Plantation of Cavan East Breifne

64% of cavan s approximately 500,000 acres allocated settlers during initial plantation

due historic close relations government in dublin, people of cavan deemed more pliant elsewhere in ulster. such, first place chichester visited prior plantation. when there, asked english administrators in conquered county evaluate land had been freed had left in exile, had died during rebellion, , had lost rights lands through attainder. in all, 52 members of o reilly clan attainted. in further attempt stamp english authority onto territory, chichester ordered in 1610 castle on tullymongan hill, seat of o reilly kings on 200 years, seized , given english family. never acted upon, although castle, ruined during war, later demolished. case in rest of ulster, many other irish clans had lands confiscated , county opened wholesale plantation english , scottish protestant settlers. first surveys undertaken of josias bodley in 1609 , 1613 in county divided land , poor land , re-distributed planters , natives accordingly.

pynnar s survey of 1619, commissioned examine progress of plantations, lists remaining landholding o reillys. 6 specific persons outlined in james duffy s hibernian magazine of 1861.

shane macphilip o rellie, got 9 hundred acres in precinct of castlerahin. 2. mulmorie, mac-philip o reyley, thousand acres called iterry-outra, in precinct of tullagarvy. 3. captain reley, thousand acres, called lisconnor, in precinct of tullaghgarvy; tenants plough tail. 4. mulmorie oge o relie (maelmora o reilly s son), 3 thousand acres, &c., in same. tenants plough tail. 5. mulmorry machugh o reley, 2 thousand acres, called commet, in precinct of clanmahown. 6. philip mactirlagh, 3 hundred acres, called wateragh, in same.

having learned unsuccessful munster plantation, greater emphasis placed on urbanization , creation of towns means of successful colonization. end, cavan first town in ulster granted charter king james in 1610, relatively large pre-existing urban centre. other towns such virginia , killeshandra founded during plantations. there general cap of 2,000 acres placed on land estates, avoid estate becoming unmanageably large , falling disrepair seen in munster, individual plantations large 70,000 acres.

by 1618 recorded 386 english families had settled in county cavan. native irish, overwhelmingly catholic, , settlers, anglican , presbyterian, co-existed in uneasy peace until anti-catholic long parliament gained traction in england in 1640. fear of invasion , prosecution english protestants sparked irish rebellion of 1641 , establishment of confederate ireland, during time colonel philip o reilly, sir john o reilly s grandson, raised army of 1,200 men in cavan oppose english rule. younger brother myles briefly styled king of east breifne once again. irish royalists defeated during cromwellian conquest of ireland , further confiscation of land ensued. 1670, 89% of county cavan s land in possession of british settlers.