T1HE .KIDNAPPING OF RED HUGH was I.alter to apply the same tactics to his father was on the return journey Monaghan. It is perhaps a mistake to from Trydathe, for some years later think thtat Red Hugh's attitude to Eng- he stated that when his father was orland was determined by his abduction deired to send in Rory as a pledge, he and treatment in prison. He seems to would have done so "but before he have a~rived in Dublin Castle with an could be in his country, the Lord Dealready developed animus towards piuty sent one Skipper with a bark ..." them,, whiich was undoubtedly formed by his experience of theiir disintegr.at- ACCURACY AND BRILLIANCE inig tactics in Tfrconnell during these fo~mative years of his boyhood. Perrot had moved with telling In May Perrot wrote to Bul'lghley ,accuracy and brilliar.ce. In cne blow outling his famous plan to kidnap one he had collected four of the best of the O'DonneJls and announcing his pledges in Ulster and, by .the terms of intention of making a journey to the the land agreement between the Earl borders of the North. By the time he and O'Neill, drawn the claws of the left Dublin for tlfis journey at the end three most powerful men. The Ulster of the summer, the plans for the ab- chi·eftans had allowed themselves to be duction were complete 1and in charge hopelessly out-manoeuvred by a really ·of Nicholas Skipper, a Dublin mer- fluent stroke of statemanship. chant captain. The Earl sa\w the danger immediThe subsequent course of ·events ately. H O'Donnell went down before was curi·ous and from Perrot's des-his rivals, his own western flank paitdhes we can almost whittle down to would be menaced by ,an ,alliance bea day exactly when Red Hugh was cap- tween o Neill and Hugh M'Edegany. tured --. probably September 24th He addressed himself to the Queen, to (0.S.). Perrot was back in the capital Walsingham and to the Earl of Leicesby the 23rd, when he wrote to the ter, soliciting their aid in .the release of Queen, giving a report of the meetings Red Hugh. But the Government was at Tryda.the with O'Neill, O'Donnell determined that Tirconnell should pass .and t:he Earl of Tyrone. In this letter into the Queen's hands through the he .said nothing about the abduction, pliancy of Hugh M'Edegany. All the though he knew i: was then on foot ; appeals failed and the new Deputy, Sir presumably because he had no news William Fitzwilliams, was instructed yet of whether his venture had to continue Perrot's policy 1and to keep succeeded. But three d:ays later he was Red Hugh "in our Castle at Dublin". j1ubilantly writing to Elizabeth that he The Earl and o .Donnell tried bribe.ry. had Mr. Hugh Roe O'-Donnell under Perrot was ·offered £,2,000 for the liblock and key, Skipper having brought ·eration of Red Hugh aind it was not him, the two iMacSwineys, and Owny long before Fitzwilliams was approach- (.possib1y Orwen Oge) O'Gallagher to ed in the same manner. Dublin on the previous day- September 25rth, 1587. The abduction had been The Gcvernment were secretly eggcarried ·out ''without any stir at all." ing ·on 0 Neill and Hugh M'Edegany to Red Hugh was within a m<J1:!lth of his ·waste Tirconnell and by January 1588 fifthte2nth birthday and one of Perrot's old O'Don:r.ell had nearly been driven reasons for his abduction was that he out of his country. In May however, "ruled that 1e0<untry (Tirconnell) very Ineendubh settled her long score with much," mourished Sc0its and encourag- Hugh M'EdeganY. '!'here was a brush ed thz "strong and disordered" between them ~t ~ongavlin and her Whl'le ,scots despat.ched him. The next m·Jnth MracSwineys. He was kidnapped 4f>8.
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