All Blog Posts Tagged 'Innovators' - The Wild Geese2024-03-29T15:57:45Zhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blog/feed?tag=Innovators&xn_auth=no'Our Communion': A Poemtag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-28:6442157:BlogPost:3085482024-03-28T18:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12405064459?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12405064459?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700"></img></a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>o bear His heir, perfection</strong><br></br> No stain or fault, detection<br></br> This House of David's promised place<br></br> Her conception <em>full of grace</em><br></br> Original sin, suspended<br></br> Eden's triumph, upended<br></br> <em>I AM</em>'s ark of flesh and blood. </p>
<p>Whose prophecy withstood<br></br> Herod's…</p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>o bear His heir, perfection</strong><br/> No stain or fault, detection<br/> This House of David's promised place<br/> Her conception <em>full of grace</em><br/> Original sin, suspended<br/> Eden's triumph, upended<br/> <em>I AM</em>'s ark of flesh and blood. </p>
<p>Whose prophecy withstood<br/> Herod's jealous sword<br/> Flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone, blood of your blood<br/> He who is LORD<br/> Tabernacle to the great <em>I AM</em><br/> Tabernacle to <em>I AM</em>'s only begotten Son<br/> Where flesh, bone, blood and Spirit are perfect, <em>one</em>.</p>
<p>And man, unbelieving, believing, unbelieving, true<br/> Oh, woman, thy Son is sun, thy sky is you<br/> What Gabriel's <em>Hail</em> can tell?<br/> Thy Son rose and set -- and rose again -- in Mary's mantle<br/> Gentle, loving, gracious -- seven sorrows fall<br/> Beseech Thee, we, hear Thy Son's call<br/> Beseech Thee, holy Mother of us all.<br/> <strong>-- Daniel P. McLaughlin</strong> <strong>(March 14, 2024)</strong></p>Easy Easter Sweettag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-25:6442157:BlogPost:3086382024-03-25T20:00:00.000ZMargaret M. Johnsonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MargaretMJohnson
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240470?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240470?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>t’s a safe bet that you’ll find slices of this cake offered in tea rooms,</strong> coffee shops, home kitchens, and take-aways throughout the Emerald Isle. It’s a “standard” to which bakers often add a personal touch — think extra lemon (or orange) zest in the cake or fresh herbs in the drizzle — and it would be…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240470?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240470?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>t’s a safe bet that you’ll find slices of this cake offered in tea rooms,</strong> coffee shops, home kitchens, and take-aways throughout the Emerald Isle. It’s a “standard” to which bakers often add a personal touch — think extra lemon (or orange) zest in the cake or fresh herbs in the drizzle — and it would be a delightful addition to your Easter menu. Nicholas Mosse (Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny), one of Ireland’s most well-known pottery brands, favors the cake so much that they suggest you add fresh rosemary to the topping and serve it, appropriately, on one of the pieces in its Wildflower Collection: Clematis, Blue Blossom, and Wildflower Meadow (photo courtesy of Nicholas Mosse). You’ll find it and other yummy springtime sweets in my new cookbook <em>Delicious Ireland</em>. To order a signed copy, visit <a href="http://irishcook.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">irishcook.com</a>.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>LEMON LOAF WITH ROSEMARY DRIZZLE</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Makes 1 Loaf</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>For the cake</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">10 tablespoons butter</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 1/2 cups demerara sugar</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 large eggs</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Zest of 1 lemon</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 cup milk</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/4 teaspoon salt</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Steps:</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with no-stick baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both sides (to use as handles to lift the cake from the pan).</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and zest. Beat in the flour, milk, and salt until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to the prepared pan; smooth the top.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> 3. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes; lift the cake from the pan. Prick the top with a fork.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>For the drizzle</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">6 tablespoons water</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 tablespoons sugar</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">4 sprigs fresh rosemary</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Steps:</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> 1. In a small saucepan, bring the water, sugar, lemon juice, and rosemary to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Let steep for 10 minutes; strain the rosemary.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> 2. Slowly drizzle the warm syrup over the cake. Let cool completely before cutting into slices. (The cake is best eaten fresh but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week; or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months).</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240862?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12404240862?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: March 24 - March 30tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-23:6442157:BlogPost:3087362024-03-23T21:14:04.000ZJoe Gannonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/JoeGannon
<p><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Michael_davitt.jpg/397px-Michael_davitt.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-left" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Michael_davitt.jpg/397px-Michael_davitt.jpg?width=150&profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 10px;" width="150"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>LUAIN</span></strong></b></font><span> -- On </span><font color="blue">March 25, 1846</font><span>, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Michael%20Davitt&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Michael…</a></p>
<p><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Michael_davitt.jpg/397px-Michael_davitt.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Michael_davitt.jpg/397px-Michael_davitt.jpg?width=150&profile=RESIZE_710x" width="150" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>LUAIN</span></strong></b></font><span> -- On </span><font color="blue">March 25, 1846</font><span>, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Michael%20Davitt&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Michael Davitt</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> (left), revolutionary and agrarian agitator, was born in Straide, County Mayo. Davitt's family was evicted from their small farm when he was just a boy. After they emigrated to England, Davitt lost his right arm while working in a cotton mill at the age of 11. He joined </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">the Fenians</a><span> in the 1860s and served a typically brutal jail sentence. Released after seven years, he began what would be his life's work: agrarian agitation. Using funds raised by </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312303866?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0312303866">John Devoy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0312303866" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> and Clan na Gael in the United States, and allied with </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/071711886X?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=071711886X">Charles Stewart Parnell</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=071711886X" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span>, Davitt formed the Land League in 1879. This organization forced many reforms in the corrupt Irish landlord system. Davitt was a member of Parliament for a time in the 1890s but resigned in protest against the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393306593?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0393306593">Boer War</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393306593" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span>. Michael Davitt died in Dublin on May 31, 1906.</span></p>
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<p><b><strong><font color="#008040"><span>CÉADAOIN</span></font></strong></b> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 27, 1872</font>, Mary MacSwiney (Maire Nic Shuibhne), republican activist, was born in Surrey, England, of an Irish father and an English mother.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: National Library of Ireland: </span><span class="font-size-1">Mary MacSwiney, in her later years.)</span></b></p>
<p>Mary grew up in Cork and was educated as a teacher, like her mother and father. Influenced by her revolutionary brother,<span> </span><a>Terence</a>, she became involved with the Irish nationalist movement. She was arrested in her classroom during<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">the 1916 Easter Rising</a>. After her brother's death on hunger strike, she toured the United States in support of the republican cause. She opposed the<span> </span><a>Anglo-Irish Treaty</a>, calling it, "the grossest act of betrayal that Ireland ever endured." When de Valera compromised in 1926 in order to enter the Dáil, MacSwiney, much like her brother before her, held fast to her strict republican ideals, refusing to take the required oath to the Crown. Mary MacSwiney died at her home in Cork on March 8, 1942.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704965?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717025?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DEARDAOIN</strong></span> </b></font>-- On <font color="blue">March 28, 1820</font>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0820332003?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0820332003">William Howard Russell</a>, (left) among the best-known journalists of his day and a pioneering war correspondent, was born at Lily Vale, Tallaght, County Dublin.</p>
<p>Educated as a lawyer, Russell instead joined The Times of London as a reporter. He went to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403964165?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1403964165">Crimea</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1403964165" border="0"/> in 1854, sending back many reports critical of the army's logistical planning there. A phrase used by him to describe the English army there became part of the English vernacular as <i>The Thin Red Line</i>. Russell reported from India during the India Mutiny and then went to the United States to report on the American Civil War in 1861. His frankness in reporting the Federal Army's rout at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807108677?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0807108677">1st Bull Run</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807108677" border="0"/> earned him the lasting resentment of the Army and the Northern populous, along with the sobriquet "Bull Run" Russell. The tide of hostility made it nearly impossible for him to report from the North, inspiring him to return to England. He covered the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415266718?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0415266718">Franco-Prussian War</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0415266718" border="0"/> in 1870 and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306808668?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0306808668">Zulu War</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0306808668" border="0"/> in 1879. Russell died in Kensington, England, in 1907.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704986?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704986?profile=RESIZE_320x320" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704986?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="180" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></strong><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DEARDAOIN</strong></span> </b></font>-- On <font color="blue">March 28, 1895</font>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RX01J0?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000RX01J0">James McCudden</a><img width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000RX01J0" border="0"/> (right), World War I ace with 57 enemy planes shot down, was born in Kent, England, of an Irish father and an English mother.</p>
<p>McCudden's father was a warrant officer in the Royal Engineers and at the age of 14 young James joined them as a bugler. In 1913 James transferred to the fledgling <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=air%20war%20world%20war%20i&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Royal Flying Corps</a><img width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/> as a mechanic. Moving to France with No. 3 Squadron in 1914, McCudden became an observer and soon went back to England and trained as a pilot. He returned to France with No. 29 Squadron in 1916 and gained a reputation as a skilled tactician and marksman in the air. "Old Mac," as his men called him, later proved an excellent squadron leader, losing only 4 planes compared to 70 destroyed by his command. By 1918, McCudden had shot down 57 enemy planes and won the Victoria Cross. On July 9, 1918, while returning from England, the engine of his SE-5 cut out. Major James McCudden, the fifth-highest scoring allied pilot of the war, was killed as his plane spun into the earth.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84705014?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84705014?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span>SATHAIRN</span> </b></font>-- On <font color="blue">March 30, 1873</font>, Richard Church (left), of County Cork, soldier, sometimes called the "liberator of Greece," died in Athens. Church was born in Cork in 1784. As a young man, he ran off to join the British army. As ensign in the 13th (Somersetshire) Light Infantry he served in Egypt then in Italy, where he met many exiled Greek leaders. After the Napoleonic wars, he became a champion for the cause of Greek independence, unsuccessfully arguing their cause before the allied leaders at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. He would join those Greek leaders in the revolution in 1821 and became commander-in-chief of their western army. In 1829, Church resigned his command because he opposed the government of Count Kapodístrias. After the success of the revolt, Church remained in Greece, becoming a member of the Council of State and inspector general. Richard Church lived out the rest of his days in his adopted land. He <span>was given a public funeral and a public monument was later erected to him.</span></p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><span><strong><b><i><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704945?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704945?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="177" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><span class="font-size-1">National Museum of Ireland</span><br/> <span class="font-size-1">Michael Davitt, one of the founders of the Irish National Land League.</span>'</i></b><b><i>If the nationalists want me [the Irish farmer] to believe in and labor a little for independence, they must first show themselves willing and strong enough to stand between me and the power which a single Englishman, a landlord, wields over me.'</i></b><br/> -- Michael Davitt, giving voice to the attitude of the small Irish farmer toward Irish</strong></span></p>
<p><b><i>'If [England] exterminates the men, the women will take their places, and if she exterminates the women, the children are rising fast.'</i></b><br/> <span> -- The indomitable Mary MacSwiney</span></p>
<p><b><i>'The miserable parent of a luckless tribe.'</i></b><br/> -- William Russell's thoughts on being known as 'the first and greatest' war correspondent.</p>
<p><em><strong>"This officer is considered, by the record he has made, by his fearlessness, and by the great service which he has rendered to his country, deserving of the very highest honor."</strong></em><br/> -- The London Gazette on McCudden's Victoria Cross award.</p>
<p><strong><em>"Richard Church, General, who, having given himself and all that he had to rescue a Christian race from oppression and to make Greece a nation, lived for her service and died amongst her people, rests here in peace and faith.”<br/></em> </strong><span> -- From the tombstone of Richard Church in Athens</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>March - Márta</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>BIRTHS</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>24, 1866</strong><span> - Jack McAuliffe (Light-Heavyweight boxing champion - Ireland.)<br/> <strong>25, 1840</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/born-a-soldier-myles-walter-keogh-part-1-of-3-from-carlow-to" target="_self">Myles Keogh</a> (Capt. US 7th Cav., later killed at Little Big Horn - Orchard, Co Carlow.)<br/> <strong>25, 1846</strong> - Michael Davitt (Revolutionary - Straide, Co. Mayo)</span><strong><br/>26, 1838</strong><span> - William Edward Hartpole Lecky (Historian - Newtown Park, Co. Dublin.)</span><br/> <strong>26, 1856</strong><span> - William Ferguson Massey (Prime Minister of New Zealand - Limavady, Co. Derry.)</span><strong><br/> 27, 1872</strong> - Mary MacSwiney (Maire Nic Shuibhne) (Republican - Surry, England.)<br/> <strong>28, 1820</strong> - William Russell (London Times correspondent in US Civil War - Lilyvale, Co. Dublin.)<br/> <strong>28, 1836</strong> - Patrick Henry O’Rorke (Union Col. killed at Gettysburg – Drumbess, Cornafean, Co. Cavan.)<br/> <strong>28, 1881</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/martin-sheridan-nypd-cop-olympic-gold-medalist-and-pandemic">Martin Sheridan</a> (Five time Olympic medalist - Bohola, Co Mayo)<br/> <strong>28, 1895</strong> - James McCudden, (WWI ace with 57 enemy plane shot down - Kent, England – Irish father.)<strong><br/> 30, 1880</strong> - Sean O'Casey (Author - Dublin)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>24, 1922</strong> - Owen MacMahon, a Catholic publican, his 6 sons and a barman murdered by Loyalist paramilitaries in revenge for IRA ambush that killed 2 RIC officers.<br/> <strong>25, 1634</strong> - First Catholic Mass in English North American colonies celebrated in Maryland.<br/> <strong>25, 1738</strong> - Famous Irish Harper, Turlogh O'Carolan, dies in Alderford, Co. Roscommon.</span><span><strong><br/>26, 1920</strong> - Infamous Black and Tans, special constables, arrive in Ireland.<br/> <strong>26, 1922</strong> - An IRA anti-treaty army convention announces it will no longer accept the authority of Free State Minister for Defense Richard Mulcahy</span><strong><br/> 28, 1921</strong> – Irish Volunteers Patrick Sullivan, Patrick Ronayne, Thomas Mulcahy, and Maurice Moore are executed by firing squad in Cork. British Major Compton Smith is executed by the Volunteers in retaliation.<strong><br/> 29, 1784</strong> - Irish born Count James Robert Nugent, Field Marshal in the Austrian army, dies in Prague<strong>.<br/> 30, 1798</strong> - Privy Council proclaims declaring Ireland in state of rebellion and imposes martial law.<br/> <strong>30, 1873</strong> - Richard Church, of Co. Cork, soldier,"liberator of Greece" dies in Athens.<br/> <strong>30, 1921</strong>-<a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tom-barry-we-may-have-great-men-but-we-ll-never-have-better" target="_self">Tom Barry and the Cork Flying Column</a> destroy the RIC barracks at Rosscarbery, Co. Cork during the Irish War of Independence.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: March 17 - March 23tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-17:6442157:BlogPost:3088482024-03-17T02:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716679?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716679?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="225"></img></a> <strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b></font></strong><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 17, 1858</font>, James Stephens founded the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Irish Republican Brotherhood</a><span> </span>in Dublin at the same time as John O'Mahoney was founding the…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716679?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716679?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="225" class="align-right"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b></font></strong><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 17, 1858</font>, James Stephens founded the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Irish Republican Brotherhood</a><span> </span>in Dublin at the same time as John O'Mahoney was founding the American branch of the revolutionary group. O'Mahoney gave the organization the better-known name<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgtstore2" target="new"><em>Fenians</em></a>, in honor of the<span> </span><i>Fianna</i>, the soldiers led by<span> </span><i>Fionn Mac Cuchail</i>, the heroic warrior of Irish legend.</p>
<p><span><strong>(Right: From the "<i><span class="font-size-1">From Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland.)</span></i></strong></span></p>
<p>The Fenians were the first truly worldwide revolutionary organization, with branches in France, England, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The group raised millions of dollars among Irish exiles in the U.S. to support efforts at gaining Ireland her independence, setting a precedent that continues. Though the founders of the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgtstore2" target="new">Fenians</a><span> </span>never saw their goal come to fruition, Ireland's freedom was built on the foundation they laid down.</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></strong></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 17, 1800</font>, Charles James Patrick Mahon, soldier and politician, was born in Ennis, Co. Clare. He joined Daniel O'Connell's Catholic Association and helped him win Clare's seat in Parliament in 1830. After falling out with O'Connell, he went abroad and began a series of amazing (if all true) adventures. He was served in the Czar's bodyguard, was a general and an admiral in<span> </span><a>South America</a><span> </span>and fought on the side of the North in the<span> </span><a>American Civil War</a>. During the course of all this, he was said to have fought 13 duels. Mahon then served in Napoleon's III's army before returning to Irish politics, where he was elected MP (Member of Parliament) from Carlow. Mahon died in London on June 15, 1891, having lived (if only half the adventures he claimed are true) an incredibly full life.</p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716715?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716715?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>MÁIRT</span></b></font><span> </span>-</strong><span> </span>On<span> </span><span>March 19, 1921</span><span> </span>Tom Barry and the West Cork Flying Column ambushed crown forces at Crossbarry, County Cork during the Irish War of Independence. The British had learned that <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat" target="_self">the Flying Column’s HQ’s was in the Crossbarry</a><span> </span>area from a volunteer captured at the Upton ambush in February. Several groups of British troops from the Hampshire and Essex Regiments, over 1,000 total, from the Bandon, Cork, Ballincollig, Kinsale, and Macroom area moved in, trying to surround and capture the entire group of Volunteers. There were slightly over 100 Volunteers in the area. As is often the case with such a complicated operation involving the coordination of several groups of troops, the timing was not good. The operation began in the early morning hours, with the troops going house to house, arresting all military-age men. Charlie Hurley, the commander of the Cork # 3 Brigade, who had been wounded at the Upton, was surprised in a house at 6:30 am. He refused to surrender, wounding British Major Hallinen of the Essex regiment before being killed himself.</p>
<p>Barry, who had served in the British army in World War 1, had been alerted around 2:30 a.m. and roused his men. Quickly realizing from reports of British troops in several directions, Barry got his forces organized. Though he was outnumbered, the British were divided and he had the advantage of interior lines. They probably expected the Irish to run or take a defensive posture, but Barry took the initiative away from them by setting up two ambushes with mines and attacking them. The first engaged the troops coming from the west in three lorries, routing them, with Flor Begley, an intelligence officer, playing traditional Irish war songs on his pipes as they opened fire. It was perhaps the last time the “war pipes” ever sounded in battle on the island. As the British survivors ran for their lives, the Volunteers burned the lorries. Barry's excellent positioning of his other troops allowed them to surprise and drive off the British in the other direction, as well. Barry was then able to consolidate all his troops and make their escape from the British trap. Encountering one more group of British, he had his entire 100-man unit fire a volley at them, scattering them.</p>
<p>It was one of the larger actions of the war, and one of the most embarrassing defeats for the British, who claimed they faced over 300 Volunteers perhaps to decrease their embarrassment, or perhaps that just reflected how well the Irish had taken advantage of their interior lines. The British admitted to 10 killed, though the Irish claimed they had killed over 30. The Irish had four killed. Barry had definitely proven himself a formidable guerrilla commander.</p>
<ul>
<li>Read more about the ambush here:<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat" target="_self">The Battle of Crossbarry: ... 'Who Piped Old Ireland Free'</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716585?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716585?profile=original" class="align-right" width="293"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>CÉADAOIN</span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 20, 1780</font>, Miles Byrne, United Irishman and officer in Napoleon's Irish Legion, was born in County Wexford. He was active in the 1798 Rising in Wexford and fought all its major battles, right through the rebels' climactic defeat at Vinegar Hill.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: The banner of Napoleon's Irish Legion)</strong></span></p>
<p>He escaped to the hills and served with Michael Dwyer until the failure of the rising led by Robert Emmet, a close friend of Byrne, in 1803. Byrne traveled to France hoping to arrange for more French aid to Ireland, but after failing in that he joined the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgstore3" target="new">Irish Legion</a><span> </span>assembling in the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>French army</u></a>. He had a long career in the service of France. Byrne rose to command a regiment and was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. After his retirement, he wrote his<span> </span><i>Memoirs</i>, which were published in 1863, a year after his death in Paris.</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704915?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="150" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704915?profile=RESIZE_180x180" class="align-left"/></a><span>DEARDAOIN</span></b></font> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 21, 1763</font>, William MacNeven, United Irishman, was born in Aughrim, County Galway.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(left: The emblem of the United Irishmen. It reads "Equality" above and "It is new strung and shall be heard" below.)</span></b></p>
<p>Educated in the medical profession in Austria, where his uncle was a physician to the Empress, MacNeven returned to Ireland to practice in 1783. He was sworn into the United Irishmen by Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Arrested with most of the other leaders of the United Irishmen on<span> </span><a>March 12, 1798</a>, MacNeven was imprisoned at Fort George in Scotland. Released in 1802, he traveled to France and for a time was an officer in Napoleon's Irish Legion, but departed when it was clear that the French would not be sending troops to Ireland again. Emigrating to the United States, MacNeven settled in New York City, where he had a distinguished career in medicine, worked among the growing Irish community there, and also published several books. MacNeven died in the city on July 12, 1841.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/09506b.htm" target="new">The Catholic Encyclopedia on William James MacNeven</a></li>
</ul>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716659?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716659?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-right"/></a><span>DEARDAOIN</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">March 21, 1921</font>, Irish Volunteers of the Kerry No. 2 Brigade ambushed a train at Headford, County Kerry, during the Irish War of Independence. In many parts of Ireland, the war was increasing in intensity as the winter turned into spring. They had learned that a detachment of the Royal London Fusiliers would be traveling from Kenmare to Tralee, and would have to change trains in Headford. Commandant Danny Allman commanded about 30 Volunteers in the ambush. The British would have approximately the same number on the train, which also contained many Irish civilians.</p>
<p>Unusually for the Irish railroad system, the train arrived earlier, barely over 10 minutes after the Volunteers arrived to prepare the ambush. Luckily most of the civilians had disembarked prior to the soldiers, but a few were still on the landing as the firing began. As the soldiers began to debark, the Volunteers opened fire with devastating effect. The British had a Vickers machine gun in front of the engine but the Volunteers were able to kill or wound the entire five-man crew manning it fairly quickly. Meanwhile, the soldiers still inside the train's cars returned fire. It was a very long battle by the standard of the Irish War of Independence and the largest engagement in Kerry during the war. After about 50 minutes another train arrived carrying more British soldiers, and the Volunteers scattered into the countryside.</p>
<p>The British had suffered at least 8 dead and 12 wounded. The Volunteers had 2 killed, Commandant Allman and Lt. Jimmy Baily and, in addition, three civilians died in the crossfire and two others were wounded. Hardly a day had gone by in the month of March without some sort of attack by the Volunteers in some part of the island. The world was taking notice and the British government was starting to feel the pressure. </p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-MtKjh9rdrg?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p>Read more about<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-headford-ambush-time-runs-out-in-kerry" target="_self">the Headford Ambush HERE</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704836?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="220" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704836?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>SATHAIRN</span></strong></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">March 23, 1862</font>, Irish-born Union <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1410788954?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1410788954">General James Shields</a> (left: pictured during the Mexican War) defeated <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Stonewall%20Jackson&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Stonewall Jackson's</a> Confederates at the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572492953?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1572492953">Battle of Kernstown</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1572492953" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Just a few miles south of Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley, a thunderous exchange of artillery fire around midday signaled the battle's start. At first, Jackson's men drove in the Federal line. Jackson had received a false report about the strength of the Federal forces around Kernstown, and he believed he was only facing a rear guard. In fact, Shields had 9,000 men there, outnumbering Jackson's 4,000 by better than two to one. About 3 o'clock, Shields' Federal forces counterattacked. When Confederate Brigadier General Richard Garnett's brigade ran out of ammunition, Jackson ordered a retreat, which precipitated a general retreat of the Confederate line. Jackson lost 455 men killed or wounded and several hundred captured. The Federals lost 553 killed or wounded and 23 missing. Although Jackson had lost this first major battle of what would come to be known as his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807832006?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0807832006">Valley Campaign</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807832006" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, his actions had already alarmed authorities in Washington enough for them to reduce the number of troops that they would send to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873386035?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0873386035">Major General George B. McClellan</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0873386035" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> on the Virginia peninsula. In the coming weeks, Jackson will exacerbate those fears. For Tyrone-born James Shields, Kernstown would be the pinnacle of a rather lackluster performance during the Civil War. Still, Shields would go on to become the only man to serve in the U.S. Senate from three different states, and how many of his colleagues in the Senate, or anywhere else, could boast of having once bested the great Stonewall Jackson in independent command?</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>VOICES</strong></span></p>
<p><b><i>'Ere long there shall be an Irish Army on Irish hillsides, ready to do battle for Irish independence and drive back from the green and sacred Isle of Erin those ruthless tyrants who have desolated our homes and driven us wandering exiles over the whole earth.'</i></b><br/> <span> -- John O'Mahoney, co-founder of the Fenian Brotherhood.</span></p>
<p><b><i>'About two hours had elapsed since the opening of the fight; we were in possession of the countryside; no British were visible and our task was completed. The whole Column was drawn up in line of sections and told they had done well.'<br/></i></b> <i> -- Tom Barry on the Crossbarry Ambush</i></p>
<p><b><i>'Walking on bright winter days along the Avenue of the Champs Elysées, a tall erect figure, magnificent in old age . . . memories clouding at times his clear grey eyes; and through and beyond the battle-smoke and thunder of all Napoleon's fields he has a vision of the pikemen of New Ross and hears the fierce hurrah of Oulart Hill.'</i></b><br/> <span> -- Ulster-born journalist and revolutionary John Mitchel on Miles Byrne, whom Mitchel met while living in exile in Paris.</span></p>
<p><strong><em>We had no prepared positions and scrambled into position as best we could. I was in a section commanded by Davit McCarthy. We were on the railway embankment with very little cover, but a good field of fire. I think most of the military were put out of action early on, but some two or three got down on the tracks under the train and kept up a continuous fire. No doubt they could have been dislodged, but a full train of troops entered the station and we had to withdraw.</em></strong><br/> <span> -- Denis Prendiville Kerry #2 Brigade on the ambush </span><span>at Headford, County Kerry</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>March - Márta</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>BIRTHS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>17, 1800</strong> - Charles James Patrick Mahon (Soldier, politician - Ennis, Co. Clare)<br/> <strong>17, 1820</strong> - Patrick Edward Connor (Union General - Co. Kerry)<br/> <strong>17, 1877</strong> - Michael O'Hanrahan (Author, revolutionary - New Ross, Co. Wexford.)<br/> <strong>18, 1881</strong> - George (Seoirse) Clancy (nationalist and politician - Grange, Co. Limerick.)</span><span><strong><br/> 20, 1780</strong> - Miles Byrne (United Irishman, Officer in Napoleon's Irish Legion - Co. Wexford.)</span><span><strong><br/> 21, 1763</strong> - William MacNeven (United Irishman - Aughrim, Co. Galway.)</span><strong><br/> 22, 1848</strong> - Sarah Purser (Artist - Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>17, 1771</strong> – The “Friendly Sons of St. Patrick” is founded in Philadelphia.<br/> <strong>17, 1776</strong> – In honor of Irishmen in the Colonial army, Gen. Washington designates “St. Patrick” as the armies countersign that day.<br/> <strong>17, 1858</strong> - James Stephens founds the Irish Republican Brotherhood (Fenians) in Dublin.<br/> <strong>17, 1899</strong> - First issue of Gaelic League’s An Claidheamh Soluis.<br/> <strong>17, 1923</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/bold-mike-mctigue-the-st-patrick-s-day-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike McTigue wins the Light-Heavyweight Championship</a> by decision victory over “Battling” Siki in Dublin.<br/> <strong>18, 1801</strong> - Ambrose O'Higgins, Viceroy of Peru, dies in Lima.<br/> <strong>18, 1825</strong> - Catholic Association dissolved by Unlawful Societies Act nine days earlier.<br/> <strong>18-19, 192</strong>1 – The West Waterford <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/co-waterford-burgery-ambush-march-19-1921" target="_self">Irish Volunteers ambush the Black &Tans at “The Burgery,”</a> 2 volunteers, 1 Black & Tan and 1 RIC constable died.</span><strong><br/> 19 March 1919</strong><em> -</em> IRA volunteers raid Collinstown airfield (now Dublin Airport) outside Dublin and capture 75 rifles and 4,000 rounds of ammunition<br/> <strong>19, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Barry and the West Cork Flying Column</a> ambushed crown forces at Crossbarry, Co. Cork.<span><strong><br/> 20, 1868</strong> – Dublin native George Cartwright, a Union Col. in the Civil War, dies in Charleston, SC.<br/> <strong>20, 1919</strong> The Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers capture 75 rifles and over 4000 rounds of ammo from the Collintown Aerodrome<br/> <strong>20, 1920</strong> - Tomás MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork, murdered in his home by RIC.<br/> <strong>20, 1964</strong> - Author Brendan Behan dies in Dublin.</span><span><strong><br/> 21, 1881</strong> - Peace Preservation Act for Ireland legalizes special coercive powers.<br/> <strong>21, 1914</strong> - Curragh Mutiny - British officers refuse to move against Irish Unionists.<br/></span> <strong>21, 1921</strong> - Co. Longford Volunteer leader Seán MacEoin is arrested in Mullingar railway station.<br/> <strong>21, 1921</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-headford-ambush-time-runs-out-in-kerry" target="_self">Irish Volunteers of the Kerry #2 Brigade ambush a train at Headford</a>, Co. Kerry during the Irish War of Independence.<br/> <strong>22, 1841</strong> – Formation of the Irish Emigrant Society in New York.<br/> <strong>22, 1921</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-irish-war-of-independence-the-lispole-ambush-avoiding-disaste" target="_self">Irish Volunteers and Black & Tans engage in a gun battle</a> at Lispole, Co. Kerry during the Irish War of Independence.<br/> <strong>23, 1535</strong> - Sir William Skeffington captures Maynooth Castle, stronghold of "Silken" Thomas Fitzgerald in one of the first recorded uses of siege artillery.<br/> <strong>23, 1847</strong> - Choctaw Indians collect money to donate to starving Irish Hunger victims.<br/> <strong>23, 1862</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/james-j-shields-tyrone-native-served-america-well-and-often" target="_self">Irish-born Union General James Shields</a> defeats Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, during the American Civil War.<br/> <strong>23, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-scramogue-ambush-roscommon-steps-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North and South Roscommon brigades of the Irish Volunteers</a> ambush a convoy of British soldiers and RIC at Scramoge, killing 4.<br/> <strong>23, 1921</strong> – Six Volunteers from the 1<sup>st</sup> Battlion, Co. Cork are killed in Clogheen after their location is betrayed by a loyalist informer. </p>WWI Pilot James McCudden: From Mechanic to Acetag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-16:6442157:BlogPost:3082402024-03-16T01:30:00.000ZJoe Gannonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/JoeGannon
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<p>It was two days before Christmas 1917, as James McCudden pulled gently back on the control stick of his British S.E. 5 biplane. He had spotted what appeared to be a German two-seat scout flying slightly higher, a little over 18,000 ft, to the west of him, over Peronne, about 90 miles north of Paris. As he got closer, he recognized it as a Rumpler.…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400439669?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400439669?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>It was two days before Christmas 1917, as James McCudden pulled gently back on the control stick of his British S.E. 5 biplane. He had spotted what appeared to be a German two-seat scout flying slightly higher, a little over 18,000 ft, to the west of him, over Peronne, about 90 miles north of Paris. As he got closer, he recognized it as a Rumpler. The German knew that if he could get over 20,000 ft, he would start climbing more efficiently than the S.E. 5, but it was too late when the Germans saw him closing in.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400439681?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400439681?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>At this altitude in December, it was likely close to -30° F, which made it hard for pilots to fly that high for long. But McCudden had a secret weapon in combating that. He’d modified his plane so his radiator vented into his cockpit and helped warm it. In the Rumpler, Leutnant Otto Horing and Leutnant Emil Tibussek had the worst possible luck on this day because McCudden was one of the most lethal foes German two-seaters ever faced on the Western Front. The rear gunner/observer could not bring his gun to bear on an attacker directly behind and below, and McCudden had become an expert at attacking that way.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: British S.E. 5s attacking a Rumpler two-seater in a painting by George Horace Daviis - 1919.)</strong></span></p>
<p>The Germans weaved back and forth, desperately trying to get McCudden in the observer’s sights, slowly losing altitude as they did. Down and down they descended, in their life and death struggle, until finally the Rumpler filled McCudden’s gun sight around 8,000 ft, and he blasted them with both his machine guns. The Rumpler’s right wings ripped off and plunged to earth. McCudden was so close he nearly flew into them.</p>
<p>He shot down three other German aircraft on the 23<sup>rd</sup>, bringing his total to four in one day, something no British pilot had ever done before. Young men from Germany, France, North America, and the British Isles were playing a deadly game all over the skies of France and Belgium, and the losers, like Leutnant Otto Horing and Leutnant Emil Tibussek, usually did not live to tell the tale. McCudden, whose air victory total hit thirty-two this day, remained one of the winners.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400441479?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400441479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>World War One ace James Thomas Byford McCudden was born on March 28, 1895. The McCudden’s were a Catholic family originating in Co. Armagh, but James was born in Gillingham, Kent, England. His father, William, was born in Carlow, County Carlow, and was a Sergeant-Major in the British army. William fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War in the 1880s. James’ English mother, Amelia Byford, also had military ancestors. James’ grandfather, for whom he was named, also served in the British army.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: James McCudden's father, William)</strong></span></p>
<p>James and his older brother, William, were quite rambunctious as children growing up in Gillingham, UK, climbing up on the family home and digging for “gold” in the garden. When any of the children needed discipline, their mother, Amelia, usually meted it out. She was said to be a strong woman. That strength would be sorely tested during the coming war. James also formed a very close bond with his older sister, Mary. James had three other younger siblings: John, known by his middle name Anthony, to the family, Kathleen and Maurice.</p>
<p>When James was 14, the family moved to Sheerness. Nearby, there was an early airfield in Eastchurch. William and James were fascinated with these early flying machines and would spend many hours watching them take off, fly, and land. Both may have entertained thoughts of someday flying, but at that point, flying was far too expensive for any but the rich to do. Still, James used some of his money as a post office messager to buy flying magazines.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400441486?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400441486?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On April 26, 1910, at just 15, James enlisted in the Royal Engineers regiment as a bugler. William had already enlisted in the same regiment in 1905. In May 1912, the British Army formed the Royal Flying Corps. Seven squadrons were authorized, but the first one activated was No. 3 Squadron, and one of its members was Air Mechanic William McCudden. When the squadron got permission to train Non-Commissioned Officer pilots, he volunteered and was the fourth to qualify.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: James' brother, William.)</strong></span></p>
<p>James, now stationed at Gibraltar, had never stopped studying aeronautics and dreaming of flying. He soon followed the same path as William, becoming an Air Mechanic in No. 3 Squadron in June 1913. With all his prior study, James became an excellent aircraft mechanic. One of the squadron’s officers called him “one of the best engine fitters we had and was trusted implicitly.” Over the next 13 months before the outbreak of WWI, he had his appetite for flying whetted several times with flights in the observer seat. In December 1913, James logged over 30 hours as an observer.</p>
<p>By early in 1914, William was now one of the best pilots in NO. 3 Squadron and James flew a plane for the first time when Bill gave him some unofficial flying lessons. James and William both shipped out to France in August 2014 with No. 3 Squadron. In November 1914, James was promoted to corporal, and then in April 1915, he was promoted to sergeant and put in charge of all engines in his flight.</p>
<p>On May 2nd, 1915, what would become an ongoing WWI nightmare for the McCudden family began when the 24-years-old William McCudden was killed in a flying accident at Gospor, where he had returned to train pilots. “This was a bad blow for me, as I had always looked up to him so much, and I felt his loss very keenly indeed,” James wrote in his memoir, <a href="https://amzn.to/3TtLRgp">“Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps.”</a> His brother’s death did not deter James’ ambition to become a pilot.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400448665?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400448665?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right"/></a>Then, on May 27, 1915, McCudden and his family received further sad news when they heard of the death of sister Mary’s husband, Petty Officer Arthur Spears. He was killed when the minelayer HMS Princess Irene exploded just off Sheerness while being loaded with mines.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(<span>Right: Early war photo James McCudden.)</span>)</strong></span></p>
<p>In late June, McCudden was recommended for pilot training, but his competence as a mechanic delayed its approval. In August, he began to fly occasional missions as an observer in the squadron’s Morane Parasols. In November, it became a regular assignment. On December 19, McCudden and his pilot had two encounters with German ace Max Immelmann and helped drive him off with a hand-held Lewis machine gun. The French awarded him the Croix de Guerre for his service as an observer in January, but another event was probably more exciting for him.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: French General General Joffre awards McCudden" Croix de Guerre.) </strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400447873?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400447873?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On January 24, 1916, the RFC finally approved McCudden’s request for pilot. He returned to England to train at Gosport, where William was killed. <span>On April 16, 1916, he had his first solo flight in a Maurice Farman S.7 Longhorn. He had been studying aeronautics for years now and studying pilots flying as an observer for months. McCudden swiftly became a proficient pilot. It’s an indication of just how advanced McCudden was and how few experienced pilots there were that two weeks after he began training, McCudden was appointed a student instructor.</span></p>
<p>In July 1916, McCudden flew an F.E. 2 to France and joined the No. 20 Squadron in Clairmarais. The British had not yet perfected a synchronized interrupter to enable firing through the propeller. The F.E. 2 was a pusher propeller aircraft. In some versions, the two-seater had mounted machine guns for both the observer and pilot.</p>
<p>McCudden’s first combat patrol was on July 10<sup>th</sup>. On July 20<sup>th</sup>, he was part of a five-plane flight that got lost due to fog, and he made an emergency landing in the front yard of a farm. Three of the five never made it back, with one crew dying. On July 21st, McCudden first tasted the new form of aerial combat. It was not significant, as he just fired a few long-range shots at a couple of German aircraft.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: A D.H. 2 single-seat fighter)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400444060?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400444060?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>In August, McCudden was transferred to No. 29 squadron in Abeele. The squadron was equipped with the single-seat D.H. 2 fighter with one forward-firing Lewis machine gun. He took one practice flight in his new aircraft and immediately flew a patrol the following day. However, it would be a month before he could engage an enemy plane in the air. He said the D.H. 2 was “a very cold little machine, as the pilot had to sit in a small nacelle with the engine a long way back … no warmth from it at all.” Having studied aeronautics and been an aircraft mechanic, McCudden constantly looked for ways to improve his plane’s performance. He would continue that with all his aircraft.</p>
<p>McCudden got his first air victory on September 6<sup>th</sup>, but it was rather anti-climatic. Undoubtedly, engaging a German in air combat with his new plane for the first was exhilarating. He left the fight seeing the two-seat Albatros B II scout plane in a steep dive but believed it was “still under control” the last time he saw it. It was not until four days later that an ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) unit reported that the conspicuously white-painted Albatros had crashed near their lines. McCudden has first victory, but the 2<sup>nd</sup> would be over four months later.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: An Albatros D. 1 fighter)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400444271?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400444271?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>In October, the squadron was moved south to Izel-le-Hameau. Late 1916 was a hard period for Allied pilots. New fighters introduced by the Germans outclassed the British aircraft. A new Fokker D.I to D. III biplanes and the Halberstadt D. II biplane. But the best German fighters of that period were the Albatros D.I and D. II fighters. The Albatros was equipped with two forward-firing machine guns, which made them lethal.</p>
<p>McCudden returned from one patrol in November with 24 bullet holes in his D.H. 2. Shortly after that, he had a dogfight with an Albatros that was nearly his last. Fighting a very skillful pilot in his outclassed plane, he intentionally went into a dive to escape, a very dangerous maneuver. He didn’t manage to come out of it until he was 800 feet from destruction. Post-war records indicate his opponent had probably been Lieutenant Manfred von Richthofen and that the German ace claimed McCudden as his 15<sup>th</sup> victory that day.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400625690?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400625690?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Though later renowned for his sharpshooting in the air, McCudden felt he had wasted many chances to destroy enemy aircraft in this period due to poor marksmanship. The only good news he got in the last part of 1916 was when he was commissioned a 2<sup>nd</sup> Lieutenant on December 28<sup>th</sup>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: A portrait of Major James McCudden by William Orpen in 1918.)</strong></span></p>
<p>In the last week of January through the first 15 days of February, McCudden would begin to show the signs of the high-scoring combat pilot he would become. He got his 2<sup>nd</sup> victory on January 26th and three more in February. On February 15th, he had a spinning dogfight with a Roland C. II two-seater that brought them only 300 ft above the trenches before the Roland crashed into the ground. With that victory, he had become an ace (five aircraft shot down). He was awarded the Military Cross for this accomplishment.</p>
<p>Surviving over a few months in combat was becoming difficult for a pilot to do. McCudden’s No. 29 Squadron had lost nearly half its pilots, either killed, wounded, or shot down behind German lines and taken prisoner. On January 21st, he was forced down for the only time in the war when his propellor was damaged either by the Fokker D. II he was fighting or his own spent cartridges. He managed to land safely on the Allied side of the front.</p>
