Aughnanure

Aughnanure

The O’Lees and the O’fflaherties

The O’Lees came originally from Meath.  One of the O’Lees married the daughter of O’fflahertie, chieftain of Aughnanure.  She received the lands of Glann as a dowry. Her envious brothers killed O Lee and their sister escaped and went to her husband’s people in Meath.  She gave birth to a son. He remained in Meath until he was 21years old.   To celebrate his birthday his grand father gave a great banquet in his honour.  When the company were truly intoxicated old Lee told the story of how his grandson escaped from the tyranny of his uncles at Aughnanure.  O’Lee’s friends collected a small army and marched to Aughnanure. The boy’s mother accompanied them and she pointed out her husband’s killers.  They were cutting turf and the boys of Meath killed the three O’fflaherties.

The old O’fflahertie regretted what had happened in years gone by and restored the lands of Glann to the O’Lees.

By 1663 the O’Lees owned lands that stretched from the Corrib to the sea; land they received in payment as physicians to the O fflaherties.  Edmund O’Lee mortgaged the lands to Robert Martin in 1641 with the understanding of having them returned when he could afford to pay back Robert. Edmund died 1662 and his son Morogh O’Lee applied to the government for an order against Robert Martin to return his lands for an agreed price.  Robert agreed to give them land at Headford but they refused this land as it was too far away, instead they received land at Pollach and Moyascragh. 

Pagan  Custom

The chieftain of Aughnanure introduced a pagan custom  “Lex Primae Noctis” into his territory and made a law that every young girl who lived within the circle of his lands must spend the night before her marriage in the castle of Aughnanure.  The O fflahertie did not always succeed in having his own way – once he demanded the daughter of O’Lee of Moyascragh.  O’Lee didn’t send his daughter to the lusty chief instead he sent her twin brother dressed in his sister’s finest clothes.  O’fflahertie made a great feast for his guest but during the feast he sprung a surprise – he took a short knife from under his woman’s clothing and inflicted upon the chief the unkindest cut of all.  He escaped amidst the clamour and confusion that ensued.

After that the O’Lees were known as “Muintir Laighidh na Miodóg”- the tribe of O’Lee of the Knife. 

It was the same O’Lees who gave their name to the island in the narrowest part of the Corrib and it was there they fought a bloody battle with the O’fflaherties and threw them out of their small island home, for the O’Lees had never any wish to be under the thumb of the big chief of Aughnanure.

The greatest O’Lee of them all was Morogh who got a book, according to legend, from one of the magical people of Hy Brasail and it was so full of knowledge on the art of medicine and healing that O’Lee and his family became doctors from that time out and it was said that they could cure any complaint over the seven ridges of Ireland.

The O’Lees and the Book of Hy Brasail

The book is a medical manuscript written on vellum in Irish and Latin in the 15th century and it remained in the O’Lee family until a later period: for the name P. O’Lee is inscribed in the first folio in modern hand writing.  It presents lists of various diseases with their cures.  The book is now preserved in the library of the Royal Irish Academy.

Legend has it, that O’Lee on receiving the book was instructed not to look at it for seven years.  He followed the instruction given by the “good people” and when the end of the time prescribed came he opened the book and at once became induced with the gift of healing.  He began to practise surgery and cure, with wonderful success.  Roderick O’fflahertie believed this story but Hardiman, the historian, believed the truth to be that Morogh O’Lee whose patrimony was confiscated in the 17th century turned quack doctor to obtain a livelihood and that he then invented the story of Hy Brazail in order to attract attention.  Others maintain that the book was probably in his possession as he inherited it from his ancestors who were hereditary physicians in Iar Connacht.