Town Life in Medieval Ireland.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 13, 27 March 1902, Page 3

Town Life in Medieval Ireland.

In the last issue of the Cork Arctueological Society's Journal there is another interesting contribution from the pen of Professor Butler on 'Town life in Medieval Ireland.' The writer lets in many side-lights on the customs of the period, and on the social and political divisions of the population of the country. KILKENNY. Of Kilkenny we read that it ' is lemarkable for having consisted of two distinct corporations, each within its own walls, beside one another. The earlier of the two— the Irishtown — is almost the only example we have of a town being built by an Irishman. Felix O'Dullamy, Bishop of Oasory, during Strongbow's invasion, gathered the church tenants, and doubtless many dispossessed Irish, round the spot where the cathedral of St Canice now stands, gave them a charter, built a town for them, and got the English King to confirm his actions. Later on the Earl Marshal, to whom the district had been granted, built round his castle the city of Kilkenny properly so-called, and the two municipalities remained distinct until 1574, and partially even to the time of the Union. Some authorities say that we can judge of the harmony in which the two communities lived from the well-known saying about the " Kilkenny cats." The Irishtown, in spite of its name became quite English ; a reversal of the usual order of things in Ireland which deserves to be noticed.' The inhabitants ( f the double city are described in the six teenth century as of ' notable civility.' They were wealthy slbo, as appears by the number of stately old houses, mostly built of black native marble, which still remain in the city. In the cathedral was a great stained glass window, so beautiful that Rinuccini, the Papal legate to Ireland during the war of 1641, offered £700 for it for his own cathedral of Fermo, in Italy. The bishop refused, and some years later, when the Cromwellians took the place, the window was broken to pieces by them and utterly destroyed, except for a few fragments which were collected by the care of one of the Protestant bishops after the Restoration, and preserved to our own day. DROGHEDA. ' Drogheda also consisted originally of two distinct municipalities, divided by the river Boyne, They constantly quarrelled, and on one occasion fought a regular pitched battle on the bridge. A Dominican monk, moved by this, invited the leading men of both sides to hear him preach, and choosing as his text the words, " Behold how good and comfortable it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," so worked on his hearers that they exclaimed as with one voice that they would henceforth unite the two rival jurisdictions. In 1412, therefore, the two corporations were merged into one by the authority of King Henry Vl.' THE WALLED TOWNS. During the wars in which the Tudors were engaged in Ireland the Government found its chief support in the loyalty of the walled towns. Occasionally this loyalty bad its drawbacks, as when Kilmallock was taken by the Geraldines in 1571. James Fitz Maurice captured the town, ' not so much from desire of obtaining its wealth and great treasures, though they were immense, but because it had always been the place of rendezvous and rallying point of the English against him. The inhabitants, who had gone to Bleep happily and soundly in the early part of the night, were roused from their slumbers before sunrise the following morning by a very fierce attack of FitzMaurice'a troops. These proceeded to divide amongst thempelves the silver, gold, various riches and precious articles which the father would nob have acknowledged to his heir, or the mother to her daughter on the night before. They were engaged for three days and three nights in carrying away every kind of treasures and precious gondp, including cups and ornamental goblets. After having demolished its stone and wooden buildings, they set fire to the town, and raised a denee, dark cloud of thick smoke over it, so that Kilmallock became the receptacle and abode of wolves.' On the other hand, loyalty had its rewards. Forfeited lands were freely distributed among the loyal citizens. The ' tribes ' of Galway, especially, grew rich in this way, and extended their possessions over a great part of the country. To the Corkmen Elizabeth showed special favor, giving lavish grants to several prominent citizens, and frequently commending their loyalty. TURNING AN HONEST PENNY. In spite of the constant warfare, and the ruin of the country parts, the citizens grew rich by commerce. They supplied previsions, probably mostly imported from over sea, for the royal armies. Their loyalty did not prevent them turning an honest penny in another and more profitable business. The ' Irish enemy,* with whom may now be confounded the degenerate Anglo-Norman barons, wanted arms and ammunition, and the lcyal Cork or Limerick man was quite ready to supply them at a becomingly high price. The service in Ireland was very~ unpopular then in England, for the badness of the climate brought about such illness in the uuacclimatised troops that it was calculated that 50 per cent, of those sent over died within 12 months atter their arrival. Hence the army was filled by forcible means : the English gaols were emptied of prisoners, all vagabonds and rogues were impressed and sent over to fight in Ireland. Theße mi n, if they could not desert, at the first opportunity sold their weapons for a trifle to the loyal merchants, who sold them in turn to the Irish. Besides, they imported arms direct from the Continent, though this waß a more risky trade. Of course the mayors and corporations one and all denounced this traffic in public ; it was forbidden by Galway under most stringent penalties — but it was too profitable to be stopped by mere proclamation.

CURIOUS ENACTMENTS. As early aa1536 the Gal way city fathers had found it necessary to enact that all citizens were to shave the upper lip and to allow the hair of their heads to grow till it reached their ears, not to wear mantles in the streets, but cloaks or gowns, coats, doublets, and hose, after the English fashion. They were forbidden to wear saffron-dyed shirts, or to have more than five yards of linen in these garments. From these enactments it is plain that ' these detestable Irish practices, manifestly dangerous to the security of the Empire.' had found an entrance through the gates of the City of the Tnb^. In Limerick in 1571 it was decreed that no maid or single woman was to wear or put on any great roll or kerchief of linen cloth upon the head, neither any great smock with great sleeves, but to put on hats, caps, French hoods, tippets, or some other civil attire. If they disobeyed their Irish garments were to be forfeit to anyone who seized them. Here, again, it is clear that Irish fashions were now being adopted by the English townsmen, as two hundred years before, they had been by the Norman barons.