O'Donovan continues his series of the history of the O'Molloy's of Fear Ceall including the killing of the Lord of Fear Ceall and his wife by a beggar or professional geocach.

Shane O'Dugan, in his metrical list of the chieftains of ancient Meath, mentions O'Molloy, thus:- ...

"King of Feara Ceall of ancient swords,
Is O'Mulmoy - noble the surname
Each sword was bent (conquered) by him;
He has a share to himself apart."

How different from this is the Bard Roe's character of the Feara Ceall! ...

"The Feara Ceall observing their customs
Is cause of scandal and disgrace,
Flaying (Feannadh*) is in use with the Feara Ceall
On the banks of each river!

*What does he mean?

I confess I do not understand what Aengus O'Dauly Finn means here by Feannadh, a custom upon which he looks as a Mionos or Barbarity. Is it what he means that the O'Molloys were in the habit of flaying cattle alive? It may be, but I do not think (I fear) that Aengus was Arabian enough to think that a barbarity. Does he mean flaying their prisoners alive?

It is wonderful to me that he has not attempted to lessen the historical fame of the O'Molloys by dwelling on the fact of their ancestor having been slain by a Beggarman (Geocach) in 1110.

"Molloy may boast of ancient swords,
Of guards and hosts of warlike men,
But let him tell where were his hordes
In that sad year, 1110,
When Geocach Hallion, who to swords,
Was not accustomed, nor to strife,
Ransacked the fortress! mark my words,
And choaked Gilcolumb and his wife."

The first notice of the Territory of Feara Ceall which occurs in the Annals of the Four Masters is at the year 839, when it is recorded that it and the adjoining one of Delvin Ehra were plundered by the King, Niall Caille, and henceforwards we find it in the possession of the O'Molloys, the descendants of Fiacha, the son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

The most extraordinary entry in the Annals of this territory is under the year 1110, when it is recorded that Gilcolumb O'Molloy, Lord of Feara, and his wife were killed by the Geocach O'Aillen! (now Anglicised Hallion).

A chief, Geocach, who was a professional Beggar who traversed a certain district, which he called his territory. The Geocachs were often men of great muscular strength, and there are instances in the memory of tradition of their having performed extraordinary feats of strength, though they most generally, if not always, pretended to have some impediment in their limbs, for which, as being Aidhilgneacha an choimhdhe, they claimed tribute from a certain district and from the minor Geocachs of the same, of whom, by the right of lamh laidir and superior talent in the profession, they often made subalterns and willing tributaries. This impediment of limb was, however, most generally a pretended one and a story is still vividly remembered of one of them who kept the old women in the south of the County of Kilkenny in awe for several years and often defied the strongest men to a contest of strength.

On one occasion a Geocach entered a farmer's house not far from Waterford, and finding that the farmer's wife was boiling a piece of beef, he sat down and told her that he would not go till the meat was boiled, that he might eat the whole of it.

"That's not fair, says the woman; "I am boiling this meat for my husband, who has gone to a fair, and he promised to be home by this hour, so you had better take care of yourself, as he is the strongest man in this country."

"I know that very well", says the Geocach, "and it is for that very reason that I wish to insult him as much as I can. Will you wait till he comes home? says the woman; he will be here before the meat is done. Be Gor, I will, says the Geocach, and if he is able to put me down, I will say that I am no longer able to command the district.

He sat down till the husband returned, and when the Geocach saw him, he eyed him from head to foot and cried out: I have come to eat this meat in spite of you, but I will first give you the fair play of fighting you for it. Upon my soul then, says the farmer, you have very little chance of a bit of it, if you seek for it on these conditions. I will wrestle you for it, says the Geocach. Agreed, says the farmer.

They laid hold of each other (lamh shios a's lamh shuas) and, after some violent struggles, the Geocach found that he was not able to cope with the farmer in consequence of the manner in which he was tied up to give himself a lame appearance. Allow me, says he to the farmer, to unloose a belt. To be sure, says his antagonist. The Geocach then unloosed a strap, by means of which he contrived to make himself artificially lame, and grappling with the farmer again, made no more of him than he would of a child! And the farmer, acknowledging that he never met so good (i.e., strong) a man before, gave up the meat to the Geocach. The wife, however, had not the same respect for her husband ever after!

This is a true story as told by Livy! The Geocach referred to is about 90 years dead. These Geocachs were, at least in modern times, great topers and one of them composed a song in which he ordered himself to be interred in the floor of a public house that he might listen to the drunken revels of jovial fellows. ...

The history of Geocachs is of great importance to the general Irish historian, but, as they are disappearing very fast, it is not easy now to recover much of their history, rights or privileges. It must have been a very curious state of society that tolerated such vagabonds.

The Annals mention another Geocach who, at the Fair of Taillteann, took a false oath or rather, swore falsely by the hand of St. Kieran.