<p>Aerial combat was a new kind of war. None of the early war pilots had any real training in how to shoot down another aircraft. If you lived long enough, though, you could start figuring it out, as McCudden was demonstrating. He was not happy that this 5<sup>th</sup> victory coincided with the end of his six-month tour. He had become an ace flying the now nearly obsolete D.H. 2, and he was rotating back to Great Britain just as the squadron was about to get equipped with the more up-to-date French Nieuport fighters.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400449500?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400449500?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>McCudden was assigned to train new pilots at Joyce Green Airfield in Great Britain as the RFC expanded. One of his students was quite old compared to the 21-year-old instructor McCudden and most of the other students. It was 29-year-old Edward “Mick” Mannock. Mannock’s father was in the British Army, but he had an Irish mother, Julia Sullivan, who was from Ballincolling, County Cork. Mannock may have been born there while his father was stationed nearby, though he grew up in England. His father abandoned the family soon after, so he was mainly raised by his Irish mother. McCudden recognized him as a kindred spirit, saying Mannock “was a typical example of the impetuous young Irishman, and I always thought he was of the type to do or die.” Mannock would be the fifth-highest-scoring ace of the war, with 61, before he was shot down and killed by ground fire on July 26, 1918.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: Mick Mannock)</strong></span></p>
<p>Sometime during this period, in early 1917, McCudden also met the then-leading British ace of the RFC, Albert Ball. Ball was credited with 31 victories at that point. He had gotten many of them flying French Neiuport fighters with a machine gun mounted on the wing, firing over the prop. Ball told him how he utilized a unique aspect of the gun. He would fly under an enemy aircraft and pull the gun downward, firing up into his opponent’s belly.</p>
<p>While training these pilots, McCudden got used to flying a “tractor” type aircraft (propellor in the front) that would dominate the air for the rest of the war. In May, he got his own Sopwith Pup, one of the newest British tractor types.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400450484?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400450484?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>In June, McCudden was promoted to captain. That month, he also had a Lewis machine gun installed on the top wing of his Pup to attempt to attack German Gotha twin-engine bombers that had begun bombing the U.K. in late May. On July 7th, he got close enough to several of them to use up three ammo drums and was sure he scored a number of hits but to no effect.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: Diagram of a German Gotha bomber)</strong></span></p>
<p>Shortly after that, he returned to France for what was to be a three-week tour to stay current on the air combat. He was assigned to No. 66 Squadron, flying the Sopwith Pup. His brother Anthony was flying combat missions in France by then, piloting an Airco DH. 4 two-seater light bomber. This was the beginning of the most memorable period of WWI air combat, with most of the classic fighters of the war either in service or about to be. The Sopwith Camel, later model Spads and Nieuports, and the S.E. 5 were all active, and on the German side, there was the Fokker DR. 1 triplane, the Pfalz D.III, and the later model Albatros fighters.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400450287?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400450287?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On July 21st, No. 56 Squadron commander Major R.G. Blomfield invited McCudden on a patrol. It was the first British squadron equipped with the new S.E. 5 fighter and was becoming known as an elite group. Flying the S.E. 5 for the first time, McCudden shot down an Albatros D. V. Five days later, he shot down another one in his Pup, his only victory in that aircraft. He was very impressed with the S. E. 5 and with the commander and men of the No. 56 Squadron and got Blomfield to put in a request to assign him to it.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: Major R.G. Blomfield)</strong></span></p>
<p>McCudden returned to England in early August, but on August 12<sup>th,</sup>, he was ordered back to France as the commander of “B” Flight of No. 56 Squadron. Flying the S.E. 5, he would begin what was perhaps the best six months of air combat of any WWI ace. From August 1917 through February 1918, McCudden would score an amazing 50 air combat victories.</p>
<p>The S.E. 5 was one of the best fighters of the war on either side. It was capable of over 120 mph in level flight It was one of the first British fighters with a synchronizing gear to allow firing through the propellor. But it was armed with just one Vickers firing through the prop mounted on the port side. It also had a Lewis gun mounted on top of the wing firing over the prop.</p>
<p>McCudden had an amazing start to his career with No. 56 Squadron. In his first three days, he downed four Germans. One of the two fighters he downed on August 20<sup>th</sup>, an Albatros D. III, went down in flames. It was the first time he had flamed an opponent’s plane, and the event shook him. “It was at that time very revolting to see any machine go down in flames, especially when it was done by my own hands,” McCudden wrote later. The German pilot was Vizefeldwebel Karl-Josef Ohlerl.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: A group of S.E. 5 fighters lined up at an airfield.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400996062?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400996062?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="660" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451084?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451084?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Burning to death was one of the greatest fears for most pilots since they carried no parachutes. Many carried pistols not just for protection if shot down behind enemy lines but to shoot themselves if flamed. Some also died by jumping out of flaming planes to avoid burning to death.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: Once passed off as a "photo" of a burning German fighter and falling pilot, this fake photo still represents such an event well.)</strong></span></p>
<p>McCudden’s exhaustive knowledge of aeronautics and aircraft mechanics and his willingness to make modifications to his plane were one of the factors in his miraculous performance in his S.E. 5. He installed a control stick from a Sopwith Camel, which he thought increased his firing accuracy. He cut down the exhaust pipes to reduce weight, reduced the wing dihedral to increase agility, and added a red prop spinner from a German L.V.G. C.V. two-seater he shot down, which gave him a few additional mph. Among the later alterations he made was a set of high-compression pistons that gave him better high-altitude performance and a radiator vent that helped warm his cockpit, allowing him to fly longer in the icy temperatures at high altitudes. Many pilots probably never saw their aircraft from the time they landed until they took off again. McCudden spent hours in the hangar with his.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Werner Voss in front of his Fokker Dr. I triplane.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451093?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451093?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>In September, McCudden brought down four more German aircraft. On September 23rd, his flight also brought down one of the most famous German aces. Seeing an S.E. 5 being attacked by a light-blue Fokker triplane below them, they dived to its aid. The seven S.E. 5s were all around the German, but the “pilot seemed to be firing at all of us simultaneously,” McCudden recalled. He was “so quick and uncertain that none of us could hold him in sight at all for any decisive time.” Finally, the pilot’s luck ran out, and Arthur Rhys-Davids shot him down. This victory made Rhys-David a celebrity for a time, but it didn’t last long. He was shot down and killed barely over a month later.</p>
<p>They later found out the German pilot was Werner Voss, who had 48 victories. McCudden recalled that “his flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent, and in my opinion, he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight.”</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451658?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400451658?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>James’ younger brother, Anthony, who really wanted to fly a fighter like his ace brother, got his wish in December. He was commissioned a Lt. and posted to No. 84 Squadron, which was equipped with the S.E. 5. James was up to 23 victories by the end of November. Anthony visited James several times during the fall, and James was worried that Anthony was too reckless. He had also taken him up a few times in England while Anthony was training. “He was very keen, and I took him up several times, but he was inclined to be overconfident, which always spells trouble for the fledgling,” James said in his book.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: John Anthony McCudden)</strong></span></p>
<p>In the two months after McCudden’s double victories on August 20th, he did very well, with seven confirmed victories. After returning from a short leave in late November, however, through the winter, James McCudden became the scourge of the air for German pilots. From November 18th through February 26, 1918, he shot down an astounding 39 enemy planes.</p>
<p>In December, McCudden shot down fourteen. It was more victories than many pilots achieved over many months or even years of combat. On the 23<sup>rd</sup>, he shot down four in one day, a first for British pilots in the war. He had ten victories in the last week of the year alone, with three on one day and two on another day in addition to his four on the 23<sup>rd</sup>. On January 9th, 1918, McCudden shot down an LVG C two-seater that was 56 Squadron’s 250<sup>th</sup> victory and the 100<sup>th</sup> for his B Flight. On February 16th, he duplicated his feat of four victories in one day.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: An S.E. 5 fighter - painting by George Horace Davis.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400452464?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400452464?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>McCudden was more than a talented combat pilot. He was also an excellent flight commander. He imposed strict discipline regarding formation flying for B Flight and refused to take unnecessary chances. This was especially beneficial for novice pilots. Pilots who could live through the first few weeks of their tour would acquire the invaluable experience needed to become effective combat pilots. McCudden got many of his pilots through that period. During McCudden’s time commanding Fight B of No. 56 Squadron, he and his men destroyed 70 German aircraft for the minimal loss of only four of their own.</p>
<p>On January 7th, the government began to allow the press to use the names of R.F.C. pilots in their stories about the air war. McCudden was not happy about it, and he even wrote to his family, asking them not to talk to the press. His letter got there too late, however. He quickly became well-known at home and around the world. Among allied pilots, he was already well-known and admired. In mid-January, he began a tour of a British squadrons in France, lecturing on his dogfighting techniques.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below-right: A group of 56 Squadron pilots from April 1917. Back row, left to right; Lt G J C Maxwell, 2/Lt W B Melville, 2/Lt H M T Lehmann, 2/Lt C R W Knight, 2/Lt L M Barlow, 2/Lt K J Knaggs: front row, left to right; Lt C A Lewis, Lt J O Leach, Major R G Blomfield (Commanding Officer), Capt A Ball, Lt R T C Hoidge.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400453279?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400453279?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On February 26th, McCudden shot down a Hannover two-seater. It was his 57<sup>th</sup> confirmed victory. When he arrived at No. 56 Squadron in August 1917, he had trailed German Manfred von Richthofen, the eventual leading ace of the war, by 50. When McCudden left France to return to England shortly after this victory, he trailed him by six. He flew two more inconclusive patrols, the last on March 1<sup>st</sup>.</p>
<p>On the night of March2<sup>nd</sup>, the Squadron gave McCudden a going away party at a hotel in Amiens, where they presented him with a silver model of his S.E. 5. There were officers from over 20 other squadrons there as well. He was now held in such esteem that the following night he dined at Brigade Headquarters with General J. F. A. Higgins, D.S.O., and the night after that had tea with General Sir Julian Byng, the Third Army Commander.</p>
<p>McCudden was truly moved, especially by the admiration of his No. 56 Squadron comrades. “I could not express to my comrades just what I wanted to say and how much I owed to them all. In bed that night I thought over it all and more than ever regretted that I had to leave a life that was all and everything to me, and I confess I cried.” he wrote in his book.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Manfred von Richthofen.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400452879?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400452879?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="180" class="align-left"/></a>McCudden had barely been home for two weeks when tragedy was visited on his family again. His brother, Anthony, had been shot down and killed in France on March 18<sup>th</sup>, while fighting von Richthofen’s “Flying Circus.” Anthony was an excellent pilot, with eight victories in six months of combat missions, the last six in three months flying the S.E. 5. Many of his No. 84 Squadron comrades believed his desire to emulate his brother may have contributed to his death. However, the 20-year-old had certainly lived far longer in the intense air combat of that last year of the war than many. Anthony was awarded the Military Cross posthumously.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: McCudden's Victoria Cross)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400454658?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400454658?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="150" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>McCudden was too busy to dwell on losing another brother for long. In April, King George V personally presented him with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace, and he was also promoted to major. He met the mother of Captain Harley Alec-Tweedie, a writer, and she encouraged him to start turning his wartime diary into a book. Amazingly, with the help of C. G. Grey, editor of “The Aeroplance,” he finished enough of the book before he returned to France for it to be published. He managed to write it while also test piloting the new Sopwith Snipe and instructing pilots in Scotland. It was published in late 1918.</p>
<p>In July, though many friends advised him not to return to combat, McCudden accepted an assignment to return to France and command No. 60 Squadron. On the morning of July 9<sup>th</sup>, before he left for France, he visited Mrs. Alex-Tweedie in London to talk about his book, which he had recently delivered to Grey. Alex-Tweedie, a widow, is sometimes called McCudden’s fiancée, but she was 28 years his senior, so was more likely just a friend. She later said he expressed a wish to pass the 80 victory total of von Richthofen, who had been killed in April. He then visited his beloved sister, Mary, and gave her an envelope containing his V.C. and other medals.</p>
<p>McCudden had trouble finding the No. 60 Squadron airfield after flying over the Channel to France in his S.E. 5. He landed at the British airfield at Auxi-le-Château to get directions, then immediately took off again. He likely had engine trouble just after getting airborne and made the mistake of trying to turn around back to the field, lost altitude in the turn, and crashed. He always trained new pilots to look for a field to land ahead rather than turning back. Perhaps it was the overconfidence of a veteran pilot. McCudden was taken to a field hospital and died around 8 pm.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400455284?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400455284?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>McCudden passed away as the most decorated Royal Air Force pilot of the war, with his V.C., DSO, MC and Bar, MM, Croix de Guerre, 1914 Star, and BWM (seen above).. He had received every available British award for valor. For all of that, he was just 23-years-old. All those medals, together with those of his father and his brothers, William and Anthony, are held by the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham today. He was buried at Wavans British Cemetery Beauvoir-Wavans, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France On his tombstone, this was inscribed:</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400456072?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400456072?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Fly on dear boy <br/> From this dark world of strife <br/> On to the Promised Land <br/> Of eternal life</p>
<p>Tributes flowed in for the ace pilot. Major-General Sir Hugh Montague Trenchard, who had been Commander of the RFC, said, “His determination and nerve were tremendous, and there was no finer example of the British pilot.” Major-General John Maitland Salmond, who was his commanding officer in No. 3 Squadron, said, “… the secret of his remarkable success lay in the fact that he fought with his head as well as with his great heart.”</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: McCudden's mother, Amelia)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400456468?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400456468?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>McCudden’s mother and father had now lost three sons and a son-in-law to the war. His mother, Amelia, became something of a celebrity for her “mother’s sacrifice” to the war, much like <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/aletta-sullivan-champion-gold-star-mother-of-wwii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alleta Sullivan, the American mother</a> who lost five sons in WWII. Amelia was much in demand and even attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party. She was selected to be the British representative laying a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Washington in 1921.</p>
<p>The death of James McCudden was a terrible blow to the Allies. He was undoubtedly one of the most talented pilots of WWI. But for the McCudden family, coming after the loss of two other sons and a brother-in-law, it was a crushing event. The famous cliché of World War One’s “lost generation” had become more than mere words for them. </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>RELATED LINKS:</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/george-mcirish-mcelroy-world-war-one-ace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George “McIrish” McElroy: World War One Ace</a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3TtLRgp">“Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps”</a> by James McCudden<a href="https://amzn.to/3TtLRgp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12400779885?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/43aIheo">“McCudden V.C.” by Christopher Cole</a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3Vbnx48">“Fighter Pilots of World War I”</a> by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Jackson/e/B004N2VDW0/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Robert Jackson</a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/43mLA27">“VCs Air VCs (VCs of the First World War)”</a> by Peter G. Cjooksley</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._56_Squadron_RAF">No. 56 Squadron</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.theaerodrome.com/services/gbritain/rfc/56.php">No. 56 Squadron on aerodrome.com</a></p>
<p><a href="https://100objectskent.co.uk/object/james-mccudden-medals/#tab-location">McCudden Medals at Royal Engineers Museum, Kent</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/ww1-aircraft-timeline.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WW1 aircraft</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29612707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WW1 aviation</a></p>
<p><a href="https://conceptbunny.com/royal-aircraft-factory-s-e-5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Aircraft Factory S.E. 5 Cutaway Drawing</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.geni.com/people/Maj-James-McCudden-VC-DSO-Bar-MC-Bar-MM/6000000053411800932">James McCudden’s Genealogy</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7WI38vb4Mg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James McCudden, V.C (video)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytku_wr21p0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Last Flight of Werner Voss: Storm of Steel Military History</a> (Video)</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T6QldD9Ogw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World War One Aces Falling – McCudden and Mannock</a> (Video)</p>
<p><strong>MORE FROM WG ON WORLD WAR ONE</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/remembering-the-irish-who-fell-in-the-great-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Remembering the Irish Who Fell in 'The Great War'</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/for-this-son-of-meath-the-somme-holds-particular-resonance" target="_self">For This Son of Meath, the Somme Holds Particular Resonance</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/stubby-and-the-doughboy-an-irish-american-dog-face-and-his-dog" target="_self"><b>Pals to the End: A War Dog and His Irish-American Doughboy</b></a> (Below: A Fokker D, VII in flames.)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8911539899?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8911539899?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-right"/></a></span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/saluting-ireland-s-tommies" target="_self">Saluting Ireland’s Tommies</a><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/saluting-ireland-s-tommies" target="_self"></a><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/saluting-ireland-s-tommies" target="_self"></a><span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/a-brief-history-of-the-16th-irish-division" target="_self">A Brief History of the 16th 'Irish' Division</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tunnel-trench-16th-irish-division-clears-the-way-at-cambrai" target="_self">Tunnel Trench: 16th (Irish) Division Clears the Way at Cambrai</a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/forum/topics/american-legion-in-ireland" target="_self">American Legion in Ireland</a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/singer-promotes-ww1-music-of-irish-tommies" target="_self">Singer Promotes WW1 Music of Irish ‘Tommies’</a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/crossing-paths-with-meath-poet-soldier-francis-ledwidge" target="_self">Crossing Paths with Meath Poet-Soldier Francis Ledwidge</a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/a-soldier-s-story-sgt-lawrence-f-condon" target="_self">A Soldier's Story: Sgt. Lawrence F. Condon</a></span><span> </span><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://thenwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/poet-siegfried-sassoon-in-ireland" target="_self">Poet Siegfried Sassoon in Ireland</a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/the-christmas-truce-of-1914-when-enemies-joined-hands" target="_self">The Christmas Truce of 1914: When Enemies Joined Hands</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/pardon-for-irish-troops-dubbed-deserters" target="_self">Pardon for Irish Troops Dubbed Deserters</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/irish-soldiers-during-world-war-one" target="_self">Irish Soldiers During 'The Great War'</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/ireland-and-the-first-world-war-the-graves-of-john-condon-and" target="_self">Ireland and 'The Great War': Graves of John Condon and Willie Redmond</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/ireland-and-the-first-world-war-the-battle-of-mons-the-irish" target="_self">Ireland and The First World War: The Battle of Mons</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/new-figures-on-the-irish-that-fought-for-canada-in-ww1" target="_self">Figures on the Irish Who Fought for Canada in WW1</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/world-war-one-records" target="_self">World War One Records</a></strong></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: March 10 - March 16tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-10:6442157:BlogPost:3087312024-03-10T17:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722547?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722547?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200"></img></a> <span>MÁIRT</span></b> </font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 11, 1858</font>, Irish revolutionary Thomas James Clarke was born of Irish parents on the Isle of Wight but the family moved to Dungannon, County Tyrone, shortly after that. His father, James Clarke, was a sergeant in the British Army. Thomas spent part of his…</p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722547?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722547?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a><span>MÁIRT</span></b> </font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 11, 1858</font>, Irish revolutionary Thomas James Clarke was born of Irish parents on the Isle of Wight but the family moved to Dungannon, County Tyrone, shortly after that. His father, James Clarke, was a sergeant in the British Army. Thomas spent part of his early life in South Africa and the United States, as well as Ireland. At 21, living in the United States, he joined the<span> </span><i>Clan na Gael</i><span> </span>and was sent to England as part of the Clan's bombing campaign. Living there under the name of Henry Wilson, he was soon arrested and spent 15 torturous years in prison there before being released.</p>
<p>Following his release, he married Kathleen Daly, 21 years his junior. He had met her uncle, John Daly, in Pentonville prison. Thomas lived in the U.S. for a time again working with<span> </span><i>Clan na Gael</i><span> </span>under John Devoy, then returned to Ireland and helped reorganize the IRB. In 1915 Clarke and Sean MacDermott established the Military Committee of the IRB to plan what later became<span> </span><a href="https://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Easter Rising</a>. Its members included Patrick Pearse. Clarke was the first signer of the Proclamation of the Republic. Clarke served in the General Post Office during the Rising and surrendered along with the rest of that garrison on April 29th.</p>
<p>As was the case with the other leaders of the Rising, he was quickly tried in a sham military trial and sentenced to death. Thomas Clarke was executed at Kilmainham Jail on May 3, 1916.<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704327?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="320" class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704327?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></a></p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b> </font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 11, 1951</font>, Ulster firebrand and demagogue Ian Paisley (on left in photo with George Bush and <a title="Martin McGuinness" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_McGuinness">Martin McGuinness)</a><span> </span>formed the first Free Presbyterian Church. Paisley was born on April 6, 1926, in Armagh, County Armagh, and lived in the town of Ballymena, County Antrim as a child. His father, James, was a reverend in the Independent Baptist church.</p>
<p>Paisley has been a virulent opponent of the Roman Catholic Church his entire life; he protested putting the British flag at half-mast to mark the death of Pope John XXIII in June 1963. In the late 60s, he helped lead the violent opposition to Catholic civil rights. He was one of the leaders of the movement that destroyed the Sunningdale Agreement in the 70s, the demise of which contributed to 20 more years of horrendous violence in Northern Ireland. True to form, he violently opposes the Good Friday Agreement, the latest and most promising attempt at reconciling the two communities.</p>
<p>His DUP party eventually became the majority Unionist party and he finally relented and entered into a power-sharing government with the republican party he had so long vilified, Sinn Fein, serving as the First Minister of that government. In June 2008 he stepped down as leader of the DUP party and resigned as First Minister. <span>He passed away on</span><span> </span><span>September 12, 2014, in Belfast.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716622?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716622?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>SATHAIRN</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">March 16, 1828</font>, Patrick Cleburne, one of the finest generals produced by either side during America's long, bloody civil war was born at Bride Park Cottage in Ovens Township, Co. Cork, just outside Cork City. Robert E. Lee would one day say of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Patrick%20Cleburne&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Cleburne</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> , "In a field of battle he shone like a meteor on a clouded sky."</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Cleburne leading his troops in the bloody assault at Franklin -Image courtesy Don Troiani.)</span></strong></p>
<p>Cleburne's father was a physician. His early life was one of privilege and personal tragedy, for he never knew his mother, who died when he was 18 months old. After spending some time in the British army, Cleburne emigrated to the United States in 1849, eventually settling in Helena, Arkansas. He enlisted as a private in a local militia there shortly before the war began. His rise from that lowly rank would be dramatic. His former military experience soon had him elected captain. When his company and others were formed into the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557285454?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1557285454">1st Arkansas Infantry</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1557285454" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> at the beginning of the Civil War, he was elected its colonel. At <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=battle%20of%20Shiloh&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Shiloh</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, Richmond - where he was wounded in the mouth - and Perryville in 1862 his performance in command was recognized to be excellent, and he was promoted first to brigadier and then major general in command of a division. He would command with the same excellence to the end of his life, but would not receive another promotion beyond division command. Many believe this was primarily due to his advancement of the idea of enlisting slaves in the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/2421479">Confederate army</a> in return for their freedom in late 1863. In November 1864 Cleburne's division was part of the command of John Bell Hood at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=battle%20Franklin&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Franklin Tennessee</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> when Hood ordered an ill-advised frontal assault on a fortified Federal line. Cleburne went into the attack mounted, making him an easier target, and a ball struck him just below the heart, killing him. The south had lost one of its brightest stars.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><b><i>'This is the beginning, our fight has saved Ireland. The soldiers of tomorrow will finish the task.'</i></b><br/> -- Thomas Clarke, May 1916</p>
<p><strong><em>I will never sit down with Gerry Adams . . . he'd sit with anyone. He'd sit down with the devil. In fact, Adams does sit down with the devil.</em></strong><br/> -- Ian Paisley, February 13, 1997.</p>
<table width="110" align="left">
<tbody><tr><td><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716752?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="150" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716752?profile=RESIZE_180x180" class="align-center"/></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong><em>"Well, [General] Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men."</em></strong></p>
<p align="right"> -- Patrick Cleburne (left) to General Daniel Govan just before the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, where both were killed</p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">March - <i>Márta</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>10, 1810</strong><span> </span><span>- Sir Samuel Ferguson (Poet - Belfast)<br/> <strong>11, 1858</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/6th-in-the-series-thomas-clarke-the-easter-rising-leaders" target="_self">Thomas James Clarke</a> (Revolutionary - Isle of Wright.)</span><strong><br/> 12, 1700<span> </span></strong>- George Berkeley (Philosopher and Bishop - Co. Kilkenny)<strong><br/> 13, 1914</strong> - Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare (US Navy Aviator and Medal of Honor winner - St. Louis, MI.)<strong><br/> 14, 1894</strong><span> - William Earle "Moley" Molesworth (WWI Ace, 18 kills - Ireland)</span><strong><br/> 15, 1821</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/brevet-brigadier-general-peter-john-sullivan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter Sullivan (Union Gen. – Cork, Ireland)</a> <br/> <strong>15, 1852</strong> - Lady Gregory (Playwright - Loughrea, Co. Galway)<br/> <strong>16, 1828</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/cleburne-a-confederate-meteor" target="_self">Patrick Cleburne</a> (Confederate General - Ovens Township, Co. Cork)<br/> <strong>16, 1865</strong> – Patrick “Patsy” Donovan (<a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-irish-in-baseball" target="_self">Major League baseball</a> player & manager, Cobh, Co. Cork)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>10, 1653</strong> - Sir Phelim O'Neill, revolutionary, executed by the Engish.<br/> <strong>11, 1868</strong> - Irish-born Timothy P. Andrews, US general and veteran of the War of 1812 and Mexican war, dies in Washington DC.<br/> <strong>11, 1921</strong> - Sean Connolly, an organizer from Co. Longford, is one of the six Volunteers killed when Crown Forces raid a Volunteeer camp at Selton Hill, Co. Leitrim.<br/> <strong>11, 1921</strong> - Three RIC Constables shot and kill on at the Victoria Square & Church St. intersection in Belfast.<br/> <strong>11, 1951</strong> - Ian Paisley forms Free Presbyterian Church.</span><span><strong><br/> 12 1689</strong> - James II arrives in Ireland.<br/> <strong>12, 1798</strong> - Many of Dublin's United Irish leaders arrested.</span><span><strong><br/> 13, 1592</strong> - Foundation stone of Trinity College is laid by the mayor of Dublin.</span><strong><span><br/> 14, 1689 </span></strong>– Ulster Protestant force is defeated by Jacobites under Richard Hamilton at the “Break of Dromore,” in Co. Down.<strong><span><br/> 14, 1779 </span></strong>- John O'Flanagan, Col. in the Austrian army, dies in Felsberg.<br/> <strong>14, 1921</strong> – Volunteers Frank Flood, Pat Doyle, Thomas Bryan, and Bernard Ryan of Dublin, Thomas Whelen, Clifden, Co. Galway, and Paddy Moran of Crossna, Co. Roscommon, are hanged in Mountjoy Jail, Dublin.<strong><br/> 16 –April 6, 1812</strong> - The Hibernia regiment of Spain and Napoleon’s Irish Legion face each other at the siege of Badajoz during the Peninsular War.<br/> <strong>16, 1865</strong> - Irish born Martin Murphy, one of the greatest pioneers of early California, dies in near Santa Clara.<br/> <strong>16, 1919</strong> – Robert Barton, later one of the signers of the 1921 Treaty escapes from Mountjoy Prison with the help of Rory O’Connor.</p>Hearty Fare for St. Patrick’s Daytag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-09:6442157:BlogPost:3082352024-03-09T13:16:08.000ZMargaret M. Johnsonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MargaretMJohnson
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398597055?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398597055?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span> </span> Nothing warms the heart on St. Patrick’s Day more than the mashed potato-topped casserole known as Shepherd’s Pie. In a land where sheep were traditionally a primary food supply, it’s not surprising that lamb is the foundation for many Irish farmhouse dishes, especially this…</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398597055?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398597055?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span> </span> Nothing warms the heart on St. Patrick’s Day more than the mashed potato-topped casserole known as Shepherd’s Pie. In a land where sheep were traditionally a primary food supply, it’s not surprising that lamb is the foundation for many Irish farmhouse dishes, especially this long-time favorite originally created as an economical way to use leftover lamb. If you’re headed out to a parade, this make-ahead meat and vegetable pie, topped with a crust of mashed potatoes flavored with Kerrygold Cheddar or Dubliner cheese, is a perfect way to celebrate. You’ll find this and many more exciting recipes in my new cookbook <em>Delicious Ireland.</em> To order a signed copy, visit irishcook.com.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>SHEPHERD’S PIE WITH CHEDDAR CRUST</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Serves 6</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>3 tablespoons canola oil</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 pounds ground lamb</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 tablespoon butter</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 large onion, chopped</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 garlic clove, crushed</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>3 carrots, diced</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 tablespoons tomato paste</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 cup homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Salt</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Ground black pepper</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>3 cups mashed potatoes</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 tablespoons butter</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 cup grated Cheddar cheese</em></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Working in batches, cook the lamb for 5 to 7 minutes per batch, or until all the meat is browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a large bowl; discard the fat.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft but not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and flour; then stir in the broth, thyme, and parsley, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the lamb.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch baking dish with cooking oil spray. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes and half the cheese. Decoratively spread or pipe over the meat mixture; sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and the mixture is bubbling. Serve immediately.</li>
</ol>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398865473?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12398865473?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>Thomas Freeman: Irish Surveyor for Washington, Jefferson and Hamiltontag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-09:6442157:BlogPost:3088452024-03-09T04:30:00.000ZDon Grayhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DonGray
<p>Thomas Freeman had a national reputation for precision and trustworthiness. He was a government surveyor, civil - topographical engineer and astronomer during the formative period of the Republic. Freeman was an Irish immigrant who caught the attention of master surveyor George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. As a result Freeman had a significant role in laying out the District of Columbia. Freeman was engaged in 1808 as the chief surveyor of the Mississippi…</p>
<p>Thomas Freeman had a national reputation for precision and trustworthiness. He was a government surveyor, civil - topographical engineer and astronomer during the formative period of the Republic. Freeman was an Irish immigrant who caught the attention of master surveyor George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. As a result Freeman had a significant role in laying out the District of Columbia. Freeman was engaged in 1808 as the chief surveyor of the Mississippi Territory.[1]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>George Washington was an avid land surveyor throughout his life. Washington was naturally suited to the challenges presented by laying lines and charting tracts in the Virginia back country. Surveying was a profession that presented the promise of social and financial advancement. At one time Washington owned nearly 70,000 acres. He continued to survey until November 5, 1799, five weeks before his death.[2] <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p><b>Washington's decisive involvement in the French and Indian War, in which he served as lieutenant colonel of the newly formed Virginia Regiment, was due in part to the back country knowledge and map-making skills he had gained from surveying. He gained an understanding of overall strategy, especially in locating strategic geographical points.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p>
<p>Some of our greatest frontiersmen were surveyors, including George Washington and Daniel Boone, probably the most famous frontiersman of them all. Frontier surveyors found the job dangerous but lucrative. Irishman Thomas Freeman became a very important and successful surveyor in a young America. Another Irish surveyor who was a friend of Thomas Freeman was United Irishman Nicholas Gray. His son Nicholas Jr. was also an accomplished surveyor. Nicholas Gray Jr, was the chief clerk in the office of Thomas Freeman, when he was the Surveyor General South of Tennessee.</p>
<p>The work of Thomas Freeman is still recognized for its accuracy and thoroughness. As one of the pioneers in the field of surveying the public domain, he aided in establishing policies and procedures which were latter incorporated into printed manuals distributed by the General Land Office of the United States.[3]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Freeman left no direct descendants and made no effort to preserve his personal papers. No portrait has been found. There has been very little recorded about Freeman's family background, education, and personal life. He came from Ireland to the United States in 1784 and settled in the western part of Pennsylvania in the Red Stone Creek area. While on a tour of his western properties General George Washington recorded in his diary on September 17, 1784, that he had "agreed this day with Major Thomas Freeman to superintend my business over the mountains, upon terms to be inserted in his instructions,"[4] <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>The letter below is from George Washington to Thomas Freeman, September 23, 1784</p>
<p>[23 September 1784]</p>
<p>Sir,</p>
<p>The situation of my affairs on the Western Waters in the State of Pennsylvania & Virginia, requiring a Superintendent; & you having been pleased to accept the appointment, I must beg leave to point out to you the performance of such duties as are particularly necessary.</p>
<p>These will be to settle Tenants upon my Land; collect the rents which will arise therefrom—the Debts which will proceed from the sale of my copartnership effects—such others as may be due to me from persons living as above; and in general, to act & do (where no particular instruction is given) in the same manner as you would for yourself under like circumstances; endeavouring in all cases by fair & lawful means to promote my interest in this Country.[5] </p>
<p>signed George Washington </p>
<p>Thomas Jefferson, America’s 3rd president in 1773 was hired as a surveyor in Virginia. Jefferson came from a land surveying family as his father, Peter Jefferson was called the “land surveyor for the crown". Thomas Jefferson was the vision behind the Lewis and Clark expedition and promoted surveying during this exploration through the Louisiana Purchase.</p>
<p>President Thomas Jefferson wanted to know what the Louisiana Purchase really was and could be. In August 1803, he sent Lewis and Clark on a mission from St. Louis. For a second trip the president chose Thomas Freeman, a proven surveyor/naturalist, as the leader. This group left from Natchez in April 1806, before the first returned. Successful scientifically, the trip was interrupted by Spanish Military 615 miles upriver, just west of Texarkana, after the Spaniards were tipped about the trip. The Spaniards had not settled on what land they still owned.[6]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>After visiting Jefferson for dinner,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> Thomas Freeman was selected to lead the expedition. Thomas Jefferson states that Freeman is to me, the most exciting man in early Huntsville.</p>
<p><b>Thomas Jefferson Instructions to Thomas Freeman</b></p>
<p>To Thomas Freeman, Esquire April 14th, 1804</p>
<p>The government of the U.S. being desirous of informing itself of the extent of the country lately ceded to them under the name of Louisiana, to have the same with its principal rivers, geographically delineated, to learn the character of its soil, climate, productions, & inhabitants, you are appointed to explore.</p>
<p><b>Doctor. George Hunter of Philadelphia will accompany you, as a fellow labourer & counsellor in the same service, while the ultimate direction of the expedition is left to yourself. He is to make observations, to note courses and to enquire into the same subjects recommended to you. Should the accident of death happen to you, he is to succeed to the direction of the expedition, and to all the powers which you possess. Should he also die, the officer attending you, & subject to your orders, will immediately return with his party in the way he shall deem best bringing the papers & other effects belong to the mission. </b></p>
<p><b>Given under my hand and seal at Monticello this 14th day of April 1804 [7]</b></p>
<p><b>signed Thomas Jefferson</b></p>
<p>In 1810, Thomas Freeman became the Surveyor General South of Tennessee. George Washington had appointed him to survey the boundary line between the United States and Spanish Florida. Freeman served until his death in 1821 and gave stability to a district.</p>
<p>In a vast wilderness where no man knew much about the lands, no one knew more than the surveyors. It was not surprising that most surveyors connected themselves in one way or another with the buying and selling of lands. Surveyors had to hire several hands, chairmen, foresters to cut down brush and timber along the line of survey, and a hunter to provide meat, the occupation was lucrative to who would work long hours under difficult conditions.[8]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>The Surveyor general, Thomas Freeman, was a man of technical skill and administrative competence. Surveying such an area was dangerous work. There was the problems of high water, difficult terrain, and complex private claims. Freeman added the pirates of the Southwest included a variety of freebooters, pirates and bandits prospered. Freeman described one band of more than five hundred men that counted among its equipment half a dozen armed vessels.[9]</p>
<p>Thomas Freeman, the Surveyor General South of Tennessee, considered that the large number of militant intruders in his district threatened orderly public sales. He thought that even if the lands in the district west of Pearl River could be marketed, the sales “cannot with safety, or propriety, be opened and conducted in that District. It is very evident to me that no gentleman would be safe in that District who would bid for, or purchase any of the squatters’ settlements.”[10]</p>
<p>The following is taken from "Territorial Papers of the United States by Carter Vol VI Mississippi" <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Thomas Freeman to Josiah Meigs, commissioner of the General Land Office of the United States, at Washington. St Stephens April12th, 1816</p>
<p>I have written to General Andrew Jackson who is now in Orleans informing him of the time and place we should commence our labours, requesting his timely assistance and protection for the Surveyors.</p>
<p>There has been Murders and Robberies in the tract of country we shall be employed in. Our Surveyors will be incapable of protecting themselves. t The Indians are embittered for the loss of their country and no doubt eager for revenge. If a Regiment were necessary to protect the running of the bound line adjoining the friendly Creeks.</p>
<p>signed Thomas Freeman</p>
<p>Nicholas Gray writes on April 29, 1816 from Washington, Mississippi Territory and reports to Brig. General Parker that General Andrew Jackson is in good health. " General Jackson was through here on the 25th, on his way to Nashville from New Orleans in good health." [General Andrew Jackson was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>United Irishman Nicholas Gray, was a friend of Thomas Freeman. Nicholas Gray was also a surveyor and engineer. Gray was appointed register of the land office in the Mississippi Territory, March 30, 1815.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p> Nicholas Gray was assigned to the district west of Pearl River, with its land office at Washington, near Natchez. Surveyor General Thomas Freeman advises Gray to follow the advice of the more experienced Receiver of Public Monies, on October 6, 1815. There was a disagreement at the land auction that took place at the West of Pearl office.[11]</p>
<p>On November 24th, 1821 , Nicholas Gray Jr, chief clerk in the office of the Surveyor General South of Tennessee , wrote to the Commissioner of the General Land Office Josiah Meigs, that he had the melancholy task of informing him of the death of Major Thomas Freeman. signed Nicholas Gray [12]</p>
<p>Natchez, December 26, 1923</p>
<p>I certify that I was employed by Thomas Freeman, esq. late surveyor of the lands of the United States south of the State of Tennessee, as clerk in his office, before the month of May, 1821, and that I continued to perform the duties of clerk in the surveyor's office until the month of April, 1822.</p>
<p>signed Nicholas Gray Jr. [13]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/paper/natchez-gazette/4898/"><b>Natchez Gazette</b></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/paper/natchez-gazette/4898/"><b>Natchez, Mississippi • Sat, Nov 24, 1821</b></a></p>
<p>At Huntsville, [Alabama], on the 8th inst. Major Thomas Freeman, of Washington, Mississippi, Surveyor General of Public Lands South of Tennessee. The death of this gentleman will be deeply lamented by the society in which he moved. The urbanity of his manner, the amiability of his disposition, and the honorable uprightness of his deportment, endeared him to all his acquaintances. To the country the loss is most serious; for few men are to be found who are as well qualified to fill the important office which he held-scientific judicious. The most persevering industry and rigid integrity, were the strongest traits of his public character, and enabled him to afford the highest degree of usefulness---Republican.[14]</p>
<p></p>
<p><span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/irish-surveyor-nicholas-gray-jr-the-california-gold-rush"><b>Irish Surveyor Nicholas Gray Jr.: The California Gold Rush</b></a></span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/nicholas-gray-irish-rebel-war-of-1812-land-office"><b>Nicholas Gray: Irish Rebel - War of 1812 - Land Office</b></a></span></p>
<p><span><b>United Irishman Nicholas Gray: Mississippi Territory -- 'Believe Me, Sir, I Fear No Man' Part 1</b></span></p>
<p><span><b>United Irishman Nicholas Gray: Mississippi Territory "Believe me Sir, I fear no man" [Part -2]</b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p>1. Huntsville History Collection</p>
<p>2. Surveying George Washington Presidential Library</p>
<p>3. Frances C. Roberts: Thomas Freeman, Surveyor</p>
<p>4. Frances C. Roberts: Thomas Freeman, Surveyor</p>
<p>5. National Archives Founders Online</p>
<p>6. Huntsville Historical Review Volume 46</p>
<p>7. The Library of Congress</p>
<p>8.The Land Office Business by Malcolm J. Rohrbough</p>
<p>9.The Land Office Business by Malcolm J. Rohrbough</p>
<p>10. The Land Office Business by Malcolm J. Rohrbough</p>
<p>11. The Land Office Business by Malcolm J. Rohrbough</p>
<p>12. American State Papers</p>
<p>13. American State Papers</p>
<p>14. Natchez Gazette</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: March 3 - March 9tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-03:6442157:BlogPost:3089522024-03-03T01:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716662?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716662?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a></p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span></b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">March 4, 1804,</font> in Australia, former United Irishmen stage a small insurrection that ended with a short fight at Castle Hill. Starting in 1799 the British had been shipping many of the leaders and participants of the Rising 1798 Rising to “Van Diemen’s Land”…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716662?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716662?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span></b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">March 4, 1804,</font> in Australia, former United Irishmen stage a small insurrection that ended with a short fight at Castle Hill. Starting in 1799 the British had been shipping many of the leaders and participants of the Rising 1798 Rising to “Van Diemen’s Land” (Australia). Once there they did not change their anti-government mindsets. Some saw their fight against the same foe as merely transferred from Ireland to Australia.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left</strong></span><span class="font-size-1"><strong>: Convict uprising at Castle Hill 1804, unknown artist. National Library of Australia.)</strong></span></p>
<p>As evening fell in the 4<sup>th</sup>, Phillip Cunningham, a veteran of the 1798 rebellion, led about 300 Irish convicts in a rising at Castle Hill. They lit a fire as a signal to a much larger group of convicts, over 1,000, in the Green’s Hill area to join them in the revolt. It was not seen, however, leaving the Castle Hill rebels on their own. They overpowered the constables guarding them, seizing a small number of firearms. The plan was to meet up with the Green’s Hill group at Constitution Hill and then march on Parramatta, where they hoped to raid an arsenal. They would then march on Sydney with enough numbers to overwhelm government forces there, hoping to seize a ship to sail home. They split into small groups hoping to raid local farms for arms before reforming on Constitution Hill, but many got lost and never got there.</p>
<p>As it was the militia were alerted before the rebels could reach Parramatta and stopped them there. Major George Johnston of the New South Wales Corps arrived on the scene, and along with a number of armed civilians, confronted the rebel force. When asked to surrender the rebels replied “death or liberty, and a ship to take us home.” The far better-armed government forces routed the rebels. Fifteen were killed there and fifteen more as the scattered remnants were pursued. Seven of the returned prisoners were given 200 to 500 lashes as punishment. Nine were executed, including Cunningham. Two, William Johnston and Samuel Humes, had their bodies cold-bloodedly left hanging over the road at Parramatta. The whip and gallows “justice” system of Ireland had been directly transferred to Australia.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717130?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717130?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-right"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">March 5, 1921,</font><span> </span>during the Irish War of Independence, an ambush by the Irish Volunteers at Clonbanin, Co. Cork killed British General Hanway Cumming and twelve other British soldiers. Seán Moylan, commander of the North Cork Flying Column, had information that General Peter Strickland, the British commander in Munster province, was on an inspection tour in Kerry.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: Three members of a Cork Flying column.)</strong></span></p>
