But the Lord Deputy had resolved that it should be captured.  The Lord President considered the enterprise would be by no means difficult, for “he declared that he would plant the ordnance without the losse of a man; and within seven dayes after the battery was begun, bee master of all that place."[455] There was considerable delay in the arrival of the shipping which conveyed the ordnance, and operations did not commence until the 6th of June.  The defence of the castle was intrusted by O’Sullivan to Richard MacGeoghegan.  The chief himself was encamped with Tyrrell in the interior of the country.  The soldiers were tempted, and the governor was tempted, but neither flinched for an instant from their duty.  The garrison only consisted of 143 fighting men, with a few pieces of cannon.  The besieging army was about 3,000 strong, and they were amply supplied with ammunition.  On the 17th of June, when the castle was nearly shattered to pieces, its brave defenders offered to surrender if they were allowed to depart with their arms; but the only reply vouchsafed was to hang their messenger, and to commence an assault.

The storming party were resisted for an entire day with undaunted bravery.  Their leader was mortally wounded, and Taylor took the command.  The garrison at last retreated into a cellar into which the only access was a narrow flight of stone steps, and where nine barrels of gunpowder were stored.  Taylor declared he would blow up the place if life were not promised to those who surrendered.  Carew refused, and retired for the night, after placing a strong guard over the unfortunate men.  The following morning he sent cannon-ball in amongst them, and Taylor was forced by his companions to yield without conditions.  As the English soldiers descended the steps, the wounded MacGeoghegan staggered towards the gunpowder with a lighted candle, and was in the act of throwing it in, when he was seized by Captain Power, and in another moment he was massacred.  Fifty-eight of those who had surrendered were hanged immediately; a few were reserved to see if they could be induced to betray their old companions, or to renounce their faith; but as they “would not endeavour to merit life"[456] they were executed without mercy.  One of these prisoners was a Father Dominic Collins.  He was executed in Youghal, his native town—­a most unwise proceeding; for his fate was sure to excite double sympathy in the place where he was known, and, consequently, to promote double disaffection.[457] O’Sullivan Beare assigns the 31st of October as the day of his martyrdom.

The fall of Dunboy was a fatal blow to the national cause.  The news soon reached Spain.  Hugh O’Donnell had been warmly received there; but the burst of grief which his people uttered when they saw him departing from his native land, was his death-keen, for he did not long survive his voluntary expatriation.  The war might now be considered over—­at least, until the victims recovered courage to fight