MacPhearson’s Brigade
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raden, Grady, and Connor came swaggering into the Wicked Aye with
gold in hand and grins on their faces boldly proclaiming, "Drinks for
all here!"
Philip, never one to turn down a free drink inquired, "Well lads, did you rob a rich merchant? Will the Lord High Sheriff be here soon to take you all away?"
Young Grady puffed up, "We've hired on with some Irish Earl for a bit
of summer campaigning in
Sitting toward the back by the fire and pouring over his ledgers
before a trip back to Desmond, Maitiu' perked up and said with
alarm, "Who did you sign on with? I saw that blagard Donalon O'Brien
down by the dockside recruiting. Say you did not sign on with him."
Braden, looking worried, said, "What is wrong with him? He appears
to be a hell of a fighting man. "
"And so he is but he is also an O'Brien and works for Thomond. The
Earl of Thomond is slippery as an eel and about as pleasant to work
for. If you have any work from him it will be stealing sheep from
the Burkes or turning the widows and children of Clan MacNamara out
on the road to starve."
Connor defended their decision. "We are in our prime and are fine
fighting men and we need the work." Then glaring at Maitiu' he said,
with restrained contempt, "and what danger do we face fighting a
bunch of feckless Paddys."
Maitiu' gave a bland sarcastic smile. "The two lowest professions in
the human experience are prostitutes and mercenaries. They are in it
only for the money."
Philip chuckled and reminded Connor, "Better men than you have tried
to provoke our timid Maltworm and have failed. If I was younger I
would go with you. There are some O'Malleys who could use a measure
of MacAlisdair steel."
Elena and Akira were not pleased to hear what had transpired and with
a twist of logic beyond Maitiu's comprehension they began to blame
Maitiu', perhaps because he was Irish. Maitiu' countered, "Gwen and
Fionnula are Irish and you don't blame them. I am clearly not wanted
here so I am going to see Mossman. His ship departs tomorrow for
on my ship. I'll have them cast overboard."
While Maitiu' sailed off to Waterford the next day Grady, Connor, and
Braden joined Donalon on a leaky O'Brien owned rig that eventually
landed on the coast of Clare in O'Brien country in the west of
Munster otherwise known as Thomond.
The lads never saw the Earl of Thomond. They served under one of his
lieutenants, Cornelius O'Brien, AKA Con. Con lead a faction of the
O'Briens that wanted to expand the power and influence of the Earldom
that it once held 60 years ago. They had to do this while at the
same time appearing submissive and supportive of Elizabeth Tudor's
rule. Other O'Brien factions had different priorities, goals, and
ambitions. To the lads Irish politics seemed as confusing as
Scottish politics. Braden and Grady seemed happy to be paid and well
fed and were eager for adventure and only Connor seemed haunted by
the words and stories that Maitiu' had told him.
About 60 years ago there was a great battle in
O'Briens and their allies and the Earl of Kildare, Garret Mor
Fitzgerald. The O'Briens, lead by the Earl of Thomond were at the
zenith of their power and most of the western seaboard of
under their influence. As descendants of the last great High King of
leaders of a new nation, a united and independent
them was Henry VII's man in
cobbled together an alliance of anti-O'Brien factions that had little
else in common. With Kildare were MacNamaras from Clare, ancient
enemies of the O'Briens. The Earl of Desmond, just south of Thomond
and cousins to the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, saw the O'Briens as a
Gaelic threat to the ancient Norman rule of this fractious land.
Standing beside them and allied through marriage, fosterage, as well
as jealousy were the O'Donnells and O'Neills of Ulster and the
O'Connors of Connaught. These Gaelic clans thought the O'Briens
presumptuous. To make a long story short Kildare's alliance
prevailed and the O'Briens were humiliated. Thousands of lives were
lost and the O'Briens' holdings and influence were vastly reduced.
That Kildare allowed the O'Briens only some of their former lands
fueled, rather than alleviated, further resentment.
Kildare's son, Garrett O'g, ran afoul of Henry VIII and the Kildare
Fitzgeralds were put in their place. The O'Briens, especially the
Earl of Thomond and Con O'Brien, sought to fill the power vacuum in
the years that followed and regain past glory and power.