<p>Knowing Strickland would have a large number of soldiers guarding his column, Moylan called in the Volunteers from the Millstreet, Charleville, and Newmarket battalions and also from the Kerry No. 2 Brigade.</p>
<p>Moylan selected the spot where he expected Strickland’s column to pass through at Clonbanin, Co. Cork, five miles east of Rathmore on the road from Killarney to <span>Buttevant in Co. Cork</span> and set up the ambush on the morning of the 5th. They were well-armed in comparison to most Flying Column ambushes during the war, with a Hotchkiss gun that had been captured from the British at Mallow, along with mines and perhaps as many as 100 armed troops. They set up two mines, planning to blow up one at the front and back of the British convoy. The plan was for Moylan to blow up a mine as a signal to open fire. At 10 am they saw three British trucks approaching from the east, rather than the west. Clearly, this wasn’t Strickland’s convoy. Fortunately for the men in those trucks, but not for General Cumming and the other victims of the later attack, Moylan decided to let them pass hoping for the bigger prize. The Volunteers were so close they heard an accordion being played in one of the trucks.</p>
<p>A little after 2 pm a larger convoy approached from the west. There were two trucks, then a staff car, an armored car, and another truck. This appeared to be the Strickland convoy they were waiting for, but in fact was the convoy of General Cumming, who was in the staff car. Moylan triggered the mine as the first truck reached it, but failed to explode. But the Hotchkiss gun opened fire to signal the attack and the first truck the convoy went off the road into the roadside ditch. The armored car went off the road as well. As Cumming excited his car he was hit in the head and killed. The fighting went on for about two hours, but the Vickers gun in the armored car remained in action and kept the IRA at bay. With their ammo running low, and always aware that British reinforcements could arrive at any moment, the Volunteers withdrew. British casualties were said to be 13 dead and 15 wounded. Some estimates were lower, but the British had definitely lost a general and the Volunteers had suffered no casualties at all. It was one of the IRA's more lopsided victories of the war.</p>
<p>Read more about the ambush <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-clonbanin-ambush-to-hell-with-surrender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE.</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716683?profile=original" target="_self"><font color="#008040"><img width="400" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84716683?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></font></a></strong><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DEARDAOIN</span> </b></font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 6, 1831</font>, Philip Sheridan, one of the greatest Union generals in the American Civil War, was born. We know he was the son of Irish immigrants, but his place of birth is uncertain, with Albany, New York; somewhere in Ohio; at sea; and County Cavan, Ireland, all rumored as his birthplace. Less uncertain is his place among Union generals; he was one of the finest of the war.<span> </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1oYpPRt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sheridan</a> had an undistinguished pre-war Army career, which came on the heels of a stormy career at West Point, from which he was nearly expelled for fighting with a fellow cadet.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left: Library of Congress: Phil Sheridan and his staff in the field.)</strong></span></p>
<p>After eight years in the Army, the diminutive Sheridan -- 5'5" -- was only a 2nd lieutenant when the Civil War began. He languished as a supply officer for the first year of the war. It seemed Phil Sheridan was destined for obscurity, but suddenly that destiny took a turn. On May 25, 1862, he was appointed colonel of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry. By September Sheridan was a brigadier general; in March '63 he made a major general. The brilliant assault of his command on<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572332379?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1572332379">Missionary Ridge</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1572332379" border="0"/><span> </span>brought him to the attention of U.S. Grant. In spring 1864, Grant brought Sheridan to Washington and put him in charge of all the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac. In the East he showed the same aggressiveness he had in the West, seeking confrontations with Stuart's cavalry. His troopers killed Confederate cavalry commander<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306806053?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0306806053">J.E.B. Stuart</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0306806053" border="0"/><span> </span>at Yellow Ford in May. Later that year Grant gave the 33-year-old Sheridan an independent command in the<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807830054?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0807830054">Shenandoah Valley</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807830054" border="0"/>. There Sheridan made his famous ride to the battlefield of Cedar Creek, saving his imperiled army. Returning to Grant's army, Sheridan was instrumental in the victory at Five Forks, which sealed the fate of Richmond, and later he cut off Lee's retreat at Appomattox. After the war, he rose to full general and commanded the entire army. Philip Sheridan died on August 5, 1888, in Nonquitt, Massachusetts, and was buried at<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890627143?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1890627143">Arlington National Cemetery</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1890627143" border="0"/>.</p>
<p>Read more about the life of Sheridan:<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/scrappy-phil-sheridan-the-u-s-army-s-little-big-man" target="_self">Scrappy Phil Sheridan - The U.S. Army's Little Big Man</a></p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84710518?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84710518?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>CÉADAOIN</span> </b></font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 7, 1921</font>, Limerick Mayor George Clancy was shot and killed in his home. Clancy came from a family with a strong republican tradition. In college, he joined the Gaelic League, forming a branch at University College Dublin and recruiting other students to join. Among those others were Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, Tomás MacCurtain, Terence MacSwiney, and James Joyce. It is said that Clancy was the model for the character of Davin in Joyce's<span> </span><i>Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man</i>. After college, Clancy taught Irish at Clongowes Wood, a college administered by the Jesuits, and was active in the Gaelic Athletic Association. Clancy helped in<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0099958600?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0099958600">Eamon de Valera's</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0099958600" border="0"/><span> </span>election campaign in East Clare. He nearly died of swine flu during the 1918 epidemic but recovered and in January 1921 he was elected Mayor of Limerick. Though Clancy took no active part in the violence of the War of Independence, on the morning of March 7, 1921, masked men burst into his home and shot him dead. Suspicion immediately fell upon members of the<span> </span><i>Black and Tans</i>, but a British inquiry into the murder, like most such inquiries through the years, absolved Crown forces of any blame.</p>
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<tr><td><center><b><span class="font-size-1">Anne Bonny</span></b></center>
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<p><font color="#008040"><strong><b><span>AOINE</span></b></strong></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 8, 1700</font>, or perhaps a year or two earlier,<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595373046?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0595373046">Anne Bonny</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0595373046" border="0"/><span> </span>(née Cormac), destined to become arguably the most famous<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0822500310?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0822500310">woman pirate</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0822500310" border="0"/><span> </span>in history, was born in County Cork, Ireland. Anne was rumored to be the product of a liaison between her mother, Mary Brennan, and lawyer William Cormac, by whom Mary was employed as a housemaid. It was also rumored (nearly everything known about Anne's life is a rumor) that Cormac's wife learned of the affair and drove Mary from the house. Mary and Anne then traveled to the new world, settling in Charleston, South Carolina. The teenage Anne ran off with a soon-to-be pirate by the name of James Bonny. She and James traveled to the pirate haven of New Providence Island in the Bahamas. There Anne had soon dumped her husband, perhaps because he became an informer, and took up with pirate captain<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159013060X?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=159013060X">"Calico" Jack Rackam</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=159013060X" border="0"/>. She may have become his lover and had a child with Jack and left it to be raised by others in Cuba. Anne later became very "friendly" with another member of the crew, whom she may have mistaken for a man, but whom she soon discovered was actually Mary Read. It seems quite likely that the two of them became lovers. Though there are few things in Anne's life that are certain, one that seems to be, is that she was a fierce fighter. Perhaps this was a result of her feeling the need to prove herself to the male crew. She and Mary were known to be "fierce hell cats" in battle. Their battling days came to an end on November 16, 1720, when their ship was captured by Captain Jonathan Barnett of the Royal Navy, a former pirate himself. The entire crew was hanged, save Mary and Anne. They were saved when they "pled their bellies," i.e. claimed to be pregnant, which was confirmed by the court's doctor. That both were pregnant seems unlikely, and thus another rumor inserts a friendly doctor here. Anne disappears from history at that point. The various tales have her being hanged a year later, returning home to South Carolina, returning to her husband, settling down on some Caribbean island, owning a pub in the south of England, or living out her days with Mary somewhere in Louisiana. Whichever of the rumors of her life are true, there is no question that she lived a more adventurous life than most women of her time.</p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>AOINE</span></b></font></strong> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 8, 1903</font>,<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NOHPM4?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000NOHPM4">Charles Gavan Duffy</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000NOHPM4" border="0"/>, Young Irelander leader, was buried in<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1851828176?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1851828176">Glasnevin Cemetery</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1851828176" border="0"/>, Dublin. Along with Thomas Davis and John Blake Dillon, he founded<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1903497027?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1903497027">The Nation</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1903497027" border="0"/><span> </span>in 1842, the journal that was the soul of the Young Ireland movement. In 1855, despairing of Irish politics, he voluntarily emigrated to Australia. There he entered politics and rose to be Prime Minister of the colony of Victoria and was knighted by the Queen. He retired to France in 1880, spending his time writing until his death in Nice on February 9, 1903. His body was returned to Ireland and interred at Glasnevin.</p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Left to right: Harry Boland, Michael Collins, and Eamon de Valera</span></b></td>
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<p><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>SATHAIRN</span></strong> </b></font>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">March 9, 1932,</font><span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060171219?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060171219">Eamon de Valera</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060171219" border="0"/><span> </span>formed his first Free State government. Eamon was born on October 14, 1882, in New York City, of an Irish mother from County Limerick and a Spanish father. When his father died in 1885 his mother sent Eamon back to Bruree, County Limerick to be raised as an Irishman from the age of three by his grandmother, Elizabeth Coll.</p>
<p>Following his graduation from college, he taught mathematics at several different colleges. His political activism began through an interest in the Irish language which caused him to join the Gaelic League in 1908, where he also met his future wife, Sinèad Flanagan. De Valera joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and rose to become commandant of the 3rd Battalion and adjutant of the Dublin Brigade as well as becoming a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization that controlled the Irish Volunteers. During the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">Easter Rising</a><span> </span>in 1916, he commanded the 3rd Battalion at Boland's Mills and was the last commander in the city to surrender. Though he was sentenced to death, his US birth probably saved his life, as his sentence was commuted to life in prison.</p>
<p>When he was released under a general amnesty in June 1917 he was elected as the Sinn Fein candidate for MP from East Clare, a post he would hold until 1959. De Valera became president of Sinn Fein in October and led Sinn Fein to a huge victory in the 1918 elections. He was arrested by the British as part of their bogus "German Plot" in May 1918 and was in prison when Sinn Fein MPs meet in Dublin and declared themselves an Irish parliament, known as Dàil Éireann. De Valera was broken out of prison by Harry Boland and Michael Collins in February 1919</p>
<p>A trip to the US following his escape designed to help raise funds for the Irish cause from the Irish American community did not go well, as his relations with several US leaders were strained, but money did flow from the US for the Irish cause in spite of his problems. Following the truce that ended the Irish War of Independence in 1921 de Valera made a controversial decision not to be on the committee negotiating the Anglo-Irish Treaty. His opposition to that treaty led to the tragic Irish Civil War.</p>
<p>Following the defeat of the anti-treaty forces in the Civil War, de Valera founded a new party, Fianna Fáil (The Warriors of Destiny), in March 1926. It would become the dominant Irish Party of the 20th century. In 1932 the party won a majority in the Dáil and formed a government with the Labour Party, putting de Valera in charge. He immediately began a campaign to remove all visible and eventually all actual connections to Great Britain and would continue that process as his party held power over the next 16 years. He would keep Ireland neutral during WWII, and controversially offer condolences to the German Ambassador following Hitler's suicide in 1945.</p>
<p>The process of totally ending Ireland's connections to Great Britain would culminate on April 18, 1949, when Ireland was declared a republic, though not by de Valera, but his successor Taoiseach John Costello after de Valera was voted out of power in 1947. De Valera would be voted back into power in 1951, out in 1954, and in again in 1957, and then would be elected President of Ireland in 1959. He would hold the post until 1973 when he retired. He would pass away on August 29, 1975.</p>
<p>Eamon de Valera was a controversial figure in Irish history, but whether for good or ill, there is no question that he was the towering figure of 20th century Ireland.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><b><i>"You will find him big enough for the purpose before we get through with him."</i></b><br/> -- Ulysses Grant to a staff officer who thought Phil Sheridan was too small to lead the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac.</p>
<p><b><i>"Did Sheridan say that? He usually knows what he is talking about. Let him go ahead and do it."</i></b><br/> -- Ulysses Grant to Gen. George Meade, after Meade said Sheridan had insisted his troopers could beat Jeb Stuart if given a chance.</p>
<p><b><i><strong>"I am sorry to see you here Jack, but if you had fought like a man, you need not be hanged like a dog."</strong><span> </span> --</i></b> <i>Anne Bonny to the imprisoned captain of her ship, and father of her child, "Calico Jack" Rackham.</i></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">March - <i>Márta</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>4, 1778</strong><span> - Robert Emmet (Revolutionary - Dublin)</span><br/> <strong>4, 1898</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/review-of-emmet-dalton-somme-soldier-irish-general-film-pioneer" target="_self">General Emmet Dalton</a><span> (Revolutionary, aide to Michael Collins.)</span><strong><br/>
6, 1751</strong><span> </span>- Edward Marcus Despard (Colonel in the British army and revolutionary, Mountrath, Co. Laois)<br/>
<strong>6, 1791</strong> - John MacHale (Archbishop of Tuam - Tirawley, Co. Mayo.)<br/>
<strong>6, 1831</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/scrappy-phil-sheridan-the-u-s-army-s-little-big-man" target="_self">Philip Sheridan</a><span> </span>(Union General - son of Irish immigrants rumored to have been born in Ireland.)<strong><br/>
8, 1700<span> </span>(?)</strong> - Anne Bonny (née Cormac) (Female pirate - County Cork) <strong><br/>
9, 1913</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/from-dunkirk-to-nagasaki-the-long-war-of-dr-aidan-maccarthy" target="_self">Dr. Aidan MacCarthy,</a> (RAF MD and WWII POW – Castletownbere, Co. Cork)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>3, 1831</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-tithe-war-in-ireland-no-10-solution">The first clash of the Tithe War</a>, Irish Constabulary members entered Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny, to seize cattle in lieu of payment of the tithe.<br/> <strong>3, 1921</strong> - During the Irish War of Independence, the West Waterford column of the <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/co-waterford-burgery-ambush-march-19-1921" target="_self">Irish Volunteers under George Lennon</a> ambush a train at Durrow Station, Co. Waterford<br/>
<strong>4, 1704</strong> - Penal Laws passed in 1695 restricting Catholic civil rights strengthened<br/>
<strong>4, 1804</strong> - In Australia former United Irishmen stage a small insurrection that ends with a short fight at Castle Hill.<br/>
<strong>4, 1902</strong> - Ancient Order of Hibernians in Ireland revived at unity council.<br/>
<strong>4, 1919</strong> – The US House of Representatives passes a resolution asking the Paris Peace Conference to “favorably consider the claims of Ireland to self-determination.”</span><strong><br/>
5, 1779</strong> - Boston Massacre, 5 killed, including Irish immigrant Patrick Carr. <br/>
<strong>5, 1867</strong> - Fenian Rising in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Clare and Tipperary Counties.<br/>
<strong>5, 1921</strong> - During the <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-clonbanin-ambush-to-hell-with-surrender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish War of Independence an IRA ambush at Clonbanin</a>, Co. Cork killed British general Hanway Cumming and three other soldiers.<strong><br/>
6, 1794</strong> - James O’Moran, general in the French army is guillotined in Place du Trône renversé, France.<br/>
<strong>6, 1836</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/derryman-robert-evans-last-man-standing-at-the-alamo">Derryman Major Robert Evans dies at the Alamo</a> in San Antonio, Texas.<br/>
<strong>6-19, 1924</strong> - Reduction of the Irish Army by 20,000 at the end of the Civil War nearly causes a mutiny.<strong><br/>
7, 1921</strong> - Tom Maguire’s South Mayo IRA flying column under Tom Maguire surrounds a British army patrol at Kilfall, between Ballinrobe and Castlebar, forcing it to surrender and give up its arms.<br/>
<strong>7, 1921</strong><span> -</span> Limerick Mayor George Clancy shot and killed in his home by disguised members of the Black and Tans.<strong><br/>
8, 1574<span> </span>-</strong> Captain William Martin lays siege to <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/grace-o-malley-the-pirate-queen-1" target="_self">Granuaile (Grace O'Malley)</a> in Rockfleet castle.<br/>
<strong>8, 1779</strong> - Don Hugo O'Conor, governor of the Yucatán dies at Quinta de Miraflores, just east of Mérida.<br/>
<strong>8, 1903</strong> - Charles Gavan Duffy, Young Irelander, buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.<br/>
<strong>8, 1921</strong> – The Kanturk Battion of the Cork No. 2 Brigade abushes an RIC patrol in Shronebeha, killing one constable<br/>
<strong>8 1966</strong> - Nelson's Pillar in Dublin, Ireland, destroyed by a bomb.<br/>
<strong>9, 1795</strong> - Irish-born Revolutionary War general John Armstrong dies at Carlisle, PA.<br/>
<strong>9, 1825</strong> - Parliament passes the Unlawful Societies act.<br/>
<strong>9, 1932</strong> - Eamon de Valera forms his first Free State government. </p>This Week in the History of the Irish: February 25 - March 2tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-02-25:6442157:BlogPost:3085292024-02-25T04:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b> </font></strong>-- On <font color="blue">February 25, 1891</font>, Edward "Ned" Daly, one of the leaders of the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">Easter Rising</a>, was born in a home on Frederick Street in Limerick city. Edward's family was staunchly republican. His…</p>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b> </font></strong>-- On <font color="blue">February 25, 1891</font>, Edward "Ned" Daly, one of the leaders of the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">Easter Rising</a>, was born in a home on Frederick Street in Limerick city. Edward's family was staunchly republican. His father and uncle were <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Fenians</a>. His uncle, John, served 12 years in English prisons. Edward's sister, Kathleen, married Thomas Clarke, another leader of the Easter Rising. Edward joined the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgstore3" target="new">Irish Volunteers</a> in 1913 and became captain of one of their companies and then advanced to battalion command.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: National Library of Ireland - Edward Daly, 1916 martyr, in his Irish Volunteers uniform.)</span></b></p>
<p>His unit was charged with holding the Four Courts area during the Rising, which took place in April 1916. Though pressed hard and attacked by superior numbers of British troops, Daly's men managed to hold out until the very end, inflicting heavy casualties. After <a>Patrick Pearse</a> ordered the surrender Saturday evening, Daly was held at Kilmainham Jail. He was given the same quick sham court-martial at Richmond Barracks as the other leaders of the Rising. On the morning of May 4, Edward Daly died for Ireland, shot<span> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719969?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722508?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="266" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>MÁIRT</strong></span> </b></font>- On<span> </span><font color="blue">February 27, 1735,</font> Thomas Conway, a soldier in French and U.S. armies, was born in Cloghane, County Kerry. Conway was taken to France at the age of six to be educated and, in 1749, he joined the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/irishbrigade_fr">Irish Brigade of France</a><span> </span>and served in the Clare Regiment. He served in the French army until 1776, seeing combat and rising to the rank of colonel. When the Americans came looking for officers to help their fledgling army against the much better trained and armed British, Conway volunteered. He was made a brigadier general on arrival in America and served well in several battles. But when Washington refused to promote him to major general over several American generals, Conway turned against him. He entered into discussions and intrigues with several other officers with the intent of replacing Washington with<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807101591?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807101591">General Horatio Gates</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807101591" border="0"/>. This group was later named after him as the "Conway Cabal." It failed, but Conway was promoted to major general and Inspector General of the army over several American brigadiers in spite of Washington's objections.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Thomas Conway.)</span></strong></p>
<p>His fortunes in the U.S. Army went downhill from there. He asked to be Lafayette's second in command, but Lafayette refused and Conway had to accept being third. Later, he complained to his friends in Congress who had gotten him the first promotion, threatening to resign, as he had the first time. But his star was on the wane this time and they accepted it. Things went from bad to worse when he fought a duel with a militia general (some say over Conway's attitude toward Washington) and was shot in the mouth.</p>
<p>Conway lived, and during his recovery, he wrote a conciliatory letter to Washington, but he never replied. The ill-starred general returned to France in 1779 and was welcomed back into the French army, shortly earning the rank of major general. He was made governor of all French possessions in India in 1787, but after the Revolution his royalist leaning caused him to be returned to France. There the veteran conspirator returned to that activity, this time in favor of the royalty. Unlike some other<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1845740173?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1845740173">Irish Brigade</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1845740173" border="0"/><span> </span>veterans, he escaped with his head and was for a time an officer in an attempted "Irish Brigade" in the British army. He died in 1800.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84710374?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84710374?profile=RESIZE_320x320" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><font color="#008040"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84710374?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right"/></font></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>AOINE</span> </b></font>-- On <font color="blue">March 1, 1776</font>, Irish-born Andrew Lewis was appointed a brigadier general in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Continental%20Army%20revolutionary%20war&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Continental Army</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/>. Andrew's father's reportedly fled to the colonies after killing his landlord in self-defense. The family settled in Virginia. Given their father's history in Ireland, it is not surprising that two of the Lewis brothers would fight in the revolutionary army. Andrew's brother William would rise from lieutenant to major before being captured in 1780. Andrew's military career predated the Revolution.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Andrew_Lewis.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From Wikipedia</a>: Statue of Andrew Lewis, Point Pleasant, West Virginia.)</strong></span></p>
<p>He served with Washington during the <em>French and Indian War</em>, seeing extensive action after that with Braddock. Andrew was captured by the French in 1758 and sent to Montreal. After the war, he saw action against the Indians on the Virginia frontier during Dunmore's War. Another brother, Charles, was killed under Andrew's command during that war. Lewis's military experience led to his promotion to brigadier general in 1776. In July of that year, he helped drive British Governor Dunmore from Virginia. Ironically, this was the same man who gave his name to the war in which Lewis had earlier fought. Lewis took umbrage at his passing over for promotion in the years that followed. His old friend from the <em>French and Indian War</em>, George Washington, tried to console him, but Lewis resigned April 15, 1777, citing "ill health." Lewis remained in the Virginia militia and died in 1781.</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read more about the Revolutionary War at the</span> <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/march/index.html" target="new">Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution</a>.</b>.</li>
</ul>
<p><span><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>'What a glorious reunion we'll have in Heaven, eh? Sure Katie, I'll give Tom* your love. First thing I'll do. As for me, girls, I'm proud of what I did. Next time, we'll win. I'm only sorry I won't be there to do my bit.'</i></b><br/> -- Edward Daly, during a visit to his cell by his mother and two sisters the night before he was shot. May 4, 1916. *Tom Clarke was Daly's brother-in-law, who was shot earlier that day.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">February - <i>Feabhra</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>25, 1891</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/8th-in-this-series-edward-ned-daly-one-of-the-lesser-know-of-the" target="_self">Edward Daly</a> (Revolutionary - Limerick.)</span><strong><br/> 27, 1735</strong><span> - Thomas Conway (Soldier in French and U.S. armies, Cloghane, Co. Kerry.)</span><strong><br/> 28, 1884</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/5th-in-the-series-the-leaders-of-the-1916-easter-rising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seán Mac Diarmada</a> (Revolutionary - Kiltycolgher, Co. Leitrim.)<br/> <strong>28, 1951</strong> - Barry McGuigan (WBA Welterweight champion.)</p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">March -<span> </span><i>Márta</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>1, 1848</strong> - Augustus St. Gaudens (Sculptor - Dublin)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>25, 1919</strong> - Cork No. 3 Brigade Irish Volunteers attack RIC barracks in Timoleague and Mount Pleasant.<br/> <strong>25, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-1st-brigade-cork-volunteers-and-the-coolnacahera-ambush-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cork No. 1 Brigade Irish Volunteers ambush</a> Auxiliaries at Coolnacahera, Co. Cork.</span><span><strong><br/> 27, 1830</strong> - John Baron O'Brien, colonel in the Austrian army, dies in Austria.<br/> <strong>27, 1945</strong> - Gunnery Sgt. William G. Walsh is killed in action on the island of Iwo Jima. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.</span><strong><span><br/> 28, 1587</span></strong> - Queen Elizabeth I grants Sir Walter Raleigh 40,000 acres in counties Cork and Waterford.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">March -<span> </span><i>Márta</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>1, 1776</strong> - Irish-born Andrew Lewis is appointed a Brigadier General in the Continental Army<br/> <strong>1, 1586</strong> - Clanowen Castle, Co. Clare, is captured from Mahon O'Brien by Sir Richard Bingham.<br/> <strong>1, 1776</strong> - Irish-born John Armstrong is appointed a Brigadier General in the Continental Army.<br/> <strong>1, 1776</strong> - Irish-born William Thompson is appointed a Brigadier General in the Continental Army.<br/> <strong>1, 1794</strong> - Statutes of Dublin University amended to allow Catholics to take degrees.<br/> <strong>1, 1965</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-leaders-of-the-1916-easter-rising-sir-roger-casement" target="_self">Roger Casement</a>'s body re-interred in Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin.<br/> <strong>1, 1981</strong> - Bobby Sands begins his hunger strike at Long Kesh prison.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: February 18 - February 24tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-02-17:6442157:BlogPost:3085252024-02-17T22:04:32.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8552975656?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8552975656?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="225"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">February 18, 1817</font>, Walter Paye Lane, Confederate general in the American Civil War, was born in County Cork. He emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was only 4 years old. Lane grew up in Ohio but traveled to…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8552975656?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8552975656?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="225" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">February 18, 1817</font>, Walter Paye Lane, Confederate general in the American Civil War, was born in County Cork. He emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was only 4 years old. Lane grew up in Ohio but traveled to Texas at 18. He fought with Sam Houston at<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589070097?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1589070097">San Jacinto</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1589070097" border="0"/><span> </span>and stayed on in Texas, becoming involved in several occupations including Indian fighter, a privateer in the Gulf of Mexico, and even a school teacher. He raised a company of Texas Rangers and served as their captain during the Mexican War.</p>
<p>After the war, Lane spent time mining in a number of western states as well as in<span> </span><a>South America</a>, making and then losing large amounts of money. He joined the Confederate army in 1861 and was elected lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Texas Cavalry. Lane fought in the important early war battles of<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807855758?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0807855758">Wilson's Creek</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807855758" border="0"/><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SM2PIO?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001SM2PIO">Elkhorn Tavern</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001SM2PIO" border="0"/><span> </span>and later in the Red River campaign. Lane was severely wounded at the Battle of Mansfield on April 8, 1864, and was out of action until October. He was recommended for promotion by Gen. Kirby Smith, who consider him a superior cavalry officer. The Confederate Congress confirmed his rank on March 10, 1865, the last day they met. After the war Lane wrote of his exploits and the life long bachelor became a well-loved figure in Texas and a particular favorite of the Daughters of the Confederacy. Walter Lane died on Jan. 22, 1892 in Marshall, Texas, where he is buried.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704172?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704172?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><font color="#008040"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704172?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></font></a><strong><font color="#008040"><span><b>MÁIRT</b></span> </font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">February 20, 1942,</font><span> </span>Lt. Edward "Butch" O'Hare became the first U.S. Navy ace of the war when he was credited with downing five Japanese bombers in a single day. O'Hare had an interesting family history. After his parents divorced when he was 13, his lawyer father moved to Chicago and took on Al Capone as a client. He later turned against Capone and gave evidence against him. This help led to his tax evasion conviction. In 1939, O'Hare's father, also Edward, was murdered, probably by members of Capone's gang.</p>
<p>Butch attended a military high school and graduated from Annapolis and then flight school in Pensacola, Florida, finishing his aviation training in 1940. On February 20, 1942, O'Hare was assigned to an F4F Wildcat squadron VF-3, stationed on the carrier USS Lexington, which was off the island of New Ireland in the South Pacific. With several flights of<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557508194?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1557508194">Wildcats</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1557508194" height="1" border="0" width="1"/><span> </span>off investigating earlier radar contacts, Butch and his wingman manned the only fighters able to intercept a formation of nine Japanese Betty bombers radar picked up coming from another direction. If this situation were not bad enough, as they closed on the bombers, O'Hare's wingman, "Duff" Dufilho, discovered his guns were jammed. Butch was going to have to take them on alone.</p>
<p>Diving into the formation from above, O'Hare quickly took out one of the last planes on the right of the Betty's vee formation, then swung across to hit the one on the left. Continuing his attack as the bombers came in range of the fleet's anti-aircraft guns it appeared that O'Hare had destroyed five Bettys, though post-war research would show he shot down three, and two that he damaged managed to return to their base. But O'Hare had undoubtedly disrupted their attacks, and no bombs hit the Lexington. By the time the Lexington returned to Pearl Harbor in late March, O'Hare's exploits had made him a hero. He was sent back to the mainland for a bond tour, and he was presented the Medal of Honor by Franklin Roosevelt at the White House, the first winner MOH awardee in naval aviation history.</p>
<p>O'Hare's combat career was not over, however. Promoted to Lt. Commander, Butch returned to the war in the Pacific. In November 1943 he was flying off the USS Enterprise in the Marianas Islands. Flying a dangerous night fighter mission, once again against Betty bombers, O'Hare's plane when down. A search of the area the following day found no sign of him. To this day it's not certain if he was shot down by a gunner on one of the Betty bombers, or friendly fire from the rear gunner of a US TBF Avenger that was nearby.</p>
<p>In 1945 the navy destroyer USS O'Hare (DD-889) was named in his honor. It would later serve in the Vietnam War. But the most famous honor awarded to him was the renaming of Chicago's Orchard Depot Airport as O'Hare International Airport in 1949.</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><strong><b><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704257?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="190" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704257?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right"/></a>DEARDAOIN</span></b></strong> </font>-- On<strong> </strong><font color="blue">February 22, 1886</font><strong>,</strong> Conservative Party politician Lord Randolph Churchill<strong>,</strong> father of Winston Churchill, gave what many consider one of the single most destructive speeches in Irish history, inciting militant loyalists at Ulster Hall in Belfast. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K5RZ9O?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000K5RZ9O">Churchill</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000K5RZ9O" border="0"/> had shown disdain for Ulster Unionists up until then, in private, at least, telling Lord Salisbury, "these foul Ulster Tories have always ruined our party," but as 1886 began he saw an opportunity to exploit their fears for political gain.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: Belfast Central Library - A drawing of Lord Randolph Churchill from the Illustrated London News. Churchill died at age 46.)</strong></span></p>
<p>He decided that if Prime Minister William Gladstone "went for Home Rule [for Ireland], the <i>Orange Card</i> would be the one to play. Please, God, may it turn out the ace of trumps and not the two." This quote would lead one to believe he had few real convictions regarding the issue. "Ulster will fight, and Ulster will be right," he proclaimed to a crowd before he even arrived at Ulster Hall on February 22. During his speech, he played on Protestant fears of Dublin's "Catholic" rule and encouraged Ulster Protestants to organize, which they did, beginning to form paramilitary drilling units. Churchill achieved a short-term political gain by his playing of the <i>Orange Card</i>; but his most lasting legacy is the unfounded fear of Irish Catholics that he helped to implant in the minds of Ulster Protestants, a tragedy for both traditions on the island. Those fears are still evident in the sectarian hatreds of today.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704047?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="225" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704047?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>AOINE</span></b> </font></strong>-- On <font color="blue">February 23, 1965</font>, Irish patriot <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Roger%20Casement&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Roger Casement's</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/> body was returned to Ireland to be reinterred. Casement was born at Sandycove, County Dublin, in 1864. He joined the British colonial service and was knighted in 1911 for his work on behalf of African and South American native workers who were being exploited by whites. Leaving the colonial service in 1912, he became involved with Irish nationalism, joining the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgstore3" target="new">Irish Volunteers</a>. In 1916, Sir Roger traveled to Germany and arranged German assistance for the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449906825?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0449906825">Easter Rising</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0449906825" border="0"/>. He traveled back to Ireland by submarine, convinced by then that the Rising could not succeed but that he must join his comrades. He was captured at McKenna's Fort soon after landing on the southwest coast.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Roger Casement being led out of Pentonville Prison, where he would later be hanged.)</span></b></p>
<p>Casement was later tried in England. To lessen the protests over his expected death-sentence the British circulated small parts of his so-called <i>Black Diaries</i> which purported to reveal his alleged homosexual activity while in colonial service. Recent evidence points to a possibility that these diaries were forged by British intelligence to lessen worldwide condemnation of Casement's execution. Sir Roger Casement was hanged at Pentonville Prison on August 3, 1916. In 1965, Casement's body was returned to Ireland, where he was given a funeral on March 1 that rivaled that of O'Donovan Rossa. Eamon de Valera, 82 years old and feeling poorly, insisted on attending and gave the graveside oration at <a href="http://www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie/">Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin</a>. Casement had returned to Ireland in 1916 to share his comrades' fate. In 1965, 49 years later, he was finally able to rejoin them one last time.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704165?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704165?profile=original" width="225" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>SATHAIRN</span> </b></font></strong>-- On <font color="blue">February 24, 1854</font>, Daniel Florence O'Leary a general in Simon Bolivar's South American army, died in Bogota, Colombia. O'Leary was probably born about 1800 in Cork city, the son of a butter merchant. Little is known of his early life. In 1817, he traveled to London to enlist in a regiment being formed by Henry Wilson. Wilson was recruiting officers and NCOs to go to South America and form a Hussar regiment <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321156676?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0321156676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in service to Simon Bolívar</a>, who would go on to liberate much of South America from Spanish rule.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: </strong></span><b><span class="font-size-1">Colección Hermanas Cantillo O'Leary - </span></b><b><span class="font-size-1">Daniel O'Leary, 1818)</span></b></p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292707150?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0292707150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O'Leary sailed for Venezuela</a> with Wilson near the end of 1817, arriving in March 1818. O'Leary first met Bolívar away from the front shortly afterward and apparently Bolívar was impressed with the young Irish officer. In March 1819, O'Leary saw his first action and was promoted to captain. In July, after Bolívar's famous crossing through the Casanare Swamps and over the Andes, O'Leary received a saber wound in the battle of Pantano de Vargas but he quickly recovered and took part in the battle of Boyaca on August 9. Shortly after this, O'Leary became aide de camp to Bolivar. Two years later, after much more fighting, Venezuela was freed. During the next few years, as the fight continued to free the rest of South America from Spanish domination, O'Leary would perform many dangerous missions for "The Liberator," rising ever higher in his esteem. O'Leary continued to serve Bolívar well through the political and military intrigues that followed the freeing of South America from the Spanish. After the death of Bolívar in December 1830, the new Venezuelan government exiled O'Leary to Jamaica. There he wrote extensive memoirs that were later edited by O'Leary's son, Simon Bolívar O'Leary, and published in the 1870s and 80s. Simon was the eldest of six children O'Leary had with his South American wife. In 1833, O'Leary was able to return to Venezuela. He held a number of diplomatic posts for the Venezuelan government for the next 20 years, and on at least two occasions was able to visit his boyhood home of Cork. When O'Leary died in Bogota in 1854, he was buried there in Colombia's capital. The Venezuelans named a plaza after him in Caracas. In 1882, they obtained permission to take Daniel O'Leary's body from Bogota to Caracas, where it was laid to rest in the National Pantheon of Venezuela to lie forever in death next to the man had served so faithfully in life, Don Simon Bolívar.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><b><i>"Ulster will fight and Ulster will be right".<br/> </i></b><i> -</i><i>- Lord Randolph Churchill at an Orange rally in 1886.</i></p>
<p><strong><i>"What a head he has and he's not yet 28!"</i></strong><b><i><br/> <span> </span></i></b><i> -- Simon Bolívar speaking of Daniel O'Leary</i></p>
<p><b><i>'What a glorious reunion we'll have in Heaven, eh? Sure Katie, I'll give Tom* your love. First thing I'll do. As for me, girls, I'm proud of what I did. Next time, we'll win. I'm only sorry I won't be there to do my bit.'</i></b><br/> -- Edward Daly, during a visit to his cell by his mother and two sisters the night before he was shot. May 4, 1916. *Tom Clarke was Daly's brother-in-law, who was shot earlier that day.</p>
<table align="right" width="213">
<tbody><tr><td><span class="font-size-2"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704302?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704302?profile=original" width="180"/></a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Edward "Butch" O'Hare in his Wildcat fighter.</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><b><i>"</i></b><b><i>As a result of his gallant action -- one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation -- he undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage."</i></b><br/> -- From "Butch" O'Hare's Medal of Honor citation.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>February - <i>Feabhra</i></strong></span></p>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>BIRTHS</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>18, 1817</strong><span> - Walter Lane (Confederate General - Co. Cork)</span><strong><br/>20, 1794</strong><span> - William Carleton (Author - Prillisk, Co. Tyrone)</span><span><strong><br/> 22, 1893</strong> - Peadar O’Donnell (Revolutionary, writer - Meenmore, Co. Donegal.)</span><strong><br/> 24, 1841</strong> - John Holland (Inventor of the submarine - Liscannor, Co. Clare.)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>18 1366</strong> - The Statutes of Kilkenny are passed.<br/> <strong>18, 1820</strong> - Dan Donnelly, professional boxing pioneer, dies in Dublin.</span><strong><br/>19, 1901</strong> - Thomas O'Donnell, MP for West Kerry, becomes the first person known to address the British Parliament in Irish. After a few lines he was interrupted and not allowed to continue in Irish.<br/> <strong>19, 1992</strong> - US government deports Joseph Doherty, volunteer Oglaigh na hÉireann.<span><strong><br/> 20, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/cataclysm-in-cork-the-battle-of-clonmult" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Irish Volunteers are killed when</a> Crown forces surround a farmhouse in Clonmult, Co. Cork<br/> <strong>20, 1942</strong> - Lt. Edward "Butch" O'Hare becomes the first U.S. Navy ace of the war when he is credited with downing five Japanese bombers in a single day</span><strong><br/> 21, 1945</strong> - For his actions leading his company on Iwo Jima on this day, Marine Capt. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy is awarded the <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Medal of Honor</a><br/> <strong>22, 1797</strong> -The last invasion of England: Small French force commanded by Irishman William Tate lands in Wales.<br/> <strong>22, 1832</strong> – The first burial in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, which will one day be the final resting place of many Irish heroes such as Charles Stewart Parnell, Constance Markievicz Daniel O'Connell, and Michael Collins<br/> <strong>22, 1886</strong> - Lord Randolph Churchill gives a memorable speech inciting militant loyalists at Ulster Hall in Belfast.<strong><br/> 23, 1919</strong> - The Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Volunteers issues a proclamation ordering all British personnel to leave Tipperary or “forfeit their lives.”<br/> <strong>23, 1965</strong> - Roger Casement's body returned from England to be reinterred at Glasnevin in Dublin.<br/> <strong>24, 1692</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/page/the-wild-geese-history" target="_self">The Treaty of Limerick</a> is ratified by William of Orange.<br/> <strong>24, 1854</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/daniel-florence-o-leary" target="_self">General Daniel Florence O'Leary</a>, officer in Simon Bolivar's South American army, dies in Bogota, Colombia.<br/> <strong>24, 1920</strong> - The Mid-Clare Brigade Irish Volunteers ambush RIC at Crowe’s Bridge, Vice Commandant Martin Devitt is killed.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: February 11 - February 17tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-02-11:6442157:BlogPost:3082252024-02-11T01:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719958?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703535?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703535?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="150"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 13, 1782</font>, Dillon's regiment of the Irish Brigade of France helped capture St. Kitts from the British during the American Revolution. Earlier, Dillon's regiment…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719958?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703535?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703535?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="150" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 13, 1782</font>, Dillon's regiment of the Irish Brigade of France helped capture St. Kitts from the British during the American Revolution. Earlier, Dillon's regiment had helped France capture several other islands during the campaign against the British in the West Indies, also serving at the unsuccessful siege of Savannah, Georgia.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: </strong><b><span class="font-size-1">New York Public Library - An officer of Dillion's Regiment.)</span></b></span></p>
<p>The French, commanded by the Marquis de Bouillé, were entrenched around the British stronghold of Brimstone Hill, known as the "Gibraltar of the Antilles," for 31 days before the British finally surrendered. Count Arthur Dillon was made governor of the island, and his regiment then formed the garrison until the end of the war. The capture of St. Kitts was the last major military action of the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a> of France. In 1791, after the French Revolution, the Brigade's close ties to the monarchy of France would cause the leaders of the new Republic to disband the famous unit. Count Arthur Dillon, whose family and regiment had sacrificed so much for France during its 100-year service, would later die on the Revolutionary government's guillotine.</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read about the Irish Brigade of France's exploits at </span></b><a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/france-s-irish-brigade-saves-the-king-s-army" target="_self">Cremona.</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719958?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="239" class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719958?profile=original"/></a><font color="#008040"><b>CÉADAOIN</b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 14, 1895</font>, Sean Treacy, a revolutionary leader during the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D12%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D17%26field-keywords%3DIrish%2520War%2520of%2520Independence%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Irish War of Independence</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/>, was born in Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary. Treacy joined the Gaelic League and the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1911. In 1913, Sean and his friend Dan Breen joined the Irish Volunteers. Treacy helped organize the <a>Easter Rising</a> and spent several months in prison during 1917 and 1918. As 1919 began, Treacy was vice-commandant of the <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/group/irish-war-of-independence-black-tan-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Third Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Volunteers</a>. On January 21, Treacy was one of the participants -- along with his friend, Dan Breen -- in an ambush of RIC officers at Soloheadbeg, which is considered the beginning of the War of Independence. On May 13, he was wounded at Knocklong. In 1920, Treacy went to Dublin to work with Michael Collins. On October 12, he and his long-time comrade, Dan Breen, barely escaped capture in Dublin in a raid by British intelligence. Firing through the door, they killed two British officers and managed to escape the house by crashing through a window. They had been lucky to escape, but Sean's luck was running out. Two days later, he was confronted by a group of British soldiers and intelligence agents on Talbot Street. Treacy and Breen had once sworn to fight to the death rather than surrender -- now Treacy would make good on that pledge. Drawing his pistol, in spite of the tremendous odds against him, Treacy managed to fatally wound two of the British intelligence officers before he was shot and killed. It was said that Treacy's death deeply saddened Michael Collins.</p>
