(Mesolithic Period that lasted in Europe from about 12,000 to 3,000 BC. This was the middle period of the stone age stone)
At that time, c6500 BC., hazel, elm, oak and pine forests covered many areas of Ireland. About 3500 BC. Neolithic invaders arrived.
(Neolithic Period that lasted in Europe from about 4,000 to 2400 BC. People then had primitive farming and use polished stones and flint tools.)
As they began to clear the woodlands, the Mesolithic people were driven deep into the forests or reduced to year-round dependence on fish. A stone hatchet of the period was found at Wardtown, near Ballyshannon. The slash-and-burn agriculture of the Neolithics did not, however, prohibit forest regeneration. Gradually, the landscape became a mosaic of virgin forest, tillage patches, rough pastures and secondary woodlands where elm, oak and alder once again predominated. Sheep and cattle remains mark the introduction of domesticated animals.
Bronze Age people began to arrive in Ireland about 1800 BC. With their metal tools they cleared the forests more easily and effectively than their predecessors. The uncovering of a bronze axe in Ballyshannon witnesses to their settling in the area. On their overgrazed plots bracken, gorse, nettles, ribwort increased while elm declined. By this time, the climate had changed from warm and dry, to a cooler, moister period which was more ideal for animal rearing than for growing crops.
Legend says Partholan, a Scythian chief, said to be a contemporary of Abraham, set sail from Macedonia. The first colony entered the Erne estuary and anchored at the pool below the cataract. He established his own residence on the little island at the centre of the river. Eventually, jealousy about his wife's fondness for one of her male attendants so enraged him that he slew her favourite hound, Saimer. Then, filled with bitterness and sorrow, he buried the dog beneath the floor of their residence and named the entire island Inis-Saimer.
More than five centuries before the Christian era the sovereignty of Ireland was entrusted in seven year terms to Red Hugh, son of Badurn; Dithorba, son of Deman; and Kimbath, son of Fintan; sons of three brothers. Toward the end of Red Hugh's third turn as king he was drowned while attempting to cross the river Erne at one of the fords. After having been swept down the cataract, the body was recovered and buried on the summit of the hill overlooking the scene of the tragedy. Over the grave was heaped a mound large enough to indicate the resting place of a king. From the death and burial of Red Hugh (Aedh Rua), waterfall (Eas Aedha Ruaidh, now Assaroe) and hill (Sibh Aedha Ruaidh, now Mullaghnashee), according to the legend, derive their names.
Of the regal grave, nothing remains to mark the spot where the old king was laid to rest, the last vestige of the mound on Mullaghnashee having been obliterated in 1798 when the star fort was constructed on the hill top, (where St Anne�s Church is now). In early times, there were no dividing walls between the churchyard, the paupers' burial ground, and the field adjoining. All collectively constituted Sidh Aedh Ruaidh (The Fairy Mound of Red Hugh). Thus the terminating syllable shee (the English of the Irish sidh) in Mullaghnashee is of mythological, not historical, origin. Popular belief assigned the interior of 'pleasant hills' to fairies as their dwelling places. Mullaghnashee was one such 'gentle spot'. Another celebrated fairy resort was Sheegus (Sidh Cise, The Fairy Mound of Cis) or Sheegus hills. Tradition has handed down many marvellous accounts of the exploits of the fairy folk, especially among the sandhills and in the Wardtown district.
Red Hugh left no son to succeed in the rotation of the throne of Ireland but he had a daughter, Macha of the golden hair She claimed her father's right to the throne when what would have been his turn came again, but the other sovereigns refused to recognize a woman's claim to the crown. Not to be put down, Macha raised an army and by military means assured her sovereignty. King Dithorba was slain; his five sons at first banished to the wilds of Connaught. But the queen, fearing new danger from the exiles, followed the men to their retreat, made them all prisoners, then spared their lives.on condition they become her vassals. Following her command, they constructed the palace of Emania, the resort of the Red Branch Knights and of kings of Ulster for more than eight hundred years. The site can still be seen in a field about ten miles west of Armagh.
In the middle of the fifth century A. D. three sons of Niall of the Nine Hostages began the conquest of today's County Donegal. Eoin, Conal Gulban, and Eanna divided the area among themselves. The southern and western parts were given to Conal, from whom the area takes its name, Conaill, or the land of Conall. Having claimed the land, Conal's descendents then spent a century subduing it. The sons of Niall also brought with them Christianity.
