AN GAOḊAL
29
Bairḃ ar son ċreidiṁ agus ṫíre, ṁair
síoṫċán in Éirinn ar feaḋ ċeud go leiṫ,
bliaḋan, & ċuaiḋ an creideaṁ naoṁṫa
ar aġaiḋ arís mar ḃí sé roiṁ ṫeaċt
na Loċlann; aċ faraoir! b' éigin do'n
Éireannaċ a ċloiḋeaṁ do láiṁsiúġaḋ
arís ar son ċreidiṁ & ċiniḋeaċta ana¬
ġaiḋ na sluiġteaḋ Sacsanaċ; óir ċuir
an dára h-Anraoi a ṫaoiseaċ Strong¬
bó leis an tír a ġaḃáil. Ṫug easaon¬
daċd ameasg na n-Éireannaċ ócáid do
na Sacsanaiġiḃ, & ġlac siad í go réiḋ
Mar sin, beagnaċ ar feaḋ ceiṫre ċeud
bliaḋan .i. ó aimsir an dára h-Anraoi
go d-ti aimsir an t-oċtṁaḋ h-Anraoi.
Ḃí Éire 'na maġ mór ċogaiḋ. Fá ḋeire
"Ḃí Éire, an t-seoid ġlas, ag dealraḋ,
go nuaḋ
I g-cróin-ḟleasg an t-Sacsanaiġ treun¬
ṁair."
Seaḋ, ḃí sí ag dealraḋ i g-cróin an
t-oċtṁaḋ h-Anraoi, an gaduiḋe drúis¬
eaṁuil & an truaġan salaċ a ṫiomáin
uaiḋ a ḃean ḋlisteanaċ, ḋílis, Caitilín
ó 'n Spáin.
Ní ṫiuḃarfaḋ an Eaglais Ċoitilice
ċead do h-Anraoi a bean ḋlisteanaċ a
ċur uaiḋ, aċ níor ḃ'ḟéidir leis a ḋrúis¬
eaṁlaċt do ṡásuġaḋ muna ḃ-fáġaḋ sé,
bean eile d'ar b'ainm dí Anna Bóilin.
Uime sin, do coinneall-baṫaḋ é, sé sin
le ráḋ, gearraḋ amaċ ó 'n Eaglais é
Anois tugann sé a ċúl leis an Eaglais
Ċaitilice, & iompuiġeann sé ċum a ḃeiṫ
'na Ṗrotustún, & 'na ġaduiḋe ríoġaṁ¬
uil; & ṫosuiġ sé ar ċúrsa géirleanaṁ¬
ana naċ ḃ-fuil a léiṫid le fáġail i stáir
aon riġ no tír 'san doṁan Ba ṁór
an leaṫtrom do cuireaḋ ar na príóṁ-
Ċríostaiġiḃ leis na himpíriḋiḃ Rómán¬
aċa ar feaḋ trí ċeud bliaḋan tar éis
báis ar Slánuiġṫeora, aċ ní buḋ ṁó no
níor buḋ ṁíoṫrócairiġe é ná 'n ġéir-
leanaṁuint a ċuir an t-oċtṁaḋ h-An¬
raoi & iadsan a lean é anaġaiḋ muin¬
tire na h-Éireann, ċum creideaṁ bean¬
nuiġṫe Naoiṁ Ṗáḋruic a ḋíbirt uaṫa
Do réir cuntas na stáireaḋ Prot¬
ustúnaċ ḃi na géirleanaṁna so anaġ¬
aiḋ na n-Éireannaċ ċo borb & ċo neaṁ-
ṫrócaireaċ a's gur deacair iad do
at Clontarf, peace reigned in Ireland
for the space of one hundred and fifty
years, and the holy religion prospered
again as it did before the coming of
the Danes; but, alas! the Irishman
was again compelled to handle his
sword on behalf of religion and kind¬
red against the Saxon hordes, for Hen¬
ry II sent General Strogbow to take
the country. The disunion among Irish
men gave an opportunty to the Eng¬
lish, and they seized it readily. Hence
for nearly four hundred years, i.e.,
from the time of Henry II. until that
of Henry VIII, Ireland was a large
war camp. At last, —
"Ireland, the green gem shone anew
In the crown-garland of the mighty
Saxon.”
Yes, she was glistening in the crown
of Henry VIII, the filthy, miserable,
lustful thief, who drove from him his
lawful, faithful wife, Catherine of
Spain
The Catholic Church would not
give him permission to discard his
lawful wife but he could not satisfy
his lustful desires if he were not per¬
Imitted to get another woman named
Anne Bolen. On that account he was
excommunicated, that is to say, he was
cut off from the church. Now he turns
his back on the Catholic Church and
becomes a Protestant, and a royal va¬
gabond; and he commenced a course
of tyranny that the like of it is not to
be found in the history of any king or
nation in the world. The first Chris¬
tians were greatly oppressed by the
Emperors of Rome for three hundred
years after the death of our Saviour,
but they were not greater or more un¬
merciful than the persecution which
Henry VIII and his follower exercis¬
ed against the people of Ireland, in
order to banish from them the holy
religion of Saint Patrick.
According to the account of Prot¬
estant historians this persecution a¬
gainst Irishmen was as fierce and as
unmerciful that it is difficult to believe