Con O'Brien wanted to test his Scots by first Raiding into Desmond,
Maitiu's home province. It seemed easy initially. They stole 100
head of cattle and burned a couple of barns and met very light
resistance. That is until they encountered the MacSheehys lead by
James Fitzmaurice, Captain of Desmond. The MacSheehys were of
Hebredian stock. About 100 years ago they were granted land as
payment for service to some past Earl of Desmond. They prospered and
became more Irish than the Irish themselves. They were fierce in
combat and chased the O'Briens out of their territory. Had not the
Scottish lads fought an effective rearguard action the retreat could
easily have become a rout. The Scottish lads had passed Con's test.
Once back in Thomond Braden remarked to Connor, "So these were the
feckless Paddys you told Maitiu' about?" Grady chimed in, "Did you
hear their voices. They all sounded like Maitiu', you know, his
accent. It was very strange." Connor knew they were fortunate to
still be on this side of the grass.
Con had a keen eye for talent and knew he had a treasure in these
Scots. Along with 9 other carefully picked men Con told them all
what their next and most important mission would be. "We are raiding
into Ormond this time to tangle with Black Tom Butler, Earl of Ormond
and cousin to Queen Elizabeth. He has collected his rents and is
storing the funds, according to my source, in a lightly guarded
strong house about 2 miles down the river from his castle in
Kilkenny. The gold there will make us all rich."
Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormond, cousin to Queen Elizabeth through her
mother Anne Boleyn, was an astute politician. He was equally
comfortable in the courts of
Kilkenny. He had distinguished himself from the other Irish lords by
being ever faithful to the Queen. Black Tom, as he was also known,
knew how to play one faction against another and was rewarded for it
by large revenues. The Earl of Thomond saw an opportunity in
attacking this man. A successful attack would fill Thomond's coffers
and increase his prestige among the Gaelic and Norman lords who were
sitting back waiting for the right leader.
The blockhouse that held the rents was lightly guarded due to its
close proximity to the castle. The locals were strongly loyal to
Black Tom and no enemy would have the audacity to attack so close to
his stronghold. Con's plan was to sneak into Ormond's country
traveling at night and keeping mostly to the woods and bogs. His
troop would not forage and eat mostly cold porridge so to have no
need for fire. Each man was mounted on ponies with shoes forged by
the blacksmith in Kilkenny town. Once the rents were "liberated" Con
and six men would remain mounted and have a spare horse. They would
flee rapidly over the roads riding hard with little regard to the
health of their mounts. The other six would escape on foot back to
Thomond by way of Desmond country. Con hoped that this deception
would serve to implicate Desmond, who had recently been at odds with
Ormond. Of the six footmen, three would be the Scottish lads. Con
secretly hoped that the Scots would be killed or captured so he could
retain their share and keep their pay for himself.
Everything went along as planned and it seemed all too easy to the
lads. The four blockhouse guards were past their prime and easily
subdued and had their throats slit. The deed was done and it was
still a couple hours before dawn. Con and his men fled on horse and
would be far away before an alarm would be sounded. A day of hard
riding would put them safely over O'Brien bridge on the
into Thomond.
The footmen proceeded south and west with the intention of, again,
traveling at night and off the roads. Unfortunately for them, there
had been some raiding on the border with Desmond by some boys from
Clonmel and Black Tom's militia was on alert. Along with some
English garrison troops they lay in ambush. To everyone's surprise,
instead of Clonmel boys, the six footmen were captured. When word of
the blockhouse robbery reached the militia the footmen were
implicated and sent quickly back to
The Scots were stoic and revealed nothing. Brady had received a
severe leg wound during his apprehension and was still able to resist
the torture of having his wound ill treated. The other three, native
Irish of Thomond, told their captures everything. Black Tom now knew
the bold raid was by Con O'Brien and he kept that to himself. To
reward the Irish boys for their cooperation Black Tom had the Irish
boys hung. He would keep the Scots. Thinking to recoup some of his
losses he intended to hold the Scots captive and allow them to write
home. Attached to their correspondence would be a ransom demand.
The Scots were to guests of the Earl of Ormond and lodged in the
dungeon while they awaited their fate.