In the fifth century of the Christian era, St. Patrick in his missionary travels visited the cataract where Red Hugh allegedly had died. It is reported that he blessed one side of the river Erne; his successor Columb Cille, the other. Later, King Brian Boru, in one of his annual marches through Ireland, visited the waterfall. Besides the recording of his visit to the Fall of Assaroe, other evidence indicates the presence of St. Patrick in the neighbourhood.
Close to the Pound Bridge leading to the Abbey Assaroe is the well Toberpatrick. Legend traces the origin of St. Patrick's Well to the jetting forth of a stream when Patrick's heel pressed down. He used the water to bless a crippled child who was instantly healed. When Patrick knelt to drink from the fountain, he left the impress of his knees in the rock. On a final visit to Ballyshannon before leaving the area the saint responded to Conal Gulban's request for a blessing for himself, his family, his chieftains, his subjects. Conal was ancestor of the O'Donnells, hence their naming the region Tirconnell (Tir Chonaill, Land of Conall).
In the sixth century, St. Columb Cille (Dove of the Church) spread the blessings of Christianity throughout the land. The ancient church of Kilbarron, which gave its name to the parish, was, according to the oldest records, founded by St. Columb Cille (Columba), a great-grandson of Conal Gulban. Associated with Columba is the ancient church of Drumholm, later the name of the parish in which Ballintra was situated. The church was called Druim tuana; i.e., the ridge or long hill of the mound. It was dedicated to St. Adamnan, biographer of St. Columba. At Drumholm many of the most noted chiefs and abbots of Tirconnell were interred.
Though more universally known saints like Patrick and Columba are linked with Ballyshannon, St. Barron, bishop, founder of the monastery of Kilbarron, mentor of chieftains, missionary, is a special patron of the region. Barron was a contemporary and cousin of Columba, though somewhat his senior in years.
Barron was probably born about the year 490. His lineage was "son of Muireadhaigh, son of Eathach, son of Conal Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages." Evidently, he spent his early years in Kerry, then ministered in Drumcullen, and finally in southern Tirconnell, most notably at Kilbarron where he held jurisdiction over secular clergy and laity as well as over the monasteries.
For the monastery of Assaroe historical details are more accessible than for the foundations of St. Barron. In addition to the chronicles of Donegal, information is provided by the Annals of Boyle from which a small colony came to Ballyshannon. Also, historians of Tirconnell residing at Kilbarron Castle were always on friendly terms with the Abbot of Assaroe and included the abbey in their accounts.
"Conan of Eas Ruaidh" is named in the Donegal Martyrology as founder of the pre-Cistercian monastery in Inis Saimer or Assaroe toward the close of the sixth century. Records state that Flaherty O'Muldory, king of Tirconnell, having renounced the cares of the world and dedicated himself to heaven, died on the island of Inis-Saimer in 1197. To him is attributed the benefaction of the abbey in 1183. Another tale claims that Roderick O'Cananan, prince of Tirconnell, founded the abbey in 1178. Whichever royal figure was responsible, the monastery for the Cistercian Order was dedicated to God and St. Bernard.
Successive princes richly endowed the abbey. Forty out of forty-four townlands were bestowed on the monks. That meant ten-elevenths of the local population depended on the Cistercians for Mass and the Sacraments, sermons and other forms of religious instruction.
The abbot of Assaroe also possessed ten weirs on the river Erne. Local tradition says that the monks had a weir constructed on the abbey river at Catsby for entrapping any stray fish which might chance to pass up the little stream. The box was so contrived that, when a fish got in, a wire connected with a small bell in the refectory and informed the monks of the catch.
Associated with the abbey was a funeral custom, the remembrance of which is still preserved in the names of Portnamorrow and Lugnanore. Before bridges were built, when fords were in use, the dead were usually brought by boat. The place of embarkation on the south side of the river was called Port-na-marbh, the port of the dead. During the passage across the harbour friends of the deceased were forbidden to speak or express any sign of their grief. No other sounds than the splash of oars and the echoing tolls of the monastery bell were allowed to break the silence of the "green-hilled harbour." When the boat reached the shore it was met by the monks who accompanied the funeral as it moved slowly up the little gorge by which the river flows. Only then could the mourners exhibit their sorrow. Thus, the passage got the name of Lug-na-ndeor, the hollow of the tears.
In Catsby (the steep settlement) just below the monastery are two circular hollows in the rock, called "bullawns" (little pools) which tradition says were used by the monks as baptismal fonts. These basins found in the vicinity of ancient churches are believed to have existed from the earliest age of Christianity in Ireland.
