O'Byrne Country by danob

Photography • Historical • posted on Sep 23, 2008

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Description

This was taken in the little hamlet of Glendalough where my family hail from and a little bit about our family history.. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England, the ancient O'Byrne clan (the Gabhail Raghnal/Gavall Ranell) held sway in the territory of the Wicklow mountains south of Dublin covering about 153,000 acres (620 km2), having overtaken the authority of the O'Toole clan in the preceding decades. Their fastness lay toward the south, at Ballinacor in Glenmalure, where they maintained an oak fort near to a ford with a bridge. The territory included the oak wood of Shillelagh, Glendalough and part of County Wexford. The clan was said to compose of one hundred expert swordsmen. The O'Byrnes posed a permanent threat to English authority within the Pale through their raids on the lowlands; they also formed part of the balance between various factions and dynasties throughout the southern part of the province of Leinster, a balance the English found difficult to upset. The O'Byrne territory had been under the nominal authority of a sheriff, but in 1562 the task of bringing order to the border area was given to an English captain. So varied were the local allegiances, and so difficult did the territory prove to police, that little was achieved by the crown government and during the rest of the queen's reign the O'Byrnes became adept at securing official pardons

Comments (43)

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kenwas

2:05PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Thanks for sharing that history! Quite the ancestry! Beautiful location and shot.

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flora-crassella

2:12PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

very beautiful photo of the river with the large stones!

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kgb224

2:30PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

excellent capture my friend.

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TwoPynts

2:47PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Great capture of the ancestral homelands Danny! :o)

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timtripp

2:50PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

superb photo and a wonderful story

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babuci

3:43PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Wonderful capture and thanks for a history behind a name.

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artaddict2

3:54PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

What a great family history story, and a wonderful shot of an idyllic place! My brother did a family tree of my fathers side of the family dated back to 1750 and all he found out about them was that they were all very poor. So no romantic tales there lol.

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carlx

4:02PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Great history and wonderful image!!!

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durleybeachbum

4:04PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Do you now have 100 expert cameramen? Looks like a place well worth defending!

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lyron

4:21PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Very nice shot!

MedTran39

4:24PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Great capture and enjoyed reading the history!

BorisB

4:30PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

An impressive scene and the light is wonderful!!

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RobyHermida

4:53PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Wonderful image!

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fredster66

4:55PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

This has an uncanny resemblance to the Pemigwassett In New Hampshire... the rocks and clarity of the water strike a chord... beautiful shot.

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tetsu-pino

5:49PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Very beautiful capture!!!!

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CavalierLady

5:56PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

Beautiful place, Danny, and so special to visit ancestral lands. I know your heart must have swelled with pride and emotion.

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kimariehere

7:01PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

What an interesting family history you have !!!! fascinating to me and such a lovely river view Danny!

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jocko500

7:04PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

wonderful history and shot

MrsLubner

7:04PM | Tue, 23 September 2008

I read the account with a smile. I love the attitude! I have heard similar stories on one side of the family and the other side tell Scottish tales most similar. Love looking at the quietude that lies on the land in this shot. Makes the mind work in both directions...battles and dreams. :-)

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