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17th and 18th Century Records

CONTENTS Ancient Ireland Clan Origins Clan Lands MacAuliffe Castles Warrior Clan Oppression Loss of Lands MacAuliffe in Exile In Foreign Service MacAuliffe Regiment Coat of Arms Historic Records An Gorta Mor McAuliffe Diaspora Timeline Famous MacAuliffes Memorial The Clan Today Clan Rally

From the 17th and 18th centuries a number of records can be found which make reference to individual MacAuliffes.  Some of these relate more to those individuals rather than to the collective history of the clan. The clan had by this time, of course, largely ceased to exist as a functional unit. The records are nevertheless of interest in a study of the clan and for that reason I have included them in this section. 17th  CENTURY MacAuliffe the Prophet Well-known to the Irish-speaking people of Munster, and especially of  Duhallow, were the words of MacAuliffe the Prophet. His prophecies were in the form of poetry and so were easily remembered by the people. It is said that they were not his own compositions but a collection of the sayings of the saints and wise men of the past. Typical of his work was the following;        "Each succeeding race shall become more prone to falsehood,        And each succeeding year shall become more wet and stormy;        Old shall not be loved, and young women will lack modesty;        The English tongue will be used by every race, and a chariot        under each foot." It  seems clear that MacAuliffe the Prophet was a chieftain, as indicated by this line from the introduction to a series of his prophesies;                               "Hear MacAuliffe of Ealla                                Mysteries will the chieftain tell ye." It is most likely that the prophet was Malachy Oge, who was imprisoned in 1602, for in one of the MacAuliffe pedigrees Malachy Oge is called 'the prophet'. He probably wrote his prohesies during the time he was imprisoned. Another example of his prophetic writings, remarkably accurate, is the following:-            Sin a haon, Loch Lein gan daingean ar bith;           An tarna haon, gan treine in Gearaltachaibh;           An triu haon, gan geille in Duthealla dom shliucht;           An ceathru haon, beidh Eireag Sacsanachaibh.           The first point, Loch Leane without a defensive fort;           The second point, no great warrior among the Fitzgeralds;           The third point, my own clan without authority in Duhallow;           The fourth point, Ireland will be in the hands of the English. 18th  CENTURY The  Poet About the year 1720, Henry MacAuliffe was born near Kildorrery, in County Cork. A shoemaker by trade, he earned a name for his poetry which was very popular with the people of the area. Amongst his better-known works was one called "The Death Lament of Hugh Massey", a biting satire on the murder of Hugh Massey of  Aherlow, who was a notorious oppressor of the poor. A Fair Day at Ballyhooly was the setting for another of his works called "The Races at Ballyhooly."  Through his poetry, Henry MacAuliffe did much to keep up the spirits of the people. The  Priest Records show that in 1766 Father Denis MacAuliffe ministered to the people of Churchtown parish. Said to be a friar, he was not registered according to the English-imposed law, so he was risking severe penalties by carrying out his work. Renunciation. On St. Patrick's Day 1771, Thomas MacAuliffe 'renounced popery.'  Despite persecution, and despite promises of riches and improved social position, this seems to be the only recorded instance in Munster of a MacAuliffe turning his back on the faith of his fathers. It is not clear, however, if it was a genuine renunciation, for it is known that some Irish families sidestepped English laws limiting the landholding of the Catholic Irish by having one of their members 'convert' to Protestantism in order to hold the land for the rest.

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