathers taken from 

 the English cavalry by the Irish, was afterwards called Bearna na 

 gehleti, or " transitus plumarum." It was denominated Barnaglitty,f 

 or "the Pass of Plumes," according to Cox,]: and l'Abbe Ma-Geo- 

 ghegan,§ who merely follow O'Sullivan's account. Sir James Ware 

 takes no notice whatever of this encounter, when narrating the expe- 

 dition of Essex to the south ; but after noticing his return to Dublin 

 from that quarter he states, that the Lord Lieutenant, with two thou- 

 sand five hundred men, "turned into Leix and Ojphalia, where he 

 easily subdued the O 1 Mores and O'Connors, and thence returned to 

 Dublin." (" Annals," Ed. 1705, ch. xlii., p. 54.) 



Most of the English historians, such as Eynes Moryson, William 

 Camden, Lingard, and the author of " Pacata Hibernia," are silent on 

 the subject of this important action. 



The O'Moores, meantime, after Essex had marched by Ballyroan, 

 Rosconnell, Ballyragget, and Kilkenny, into Munster, had been en- 

 abled to send a strong force into TVicklow. These men assisted at the 

 memorable defeat given to Sir Henry Harrington and his command, 

 near that town. Essex was very unsuccessful during the prosecution 

 of his southern campaign. Returning from Munster, towards the 

 close of June, on approaching Arklow — : for he avoided the men of 

 Leix in their native fastnesses — the Earl had a sharp brush with the 

 O'Moores, O'Byrnes, O'Tooles, and Kavanaghs. He then returned to 

 Dublin, after the army under his command had sustained immense 

 loss and various reverses. "Towards the en 1 of July, his Lordship 

 brought back his forces into Leinster, the soldiers being weary, sick, 

 and incredibly diminished in number, and himself returned to Dublin." 

 — Fynes Moryson's "History of Ireland," Vol. i., Book 1, p. 86. 



composition, the writer has made a similar statement. See " Catechism of Irish 

 History," Lesson xxvi., p. 304, n. Yet, Dr. O' Donovan, as well as the writer, had 

 an excellent idea of the neighbourhood in and about the Pass of Plumes. 



* Peter Lombard altogether passes over this incident, but he adds, that Essex 

 gave Henry Harrington " quingentos equites ad Moros in Lisia compescendos." 

 See " De Eegno Hibernia?, Sanctorum Insula Commentarius," cap. xxiv., p 171, 

 Dr. Moran's edition. Their destination was to "Wicklow. 



t There is an account of the origin of the Biver Babluan, or Baireand, at 

 Bearna-na-Cleite, "the gap of the plumes," in Leinster, taken from the Dinnshean- 

 cus, and contained in the Book of Ballymote, a MS. belonging to the Boyal Irish 

 Academy. See folio b. b., line 37. The substance of this romantic tale, as com- 

 municated by Professor O'Looney, throws no light whatever on this engagement. 



% In " Hibernia Anglicana," Part 1, Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 



$ " Histoire de l'lrlande," Tome ii., chap, xxviii., p. 532. 