<p>Read more about <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/sean-treacy-at-war-tipperary-far-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seán Treacy</a>.<br/> Read more about <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/greyhound-on-train-the-rescue-of-hogan-at-knocklong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the dramatic rescue at Knocklong.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84704041?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8550820483?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>AOINE</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 16, 1822</font>, Richard Busteed, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807131490?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0807131490">Union general</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807131490" border="0"/> and federal judge, was born in County Cavan, Ireland. Most of the Irish men and women we have profiled here have had admirable lives but, as with any ethnic group, a few of our countrymen strayed from the righteous course; Richard Busteed was one of them.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Library of Congress - </span></b><b><span class="font-size-1">Richard Busteed)</span></b></p>
<p>Busteed came first to <a>Canada</a>, then the U.S. with his family while a child. They settled in New York City, where Richard became a lawyer and a Democratic Party operative. He raised an artillery company in 1861 but resigned his commission when the unit was transferred into the 1st New York Light Artillery. In 1862, he somehow obtained a commission as a brigadier general and served at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Soon, he was on the move again, appointed a federal judge in occupied Alabama. He would hold that post until 1874. His record there was spotty, at best. He presided over many cases but issued few convictions. This would seem to support the rumor that justice was for sale in his courtroom.</p>
<p>By 1874, Busteed had also become entangled in political infighting, as, though still a Democrat, he supported Republican candidates in 1872. Facing possible impeachment, he resigned his post and returned to New York City to practice law. Busteed died there on September 14, 1898, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.</p>
<p><b><i><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></i></b></p>
<table width="227" align="right">
<tbody><tr><td><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703587?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="199" height="270" class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703587?profile=original"/></a></td>
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<tr><td><center><strong><span class="font-size-1">Arthur Dillon</span></strong></center>
</td>
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</tbody>
</table>
<p><b><i>'Count Dillon, we knew you to be a brave and able soldier, but we were not aware that you were so good a lawyer. We have investigated and have confirmed all your judgments, and all your decrees delivered during your government.'</i></b><br/> -- The British Lord Chancellor to Arthur Dillon after the isle of St. Kitts was returned to the British by treaty at the end of the American Revolution.</p>
<p><span><b><i>"The greatest military genius of our race. ...'</i></b><br/> -- Dan Breen, speaking of his friend <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/sean-treacy-at-war-tipperary-far-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sean Treacy</a></span></p>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>BIRTHS</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>11, 1820</strong><span> - Theodore O'Hara (</span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/2421479">Confederate colonel</a><span> and author of "The Bivouac of the Dead, Danville, Kentucky)</span><strong><br/> 13, 187</strong>1 - Joseph Devlin (Nationalist - Belfast.)<br/> <strong>13, 189</strong>8 - Frank Aiken (Revolutionary and politician - Camlough, Co. Armagh)<span><strong><br/> 14, 1895</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/sean-treacy-at-war-tipperary-far-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sean Treacy</a> (Revolutionary - Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary)<br/> <strong>15, 1874</strong> - Ernest Shackleton (Arctic explorer - Kilkea, Co. Kildare)<br/></span> <strong>16, 1739</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/james-napper-tandy-hero-of-the-hour-or-not-what-will-you-verdict">James Napper Tandy (Revolutionary – Dublin)</a><strong><br/> 16, 1822<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>- Richard Busteed (Union General - Craven, Ireland)<strong><br/> 17, 1740</strong><span> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-o-sullivan-beare-clan-taking-the-fight-to-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">General John Sullivan</a> (Revolutionary War General and NH governor - Somersworth, NH)</span></p>
<p><span><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>12, 1795</strong><span> </span><span>- Grattan introduces Catholic relief bill in House of Commons.</span><br/> <strong>12, 1817</strong><span> </span><span>– Bernardo O’Higgins’ Chilean rebels defeat the Spanish at Chacabuco, Chile.</span><br/> <strong>12, 1818</strong><span> </span><span>- O'Higgins declares the independence of Chile.</span><br/> <strong>12, 1820</strong><span> </span><span>- The ships 'East Indian' and 'Fanny', with about 350 Irish emigrants aboard, leave Cork harbor for Cape Colony, carrying some of the "1820 settlers."</span><br/> <strong>12, 1848</strong><span> </span><span>- John Mitchel publishes first "United Irishmen."</span><strong><br/> 13, 1782</strong><span> </span>- Dillon's regiment of the Irish Brigade of France helps capture St. Kitts from the British.<br/> <strong>13, 1820</strong><span> </span>-Leonard McNally, lawyer, English informer, dies.<br/> <strong>13, 1862</strong><span> </span>-<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/2421742">The 10th Tenn. (Confederate-Irish)</a><span> </span>fights and are captured at the battle of Erin Hollow, TN, Fort Donelson campaign.<span><strong><br/> 14, 1779</strong> - At the Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia Irish-born James Boyd commands Loyalist American troops against rebel militia commanded by 1st generation Irish-American, John Dooly.<br/> <strong>14, 1817</strong> - Bernardo O'Higgins enters Santiago, Chile in triumph.<br/> <strong>15, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/group/irish-war-of-independence-black-tan-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Volunteers of the 3rd Cork Brigade</a> ambush a train in Upton, in West Cork.<br/></span> <strong>16, 1932</strong> – De Valera and Fianna Fáil get 44% of the vote in Irish elections and take control of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1il_%C3%89ireann">Dáil Éireann</a> for the first time.<strong><br/> 17, 1968</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/father-aloysius-p-mcgonigal-battlefield-hero-without-a-gun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Father Aloysius P. McGonigal</a> is killed during fighting in Hue, South Vietnam, and is awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: February 4 - February 10tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-02-04:6442157:BlogPost:3082232024-02-04T18:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715803?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715803?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 10px;" width="200"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>SATHAIRN</strong></span></b></font><span> -- On </span><span>February 4, 1860</span><span>, Spanish General Don Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tétuan, 1st Count of Lucena, 1st Viscount of Aliaga, won the battle of Tétuan in Spain's war against Morocco. Leopoldo was descended from a long line of O'Donnells in…</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715803?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715803?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>SATHAIRN</strong></span></b></font><span> -- On </span><span>February 4, 1860</span><span>, Spanish General Don Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tétuan, 1st Count of Lucena, 1st Viscount of Aliaga, won the battle of Tétuan in Spain's war against Morocco. Leopoldo was descended from a long line of O'Donnells in Spain, who had been there since the Williamite wars. In Ireland, it was said that he was a direct descendant of Calvagh O'Donnell, a 16th-century chief of the O'Donnell clan. He was involved in various political intrigues in Spain during the 1830s and 40s, a period during which his prospects rose and fell. By the late '50s, he had risen to be prime minister, a position he would hold on three separate occasions. In late 1859, while holding the office of prime minister, he personally took command of the Spanish army in its invasion of Morocco. O'Donnell split his army into three corps and marched on Tétuan. The Spanish army, around 30,000 men, faced 40,000 Moroccans entrenched around Tétuan. That numerical disadvantage was overcome by the Spanish artillery, which drove the Moroccans out of their entrenchments and into the city with heavy casualties during the battle on the 4th. On the 6th, their position now untenable, the city surrendered to him. O'Donnell returned to Spain in triumph. For his victory, he was given the title of Duke of Tétuan. He would lose and then regain the prime minister's post one more time, holding it until 1866. He died on November 5, 1867. The title "Duke of Tétuan" is held today by a descendant, Don Hugo O'Donnell.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715824?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715824?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="100" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><strong><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b></strong></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><span>February 5, 1733,</span><span> </span>Arthur Dillon, son of the 7th Viscount Dillon, and first commander of Dillon's regiment of the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102">Irish Brigade of France</a>, died at St. Germain-en-Laye, France. His father, Theobald, was killed in 1691 at the Battle of Aughrim, and his mother was killed during the siege of Limerick. Arthur was already in France at the time. He departed for France along with Lord Mountcashel's brigade, in command of a regiment his father had raised. That regiment would go on to serve France for 100 years and be the only regiment of the Irish Brigade of France to be commanded by the members of the same family for the entire history of the brigade. The Irish regiments had been sent in exchange for several veteran French regiments sent to Ireland to serve King James in his fight to regain the English crown.</p>
<p><font size="-6"><b>(Right: An officer of Dillon's Regiment - from t</b><strong>he Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms, NYPL)</strong></font></p>
<p>Arthur would command "Dillion's Regiment" for nearly 40 years, fighting in campaigns of the French army in Spain, Italy, and Germany. In 1704 he was promoted to Marechal-de-Camp. He would eventually rise to the rank of Lieutenant-General before retiring in 1730. Four of his sons would serve with the family regiment of the Irish Brigade, and the other would join the priesthood and rise to be Bishop of Evreux, Archbishop of Toulouse, and Archbishop of Narbonne. Three of the four sons who served with Dillion's regiment would command it. Two of them were killed in battle while in command: James at Fontenoy in 1745 and Edward at Lauffeld in 1747. Two of Arthur's grandsons would attain the rank of general in the French army, but they would both become victims of the French Revolution. Theobald Dillon was accused of being a "traitor and aristocrat" and killed by his own troops in 1792 after a lost battle. Arthur, the last commander of the family's regiment, would suffer the indignity of death by the guillotine during the Reign of Terror in 1794. It was an ignominious end for a family that had served the French so gallantly for a century.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703440?profile=original" target="_self"><font color="#008040"><img width="176" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703440?profile=RESIZE_180x180" class="align-left"/></font></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">February 7, 1877</font>, John O'Mahony (left: from the 'Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland), founder of the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States, died in New York. O'Mahony was a member of the Young Ireland party in the 1840s; he escaped to France after the failed rising in 1848. In Paris, he met James Stephens before moving on to New York in 1853. On March 17, 1858, O'Mahony founded the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgtstore2" target="new"><u>Fenian Brotherhood</u></a> in New York, as Stephens was founding the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Irish%20Republican%20Brotherhood&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Irish Republican Brotherhood</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/> (IRB) in Dublin. O'Mahony led the entire Fenian organization until 1865 when internal disputes led to its splitting into three factions, one being O'Mahony's. His faction's failed in its attempt to invade Canada through Campobello Island in April 1866. Eleven months later, a rising in Ireland failed. In the wake of these debacles, O'Mahony's Fenian wing ceased to exist and he lived out his last days in poverty until his death in 1877. Like Terence MacManus, O'Mahony's body was returned to Dublin where he was given a huge funeral and was buried at <a href="http://www.glasnevin-cemetery.ie/">Glasnevin Cemetery.</a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715880?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715880?profile=original" width="200" class="align-right"/></a><span>CÉADAOIN</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 8, 1743</font>, during the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=War%20of%20Austrian%20Succession&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">War of Austrian Succession</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/>, the Irish Brigade of Spain fought at the battle of Campo Santo. The regiments of Ultonia, Irlanda, and Hibernia formed the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a> fighting in Italy in a Spanish army, led by Gen. Don Juan de Gages. The Spanish government had ordered Gages forward, though he did not have sufficient supplies for his army. He was met at Campo Santo by Gen. Traun's Austrian army.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Soldiers and flag of the Hibernia Regiment.)</span></b></p>
<p>Gages took up a defensive position with the Panaro River to his rear, a risky decision. The Irish were posted on the Spanish right, and, during a momentary breakthrough, the Irish captured two Austrian flags. But the second line of Austrians did not break, and the Spanish advance was halted as darkness set in, ending the fighting. The Spanish could claim a tactical victory since the Austrians left the field first, but it came at horrendous cost, especially to the Irish. They lost over 24 officers and 465 men killed. Once again hundreds of Irishmen died many miles from home for "every cause but their own."</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703566?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703566?profile=original" width="250" class="align-left"/></a><span>CÉADAOIN</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 8, 1959</font>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=William%20%26%2334%3BWild%20Bill%26%2334%3B%20Donovan&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">William "Wild Bill" Donovan</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/> , soldier, lawyer, politician, and head of the Office of Strategic Services, died in Berryville, Virginia. Donovan was a key figure in the development of the United States intelligence service. His life reads like a Hollywood movie script. Born in Buffalo, New York, on January 1, 1883, Donovan earned his nickname "Wild Bill" for his bubbly personality. In truth, an examination of his life shows that he seldom acted in a way one would be likely to call "wild." After flirting with the idea of the priesthood early in his life, Donovan became a lawyer, practicing in Buffalo. He also organized a cavalry unit in the N.Y. National Guard and took that unit to Mexico when General John "Black Jack" Pershing pursued Pancho Villa.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Left: William "Wild Bill" Donovan as he appeared while commanding the 69th NY (165 Infantry) during WWI</span>.)</b></p>
<p>On Donovan's return, he was commissioned a major commanding the famous 69th New York Infantry. He commanded the regiment when the United States entered World War I in 1917. The Army redesignated the now federalized 69th as the 165th Infantry (though it remained the 69th to the men in it) and placed it in the Rainbow Division. Donovan distinguished himself in command of the 69th, winning the Medal of Honor. After the war, Donovan was appointed an assistant United States attorney. He ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for governor of New York in 1932. Donovan was sent on a number of diplomatic missions by President Roosevelt in the 1930s. When World War II began, Roosevelt named Donovan to head up the new Office of Strategic Services, or OSS. Under Donovan's leadership, the OSS proved itself a valuable asset in the American war effort. Through his work organizing the OSS, Donovan laid the groundwork for the Central Intelligence Agency, which was formed in 1947. When Donovan died in 1959, President Eisenhower remarked, "What a man! We have lost the last hero."</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703519?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703519?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="180" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b>DEARDAOIN</b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 9, 1854</font>, Sir Edward Henry Carson, Unionist politician, was born in Dublin. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Carson was called to the Irish and then the English bar. In his most famous case, he represented the Marquis of Queensbury against a libel suit by Oscar Wilde and won. Carson was a Unionist MP from Dublin University from 1892 to 1918.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703519?profile=original" target="_self"></a><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Belfast Central Library - Sir Edward Carson, leader of the Ulster's resistance to Home Rule.)</span></b></p>
<p>He was elected leader of the Unionist party in 1910, and his opposition to Home Rule became more and more strident. His party's willingness to go to war over Home Rule – including collusion by British army officers in the procuring of arms -- pushed the British to retain six of nine counties in Ulster in the <a>Anglo-Irish Treaty</a>, leading to the present six-county statelet. In 1921, Carson gave up the leadership of the Unionist Party to Lord James Craig. Carson took a cabinet post in London but was in poor health when he gave up the party leadership. He died in Kent, England, on October 12, 1935, and was given a state funeral in Belfast.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b><font color="blue">VOICES</font></b></span></p>
<table align="left" width="230">
<tbody><tr><td><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703587?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703587?profile=original" height="270" width="199"/></a></td>
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<tr><td><center><strong><span class="font-size-1">Arthur Dillon</span></strong></center>
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</tbody>
</table>
<p><b><i>'Count Dillon, we knew you to be a brave and able soldier, but we were not aware that you were so good a lawyer. We have investigated and have confirmed all your judgments, and all your decrees delivered during your government.'</i></b><br/> -- The British Lord Chancellor to Arthur Dillon after the isle of St. Kitts was returned to the British by treaty at the end of the American Revolution</p>
<p><b><i><strong><em>When I think of all the boys I have left behind me who died out of loyalty to me ... it's too much.'<br/></em></strong> </i></b><i> -- William "Wild Bill" Donovan, lamenting the men of</i> <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574886517?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1574886517">the 69th who were killed in World War I</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1574886517" height="1" border="0" width="1"/></i></p>
<p><b><i>'We must be prepared … the morning Home Rule passes, ourselves to become responsible for the government of the Protestant Province of Ulster.'</i></b><br/> -- Sir Henry Carson in a speech at Craigavon, September 23, 1911</p>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-4">February -<span> </span><i>Feabhra</i></span></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>4, 1868 - </span></strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/constance-markievicz-the-countess-of-irish-freedom-part-1-of-2" target="_self">Constance Markievicz</a><strong><span> (Revolutionary - London, England)</span><br/> 7, 1868</strong> - Aleen Cust (First female veterinarian in Ireland and Great Britan -Co Tipperary.)<strong><br/> 9, 1854</strong><span> </span>- Edward Carson, Lord Carson (Politician, Unionist - Dublin)<br/> <strong>9, 1923</strong><span> </span>- Brendan Behan (Author - Dublin.)<br/> <strong>10, 1842</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/agnes-mary-clerke-the-woman-in-the-moon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agnes Mary Clerke</a> (Astronomer & author - Skibbereen, County Cork)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>4, 1860</strong> - Spanish Gen. Leopoldo O'Donnell wins the battle of Tétouan in war against Morocco.<br/> <strong>4, 1880</strong> – Five of the “Black” Donnolly’s murdered by a vigilante group in southwest Ontario.</span><strong><br/> 5, 1733</strong><span> - Arthur Dillon, son of the 7th Viscount Dillon, first commander of Dillon's regiment, </span><a href="https://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Brigade</a><span> of France, dies at St. Germain-en-Laye, France.</span><br/> <strong>5, 1969</strong><span> – Thomas P. Noonan (</span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Medal of Honor</a><span>) is killed attempting to save a comrade in the A Shau Valley, Republic of Vietnam.</span><strong><br/> 6, 1685</strong><span> - Coronation of King James II.</span><br/> <strong>6, 1971</strong><span> - First British soldier killed by Provos.</span><strong><i><br/></i> 7, 1549</strong> - Composing of any poem or song about anyone other than the King prohibited by statute.<strong><i><br/></i> 7, 1589<i> </i></strong>- Burkes rise in revolt in Co. Mayo.<strong><i><br/></i> 7, 1854<i> </i></strong>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/mountain-man-thomas-fitzpatrick-the-legendary-broken-hand" target="_self">Thomas “Broken Hand” Fitzpatrick</a>, mountain man and Indian agent, dies in Washington D.C<strong><i><br/></i> 7, 1877<i> </i></strong>- John O'Mahony, founder of Fenian Brotherhood in US, dies in New York.<strong><i><br/></i> 8, 1743</strong> - Irish Brigade of Spain fights in the battle of Campo Santo.<strong><i><br/></i> 8, 1959</strong> - William "Wild Bill" Donovan, soldier, head of the OSS, dies in Berrryville, VA.9, 1773<strong><br/> 9, 1773</strong><span> </span>- James Fitzgerald, officer in the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102">Irish Brigade of France</a>, dies in France.<br/> <strong>9, 1920</strong> -<span> </span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/group/irish-war-of-independence-black-tan-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The No. 1 (East) Cork Brigade Irish Volunteers</a><span> </span>capture the RIC barracks at Castlemartyr, Co. Cork.<br/> <strong>10, 1844</strong> - Daniel O'Connell convicted of "conspiracy," fined and sentenced to 12 months.<br/> <strong>10, 1855</strong> – John Allen, associate of Robert Emmet and soldier in Napoleon’s Irish Legion, dies in Caen, France. <br/> <strong>10-22, 1889</strong> - Richard Piggott exposed as forger of 'Times' Phoenix Park letters.</p>West Cork’s Hales Family: Giving All for Irish Freedomtag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-02-01:6442157:BlogPost:3089232024-02-01T06:00:00.000ZJoe Gannonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/JoeGannon
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12368696288?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12368696288?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="680"></img></a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">S</span>eán Hales, a TD (member of the Dáil Éireann) from County Cork</strong>, and Padraig Ó Maile, a TD from County Mayo, emerged from the Ormond Hotel along the north bank of the Liffey River in Dublin at about 2:30 PM on December 7, 1922. Just the day before, the Free State had been formally established by…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12368696288?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12368696288?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="680" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">S</span>eán Hales, a TD (member of the Dáil Éireann) from County Cork</strong>, and Padraig Ó Maile, a TD from County Mayo, emerged from the Ormond Hotel along the north bank of the Liffey River in Dublin at about 2:30 PM on December 7, 1922. Just the day before, the Free State had been formally established by an Act of the British Parliament. They intended to board a hackney cab and make the short ride to the Dáil Éireann.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369151052?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369151052?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-left"/></a>The Irish people were embroiled in an increasingly brutal Civil War. Hales needed no reminder that many such wars are often “brother against brother.” Seán was from one of the most staunchly Republican families in West Cork, but he had taken the pro-treaty side in the Civil War. He had three brothers, Tom, William, and Robert, who were fighting with the IRA on the anti-treaty side. Or at least they had been. In the last three months, all three had been captured by Free State forces.</p>
<p>As they walked to the cab, Hales and Ó Maile were under the watchful eye of a member of the IRA’s Dublin No. 1 Brigade. Hales began to climb into the cab as the man rushed forward, pulling a pistol and opening fire at the two men and then running down the street. Both men were hit, but Ó Maile’s wound was less serious. He screamed at the driver, John Kennedy, to “GET AWAY!” and quickly drove off. They reached the nearby Jervis Street Hospital in minutes, but it was too late. Seán Hales was dead.</p>
<p>It was barely over three months since the Free Staters had buried their leader, Michael Collins. Seán’s brother, Tom, had commanded the Republican group that ambushed and killed him at Béal na Bláth, less than 10 miles from Brandon. Now, two TDs had been wounded, with one dead on the streets of Dublin. This war between former comrades was about to get even more vicious.</p>
<p>The Hales family, of Knocknacurra, Ballinadee, Bandon Co. Cork, was heavily involved in the nationalist and then Republican movements of the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> century. Robert Hales, a farmer, and Margaret (nee Fitzgerald) Hales were fluent Irish speakers, something that was often an indication of nationalist principles at the time. They made sure their children learned the language as well. Robert was a very successful farmer, one of the earliest to use threshing machines and a steam tractor in the area. He was also a successful horse and cattle breeder. The family was well off and thus had much to lose by becoming involved in the coming struggle for freedom.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369152865?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369152865?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Robert had been involved with the opposition of the landlord system in Ireland and supported nationalist William O’Brien. The couple would have nine children who came into adulthood in the turbulent period as nationalism spread throughout Ireland. Their first was Bessie in 1874, followed by Anne (1878), Hannah (1879), Seán (1880), Donal (1884), Robert (1886), Madge (1890), William (j1891), and Tom (1892).</p>
<p>Most of the children were members of the GAA (GAA crest, right), with Seán, Robert, and Tom being excellent athletes and local champions. They also joined the Gaelic League. Membership in both organizations was often an indication of Republican leanings. All of the children but the two eldest daughters would be deeply involved in the coming freedom struggle. The price the family would pay for their service to Ireland would be immense.</p>
<p>Long before the Easter Rising, the Hales brothers showed they were ready to oppose the government physically. On May 20, 1907, Seán and the teenage Tom led a group of friends in rescuing two of their father’s cows from the Bandon pound. It was not done without a fight, as the rescuers’ wooden clubs bested police batons. Seán was arrested the next day and served a two-week sentence.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, the young Hales brothers and sisters became involved with the nationalist organization that sprung up around the island in the first two decades of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. The youngest brother, Tom, first joined the Irish Volunteers, the military group that would fight the War of Independence, when it began recruiting in Cork in 1913. Seán, Bob, and William soon joined as well. Donal was then in Italy but would also work for the Republican movement during the war. Sister Madge would also be involved in helping the cause, though she did not join the Cumann na mBan. Seán, Tom, William, and possibly Bob joined the secretive Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB).</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369163499?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369163499?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="280" class="align-left"/></a>In 1915, Seán Hales asked Terence MacSwiney, Vice-O/C of the Cork Brigade (left), to allow Ballinadee to form their own company. He claimed they could eventually muster 100 men, “nearly all over six feet.” The request was granted, and though he may have exaggerated their recruit’s height, they would ultimately come close to the 100-member level. It is an indication of the esteem in which the Hales’ youngest brother, Tom, was held by Seán and others that he was appointed the C/O of the company. Overall, however, the company seemed to be a family enterprise.</p>
<p>By all accounts, the Hales did a very good job organizing, training, and equipping their company. Every member of the company donated money to help buy arms. The company was so well regarded that a group of them were sent to be part of the honor guard for the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, where Padraig Pearse gave his famous oration. Tom Hales commanded the group and was able to meet and talk with the ill-fated Pearse.</p>
<p>On Easter Sunday 1916, the Ballinadee company mustered with orders to march to Kerry. They planned to meet the arms shipment coming into the Banna Strand with Roger Casement. However, as happened in other parts of the island, Eoin MacNeill’s order canceling the rising caused chaos. Tom was put in charge of several companies, including the Ballinadee company under Seán for the march to Kerry. They had nearly reached Macroom when Tomás MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney arrived with news of MacNeill’s order. Tom wanted to ignore the order and continue, but the majority voted to turn back.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369164458?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369164458?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="290" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On Monday, with word arriving of the fighting in Dublin, Tom and Seán bristled under the orders to take no action. Seán nearly defied orders to attack two local Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks but was dissuaded by Tom. Days went by with no action despite news of the continuing battle in Dublin. As an indication of how well-armed the Ballinadee company then was, Tom offered the Brigade 40 to 50 Lee-Enfield rifles wiith ammunition at one point. During the War of Independence, few companies were ever that well-armed.</p>
<p>The abortive rising proved to be a disaster for the Hales family. The Volunteers around the island were ordered to stand down and surrender their arms. The Hales resisted disarming their company, but most were lost or surrendered by members of the company in the coming weeks. The RIC arrested Robert and William in a raid on the family home, along with Terence MacSwiney. Seán was on the run for several days, then was arrested in Knocknacurra. Only Tom managed to avoid arrest. The brothers were all sent to Richmond Jail in Dublin.</p>
<p>All three arrested brothers were eventually moved to Frongoch Internment Camp in Wales. While collecting all the Volunteer prisoners in one place may have saved the British money, it would prove to be a miscalculation in the years to come. The camp has since then been called “The University of Revolution.” Most of the future leaders of the Volunteers’ military organization were there. Ideas on strategies and tactics for the coming war were exchanged, and relationships were developed. Seán already knew Michael Collins, but at Frongoch, their relationship became more robust.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>Below: Recreation inside the huts at Frongoch. (W.J. Brennan-Whitmore, "With the Irish in Frongoch" [1917])</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369164862?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369164862?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>By early 1917, the Frongoch prisoners had all been released. The Hales brothers and other local prisoners were welcomed back as heroes. They immediately immersed themselves in the growing republican movement. The brothers and their father joined Count Plunketts’s Irish League.</p>
<p>The Volunteer Company in Ballinadee became disorganized in the Hales brothers’ absence. They soon had it back in shape, but many of the previous members did not rejoin. Across the island, however, the British threat to institute conscription in Ireland swelled the Volunteer’s ranks. By mid-1917, Tom was C/O of the new Bandon Battalion, and Seán commanded the Ballinadee Company again.</p>
<p>In May 1918, the RIC arrived at the Hales farm in force to arrest the brothers as part of the bogus “German Plot” that accused Irish Republicans of assisting the Germans. Only Seán was there, and as they tried to handcuff him, he resisted, and he was so strong they were unable to accomplish it. As this was going on, the Hales’ 13-year-old cousin, Michael Fitzgerald, got away from the house and got word of the raid out to Tom and William.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Members of the Essex Regiment and RIC Constables in Bandon.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369463492?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369463492?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>They rushed back to the farmhouse with their sister Madge and friends Mick and Cornelius Flynn. The four men moved around in the woods, attempting to look like a large number of Volunteers. Madge went to the house trying to convince the Constables they were outnumbered and surrounded. Two of the twelve there put down their arms and resigned. Another would resign later. Given later events, they probably did not regret that decision over the next few years.</p>
<p>During this confusion, Seán slipped out of the house and escaped. In July, Tom and William had another close call in a raid on the house, barely escaping with the RIC opening fire on them. The island was slipping further and further toward open rebellion, and Irish Volunteers and IRB were preparing for it. In January 1919, Tom was appointed C/O of the new 3<sup>rd</sup> (West) Cork Brigade, and Seán moved up to C/O of the Bandon Battalion. William was made head of the Ballinadee IRB.</p>
<p>The Hales family was so enmeshed in the Irish War of Independence that even Donal, living in Genoa, Italy, contributed. Michael Collins brought him into the IRB arms smuggling efforts. Madge was a conduit from Donal to Collins and also became part of Collins’ network of covert agents.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717055?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717055?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The family made another contribution to the coming fight in 1919 when they helped recruit the man who was, arguably, the best Flying Column C/O of the war: Tom Barry (left). Barry served in the British Army in WWI, and his father was an RIC Constable until he was ten. However, he immersed himself in Irish history since returning home from the war. Barry enrolled in Skerry College, Cork City, where he met Bill Hales. It was a fateful meeting that profoundly affected his life and Irish history.</p>
<p>Barry’s independent study of Irish history may have laid the groundwork for his joining the Republican movement, but meeting Bill Hales put the process into overdrive. Barry was invited home by Bill one night and became a frequent guest after that. Around their hearth, elder Robert regaled Barry with stories for the ’98 Rising, the United Irishmen, the “Great Hunger,” the Fenians, and the Land League.</p>
<p>It may well have been Barry’s developing relationship with the Hales that resulted in the RIC picking him up on the streets of Bandon one day in the late spring or early summer. They treated him roughly, and it was another case of an overzealous punishment leading to negative results for the Crown, much like the post-Easter Rising. He approached West Cork Brigade intelligence officer Seán Buckley about joining the Volunteers shortly after this incident. A British Army veteran with a family RIC connection was naturally suspect, but his Hales family connection helped get him enlisted. The rest, as they say, is history.</p>
<p>With the massive victory of Sinn Fein in the 1918 elections and the forming of independent Dáil Éireann on January 27, 1919, the shooting war began. One of the earliest organized ambushes was in the 3<sup>rd</sup> Brigade area was by the Kilbrittain Company in Rathclarin, though none of the Hales were directly involved. One Volunteer and one British soldier died, but the success of all Volunteer ambushes, especially early on, was judged by the capture of arms and ammunition. They captured five rifles and 200 rounds of ammunition for them.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369517069?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369517069?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>It took months for the Volunteers in Cork and elsewhere to obtain enough arms and training to engage the Crown forces seriously. The war would not begin in earnest until 1920. On February 27, 1920, Tom led an attack on the Mount Pleasant RIC barracks while Seán led an attack on the Timoleague Barracks. These were the first attacks in the Brigade area that were officially sanctioned by the GHQ in Dublin. Both failed for various reasons, as many such early attacks on RIC barracks did, but both barracks were soon abandoned. This was also happening in much of rural Ireland, as the RIC was stretched too thin to defend all of them.</p>
<p>The main military opposition to the Volunteers in West Cork would come from units of the Essex Regiment under Major A.E. Percival (right). Nearly every member of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Brigade who wrote anything about Percival after the war would show their disdain for him by mentioning how he was the man who later surrendered Singapore to the Japanese, the largest surrender of British troops in history. Percival’s personal papers were later found to be full of references to the Hales brothers. And men of the regiment composed a song to the tune of “When Irish Eyes are Shining” that included these lines:</p>
<p><em>When Irish eyes are smiling<br/> At the boys, they love the best.<br/> And the Irish Shins are sighing.<br/> For their palls who’ve all gone west<br/> When the ghosts of Hales and Hurley<br/> Are wailing through the night<br/> Then, the lilt of Essex laughter<br/> Will echo with delight</em></p>
<p>On July 27, 1920, the British scored one of their greatest victories over the Hales family. RIC Detective Sgt. William Mulhearn, the chief intelligence officer of the RIC in West Cork, had been assassinated two days earlier. The crown forces were out for revenge and raided numerous locations, including the home of Volunteer Charlie Hurley, the Vice C/O of the Brigade. Tom Hales and Brigade Quartermaster Pat Harte were there when they were surrounded and captured. What followed their capture became one of the most infamous incidents of the war.</p>
<p>In later newspaper reports, Hales described having his hands tied and arms strapped and being hit repeatedly in the face, and having his vision fading from blood loss. At the barracks, they were put up against the wall, and Capt. Campbell Kelly lined up several riflemen as if to execute them. He attempted to get Hales to hold up a small Union Jack flag. He was able to realize what it was and refused. Kelly then pressed it into the hand of Harte, whose nose had been broken by rifle butt to his face and was, according to Hales, “too far gone to recognize it.” Harte held it up as a photographer took the infamous photo you see below.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12371676892?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12371676892?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The beating continued late into the night. Hales was told Kelly and five other officers were going to “try” him. With his hands still tied and arms strapped, he continued to refuse to answer their questions and was beaten with a cane, then had his fingertips crushed with a pair of pliers. By the time they were done, Hales had most of his teeth knocked out. Hales was then dragged out of the room, and Harte brought in for more of the same. In the morning, they were subjected to another faux execution and then shipped off to prison. Hales spent the rest of the war in Pentonville Prison in England. Madge visited him in January 1921and and said that, “his mouth is destroyed … He cannot speak as his tongue catches in the broken teeth.” Harte had a mental breakdown and never recovered, dying in Richmond Asylum in Dublin in 1924.</p>
<p>The notorious beatings administered to the two men would, in some ways, have the same effect as the execution of the Easter Rising leaders. Both were designed to dishearten the Republican movement but had the opposite effect. Not only did it incense members of the Republican movement, but it was also an embarrassment to the British government when Hales’ account was published. </p>
<p>The Irish came up with many of their own songs during the war as well. The song “The Men of Barry’s Column” included the lines:</p>
<p><em>The Essex Brutes who tortured Hales<br/> They scoured the land to fill their jails<br/> Though their ugly deeds would pale<br/> The cheeks of Irish Mothers</em></p>
<p>The war was over for Tom, but the rest of the family would fight on. In late September, the brigade officers, including Seán, attended a training camp in Clonbouig in anticipation of forming a brigade flying column. It was run by the new brigade training officer, Tom Barry, who would command that column and become one of the most famous Irish soldiers of the war. Seán, Bob, and William, now “on the run, would all spend time serving in the column.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: A burned Crossley Tender at Kilmichael.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717209?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717209?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>One or more of them would be present at most of the major actions in West Cork other than the Kilmichael Ambush. On October 22, Barry and the flying column made their first successful ambush on Crown forces at Toureen, with Seán commanding a section of the column. The British suffered five killed, four wounded, and six soldiers surrendered. Significantly, given later accusations about the Kilmichael ambush, the six were released. The soldiers were told to inform Percival that if the torture and murder of prisoners by the Essex Regiment continued, the men of his regiment might not be treated as humanely in the future.</p>
<p>March 1921 was a very eventful month for the Hales family. Early in the month, Crown Forces, who had already burned down the Hales family barn, burned their farmhouse. The masked men gave the family five minutes to get out and began burning before they were all out. Madge wrote to her brother Donal, “Out of all my father’s and mother’s life long gathering, nothing is saved but what I took with me in my arms. “ With one son in jail, three facing possible death on active duty in the field, and their home and everything they owned destroyed, Robert and Margret Hales anguish must have been nearly impossible to endure.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717358?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84717358?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The brothers would get a measure of revenge for the destruction of the farmhouse and the torturing of their brother later that month. All three brothers were together in one of the most famous actions of Barry’s flying column on March 19 at <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat">Crossbarry</a>. They were all in Section A, commanded by Seán, on the west flank of Barry’s line. They helped rout the first unit to arrive in Crossbarry, soldiers of the hated Essex Regiment, torturers of their brother.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: A map of the Battle of Crossbarry. Click on it for a larger view)</strong></span></p>
<p>At the beginning of 1921, the British government officially sanctioned the destruction of civilian property in retaliation for Irish attacks. The most famous of those was the <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/dillon-s-cross-and-the-burning-of-cork-city">burning of a large portion of Cork City</a> in December 1920. The ambush that set off the burning of Cork City at Dillon’s Cross was done in part as an attempt to kill Capt. Kelly, who had tortured Tom Hales.</p>
<p>The Irish Volunteers had no real way to stop attacks like the burning of the Hale’s farmhouse. The Crown forces were mechanized and thus could quickly bring in large numbers of soldiers or constables to punish Irish civilians without much resistance. A different way had to be found to convince the British government that burning the homes and businesses of the Irish people was a bad idea. The solution the Volunteers came up with was to begin burning the large mansions and estates of the Anglo-Irish gentry in retaliation.</p>
<p>Another late-war policy was designed to convince the British to stop executing Volunteer prisoners. This also involved the Anglo-Irish gentry, in this case, capturing some of them and holding them hostage with the threat of executing them in retaliation for any further executions of Volunteer prisoners.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372439665?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372439665?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The Hale brothers got another measure of revenge for their home’s destruction while enforcing these policies. On June 21, Seán commanded an operation to capture the Earl of Bandon at his home just outside of Bandon, Castle Bernard (right). Though the original plan was only to capture the Earl, when they could not locate the family, Seán, with the burning of his family home still fresh in his mind, decided to burn the castle. “As the bird has flown, we will burn the nest,” Seán allegedly said.</p>
<p>After they lit the fires, they discovered the family and the Earl was taken hostage. No more executions of Volunteers took place in Cork over the following two weeks before the truce agreement on July 11. Lord Bandon was released unharmed the following day.</p>
<p>The British would deal one last violent blow to the Hales in the war’s final weeks. On June 26, soldiers of the Exxex regiment abducted a young man who worked on the Hales farm, John Murphy of Cloghane. Though he was a member of the Volunteers, that was likely unknown to the soldiers. At 10 PM that night, his body was found near Knocknacurra off the Kilmacsimon road. The soldiers had beaten and perhaps tortured him, then shot him. Perhaps he was tortured in hopes he would assist in capturing one or more of the brothers and killed because he wouldn’t. No one will ever know.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Headline from "The Day," New London, Connecticut, December 6, 1921)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372441479?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372441479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The Treaty that divided the Irish people and led to the civil war also divided the Hales family. Seán and Madge, perhaps influenced by their close connections to Michael Collins, supported the Treaty. Tom, who was finally released from prison in England after the Treaty, Robert and William, opposed the Treaty. To this day, people debate the merits of the Treaty and the possible outcome of rejecting it. What is not debatable is how tragic the following years of the Civil War would be for Ireland and for the Hales.</p>
<p>Most of the leaders of the Republican movement in Cork opposed the Treaty. So it shocked many when Seán, who was elected to the Dáil in the 1921 elections, spoke in favor of the Treaty in the famous debates leading up to the vote. He intimated that Ireland could obtain their Republic by doing what the English had done when they failed to honor the Treaty of Limerick. “The day is coming when we will pay that back … Ireland’s destiny is to be a Republic.”</p>
<p>After the Treaty was ratified, Seán and Tom both spoke at rallies for and against it, respectively. The Civil War began in earnest in June 1922. The fighting in Cork was a literal “Brother against Brother” fight, as Seán commanded Free State troops there and Tom commanded Republican troops. They would be closely involved with the most famous event of that war, the killing of Michael Collins.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372444268?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372444268?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On the day Collins was killed, August 22, 1922, Republican leaders, including Tom Hales, were meeting near Béal na Bláth. Getting word that Collins had passed through the area, they voted to set up an ambush for his return. Though Tom opposed it, he commanded it.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: The historical marker at Béal na Bláth)</strong></span></p>
<p>Seán met with Collins that day at Lee’s Hotel in Bandon. The two friends enjoyed a warm reunion, and Seán warned Collins that the local roads were dangerous for him. Collins assured Seán he’d be fine and that “Twill soon be over.” Sadly, for both Colins and Seán, that was true.</p>
<p>Tom started disbanding the ambush after 7 PM when Collin’s convoy arrived. Like others there, he had seen someone go down in the road, but none knew who it was at the time. When word reached a meeting of the Republican leaders later, Liam Deasy recalled that for himself and Tom, “our sorrow was deep and lasting.” They grieved for their friend and also because they expected, correctly, that the war was about to get much more brutal.</p>
<p><span>IRB member and TD Piaras Beaslaí had been with Collins when word of the Essex Regiment's brutal treatment had been smuggled out in 1920, “He was beside himself with rage and pity, and, as he told me afterward, could not sleep that night for thinking of it," he recalled later. Such was the heartbreak of the Civil War that men who fought together and still cared so much for each other and who all still believed Ireland's destiny was to be a republic were killing each other over how to achieve it. </span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372448469?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372448469?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>On September 27, the Dáil passed emergency legislation known as the Public Safety Bill that allowed the government to execute Republicans if they were armed when arrested. Liam Lynch, the IRA Chief of Staff, then ordered the killing of any TD who had voted for this “Murder Bill.” Seán had not been present when it was passed, but he would pay the price of this escalation.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: Seán Hales funeral card)</strong></span></p>
<p>It could be that Ó Máille was the real target of the fatal attack described at the start of this article, as he had voted for the bill. Frank Henderson, head of the IRA Dublin Brigade, was so distraught that Hales was killed that he had his priest son say a mass for him for the next sixteen years.</p>
<p>The retaliation was not long in coming. Later that day the government decided to execute four Republican prisoners being held in Dublin, one from each province. When news of Seán’s killing reached the Dáil at Leinster House, President William Cosgrave said, “I need not say that on my own behalf and on the behalf of the House that this an appalling tragedy and that to the relatives of Deputy Hales we tender our sincere sympathy.” Ironically, that included three of Seán’s brothers in Free State custody in Cork.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372449058?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372449058?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The Cabinet voted that night to execute Republican prisoners. They were, pictured, top to bottom and left to right: Liam Mellows, Rory O’Connor, Joe McKelvey, and Dick Barrett. The executions were carried out the next day. They had been captured long before the Public Safety Bill passed, so there was no legal basis to execute them. Barrett had been a close friend of Seán. The Hales family unanimously condemned the executions in a letter to the “Cork Examiner.”</p>
<p>The sad and heartbreaking Civil War finally ended in May 2023. Tom served in the Dáil Éireann as West Cork TD for Fianna Fáil from 1933-37. He left the party in protest over De Valera’s policy of internment of IRA members. On January 20, 1966, a monument to Seán was dedicated in Bandon, three months before Tom passed away. Bob Hales unveiled the monument at Crossbary in November 1966.</p>
<p>The Hales family of Ballinadee, Bandon, County Cork, as much as any family in Ireland at the time, illustrates the courage and sacrifice of Irish men and women of that era. Go suífidh siad ar láimh Dé (May they sit at the right hand of God).</p>