As for the monastery itself, (of which only a few stones are left) the structure was doubtless extensive and imposing. Fragments of the carved stone used for cornices, mullions, arches indicate the care and skill expended in building. The abbey was probably modelled on the Gothic style, adorned with richly decorated doorways, arches and windows. The rustic bridge of two arches that crosses the Abbey River. It is said to be one of the oldest spans in Ireland. Unfortunately, the bridge was also a means for a hostile army to invade the abbey.
Unfortunately, the abbey's connections with native chiefs occasioned violence. Chronicles from twelfth to sixteenth century reveal that the monastery, like everything else in Ireland at that period, suffered from the ravages of an unsettled and warlike age. In 1398 during a war between O'Neills and O'Donnell's, the O'Neil army plundered the monastery of all its riches. The association between secular lords and monks also resulted in some unfortunate choices of abbot. In 1597 the battle of Ballyshannon brought English mercenaries to a siege outside the walls, then desecration of the monastery itself. The arrival of Red Hugh temporarily saved the monks, but within a few years the invaders had taken possession of the abbey. With the fall of the O'Donnells, patrons and supporters of the monks, came a like fate to their abbey, ruin and confiscation. By the peace arranged between Rory O'Donnell and the English, the monks first lost 1,000 acres of their most fertile lands on the south side of the Erne. Sequestering of abbey, lands, tenements, hereditary holdings followed. The abbot and one of the monks, while away from the abbey, were murdered. The others were forced into hiding or exile.
The chieftains most associated with Ballyshannon are the O'Donnells. In 1200 A.D. the family succeeded to the rule of Tirconnell. In 1423 the castle of Ballyshannon was built by the second Niall Garbh O'Donnell. From its close proximity to the rival kingdom of Connaught and from the fact of its being a seaport.
Ballyshannon was regarded as an important military post, the chief gateway to the land. The site of the castle (nothing left of the castle now) was chosen that it might overlook the principal ford of the river. The castle occupied the whole or greater part of the ground used later for market purposes probably extended some way further up the river banks and almost to the summit of the hill northward. From its battlemented towers were poured volleys of missiles on enemies below.
The regular military force of Tirconnell, under the command of O'Donnell, consisted of 1,500 foot, 300 horse. Of these, 200 foot soldiers and 40 horsemen were usually kept in the castle of Ballyshannon.
The princes of Tirconnell, like other great Irish chiefs, maintained a large retinue of followers - historians, bards, household officials - upon all of whom certain duties devolved, and on whom certain grants and privileges were bestowed. Foremost in honour were the ollaves or chief historians who resided in the castle of Kilbarron.
The hereditary bards of the O'Donnells, the Mac a'Bhaird, lived in Ballymacaward, later called Wardtown. They were not lacking in poetical imagination and skill in versification. The O'Clerys were the chief historians of the O'Donnells; the Mac a'Bhaird, the major poets. Yet O'Clery's often were poets as well as historians. Frequently, they accompanied their chieftains to the battlefield and recited verses to rouse the energy and passions of the combatant.
Another important functionary was the keeper of the Cathach, or "battle book". This was handed down from the time of St. Columb Cille, through the line of the O'Donnell family, for a period of 1,400 years. The Cathach is a highly ornamented silver shrine or box, enclosing a portion of the psalms of David, fifty-eight pages said to be written on vellum in Columb Cille's own hand. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most interesting relies of the early Christian period in Ireland. The Cathach was carried on the breast of the custodian at the head of the army of Tirconnell. Three times before a battle the keeper carried the shrine round the soldiers as a talisman for victory.
In times of peace the O'Donnell's offered at the castle of Ballyshannon the generous hospitality characteristics of Irish chiefs. The "Four Masters" contains an account of a visit by a neighbouring chief of Fermanagh, Giolla losa Maguire, who had determined to consult O'Donnell about a grievance. Accompanied by cavalry, whom he commanded to carry a supply of choicest liquors for the journey, he at length arrived at the castle of Ballyshannon. When O'Donnell was informed that his friend Maguire had reached the castle lawn, the sire went out to greet his guest, embraced him affectionately, gave orders for the entertainment of the troops, and brought the chief into the banqueting hall. There, served the choicest meats and best flavoured liquors ' they passed their time until dinner. During the evening, they were entertained with harp and song. O'Donnell himself escorted his friend to the chamber where mead was offered.