Elena received the "Irish letter" from Connor and she was predictably
upset and distraught bringing this all to the attention of her
brother Heber. Heber consoled Elena, "We can cover the ransom for
all three lads. We have the money." Akira, Jack and Paulette had
also received their letters. They gathered at the Wicked Aye to pool
resources and discuss strategy. Although he was reluctant to pay
Heber agreed he should be the one to pay the ransom. He wanted to
bring Faolan along as he was young and fleet of foot and he wanted to
bring Philip as he had been to
as guide if no other could be found. Heber hoped to receive some
assistance from Maitiu' as he was in
doubted they could count on the "timid bogmouse".
As the ship sailed around the west coast of
and they arrived without incident in the
lead Faolan and Heber to the brewery. Upon arrival they found that
Maitiu' was out in the countryside inspecting a barley crop. They
sat outside and waited for his return. Shortly after they sat down a
lad, a few years younger than Faolan approached them with a bucket of
ale. "Would you all like something to shorten your wait?"
Never ones to turn down free ale the three travelers said "aye".
Heber looked at the lad. "Have we met before?" The lad said, "We
have. You are Heber MacPhearson and that man is Philip MacAlisdair.
I am not sure who he is," pointing to Faolan. Faolan said to the
Irish lad, "Maitiu' seems to be held in much higher regard around
here than he is back in
"All of me life. See, most of the people owe their livelihood to
Maitiu'. The Earl of Desmond wanted to close this brewery but
Maitiu' convinced him to keep it open while he tried to establish new
customers in
Heber rose up. "Do'nal O'g, the last time I saw you you were no
higher than my belt. How have you been?"
Do'nal replied, "I went on a raid with James Fitzmaurice not long
ago. We chased off some gobshites from Thomond. There was some
Scots among them. I hope they were not your friends." Heber
chuckled to himself. If it was, Connor would he feel annoyed that he
was run off by the son of a bog mouse."
Maitiu' walked up the street and saw from afar who was waiting for
him and called out to Do'nal, "Stop giving them ale or we will never
be rid of them." Hugs and handshakes and more pints were given all
around until Heber told Maitiu' the nature of their business.
"Maitiu', do you know anyone who could lead us up to Kilkenny?"
"Sure and that's easy. Walk up that road until you smell it and turn
east until you step in it."
"But I was thinking about how to get up there without everyone
knowing."
"Wouldn't you know, Naccadin O'Connor is in town and he and I have
been up there years ago and Do'nal O'g has just been up there with
James Fitzmaurice just recently. We'll take you up." Then Maitiu'
looked at Philip to see his reaction. Philip grabbed at his heart
and pretended to have a heart attack then everyone laughed.
Do'nal, pleased to be invited on this dangerous raid with his Da,
told everyone assembled, "Put on you lightest shoes. Me Da's taking
us on a bog trot."
The company of Naccadin, Do’nal, Maitiu', Philip, Faolan, and Heber
packed enough barley cereal for nine for a week and left town at
dusk. Traveling well off the main road they kept to the wood and
bogs striving to keep a low profile.
Not far outside Kilkenny the party of six stopped at Jerpoint Abbey.
Heber, poor man, needed a rest. An old war wound in his hip had
slowed him down and played havoc upon his bog trotting. Naccadin had
a cousin who was a monk and sanctuary was arranged, if needed, upon
their return.
The plan Heber conceived involved his approach to
the day when petitions were presented to the Earl and ask for the
release of the Scottish hostages. Do'nal and Faolan were to accompany
Heber as his servants and bring a gift of ale to the guards
for "taking care of the lads". This batch was particularly potent.
When Faolan and Do'nal delivered the gift they were to assess the
situation. They were to note how many guards, how many doors, and
how many locks and exits. Heber would inform the Earl that he had
the ransom hidden in the nearby Cathedral of St. Canice and that he
and his servants should return there to retrieve it. Philip would be
in the crowd and if he received the proper signal from Heber he would
pass word to Naccadin and Maitiu' to initiate the diversion.