<p><strong>RELATED LINKS:</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://https://www.amazon.com/Hales-Brothers-Irish-Revolution-ebook/dp/B07QPV4QZB?crid=209ZHABP5IGDT&keywords=THE+HALES+BROTHERS&qid=1706765345&sprefix=the+hales+brothers,aps,221&sr=8-2&linkCode=sl1&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&linkId=b266edff0ac8bfbf7cb42c83cc4dd71c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Hales Brothers and the Irish Revolution"</a> by Liz Gillis</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Road-Crossbarry-Decisive-Battle-Independence/dp/0953609901?crid=36GBS06QXXD6H&keywords=the+road+to+crossbarry&qid=1706767543&sprefix=the+road+to+crossbarry,aps,218&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&linkId=1ccd83a495eb82c5c690c370a0939a5e&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Road to Crossbarry"</a> by Diarmuid Begley</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tom-barry-we-may-have-great-men-but-we-ll-never-have-better" target="_self">Tom Barry: 'We May Have Great Men, sBut We’ll Never Have Better'</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat" target="_self">The Battle of Crossbarry: ... 'Who Piped Old Ireland Free'</a></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/dillon-s-cross-and-the-burning-of-cork-city" target="_blank">Dillon’s Cross Ambush and the Burning of Cork City</a><a href="https://amzn.to/48W4kaU" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12372450457?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_Hales">Sean Hales Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hales_(Irish_republican)" target="_self">Tom Hales Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=1833">Tom Hales political career</a></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.historyireland.com/gabriele-dannunzio-irish-republic-1919-21/">Donal “Gabriele D’Annunzio and the Irish Republic</a>, 1919–21”</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.executedtoday.com/tag/sean-hales/">Post Hales assassination executions</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLXcvSYNALo&t=82s">Video of executions</a> of Liam Mellows, Rory O’Connor, Joe McKelvey, and Dick Barrett</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_bPM6ijqlU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Family at War: The Story of the Hales Brothers</a> Video</p>
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<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:163757">The Tan Who Was Hanged By His Own Side</a></p>
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<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:87437">1916 and the Rebels' Priests</a></p>
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<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:8961">Evidence Abounds: British Leaders OK'd Mayhem</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:162480">The Price of Freedom</a></p>
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<p>The Forgotten Ten:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-just-a-lad-of-18-summers" target="_self">Part 1: 'Just a Lad of 18 Summers'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-part-2-an-example-has-to-be-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 2: 'An Example Has To Be Made'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-part-3-proud-to-die-for-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 3: 'Proud To Die for the Republic'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-4-down-into-the-mire" target="_self">Part 4: 'Down Into the Mire'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-5-england-executes-prisoners-of-war" target="_self">Part 5: 'England Executes Prisoners of War'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-6-death-with-no-tremblings" target="_self">Part 6: 'Death With No Tremblings'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-7-fight-on-struggle-on" target="_self">Part 7: 'Fight On, Struggle On'</a></strong></li>
</ul>An American Imbolctag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-31:6442157:BlogPost:3082102024-01-31T20:00:00.000ZMike McCormackhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MikeMcCormack
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369453081?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369453081?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="680"></img></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(An 18th-century drawing of a Delaware River ferry boat)</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">February 1 is the Celtic feast of Imbolc, which signifies change or rebirth. In Luke’s Gospel, it is when Jesus was presented in the temple to begin his…</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369453081?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12369453081?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="680" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(An 18th-century drawing of a Delaware River ferry boat)</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">February 1 is the Celtic feast of Imbolc, which signifies change or rebirth. In Luke’s Gospel, it is when Jesus was presented in the temple to begin his mission to change the road to redemption. In 1776, America needed an Imbolc to celebrate since her Revolution to change governments was near defeat. Washington’s outnumbered army retreated from New York through New Jersey, headed for the Delaware River with the Brits in hot pursuit. He sent word to Congress in Philadelphia to have boats at Trenton to get him across the River into Pennsylvania. Captain John Barry of Wexford was given the task and contacted Cavan-born Paddy Colvin, who owned one of three Delaware ferries to be used; in fact, today’s town of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, was then called Colvin's Ferry. Colvin knew all the obstacles in the river and how to avoid them. The river had to be crossed quickly, or the patriots would be trapped on its banks. With no bridges, Colvin knew the other ferry owners as well as those who owned Durham cargo boats and where to find them; together with the help of John Glover’s Marblehead mariners, they arranged the crossing. Colvin’s Ferry was the oldest and less than 2 miles from Trenton.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The other ferries were Co Antrim-born Sam McConkey’s ferry 9 miles above Trenton and Howell’s ferry 4 miles above. On 3 December, Washington reached Trenton, and the ferries began carrying the Patriot army and their equipment across to Taylorsville, Pennsylvania. By 8 December, Washington and his rear guard had just crossed as the Brits entered Trenton. The army was safely across, and an angry Cornwallis found all the boats moored on the Pennsylvania side of the river, which was now an impassable ice-choked barrier between him and the disorganized army he had hoped to capture. Leaving a force of Hessian mercenaries to hold Trenton, he set up a headquarters 12 miles north at Princeton; Washington set up his headquarters across the river, half a mile north of Colvin’s Ferry.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Washington met with local butcher Armagh-born John Honeyman, who often traded with the Brits, and learned of the small force guarding Trenton. He decided to re-cross the Delaware at Christmas and surprise the Brits with a present they never expected. Pretending to have escaped from the Patriot camp, Honeyman was sent to the Hessian camp to inform them that the colonials were in no shape to attack as they were demoralized and suffering from cold and hunger. Hoping the Hessians had been lulled into a false sense of security, Washington arranged to cross the icy River on Christmas night and surprise the Hessians at dawn, thinking they’d be hung over from celebrating the holiday the night before. In truth, the Hessians had been alerted by an informer, but a snowstorm that evening was so severe that the Hessians began to relax. There was no way an army could march through that blizzard! It was so bad that the Hessians even canceled patrols for the next morning and went soundly to bed. Meanwhile, Washington chose the most able 2,400 men in his army & Colvin quietly crossed them on all the ferries and Durham boats into the wind, snow, hail, and sleet that assaulted them, but they nevertheless persevered and regrouped at McConkey’s ferry in New Jersey to march the 12 miles south to Trenton.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722571?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722571?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="680" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>("Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze, 1851)</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Hessians were surprised, surrounded, and arrested at dawn, and Trenton was taken. Washington knew Cornwallis would try to recapture it but decided to stand and fight. He sent for the rest of his army and fortified Trenton. Cornwallis, hearing of the fall of Trenton, left two regiments to fortify Princeton and marched back to re-take the town. Washington sent out units, under Co. Offaly-born Col. Edward Hand, to harass the Brits and slow them down while he set up defenses around Assunpink Creek with the help of local resident Dublin-born Paddy Lamb. By 1 January, the rest of the Patriot army was in New Jersey.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84723172?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84723172?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The British arrived late on 2 January, and the Second Battle of Trenton began at a small bridge over Assunpink Creek. Cornwallis ordered an assault, but the Patriots forced him back by shooting at the legs of the Brits, forcing them to use men to remove their wounded and so reduce the number of Brits on the attack. Cornwallis withdrew for the night, saying, Rest now, we'll bag the fox in the morning. That night, the Patriots noisily built up their campfires to cover the sound of part of their army under <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-o-sullivan-beare-clan-taking-the-fight-to-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">General John Sullivan, son of Irish immigrants</a>, (left) leaving with Dubliner Paddy Lamb, who led them on back roads around the British force to Princeton. In the morning, the Patriots launched a surprise attack on Princeton, and in Trenton, Cornwallis awoke to distant cannon fire from the north. Realizing that Princeton was under attack, he divided his forces and sent one to relieve Princeton, but they were too late to prevent another Patriot victory. Meanwhile, darkness put an end to the second battle of Trenton as the Brits were driven back everywhere. The little creek ran red with British blood, and the entire campaign was decided in Washington’s favor. The revolution was saved, and new recruits poured in thanks to a victory in which several Irishmen played a major part. Today, Washington’s night march to Princeton is cited as one of the greatest flanking maneuvers in American military history.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The retreating Brits fled towards British-controlled New Brunswick, and in their haste, some supply wagons were disabled on the way. Two hundred men were left to guard and repair them and bring them on to the British camp. In the dark of night, a group of 20 local patriots quietly encircled those wagons, and the guards were suddenly surprised by a volley of musket-shots and shouting from the surrounding trees. Thinking they were being attacked by a larger force, they fled, leaving the supply wagons to be brought to Washington, where the joy of the troops was unbounded for the wagons were full of woolen clothing, of which the men were in dire need. By February 1, Washington could celebrate Imbolc as he went into winter quarters at Morristown, while the Brits, after their 3rd defeat in 10 days, evacuated Central New Jersey. In the spirit of Imbolc, the revolution was reborn largely with the aid of Irishmen Paddy Colvin, Sam McConkey, John Honeyman, and Paddy Lamb, as well as Irish military men like Captain John Barry, Colonel Edward Hand and General John Sullivan. It was an Imbolc to remember!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>(Mike McCormack is the AOH NY State Historian Emeritus)</strong></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: January 28 - February 3tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-28:6442157:BlogPost:3088202024-01-28T01:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84713068?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84713068?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></strong></b></font><span> -- On </span><font color="blue">January 28, 1967</font><span>, Helena Moloney, republican and trade unionist, died in Dublin. Moloney was born in Dublin in 1884. While only a teenager Moloney heard Maud Gonne give a pro-nationalist speech near the Customs House. Inspired by Gonne, Helena began a…</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84713068?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84713068?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></strong></b></font><span> -- On </span><font color="blue">January 28, 1967</font><span>, Helena Moloney, republican and trade unionist, died in Dublin. Moloney was born in Dublin in 1884. While only a teenager Moloney heard Maud Gonne give a pro-nationalist speech near the Customs House. Inspired by Gonne, Helena began a lifelong commitment to republicanism. Moloney joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Erin) in 1903 and five years later was named editor of Bean na hÉireann (Women of Ireland), a republican - as well as feminist - monthly founded by Moloney's role model, Maud Gonne. Helena began an acting career at this time as well, joining the Abbey Theater, but her commitment to political and then labor activism would eventually end her acting. During this time Helena also became more active in the Irish labor movement, where she worked closely with James Connelly and Countess Markievicz. Connelly made her secretary of the Irish Women Workers' Union in November 1915. She was jailed in 1911 for throwing stones during the protest of a royal visit, making her the first woman jailed in the cause of Irish freedom since the days of the Ladies Land League some three decades earlier. Moloney took an active role with Connelly's Citizen's Army during the 1916 Easter Rising. She took part in the attack on Dublin Castle, where her commanding officer, Sean Connolly, was killed. She was arrested and held until December of that year. Moloney opposed the treaty and supported the republican side during the Civil War. She continued to work for labor causes after the Civil War and was the first woman to become president of the Irish Trade Union Congress. She did not abandon the republican cause, however. She was active with the Women's Prisoner's Defense League and the People's Rights Association during the 1930s. Moloney continued to work for the causes she believed in until illness forced her to retire from public life in 1946.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719909?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719909?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><span><b>MÁIRT</b></span></font></strong><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 30, 1879</font>, Edme Patrice de MacMahon retired as president of France. MacMahon's ancestors were Lords of Corcu Baiscind in Co. Clare, descended from Muirchertach Ua Briain, a High King of Ireland. They left in 1691 after the family supported King James. His father, Maurice Francis, was a soldier in the French army. In 1790, Maurice's royalist politics nearly caused his head to become separated from his body, but he managed to survive until the Bourbon restoration. Edme Patrice was born on June 13, 1808, at Autumn in Burgundy. He attended the military academy at Saint-Cyr, and in 1827 he joined the French army.</p>
<p>MacMahon served in Algeria until 1854. His performance there moved him steadily through the ranks; by the time the Crimean War began, MacMahon had been promoted to general and was transferred to the French army at the front. On September 8, 1855, he helped to plan -- and personally led -- a successful assault on the Russian fortress of Malakoff at Sebastopol. The plan included what was perhaps the first use of synchronized watches in a military attack. After the attack took the fort, MacMahon received a message from the French commander-in-chief warning him that the Russians had mined the fort. He advised MacMahon to withdraw, but MacMahon decided to risk the danger and remain in the fort. Sebastopol fell shortly after this victory, and the war was soon over. General MacMahon next commanded French troops against the Austrians in the Piedmont. Here, he won his greatest fame on June 4, 1859, when he defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Magenta.</p>
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<tr><td><p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>"The Attack on the Malakoff" by William Simpson (click on graphic for a larger view).</strong></span></p>
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<p>For this victory, Napoleon III conferred on MacMahon the title<span> </span><i>duc de Magenta</i>. MacMahon also performed well at the battle of Solferino on June 24. It is said that when news of MacMahon's victory at Magenta reached Ireland, bonfires were lit on hilltops in celebration, showing how much pride the native Irish took in their exiled sons. MacMahon was given command of the 1st Army Corps during the Franco-Prussian War. He was heavily outnumbered and defeated at Worth and Sedan as the Prussian army overwhelmed the French in six weeks. MacMahon was wounded and carried from the field at Sedan and emerged from the debacle with his reputation intact. He later headed an army that crushed the Commune of Paris in 1871. In May 1873, he was elected president of the Republic. MacMahon was president for six fateful years in the history of France. Republicans, royalists, and other factions plotted and fought on all sides, but MacMahon brought France through this perilous period and helped establish a permanent democratic government. He retired to private life in 1879. Edme Patrice MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, died October 17, 1893.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-2">Read about the origin of the Irish Brigade of the French army in</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0940134233?tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=0940134233&creative=373489&camp=211189" target="new"><span class="font-size-2">King James' Irish Army List, 1689 A. D.</span></a></li>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><span><b>MÁIRT</b> </span></font></strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 30, 1845</font>, Katharine (Kitty) O'Shea, nee Wood, whose affair with<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0717139395?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0717139395&adid=09WYDF0RZ7BM1AA3Z94Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Stewart Parnell</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/><span> </span>would cause his political ruin, was born at Bradwell, Essex, England. On January 24, 1867, she married Captain William Henry O'Shea. Their marriage does not appear to have been a happy one. In 1875, perhaps as a result of their poor financial situation, she and O'Shea began living apart, as she and their children moved in with a wealthy aunt, Mrs. Benjamin Wood, and he took an apartment in London. O'Shea only visited them occasionally thereafter. In 1880, her husband was elected to Parliament, and in July of the same year, Kitty arranged to meet the leader of her husband's party, Charles Stewart Parnell; shortly, they were involved in an affair. Although it is rumored that he challenged Parnell to a duel in July 1881 (Kitty reputedly talked her husband out of it), it appears that O'Shea eventually accepted the affair between his wife and Parnell.</p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Hulton Picture Library<br/></span></b><center><span class="font-size-1"><strong>Katharine 'Kitty' O'Shea</strong></span></center>
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<p>Perhaps access to money from Kitty's aunt and the fact that he could use the affair to pressure Parnell into helping to further his career convinced him to do nothing. Parnell fathered three daughters with Kitty between 1882 and 1884, and she also served as an occasional envoy from Parnell to William Gladstone. Though Parnell put his political career in jeopardy numerous times on his behalf, O'Shea began to develop a deep hatred of Parnell. In 1886, Parnell put his party leadership on the line to secure an MP seat for O'Shea in Galway, but strangely, O'Shea resigned from the seat shortly afterward. When Kitty's rich aunt died, depriving him of access to her money, the Captain finally made the affair public when he named Parnell as co-respondent when he sued Kitty for divorce on December 24, 1889. Although the publicity surrounding the case virtually destroyed Parnell's political career, Kitty felt optimistic about their future since they no longer had to hide their relationship. Kitty and Parnell were married in June 1891, but they were not fated to enjoy their new life. Exhausted from his political battles, Parnell became ill and died, age 45, in Kitty's arms at their home in Brighton, England, on October 6, 1891. Kitty mourned Parnell the rest of her life, suffering some mental problems, perhaps caused by her heartbreak. She wrote a book about her life with Parnell,<span> </span><i>Charles Stewart Parnell: His Love Story and Political Life</i>, in 1914. Katharine 'Kitty' O'Shea died in Littlehampton, Sussex, England, on February 5, 1921, apparently never once setting foot on Irish soil.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10057356488?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10057356488?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DEARDAOIN</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">February 1, 1702</font>, the Irish Brigade of France added to its growing reputation as elements of the Brigade fought at<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/france-s-irish-brigade-saves-the-king-s-army" target="_self">the battle of Cremona</a><span> </span>during the War of Spanish Succession. With the city nearly overrun by Prince Eugene's Austrians, only the taking of the Po Gate and its bridge stood between Eugene and complete victory. But guarding that bridge and gate were 600 men of Dillon's and Burke's regiments.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-1">(Left: National Museum of Ireland - The flag of Dillon's Regiment, Irish Brigade of France.)</span></strong></p>
<p>Neither bribery, nor pleading, nor 12 hours of fighting could move them; the gate was held, and the town was saved. The brave soldiers of the Irish Brigade had won the day for France, but their courageous stand had cost them 60 percent casualties.</p>
<p>Read the full story of the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade's</u></a><span> </span><span class="font-size-2">desperate fight at</span><span> </span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/france-s-irish-brigade-saves-the-king-s-army" target="_self">the battle of Cremona</a></p>
<p><span><font color="#008040"><b><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10057357898?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10057357898?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>AOINE</strong></b></font></span> -- On <font color="blue">February 2, 1860</font>, <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/buckey-o-neill-sheriff-mayor-rough-rider-american-hero" target="_self">William O. 'Buckey' O'Neill,</a> sheriff, politician, and one of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Teddy%20Roosevelt%20Rough%20Riders&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/>, was born, possibly somewhere in Ireland. Son of a veteran of the American Civil War's famed <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a>, young William left Washington, D.C., in 1879, hoping to find excitement in the Arizona territories. He found enough for three men.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: <span class="font-size-1">'The Rough Riders' by Theodore Roosevelt (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899) Capt. Buckey O'Neill, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry.)</span></strong></span></p>
<p>He won fame during many exploits against outlaws as a sheriff and eventually won an election for mayor of Prescott. At the start of the Spanish-American War, O'Neill -- nicknamed 'Buckey' after his favorite card game -- raised a company for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. It was then that he first listed his birthplace as Ireland after years of claiming U.S. birth. 'Buckey' O'Neill was one of the most popular men, enlisted or officer, in Roosevelt's regiment. He was killed just before the regiment's famous assault up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Kettle%20Hill%20San%20Juan%20Hill&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Kettle Hill (not San Juan Hill)</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/> on July 1, 1898.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-2">Read more about Western hero</span> <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/buckey-o-neill-sheriff-mayor-rough-rider-american-hero" target="_self">William O. 'Buckey' O'Neill</a>.</li>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715766?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715766?profile=original" width="225" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>SATHAIRN</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">February 3, 1537</font>, Lord "Silken" Thomas Fitzgerald and his five uncles were executed at Tyburn, England. In June 1534, believing the English had killed his father in London (he actually died in the Tower later of disease), Fitzgerald led a revolt against the English. He gained the name 'Silken' for the silk fringes on the helmets of his horsemen. Thomas had overestimated the support for actions, however. His attempt to get<span> Lord Butler, son of the Earl of Ormond, his cousin, to join him in the uprising failed.</span> His forces were defeated at Dublin and forced to retreat to their strongholds in County Kildare. When his castle at Maynooth was taken while he was away seeking reinforcements in March 1535, he was driven from his lands in County Kildare. In July, Fitzgerald surrendered to Lord Leonard Grey, England's Marshal of Ireland, after Grey guaranteed the safety of Fitzgerald and his men. But in October 1535, the English broke their promise. Thomas Fitzgerald and five of his uncles were shipped to London and imprisoned in the Tower until February 1537, when all six were hung, drawn, and quartered</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><span><b><i>"I was a young girl dreaming about Ireland when I saw and heard Maud Gonne speaking by the Customs House one August evening in 1903. She was the most lovely figure and she inspired me, as she did many others, with a love of Ireland."</i></b> <br/> -- Helena Moloney recalling the night she dedicated her life to the cause of Irish freedom</span></p>
<p><b><i>'J'y suis, J'y reste.' (I am there, there I remain.)</i></b><br/> -- General Edme Patrice MacMahon's reply to the suggestion he evacuate the fortress of Malakoff, September 8, 1855 (This is one of the most famous quotes in French military history.) </p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Library of Congress<br/></span></b><center><span class="font-size-1"><strong>Charles Stuart Parnell</strong></span></center>
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<p><b><i>''I don't pretend that I had not moments of trial and of temptation, but I do claim that never in thought, word, or deed, have I been false to the trust which Irishmen have confided in me.'</i></b><br/> -- Charles Stewart Parnell (left), lover and later husband of Katharine 'Kitty' O'Shea, December 18, 1890</p>
<p><strong><em>'The Irish performed there the most important piece of service for Louis XIV, that, perhaps, any King of France ever received from so small a body of men since the foundation of that monarchy. This action by the Irish, by any impartial way of reasoning, saved the whole French army in Italy.'<br/></em></strong> <span> -- The English writer Forman, remarking on the battle of Cremona</span></p>
<p><b><i>'The iron-nerved, iron-willed fighter from Arizona ... a staunchly loyal and generous friend. ... he, alone among his comrades, was a visionary, an articulate emotionalist ... He was less apt to tell tales of his hard and stormy past than he was to speak of the mysteries which lie behind courage, and fear, and love.'</i></b><br/> -- Teddy Roosevelt describing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=William%20%26%2334%3BBuckey%26%2334%3B%20O%27Neill&tag=thewildgeesestore-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">William "Buckey" O'Neill</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeesestore-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" border="0" width="1"/></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">January -<span> </span><i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4"><i><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></i></span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>28, 1760</strong> - Mathew Carey (Author, bookseller, and publisher - Dublin.)<br/> <strong>28, 1807</strong> - Robert John Le Mesurier M'Clure (Explorer - Wexford.)<br/> <strong>28, 1892</strong> - David Mary Tidmarsh (WWI Ace, 7 kills - Limerick.)<br/> <strong>28, 1895</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/aletta-sullivan-champion-gold-star-mother-of-wwii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alleta Sullivan (Abel) (Mother of the five “Fighting” Sullivans</a> brothers who died on the USS Juneau – Waterloo, Iowa)</span><strong><br/> 30, 1845</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/charles-katharine-kiss-me-sweet-wifie-and-i-will-try-to-sleep-a-w" target="_self">Katharine (Kitty) O'Shea</a><span> (Mistress and later wife of Parnell - England.)</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">February - <i>Feabhra</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><br/> 1, 1878</strong><span> </span>-<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/leaders-of-the-1916-easter-rising-tomas-mac-donnchadha" target="_self">Thomas MacDonagh (Poet, revolutionary - Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary.)</a><br/> <strong>2, 1860</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/buckey-o-neill-sheriff-mayor-rough-rider-american-hero" target="_self">William O. "Buckey" O'Neill</a> (Rough Rider, Span-Am War - Ireland)<br/> <strong>2, 1882</strong> - James Joyce (Author - Dublin)<br/> <strong>2, 1895</strong> - John Ford (Movie Director)<br/> <strong>2, 1896</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/michael-brennan-and-the-east-clare-brigade-at-the-glenwood-ambush">Michael Brennan</a> (County Clare Volunteer leader – Meelick, Co. Clare)<br/> <strong>2, 1911</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/in-harm-s-way-richard-killer-o-kane-america-s-greatest-submarine-" target="_self">Richard "Killer" O'Kane</a> (US Navy <a href="http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/mdohhome.html">MOH winner</a> - Dover, NH)<br/> <strong>3, 1793</strong> - Charles Stewart McCauley (Commodore, U.S. Navy, Civil War, Philadelphia, PA)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">January -<span> </span><i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>28, 1921</strong> - An IRA ambush party of men from the Cork No. 1 Brigade waiting to ambush a convoy of British troops at Godfrey's Cross is itself ambushed by British troops who had been alerted by an informer.<br/> <strong>28, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-tureengarriffe-ambush-cork-kerry-strike-a-blow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seán Moylan and the Cork No. 2 (North) Brigade</a> of the Irish Volunteers ambush two RIC vehicle in Tureengarriffe, Co. Kerry, killing RIC Divisional Commissioner Philip Holmes.<br/> <strong>28,1939</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/yeats-falls-in-love" target="_self">William Butler Yeats</a> dies in Monaco.<br/> <strong>28, 1967</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/helena-melony-one-of-the-forgotten-revolutionary-women-of-the" target="_self">Helena Moloney, republican and trade unionist, dies in Dublin.</a></span><strong><br/> 29, 1794</strong><span> - Archibald Hamilton Rowan, United Irishman, tried on charge of distributing seditious paper.</span><br/> <strong>29, 1957</strong><span> - The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association is formed in Belfast</span><span><strong><br/> 30, 1863</strong>, <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/recalling-the-155th-new-york-volunteer-infantry-corcoran-s-irish" target="_self">Corcoran's Legion</a> fights it first battle (battle of the Deserted House/Kelly's Story), near Suffolk, VA.<br/> <strong>30, 1879</strong> - Patrice de MacMahon retires as President of France.<br/> <strong>30, 1900</strong> - Irish Parliamentary Party reunites under John Redmond, incorporating United Irish League.<br/> <strong>30, 1972</strong> - "<a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/bloody-sunday-30-years-later-still-seeking-answers" target="_self">Bloody Sunday</a>," thirteen killed by British paratroopers in Derry.</span><span><strong><br/> 31, 1881</strong> - Ladies Land League launched in Ireland.<br/> <strong>31, 1913</strong> - The Ulster Volunteer Force is founded by the Unionist Council.</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">February - <i>Feabhra</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>1</strong>, <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/st-brigid-the-2nd-patron-saint-of-ireland-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Brigid's Day</a>.<br/> <strong>1, 1315</strong><span> </span>- Edward the Bruce of Scotland and his Irish allies win the battle of Skerries in Kildare.<br/> <strong>1, 1702</strong><span> </span>- <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Brigade of France</a><span> </span>fights at the battle of Cremona.<br/> <strong>1, 1796</strong><span> </span>- Theobald Wolf Tone, United Irish leader, arrives in France seeking assistance.<br/> <strong>1, 1815</strong> – Daniel O’Connel mortally wounds John D'Esterre in a duel.<br/> <strong>1, 1921</strong> - Volunteer Cornelius Murphy of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Cork Brigade, is the 1st person executed by the British under the Martial Law crime of carrying a revolver.<br/> <strong>2, 1880</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/charles-katharine-kiss-me-sweet-wifie-and-i-will-try-to-sleep-a-w" target="_self">Charles S. Parnell</a> addresses the U.S. Congress.<br/> <strong>2, 1918</strong> - Former Heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan dies.<br/> <strong>2, 1921</strong> – The <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-blacksmith-hammers-the-auxies-at-clonfin-longford" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Longford Flying Column, Irish Volunteers</a>, ambush a convoy of RIC Auxiliaries in Clonfin, County Longford, killing 4.<br/> <strong>2, 1922</strong> - James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris.<br/> <strong>2, 1942</strong> - Lts John F. Fitzgerald and James F. McCarthy fly the first two B-25s off the USS WASP to begin Doolittle's Tokyo.<br/> <strong>3, 1537</strong> - Lord Thomas Fitzgerald and his five uncles hung drawn and quartered at Tyburn.<br/> <strong>3, 1801</strong> - PM Pitt resigns over Royal veto on Catholic emancipation.<br/> <strong>3, 1881</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-first-irishman-to-visit-tolstoy-ireland-s-one-armed-patriot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Land League organizer Michael Davitt</a> is arrested.<br/> <strong>3, 1896</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/speranza-another-irish-heroine-reclaimed-from-the-shadows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lady Jane Wilde</a> - Speranza of the Nation, Mother of Oscar - dies in London.<br/> <strong>3, 1917</strong> - The first Sinn Fein candidate for an MP seat, Count Plunkett,, father of Easter Rising martyr Joseph Plunkett, is elected in the North Roscommon bye-election and starts their tradition of refusing to sit in the British Parliament.<br/> <strong>3, 1919</strong> - Harry Boland and Michael Collins engineer Eamon de Valera's escape from Lincoln Jail in England.<br/> <strong>3, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-dromkeen-ambush-down-into-the-mire-in-county-limerick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Limerick and Mid-Limerick Volunteers</a> kill 11 RIC and Black & Tans in ambush at Dromkeen, Co. Limerick.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: January 21 - January 27tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-21:6442157:BlogPost:3084122024-01-21T18:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Hulton Picture Library<br></br></span></b><center><strong><span class="font-size-1">'Big Jim' Larkin in his prime.</span></strong></center>
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<p><span><strong><b><font color="#008040">DOMHNAIGH</font></b></strong></span> -- On<span> …</span></p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Hulton Picture Library<br/></span></b><center><strong><span class="font-size-1">'Big Jim' Larkin in his prime.</span></strong></center>
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<p><span><strong><b><font color="#008040">DOMHNAIGH</font></b></strong></span> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 21, 1876,</font><span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1859183395?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1859183395">James 'Big Jim' Larkin</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1859183395" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, one of the greatest labor leaders of the 20th century, was born in Liverpool, England, the second son of a poor Irish couple. At 5 he was sent back to Newry, County Down, to live with his grandparents. He returned to Liverpool in 1885 and began to work as a laborer on the docks. After some time as a seaman, he returned to the docks and rose to be a foreman. When Larkin joined a strike by the men under him, he was fired from that position. He had lost a job, but he had found a calling. Larkin became an organizer for the National Union of Dockers Laborers. He was sent to Belfast in 1907 and organized a strike there, managing to get Catholic and Protestant workers to cooperate, rather than let those above them exploit their ancient animosities. So persuasive was Larkin that he even got the police to support his strike. But he was making enemies in high places, including the leadership of NUDL. They transferred him to Dublin, but his militancy caused him to be suspended from the NUDL.</p>
<p>In December 1908, he organized his own union, the Irish Transport, and General Workers' Union, the ITGWU, and through the force of his personality and oratory, the Union grew quickly. Most of the dock and factory workers he organized lived in some of the worst slums in all of Europe. In 1913 Larkin's successful organizing caused Dublin employers to move against him. They demanded that all employees quit Larkin's union. The workers refused, and, in August 1913, employers all over Dublin locked them out of their jobs. When other Unions supported them, over 100,000 workers ended up locked out. The employers ended the lockout at the end of January 1914. Many saw little if any gain for the workers as a result of the bitter fight, but others noted that with 'Big Jim's' leadership the workers had a solidarity not seen before. In August 1914, the British suppressed Larkin's paper, The Irish Worker, and he traveled to America to raise funds. He would not return for nine years, much of that time spent behind bars. Larkin found an America which was even more antagonistic to organized labor than Britain. In New York, in 1920, he was jailed and sentenced to 10 years for criminal syndicalism.' In 1923, Governor Al Smith had him released and he returned to Ireland. The Ireland he returned to had changed – for one, the British were gone from the Free State – and the tempestuous Larkin, still a committed Marxist, had not. He was expelled from the ITGWU after a bitter power struggle with the more moderate leaders who had rebuilt it in his absence. Nevertheless, 'Big Jim' continued to be active in the fight for worker's rights until his death on January 30, 1947. The world has seen many corrupt labor leaders whose only real agenda was lining their own pockets, but when 'Big Jim' Larkin died his estate consisted of a few personal items and £4.50 in cash.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703386?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703386?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right" width="250"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span></b></font> - <font color="blue">January 22, 1760,</font> at Wandewash, India, General Thomas Arthur Comte de Lally's French army, including his regiment of the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a>, was defeated by Irish-born Sir Eyre Coote's English army. Coote was born in Limerick in 1726; his father's side of the family had come over during the reign of Elizabeth I and intermarried with the Irish. Lally was second-generation Wild Geese, born in France in 1701. His father was Sir Gerard Lally of County Galway. Lally's military career began early and rose ever upward. He first served with the regiment of his uncle, Arthur Dillon. At Dettingen, in 1743, he saved the life of his father and the following year he was promoted to Colonel and given command of his own regiment in the Brigade.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: Thomas Arthur Comte de Lally)</strong></span></p>
<p>Commanding his regiment at Fontenoy in 1745, the most famous action in the history of <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102">the Irish Brigade</a>, his actions in deploying several cannons against the flank of the English advance may have been the turning point in the battle. Lally was involved in the planning of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0712605665?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0712605665">'Bonnie' Prince Charlie's</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0712605665" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> rising in England later that year but did not accompany him to Scotland. By 1756, when Lally was selected as commander-in-chief of the French expedition to India, he was one of the greatest living soldiers of France. Lally's force was delayed and did not leave France until May 1757. Further delays occurred on route and he finally landed at Pondicherry, India, on April 28, 1758. In less than two months, Lally cleared the English forces from a huge area around Pondicherry and captured almost 300 pieces of artillery. Lally next laid siege to Madras, but his naval support abandoned him and, in January 1759, the English were reinforced, forcing Lally to retire toward Pondicherry. Forces away from India were conspiring against Lally now, as the merchant fleets of the French had been rendered useless by England's navy. Thus in January 1760, as Lally made his stand at Wandewash, his troops had not been paid in six months, he had few supplies, and no hope of help from France. The morale of his troops could not have been high; still, they gave a good account of themselves until finally they were driven from the field by Coote's army. Lally probably should have sought terms from Coote then, but he held out in Pondicherry for another year until finally, with the garrison facing starvation, he surrendered. Lally had done all a mortal man could do with the forces available to him, now he was on his way back to Europe in a British ship. There were more tribulations ahead for this tragic figure.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715778?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="150" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715778?profile=RESIZE_180x180" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b>CÉADAOIN </b></font>-- On <font color="blue">January 24, 1862</font>, Miles Byrne, United Irishman and officer in <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgstore3" target="new">Napoleon's Irish Legion</a>, died in Paris. He was active in the 1798 Rising in Wexford and fought all its major battles, right through the rebels' climactic defeat at Vinegar Hill.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left: Miles Byrne (from his 'Memoirs".)</strong></span></p>
<p>He escaped to the hills and served with Michael Dwyer until the failure of the rising led by Robert Emmet, a close friend of Byrne's, in 1803. Byrne traveled to France hoping to arrange for more French aid to Ireland but after failing in that he joined the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgstore3" target="new">Irish Legion</a> being formed in the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new">French army</a>. He had a long career in the service of France. Byrne rose to command a regiment and was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. After his retirement, he wrote his <i>Memoirs</i>, which were published in 1863, a year after his death in Paris. </p>
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<p><font color="#008040"><b>AOINE</b></font> -- On <font color="blue">January 26, 1799</font>, Thomas Charles Wright, an officer in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Sim%C3%B3n%20Bol%C3%ADvar%27s%20&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Simón Bolívar's</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" width="1" border="0"/> South American army and founder and first commander-in-chief of the Ecuadorian navy, was born in Drogheda, Co. Louth. Wright joined the British navy as a teenager and served against the United States in the <a>War of 1812</a>. In 1817 he was moved so strongly by Bolívar's struggle for South American independence that he sailed for <a>Venezuela</a> to join his army. Wright found many other Irish among Bolívar's troops, including his aide-de-camp, Colonel O'Leary. Wright served in a number of land battles with Bolívar's army, including Carabobo, Bombino, and Pichincha. Like Bernardo O'Higgins in Chile, Bolívar had come to understand the need for a naval force to combat the Spanish and was encouraging the formation of revolutionary naval forces. In early 1824, Wright transferred to the Peruvian navy of Admiral Guise and was made captain of the 18-gun-brigantine Chimborazo. Guise praised Wright's conduct when his fleet captured Callao from the Spanish, and Wright then commanded his own fleet of small vessels. With these, Wright helped Antonio Jose de Sucre win the final victory at Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, effectively freeing Peru. As often happens after revolutions, the departure of the colonial power led to fighting among the factions that once were united against the common foe. In 1827, Peruvian President José Lamar invaded Bolivia, then Ecuador. Wright had settled in Ecuador after the ouster of the Spanish, and now he took up the cause of his adopted home, forming the first Ecuadorian navy. Wright's navy fought two battles with the Peruvians in the Gulf of Guayaquil, breaking their blockade of the port and defeating and killing Wright's revolutionary comrade, Admiral Guise. Wright would spend the rest of his days helping to build the Ecuadorian navy and taking part in the politics of the country. It was said he always supported the cause of poor Ecuadorians, perhaps driven by memories of the downtrodden people of his native land. Thomas Charles Wright died in Guayaquil on December 10, 1835.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
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<tr><td><center><b><span class="font-size-1">Sir Eyre Coote</span></b></center>
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<p><b><i>'I would like to know . . . what Orangeism or Protestantism has got to do with men fighting for their just rights, when the issue lies not in religion but is a question of bread and butter, and shorter hours and better working conditions, which we should have had 20 years ago.'</i></b><br/> <span> -- A Protestant supporter of Jim Larkin's in Belfast, 1906</span></p>
<p><b><i>'Nobody has a higher idea than I have of General Lally, who, to my knowledge, has struggled against obstacles which I believe unconquerable, and has conquered them. There is certainly not a second man, in all India, who could have managed to keep on foot for so long a period an army without pay, and without any kind of assistance.'</i></b><br/> <span class="font-size-2"> -- A written statement found in the papers of General Eyre Coote after Coote's death in 1783.</span></p>
<p><b><i>"Wright, as always, behaved well."<br/> </i></b><i>-- From the report of Peruvian Admiral Guise (later to lose his life in a naval battle versus Wright) after the battle of Callao.</i></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">January - <i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>21, 1876</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/dublin-1913" target="_self">James Larkin (Labor leader - Liverpool.)</a></span><strong><br/> <strong>26, 1799</strong> - Thomas Charles Wright (Officer in Bolivar's army and founder of Ecuadorian navy - Drogheda, Co. Louth.)<br/>
<strong>26, 1904</strong> - Séan MacBride (Revolutionary, Statesman - Paris.)</strong></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>21, 1919</strong> - First Dáil Eireann meets, de Valera proclaimed Prime Minister though still in Lincoln Jail.<br/> <strong>21, 1919</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/group/irish-war-of-independence-black-tan-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">War of Independence</a> begins, 3rd Tipperary Brigade ambushes RIC patrol at Soloheadbeg.</span><br/>
<strong>22, 1760</strong> – Gen. Lally’s French army, including his regiment of the Irish Brigade, is defeated by Irish born Sir Eyre Coote’s English army at Wandewash, India.<br/>
<strong>22, 1879</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/here-they-come-as-thick-as-grass-the-irish-at-rorke-s-drift">Many Irish fight at the battle of Rorke’s Drift</a> in Natal, South Africa.<br/>
<strong>22, 1972</strong> - Éammon Broy, revolutionary, Police Commissioner, dies.<br/>
<strong>23, 1803</strong><span> - Arthur Guinness, founder of the famous brewery, dies in Dublin.</span><br/>
<strong>23, 1875</strong><span> – Irish-born John Dempsey wins the US </span><a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Congressional Medal of Honor</a><span> for saving a shipmate who fell overboard from the USS Kearsage in Shanghai, China.</span><br/>
<strong>23, 1898</strong><span> - United Irish League founded by William O'Brien.</span><br/>
<strong>24, 1862</strong> - Miles Byrne, United Irishmen and soldier in Napoleon's Irish Legion, dies in Paris.<br/>
<strong>26, 1942</strong> - US expeditionary troops land in Northern Ireland.<strong><br/>
26, 1945</strong> - In Holtzwihr, France, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805070869?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0805070869&adid=1PVKSG1AQ2BD7AZC0EW3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Audie Murphy</a> fights in the action that will win him the <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Congressional Medal of Honor</a><br/>
<strong>27, 1975</strong><span> - Mother Mary Martin, founder of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, dies in Drogheda.</span></p>The Irish War of Independence and Civil War in Co. Roscommontag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-19:6442157:BlogPost:3088052024-01-19T04:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><strong><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/they-put-the-flag-a-flyin/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663966478?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 10px;" width="350"></img></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">By <a href="mailto:%20kthorne@teleport.com"><span class="font-size-3">Kathleen Hegarty Thorne</span></a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>reland is a very small country in land mass.</strong> Compared to industrialized England, it is a poor cousin in the family of imperialists. Challenging the most…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/they-put-the-flag-a-flyin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663966478?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By <a href="mailto:%20kthorne@teleport.com"><span class="font-size-3">Kathleen Hegarty Thorne</span></a></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>reland is a very small country in land mass.</strong> Compared to industrialized England, it is a poor cousin in the family of imperialists. Challenging the most powerful empire on which the sun never set was a daunting task in 1916, especially when that power was located twenty miles offshore and financed the policing and the intelligence gathering in the occupied land. Mass assaults (exemplified by the World War I trench warfare charges) were suicidal missions for a rural country like Ireland. Another type of challenge was needed.</p>
<p>Guerilla warfare, although aided by the association of many Irish rebels in Frongoch (the “Irish University” in Wales), was an evolving phenomenon. Men who were threatened by the police and dared not live at home banded together, formed a fighting unit, and lived on in Irish lore as Flying Columns. Those fighting units in Roscommon blossomed in different parts of the county at different times, mostly due to the ability and verve of the men destined to lead them.</p>
<p>The War of Independence was no small scuffle by a few hotheads. England was in no way going to relinquish her nearest colony without a fierce fight, and the people of Roscommon were up for it.</p>
<p>Unlike a National Army, the IRA chose its own leaders. Locals elected those men whom they thought could best organize and direct them. It helped enormously if that person had some military expertise or at least welcomed those around him who did. The Flying Column of the 3rd Battalion South Roscommon, which was responsible for the Scramogue Ambush, had, within its ranks, men who had fought in the British Army in World War I (e.g. Cushy Hughes of Kilnalosset, Kilgefin, and John Gibbons of Aghamuck, Ballagh), who exhibited steady nerves, and possessed a dead-eye aim with a rifle. Michael Quinn of Fairymount, Kilgefin, was the Intelligence Officer for Pat Madden’s Flying Column. He performed his duties so deftly that few in the town of Roscommon even knew he was associated with the Volunteers. Joe Satchwell of Termon Beg, Castlerea, was actually saved because of his membership in the British Army. The Tans who shot Sean Bergin and Stephen McDermott in the Woodlands of Loughglynn recognized Satchwell as a former fellow soldier and left him alive.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Pat Madden, commander of the Flying Column)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663487852?profile=RESIZE_710x" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663487852?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>A number of former members of the British Army served as drill instructors for local Companies:</p>
<p>James Carroll (Ballymacurley) served as the Director of Training for No. 2 Brigade in the 2nd Western Division</p>
<p>Jack Conboy (Kilmore, Athleague) served with the British Army in France in a horse regiment. Jack was the Head Centre for the IRB in the Athleague area. He also was part of Pat Madden’s Flying Column.</p>
<p>Patrick Henry served as drill master for Drum Company in O’Connell’s field and on the lands of Mount Hussey.</p>
<p>Tom Rogers was the first drill instructor of the Loughglynn Company in 1917.</p>
<p>Patrick Wynne, a native of Ballinaheglish, had joined the British Army and served as a drummer boy in the Boer War. Upon his return to Ireland, he trained members of the Rahara Company in south Roscommon. A small man in stature, his expectations were large. His walk was erect, his mind sharp, his commands exacting!</p>
<p>Even the fathers of Volunteers became involved in readying the fresh recruits of Roscommon’s fields. The father of Luke Duffy of Clooncagh acted as drill instructor for the Kilgefin Company.</p>
