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1798 family story- any more info?

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  • 20-05-2012 10:07pm
    #1
    Janey_Mac
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭


    Hi,

    Can anyone point me to where I might find out more about this family story?

    An ancestor, Laurence O'Toole (probably from Castle O'Toole in Kilkenny, almost definitely from Kilkenny somewhere,) known as "Larry the Rebel" drove a herd of cattle off the Turrett Rocks overlooking the Slaney in Enniscorthy in 1798.

    Any idea where I might go to find evidence for or against this?

    Thanks!


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    #2
    cormacocomhrai
    Registered Users Posts: 133 ✭✭cormacocomhrai


    Try Tom Dunne, Daniel Gahan, Kevin Whelan directly. They might answer you because I'd imagine that they would be interested in the story. You could also try Guy Beiner an Israeli scholar who has written on the folklore of '98 in the West. That's a great book by the way. Even if geographically it's not relevent to you the folklore dimension might give you ideas.
    Don't be discouraged if you can't find the story written down anywhere. It doesn't mean that it didn't happen.


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    #3
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Here's a link to The History of the Clan O'Toole and other Leinster Septs. Patrick Laurence O'Toole, 1890.
    It's a fairly light sort of history, but broad ranging nonetheless.
    If you can pick your way through the unreliable stuff, it's well worth the read.
    http://archive.org/details/historyofclanoto00otoo

    If you find out more about the story, I'd be interested to hear about it.

    There are instances where the insurgents drove cattle ahead of them as a battle tactic. It certainly happened at the battle of Arklow, and possibly at Carnew.


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    #4
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Cattle were used with good effect by the rebels in their attack on Enniscorthy on May 28th 1798 but this was at the Duffry Gate - the opposite end of the town. It sounds like your story got garbled in the telling as the Turret Rocks are at the southern end of the town (east of the river) and there was no rebel attack from there during the whole rebellion.


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