here was another
claimant for the crown as usual, Turlough O'Brien. He was defeated, but
nevertheless the Earl turned to his side, got Brian Roe into his hands,
and had him dragged to death between horses. The wretched perpetrator of
this diabolical deed gained little by his crime,[337] for O'Brien's sons
obtained a victory over him the following year. At one time he was so
hard pressed as to be obliged to surrender at discretion, after living
on horse-flesh for several days. In 1281 the unprincipled Earl tried the
game of dissension, and set up Donough, the son of the man he had
murdered, against Turlough, whom he had supported just before. But
Donough was slain two years after, and Turlough continued master of
Thomond until his death, in 1306. De Clare was slain by the O'Briens, in
1286.

In 1280 the Irish who lived near the Anglo-Norman settlers presented a
petition to the English King, praying that they might be admitted to the
privileges of the English law. Edward issued a writ to the then Lord
Justice, D'Ufford, desiring him to assemble the lords spiritual and
temporal of the "land of Ireland," to deliberate on the subject. But the
writ was not attended to; and even if it had been, the lords "spiritual
and temporal" appear to have decided long before that the Irish should
not participate in the benefit of English laws, however much they might
suffer from English oppression. A pagan nation pursued a more liberal
policy, and found it eminently successful. The Roman Empire was held
together for many centuries, quite as much by the fact of her having
made all her dependencies to share in the benefits of her laws, as by
the strong hand of her cohorts. She used her arms to conquer, and her
laws to retain her conquests.

In 1281 a sanguinary engagement took place at Moyne, in the county Mayo,
between the Cusacks and the Barretts. The latter were driven off the
field. The Annals say: "There were assisting the Cusacks in this battle
two of the Irish, namely, Taichleach O'Boyle and Taichleach O'Dowda, who
surpassed all that were there in bravery and valour, and in agility and
dexterity in shooting."[338] There was a battle this year also between
the Cinel-Connaill and the Cinel-Owen, in which the former were
defeated, and their chieftain, Oge O'Donnell, was slain. This encounter
took place at Desertcreaght, in Tyrone.

Hugh Boy O'Neill was slain in 1283. He is styled "the head of the
liberality and valour of the Irish; t