Meantime news of these atrocities reached Dublin, and the lord deputy immediately sent a force of 3,000 men, commanded by Sir Richard Wingfield, Sir Thomas Roper, and Sir Toby Caulfield, with instructions to pursue the revolted Irish into their fastnesses and deal with them summarily.  He himself set out to act with the troops, and on reaching Dundalk published a proclamation, in which he offered pardon to all who laid down their arms, or would use them in killing their associates.  He took care, however, to except Phelim M’Davitt from all hope of mercy, consigning him to be dealt with by a military tribunal.  The English force in the interval had made their way into O’Dogherty’s country, and coming before Culmore, found it abandoned by the Irish, who, unable to carry off the heavy guns, took the precaution of burying them in the sea.  Burt Castle surrendered without a blow.  Wingfield immediately liberated the inmates, and sent Bishop Montgomery’s wife to her husband, and Lady O’Dogherty, her infant daughter and sister-in-law, to Dublin Castle.  As for Sir Cahir, instead of going to Castle Doe, he resolved to cross the path of the English on their march to that place, and coming up with them in the vicinity of Kilmacrenan, he was shot dead by a soldier.  The death of the young chieftain spread panic among his followers, most of whom flung away their arms, betook themselves to flight, and were unmercifully cut down.  Sir Cahir’s head was immediately struck off and sent to Dublin, where it was struck upon a pole at the east gate of the city.

O’Dogherty’s country was now confiscated, and the lord deputy, Chichester, was rewarded with the greatest portion of his lands.  But what was to be done with the people?  In the first instance they were driven from the rich lowlands along the borders of Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly, and compelled to take refuge in the mountain fastnesses which stretched to a vast extent from Moville westward along the Atlantic coast.  But could those ‘idle kerne and swordsmen,’ thus punished with loss of lands and home for the crimes of their chief, be safely trusted to remain anywhere in the neighbourhood of the new English settlers?  Sir John Davis and Sir Toby Caulfield thought of a plan by which they could get rid of the danger.  The illustrious Gustavus Adolphus was then fighting the battles of Protestantism against the house of Austria.  In his gallant efforts to sustain the cause of the Reformation every true Irish Protestant sympathised, and none more than the members of the Irish Government.  To what better use, then, could the ‘loose Irish kerne and swordsmen’ of Donegal be turned than to send them to fight in the army of the King of Sweden?  Accordingly 6,000 of the able-bodied peasantry of Inishown were shipped off for this service.  Sir Toby Caulfield, founder of the house of Charlemont, was commissioned to muster the men and have them transported to their destination, being paid for their keep in the meantime.  A