Protestant Republicans during the troubles

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

As per earlier comments some background information or source material would help add interest to the thread rather than a list of names or opinions.

BEAUCHAMP BAGENAL HARVEY
From Burke's Irish Family Records (ca 1975): Harvey, page 560:
Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey was a founder and leader ( with Wolfe Tone, Lord Edward FitzGerald etc) of The Society of United Irishmen. Arrested and imprisoned at the outbreak of the 1798 Rebellion in Wexford. He was released by the rebels when they entered the town. He commanded United Forces in Wexford, fought the Battle of New Ross on 5 June 1798. On their defeat he fled to the Saltee Islands but was recaptured by the loyalist army, and hanged together with Matthew Keogh and Father Roche off Wexford Bridge on 1 July 1798. Their heads were later impaled on pikes over the courthouse in Wexford. His estates were confiscated under the Act of Attainder, 6 Oct 1798.

Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey lived with, but did not marry Elizabeth Smith who was a local girl from the Mayglass area, near Bargy, by whom he had two sons (born ca 1775 -1780). She became ill and moved to her sister in England with the two children. Bagenal then secretly married Judith Dockrell.
[Research by Jean Harvey Roberts, Australia ]


JOHN BOXWELL

There are several differing accounts as regards John Boxwell, unless there were more than 2 John Boxwells in the rebellion, but I have been unable to identify a second John who died in 1798:

1. John lost his life due to wounds in the Battle of New Ross as a leader of one of the rebel units in the what is known as "The People's Rising", a rebellion in 1798. The story of this battle with its devastating losses is told in Daniel Gahan's "The People's Rising, Wexford, 1798."

2. From The Wexford Gentry, p. 41: "Apparently John was a Trinity student, who became embroiled in the politics of the time and fell under the influence of Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen, as did his cousin Bagenal Harvey of Bargy Castle. He left Trinity and joined the army where he was trained as a gunner. He retired early and went home to farm. When the rebellion broke out in Wexford [he] joined the rebels. He was killed at the Battle of Ross, manning an artillery field piece. It is said that though severely wounded, he insisted on being tied to his gun and continued firing at the enemy until the insurgent army retreated. He was then put on his horse and tied to prevent his falling off. He got as far as the rebel camp of Carrigbyrne and died there."
Susannah [his wife] was the ancestress of many notable Boxwells. She had moved to Wexford at the outbreak of the Rebellion (1798), for safety, and the first intimation she had of her husband's death was the arrival of his blood splattered horse, which had made its way home from Carrigbyrne and was brought to Wexford by a workman. It is said that, although she was six months pregant, she gathered up her three children and drove out to Carrigbyrne to look for her husband's body. She then drove to Butlerstown, her cousin's residence, and stayed there until the birth of her daughter Ann.

3. From "The Year of the Liberity" by Thomas Pakenham Part III, Ch 2, p 206:
The first was led by a young Protestant farmer, called Boxwell, who had formerly served in the Royal Irish Artillery. [p 84, see James Alexander: Some Account of the first Apparent Symptoms of the Late rebellion in the Co of Kildare ... with a succinct Narrative of some of the most remarkable personages in the Rise and Progress of the Rebellion in the Co of Wexford ...... Dublin 1800]

4. Thomas Cloney: A personal Narrative of the Transactions in the Co Wexford, in which the author was engaged, during the Awful Period of 1798, Dublin 1832. page 39 & 41:
Boxwell fired one or two shells "with tolerable judgement" it was said by loyalists (James Alexander p 84). Then he was badly wounded by his own gun crew's bungling, and, unable to stand, had himself tied to the gun till he died.

paky wrote: »

I remember reading about a guy who was leader of the INLA at one stage during the troubles and he was murdered specifically because of this. His father was in the British army and his family background was unionist i think. Are there any other instances where protestants were involved on the republican side during the troubles? Joe Cahill mentions in his book that they had a cell called the 'prod squad' but somehow i dont believe this is true.

I've just skimmed the thread twice and didn't see the 'Prod Squad' explained so apologies if I'm repeating someone else, not having read the book myself could it have been a local nickname for a group which had one or two prominent (as in prominent within the cell) 'prods'.

On the threads side tracking to earlier history I see everybody else's examples and raise you Luke Gardiner II, aka Lord Mountjoy, killed at the battle of New Ross on the Government side and described by Beresford as 'the first great advocate for' the cause of the Catholics as he was the main mover behind the Catholic relief acts of 1778 and 1782, not quite a Republican (my reading is he would be more of a patriot in the eighteenth century sense) but still part of the ideological athmosphere of the time. (the source for this is a letter from Beresford who was chief commisioner of the revenue to Lord Auckland printed as part of a facsimile pack by the PRONI - I think its o.o.p. but you may find copies on amazon or ebay).