In 1601, Cormac Tadhg McCarthy of Carrickphouka Castle was made High Sheriff of Cork by the English with the instructions to hunt down all Irish rebels. He was a source of distress to the Irish, since he always in a foul temper and looked a bit atrocious; the English, working to subdue the Irish, thought he was just right. His main opponent was the chieftain James Fitzgerald, who was regarded as