Comitatus Corcagiensis; commonly, The County of Cork.
THE County of Cork, which was formerly a Kingdom, and contain'd all that part of the country upon the shore between Lis∣more and St.d 1.1 Brend,* 1.2 where Westward it faces Desmond, has in the midland of it Muske∣ray, a wild and woody country, where Cormac Mac Teg is very famous; and towards the sea, Carbray,* 1.3 where the Mac-Carties are the most considerable. The first place we come at upon the Coast, ise 1.4 Ross, a road for ships, and formerly frequented, but now, by reason of a ledge of sand across it, seldom used. From hence there shoots out a narrow neck of land into a peninsula, called the old head of Kinsale; near which the Curcies heretofore flourished in great wealth, descen∣ded from a brother of John Curcy, an English man, that subdued Ulster. Of which family here still re∣mains Curcy Baron off 1.5 Ringrom,* 1.6 but (such is the un∣certainty of human affairs) poor, and of mean for∣tune. After it, in a fertile spot upon the mouth of the riverg 1.7 Bany, and withall well enough wooded, stands Kinsale,* 1.8 a commodious port, fortified with old walls; under which, in the year 1601. the Kingdom of Ireland was at stake, and put to a fair trial, whe∣ther it should belong to Spain or England. For at that instant the Island was embroiled both with fo∣reign and civil wars; and Don John D' Aquila, with an Army of 8000 Veteranes, had surpriz'd this place, and fortified it; relying upon the censures and ex∣communications, which Pius 5. Gregory 13. and Cle∣ment 8. had thunder'd out against Queen Elizabeth; and upon the assistance of those Rebels,* 1.9 who had sent for them under pretence of establishing their Re∣ligion; the mask and disguise for all the Villanies of this degenerate age, which makes such a scuffle about it. In opposition to these,6 1.10 Charles Blunt, Baron Montjoy, Lord Deputy, though his Army was har∣rassed, and it was now the winter season, besieged the Town by land and sea; and at the same time al∣so took the field against those Rebels, headed by the Earl of Tir-Oen, O Donell, Mac Gwyre, and Mac Ma∣hound: whom also, by his valour and conduct, he so fortunately suppressed; that by the self same Victory, he both recovered the town (surrender'd to him with the Spaniards in it,) and disarm'd the whole Kingdom of Ireland, when with fire and sword they had not only resolved to rebel, but were now actu∣ally revolting. Off from Kinsale, on the other side of the river, lyesh 1.11 Kerry-wherry,* 1.12 a small territory late∣ly belonging to the Earls of Desmond. Just before it, runs thati 1.13 river* 1.14 which Ptolemy calls Daurona,* 1.15 and Gi∣raldus Cambrensis, by the change of one letter, Sau∣ranus, and Saveranus; which springing from the mountains of Muskerey, passes by the principal City of the County, grac'd with an Episcopal See, (where∣unto is also now annext the Bishoprick of Clon) which Giraldus calls Corcagia, in English, Cork,* 1.16 and among the nativesk 1.17 Corcach. It is of an oval form, enclos'd with walls, and encompass'd with, the chanel of the River, which also crosses it, and is not accessible but by bridges; lying along as it were in one direct street, with a bridge over it. 'Tis a populous little trading town, and much resorted to; but so beset with Re∣bel-enemies on all sides, that they are obliged to keep constant watch, as if the town was continually besie∣ged, and dare not marry out their daughters into the country, but contract one with another among them∣selves; whereby all the Citizens are related in some degree or other. They report here, that Brioc the Religious person (who in that fruitful age of Saints flourished among the Gauls, and from whom the Dio∣cese of Sanbrioch in Armorica, commonly called St. Brieu,* 1.18 takes its name) was born and bred in this town.
Beneath Cork, the chanel of the river is divided into 2 branches, which uniting again, make a large and very pleasantl 1.19 Island over against the chief dwelling house of the Barries, an antient and noble family; and there∣upon is called Barry Court. For they are descended from Robert de Barry,* 1.20 an Englishman of great worth, one who was rather ambitious to be really eminent, than to seem so; he was the first man that was wounded in the conquest of Ireland,* 1.21 and that ever mann'd a hawk in that Island. His posterity also, by their great loyalty and valour, have been honoured, first with the title ofm 1.22 Ba∣ron Barry, and afterwards with that of Vicount Buti∣phant, by the Kings of England;* 1.23 and from their riches and estates, have been called by the people, Barry More, or Barry the great. A little below this, the ri∣ver Saveren, near Imokelly, formerly the large posses∣sion of the Earls of Desmond, falls from a creeky mouth into the sea.
As the Saveren watereth the lower part of this coun∣ty, son 1.24 Broodwater, formerly Aven-more, that is, a great water, supplies the upper. Upon which is the seat of the noble family de Rupe, or Roch,* 1.25 transplanted out of England hither; where it hath grown and flourished, and now enjoys the title of Vicount Fer∣moy.* 1.26 In Edward the second's time, they were cer∣tainly Barons of Parliament;* 1.27 for George Roche was fined 200 Marks for not being present at the Parlia∣ment of Dublin, as he was summoned. As the river Broodwater (which by its course for some time is the boundary between this County and Waterford) runs into the sea, and makes a haven, stands Yoghall,* 1.28 not very large, but walled round, of an oblong form, and divided into two parts; the upper, which is the greater part, stretches Northward, having a Church in it, and a littley Abby without the wall, called North Abby; the lower part to the Southward is na∣med the Base-town, and has also an Abby, called South Abby. The convenience of the haven, which hath a well fenced Kay in it, as also the fruitfulness of the country hereabouts, draws Merchants hither; so that the town is prety populous, and has a Mayor for its chief Magistrate. At present the County of Cork reaches only thus far; which (as I have already ob∣served) was heretofore counted a Kingdom,* 1.29 and was of greater extent, containing Desmond also within the bounds of it. King Henry 2. gave this Kingdom to7 1.30 Robert Fitz-Stephens and8 1.31 Miles de Cogan, in these words. Know ye, that I have granted the whole King∣dom of Cork, except the City and Cantred of Oustmans, to hold, to them and their heirs, of me and my son John, by the service of sixty Knights. From the heir of this Fitz-Stephen,9 1.32 George Carew, now Baron Carew of Clopton, is descended in a right line; who was not long since Lord President of Mounster, and, as I most willingly acknowlege, has given me great light into the Irish Antiquities.