Who fears to speak of '98

SpitfireIV

Hi guys,

Was just wondering something, but whats the general feeling on 1798 now? I know that in recent years, maybe since the bi-centenary it has for the most part faded back into the unknown again, at least in my county it has.

What do we think of when 1798 is mentioned? Wexford? Vinegar Hill? For the most part thats the first thing that springs to mind, and sure enough that was where the most succesful campaign was carried out. But 1798 happened in other areas besides Wexford, in my home town, Carlow, between 400-500 were slaughtered in one night after a failed attempt to take the town, yet this is never heard of. And even has been forgotten about in Carlow by my own towns people.

So tell me, what happened in your area in 1798, any events which never made it to the history books yet deserve recognition. I'm very interested in hearing anything at all.

Regards,

CroppyBoy1798

Dave!

Well according to here and here, there were "engagement at Tallaght, Co. Dublin - May 24/27, 1798." It doesn't go into detail, though, I'm afraid!

The 'Battle of Tallaght' occured in my area in 1867, though!
http://www.activate.ie/sites/sdublinlib/battle.html

tim3115

Not far from me...

This has been recognised though. In Clonard, there's a croppy grave just off the main Galway road. And in Edenderry, Co.Offaly, the following occured :

Sunday July 21st

(The Leaders of the Wicklow/Wexford men Anthony Perry and Father Mogue Kearns were hanged at Edenderry) William Aylmer of Kildare, Edward Fitzgerald of Newpark and the principal officers of the Rebel army at Timahoe surrendered and were taken to Dublin. Protections were issued and men returned home. The Rebellion in Kildare was over.


There are streets in Edenderry named after Perry and Kearns. If memory serves me correctly, Fr Kearns suffered a painful death as the rope was not properly knotted. Took a while for him to die according to reports. There's some local stories as well about what happened around that time, all very interesting indeed.

SpitfireIV

DaveMcG and Tim3115,

Thanks for the replies, very interesting reading, I really enjoyed it.

I'm from Carlow where in the early hours of the 25th of May, between 400-500 men women and children were cut down in a matter of hours. The loss of life was so great as the plans had been known to the Military forces in the town, whom had made good there defences and were well prepared, only two of the four proposed bodies marched on the town. These two groups, when they entered the town were confronted with utter silence, no military forces, not a single trooper to stand in there way.

So they set to march on and bring in the other groups of men, but they werent aware that all the houses lining the street were full of Yeomen and Militia whom opened fire on them from window and rooftop, the rebels ran in all directions, forcing open the doors of tatched cabins to hide themselves, the military advanced on the houses and set each and everyone of them on fire, all that were in them, or tried to escape died.

The militia in town at that period were the Armagh Militia, the 9th Dragoons and the notorious North Cork Militia. But perhaps the most horrid part of the event happened in the days and weeks following the rising, with the executions in the barrack and jail yard. There is one great piece of liteture wrote by a Carlow man whom many years after the rebellion wrote down all he seen, its called 'Voice of Rebellion' and is by William Farrell, its an excellent book for anyone looking to build up a picture of life in an Irish county town in 1798.

Cheers,

CroppyBoy

JamesM

DaveMcG wrote:

Well according to here and here, there were "engagement at Tallaght, Co. Dublin - May 24/27, 1798." It doesn't go into detail, though, I'm afraid!

The 'Battle of Tallaght' occured in my area in 1867, though!
http://www.activate.ie/sites/sdublinlib/battle.html

My Great Great(something or other) Grandfather was one of those killed in the so called "Battle of Tallaght" He was wounded on the night and lay dying for days in the police station. It was all reported in the newspapers of the day.
The inquest was in the papers. There was a plaque with his name on it on the wall of the Priory a few years ago.
Another report here.
http://www.chapters.eiretek.org/books/Handcock/tallaght18.htm

wjrobin64

there is no a cd out on the claims made by people as result of the rebellion

Morlar

wjrobin64 wrote: »

there is no a cd out on the claims made by people as result of the rebellion

Do you mean a CD-rom ? Can you clarify what you mean by 'claims made by people as a result of the rebellion' ? Sorry for sounding thick but I don't follow what you mean - also do you know the name of the disk ?

Notorious97

I am from and live in Tallaght, there is a plaque in Tallaght village on the walls of the priory for the ‘Battle of Tallaght’ in 1867. Im always trying to find out more information on it, apparently in Templeogue they were excavating to build a road i think i read, anyway in a hollow out tree they discovered a skeleton in clothes of the era 1867 with a pike also, it is though it was a wounded fenian who found the hollow tree and died inside it. Il try find the link to this story about it, was only in the past couple decades it was discovered if memory serves correct.

Can anybody advise a good book on Wolfe Tone? Or Robert Emmet or the united Irishmen in general? And thanks for all the information above on Tallaght and Carlow, it is a subject that doesn’t get enough attention of 1798

Thanks!

CDfm

It would be nice to go a bit further back -not much -but a century or more to those who lost lands etc -restore the old order motivation.

The voting structure - i think we have some on that on who actually was in charge politically

How much did 98 contribute to 1800 Act of Union.

I mean was Edward Fitzgerald a democrat or did he want power -the ideology.

Like who got involved and why.

Bigtoe107

Near my house in Braknagh in Offaly, there is the ruins of an old church in a field, and it had a plaque on the wall half buired in grass describing how in 1798 the members of the British army locked the 100 or so mass goers inside and burned the church to the ground.

Strange as there is no way you would find it without knowing where to look.

Denerick

Its hard not to imagine being one of the Protestants locked up in Wexford gaol, awaiting almost certain death at the hands of your neighbours.

1798 is romanticised. In reality it was sectarian butchery and immense suffering for tens of thousands of people. I find no reason to mythologise it.

MarchDub

The events of 1798 were simmering for some time. Events in the American colonies and the French Revolution had impacted on Ireland. Lord Edward FitzGerald was greatly influenced by both. He had fought in the British Army in the American colonies and the experience turned him into a republican. He became influenced by the Americans' aspirations for democracy. He was also greatly influenced by the writings of Thomas Paine. Fitzgerald had befriended Paine and stayed with him during a visit to Paris in 1792. Paine's "Common Sense" and "The Rights of Man" were printed and distributed in Ireland.

In the face of growing support for the call to arms the government in Westminster reacted. In March 1796 Ireland was essentially placed under martial law by the Insurrection Act.

Morlar

I do not want to sensationalise the thread (or lower the tone by focusing on one narrow aspect) but the one area of this which stands out for me are the pitchcappings. The pure savagery, degradation and animal brutality of doing that to a fellow human being is staggering.

CDfm

maybe not

but there is some great stuff out there say geneology wise too that could be fun

executions etc -it was the way they did things back then and i am sure my gratuitious punishment thread could do with a boast

brianthebard

old thread locked.