It was Earl Thomas' custom to hear petitions on market day in
Kilkenny. The town would be filled with cattle, crops, and
strangers. Naccadin would find a way to stampede any or all the
livestock into town while Maitiu' would set a fire to some hay or
grains in the area. Both would scream, "Tine, Fire" and cause the
people to panic. It was hoped this would draw most of the guards
away from the Castle so there could be a gaol break.
After the Con O'Brien incident Earl Thomas moved his militia, his
most trusted troops, down river to guard the Revenue House. He would
move a small number of English regulars to guard the dungeon. The
English garrison troops initially inspired fear among the populace.
but familiarity bred contempt and fear evolved into loathing of these
ill mannered foreigners. For their part most of the English were
homesick and ill from drinking the local water supply that they were
not used to. They called the malady "country ague". These English
professionals were of the lowest quality. When Do'nal and Faolan
presented the ale they wouldn't hesitate to tap in. They would
be "softened up" as Do'nal O'g described it.
MacPhearson’s Brigade
The plan was initiated. Heber presented himself in his finest
Heber for keeping the ransom hidden at the Cathedral of St. Canice.
Do'nal and Faolan made a gift of the ale and had a pint or two
themselves while they scouted out the dungeon. They reported back to
Heber. Faolan said, "Heber, I had Do'nal walk in to look at the lads
and they seem to be in a bad way."
Do'nal said, "Mo thiarna (my lord) the big fellows, Connor and
Braden, are skin and bones and the young fellow, Grady, has a bad leg
wound. And they were with those gobshites from Thomond. They were
the rear guard and fierce fighters they were. They don't look fierce
now. I doubt they'll do with much bog trotting."
Heber saw no reason yet to change the plan. The lads would rise to
the occasion of a gaol break, he was sure. They were hardy
stock. As they left the castle grounds he signaled Philip in the
crowd. As Philip moved off he said to Faolan and Do'nal, "Now all
hell will break loose."
All hell did break loose. Maitiu' set fire to a small outlying barn
that, in itself, would have caused a minor distraction. The cattle
that Naccadin loosed ran into a black smithy. When they knocked over
coals it ignited another larger fire, much larger than intended.
Kilkenny went up like a tender-box. Sheep, cattle, horses, and
people were all running and screaming in terror. Above the terrified
chorus one could hear the timbers crackling. Heber didn't need to
break the lads out. They were released by a kindhearted drunken
English guard who was most thankful for the good ale. Braden and
Connor, with Grady in between them, staggered out of the castle.
Weakened and coughing with the smoke it appeared likely they might
yet be caught up in the flames. Do'nal and Faolan relieved Braden
and Connor of their burden. Do'nal grinned at Grady, "Do you
remember me?" Grady nodded yes in wonder. He was being saved by a
man who almost killed him weeks before. Inspired by fear Connor,
Braden, Grady, Do'nal, Faolan, and Heber fled south down the road
toward Jerpoint Abbey. They were soon joined by Philip. Heber
asked, "Have you seen Maitiu' and Naccadin?" Philip shook his head
yes with a huge grin. "Maitiu' and Naccadin are running through the
town yelling 'La'mh Laidir an Uachtar'. It is the O'Brien battle
cry."
Two miles from Jerpoint the false O'Briens caught up with the rest of
the party. "Make haste to the Abbey and say nothing. Ormond's
people are rounding up all foreigners that they encounter."
Naccadin's cousin escorted them into the wine cellar. He
said, "Ormond's men are swarming. You are most fortunate to come
this far. I have a solution for your escape. We entertained some
Greyfriars from
disappeared but they left their habits behind. There are nine habits
and they are yours. Go, dressed in these habits, and tell anyone who
asks you are returning from a pilgrimage to Glendalough and heading
back to
Maitiu' had great sport seeing Heber and Philip donn Greyfriar
habits. "You make great Papist priests, Father Heathen and Father
Heretic! Oh Father Heber, will you hear my confession?" Heber
snarled but said nothing. He would wait until they were back in
his habit and show Katie to see what she might say about him becoming
a Papist priest.
Once returned to the brewery in Waterford Sharon de Faoite had a
banquet feast in honor of their successful gaol break. The patrons
and employees of Desmond's Waterford Brewery were regaled with nine
versions of the adventures of what Maitiu' called "MacPhearson's
Brigade."
Maitiu’
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