<p>Membership and activity levels in various parts of the county varied widely. The North Roscommon Brigade claimed 1,191 members as of 1 July 1921, while the smaller Battalion area around Castlerea counted 309. That Battalion had put forth as Brigade O/C a wonderful speaker and exceptional organizer but not one who had the stomach for steel-tempered ambushes. He was deemed rather “harmless by the local RIC.” But he was also hampered by the presence of a spy within the Brigade ranks. Roscommon town was inundated with Crown troops stationed at the barracks and were very close to reinforcements from Athlone. Ambushes in the town were non-existent. Some local Volunteers focused on intelligence gathering as a way of thwarting Crown ambitions. Willie Kilmartin, a solicitor’s clerk in Roscommon town, along with Father Michael O’Flanagan, served as go-betweens for messages from the IRA to Michael Collins in Dublin and vice-versa.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663742659?profile=RESIZE_710x" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8663742659?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The Boyle Battalion, although not particularly effective against the British during the War of Independence, fought like tigers during the Civil War, mostly in adjoining counties Mayo, Sligo, and sometimes Leitrim. (The Divisional structural of the IRA by that time had incorporated areas that crossed over county borders.) After the fall of Boyle in early July 1922, men blew up bridges, attacked Manorhamiliton Barracks, joined Frank Carty’s men in the Sligo mountains, marched into County Mayo and burned the gaol and courthouse in Castlebar, and made several attempts to capture Swinford Barracks. In early November 1922, the Arigna Flying Column had a go at Dromahair Barracks in Co. Leitrim.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: War of Independence Commemorative Military Memorial at Shankill Cross near Elphon, County Roscommon.)</strong></span></p>
<p>South Roscommon, because of its narrowing geography sandwiched between Galway and the Shannon River and also because of the huge presence of British troops in Athlone, did not succeed in many ambushes during the Tan War. It was only during the Civil War that men from the area, led by Matt Davis from Kilteevan, as well as William Murray of Curry, James Whelan of Ardmullan, Curraghboy, and Hubert Watson of Kiltoom, and Galway Volunteer William Mulrooney of Ballygar staged activities in that area ─ sabotage of trains, blocking roads, destruction of bridges, etc. Most of the activists were removed from the scene by arrests or the capture in November 1922 of Davis and eight others on Quaker Island.</p>
<p>Roscommon is a rural land, sparsely populated as compared to counties Cork and Dublin. But the grit and devotion of the men and women within its borders equaled the determination of Ireland’s southern and eastern counties. Roscommon Volunteers were tortured, shot in their beds, lay in the soggy ground for ambushes that never materialized, stopped trains and unloaded petrol, which would later be used to burn barracks, and patrolled the train stations to enforce the Belfast Boycott.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360972289?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360972289?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The Republican Police kept the lid on local crime. In a 2003 interview with John Kilcline, son of Johnny, the son remarked that his father had received a note from Ned Hegarty, Chief of the Republican Police in south Roscommon, instructing him to kill a local man for suspected treachery. At the top of the note were the words, “Burn this BEFORE you read it.” Johnny Kilcline had declined to eliminate his neighbor but did keep the communication for decades before a cave-in of a rain-soaked straw roof in an outbuilding claimed it for the ages. Those who served with the Republican Police had to guard, scout, and depend on the warmth and bravery of the women who fed and watched over them. These members of Cumann na mBan did the same for their fighting men. A famous “punishment” meted out to civil offenders was to tie up the perpetrator at the church gate with a note pinned to his/her chest. According to John Snee of the East Mayo Brigade, “They (the Republican Police) cured crime more than the RIC ever did.”</p>
<p>Unforeseen obstacles cropped up. There was a spy within the 1st Battalion South area around Castlerea. A disproportionate number of men killed by British agents and the RIC in the Tan War in Roscommon came from this area due to the information supplied by this “mole.” Some Volunteers were instructed to burn the symbols of English authority and were sometimes caught up in flames, many of the men not being familiar with the highly flammable quality of petrol. Some Strokestown Volunteers (Stephen Scally, John Hunt, Martin O’Connor, and Peter Flanagan) endured long and horrible recoveries from their wounds after attempting to torch the courthouse. Others were incapacitated for years due to the injuries incurred from British rifle butts smashed against their spine (Brian Dorr of Ballagh, Hillstreet).</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: a group of RIC constables)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360989053?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360989053?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Contributions varied. Sergeant John Duffy, a RIC man stationed in Athlone, saved the local IRA armament stash by giving a message to a friend to relay to Sean Hurley (IRA leader in Athlone), telling him of an upcoming raid. When Duffy was transferred to Roscommon town, he secretly made a key to the District Inspector’s office and accessed the Wanted List of 3,912 rebels sought by the authorities countrywide. He gave a copy of the list to Frank Simons, who in turn forwarded it on to Michael Collins. Duffy also successfully stole the police cipher code, and through the efforts of a post office clerk named McNamara, news of upcoming raids on Roscommon men was decoded by the local IRA, thus saving a number of Volunteers from a bullet. Thomas Farrell served as a liaison between Sgt. Duffy and the local Volunteers, often relaying messages concerning life and death.</p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/echoes-of-their-footsteps-volume-i/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360995467?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Some daring souls ventured to create a bomb factory on the land of John Kelly in Muckinagh, Strokestown. The Roche brothers of Ballinameen lent their expertise to bomb-making. Their quick-thinking mother threw a blanket over the top of one that was lying on the bed when policemen unexpectedly barged into their cottage. The McCormack brothers of Tang in Co. Westmeath joined forces with Athlone men and marched to Shannonbridge for guns for the Rising that never came to the area because the rifles that were supposed to arrive had been dumped in the Atlantic along the Kerry coast. Henry O’Brien of Strand Street, Athlone, suffered a lifetime of stomach pains because he had not wanted to impose on the small farmers when he was on the run and had instead eaten the pig swill to quell his hunger. Jim Brady, who worked in the Arigna mines, spent hours facing a wall of dirt in a cramped tunnel under the Curragh and, spoon by spoon, extracted enough soil to allow for an escape of seventy men in September 1921. Pat Conboy of Fuerty and Jim Breheny of Portrunny maintained their devotion to the Republican cause even into the 1940s when they were incarcerated in the Curragh during the Second World War.</p>
<p>Both female and male activists had to do their part in the overall transformation of Ireland from a dependent agrarian colony to a self-functioning nation. Without the women of Roscommon supporting their men, the county’s rebellion would have been squashed in a fortnight. Rita Leneghan (Lenehan) of Ashforth scoffed at danger and carried messages, relayed instructions, scouted ahead of ambushes, and guarded arms. Maggie Hegarty of Ballinaheglish used to carry dispatches in the steel tube of her bicycle. Once when the Tans stopped her, they gave her a thorough search, then heaved her bicycle into the ditch. When they had departed, she calmly retrieved her cycle and pedaled off to deliver the message. The Sharkey sisters of Strokestown held rifles in their home for Bernard Sweeney and Tom Gilroy of County Leitrim. They both suffered the discomfort of Mountjoy for their efforts. Brigid Dowling of Carricknaughton helped wounded men to safety, collected funds for clothing for the Active Service Unit, and became a member of the firing party over the graves of Kit McKeon and Toby Mannion during the Civil War. The women were the unseen backbone of the rebellion, and because they did not participate in ambushes, they are often forgotten or omitted from the historical renditions. But without a solid spine, the bones and flesh of the struggle would have melted into the ground.</p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/echoes-of-their-footsteps-volume-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12360995667?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The list of sacrifices made by various patriots in Roscommon could fill a book and still be deficient in itemizing all the harrowing and wretched circumstances and details of the period. The people of 1916 through 1923 suffered greatly and put forth Herculean efforts in their fight for an independent Ireland.</p>
<p>Who were the great leaders in the county? Pat Brennan and his brother James Stephen championed the Anti-Treaty faction in the Boyle area. Many in the 3rd Battalion South area threw in their lot with the Free State. In an interview in 1995 with Patrick Vaughan, brother of John Vaughan of Cloonsuck, Castlerea, Patrick mentioned that Gerald O’Connor gathered a large group of the 1st Battalion South and East Mayo men on the grounds of the Clonalis House in July 1922 and urged them to go home and not engage in killing fellow Irishmen. The messages received by Volunteers from their leaders throughout the county were divergent ─ from stout defense of the Republic to enlisting in the new National Army to staying above the fray. Many men simply followed the advice of their commanding officers, while others wrestled with the issues and decided their own paths. Some gravitated toward like-minded groups in adjoining counties. Others sat out the Civil War with regret and remorse in their heart.</p>
<p>In the mid-1990s, when this author interviewed local people in the Ballinaheglish area, some referred to Ned Hegarty as a man alone with his thoughts. He walked his fields, thumbs tucked under his suspenders, mourning the current state of Ireland, sorrowing in the sacrifices made during the wars, and supremely disappointed in the results.</p>
<p>Again, the question arises? Who were the great leaders of the fight? More importantly, who were the great men and women who followed them, who participated in the ambushes, burnings, smuggling of guns, sabotaging of trains, and drawing up plans of buildings for possible raids for arms? The strength of any struggle is only as effective as the grit of the common soldier willing to die for his convictions. Scores of Roscommon people proved their worth, and their souls rest easy knowing they gave their all, even though the realization of a united Ireland was an unfulfilled dream.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Known members of Roscommon Cumann na mBan</strong></span></p>
<p>Norah Boland (Fourmilehouse)<br/> Mary Breheny (Sandfield, Knockcroghery)<br/> Winnie Brennan (Ballytrasna, Boyle)<br/> Annie Collins (Lisonuffy) 3rd Battalion South area<br/> Ellen "Ellie" Collins (Lisonuffy)<br/> Kathleen Comber (Athlone)<br/> Annie Connolly (Flaherty) (Fairymount, Kilrooskey)<br/> “Lizzie” Cooney (Aghamuck, Kilgefin) 3rd Battalion South area<br/> --- Cooney (Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim)<br/> Ciss Cox (Kilbarry) Tarmonbarry Company area<br/> Rosie Cox (Green St., Boyle)<br/> Annie Cull (Arigna)<br/> Katy Daly (Culleenaghmore, Slatta, Kilglass)<br/> Katy Daly (Cornamagh)<br/> Mrs. Patrick J. Delahunty (Boyle)<br/> Margaret Dempsey (Boyle)<br/> Maisie Donnelly (Coolderry, Four Roads)<br/> Brigid Dowling (Carricknaughton, Athlone)<br/> May Downes (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Agnes "Aggie" Doyle (Derreenaseer, Knockvicar, Boyle)<br/> May Doyle (Derreenaseer, Knockvicar, Boyle)<br/> The Duignans (Arigna)<br/> Ann Dunning (Summerhill, Drum) south Roscommon<br/> Kathy Dunning (Summerhill, Drum) south Roscommon<br/> May Farrell (Moher) Kilgefin parish<br/> Eva Fitzpatrick (Connaught St., Athlone)<br/> May Flanagan (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Lily Frayne (Frain) (Drumman More, Ruskey)<br/> Ann Gaffey (Garrynagowna) Summerhill area, south Roscommon<br/> Mary Gaffey (Garrynagowna) Summerhill area, south Roscommon<br/> Nellie Galvin (Summerhill area)<br/> Annie Joe Gavigan (Ballylugnagon, Boyle)<br/> May Gavigan (Ballylugnagon, Boyle)<br/> Mrs. Geoghan (3rd Battalion North area)<br/> Helen Gibbons (Ballincurry, Kilgefin)<br/> Lizzie Gillhooly (Drumagissaun, Kilglass)<br/> Nellie Gillhooly (Drumagissaun, Kilglass)<br/> Ann Halligan (Carricknaughton, Drum, Athlone)<br/> Nan Halligan (Carricknaughton, Drum, Athlone)<br/> Margaret “Maggie” "Greta" Hegarty (Ballinaheglish)<br/> Mary Ann Hegarty (Ballinaheglish)<br/> Ann Hoban (Slatta, Kilglass)<br/> Nelly Hogan (Garrynagowna, Drum)<br/> Mary Hunt (Cloonloo, Boyle)<br/> Margaret Judge (Geevagh, Boyle)<br/> Cissie Kelly (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Josie Kelly (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Rose Kenny (The Glebe in Kilrooskey)<br/> Maudie Kilmartin (Summerhill, Drum)<br/> Bridget Lane (Four Roads)<br/> Rita Leneghan (Lenehan) (Ashforth)<br/> Mrs. James Lynch (Summerhill, Drum)<br/> Katie McDermott (Ballybeg, Strokestown)<br/> Mary McDermott (Cartron, Kilrooskey, Kilgefin)<br/> Bridie McDonagh (Ballinagare)<br/> Margaret McGann (Trilacroghan, Kilgefin)<br/> Beasie McGarry (Garrow, Boyle)<br/> Maisie McGarry (Ballymagrine, Tarmonbarry)<br/> Mary Kate McGarry (Garrow, Boyle)<br/> Liza McGuinness (Cloonmore, Tarmonbarry)<br/> Margaret McNally (Elphin)<br/> Lena Madden (Ballagh)<br/> May Martin (Boyle)<br/> Mrs. Martin (Ballinagare)<br/> Mary Morley (Main St., Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Mrs. Mullaney (Runnamoat, Ballinaheglish)<br/> Becky Murray (Quarry Lane, Boyle)<br/> Bridie Murray (Quarry Lane, Boyle)<br/> Margaret Murray (Taylorstown, Drum, Athlone)<br/> Marian Murray (Quarry Lane, Boyle)<br/> Mary Murray (Clooncraff, Kilteevan)<br/> Annie O’Connor (Church Street, Athlone)<br/> Evangela O'Dowd (Graffoge, Scramogue, Strokestown)<br/> Mollie Parker (Aghamuck, Kilgefin)<br/> Bridget Seery (Cloonillan, Drum, Athlone)<br/> Lena Sharkey (Drinaun, Strokestown)<br/> Una Sharkey (Drinaun, Strokestown)<br/> Tessie Shiel (Cagglestack, Strokestown)<br/> Annie Simons (Carrowmoneen, Kilgefin)<br/> Mary Kate Spellman (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Brighid Lyons Thornton (born at Moneenacully, Scramogue, Strokestown)<br/> Mary Towey (Ballaghaderreen)<br/> Nora Treacy (Ballinturly, Fuerty)<br/> Cissie Tully (Newtownflood, Drum)<br/> Maggie Tully (Newtownflood, Drum)<br/> Kathleen Turbitt (Ross Lane, Boyle)</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Sources:</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/they-put-the-flag-a-flyin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"They Put the Flag a-Flyin’ The Roscommon Volunteers 1916−1923"</a> by Kathleen Hegarty Thorne</p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/echoes-of-their-footsteps-volume-i/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Echoes of Their Footsteps, Volume I,"</a> by Kathleen Hegarty Thorne</p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/echoes-of-their-footsteps-volume-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Echoes of Their Footsteps, Volume II,"</a> by Kathleen Hegarty Thorne and Patrick Flanagan</p>
<p><a href="https://generationpublishing.com/books/echoes-of-their-footsteps-volume-iii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Echoes of Their Footsteps, Volume lII,"</a> by Kathleen Hegarty Thorne and Patrick Flanagan</p>
<p>Witness Statement Brigid Dowling, Carricknaughton</p>
<p>Witness Statement Sgt. John Duffy. RIC Roscommon town</p>
<p>Witness Statement George Fitzgerald, Ardmullan</p>
<p>Witness Statement of Rita Leneghan, Pat Brennan Papers</p>
<p>Witness Statement Michael McCormack, Drumraney, Athlone</p>
<p>Interview Paddy Concannon, Knockmurray, Castlerea, 14 August 2004</p>
<p>Interview Johnny Kilcline, Lecarrow, 26 October 2003</p>
<p>Interview Annie McManus, Arigna, 17 June 2002</p>
<p>Interview Pat Vaughan, Milton, Massachusetts, 10 April 1995</p>
<p>Interview John Snee (East Mayo Brigade), 16 September 1997</p>
<p>Correspondence Henry Owens, 9 June 2016</p>
<p>Mulcahy Papers P7 A 13-23</p>
<p><strong>More on the Irish War of Independence</strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/piltown-ambush-1-november-1920">100 Years Ago: The Piltown Ambush (1 November 1920)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/liam-lynch-civil-war-martyr-it-never-should-have-happened">Liam Lynch, Civil War Martyr: “It never should have happened”</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tom-barry-we-may-have-great-men-but-we-ll-never-have-better" target="_self">Tom Barry: 'We May Have Great Men, But We’ll Never Have Better'<br/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-battle-of-crossbarry-breaking-the-back-of-the-british-occupat" target="_self">The Battle of Crossbarry: ... 'Who Piped Old Ireland Free'</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-kilmeena-ambush-seeds-of-victory-in-a-defeat" target="_self">The Kilmeena Ambush, May 19, 1921: Seeds of Victory in a Defeat</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/co-waterford-burgery-ambush-march-19-1921" target="_self">'Nigh Comeragh's Rugged Hills': Ambush at The Burgery</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/trauma-at-the-burgery-part-1" target="_self">The R.I.C. In An Untenable Position, Part 1: Trauma at The Burgery</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-irish-war-of-independence-the-lispole-ambush-avoiding-disaste" target="_self">The Lispole Ambush -- Averting Disaster on the Dingle Peninsula</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/patrick-white-a-tragic-death-on-spike-island" target="_self">Patrick White: A Clareman's Tragic Death on Spike Island</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/and-to-watch-the-sunbeams-dancing-o-er-the-wicklow-mountains-high" target="_self">'And To Watch the Sunbeams Dancing O’er the Wicklow Mountains High'</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/always-remember-cumann-na-mban" target="_self">Always Remember ~ Cumann na mBan</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/my-fathers-story-how-the-nuns-of-kylemore-abbey-saved-his-life" target="_self">War of Independence -- How the Nuns of Kylemore Saved My Father's Life</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/terence-macswiney-irish-martyr" target="_self">Terence MacSwiney: Irish Martyr</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/walking-to-work-through-a-battle-zone" target="_self">Walking to Work Through a Battle Zone</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/review-of-emmet-dalton-somme-soldier-irish-general-film-pioneer" target="_self">Review of 'Emmet Dalton - Somme Soldier, Irish General, Film Pionee...</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-village-of-generals" target="_self">Ballinalee, County Longford: The Village of Generals</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-anglo-irish-treaty-seed-of-the-troubles" target="_self">The Anglo-Irish Treaty: Seed of 'The Troubles'</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/shot-while-attempting-to-escape">Shot While Attempting To Escape</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:184709">Easter Rising to Irish Civil War Archive Available Online</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:111606">Michael Collins: Saga of Heroism Against Daunting Odds</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:180517">A Short History of Michael Collins, Ireland's 'Big Fellow'</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:74979">Great Irish Romances: Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:144731">Kitty and Michael: a revolutionary courtship</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:163757">The Tan Who Was Hanged By His Own Side</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:24652">Liam Lynch: Victim of the Irish Civil War</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:87437">1916 and the Rebels' Priests</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:8890">After The Rising … 'Fron-goch and the Birth of the IRA'</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:177498">Ernie O'Malley: Mayo-Born Freedom Fighter and Writer</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:75936">The Wild Geese Virtual Síbín with Cormac O'Malley</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:8961">Evidence Abounds: British Leaders OK'd Mayhem</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:162480">The Price of Freedom</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:8947">The West Cork Trail: Scenes From the Anglo-Irish and Civil Wars, 19...</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:189731">How I Learned That Grandad Executed Erskine Childers</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:151451">Leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising: Éamon de Valera</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:184590">Erskine Childers: Author, Irish Gunrunner, Churchill's Bête Noire</a></p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/xn/detail/6442157:BlogPost:63600">The Scum of England, or Ordinary Men? A Review of DJ Kelly's 'Runni...</a></p>
<p>The Forgotten Ten:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-just-a-lad-of-18-summers" target="_self">Part 1: 'Just a Lad of 18 Summers'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-part-2-an-example-has-to-be-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 2: 'An Example Has To Be Made'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-part-3-proud-to-die-for-the-republic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 3: 'Proud To Die for the Republic'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-4-down-into-the-mire" target="_self">Part 4: 'Down Into the Mire'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-5-england-executes-prisoners-of-war" target="_self">Part 5: 'England Executes Prisoners of War'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-6-death-with-no-tremblings" target="_self">Part 6: 'Death With No Tremblings'</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/part-7-fight-on-struggle-on" target="_self">Part 7: 'Fight On, Struggle On'</a></strong></li>
</ul>This Week in the History of the Irish: January 14 - January 20tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-14:6442157:BlogPost:3085062024-01-14T17:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722407?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722407?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span> </b></font>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 15, 1861</font>, Young Irelander Terence Bellew MacManus died in San Francisco. MacManus was born in County Fermanagh in 1811. He later moved to Liverpool, England, where he began a successful shipping agency. In 1843 he returned to Ireland and joined the Repeal Association and…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722407?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84722407?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span> </b></font>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 15, 1861</font>, Young Irelander Terence Bellew MacManus died in San Francisco. MacManus was born in County Fermanagh in 1811. He later moved to Liverpool, England, where he began a successful shipping agency. In 1843 he returned to Ireland and joined the Repeal Association and the Young Ireland party.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Currier & Ives - Thomas Francis Meagher, Terence B. MacManus and Patrick O'Donoghue standing in the dock at their trial in Clonmel, October 22, 1848.)</span></b></p>
<p>During the Young Irelanders' brief uprising in 1848, MacManus joined Smith O'Brien and John Blake Dillon at Ballingarry, County Tipperary, where the only substantial armed action occurred. After the rising's suppression, MacManus was captured by the British and put on trial. Like most of the other Young Ireland leaders, he was sentenced to death, which was then commuted to transportation for life to<span> </span><a>Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania)</a>. He arrived there in autumn 1849, but in 1852 he managed to escape to the<span> </span><a>United States,</a><span> </span>along with Thomas Francis Meagher. While Meagher settled on the East Coast, MacManus settled in San Francisco and decided to try his luck at his former business, working as a shipping agent. But MacManus fell into poverty when his business failed, and his health rapidly failed as well. It was after his death, however, that he perhaps performed his most valuable service to the cause of Irish freedom. On learning of his death,<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgtstore2" target="new"><u>American Fenian</u></a><span> </span>leaders decided to return his body to Ireland for burial. This would foreshadow the treatment given to Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa at his famous funeral in 1915 -- Irish Republicans rallying around the grave of a fallen comrade. Crowds of Irish gathered in New York as Archbishop John Hughes, like MacManus born in Ulster, blessed MacManus' body. Thousands greeted his body in Cork also, and crowds gathered at rail stations all the way to Dublin. But the church, in the person of Archbishop Cullen, refused permission for his body to lie in state at any church in Dublin. Thus, for a week MacManus' body lay in the Mechanics' Institute, while thousands passed by paying their respects. But Father Patrick Lavelle, a Fenian supporter, defied Cullen and performed the funeral ceremony on November 10, 1861. A crowd estimated at 50,000 followed the casket to Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery, and hundreds of thousands lined the streets. The MacManus funeral was a seminal moment for the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/wgtstore2" target="new"><u>Fenian</u></a><span> </span>movement -- it invigorated the nationalist movement in Ireland, just as Rossa's would 54 years later.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703467?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703467?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right" width="200"/></a><font color="#008040"><strong><b>CÉADAOIN</b></strong></font><span> -- On </span><font color="blue">January 17, 1860</font><span>, Dr. Douglas Hyde, Gaelic scholar and first President of Ireland, was born at Castlerea, County Roscommon. Hyde was the son of a Protestant minister and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He had a great facility for languages, learning Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and German, but his great passion in life would be the preservation of the Irish language. After spending a year teaching modern languages in </span><a>Canada</a><span>, he returned to </span><a>Ireland</a><span>. For much of the rest of his life, he would write and collect hundreds of stories, poems, and folktales in Irish, and translate others. His work in Irish helped to inspire many other literary lights, such as W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. In 1892, he delivered a paper to the National Literary Society, which he and Yeats founded earlier that year, titled 'The Necessity for de-Anglicizing the Irish people.' In 1893, Hyde founded the Gaelic League along with Eoin MacNeill and Fr. Eugene O'Growney; Hyde was its first president, holding the post until 1915. Under Hyde, the League flourished, spreading across the island and revived not only the language, which was perilously close to disappearing but also encouraged a rebirth of Irish dance and other aspects of Irish culture. With this rebirth of Gaelic pride came a rebirth in Irish nationalism. Hyde was also a professor of Modern Irish at the National University from 1908 to 1932 and was the driving force behind the regulation-making Irish a compulsory subject. Hyde did not want the Gaelic League to be a political entity, so when the surge of Irish nationalism that the Gaelic League helped to foster began to take control of many in the League and politicize it, Hyde resigned as president. Hyde took no active part in the armed upheaval of the 1910s and 1920s, but did serve as a Free State senator in 1925-26. In 1938 he was unanimously elected to the newly created position of President of Ireland, a post he held until 1945. Hyde died in Dublin on July 12, 1949. A common language is perhaps the most important bond any culture can possess, and more than any other person, Dr. Douglas Hyde was responsible for saving the language of the Irish people. And for that, all lovers of Irish culture must say, 'Ar dheis De go raibh sé.' (May he be at the right hand of God.)</span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703294?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703294?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>SATHAIRN</span></strong></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">January 20, 1771</font>, Don Hugo O'Conor was named Commandant Inspector of New Spain (Mexico). O'Conor was born into a Jacobite family in Dublin in December 1734. The family name was most likely originally spelled O'Connor and changed as the result of frequent misspellings by Spanish speakers. One of Hugo's grandfathers had been forced to flee to Spain in 1652 and Hugo's father was also an Irish nationalist. By the time of Hugo O'Conor, Spain had a long tradition of taking in Irish exiles. The O'Conor family was related to two officers in the Spanish army, Colonel Don Domingo O'Reilly and Field Marshal Alejandro O'Reilly. In 1751, young Hugo followed his two cousins to Spain. He immediately joined the Irish Hibernia Regiment. Hugo served in Spain's war against Portugal in the early 1660s and then was sent to the <a>New World</a>, serving in Cuba under his cousin, Field Marshal O'Reilly. Hugo rose steadily through the ranks and in 1763 was made a Knight of the Order of Calatrava. In 1765 he was transferred to Mexico and served on the staff of Don Juan de Villalba.</p>
<table width="180" align="right">
<tbody><tr><td><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703405?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703405?profile=original" width="170"/></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">DeGolyer Library</span><br/> <span class="font-size-1">The signature of Hugo O'Conor from a report to his successor, July 22, 1777.</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Shortly thereafter, O'Conor was sent to temporarily command the northern presidio of San Sabá. He was then assigned to investigate a violent dispute between the governor of Texas and an army officer. The Viceroy of Mexico, Marqués de Cruillas, was so pleased with his handling of this assignment – which ended with the governor's removal – that this eventually led to O'Conor's promotion to the position of Commandant Inspector of New Spain. Utilizing a system of frontier presidios – one he built became the foundation of Tucson, Arizona -- Don Hugo fought a constant battle with numerous Indian tribes while helping reorganize and unify New Spain's northern borders. His most frequent opposition came from a tribe the U.S. Army would one day come to know well -- the Apaches. The Spanish had been fighting the Apaches since 1748 and O'Conor estimated they had killed over 4,000 Spanish subjects. In October 1776, O'Conor returned from the frontier and was appointed governor of the Yucatán. But at his station in Mérida, his health began to fail. On March 8, 1779, Don Hugo O'Conor died at Quinta de Miraflores, just east of Mérida. O'Conor was only 44 years old when he died and had already risen to the rank of brigadier general. Had he lived to old age, Don Hugo O'Conor may well have risen to the highest ranks of Spain's army or government.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><b><i>'The narrative of the destruction, robberies, deaths and other types of damage that I then reported would seem at first glance too exaggerated either as the result of fear or of special purposes of the informants, but besides being based on their reality, they are all evident in very trustworthy documents that I have left in the Archive of Chihuahua.'</i></b><br/> -- From the report of Hugo O'Conor to Teodoro de Criox, his successor in northern New Spain, dated July 22, 1777.</p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">January - <i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>15, 1835<span> - </span></strong><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/colonel-patrick-guiney-boston-s-good-knight" target="_self">Patrick Guiney</a> (Soldier, politician – Parkstown, Co. Tipperary.)<br/> <strong>15, 1883</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/a-woman-of-ireland">Helena Molony</a> (Revolutionary and labor leader – Dublin)<strong><br/>
16, 1822</strong><span> - Thomas Clarke Luby (Irish revolutionary – Dublin.)</span><strong><span><br/>
17, 1927</span></strong> - Thomas Dooley (Doctor, author - St. Louis, MO.)<strong><span><br/>
17, 1860</span></strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/douglas-hyde-first-president-of-ireland-irish-language-scholar" target="_self">Douglas Hyde</a> (First President of Ireland - Castlerea, Co. Roscommon)<strong><br/>
19, 1787</strong><span> - Mary Aikenhead (Mother Mary Augustine - Founder of Sisters of Charity - Cork City)<br/>
<strong>20, 1841</strong> - James Armour (Presbyterian minister - Political activist - Ballymoney, Co Antirm)<br/>
<strong>20, 1902</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/kevin-barry-just-a-lad-of-18-summers" target="_self">Kevin Barry (Irish Republican) Dublin.</a></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>15, 1861</strong> - Young Irelander Terence MacManus dies in San Francisco, CA.<br/> <strong>15, 1896</strong> - Civil War photographer Mathew Brady dies in New York.</span><span><strong><br/>
16-17, 1871</strong> - La Compagnie Irlandaise of the French "Regiment Etranger" fights with the French army at the Battle of Belfort in the Franco-Prussian War.<br/>
<strong>16, 1913</strong> - Home Rule bill passes in Commons, defeated in House of Lords (Jan. 30)<br/>
<strong>16, 1922</strong> - Dublin Castle is surrendered to the Provisional Government.<br/>
<strong>16, 1939</strong> - IRA bombing campaign begins in England.</span><strong><span><br/>
17, 1815 </span></strong>- Marie-Louise O'Morphi, famous courtesan, dies in Paris.<strong><span><br/>
17, 1861</span></strong> - Lola Montez (Marie Gilbert), dancer and courtesan, dies in New York.<strong><br/>
19, 1918</strong> – In the first Volunteer actions in Co. Roscommon, arms are secured from Rockingham House, home of Sir Thomas Stafford-King.<br/>
<strong>19, 1920</strong> - IRA attacks Drombrane barracks, Co. Tipperary.<br/>
<strong>20, 1772</strong> - Don Hugo O'Conor named Commandant Inspector of New Spain.<br/>
<strong>20, 1897</strong> - American Irish Historical Society established.<br/>
<strong>20, 1921</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/michael-brennan-and-the-east-clare-brigade-at-the-glenwood-ambush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Volunteers East Clare Brigade ambush at Glenwood</a> kills 3 RIC and 3 Black & Tans. Wide spread reprisals that night destroys over 20 homes.<br/>
<strong>20, 1961</strong> - John F. Kennedy inaugurated, first Irish Catholic US president.</p>Hungry Trailstag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-11:6442157:BlogPost:3080382024-01-11T16:30:00.000ZMáire Malonehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MaireMalone
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QkfCjIseSl0?si=DWpmpeKWzhw3HtuL&wmode=opaque" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3vUFqKc" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/71+Xt7ROJ3L._SY425_.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300"></img></a> Julie Foley is sixteen when she and her family are evicted from their humble mountain dwelling in the Mayo town of Attymass. Their crime is rental arrears. It's 1847 and the potato famine has impoverished Ireland. Corpses of men, women and…</span></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QkfCjIseSl0?si=DWpmpeKWzhw3HtuL&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>
<p><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3vUFqKc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T2/images/I/71+Xt7ROJ3L._SY425_.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>Julie Foley is sixteen when she and her family are evicted from their humble mountain dwelling in the Mayo town of Attymass. Their crime is rental arrears. It's 1847 and the potato famine has impoverished Ireland. Corpses of men, women and children lie strewn across the ditches and fields, having dropped like flies from fever, exhaustion and starvation. Thanks to the generosity of the hedge schoolmaster and his wife, Julie and her family are given a lifesaving opportunity to emigrate to North America. But first they must survive the journey aboard one of the 'coffin ships' where thousands of their countrymen and women have perished before them.</span></p>
<p><span>Since childhood, Julie has yearned to become a teacher. Can Fionn McDonagh, the young Irish rebel and poet, persuade Julie to hold on to her dream despite the squalid conditions on board the 'Elizabeth and Sarah'? Will Julie's faith keep her dream alive when her family settle in the working-class district of Griffintown in Montreal, and the only chance of earning a shilling is working in domestic service? Can Julie's dream of a teaching career survive as she toils under the cruel eyes of her employer, a wealthy Northern Irish widow who owns a mansion on Mount Royal?</span></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3vUFqKc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BUY IT ON AMAZON</a></p>In Honor of Teatag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-10:6442157:BlogPost:3074622024-01-10T18:00:00.000ZMargaret M. Johnsonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MargaretMJohnson
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12356634288?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12356634288?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">S</span>erious tea drinkers and wellness enthusiasts celebrate “National Hot Tea Month”</strong> in January. During the month, many extol the virtues of tea drinking for health reasons, while others simply celebrate the culture and history of tea, its diverse…</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12356634288?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12356634288?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">S</span>erious tea drinkers and wellness enthusiasts celebrate “National Hot Tea Month”</strong> in January. During the month, many extol the virtues of tea drinking for health reasons, while others simply celebrate the culture and history of tea, its diverse blends and soothing qualities. Most agree that drinking tea is the perfect way to start the New Year. But none of this comes as a surprise to Irish tea lovers, whom some say have a relationship with tea that “transcends the ordinary” — hyperbole, perhaps, but given that the average person in Ireland drinks four to <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.carrollsirishgifts.com/home/drinkware/mugs-cups.html">six cups </a>a</span> day, perhaps not!” Here’s the <span> </span>perfect accompaniment to your next <em>cuppa</em> this month and beyond! You’ll find this and many others great options in my cookbook <em>Teatime in Ireland</em>. <span>To order a signed copy</span>, visit <a href="http://irishcook.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">irishcook.com</a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>TEA BRACK</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Makes 2 Loaves</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This easy fruit loaf is one of the easiest to make and most delightful to eat. Especially appropriate to serve with a hot cup of tea, the bread will keep well for several days and is delicious toasted for breakfast.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>16 ounces mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, chopped dates, chopped apricots)</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 teaspoons candied mixed peel</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1/4cup chopped walnuts</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1/4 cup chopped pecans</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 teaspoon. ground ginger or 1 tablespoon chopped candied ginger</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 teaspoon Mixed Spice (see Note)<span> </span> or pumpkin pie spice</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 1/4 cup cold black tea</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 large egg, beaten</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>1 cup (packed) light brown sugar</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>2 cups self-rising flour</em></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Softened butter, for spreading</em></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">In a large bowl, combine the fruit, nuts, spices, and tea. Soak for 3 hours, or until the fruit absorbs most of the tea.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 7-inch loaf pans with no-stick baking spray with flour.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Stir the egg, sugar, and flour into the fruit mixture; mix until well combined. Transfer to the prepared pan; smooth the top.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Remove from the oven; let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack; return to upright and let cool completely before cutting into slices. Serve slices spread with butter.</li>
</ol>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11877590891?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11877590891?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: January 8 - January 13tag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-01-07:6442157:BlogPost:3074582024-01-07T01:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703195?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703195?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">Jan. 7, 1945</font><span> </span>Major Thomas McGuire Jr., the second-highest scoring US ace of WWII, and <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Medal of Honor</a> recipient, crashed his…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703195?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703195?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">Jan. 7, 1945</font><span> </span>Major Thomas McGuire Jr., the second-highest scoring US ace of WWII, and <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Medal of Honor</a> recipient, crashed his plane and was killed over the Pacific. McGuire was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey on August 1, 1920. He spent most of his childhood in Florida, where he and his mother moved after his parents were divorced.</p>
<p><span><strong>(Left: Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Jr. (right) with Richard I. Bong.)</strong></span></p>
<p>McGuire enlisted in the army as an aviation cadet in July 1941 and earned his pilot's wings in February 1942. Sent to Alaska, McGuire bristled at the lack of combat and agitated for transfer to a combat squadron. In December he was sent to California to learn to fly the twin-engine P-38 fighter in which he would earn his fame. In March 1943 he shipped out to the Pacific, joining the 49th Fighter Group. One of the veteran combat pilots in the 49th was Richard Bong, who would be the highest-scoring ace of WWII.</p>
<p>In just his second mission, on August 18, McGuire was credited with shooting down three Japanese planes. On his next mission, on the 21st, he shot down two more, making him an ace after just three missions. In October he was shot down but managed to bail out over the ocean and was rescued by a PT boat.</p>
<p>When he took off from his base in the Philippines on Christmas day 1944, he had thirty-one kills. In the next two days, he shot down seven enemy planes to bring his total to thirty-eight. He was now only two behind Bong, who had been sent home for a fundraising tour. McGuire was anxious to pass him</p>
<p>On an early morning of January 7th McGuire led a flight of four P-38s over Japanese airbases on Negros Island. While pulling a sharp left turn toward a Japanese fighter his plane stalled and he crashed. He was later awarded the <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_self">Medal of Honor</a><span> </span>for his seven kills in two days in December. McGuire Air Force base in New Jersey is named after him.</p>
<p><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/world-war-ii-ace-tom-mcguire-the-iron-major" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about this WWII hero on TWG</a>, and read:<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096677910X?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=096677910X">The Last Great Ace : The Life of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr.</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=096677910X" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719960?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84719960?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><strong><b>LUAIN</b></strong> </font><span>-- On </span><font color="blue">January 8, 1871,</font><span> James Craig (right), Viscount Craigavon, Unionist politician, was born in Belfast. Craig was the son of a wealthy distiller. He was educated at private schools. After school, he became a stockbroker in Belfast. He served in the Royal Irish Rifles during the Boer War and rose to the rank of captain. He went into politics after the war and was elected MP from East County Down. Craig rose within the ranks of Unionist politicians and was soon second only to Sir Edward Carson. Carson was a strong orator and carried the message of the Unionist in public, while Craig organized the armed Ulster Volunteers in preparation for a possible armed insurrection against the implementation of Home Rule. Craig entered the British Army again during World War I as quartermaster-general of the 36th (Ulster) Division and served in France. He was knighted in 1918. Craig succeeded Carson as leader of the Unionists in June 1921 and was the 1st Prime Minister of the six counties following partition. In 1929 he abolished the proportional representation voting system in favor of the straight vote system in order to maintain Unionist control of local governments, even in areas where Nationalists were a clear majority. Craig remained PM of the six-county state until his sudden death at Glencarrig, County Down, on November 24, 1940. During his entire time as PM, his policies could be best summed up by his statement in 1934: "We are a Protestant Parliament and a Protestant state."</span></p>
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<tbody><tr><td><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703458?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703458?profile=original" width="113"/></a></td>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Courtesy of<span> </span><a href="http://www.warflag.com/">Warflag.com</a><br/> <font size="-1">Flag of Berwick's regiment of the Irish Brigade of France, two battalions of which fought with O'Mahony at Alcoy. Get a t-shirt displaying this flag and others<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new">HERE</a>.</font></span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><font color="#008040"><b>MÁIRT</b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 9, 1708</font>, elements of the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102">Irish Brigade of France</a><span> </span>under Daniel O'Mahony helped capture the town of Alcoy in Spain during the War of Spanish Succession. O'Mahony came from a distinguished Munster family. One brother, Dermod, had been a colonel, and another, Daniel, a captain in the Irish army that left Limerick for the<span> </span><a>continent</a><span> </span>in 1691. Daniel was also a brother-in-law of another famous officer of the<span> </span><a href="https://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irish Brigade of France</a>, the Marshal Duke of Berwick. Holding the rank of major, O'Mahony had achieved great fame for his part in the famous defense of Cremona, where the Irish Brigade foiled Prince Eugene's surprise attack on the city in 1702, and he had steadily risen through the ranks. During the War of Spanish Succession, many officers and units of the Irish Brigade served in Spain fighting the Allies' attempt to place Archduke Charles, son of Hapsburg (Austrian) Emperor Leopold I, on the Spanish throne. In the early part of 1707, O'Mahony commanded an unsuccessful attempt to capture the town of Alcoy with a force of about 1,800 men. On January 2, 1708, he arrived at the gates of the city again, but this time he commanded a force of over 6,000, including the Irish battalions of Dillon, Berwick, and Bourke. By the 4th, O'Mahony's six guns had breached the walls of Alcoy, but the Allied garrison fought well and repulsed attempts to take it on the 5th and 7th with much loss of life on the Franco-Spanish side. But with no relief in sight, the garrison's situation was hopeless; O'Mahony accepted the garrison's surrender on the 9th. Daniel O'Mahony was one of the finest commanders of all<span> </span><em>The</em><span> </span><i><a>Wild Geese</a></i>. After Alcoy, he served in Sicily and then back in Spain again. He was created a Count of Castile and promoted to lieutenant general. One of the Count's sons, James, would also reach the rank of lieutenant general in the Spanish army and the other, Dermod, would be Spain's ambassador to Austria.</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715666?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715666?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right"/></a></b></font><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DEARDAOIN</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">January 11, 1775</font>, Louis De Lacy (right), a soldier in the armies of Spain and France, was born in St. Roque, Spain, near Gibraltar, of Irish parents. Louis' father, Patrick, was an officer in the Irish Ultonia regiment of the Spanish army. Louis entered his father's regiment at the age of only 14. While stationed on the Canary Islands, he fought a duel with the governor of the island, severely wounding him. De Lacy was court-martialed and removed from the army. He then traveled to France and was able to gain a commission when French Minister of War Henry Clarke (also of Irish ancestry) introduced De Lacy to Napoleon. Made a captain in the Irish Legion, Louis accompanied the French army of Murat in its invasion of Spain in 1807. Once in Spain, however, De Lacy found his feeling for the land where he was born too strong to allow him to fight against it. Disguising himself in women's clothing, he made his way through the lines and turned himself into the Spanish commander. Surprisingly, he was welcomed warmly and immediately given a Spanish commission as colonel and put in command of the Burgos regiment. De Lacy fought well in numerous battles against the French throughout the rest of the Napoleonic wars. When the exiled monarch Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne, de Lacy became one of the leaders of an anti-royalist conspiracy. The plot was discovered, and Louis was arrested. De Lacy was condemned to death and was shot in July 1816. By 1820, changing political tides in Spain empowered those who had conspired against Ferdinand, and Louis de Lacy's body was exhumed and taken to Barcelona and reburied with military honors. The king himself accompanied the funeral procession as Louis was laid to rest near his uncle, Count Francis de Lacy. The king also honored Louis by conferring on him the posthumous title of Duke of Ultonia (Ulster).</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9992562885?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9992562885?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>AOINE</span></strong></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">January 12, 1729</font>, Edmund Burke, one of the greatest political writers and orators in history, was born in Arran Quay, Dublin. Burke was the son of a mixed marriage -- his mother was Catholic, and his father Protestant. Burke himself would later marry an Irish Catholic woman. Perhaps it was these two factors that led him to advocate a lenient policy toward Ireland for most of his life. Burke graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1748 and studied law at Middle Temple in London; however, he failed to secure a call to the bar and instead began a literary career. He wrote several books and was editor of the <i>Annual Register</i> before entering politics.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Edmund Burke c. 1767/69, by Joshua Reynolds)</span></strong></p>
<p>In 1765, Earl Verney brought him into the House of Commons as a member for Wendover, and within a short time, his great speaking ability transformed him into one of Parliament's most influential members. Burke was one of the leading advocates of compromise with the American colonies. His advice was not followed then, but after the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown, he was one of the members who helped convince George III to end the conflict. Burke's view of the revolution in France was a much different story. He published <i>Reflections on the Revolution in France</i> in 1790, attacking the revolution's motives and principles. Many writers opposed his views, the most famous being Thomas Paine in his <i>Rights of Man</i>. Burke was a consistent advocate of Catholic emancipation, which politically damaged him, but he was never an advocate of self-rule for the Irish. Edmund Burke died in London on July 9, 1797. Many quotes from his writings and orations have come down through the years; perhaps one is most applicable to the situation in Ireland today: "All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter."</p>
<p>Read more about Edmund Burke <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/edmund-burke-the-conscience-of-a-nation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703297?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84703297?profile=RESIZE_320x320" style="padding: 10px;" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>SATHAIRN</span></strong></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">January 13, 1702,</font> Thomas Arthur Lally, a renowned but tragic officer in the Irish Brigade in the service of France, was born in Romans, France. Lally was the son of Sir Gerard Lally of Tullynadala, County Galway, one of the original "Wild Geese" of 1691. Though King Louis XV offered to make Lally a colonel in the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a> at the age of 18, his father insisted he earn his advancement.</p>
<p><strong><font size="-1"><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Thomas Arthur Comte de Lally<em>,</em> as depicted on a nineteenth-century promotional card by French chocolate manufacturer Chocolat Poulain.)</span></font></strong></p>
<p>Thomas pursued his studies and finally joined the Brigade as a captain in Dillon's regiment in 1732. He would prove to be an excellent soldier. His first campaign came in 1733, during the War of Polish Succession. At the end of that war, he traveled secretly to England, Scotland, and Ireland in the late 1730s to gauge the depth of Jacobite sympathies. Lally was then sent on another covert mission to Russia in an unsuccessful attempt to change its alliance from Britain to France. He returned to the army and at Dettingen in 1743, during the War of Austrian Succession, he saved his father's life and helped conduct a retreat that saved the army. He was personally responsible for the placing of a battery of artillery at Fontenoy that was a key to the most famous triumph of the <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a>. He assisted in the planning of "The '45" of Bonnie Prince Charlie and remained loyal to the Prince after the failure of that enterprise. By now, he held an esteemed place in the French military. In 1756, he was given command of an ill-fated French military expedition to India. He was initially successful against the British colonial forces there, but he received little support from the French government and was soon defeated. He was taken to England as a prisoner but then released and allowed to return to France to defend himself against charges of misconduct in India. Lally was found guilty and beheaded on May 9, 1766. His conviction would later be reversed by Louis XVI.</p>
