JOURNAL OF TllE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY I have been privileged to inspect the records in the State Paper Office, Dublin Castle. These are housed in the Birmingham Tower where Aodh·Ruadh was imprisoned in the reign of EUzabeth. Great masses of '98 :papers are preserved in the archives :but I regret to say that .practically nothing from Oo. Donegal is among them. There are no courtmartial findings and neither Manus O'Donnell's nor McGrath's name appears in any of the indices to the Rebellion Pap,ers for the period 1796-1808. I understand that the Donegal records were kept in Lifiord Jail. Much of these perished at the hands of the· soldiers stationed there during the last century who used them as fuel to keep themselves warm during cold weather. The jail finally closed its doors at the beginning of the present century and, ln 1917, when there was a paper shortage and a cry-out for salvage, those responsible forwarded what records r~emained for ·pulping. This was a wanton act of vandalism and the damage done is irre:paraible. A single tome, the "Jailer's ;Entry and Sentence Book" escaped destruction and subsequently appeared in the catalogue of Messrs. Greer, Booksellers, Belfast. The County Library was immediately interested and wrote for it. A reply was received to the efiect that the volume had :been purchased by the University College, Cork, but when that body was communicated with they disclaimed all knowf.e·dge of the matter. It is to be hop1ed that this valuable record is still in existence ,and will come to light aigain. The retp10rts 10lf the Uni:ted Irishmen to those in higher office· were burned a.fter they ceased to be useful and nothing is now known 203 of their contents. All this is very disappointing as we are now dependant on famUy history and tradition for an account of Captain O'Donnell and his activities in 1798. · Everything considered, ~he wonder is not that we know so little of this eventful period but that we know so much. IN SONG AND STORY WII:DUiiAJM HlAIRKLN gi.ves us t.1e earUest detailed account oJ: the Manus 'a Phice fiJgfrlt in his book "The Scenery and Anti- ,quities 01f North-West Doneiga·l:." ~t is wor•thy to note tha:t the artic1e is based on material obtained from Manus's own son, Manus Og. Special tribute is due to Sean Ban MacMeanman for preserving the vivid memories of. Glenftnn~ BrighLd Na Glai:sighe's own coun- . try~in his "O Chamhaoir :go map Sholas." Manus is mentioned several times in O'Donovan's "Ordnance Surv,ey •Letters" and figures, too, in the Survey "Name Books" where he is descri1bed as ''a fine old Milesian." Reference is made to him by 'W. . J. Q'Doherty in his "Inishowen and Tir.connell" (first series). He is the central figure of the play "Ta .na Francaigh ar an Muir" and the hero of the e~citing prize-winning story "The Logic of the iPi,ke," by Seamus MacManus, which appeared in the '98 Centenary number of the . . "Weekly Fr.eeman." In addition, he .finds an illustrated chapter in the "Clonard" Junior School Reader. Tributes have been paid to him in v;e~se suc:h as in the v:ery fine lblaillad, en1titl:ed ''IA Ftglht f:or L1Jbie.r,ty,'' whilc:h wias pulblilsihed in ..Alice Milliigian~s '4S!hiam. Vam Bolclhit."
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