Gibson: The History of the County and City of Cork

Gibson, Rev. C.B. The history of the county and city of Cork, London: Thomas C. Newby, 1861.

Rev. C.B. Gibson's The History Of The County And City Of Cork was published in two volumes in 1861. The fist volumes begins with an account of the rivalry of the MacCarthy and O'Brien Gaelic clans, the 12th century Norman conquest and the creation of the Earldom of Desmond, centuries of Gaelic rebellion and the defeat of the Gaelic Irish at the Battle of Kinsale. The second volume covers the 17th century Civil War, the Cromwellian invasion, the Williamite Wars and the 1798 rebellion. The remainder of the second volume describes the government of the county Cork, its baronies and parishes, their histories, notable family dynasties and residences.

Gibson, Rev. C.B. The history of the county and city of Cork, London: Thomas C. Newby, 1861.

Gibson, Rev. C.B. The history of the county and city of Cork, London: Thomas C. Newby, 1861.

Rev. C.B. Gibson's The History Of The County And City Of Cork was published in two volumes in 1861. The fist volumes begins with an account of the rivalry of the MacCarthy and O'Brien Gaelic clans, the 12th century Norman conquest and the creation of the Earldom of Desmond, centuries of Gaelic rebellion and the defeat of the Gaelic Irish at the Battle of Kinsale. The second volume covers the 17th century Civil War, the Cromwellian invasion, the Williamite Wars and the 1798 rebellion. The remainder of the second volume describes the government of the county Cork, its baronies and parishes, their histories, notable family dynasties and residences.

Enlarge image

Rev. C.B. Gibson's The History Of The County And City Of Cork was published in two volumes in 1861. The first volume begins with an account of  the rivalry of the MacCarthy and O'Brien Gaelic clans, the 12th century Norman conquest and the creation of the Earldom of Desmond, centuries of Gaelic rebellion and the defeat of the Gaelic Irish at the Battle of Kinsale. The second volume covers the 17th century Civil War, the Cromwellian invasion, the Williamite Wars and the 1798 rebellion. The remainder of the second volume describes the government of the county Cork , its baronies and parishes, their histories, notable family dynasties and residences.

The MacCarthy the strongest of the Eoghanacht septs were the rivals of the O'Brien clan and the Dalcassian septs of County Clare . Under the Treaty of Glanmire in 1118, the Kingdom of Munster was divided into Thomond or Tuadhmhumhain meaning North Munster which became the domain of the O'Briens and Desmond or Deas-Mhumhain or Souther Munsters which remained in the hands of the MacCarthys. Their allies were the O'Sullivans, O'Callaghans, O'Keeffes, O'Donoghues, and O'Donovans and many others associated with counties Cork and Kerry.

In the 12th century the Normans invaded Ireland and the MacCarthys of Muskerry and Carbery played a major role in subsequent centuries of resistance to the Norman Fitzgerald dynasty. Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald became the 1st Earl Of Desmond in 1329 but the MacCarthy's continued to claim control of Desmond until 1601.

Cork city played host to both Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, pretenders to the English throne during the War of the Roses. For their support the leaders of Cork City and County were punished. It is alleged that this was the origin of the nickname of the 'rebel county.'

The last MacCarthy Mór claiming the Kingdom of Desmond was Florence MacCarthy (1560–1640) who was imprisoned in the Tower of London . The most powerful Irish Chiefs, the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell fled Ireland in 1607 following their defeat in the Battle of Kinsale paving the way for the plantation of Ulster .

In 1641 the Gaelic Catholic Irish rebelled and massacred Protestant planters. In the subsequent Civil War between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, the Gaelic Irish and their Catholic Old English and Royalist enemies joined forces for a time against the forces of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated them all during his bloody conquest of Ireland (1649–53). Cork city's Protestant garrison mutinied, allowing Munster to fall to Cromwell.

Later in the 17th century te Catholic James I and the Protestant William III went to war for possession of the British throne. The Gaelic Irish, Old English Catholics and Royalists again rose in rebellion only to be defeated at the Battle of the Boyne by the Williamites. Cork city was captured by the Duke of Marlborough.

The outcome of this series of disastrous defeats was the creation of a Protestant Ascendancy in County Cork . The Gaelic Irish were dispossessed, reduced to poverty and oppressed by the Penal Laws. They had become tenants and labourers on the vast estates of an elite of Anglo-Irish landlords by the 18th century. Revolution in America and France inspired the United Irishmen rebellion across much of Ireland in 1798 that was crushed with heavy loss of life.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Cork prospered but after the British victory in Waterloo , demand for its agricultural produce fell dramatically triggering a dramatic economic decline. In the 1840s the Great Irish Potato Famine devastated Cork city and county. There was an abrupt fall in population due to the effects of starvation and disease and mass emigration between 1841 and 1851.

In the 1861 when Gibson wrote his book land agitation and agrarian violence were on the increase. In time they would culminate in the 'Land War' of the late 19th century which saw a campaign led by Charles Stuart Parnell secure the rights of Irish tenants. Many of the Anglo-Irish Protestant landed gentry described by Gibson lost their estates and politically dominance by the 20th century when the Irish Gaelic Catholic farmers now owned their own land.