Of the family of Garrett, only two male representatives survived; Thomas’ little half-brothers, Gerald and Edward, aged respectively twelve and nine. Of these, the younger was in England in King Henry’s power, but the elder and more important remained in Ireland. Henry earnestly desired to obtain possession of him, and the boy’s own uncle, Lord Leonard Grey, tried all manner of shifts to fulfil his master’s wishes in this respect, but the young Geraldine had relatives of a different stamp and plenty of devoted adherents in his native land.*

Lord Leonard Grey’s Campaigns– In the December of 1535 Skeffington died, and Grey became Deputy. He made a spring and summer campaign in Munster against the Desmonds and the O’Briens, tvho were in open revolt, and gained considerable success. He captured Desmond’s castle of Lough Gyr, and broke down the fine bridge which O’Brien had built across the Shannon, at a place still known as ” O’Brien’s Bridge,” near Killaloe.

At this point, however, his progress was checked by a most inopportune mutiny of his soldiers, whose pay was in arrears, and who declared that without it they would do no more service. Grey had no money to give them, so nothing remained but to march back to Dublin, which he accordingly did. In the course of the autumn and winter the tide rolled back ; Desmond regained his castle and O’Brien rebuilt his bridge. The Lord Deputy’s campaign had produced no enduring result worth mentioning. Such was the usual course of events in Ireland.