Tarlach Ó Mealláin
Encyclopedia
Tarlach Ó Mealláin was an Irish
Franciscan
, author of Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin
.
. They expanded southwards, one branch settling in Donaghmore
, a second in Clonfeacle. Their lands between the Moy
and Dungannon
were known as Grange O Mellan. Churchland near Armagh
was called Lurga Uí Mhealláin (Lurgyvallen). It is not known to which branch he belonged.
Tarlach joined a community of Franciscans who had been expelled from their convent
in Armagh in the 16th century and settled in Tyrone
under the protection of the Ó Neill
s of Cashlan. They built a friary in the townland of Gort Tamlach na Muc on the south side of Friary Loch. It was attacked and burned by the Scots
on the morning of 15 June 1643.
He has been described as one "who reflected the Ulster Catholic view of events. He was one of a generation of ardent Franciscans who were tireless in their efforts to record the Irish past for coming generations."
during the war, and thus was present at many of the events he describes in the Cín Lae. Examples include the battle of Clones
(13 June 1643) and the Battle of Benburb
in 1646, of which he says Do bhenadar na sloite da cheile ar Dhruim Fhliuch ("The armies met on Drum Flugh"), thereby precisely identifying the battlefield.
It is written on both sides of twenty-two small sheets of paper (18.5 cms by 14 cms approximately). The narrative comes to an abrupt end on the 28th line of page forty-four: "Tanic trí mile saigdeor ón Pharlemeint i nÁth C. i n-aghaidh Laighneach agus each ..."
(June 1650) within the Cín Lae indicates that he was still alive at that date, though his diary ends in 1647. He has been proposed as the attributed author of An Díbirt go Connachta
which refers to the transplantations of the mid-1650s, but this is uncertain.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
, author of Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin
Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin
Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin is an account of the Irish Confederate Wars written by Tarlach Ó Mealláin, OFM.Described as "an account of the progress of the Confederate war from the outbreck of rebellion in 1641 until February 1647" its text "reflected the Ulster Catholic point of view."-Description:The...
.
Origins and background
Ó Mealláin was of a Tír Eoghain ecclesiastical family who were the hereditary keepers of the Bell of Saint Patrick (Clog na hUachta). They ruled an area known as An Mheallánacht, located between Slieve Gallon and Lough NeaghLough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
. They expanded southwards, one branch settling in Donaghmore
Donaghmore
Donaghmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, about five kilometres northwest of Dungannon. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 947 people...
, a second in Clonfeacle. Their lands between the Moy
Moy
-Places:* Loch Moy, a loch south of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.** Moy, Highland, a village beside Loch Moy** Moy Hall, also near the loch and the ancestral home of the chiefs of Clan Mackintosh** Rout of Moy, an event in the Jacobite rising of 1745...
and Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
were known as Grange O Mellan. Churchland near Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
was called Lurga Uí Mhealláin (Lurgyvallen). It is not known to which branch he belonged.
Tarlach joined a community of Franciscans who had been expelled from their convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
in Armagh in the 16th century and settled in Tyrone
Tyrone
The name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...
under the protection of the Ó Neill
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty is a group of families that have held prominent positions and titles throughout European history. The O'Neills take their name from Niall Glúndub, an early 10th century High King of Ireland from the Cenél nEógain...
s of Cashlan. They built a friary in the townland of Gort Tamlach na Muc on the south side of Friary Loch. It was attacked and burned by the Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
on the morning of 15 June 1643.
He has been described as one "who reflected the Ulster Catholic view of events. He was one of a generation of ardent Franciscans who were tireless in their efforts to record the Irish past for coming generations."
Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin and the Irish Confederate Wars
Tarlach was the chaplain to Felim O'Neill of KinardFelim O'Neill of Kinard
Sir Felim O'Neill of Kinard , also called Phelim MacShane O'Neill or Féilim Ó Néill , was an Irish nobleman who led the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Ulster which began on 22 October 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, where he fought under...
during the war, and thus was present at many of the events he describes in the Cín Lae. Examples include the battle of Clones
Clones
Clones is a small town in western County Monaghan, in the 'border area' of the Republic of Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation...
(13 June 1643) and the Battle of Benburb
Battle of Benburb
The Battle of Benburb took place in 1646 during the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between the forces of Confederate Ireland under Owen Roe O'Neill and a Scottish Covenanter and Anglo-Irish army under Robert Monro...
in 1646, of which he says Do bhenadar na sloite da cheile ar Dhruim Fhliuch ("The armies met on Drum Flugh"), thereby precisely identifying the battlefield.
"Tarlach had a detailed knowledge of the Ulster leaders. As he was familiar too with many of the places in which they fought, he is an invaluable source for the general historian, toponomyst and genealogist and, because of his language, he is an invaluable source for the linguist and the historian of Irish as well."
"The Cín Lae was written in abbreviated form, apparently as a memory aid to the author who may have intended to produce a fuller history of the period at a later date. Sadly, no such history appears to have been written ... [although] ... he ... had the opportunity of revising at least part of the script."
It is written on both sides of twenty-two small sheets of paper (18.5 cms by 14 cms approximately). The narrative comes to an abrupt end on the 28th line of page forty-four: "Tanic trí mile saigdeor ón Pharlemeint i nÁth C. i n-aghaidh Laighneach agus each ..."
Extracts
Page one:
"On the eve of the Feast of Saint John Capistranus the lords of Ulster planned to seize in one night, unknown to the English and the Scots, all their walled towns, castles and bawns. The date chosen was 22nd October, Friday to be precise, and the last day of the moon." (Saturday 23 October 1641, Old Style)
After 1647
A reference to the Battle of ScarrifholisBattle of Scarrifholis
The Battle of Scarrifholis was fought in Donegal North-West Ireland, on the 21st of June 1650, during the Irish Confederate Wars – part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms Cogadh ná Trí Ríocht...
(June 1650) within the Cín Lae indicates that he was still alive at that date, though his diary ends in 1647. He has been proposed as the attributed author of An Díbirt go Connachta
An Díbirt go Connachta
An Díbirt go Connachta is a lament attributed to Feardorcha Ó Mealláin who is claimed as staraí Éirí amach 1641/the historian of the 1641 Rising, Tarlach Ó Mealláin....
which refers to the transplantations of the mid-1650s, but this is uncertain.
Sources
- Charles Dillon, Cín Lae Uí Mhealláin, pp. 337–95 Tyrone:History and Society. ISBN 0906602 718
- Diarmaid Ó Doibhlin (2000) Tyrone's Gaelic Literary Legacy, pp. 414–17, op.cit.