Editing Confederate Ireland (section)

===The first Confederate Assembly===
The first Confederate General Assembly was held in Kilkenny on 24 October 1642, where it set up a [[provisional government]].{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n61/ 43]|ps=: "The assembly, therefore, had all the appearances of a parliament&nbsp;..."}} The Assembly was a parliament in all but name. Present at the first Assembly were 14 [[Lords Temporal]] and 11 [[Lords Spiritual]] from the [[Parliament of Ireland]], along with 226 commoners.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n60/ 42]|ps=: "On the 24th of October [1642] therefore twenty-five peers,—eleven spiritual, fourteen temporal,—and two hundred and twenty-six commoners had met within the walls of Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}} The Confederate's constitution was written by a [[Galway]] lawyer named [[Patrick D'Arcy]]. The Assembly resolved that each county should have a council, overseen by a provincial council made up of two representatives from each county council. The Assembly agreed orders "to be observed as the model of their government".<ref>[[Edmund Curtis]] and [[R. B. McDowell]] (eds), ''Irish Historical Documents 1172–1922''. London and New York: Barnes & Noble (1943; reprinted 1968)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E640001-001/index.html |title=Text of the Orders of 24 October 1642 |publisher=Ucc.ie |access-date=14 February 2012 |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214160821/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E640001-001/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Assembly elected an executive known as the Supreme Council. The first Supreme Council was elected on or about 14 November. It consisted of 24 members, 12 of whom were to abide always in Kilkenny or wherever else they deemed fitting.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n62/ 44]|ps=: "From these there lay a further request to the supreme council of twenty-four persons who were to be elected by the general assembly of which twelve were to be constantly resident in Kilkenny."}}

The members of the first Supreme Council were as follows:{{sfn|Cusack|1871|p=[https://archive.org/details/compendiumofiris00cusa/page/312/mode/2up 312]}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Leinster
! Ulster
! Connacht
! Munster
|-
| [[Thomas Fleming (archbishop)|Thomas Fleming]], Archbishop of Dublin
| [[Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh)|Hugh O'Reilly, Archbishop of Armagh]]
| [[Malachias O'Queely]], Archbishop of Tuam
| [[Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy]]
|-
| [[Viscount Gormanston]]
| [[Heber MacMahon]], Bishop of Down
| [[Miles Bourke, 2nd Viscount Mayo]]
| [[Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare]]
|-
| [[Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret|Viscount Mountgarret]]
| [[Philip O'Reilly (Cavan County MP)|Philip O'Reilly]]
| [[John de Burgh, Bishop of Clonfert]]
| [[Edmund FitzMaurice]]
|-
| [[Nicholas Plunkett]]
| [[Col. Brian MacMahon]]
| Sir Lucas Dillon
| Dr Fennel
|-
| [[Richard Bellings]]
| [[Heber Magennis]]
| [[Geoffrey Browne (MP)|Geoffrey Browne]]
| Robert Lambert
|-
| James Cusack
| Turlogh O'Neill
| [[Patrick D'Arcy]]
| [[George Comyn]]
|}

[[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven]], representing the Crown, was the final member of the Supreme Council.

The Supreme Council would have power over all military generals, military officers and civil magistrates.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n63/ 45]|ps=: "It was also enacted that the council should be vested with power over all generals, military officer, and civil magistrates&nbsp;..."}} Its first act was to name the generals who were to command Confederate forces: [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] was to command the Ulster forces, [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]] the Leinster forces, [[Garret Barry (soldier)|Garret Barry]] the Munster forces and John Burke the Connacht forces. [[Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde]] was named head general, as they thought he would sooner or later join the Confederates.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n64/ 46]|ps=: "Their first act was to name the generals who were to command under their authority." etc.}} The Supreme Council issued an order to raise £30,000 and a levy of 31,700 men in Leinster who were to be trained at once.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 14]|ps=: "One of the earliest documents signed with this great seal was an order to raise thirty thousand pounds sterling in Leinster, and at the same time, in the same province, thirty-one thousand seven  hundred men who were to be drilled and disciplined&nbsp;..."}}

The Supreme Council also made its own seal, described as follows: {{"'}}Twas circular, and in its centre was a large cross, the base of which rested on a flaming heart, while its apex was overlapped by the wings of a dove. On the left of the cross was the harp, and on the right the crown." The motto on the seal was {{lang|la|Pro Deo, Rege, et Patria, Hiberni Unanimes}} (''For God, King and Fatherland, Ireland is United'').{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 4]|ps=: "But as no act or instrument emanating from the supreme council could be genuine and of force, unless sealed with their own seal, they caused one to be made&nbsp;..." etc.}}

A National Treasury, a mint for making coins, and a press for printing proclamations were set up in Kilkenny.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 30]|ps=: "Under same seal an order was issued to establish a mint in Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}}{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n66/ 48, line 30]|ps=: "Along with the mint the supreme council caused printing presses to be set up in Waterford and Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}} This first General Assembly sat until 9 January 1643.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n72/ 54]|ps=: "The Assembly broke up on the 9th of January [1643], and fixed their next meeting for the following May."}}