Facsimile of original letter taken from Vol I, Part II of Gilbert’s A Contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, from 1641 to 1652.

A aṫair ró-onóraiġ,

Do ġlacas ḃar litir dá ḃfuilim ró-ḃuiḋeaċ, agus fós ró-lúṫġáireaċ tré n-a ċluinsin go ndeaċaiḋ an Máiġistir Campa Eóġan slán go hÉirinn. Giḋeaḋ, atá ḃar litir ró-aiṫġearr ionnus naċ dtuigim mórán aiste, aċt an t-aon ṗunc sin aṁáin ḃeanas le n-a ḋul go hÉirinn.

Guiḋim siḃ (más éidir liḃ) gaċ minsgéala dá mbeanann le Cúigeaḋ Ulaḋ d’ḟáġḃáil agus a gcur ċugainn agus cia is beó nó is marḃ dá n-uaisliḃ, agus cionnus atá Tír Ċonaill, agus cá hionad i n-ar ḟágaiḃ Eóġan gaċ muinision dá raiḃ leis, óir ní héidir gur ġaḃ tríd Tír Ċonaill ar feaḋ na tíre, má atáid Sacsanaiġ nó Albanaiġ innte; agus mar sin, dar ndóiġ, ní rug a ċuid stóruis ar an tír.

Aċt gibé móḋ ar a dtuigfiḋ siḃ sin, cuiriḋ sgéala ċugainn do ṫaoiḃ mo ṁic Énri. Do ba ṁaiṫ liomsa mé féin agus eisean do ḃeiṫ i nÉirinn dá ḃfáġtaoi gléas iomċuḃaiḋ ḋúinn; agus ní ba fuláir dúinn tuairim míosa nó sé seaċtṁaine do ḃeiṫ d’aimsir againn lé gaċ níḋ do ḃeanfaḋ linn do réiḋiuġaḋ nísa luaiṫe ’ná do ṫriallfamaois. Measaim naċ rigim a leas na neiṫe sin do ṫaoḃaḋ riḃ nísa mó.

I Loḃán, 16 September, 1642. Do ċualaḃair féin, dar ndóiġ, bás Iarla Ṫíre Ċonaill.

Rós Ní Ḋoċartaiġ

English

I.H.S.

Most honoured Father,

I received your letter, for which I am very grateful, and also very joyful at hearing that the Camp-Master, Owen, reached Erin safely. Nevertheless, your letter is so short that I do not gather much from it, beyond that one point which refers to his going to Erin.

I beseech you (if you can) to procure every small particular that concerns the province of Ulster, and to communicate it to me; and [to let me know] which of its nobles are alive or dead, and how Tir Conaill stands, and where Owen left the munitions he had with him; for it is not possible that he could have passed through the entire length of Tir Conaill, if Saxons or Scots were in it; and, therefore, in our opinion, he did not carry his stores out of the country. But, in whatever way you may understand this, send us an account.

As to my son, Henry, I should like him and myself to be in Erin, if proper means could be provided for us; and we should require about a month or six weeks to make all our arrangements. I think I need not allude to those things anymore.

At Louivain, 16 September, 1642. I suppose you have heard of the death of the Earl of Tir Conaill.

Rós Ní Dhochartaigh.