<p>Read more about the Irish Brigade of France <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/for-faith-and-fame-and-honour-the-irish-brigade-in-the-service" target="_self">HERE</a>.</p>
<p><b><font color="blue"><span class="font-size-4">VOICES</span></font></b></p>
<p><b><i><span>"With gallant initiative, deep and unselfish concern for the safety of others, and heroic determination to destroy the enemy at all costs, Major McGuire set an inspiring example in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service."<br/></span></i></b> <span> -- From the Medal of Honor citation for Major Thomas McGuire</span></p>
<p><b><i>'He has always been not only brave, but indefatigable, and very pains-taking (sic); his life is, as it were, a continued chain of dangerous combats, of bold attacks, of honourable retreats. If he has mounted himself to the first dignities of the army, he has raised himself to them by degrees; he has passed through all the military grades so as to make himself a master of the respective duties.'</i></b><br/> <span> -- Count Daniel O'Mahony as characterized by his friend the Chevalier de Bellerive.</span></p>
<p><b><i>'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' <br/></i></b> -- Edmund Burke</p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">January - <i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><b>7, 1861</b> - Louise Guiney (Poet, literary historian - Roxbury, MA.)</span><span><strong><br/> 8, 1736</strong> - Arturo (Arthur) O'Neill (Colonel in the Spanish Army – Dublin)<br/> <strong>8, 1871</strong> - James Craig, Viscount Craigavon (Politician - Belfast)</span><strong><br/> 11, 1775</strong> - Louis De Lacy (Soldier - St. Roque, Spain, of Irish parents)<strong><br/> 12, 1729</strong> - Edmund Burke (Political writer and orator - Arran Quay, Dublin)<br/> <strong>12, 1792</strong> - Robert Patterson (Union General - Co. Tyrone)<br/> <strong>12, 1885</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/easter-1916-the-forgotten-battle" target="_self">Thomas Ashe</a>, (Revolutionary - Lispole, Co. Kerry.)<br/> <strong>13, 1702</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/for-faith-and-fame-and-honour-the-irish-brigade-in-the-service-2" target="_self">Count Thomas Lally</a><span> (Soldier in the Irish Brigade of France - Romans, France, of Irish parents.)<br/> <strong>13, 1931</strong> - Mary Clarke (Maryknoll nun, martyr, of Irish parents, New York City)</span></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>7, 1922</strong> - Anglo-Irish treaty approved by Dail Eireann.<br/> <strong>7, 1945</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/world-war-ii-ace-tom-mcguire-the-iron-major" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Major Thomas McGuire</a>, the second highest scoring US ace of WWII, and Medal of Honor awardee, is shot down and killed over the Pacific.</span><span><strong><br/> 8, 1873</strong> - Home Rule Confederation of Great Britain founded.</span><strong><span><br/> 9, 1708 </span></strong>- The <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/for-faith-and-fame-and-honour-the-irish-brigade-in-the-service" target="_self">Irish Brigade of France under Count O'Mahony</a> helps capture the town of Alcoy in Spain.<strong><span><br/> 9, 1783 </span></strong>- David Griffith, a Dublin native and general in the army of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, dies in Piacenza, Italy.<br/> <strong><span>10, 1922 </span></strong>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/authur-griffiths-rebel-journalist-founder-of-sinn-fein-president" target="_self">Arthur Griffith</a> elected President of Irish Free State.<strong><span><br/> 11, 1970</span></strong> - IRA splits into Officials and Provisionals (Provos).<strong><br/> 13, 1800</strong> - Daniel O'Connell makes his first public speech, opposing union with England.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: December 31 - January 6tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-31:6442157:BlogPost:3080332023-12-31T01:28:38.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9970475658?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9970475658?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400"></img></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 31, 1602</font>, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare and his clan began their epic march to Ulster. O'Sullivan had supported<span> …</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9970475658?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9970475658?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 31, 1602</font>, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare and his clan began their epic march to Ulster. O'Sullivan had supported<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802313213?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0802313213">Hugh O'Neill</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0802313213" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> </span>in his fight against Elizabethan England's attempts to destroy Gaelic Ireland once and for all. The cause O'Neill and O'Sullivan fought for was probably doomed after O'Neill's defeat at Kinsale in 1601, but the fight went on, nonetheless. In 1602, O'Sullivan and men were besieged in their County Cork stronghold; in the end, their only hope was to somehow make their way to Brian O'Rourke in Leitrim and from there join with O'Neill in the north and unite to continue the contest. To do so they would have to fight their way through the English and other Irish clans who had submitted.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: WGT photo by Joe Gannon: Carriganuss Castle, an O'Sullivan castle just outside of Glengarriff.)</span></b></p>
<p>On December 31, O'Sullivan and about 1,000 of his clan, more than half of them female dependents of his soldiers, departed from Glengarriff to begin their heroic journey through enemy territory. Throughout the march, they were harassed and attacked by both the English and their Irish allies. Battling the winter elements as well, their numbers dwindled through death from wounds or disease and many more were left behind due to exhaustion, but O'Sullivan never wavered. When O'Sullivan's clan finally reached O'Rourke at Leitrim Castle, only 35 of his followers had arrived safely with him, but his achievement in arriving at all was extraordinary. Like the other Gaelic chieftains, O'Sullivan was eventually forced to leave Ireland for exile on the continent. O'Sullivan settled in Spain and continued to plead with the Spanish government to send another invasion force to Ireland. King Phillip III gave O'Sullivan a knighthood, pension, and the title Earl of Bearhaven, but never that which he desired most, another chance to free his homeland. Many generations of O'Sullivan's family would later achieve prominence in Spain. In 1618, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare was killed in Madrid by John Bathe, an Anglo-Irishman, but the legend of "O'Sullivan's March" lives on.</p>
<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715588?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="250" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715588?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a></b></font></strong><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong> </span></b></font>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 31, 1783</font>,<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00085QIFS?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00085QIFS">Commodore Thomas Macdonough</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00085QIFS" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, a hero of the War of 1812, whose family was from Dublin, was born in the Delaware town then known as "The Trap," but now renamed in his honor, "McDonough." Thomas joined the U.S. Navy in 1800 as a midshipman and spent the first years of his naval career fighting pirates, including the famous<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846030307?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1846030307">Barbary Pirates</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1846030307" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> </span>operating out of<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471444154?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0471444154">Tripoli</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0471444154" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>. When the<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=War%20of%201812&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=na-books-us&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">War of 1812</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> </span>broke out, Macdonough, then a lieutenant, was made the commander of all the Navy's forces on Lake Champlain, an extremely important post due to the threat of British invasion from Canada.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left: Commodore Thomas Macdonough by Charles Stuart Gilbert)</strong></span></p>
<p>The opposing sides built their fleets on the Lake through most of 1813. In August of that year, British General Sir George Prevost began his invasion from Canada. Moving along the western edge of Lake Champlain, he hoped to use the guns of his fleet to help cover his advance. The British army outnumbered the Americans better than two to one, but Prevost needed to use the Lake to supply his army, thus the fleet of Thomas Macdonough became a prime target of the British fleet on Lake Champlain. The two fleets were fairly evenly matched, but the guns of the British ships had an advantage in range. Macdonough came up with a brilliant plan to negate this advantage. He anchored inside Plattsburgh Bay in such a manner that the British couldn't fire at them from long range and had to come around Cumberland Head and approach them head-on, presenting their bows to the American guns. From there it became a close-range slugging match, more to the liking of the Americans. Onboard his flagship, the<span> </span><i>Saratoga</i>, Macdonough fired the first shot, hitting the<span> </span><i>Confiance</i>, the flagship of Captain George Downie, commander of the British fleet. Macdonough continued to work the gun through the fierce 2 ½-hour battle. Twice his men were sure he had been killed as he was knocked out and lay on the deck. But twice he rose and returned to action. Finally, with Capt. Downie dead, and their ships devastated, the largest ships of the British fleet struck their colors, and their gunboats ran for home. On land, General Prevost had engaged the American land forces as the British fleet attacked. When it became apparent the American fleet was victorious, Prevost knew that further movement south was futile; he broke off the attack and retreated toward Canada. Thomas MacDonough's fleet had ended the British invasion; it was one of the greatest victories in the history of the U.S. Navy. For his enormous contribution to the momentous victory, Congress had a medal was stuck in MacDonough's honor, and New York and Vermont presented him with huge tracks of land. Thomas Macdonough continued his Navy career after the war. On November 10, 1825, he died of consumption aboard ship while commanding the U.S.S.<span> </span><i>Constitution</i>.</p>
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<tr><td><span class="font-size-1"><strong>Battle of Stone River, Near Murfreesborough, by Kurz & Allison.</strong></span></td>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></b></font><span> </span><font color="#008040">THROUGH </font></strong><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>MÁIRT</strong></span></b></font><span> </span>-- From<span> </span><font color="blue">December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863</font>, Irish-born Confederate<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0700609342?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0700609342&adid=0YY0ZR8R0H6YGW1G7NDX" target="_self">Gen. Patrick Cleburne</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> </span>commanded a division at<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0807145165?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0807145165&adid=1STP2EJYF08TNGP84V6C" target="_self">Murfreesboro (Stone's River)</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, Tennessee, site of one of the fiercest battles of the Western theater of the American Civil War. In early December 1862, the transfer of Confederate Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner had created a vacancy for a division command in Braxton Bragg's Army of the Tennessee. There was no man in that Army who could breath a word against the promotion of<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0700609342?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0700609342&adid=0YY0ZR8R0H6YGW1G7NDX" target="_self">Patrick Ronayne Cleburne</a><span> </span>to that post, nor the promotion to major general that went with it. Usually, the months of December and January were quiet times, with soldiers in winter camps, but Federal Gen. William S. Rosecrans intended to drive Bragg's army from Tennessee, winter or no. Bragg awaited his advance along Stone's River, just west of Murfreesboro. On the morning of the 31st, Cleburne's division was on the Confederate left. Attacking at dawn, Cleburne fell on the corps of Federal Gen. Alexander McCook, which held the Federal right, and drove the corps from the field. Federal Gen. Thomas Crittenden, observing from a distance, said it was the first time the Army of the Cumberland had ever seen such panic. A second line was formed by the Federals, but Cleburne's men drove them as well. They continued to drive the enemy until they ran out of ammunition and energy. Later, Confederate Corps commander William Hardee expressed his belief that if a fresh division had followed up Cleburne's, Rosecrans' entire army would have been routed. Night fell, however, and the two armies brought in the New Year sleeping on their arms. Rosecrans' army was badly whipped, but it stayed put on January 1st. Bragg was cautious and only probed to discover if the Federals were still there. The Federals had fortified their position to the west of the river, in front of<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0700609342?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0700609342&adid=0YY0ZR8R0H6YGW1G7NDX" target="_self">Cleburne</a>; Bragg decided to attack them east of the river. This attack, by Breckinridge, was successful at first but was then met by 58 Federal artillery pieces and shredded. Bragg would retreat the next day. Though his army had abandoned the field, Cleburne's performance in his first battle as a major general had been outstanding. His eventual rise to corps command seemed certain, but factors away from the battlefield would prevent that.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9974287061?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9974287061?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b>DEARDAOIN</b></font></strong><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">January 4, 1781</font>, Irish-born Revolutionary War Gen. James Hogan died in British captivity at Haddrel Point, South Carolina. Hogan (sometimes spelled Hogun) was born in Ireland about 1721 and emigrated to North Carolina about 30 years later. In May 1776, Hogan was appointed a major in the militia of the Edenton and Halifax regions of the Southern state. In November, when North Carolina decided to raise three more regiments for George Washington's Continental Army, James Hogan was appointed colonel of one of them, the 7th North Carolina.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Left: <span>A depiction of the Siege of Charleston (1780) by Alonzo Chappel</span>.)</span></b></p>
<p>Hogan's regiment fought in Pennsylvania at Brandywine and also at Germantown, where Hogan was cited for "distinguished intrepidity." Hogan was sent back to North Carolina to help recruit four new regiments. He returned to Washington's army in August 1778 and was promoted brigadier-general five months later. Hogan served at<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805033912?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0805033912">West Point</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0805033912" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> </span>and as commander of Continental troops in Philadelphia. In November 1779, he was sent south in command of the North Carolina Brigade to the aid of General Charles Lincoln. Lincoln was facing an anticipated British assault at Charleston, South Carolina. The march south, through one of the worst winters ever, was a severe one; Hogan's numbers were reduced by the time he reached Charleston on March 3, 1780. Before the end of the month, British General Clinton's men were besieging the city. The Americans, though outnumbered more than two to one, had a few successes during the siege, one was a trench raid led by Hogan on April 24. But soon they were running low on food and ammunition. At a council of war on May 11, the decision was made to surrender. The surrender the following day was one of the worst American defeats of the war -- more than 2,500 men became British prisoners. The British hastily built a prison on Haddrel's Point to hold the prisoners, but the site was incomplete and conditions were harsh. Generals McIntosh, Lincoln and Scott, and other high-ranking officers accepted parole from the British and departed. But generals Moultrie and Hogan refused, preferring to stay with their men. The British were trying to recruit colonial soldiers to serve them in the West Indies. Hogan feared some of his men might weaken if he departed. He did this in spite of flagging health. As winter set in, Hogan's condition worsened. On January 4, 1781, he passed away and was buried near the prison. Like so many other Irish born soldiers before and after him, James Hogan had given his last full measure of devotion to his adopted country.</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read more about the Revolutionary War at the</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.ushistory.org/march/index.html" target="new">Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution</a>.</b></li>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9974291477?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9974291477?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right"/></a>AOINE</b></font> </strong>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">Jan. 5, 1871</font>, the British in a general amnesty released 30<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Fenian prisoners</a>. Most of these prisoners were men who had either been swept up by the British in 1865, when they suppressed the Fenian paper,<span> </span><i>The Irish People</i>, taken part in the March 1867 rising, or been rounded up after the 'Smashing of the Van' rescue of Kelly and Deasy in September 1867.</p>
<p><span><strong>(Right: The Cuba Five - John Devoy (far left), standing, Charles Underwood O'Connell, (second from left) seated, Harry Mulleda (center), standing, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, (second from right) seated, and John McClure (far right) )</strong></span></p>
<p>The British penal system of that time was brutal under normal circumstances, and the Fenians came in for much harsher treatment than the normal inmate did. Those<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Fenians</a><span> </span>still on the outside agitated constantly for the release of their comrades. The man most responsible for the release of 1871 was John 'Amnesty' Nolan, who thus earned his sobriquet. The names of many of the men released by William Gladstone's government are well known to those who have studied the Irish Republican movement. One of them was Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, as steadfast an enemy of English rule in Ireland as any who ever lived. After Rossa's death, his body was returned to Ireland for burial, and his funeral in 1915 included the famous eulogy by Patrick Pearse, one of the seminal moments in the renewal of the armed struggle for Irish freedom. Another Fenian released that day was John Devoy, who perhaps more than any other man would keep the struggle for Irish freedom alive among Irish exiles in America. The British government released the Fenians on condition that they exile themselves to the country of their choice and not return until their sentences had expired. Many chose to go to<span> </span><a>Australia</a>, but Rossa, Devoy, John McClure, Henry Mulleda, and Charles Underwood O'Connell, who had all been imprisoned together, chose to go to<span> </span><a>America</a><span> </span>and shipped together from Liverpool on board the<span> </span><i>Cuba.</i><span> </span>The so-called<span> </span><i>Cuba Five</i><span> </span>arrived in New York to a hero's welcome from the city's large Irish community and even received a resolution of welcome from the U.S. House of Representatives.</p>
<p><span><b><font color="blue">VOICES</font></b></span></p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Dónall O'Sullivan<br/>From 'The History of Ireland' by Abbe Mac Geoghegan.</span></b></td>
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<p><strong><i>"Treacy had stated to me that the only way of starting a war was to kill someone, and we wanted to start a war, so we intended to kill some of the police whom we looked upon as the foremost and most important branch of the enemy forces ... The only regret that we had following the ambush was that there were only two policemen in it, instead of the six we had expected...</i>"<br/> </strong><span> </span>-- Dan Breen on the Soloheadbeg ambush.</p>
<p><b><i>'Hurra! For Freedom!' Came from our van;<br/>'Hurra! For Freedom! Our swords - we'll feed 'em!'<br/>Then down we crashed, Through the wild ford dashed,<br/>And the fray began!</i></b></p>
<p><b><i>Horses to horses and man to man,<br/>O'er dying horses and blood and corpses<br/>O'Sullivan, our general, thundered;<br/>And we not slack to slay at his back,<br/>'Til the flight began.</i></b><br/> -- From a poem by Dr. Joyce about one of the many fights during "O'Sullivan's March," this one against the son of Viscount Barry at Bellaghy Ford.</p>
<p><em><b>"The firing was terrific, fairly shaking the ground, and so rapid that it seemed to be one continuous roar, intermingled with the spiteful flashing from the mouths of guns, and dense clouds of smoke soon hung over the two fleets....."<br/></b></em> -- Julius Hubbell, a witness to the Battle of Plattsburgh</p>
<p><span><b><i>'Gen. Cleburne has been a Brigadier under my command for about a year, and he has given unmistakable proofs of military talent of a high order. He unites the rare qualities of a strict disciplinarian, a brave and skillful leader and a popular commander.'</i></b><br/>-- Part of Gen. William Hardee's recommendation for Patrick Cleburne's promotion to division command.</span></p>
<p><b><i><span>All day long …. Sweeny's Hotel and the approaches to it were the scene of the most lively excitement, caused by the congregation of numerous sympathizers. The green flag was flying from the highest flagstaff on the roof of the hotel.'<br/></span></i></b> -- The New York Herald describing the excitement created by the arrival of the Cuba Five in New York in January 1871.</p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;"><strong><span class="font-size-4">December -<span> </span><i>Nollaig</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;"><strong>31, 1744</strong><span> - Edward Hand (General, American Revolution, Clyduff, Co. Offaly.)</span><br/><strong>31, 1783</strong><span> - Thomas Macdonough, U.S. Naval war hero, "The Trap," Delaware<br/><strong>31, 1857</strong> – <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/mike-king-kelly-baseball-s-first-superstar-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael “King” Kelly (Baseball star, Tory, NY)</a><br/></span></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>January - <i>Eanáir</i></strong></span></p>
<p><strong>1, 1818</strong><span> - William Gamble (Union General - Co. Tyrone)</span><br/> <strong>1, 1883</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006BM5QU?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0006BM5QU">William "Wild Bill" Donovan</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0006BM5QU" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> (Medal of Honor winner, head of the OSS - Buffalo, NY)</span><b><strong><br/> 4, 1581</strong></b> - James Ussher (Scholar and Archbishop of Armagh - Dublin)<br/> <b>6, 1794</b> - Frances Ball (Mother Mary Teresa - Founder of the Sisters of Loretto - Dublin)<br/> <b>6, 1898</b> - Colonel James Fitzmaurice (Aviator - Dublin)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>31, 1602</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/from-bearra-to-breifne-the-epic-march-of-o-sullivan-beara" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dónall Beare O'Sullivan begins his long march to Ulster.</a><br/><strong>31, 1759</strong> – Brewery is leased at St. James Gate, Dublin by Arthur Guinness.<br/><strong>31, 1776</strong> – Irish-born General Richard Montgomery of the Continental Army is killed at the Battle of Quebec.<br/><strong>31-Jan 2, 1862-63</strong> - Irish-born Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne commands a division at battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River), <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">TN.ormed</span>.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong><span class="font-size-4">January - <i>Eanáir</i></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>1, 1776</strong> - Irish-born General Richard Montgmery of the Continental Army is killed at the Battle of Quebec.<br/> <strong>1, 1801</strong> - Act of Union - Ireland and Great Britain form United Kingdom<br/> <strong>1, 1892</strong> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393061450?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393061450">Ellis Island</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393061450" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> becomes reception center for new immigrants (The first immigrant through the gates is Annie Moore, 15, of Co. Cork.)<br/> <strong>1, 1921</strong> – The South Monaghan Flying Column ambushes a 4 man RIC patrol in Ballybay. One constable was killed and three were wounded.<br/></span> <strong>1, 1957<span> -</span></strong> Sean South and Feargal O'Hanlon killed during an attack on an RUC Barracks in the County Fermanagh village of Brookeborough.<strong><br/> 2, 1602</strong><span> - Spanish force in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsale.</span><br/> <strong>2, 1743</strong><span> - William O'Shaughnessy, general in the French army, dies at Gravelines.</span><br/> <strong>2, 1794</strong><span> - William Bulkely, officer in </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/263102">the Irish Brigade of France</a><span>, is guillotined during the French Revolution.</span><br/> <strong>2, 1920</strong><span> – The 1st Cork Brigade Irish Volunteers from Midleton and Cobh capture the RIC barracks at Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork (it was the first RIC barracks captured during the Irish War of Independence).</span><br/> <strong>2, 1920</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1862270988?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1862270988">The Black and Tans</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1862270988" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><span> are formed.</span><strong><br/> 3, 1946</strong> - Nazi broadcaster William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) is executed by Great Britain.<br/> <strong>3, 1966</strong> - Marguerite Higgins, journalist and war correspondent, dies.<br/> <strong>4, 1781</strong> - Irish born U.S. Revolutionary War Gen. James Hogan dies in British captivity.<br/> <strong>4, 1792</strong> - First issue of Northern Star, organ of United Irishmen published in Belfast.<br/> <strong>4, 1909</strong> - The Irish Transport and General Workers' Union is founded by James Larkin and William X. O'Brien.<br/> <strong>4, 1918</strong> – Irish Volunteers in Donegal rush a train at Meenbanad and free two prisoners.<br/> <strong>4, 1925</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/there-s-gold-in-nellie-cashman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cork native Nellie Cashman: Frontier Angel,</a> gold miner, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963177265?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0963177265">pioneer of the American West, dies of pneumonia in Victoria</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0963177265" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, British Columbia.<br/> <strong>4, 1969</strong> - Civil rights marchers attacked at Burntollet Bridge, NI.<br/> <strong>5, 1777</strong><span> - Irish-born Stephen Moylan is appointed colonel in the Continental Army.</span><br/> <strong>5, 1871</strong><span> - 30 Fenian prisoners are released by the British in a general amnesty.</span><br/> <strong>5, 1885</strong><span> - Hugh O'Brien is sworn in as Boston first Irish mayor.<br/> 6, XXXX - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/women-s-christmas">"Women's Christmas" (Nollaig na mBan)</a><br/> <strong>6, 1562</strong> - Shane O'Neill submits to Queen Elizabeth, but rebels again within months.<br/> <strong>6, 1653</strong> – English law declares any Roman Catholic priest found in Ireland to be guilty of treason.<br/> <strong>6, 1946</strong> - Nazi broadcaster William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) is executed by England.<br/> <strong>6, 1968</strong> – Patrick Henry Brady (<a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/irish-dominate-medal-of-honor-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Medal of Honor</a>) rescues 51 soldiers under heavy enemy fire near Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam.</span></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: December 24 - December 30tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-23:6442157:BlogPost:3077422023-12-23T21:03:39.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
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<p><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></strong></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 24, 1601</font>, Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish and Irish allies were defeated by the English at the Battle of Kinsale, one of the most important battles in Irish history. With the able assistance of his main…</p>
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<p><font color="#008040"><b><strong><span>DOMHNAIGH</span></strong></b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 24, 1601</font>, Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish and Irish allies were defeated by the English at the Battle of Kinsale, one of the most important battles in Irish history. With the able assistance of his main ally,<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961720808?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0961720808">"Red" Hugh O'Donnell,</a><img alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0961720808" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802313213?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0802313213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O'Neill</a><span> </span>was fighting to defend Gaelic Ireland against the forces of Elizabeth I of England. For several years they had held the English at bay from the strongholds in Ulster, beating them at Yellow Ford in 1598 and Moyry Pass in 1600. But if they were ever going to drive the English back across the Irish Sea, they were going to have to come out from the hills and passes and meet them in open battle. In 1601 that day of reckoning came, as O'Neill's Spanish allies arrived in Ireland. They arrived in Kinsale on September 21, 13 miles south of Cork, which is not where O'Neill would have hoped. He had sent a message asking them to land further north, so they might join forces and march against the English, but that message either never arrived or arrived too late. Now O'Neill and O'Donnell faced a long march to join with their allies, and the English were much closer to Kinsale than they. Before the Irish could get there, Mountjoy's army had laid siege to the Spaniards at Kinsale. To leave their northern strongholds held many dangers for the Irish chieftains, but leave they did, moving down through the whole length of Ireland to put the future of Gaelic Ireland to the test on the battlefield. On the morning of the 24th, O'Neill moved to attack Mountjoy's army. There was no coordination between O'Neill's army and the Spanish in Kinsale, under Don Juan del Aguila. The Spaniards made no attempt to either attack in force or even create a diversion. O'Neill's army, especially his cavalry, which performed badly, was not ready to meet the English in this sort of combat. The critical battle of the<span> </span><i>Nine Years War</i><span> </span>had been lost. In a few years O'Donnell would be dead, O'Neill in exile on the continent, and the power of the Gaelic chiefs in Ireland would be a thing of the past.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8317997676?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8317997676?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="200" class="align-left"/></a><strong><span><font color="#008040"><b>LUAIN</b></font></span></strong> -- On <font color="blue">Dec. 25, 1808</font>, Stephen Clegg Rowan who would serve in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and later be promoted to admiral, was born in Dublin. Rowan immigrated to America with his family in 1818, settling in Ohio. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1826, and by 1837 he had been promoted to Lieutenant. Rowan served as the executive officer on the <i>Cyane</i>, off the coast of California during the Mexican War.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left: Library of Congress - Commodore Stephen Rowan.)</strong></span></p>
<p>He commanded several detachments of sailors and marines in shore actions, including the recapture of Los Angeles. Rowan was in command of the <i>Pawnee</i> at the beginning of the Civil War and was credited with directing the first naval shot of the war during the efforts to end the Confederate blockade of the Potomac River. He also commanded the first amphibious assault of the war, which captured Alexandria, Virginia. Rowan commanded a squadron during <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=General%20Ambrose%20Burnside&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Gen. Ambrose Burnside</a><img alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> 's operations in North Carolina, during the capture of Roanoke Island. By mid-July 1862, he was promoted to Commodore. During operations against Charleston in 1863, his ship, <i>New Ironsides</i>, was hit over 150 times. For much of 1864, Rowan commanded all naval forces in North Carolina. When the war ended, Rowan's career in the Navy continued to flourish; he was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1866 and Vice-Admiral in 1870. He retired from the navy in 1889 and died near Washington, D.C. in 1890.</p>
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<tr><td><center><b><span class="font-size-1">Brig. Gen. Thomas Smyth</span></b></center>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>LUAIN</span></b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">December 25</font>, 1832, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1432811185?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1432811185">Thomas A. Smyth</a>, one of the finest Irish-born Union generals of the <a>American Civil War</a>, was born in Ballyhooley, Co. Cork. Smyth worked on his father's farm in Ireland until 1854, when he immigrated to the U.S., settling in Philadelphia. He worked in his uncle's carriage business for a while but the young man's thirst for adventure led him to join in William Walker's revolutionary excursion into Nicaragua. He survived that escapade and returned to the U.S., moving to Delaware and once again working for his uncle. When rebels fired on Fort Sumter, Smyth did not hesitate -- he raised a company that joined the Irish 24th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. The regiment saw little action, and when the regiment mustered out after 3-months, Smyth was not satisfied that he had yet done his part in the war. He got an appointment as a major in the newly formed 1st Delaware Volunteer Infantry. The 1st Delaware would eventually join the 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac, arguably the hardest fighting corps in that army's history. The 1st was mauled at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=battle%20of%20Antietam&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Antietam</a><img alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> on September 17, 1862, suffering 30% casualties. In December, Smyth became Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, and in February 1863 he took command as colonel. Smyth's regiment fought in all the major battles of the Army of the Potomac in 1863, and at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=battle%20of%20Gettysburg&tag=thewildgeeset-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Gettysburg</a><img alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, Smyth commanded a brigade. In February 1864, Smyth was given command of the famous <a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade" target="next"><u>Irish Brigade</u></a> in the absence of Col. Richard Byrnes.</p>
<p>Byrnes returned in May and Smyth moved to command of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Corps, but during his command of the Brigade, he won the admiration and respect of many in its ranks. Smyth finally got a long-deserved star in September, as he was promoted to Brigadier General for his gallant performance at Cold Harbor. During the Petersburg campaign, Smyth was in command of a division at various times through the final days of the Appomattox Campaign, including April 7, 1865, at the battle of Farmville. During the fight, Smyth was shot through the mouth by a Confederate sniper. Smyth held on for two days, finally dying on April 9, the same day Lee surrendered. He was the third officer who had commanded <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/irishbrigade">the Irish Brigad</a>e to die in combat. An Irish enlisted man had been the first soldier killed in the Civil War and Irish-born Thomas Alfred Smyth was the last Union general killed during that long, bitter struggle. Truly the Irish had given the last full measure of devotion to their adopted land.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715653?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715653?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b>CÉADAOIN</b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">December 27, 1969</font>, Dan Breen, one of the most famous IRA leaders during Ireland's War of Independence, died in Dublin. Breen was born in Grange, Donohill, Co. Tipperary, on Aug. 11, 1894. He joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1912 and the Irish Volunteers in 1914. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1856355063?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=211189&creative=373489&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1856355063&adid=06QKXHNG0W3EYZ7YJ647&link_code=as3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breen</a> took part in the ambush at Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary, commanded by Sean Treacy on Jan. 21, 1919, often considered the start of the war. Breen was involved in several famous incidents during the war. On May 13, 1919, he took part in the rescue of Sean Hogan near Knocklong, Co. Limerick. Sean Treacy was once again in command as he, Breen, and Séamus Robinson boarded a train on which RIC officers were transporting Hogan. In the ensuing shootout, two policemen were killed and both Treacy and Breen were seriously wounded, the first of four times that Breen would be wounded in the war, but they succeeded in freeing Hogan.</p>
<p>Recovered from his wounds, Breen then took part in the Dec. 19 ambush at Ashtown, near Dublin, attempting to kill the commander of the British army in Ireland, Lord John French. French escaped, probably because he was in the first car of the column, rather than the 2nd, as the IRA expected. Breen was wounded again, this time in the leg. By the spring of 1920, it had become too dangerous for Treacy and Breen in Tipperary, as the British had put a price on their heads. They were transferred to Collins' unit in Dublin, operating as part of his assassination squad. On Oct. 11th, they were trapped in a house in north Dublin by a British raid. They managed to shoot their way out of it, killing two British officers, but both were also wounded again, Breen the more seriously. This may have saved his life, as he was still in the hospital (under a false name) three days later when British agents again located Treacy. This time Treacy was killed.</p>
<p>After the war, Breen supported the Republican side and was arrested and held in Limerick prison for several months, but was released after going on hunger strike. He won the seat from Tipperary in the Dáil and was the first anti-treaty TD to take his seat in 1927, but he lost it in the election later that year. He moved to the United States for a short time during the Prohibition era and reputedly ran a speakeasy, but returned to win back his seat in the Dáil for Fianna Fáil. He would hold it from 1932 to 1965. He published his account of the war, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0947962336?tag=thewildgeeset-20&camp=211189&creative=373489&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0947962336&adid=1QTV963W1NRCZ8RQDSWW&link_code=as3">My Fight for Irish Freedom</a>," in 1924. After his death, his body was returned to Tipperary and buried in Donohill with an estimated 10,000 mourners in attendance.</p>
<p><strong>Read more about Dan Breen in:</strong> "<a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tipperary-s-dan-breen-the-hardest-hard-man" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tipperary’s Dan Breen: The Hardest Hard Man</a>"</p>
<p><span><b><font color="blue">VOICES</font></b></span></p>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">Trinity College, Dublin</span><br/><font size="-1"><span class="font-size-1">An Irish knight from the time of O'Neill and O'Donnell.</span></font></b></td>
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<p><b><i>Will you come again, O Hugh, in all your olden power,<br/>In all the strength and skill we knew, with Rory, in that hour<br/>When the sword leaps from its scabbard, and the night hath passed away,<br/>And Banba's battle-cry rings loud at dawning of the day?</i></b><br/><span> -- From 'The Princes of the North' by Ethna Carberry.</span></p>
<p><b><i>No coward in the ranks is seen,<br/> When gallant Smythe (sic) appears,<br/> Men kindle at his voice and mien,<br/> And move on with gay cheer.<br/> Smyth's spirit moves the glowing mass,<br/> Deeds past their power to do;<br/> Yet while such things you bring to pass,<br/> There's not a star for you, Tom Smyth,<br/> There's not a star for you!</i></b><br/> -- From "There's not a star for you, Tom Smythe" by Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, the poet laureate of<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/irishbrigade">the Irish Brigade</a>, written before Smyth finally got that star. Apparently, Reynolds did not know the correct spelling of Smyth's name.</p>
<p><em><strong>"Treacy had stated to me that the only way of starting a war was to kill someone, and we wanted to start a war, so we intended to kill some of the police whom we looked upon as the foremost and most important branch of the enemy forces ... The only regret that we had following the ambush was that there were only two policemen in it, instead of the six we had expected..."</strong></em><br/> -- Dan Breen on the Soloheadbeg ambush.</p>
<p><span><strong><i>"Treacy had stated to me that the only way of starting a war was to kill someone, and we wanted to start a war, so we intended to kill some of the police whom we looked upon as the foremost and most important branch of the enemy forces ... The only regret that we had following the ambush was that there were only two policemen in it, instead of the six we had expected...</i>"<br/> </strong> -- Dan Breen on the Soloheadbeg ambush.</span></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">December - <i>Nollaig</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>25, 1808</strong> - Stephen Rowan (USN Admiral - US Civil War - Dublin.)<strong><br/> 25, 1820</strong><span> </span>-<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/tom-sweeny-he-wasn-t-called-fighting-tom-for-nothing" target="_self">Thomas Sweeny</a> (Union General - Co. Cork)<br/> <strong>25, 1829</strong><span> </span>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/father-of-the-american-band-hailed-by-manhattan-parish" target="_self">Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore</a><span> </span>(Bandmaster, Co. Dublin.)<br/> <strong>25, 1832</strong><span> </span>- Thomas Smyth (Union General - Ballyhooley, Co. Cork)<br/> <strong>25, 1844</strong><span> </span>- Rev. Rev William Steel Dickson (Presbyterian minister, United Irishmen supporter - Ballycraigy, Co Antrim)<br/> <strong>25, 1844</strong><span> </span>-<span> </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/jennie-irene-hodgers-aka-albert-d-j-cashier-the-incognito-civil" target="_self">Jennie Hodgers</a> (As <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/their-stories-our-heritage-not-forgotten-irish-heritage-week-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Albert Cashier she served as a Union soldier</a> in US Civil War - Belfast)<br/> <strong>29, 1829</strong><span> </span><span>- <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/their-stories-our-heritage-not-forgotten-irish-heritage-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Father John B. Bannon</a> (Confederate Chaplain, Roosky, Co. Leitrim.)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>24, 1591</strong> - 'Red' Hugh O'Donnell escapes from Dublin Castle.<br/><strong>24, 1601</strong> - Battle of Kinsale.<br/><strong>24, 1691</strong> - Act of British Parliament bars Catholics from public office in Ireland.<br/><strong>24, 1889</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/charles-katharine-kiss-me-sweet-wifie-and-i-will-try-to-sleep-a-w" target="_self">Capt. William O'Shea files for divorce</a>, naming Parnell as co-respondent.</span><span><strong><br/>25, 1824</strong> - William Lawless, United Irishmen and officer in Napoleon's Irish Legion, dies in Paris.<br/> <strong>25, 1916</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/after-the-rising-fron-goch-and-the-birth-of-the-ira" target="_self">Irish prisoners interned at Frongoch are released.</a><br/> <strong>25, 1920</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-scourge-of-tralee-stalking-the-the-major" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Major John McKinnon</a>, commander of H Company of the Auxiliary Division of the RIC kills Irish Volunteers John Leen & Maurice Reidy in Ballymacelligott, Co. Kerry.</span><strong><span><br/> 27, 1849</span> </strong>- James Fintan Lalor, Young Irelander, dies.<strong><span><br/> 27, 1904</span></strong> - Opening of Abbey Theatre, Dublin<strong><span><br/> 27, 1920</span></strong> - Crown Forces surround an Irish Volunteer fund raising dance at Caherguillamore House, near Bruff, Co. Limerick. Five Volunteers and one Black & Tan were killed and over 120 Volunteers were captured.<br/> <strong>27, 1969</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/video/dan-breen-documentary" target="_self">Dan Breen</a>, IRA leader during War of Independence, dies<strong>.<span><br/> 28, 1918</span></strong> - Sein Fein wins 73 of 108 seats in all-Ireland election.<strong><span><br/> 28, 1918</span> </strong>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/constance-markievicz-the-countess-of-irish-freedom-part-1-of-2" target="_self">Countess Markievicz</a> declared to be the first woman elected to the House of Commons.<strong><br/></strong> <strong>29, 1876</strong> - The Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language is formed.<br/> <strong>29, 1899</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/fr-sylvester-malone-priest-famous-for-his-love-of-america-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fr. Sylvester Malone, early Catholic leader in New York</a>, who was born in Trim Co. Meath, dies in Brooklyn. <br/> <strong>29, 1920</strong> - The East Cork Brigade of the Irish Volunteers ambush an RIC patrol in Midleton, killing two constables. A reinforcement convoy from Cork City is then ambushed enroute in Carrigtwohill, killing one more constable. This was followed by the destruction of 6 houses in the first "official" reprisals against civilian property sanctioned by a new British government policy.</p>This Week in the History of the Irish: December 17 - December 23tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-17:6442157:BlogPost:3077412023-12-17T02:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715619?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715619?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a></b></font> <font color="#008040"><b>DOMHNAIGH</b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">Dec. 17, 1803</font>, rebel leader Michael Dwyer, whose guerrilla attacks had maddened British colonial authorities since 1798, surrendered. Dwyer was born in County Wicklow and he participated in the<span> </span><a>1798 Rising</a>; however,…</p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715619?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715619?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-right"/></a></b></font><font color="#008040"><b>DOMHNAIGH</b></font><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">Dec. 17, 1803</font>, rebel leader Michael Dwyer, whose guerrilla attacks had maddened British colonial authorities since 1798, surrendered. Dwyer was born in County Wicklow and he participated in the<span> </span><a>1798 Rising</a>; however, unlike most of the leaders and soldiers in that Rising, he did not either leave the country or return to his normal life nor was he captured. Dwyer retreated into the Wicklow Mountains with a band of men and drove the British to distraction in their attempts to apprehend him.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Michael Dwyer, last holdout of the United Irishmen.)</span></b></p>
<p>A reward was placed on Dwyer's head and another for each of his men, but he led the British authorities on a merry chase for 5 years, with many daring narrow escapes, each adding to his legend. Some called him the 'Outlaw of Glenmalure.' In 1803 he planned to assist Robert Emmet in his rising but he never received the signal to join the rising. At this point, he recognized the futility of his situation, and he also wished to relieve the suffering of a number of his family members, including his sister, who had been jailed for no offense other than their family relationship with him. Some claim that when he contacted the British to ask for terms of surrender Dwyer was promised he and his men would be sent to the United States. If so, and not for the first time, their word to an Irishman proved worthless. After 2 years of brutal treatment in Kilmainham Jail, under the infamous Edward Trevor, Dwyer was transported to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1903365783?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1903365783">Botany Bay</a><img border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1903365783" width="1" height="1"/>. Dwyer and his family, along with a number of his men, set sail for<span> </span><a>Australia</a><span> </span>on board the<span> </span><i>Tellicherry</i><span> </span>on August 25, 1805; however, the story of Michael Dwyer does not end there. In Sydney, Dwyer ran afoul of the Governor, a certain Capt. William Bligh, of<span> </span><i>Bounty</i><span> </span>fame. Bligh accused Dwyer of being the leader of a rebellious plot involving other United Irishmen in the area, which, if true, would certainly not have been out of character. Bligh shipped Dwyer off to Norfolk Island, one of the worst hellholes of the British penal system in Australia. After 6 months he was transferred to Tasmania, where he remained for another 2 years. In 1808 Bligh left the Governorship and Dwyer finally made it back to his family in Sydney and was granted 100 acres of land nearby. Like many transported Irish rebels, he eventually became part of the local establishment and, in a bit of irony, the 'Outlaw of Glenmalure' was appointed constable. Michael Dwyer died in 1825, but his wife lived to be 93, not dying until 1861. With her passing the last connection to the 'boys of '98' in Australia. Dwyer remains a legend among the people of the Wicklow Mountains to this day.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702565?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702565?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>MÁIRT</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">December 19, 1877</font>, Land League organizer Michael Davitt was released from Dartmoor Prison. Davitt, revolutionary and agrarian agitator, was born in Straide, County Mayo. Davitt's family was evicted from their small farm when he was just a boy. After they emigrated to England, Davitt lost his right arm at the age of 11 while working in a cotton mill.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Left: Michael Davitt (Note the empty right sleeve.)</strong></span></p>
<p>He joined the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cp/store.aspx?s=wgtstore2">Fenians</a> in the 1860s. On February 11, 1867, he participated in their raid on Chester Castle. Through the late 1860s, he was one of the chief arms procurers for the Fenians until his arrest and conviction in 1870. Davitt served a typically brutal jail sentence. After his release in 1877, he began what would be his life's work, agrarian agitation. After a stay in the United States, where he met revolutionary <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/book-review-irish-rebel-john-devoy-and-america-s-fight-for-irelan">John Devoy</a>, Davitt returned to Mayo and became involved in the local land agitation there. This activity led to the formation of the Land League in 1879, using funds raised by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312303866?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0312303866">John Devoy</a> and Clan na Gael in the United States, and allied with Charles Stewart Parnell. This organization forced many reforms in the corrupt Irish landlord system and would result in Davitt serving a number of short jail sentences, courtesy of Her Majesty's government. Davitt was a member of Parliament for a time in the 1890s but resigned in protest against the Boer War. Michael Davitt died in Dublin on May 31, 1906.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84695037?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84695037?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="270" class="align-right"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span>CÉADAOIN</span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">December 20, 1865</font>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226302512?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0226302512">Maud Gonne</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0226302512" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> was born in Aldershot, England. Her father was a wealthy British army colonel of Irish descent and her mother was English. Her mother died in 1871, and Maud was educated in France by a governess before moving to Dublin in 1882 when her father was posted there. Maud's father died in 1886, leaving her financially independent. While living in Paris, Maud was introduced to Fenianism by John "Pagan" O'Leary, a veteran of the 1848 Young Irelander uprising. In 1889, John O'Leary would also introduce Maud to a man whose infatuation with her would last most of his life: poet <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0853429359?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0853429359">William Butler Yeats</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0853429359" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>. Through the 1890s, Gonne began to work for the cause of Irish independence and was involved in the protests against the Boer War.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: Portrait of Maud Gonne by Sara Purser-Hugh.)</strong></span></p>
