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Title: A. Newman re a letter of James Tully, Portadown.
ID1959
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileNewman, A/67
Yearunknown
SenderNewman, A.
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationunknown
Sender Religionunknown
Originunknown
Destinationunknown
Recipientunknown
Recipient Genderunknown
Relationshipunknown
SourceT 1577: Copied by Permission of G. Ward Esq., 82 Clonard Gardens, Belfast.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9404104
Date10/06/1889
Partial Date
Doc. TypeLET
LogDocument added by LT, 20:04:1994.
Word Count805
Genre
NoteN.B. he writes regarding a letter (dated 1889) by a James Tully from Portadown, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland
TranscriptAn Amazing Document
By A. Newman

Lying before me at this moment there is an
amazing document. I very much dislike
unrestrained language; but those who read this
article will, when they have finished, be
incapable of saying that my title lacks restraint.
The document before me is a letter written on
June [10?]th 1889, by James Tully, of 14 West Street,
Portadown, at which time he was over seventy
years of age. I shall proceed to quote without
comment:-

"Dear John, just a few lines to answer your
last letter which I received all right [alright?]. I see by
it you wish to have a copy of old Dan's
prophesies [prophecies?]. Well I am sending you them in
my own handwriting. You may be sure they
are from the original MS [manuscript?]. I suppose you often
heard tell of old Dan. He is considered by
those who knew him a most wonderful man.
He was better known as the Lonely Wayside
Wanderer.
Here goes his prophesies [prophecies?]:-

"Little children, you are all very gay and
sprightly although your country is oppressed.
But the day will come when your country's
oppressor shall fall. A war will be declared upon
her one day many years distant, which she will
have to pay a terrible price for. But many great
things are to happen before that takes place, and
many shall die by the wayside, hunger and
starvation will be the portion of the children
of the Gael, disease will increase, sins will
increase; and death will be welcomed in many
a home. Multitudes of trouble shall come,
diseases abound and remedies fail.
A woman ruler shall die owing to this great
war which I speak of, and peace will be won
at a great price. A great man will come forth
and call with a great voice to the children of
the Gael to get blended together. He will relieve
Banba of many sorrows. But another man from
the north will oppose this man in everything,
and he will be the cause of many deaths. It is
he who shall be the cause of England's
downfall. He will live in the reign of the woman
and the second King from the woman! But
during the reign of the first King from the
woman peace will be preserved, and no wars
shall take place during his reign. But the second
King ruler shall fear nothing. He shall be the
last King of your oppressor. It will come that
the nations shall contrive his downfall, and
he will be drawn into a struggle on land and
sea. And to win the children of the Gael to
fight for him he will sign their peace. But
there shall be a dispute amongst the children
of the Gael, for in their hands they shall bear
an instrument of war, and they, some of them
shall refuse to go and fight. In the papers they
the Gael, will hear of the Saxons winning, and
some indeed will go, but others will remain at
home. But after this great war the nations will
not agree. 'Tis then the war will be waged against
the Saxons on land and sea. The first war
will commence at the turning of the oats,
about harvest time. And after the first war
the second shall follow, when England's
boasting fleet, yea, in one week, shall be cut
away and destroyed. It is then the war will
come to Ireland, and the northern settlers
shall wage war - war, indeed, without fear on the
real Gaels the North, South, East and West. For all
the inhabitants of Banba shall be up in arms.
But the Gaels shall win in three hard days
bloody contest the freedom of their country. But
during this time of darkness a fleet shall come
from Columbia, another from Spain. The
Columbian fleet shall go to England. The
Spanish to Ireland. The Spanish shall help
the Gaels to free Ireland from the Saxon settlers,
and they, the Spanish and the Gaels, shall not
leave what a bird would carry away in its
claw of Saxon flesh. But, sad to my heart,
Dublin will be overthrown and burned. And
England in those days shall be in the hands
of Franks, Spaniards, Turks and Huns. To 1870
conjoin four tens and five, take one away: the
war shall commence; add one, the war will
have Saxon's rule no more. Add twenty-four
more and England shall become the dowry of
[Mary?]. France shall become a repubic [republic?]; and after this
war France will become a monarchy. A pure
King shall reign in Ireland, and peace,
happiness and prosperity shall be her reward
until seven periods before the end of the world."

Any comment on my part would be out of
place, as the interpretation is so obvious as to
be almost uncanny.