MAOLSUTHAIN O’CARROLL
Maolsuthain O’Carroll "Maolsuthain O’CARROLL (........-1031):son of ............b......... - m............." (d. 1031) was the confessor of Brian Boru (926 - 1014), King of Ireland, was probably the son of Maolsuthain Ua Caerbhaill, or O’Carroll, who died at Inisfallen, in the lower Lake of Killarney, in 1009, chief of Eoghanacht Locha Lein, and famous for learning. Brian’s brother Marcan was the chief ecclesiastic of Munster (Annala Rioghachta Eireann, 1009) in the time of the elder Maolsuthain, and it was perhaps through Marcan that the younger became attached to Brian.O’Carroll accompanied Brian in his journey round Ireland in 1004, and at Armagh wrote in the “Book of Armagh,” on f.16b, the short chapter in Latin, which is still legible, and ends with the words “ego scripsi id est calvus perennis in conspectu briain imperatoris scotorum et quod scripsi finituit pro omnibus regibus maceriae.” “Calvus perennis” is a version of Maolsuthain (maol = bald, and suthain = everlasting), while Maceria is a translation of the Irish word Caisil or Cashel, the chief city in Munster.
There is no
satisfactory evidence that O’Carroll wrote any part of the
“Annals of Inisfallen,” as is suggested by E. O’Curry (Lectures,
p.77)
and E. O’Reilly (Irish Writers, p. 70). In a manuscript of 1434
there
is
a curious tale of O’Carroll, which has been printed by O’Curry
(Lectures,
p. 77 and App.p.xli). Three of Maolsuthain’s pupils wished to
visit
Judaea.
He told them they would die there, but gave them leave to go on
condition
that they should visit him after their deaths and tell him how
long he
should live, and what should be his doom after death. They died,
asked
the archangel Michael for the information, and thus learned that
their
tutor
had three years and a half to live, and that at the day of
judgement he
would be sent to hell, for three reasons: The way he
interpolated the
canon,
his profligate conduct, and his omission to recite the hymn of
St.
Columba
known as “Altus prosator.” His pupils returned as white doves,
and
communicated
the gloomy intelligence. He announced his intention of
abandoning vice
and ceasing to interpolate the holy scriptures, of fasting three
days a
week, of performing one hundred genuflexions a day, and
repeating the
Altus
seven times every night, and asked the doves to return on the
day of
his
death. They came, informed him that Heaven was now open to him,
and
flew
off with his soul. His manuscripts, the tale adds, are still in
the
church
of Inisfallen. He died in 1031. [Annala Rioghachta Eireann, ed.
O’Donovan,
vol ii Facsimiles of Historical Manuscripts of Ireland]
NOTE: Many noteworthy O’Carrolls appear in the “Annals of the Four Masters
THE
IRISH BRIGADE in the French Army
“Wild Geese”
The recruits for the Irish Brigade were generally conveyed to France in the smugglers [boats] which brought wine, brandy etc to the West Coast of Ireland and [they] were entered in the ship’s books as “Wild Geese”: hence this became the common name for them among the country people. [O’Hart Pedigrees - P523]
The O’Carrolls who fled Ireland’s troubles and went abroad with the “Wild Geese” are well recorded in the service of England, France, Spain and Germany - whereever they could put their martial skill to rewarding use. [Irish Family Histories - Ida Grehan - P25]
The Irish army capitulated on 13 October 1691 and in terms of the Treaty of Limerick seven thousand officers and men who would not take an oath of allegiance to England departed for France in what became known as the “Flight of the Wild Geese”
After the Treaty of Limerick in 1691 Frances Carroll volunteered for service of France where he was a Colonel in the celebrated Irish Brigade. He was killed in the Battle of Marsaglia in Italy in 1693.
Three members of the O’Carroll sept distinguished themselves in the armies of James II and of France. The best known was Brigadier Daniel O’Carroll (d. 1712). [Irish Families by E.MacLysaght]
During the war of the Austrian Succession, at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Low Countries on 11 May 1745, the French Army’s Irish Brigade led by Lord Clare routed the Coldstreem Guards and won the field for France. It was the Brigade’s finest moment. [Ireland an Illustrated History - John Ranelogh]
Carroll
Regt
de Balkeley
Carroll, Lieut. Wounded at
Lafeldt
.. de Dillon
Carroll, Lieut. Wounded at Fontenoy
}
.. de Berwick
Major
1746
}
[O’Hart
Pedigrees -p527]
O’Carroll,
Daniel Lieu-Colonel avant
1698,
} Dragons du Roi d’Angleterre
Brigadee
de Armees en 1705 }
O’Carroll, Major en
1706
Regt
de Clare (cavalerie)
O’Carroll, Michel Lieutenant-Colonel en
1753-61
.. de Berwick
O’Carroll, Capitaine en
1741
..
de Bulkeley
Lieut-Col
en
1761
..
de Berwick
O’Carroll, Cesar Capitaine en
1768-1770
..
..
O’Carroll, Michel Capitaine en
1769-1775
..
..
O’Carroll, Daniel Chevalier de St
Louis}
..
de Bulkeley
Capitaine
en 1770
}
..
de Dillon
Capitaine en 1775-1779
O’Carroll, le Baron de Kilmaine,Sous Lieutenant en
1785,
}
Capitaine
en
1790,
}Hussards
de Lauzun
en
1848 des Membres de cette
famille
}
servaient
encore dans les Armees de France }
[O’Hart
Pedigrees - P547]
The Preface to G A Henty's story of the Irish Brigade is of
interest: