WitH THE STORY TELLERS

father who was all his life engaged in warfare with
the English, died in 1875, leaving young Art ty
assume the control of affairs at the age of eighteen
years.

He followed in his father’s footsteps, everywhere
combatting the aggressiveness of the English set-
tlers, who from time to time and under one pretext or
other, endeavored to dispossess the Irish of their
lands to which they laid claim.

In 1892, he suffered a defeat at Shankill, Queen’s
county, at the hands of the Earl of Ormond, who
commanded a greatly superior force, but he re-
trieved himself soon afterwards, by the capture of
New Ross, at that time, the second strongest city
in Leinster. After possessing himself of all their
arms and stores, he razed the walls of the town.
The English King, Richard the third was so indig-
nant on hearing this that he raised an army of
thirty-five thousand men; and with it sailed to Ire-
land, landing at Waterford in 1894; but was com-
pletely outgeneraled by McMurrough and returned
to England, without accomplishing anything.

Meantime the king’s exchequer had been removed
from Dublin to Carlow for greater safety. McMur-
rough captured the town and seized the funds. This
was followed by the battle of Kells county Kilkenny.
The British were defeated, and their commander,
the Earl of March, heir apparent to the English
throne was slain.

On learning of this King Richard became so e?-
raged, that he swore he would exterminate the
whole McMurrough sept, and for that purpose gave
orders, that every vessel over fifty tons through the
whole length of England, from the Solway to Lands
End should be placed at his disposal to transport his
troops and stores across to Waterford, but the second
expedition met with no more success than the first,

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