School: Baile Theas (B.), Malla (roll number 4953)

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   “There is a hill in the parish of Castlemagner called Knocknanuss.”

   

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   after firing one or two volleys threw away their muskets and seized the swords rushed upon the Irish with such fury that they pursued the Irish for three miles killing them to the number of five thousand without losing five in that route. They then took cannons carts and baggage of which the Irish had retained possession for a whole hour. It has been found out since the cause of the slaughter It was due to the treachery of Lord Taffe, Lieutenant Purcell and Colonel Gradie They made up a plot against the brave warrior Culcoth Mac Donnell and his three regiments. This was revenge for the battle of Philliphaugh in Scotland. Alister Mac Donnell was fighting with the Scotch against the English at Philiphaugh The English won the battle. Alister Mac Donnell was in charge of some regiments He did not go to help the Scotch and left the English cut up a thousand of the Scotch. Four thousand men lay dead at the battle of Knocknanuss Alister Mac Donnell also met his death there. When all the fighting was over he was giving his horse a drink at a place called Lackenleigh. He was clothed in slate armour and when he bent down the place lifted and exposed his back. It happened that there was an English soldier named Samuels lying in the rushes. The soldier seeing the unprotected part drove his sword through the warrior's back and he fell dead of his horse. The man who killed Mac Donnell is said to have been the owner of a small landed property near Charleville which has long since passed away from his name and family although some of the latter still reside in the neighbourhood. About fifty years ago a great great grandson of this man locally remembered as "Thade of Kanturk" but whose real name was Timothy O'Callaghan was employed as a farm labourer near Buttevant. Alister Mac Donnell's body was buried in the townland of Rathmagher in a kitchen garden. An ash tree grows where he was buried. Here his body lay for three days until it was removed to Clonmeen which is situated on the south side of the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. Battle of Knocknanuss (~6)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mr James O' Connell

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   83

   Address

   Knocknanuss, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Mr J. Sheehan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballygrady North, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Owen J. Bourke

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Kanturk, Co. Cork