At all times, O'Donnell could serve the best of wines, for Irish chieftains living on the sea coast carried on a considerable trade with French and Spanish, who exchanged wines and other products of their respective countries for fish and farm products.
About 1474 the first Hugh Roe O'Donnell erected Donegal Friary and a castle located quite near the later Donegal Waterworks. There, he and his family permanently transferred their abode, leaving the old castle on the Erne as a fortress manned by trusty guards. Thenceforth, the O'Donnell's resided in Donegal until Manus, Red Hugh's grandfather, built and occupied the castle of Lifford in 1526. The old royal residence on Inish Saimer was not yet dismantled nor abandoned. Indeed, it was the scene in the middle of the sixteenth century of the murder of Donal O'Donnell at the instigation of Calvagh O'Donnell.
These rivalries, added to the assaults by the English, decimated families as well as opposing chieftains. About the middle of the sixteenth century; Callogh O'Donnell, Lord of Tirconnell, sought and obtained English help to repel the inroads that O'Neill was making on his territory. In a treaty between Sir Henry Sidney, the Lord Deputy, and O'Donnell, the latter resigned certain rights and claims to the Queen and in return received assistance in regaining several castles, including Ballyshannon and Donegal, that had been seized by that "arch rebel, Shane O'Neill. From that time to 1587 a comparatively friendly feeling existed between the O'Donnells and the London government.
All this was shattered by Sir John Perrott's plot to kidnap Hugh Roe O'Donnell and to confine him to Dublin Castle until Hugh was able to escape in 1592. For a young man already bent on securing complete independence of Tirconnell, of a people plundered by English and other Irish, this treatment added to his hatred of English rule. For its part, the English government, once favourable to O'Donnell's rule, now looked upon Ballyshannon as an important and desirable acquisition. Besides its value as a seaport with a strong fortress, its position as a convenient entrance to both Tirconnell and Connaught meant that no expense or pains were considered too great to accomplish conquest.
In 1597, little more than thirty years after the signing of the treaty by Sidney and O'Donnell, Sir Conyers Clifford was sent from England as governor of Connaught. With a plentiful supply of arms and a large military force supplemented by Murrough O'Brien of Thomond, Baron of Inchiquin, and other Irish nobles who had joined the English ranks, he marched to the banks of the Erne and pitched camp. The next day the forces there tried in vain to cross the fords guarded by O'Donnell's soldiers. At length the enemy was able to cross the river near Belleek and did not stop until it encamped at the Abbey of Assaroe. Reinforced by military stores from Galway, Clifford's men left the monastery and attacked Ballyshannon castle, but were finally forced to retreat. O'Donnell's men drew upon a cargo of arms previously provided by the Court of Spain and pursued the defeated.
Not long after that siege, O'Donnell learned from O'Neill of Tyrone that the
Lord Justice was about to attack. Joined by O'Neill, the Lord of Tirconnell marched against the English and defeated them at Yellow Ford on the Ulster Blackwater. In 1602 Red Hugh O'Donnell went to the Spanish court to induce the king to send an army into Ireland. Suddenly becoming ill, O'Donnell died in Spain and was buried at the monastery of St. Francis in Valladolid. Some of his entourage must have remained in Spain for descendants of his family continue to serve in the Spanish court through the nineteenth century.
Red Hugh's departure from Ballyshannon provided the opportunity for an attack on the castle by the English. Aided and abetted by Niall O'Donnell, a cousin of Hugh Roe, they surprised the fortress. When this unexpected attack was made, the few men within the castle wall were without help or reinforcements, for in Hugh's absence the defences had been allowed to deteriorate. Thus, the castle was easily captured by forces led by a Captain Diggis. With the unexpected and some say mysterious death of Red Hugh in Spain that same year, the independence of Tirconnell came practically to an end. Rory O'Donnell, on his submission to James 1, received the title of Earl of Tirconnell but, henceforth, had no control over the castle of Ballyshannon, which was occupied by an English garrison.
In 1607 the chiefs of Tirconnell and of Tryone were both suspected of conspiracy to overthrow English rule in the North. With ninety-seven others, including Irish chieftains and many of their followers, women, children, and priests, the two lords, O'Neill and O'Donnell, resolved to leave their native land for Rome, "the common asylum of all Catholics." In September, on the feast of Holy Cross, what has been called the "Flight of the Earls" began. As the power and the independence of the Irish Chiefs came to an end, they sailed into exile.