<p>In 1900, she married a veteran of the fight against the British there, Major John MacBride. Gonne continued to write and agitate for the republican cause through the 1916 Rising, during which her by-then estranged husband was executed. She was jailed as part of the "German Plot" that the British used to discredit the Irish anti-conscription movement in 1918. Gonne was interned at Holloway Jail for six months along with Kathleen Clarke, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YDZK4E?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000YDZK4E">Constance Markievicz</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000YDZK4E" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>, and others. She opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, causing her to later be jailed by the Free State government, but her immediate initiation of a hunger strike had her released in just 20 days. Maud stayed politically active until the end of her life. In 1938, she published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226302512?ie=UTF8&tag=thewildgeeset-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0226302512">"A Servant of the Queen,"</a><img alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0226302512" width="1" height="1" border="0"/> a biography of her life up to 1903. Gonne died on April 27, 1953, but her influence on Ireland and the world continued after her death through her son, Nobel Peace Prize winner Sean MacBride.</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read more on The Wild Geese about</span> <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/maud-gonne-yeats-cathleen-n-houlihan-ireland-s-joan-of-arc" target="_self">Maud Gonne</a>.</b></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><b><font color="blue">VOICES</font></b></span></p>
<p><b><i>At length, brave Michael Dwyer, you and your trusty men<br/> Are hunted o'er the mountains and tracked into the glen.<br/> Sleep not, but watch and listen; keep ready blade and ball;<br/> The soldiers know, you're hiding tonight in wild Imaal.<br/></i></b></p>
<p><b><i>He baffled his pursuers, who followed like the wind;<br/> He swam the river Slaney, and left them far behind;<br/> But many an English soldier he promised soon should fall,<br/> For these, his gallant comrades, who died in wild Imaal.</i></b><br/> -- From a poem by T. D. Sullivan.</p>
<p><b><i>'If the nationalists want me [the Irish farmer] to believe in and labor a little for independence, they must first show themselves willing and strong enough to stand between me and the power which a single Englishman, a landlord, wields over me.'</i></b><br/> -- Michael Davitt, giving voice to the attitude of the small Irish farmer toward Irish independence, December 1878</p>
<p><b><i>How many loved your movements of glad grace,<br/> And loved your beauty with love false or true;<br/> But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,<br/> And loved the sorrows of your changing face.</i></b></p>
<p><b><i>And bending down beside the glowing bars<br/> Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled.<br/> And paced upon the mountains overhead<br/> And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.</i></b><br/> -- From "When You Are Old," a poem by William Butler Yeats, referring to Gonne</p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-4">December -<span> </span><i>Nollaig</i></span></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>18, 1798</strong><span> - James Henry, physician and classical scholar, is born in Dublin.</span><strong><br/> 20, 1865<span> </span></strong>- <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/maud-gonne-yeats-cathleen-n-houlihan-ireland-s-joan-of-arc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maud Gonne MacBride</a> (Revolutionary - Aldershot, England)<strong><br/> 22, 1862</strong> - Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy (“Connie Mac,” American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner - East Brookfield, Massachusetts)<br/> <strong>22, 1879</strong> - <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/lucy-burns-fighter-for-women-s-suffrage">Lucy Burns</a> (Woman’s rights advocate – Brooklyn, NY)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>17, 1803</strong><span> - Rebel leader Michael Dwyer surrenders to English.<br/></span><strong>17, 1883</strong> - Patrick O’Donnell, who was born in Meenacladdy, Gweedore, Co. Donegal, is hanged in Newgate prison for the murder of Invincibles leader and police informer James Carey in July.<span><strong><br/> 19, 1803</strong> - Count Philip George Browne, general in the Austrian army, son of Field Marshal Browne, dies in Hubertusburg.<br/> <strong>19, 1877</strong> - Land League organizer Michael Davitt is released from Dartmoor Prison.</span><strong><span><br/> 21, 1919</span></strong> - Eamon de Valera as President of Ireland at the first meeting of the Dáil Éireann.<strong><span><br/> 21, 1940</span></strong> - Author F Scott Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack at the age of forty-four.<strong><br/> 22, 1691</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/sarsfield-would-it-were-for-ireland" target="_self">Patrick Sarsfield</a> and '<a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese">The Wild Geese</a>" sail out of Cork harbor for France.<br/> <strong>22-7, 1796-97</strong> - French invasion fleet, with troops and Tone on board, in Bantry Bay, Co. Cork; landing prevented by bad weather.<br/> <strong>22, 1944</strong> - At Bastogne, Belgium during WWII's "Battle of the Bulge," Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe of the U.S. 101st Airborne gives the Germans his famous "Nuts!" reply to their demand for his surrender.<br/> <strong>23,1688</strong><span> - James II flees England for France.<br/> <strong>23, 1920</strong> - The British Parliament passes the Government of Ireland Act, which would be used to establish the 6 county parliament at Stormont.</span></p>Fruitcake Time!tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-15:6442157:BlogPost:3078482023-12-15T17:30:00.000ZMargaret M. Johnsonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MargaretMJohnson
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326490301?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326490301?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">L</span>ove it or hate it, fruitcake is one of Christmastime’s most iconic foods.</strong> I make no apologies for being one who loves it, and over the years I’ve amassed quite a collection of recipes from sources near and far.</span> <span>While we might…</span></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326490301?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326490301?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">L</span>ove it or hate it, fruitcake is one of Christmastime’s most iconic foods.</strong> I make no apologies for being one who loves it, and over the years I’ve amassed quite a collection of recipes from sources near and far.</span> <span>While we might credit our Irish mother or grandmother with carrying on the holiday fruitcake-making tradition, we can look even further into history to uncover its possible origin.</span> Ancient Egyptians left fruit-and-nut cakes in graves, the theory being that they would provide sustenance in the afterlife; Romans mixed raisins, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and honeyed wine into barley cakes to feed soldiers; in the 1400s, prized dried and preserved fruits and nuts were traded westward from the Middle East to Europe where they were baked into cakes; and they became very popular in England where Victorians loved to have fruitcakes with their tea (don’t we all?) In eighteenth-century Europe, fruitcake was eaten around the winter solstice to mark the annual nut harvest, making the cakes popular at Christmastime. For lovers of both dark and light fruitcakes, have a look at my <em>Festive Flavors of Ireland</em> cookbook that contains both. Signed copies are available at irishcook.com.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Nollaig shona duit</em>. . .Happy Christmas to you!</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Bushmills Boiled Fruitcake</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Makes 1 large or 4 to 5 small loaves</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This fruitcake, which has been in my collection of recipes for two decades, is an interesting one. The dried and candied fruits are cooked with butter, brown sugar, and crushed pineapple <em>before</em> being mixed with the dry ingredients, a technique that produces a very moist cake.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">4 ounces butter</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 cups golden raisins</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 cup candied cherries, chopped</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 cup fruit and peel mix</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 cups all-purpose flour</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 teaspoon baking soda</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 teaspoon salt</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or Mixed Spice (see Note)</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 large eggs, beaten</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">2 to 3 tablespoons Bushmills Irish whiskey, for drizzling</p>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">In a large saucepan, bring the pineapple, butter, sugar, raisins, cherries, and mixed peel to a boil. Cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; let cool completely.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat the oven to <span>325°F. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan, or 4 to 5 (3-inch) mini loaf pans, with no-stick baking spray with flour.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span>In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice or Mixed Spice. With a wooden spoon, stir into the fruit mixture; stir in the eggs. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan(s).</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Bake the large cake for 60 to 75 minutes (test with a skewer</span> at 55 minutes), or mini loaves for 50 minutes.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Let cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Prick top of cake(s) in several places; drizzle with whiskey while <span>still</span> warm. Remove cake(s) from pan; let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap; store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks or freeze.</li>
</ol>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Note: To make Mixed Spice, combine 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 crushed cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice berries in a spice or coffee grinder. Process until finely ground. Stir in 1 tablespoon nutmeg and 2 teaspoons ginger. Store in an airtight container.<strong><br/><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326491079?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326491079?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326491265?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12326491265?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>Detective Steven McDonald: Earth Angel to the Americastag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-11:6442157:BlogPost:3081012023-12-11T04:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400"></img></a> T</span>he tragic and triumphant life of a New York City police officer’</strong><span><strong>s spiritual journey</strong> continues to impact citizens of a city, state, nation, continent and yes, the world. This extraordinary life makes a compelling case for, if not (just yet) sainthood, then of a prophetic…</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right"/></a>T</span>he tragic and triumphant life of a New York City police officer’</strong><span><strong>s spiritual journey</strong> continues to impact citizens of a city, state, nation, continent and yes, the world. This extraordinary life makes a compelling case for, if not (just yet) sainthood, then of a prophetic</span> <span>“angel</span><span>-hood</span><span>”</span> <span>of the man we know as Detective Steven McDonald,</span> <span>“</span><span>the forgiveness guy.</span><span>” McDonald’s life story embodies that of</span> <i><span>everyman</span></i> <span>-- a</span> <span>native of suburban Malverne, Long Island, a former U.S. Navy hospital corpsman and third-generation officer in the New York City Police Department. So then, let us together explore the uncanny, yet unavoidable, intersecting circumstances leading us to recognize our, impeccably timed, modern-day Earth Angel to the</span> <span>Americas<em>.</em></span><em> </em></p>
<p><em>In photo above, President George W. Bush speaks with NYPD Officer Steve McDonald in the Blue Room on April 10, 2002. White House photo by Tina Hager</em></p>
<p><span>A Rockville Centre (N.Y.) prayer group bears his name, led by local resident Kevin Conlon and Patty McDonald,</span><span> </span><span>Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s widow. The humble group of 90+ individuals, including myself, meets monthly, having an offi</span><span>cial</span><span> </span><span>meeting agenda of one rosary and one speaker and an unofficial after-meeting agenda of drinks, etc., at a local tavern. Meetings are typically held the last Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m.,</span><span> </span><span>lasting from 1 to 1.5 hours. Special events, praying the rosary at Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s grave, marching as a group in New York’s famed St. Patrick</span><span>’</span><span>s Day Parade, and participating in the 9-11 Memorial Walk bring us together beyond meetings.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>New York Rangers ice hockey fans may also be familiar with the annual award ceremony:</span> <span>“</span><span>Steven</span><span> </span><span>McDonald Extra Effort Award.</span><span>”</span> <span>Ryan Lindgren received this in April for the</span> <span>’22-’</span><span>23 season. In addition, the</span><span> </span><span>prayer group has recently expanded to the Maria Regina parish in Seaford, also on Long Island. The</span><span> </span><span>group</span><span>’</span><span>s purpose is twofold: Perpetuate the life-lesson of forgiveness and memory of McDonald</span><span> </span><span>and, second, become a prayerful resource of miraculous healing that will, one day, compel the Church to</span><span> </span><span>advocate, beatify and eventually proclaim McDonald a saint. We have realized the</span><span> </span><span>former, and we are supremely confident the latter will come in the Good Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>In a March 2022 meeting, one of the speakers suggested McDonald</span><span>’</span><span>s life exemplified the perfect</span><span> </span><span>adoption of the line in the Lord</span><span>’s Prayer: “</span><span>Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass</span><span> </span><span>against us.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Many of us, the author included, have said,</span> <span>“</span><span>It would be impossible, I could never forgive such a grave</span><span> </span><span>offense . . .</span> <span>”</span> <span>And, of course, this is accurate for Steven, as well, until, with the help of God, this did, in</span><span> </span><span>fact, happen. Matthew 19:26:</span> <span>“</span><span>Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God</span><span> </span><span>all things are possible.’ “</span> <span>Evidence, no doubt, of the heaven-sent grace that made possible Steven McDonald</span><span>’s</span> <span>forgiveness mission on earth.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>In fact, Steven’s life lesson of forgiveness is without question a magnified moment of a specific part of the Lord’s Prayer. So let us review this prayer in detail and in context. In doing so, we can see clearly how Jesus’ teaching forms a template for Steven’s submission to His will, as found in the Lord’s Prayer.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Here’s the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer taken from Matthew 6:9-13 (The Catholic Press, Inc. 1961 Bible):</span> <span>“In</span><span> </span><span>this manner therefore shall you pray:</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313629266?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313629266?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a></span></b></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Our Father</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- Perhaps the most powerful two words in all Christianity because they set forth the</span><span> </span><span>irrevocable relationship between God Almighty and mankind as paternal, making ALL mankind siblings,</span><span> </span><span>brothers and sisters ALL to one another before Him,</span> <span>“</span><span>Our Father,</span><span>”</span> <span>meaning, when we open our eyes in</span><span> </span><span>the morning and shut them before sleep, we know because of these two words each and every person</span><span> </span><span>we encounter are to be viewed, looked at and treated as our sibling, before the Lord God, our common</span><span> </span><span>Creator, our Father. How neatly does this language fit in America</span><span>’</span><span>s Constitution? Should we surmise as</span><span> </span><span>Americans, our forefathers meant to reference</span> <span>“</span><span>our Creator</span><span>”</span> <span>for this very purpose? It sure seems so.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>When you hear</span> <span>“</span><span>Our Father</span><span>”</span> <span>imagine the</span> <span>“O”</span> <span>is the earth as viewed from space and every human life form on it, our sisters and brothers.</span></p>
<p><em>Photo above: Lord's Prayer from the 1845 illuminated book of The Sermon on the Mount, designed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Jones_(architect)" title="Owen Jones (architect)">Owen Jones</a>. Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- God is so great, earth cannot hold Him, for he is beyond all the earth. God is cosmic -- as is His Son for both existed before time, an invention of man</span><span>’</span><span>s. And God</span><span>’s</span> <span>name is holy, requiring the ultimate reverence from mankind because as mankind looks around and surveys his / her surrounding he / she realizes one thing; we made none of the universe we inhabit, it has all been created well before us and totally without us, therefore make holy the name of our Creator for we are dust, we are nothing without Him.</span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Thy kingdom come</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- God wants heaven, His kingdom, to come to mankind. God wants to share</span><span> </span><span>paradise with mankind -- an incredible invitation! We learn more with the next sentence.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- With reflective prayer, a</span> <span>“</span><span>faith imagination</span><span>”</span> <span>and help</span><span> </span><span>from the Holy Spirit in reading the Gospel, we recognize it is precisely God</span><span>’</span><span>s will that lovingly takes place</span><span> </span><span>…</span> <span>between our ears. That is, our very thoughts are centered on doing His heavenly will as we are here on earth. Think not as this line being something outside us like a temple, church, cathedral, city or nation for</span><span> </span><span>none of these, by themselves, are places that commit sin without first occupying mankind within them.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Will God ask you before the pearly gates,</span> <span>“</span><span>What did you do to help America, Israel or Paris?</span><span>” or</span><span> </span><span>rather,</span> <span>“</span><span>Did you love? Show me how.</span><span>”</span> <span>So, when reciting these words of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, think,</span> <span>“</span><span>Is His will being carried out by me, in my thoughts, in my deeds, here on earth?</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>All the above lines from our Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer explicitly (overtly) reference the Father, our Creator, the great</span> <span>“I AM,”</span> <span>Yahweh. We see the time of creation, the Almighty’s participation in human history and the prophets as the first order of time, the Lord God</span><span>’s</span> <span>time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The next line of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer is explicitly Jesus Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s, the second person of the blessed Trinity:</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Give us this day our daily bread.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- An astounding, sublime reference to the Father</span><span>’</span><span>s only begotten</span><span> </span><span>Son, Jesus who subtly references the</span> <span>“</span><span>new and eternal covenant</span><span>”</span> <span>and his words in John 6:35 (</span><span>“</span><span>I am the</span><span> </span><span>bread of life.</span><span>”</span><span>) perfectly confirm this meaning:</span> <span>“</span><span>I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go</span><span> </span><span>hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus, Himself, is our daily bread. Do not</span><span> </span><span>confuse Jesus</span><span>’</span><span>s bread with the bread of the world or earning a living. While these are surely good things, they are not and can never be</span> <span>“</span><span>the thing</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus came here for, namely, to forgive sins, heal the sick, have mankind do His Father</span><span>’</span><span>s will on earth and conquer death. Jesus did not come to get us a job -- and He</span><span> </span><span>puts this in perspective for us, not ignoring the (secondary) importance of earning a living. See passage</span><span> </span><span>Matthew 6:31-33:</span> <span>“</span><span>So do not worry saying,</span> <span>‘</span><span>What shall we eat?</span><span>’ or ‘</span><span>What shall we drink?</span><span>’ or ‘</span><span>What shall</span><span> </span><span>we wear?</span><span>’</span> <span>For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added you as well.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Photo right is of an early third century depiction of Eucharistic bread and fish, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Callisto" title="San Callisto">Catacomb of San Callisto</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome">Rome</a>. Wikimedia Commons.</em></p>
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<p><span>Let Jesus, the bread of life, be our first thought, our first priority, and the God of creation will make sure all the other things we need shall come to you as well, afterward. How perfectly humble, meek and prophetically</span> <span>“silent”</span> <span>is this line of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer referring to Jesus.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Referencing the above, we see the time of the Word made flesh that dwelt among us on earth as the second order of time, the, very brief, Lord Jesus Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“</span><b><span>And forgive us our debts; as we also forgive our debtors.</span></b> <span>”</span> <span>(Matthew 6:12) So how do we reconcile</span><span> </span><span>this line in the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer with:</span> <span>“</span><span>God alone forgives sins</span><span>”</span><span>? (The answer is simpler than you might</span><span> </span><span>suspect for it comes from our being created in God</span><span>’</span><span>s image and likeness.) In this manner, man and</span><span> </span><span>woman alike are able to forgive those sins committed against them respectively, that is, those sins</span><span> </span><span>specific to us, the created, are forgivable because we share God</span><span>’</span><span>s image and likeness. Jesus conveyed</span><span> </span><span>the forgiveness of sins to His apostolic church, creating and instituting the sacrament of penance. And</span><span> </span><span>further, per the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, Jesus compels us to individually forgive others that He would forgive us our own trespasses. Here is the very line and thought in the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer that Steve McDonald, with the good Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s grace, lived, prayed, acted, personified and professed to multitudes until his passing. The same grace comes to all saved souls, the grace our Blessed Mother received at conception (</span><span>“</span><span>I am the Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span><span>) * Amazingly recognized by the Archangel Gabriel, this grace was Elijah</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>“</span><span>whispering wind</span><span>” or “</span><span>small voice</span><span>”</span> <span>(1 Kings 19:12) that filled the sails of this former</span> <span>Navy man’</span><span>s boat.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>The Holy Spirit</span><span>’</span><span>s protection.</span> <span>“</span><span>It is better</span><span> </span><span>for you that I go.</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus at the Ascension. Let us not second guess the Son of Man</span><span>’</span><span>s words here. Who,</span><span> </span><span>but the Holy Spirit, breathing the will of the Father and the Son into our lungs, shall lead us not into</span><span> </span><span>temptation and deliver us from evil!</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313632870?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313632870?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>These last two lines of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, the time of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate</span><span>’</span><span>s time, are the third order of time, the time following Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s Ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit and</span> <span>our time now</span> <span>**.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Matthew 6: 9-13 –</span></b> <span>Above,</span> <span>The Lord’s Prayer.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Matthew 6: 14-15</span></b> <span>-- At the conclusion of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, Jesus revisits the penultimate line, Matthew</span><span> </span><span>6:12, (“</span><span>And forgive us our debts; as we also forgive our debtors.</span><span>”) of</span><span>fering additional guidance on the</span><span> </span><span>meaning this particular part of the prayer has for our own forgiveness:</span> <b><span>“</span></b><b><span>For if you forgive men their</span></b><span> </span><b><span>offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offenses.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>Our time now, the time of the Advocate, requires forgiveness for our salvation. This extra explanation and emphasis to the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer by Jesus is why Steve</span> <span>McDonald’</span><span>s life</span><span>’</span><span>s messages are so profound today. Is it, in fact, possible the McDonald-Jones angel has been embedded in Our Lady of Guadalupe to be deciphered and hence open the door for a rebirth of America -- and the world?</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Above: Jesus' ascension to Heaven depicted by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singleton_Copley" title="John Singleton Copley">John Singleton Copley</a> in Ascension (1775). Wikimedia Commons.</em></p>
<p><span>*St. Maximilian Kolbe - “</span><span>Mary is the created Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit is the uncreated</span><span> </span><span>Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span> <span>See Lourdes, St. Bernadette, Blessed Mary,</span> <span>“</span><span>I am the Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>** “</span><span>But I speak the truth to you; it is expedient for you that I depart. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not</span><span> </span><span>come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.</span><span>” (John 16:7)</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313636070?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313636070?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a></span></p>
<p><span>We briefly turn our focus to the miraculous appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12th, 1531, to an Aztec peasant, Juan Diego. The Blessed Mother came to a foothill just outside Mexico City</span> <span>as a</span> <span>divine and cosmic evangelical, leaving a painting or divinely made</span> <span>“</span><span>calling card</span><span>”</span> <span>imprinted on Juan Diego’s shirt, known as a “tilma") to compel the local bishop (</span><span>Juan de Zumárraga</span><span>, from Spain) to build a chapel at a designated</span> <span>site in her son Jesus</span><span>’</span> <span>name in an effort to help with revealing Himself and converting pagan Aztecs to His Church</span><span>.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Right, a painting depicting Juan Diego by 18th century artist Miguel Cabrera. Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
<p><span>While there are many miracles and scientifically unexplained facts associated with Juan Diego</span><span>’</span><span>s tilma (</span><span>shirt made of</span> <span>coarse</span> <span>cactus fiber)</span> <span>let us recognize several highlighted miracles and how Steven McDonald may very well be part of an ongoing revelation and timely message to us now</span><span>: </span></p>
<p>* Fabric’s condition -- scientifically unexplained. The fabric, now 492 years old, should have naturally disintegrated 450 years ago though it, supernaturally, remains in pristine condition today. </p>
<p>* Painting lacks under-sketching -- artistically unexplained. Unheard of for any man-made painting before, during or after this era. </p>
<p>* Mass conversion -- Sociologically unexplained. 9 million Aztecs converted to Catholicism over eight years because of the impact of the tilma’s resonating hieroglyphics. (This followed 10 prior years of anemic, stubborn, lackluster conversion of the Aztecs by the conquering Spaniard missionaries.) </p>
<p>* Reflections in the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Scientifically and artistically unexplained. Discovered in the 20th century, the image presents what ophthalmologists refer to as the “Purkyne-Sanson effect.” This “recent” revelation opened the door to contemplate additional messages today. </p>
<p>* The angel beneath the Blessed Mother, bearing certain earthly attributes, is holding the bottom of Mary’s star-imprinted cloak in the angel's right hand, while the angel’s left hand holds the bottom of the flower-imprinted dress.</p>
<p><em>Below, image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as shown on the mantle (tilma) of Juan Diego. </em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313639680?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313639680?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>It is this angel, largely ignored, that has now compelled the author to make the case for Steven</em><span> </span><span>McDonald’</span><span>s angelic representation here. The tilma, it seems, still speaks to its faithful, and now,</span><span> </span><span>symbolically, speaks to America -- and the world. The time has come today to discern the symbolism of</span><span> </span><span>the</span> <span>“</span><span>Perfect Virgin: Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>”</span> <span>and the tilma</span><span>’</span><span>s message to America given by an Irish-</span><span>American New York City cop in service to the Lord. To that end, follow along:</span><span> </span></p>
<p>A List of “Angel Assertions” Discernible in the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe: </p>
<p>1. Red, white and blue angel’s wings are overtly American.</p>
<p>2. Angel shows no legs, nothing below the waist symbolizes, partially, Steve McDonald’s paralysis.</p>
<p>3. Tilma’s seam avoids Our Lady of Guadalupe’s face and hands, but passes through the angel’s head, symbolizing DMS’s head injury from the Central Park shooting, on July 12, 1986. </p>
<p>4. Receding hairline of the angel, that of a middle-aged man.</p>
<p>5. Face of angel and cleft chin -- similar in shape to Steven McDonald’s.</p>
<p>6. Hair of angel -- black and curly -- represents the forgiven shooter, Shavod Jones.</p>
<p>7. Combined -- The angel represents the forgiver and the forgiven and is an amalgam of Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones, together, who Steven has stated in his own words, “We have helped many people, the two of us.” </p>
<p>8. Angel’s right hand (left side of tilma) is on the Blue (Sea) and Gold (Navy) portion of the tilma, that is, the Our Lady of Guadalupe cloak -- the colors represent the ocean (sea) (for U.S. Navy) and the Blue has stars, which ships use for navigation at night.</p>
<p>9. Angel’s left hand (right side of tilma), on the Red-Brown (Land) and Gold (NYPD) portion of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s dress, depicts Steven McDonald’s work on land -- a beat cop working in New York City’s Central Park.</p>
<p>10. Note the tilma’s seam and the angel’s head are on the Land / NYPD side of the cloak - as Steven’s injury occurred while serving as a police officer. As Americans read from left to right, we read “Navy” then “NYPD” on the angel’s hands in keeping with the chronology of Steven’s professional life. </p>
<p>11. The angel has a badge or large button on the collar. What angel would need such an item? Is it for predetermined earthly origins, speaking to us today? Buttoned uniforms are used in both the Navy and NYPD. </p>
<p>12. A black crescent moon beneath Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feet is just above the angel’s head. The evening of DSM’s shooting, July 12th, 1986, the moon’s phase was a perfect waxing crescent.</p>
<p>13. Our Lady of Guadalupe asked to “build a chapel” -- Steven McDonald preferred chapels for prayer.</p>
<p>14. Steven McDonald dies at 59 years old. The rosary has 59 beads. The confounding number and nature of rosary beads now makes perfect sense for this generation and generations to come.</p>
<p><span>If taken in the context of the grace that was Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s life and his use of the rosary, our Blessed Mother</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>obedience to the Lord God, Lord Jesus and Lord Holy Spirit work in our lives for the</span><span> </span><span>forgiveness of sins, healing the sick and conquering death -- Jesus</span><span>’</span><span>s raison d</span><span>’</span><span>etre (divine purpose).</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>An article dated July 23, 2021, written by David Gordon, is titled</span> <span>“</span><span>The Redemption of Chess Legend Bobby</span><span> </span><span>Fischer.” Gordon</span><span> acknowledges Fischer</span><span>’</span><span>s age of 64 years as a</span> <span>“god</span><span>-</span><span>wink</span><span>”</span> <span>when he died --</span> <span>“a</span><span> </span><span>year for every square on the chessboard.”</span> <span>Has Steven’</span><span>s time of 59 years on earth been a heaven-</span><span>sent</span> <span>“god</span><span>-</span><span>wink</span><span>” for us to recognize and consider living a prayerful life of forgiveness that includes</span><span> </span><span>the rosary? See also Squire Rushnell</span><span>’s, “</span><span>When God Winks at You.</span><span>” 59</span> <span>years, 59 beads.</span><span> </span></p>
<p>15. Angel’s gold wrist bands -- The uniforms of the Navy have gold wrist-piping and NYPD formal uniforms include gold buttons and gold-bordered patches. The angel’s hands touch the gold piping to both Our Lady of Guadalupe’s cloak and dress. </p>
<p>16. The angel’s red shirt -- The color represents that of the sacred heart of Jesus of His body and His blood in the Eucharist. Seeing how the color runs dark red at the shirt’s bottom and lightens to approach white at the tops of the arms and shoulders, might this be an apocalyptic reference to Revelation 7:13-14, those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb?</p>
<p>17. The child-papoose -- The form at the bottom of Our Lady of Guadalupe is that of an infant face down in the crescent moon. Might this be a symbol of modern-day child sacrifice of abortion up to the moment of birth in the Americas? Steven McDonald was a pro-life advocate.</p>
<p>18. Symbols yet unseen. Likely, there are more symbols yet to be discovered as history has proven, study discerns, and more information becomes available. </p>
<p><b><span>T</span></b><b><span>hree</span></b> <b><span>Angelic Takeaways:</span></b> <span> </span><span> </span></p>
<p>1. In Jesus’s name, forgive others who have trespassed against you,</p>
<p>2. Stay close to the Gospel and the sacraments and</p>
<p>3. Pray the rosary. These are the legacies of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Angel as revealed by Detective Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones, the forgiver and the forgiven, respectively.</p>
<p><b><span>Reflections and the Road to Sainthood:</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><span>I have a personal experience with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s influence, leading to my membership in the Detective Steven McDonald Prayer Group. These have helped me to see, with destined</span><span> </span><span>eyes, the timely message our Blessed Mother has sent us all -- at none too soon a time in our nation</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>history. </span></p>
<p><span>We reflect on the relevant Gospel words,</span> <span>“</span><span>Now is the time.</span><span>”</span> <span>(2 Corinthians 6:2) for now is the time</span><span> </span><span>to forgive and now is the time to live, to live life to the full (John 10:10).</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Author’s Note:</span></b> <span> </span></p>
<p><span>Pareidolia is defined as t</span><span>he tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimuli, usually visual, so that one sees objects, patterns or meaning where there is none. Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces or objects in cloud formations, seeing faces in inanimate objects, or</span> <span>lunar pareidolia like</span> <span>“the Man in the Moon”. While seeing the potential of single observances to lend themselves to subjective inference, taken together a compelling case crystalizes when interpreting the Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>’</span><span>s angel with the lives of Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones. Further, the tilma itself falls outside the definition of</span> <span>“pareidolia”</span> <span>as the specific symbols are anything but</span> <span>“</span><span>nebulous stimuli.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The Catholic Church rightly imposes stringent standards and strict reviews when confirming at least two</span><span> </span><span>miracles attributed to the intercession of any Servant of God before canonization. Given Detective Steven McDonald</span> <span>and Shaved Jones’s</span> <span>prophetic</span> <span>symbolism in the Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>’</span><span>s tilma and the Holy Spirit</span><span>’</span><span>s abundant blessings, my guess is the Church will soon be reviewing anywhere between 2 and 200,000 such miracles.</span> <b><span>DMcL</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Related Resources:</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><span>* Freed Shooter of Policeman Dies in Crash (</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/11/nyregion/freed-shooter-of-policeman-dies-in-crash.html"><span>New York Times, Sep. 11, 1995</span></a><span>)</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>* Juan de Zumárraga (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Zum%C3%A1rraga"><span>Wikipedia</span></a><span>)</span><span> </span></p>Corkman Stephen Moylan: The Man Who First Wrote 'United States of America'tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-11:6442157:BlogPost:3074402023-12-11T00:30:00.000ZJoe Gannonhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/JoeGannon
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>n the late 18th century, the Irish in America were some of the most ardent</strong> and loyal supporters of the cause of American independence from British rule. Recent scholarship has put the participation of the Irish and Scots-Irish in Washington’s Army at 40% and possibly more. A few of those…</p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">I</span>n the late 18th century, the Irish in America were some of the most ardent</strong> and loyal supporters of the cause of American independence from British rule. Recent scholarship has put the participation of the Irish and Scots-Irish in Washington’s Army at 40% and possibly more. A few of those Irishmen are fairly well known, such as Dublin-born <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/an-irish-american-of-renown-general-richard-montgomery">General Richard Montgomery</a>, who was killed during the assault on Quebec; County Wexford native <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/commodore-john-barry-day-13th-september">Commodore John Barry</a>, considered to be the “Father of the U.S. Navy” by some; Corkman <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-o-sullivan-beare-clan-taking-the-fight-to-america">General John Sullivan</a>, a delegate to the 1<sup>st</sup> Continental Congress from New Hampshire and one Washington’s better generals; and more recently, thanks to the Broadway show, “Hamilton,” the spy <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/hercules-mulligan-washington-s-man-in-new-york">Hercules Mulligan</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312407069?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312407069?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Geroge Washington’s adopted son, George Washington Park Custis, placed the significant Irish contribution to the <a href="https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/niallodowd/american-revolution-irelands-first-victory">American Revolution </a>in a proper historical perspective:</p>
<p>“When our friendless standard was first unfurled for resistance, who were strangers [foreigners] that first mustered ’round its staff when it reeled in the fight, who more bravely sustained it than Erin’s generous sons? Who led the assault on Quebec [General Montgomery] and shed early luster on our arms, in the dawn of our revolution? Who led the right wing of Liberty’s forlorn hope [General Sullivan] at the passage of the Delaware [just before the attack on Trenton]? Who felt the privations of the camp, the fate of battle, or the horrors of the prison ship more keenly than the Irish? Washington loved them, for they were the companions of his toil, his perils, his glories, in the deliverance of his country.”</p>
<p>An Irish-born officer who was very prominent at the time but whose contributions to the cause have been obscured over time was another Corkman, Stephen Moylan. Moyland was born in 1737, probably in the Shandon section of northern Cork City. His family was one of the wealthiest Irish Catholic families in Cork. His father, John, known locally as “Seán na Long” (“John of the ships”), was a successful merchant, and his mother’s family, Mary Doran, was as well. As many such Catholic families in Ireland did during the Penal Law days of the 18<sup>th</sup> century, they sent Stephen and his brothers to France to be educated in Jesuit schools.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312438468?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312438468?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right"/></a>Stephen’s older brother, Francis (right), would be ordained in France and serve as a priest there for several years. He eventually returned to Cork and rose to be bishop. He became one of the most prominent members of the Irish clergy. Stephen also had two half-sisters who became Ursuline nuns.</p>
<p>Stephen Moylan had two younger brothers and a younger half-brother who would also assist the United States in winning its independence. James Moylan significantly contributed to the storied career of the famous John Paul Jones. James was born in 1741; by 1771, he had joined Stephen in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, founded on the principle of religious freedom by William Penn, offered Catholics a fair chance to succeed in commerce. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the city, founded in 1733, was one of the first Catholic churches in the colonies.</p>
<p>Near the beginning of the war, James went to France, where he partnered with a French merchant named Gourlade. James was made the U.S. commercial agent in L’Orient and got involved in acquiring ships for the fledgling U.S. Navy.</p>
<p>In late 1778, James helped obtain a ship called “Duras” for <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/john-paul-jones-and-the-irish-marines-1">Captain John Paul Jones</a>. He realized the ship’s condition was not optimal, telling Jones, “I cannot recommend her to you for a lasting ship.” Jones was ready to do his best with whatever he could get. “She must be ours,” was his reply. The American representatives in France had little money, so France’s King Louis XVI paid to turn Duras into a 42-gun warship.</p>
<p>Duras would be renamed “Bonne Homme Richard” in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Moylan’s estimate of the ship proved correct, as the ship would not survive its first engagement. Despite that, it was aboard that ship that Jones would win lasting fame in his “I have not yet begun to fight” victory over HMS Serapis at the Battle of Flamborough Head on Aug 14, 1779. Jones’ ship sank after the British surrendered, and he sailed back to France in the Serapis. One of the keys to his victory also had an Irish connection. The <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/john-paul-jones-and-the-irish-marines-1">Marines on Jones’ ship</a> were members of Walsh’s regiment of the <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/for-faith-and-fame-and-honour-the-irish-brigade-in-the-service-3">Irish Brigade of France</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: John Adams reviews Jones' Irish Marines, 13 May 1779 by Charles H. Waterhouse.)</strong></span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312449500?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312449500?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>James also negotiated a treaty allowing the new nation to sell tobacco to the French. This helped provide much-needed cash to finance the war. He never returned to the U.S., dying young in L’Orient in 1784.</p>
<p>Irish merchant families in the 18<sup>th</sup> century often sent their sons to establish business branches in other European cities. Around 1765, Stephen set up a branch of the family business in Lisbon, Portugal, along with cousin David Moylan. Another of Stephen’s younger brothers, John, was sent to Cadiz, Spain. In 1768, Stephen moved on to Philadelphia to set up another merchant venture there. In 1781, John also came to Philadelphia, perhaps to manage their business there while Stephen served in the war.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Major John André)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312552479?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312552479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="180" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>John would also contribute to winning the revolution when appointed the "clothier general" of Washington’s Army. Given the horrendous financial situation of the country at the time, one might call that a punishment rather than an honor, but John toiled mightily to help keep the troops clothed and shod. The neglect of his business interests left his finances depleted. Sometime after the war, he returned to Ireland and then to England, where he had to keep his U.S. government services a secret.</p>
<p>He died in Bath, England, in 1799. Interestingly, he felt so bad about the hanging of Major Andre, the British officer who assisted Benedict Arnold, that he left £500 to the Major’s brother in London as a “small measure of compensation for the wrong done him.”</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Jaspar Moylan)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312555693?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312555693?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="180" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The fourth brother to come to Philadelphia was Stephen’s half-brother, Jaspar, whose mother was elder John’s 2<sup>nd</sup> wife, Alicia Joyce. At the war’s end, he served as an ensign in a Pennsylvania militia unit. After the war, Jaspar had a long career as a lawyer in Philadelphia. He was one of the founders of the Insurance Company of North America, the first marine insurance company in the U.S. The company still exists now as the CIGNA insurance company.</p>
<p>Stephen, John, until he left, and Jasper were known around Philadelphia as the “three polite Irishmen.” It was a back-handed compliment that managed to insult the Irish as a race while simultaneously being a sign of the Moylan’s respect in the community.</p>
<p>Stephen was well-educated, well-spoken, a dynamic leader, and said to have a great sense of humor. French General Francois Jean De <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/chastellux-francois-jean">Chastellux,</a> author of “Travels in North America in the Years 1780, 1781 & 1782,” became well acquainted with Moylan in the later part of the war. He gave this impression of Moylan: “ … a very gallant and intelligent man, who had lived long in Europe, and who has traveled through the greatest part of America. I found him perfectly polite; for his politeness was not troublesome, and I soon conceived a great friendship for him.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: The emblem of Friendly Sons of St. Patrick)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312567062?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312567062?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left"/></a>These qualities served him well in both business and society. The business Stephen set up in 1768 was quite successful. He was soon the owner or part owner of numerous ships. Stephen was well-received by Philadelphia society, despite being Irish and a papist. In 1770, he was invited to join the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club. He was also elected the first president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which he helped to found on St. Patrick’s Day in 1771. This was another indication of the esteem in which he was held, as most of the original members were Protestants. Later members included Commodore John Barry, Generals “Mad” Anthony Wayne, John Cadwalader, William Irvine, Richard Butler, and William Thompson. Members of the Friendly Sons contributed 35% of the funds Robert Morris used to establish the Bank of the U.S., helping to supply the Continental Army.</p>
<p>George Washington would be made an honorary member after the war. Of this honor, he said: “I accept with singular pleasure the Ensign of . . . a Society distinguished for the firm adherence of its members to the glorious cause in which we are embarked. Give me leave to assure you, Sir, that I shall never cast my eyes on the badge with which I am honored, but with a grateful remembrance of the polite and affectionate manner in which it was presented.”</p>
<p>By the time the 1<sup>st</sup> Continental Congress met, Moylan had become acquainted with many of the leading political figures during the lead-up to the rebellion. On Sept 24, 1774, John Adams recorded he “dined with Richard Penn ; a magnificent house and most splendid feast and a very large company; Mr. (john) Dickinson and General (Charles) Lee were there and Mr. Moylan, besides a great number of the Delegates.” The fact that he names Moylan and none of the other delegates is significant.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Col. Joseph Reed)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312573269?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312573269?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Moylan became a staunch supporter of independence. After the 2nd Continental Congress had their “Olive Branch” proposal rejected by King George III in August 1775, Moylan was all in for the permanent split with Great Britain. In January 1775, he wrote to his friend Lt. Colonel Joseph Reed of General Washington’s staff: “Shall we never leave off debating and boldly declare independence?”</p>
<p>At that point, Moylan was already serving in the Continental Army. Washington had appointed him Muster-Master General on August 11, 1775, on the recommendation of John Dickinson. It was a job involved with keeping track of the army’s strength, training, and equipment.</p>
<p>Furthermore, in October, he was authorized to hire ships and buy or borrow cannon to raid British supply vessels. Given the new nation’s lack of resources, this was a Herculean effort. Congress would not officially authorize the U.S. Navy until the 1790s, but the ships Moylan helped acquire could be considered the beginning of that navy.</p>
<p>On March 24, 1776, Moylan was appointed an aide-de-camp to Washington. With that came a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. In June, Congress voted to appoint Moylan the 2<sup>nd</sup> Quartermaster General of the Army. He replaced his fellow Philadelphian, Thomas Mifflin, who resigned to take a combat command. The timing could not have been worse. The Army, still around Boston, was about to make its first significant change of position to defend New York City. To make it worse, Washington then decided to move a large part of the army to defend Brooklyn Heights on Long Island. With the British Navy having total control of the water, moving your army onto an island is a suspect strategy.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: A company of the Maryland Regiment crossing Gowanus Creek<br/></strong></span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>during the retreat on Long Island, as painted by Don Troinai.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312596693?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312596693?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>The disastrous American defeats at the Battle of Brooklyn Heights (Long Island) and Harlem Heights made Moylan’s supply effort nearly impossible. Washington barely extricated his army from Long Island by small boats with the seemingly divine intervention of heavy fog. There was no way to rescue most of the supplies and wagons they had moved to the island to support them. This greatly inhibited Moylan’s ability to supply the army in the following weeks. As is often the case after military disasters, the politicians looked for people to blame. One could easily make the case that Washington was mainly to blame for the supply disaster, not Moylan. In September, Moylan resigned as Quartermaster when it became clear that Congress would place most of the blame on him. Thomas Mifflin was once again given the unenviable position.</p>
<p>Though he thought his treatment by Congress was unfair, Moylan did not give up on his commitment to fight for America’s independence. As he wrote to Washington after the war, “I entered the service in the first year of the war, with a firm determination of prosecuting it to the end. I made up my mind, and my affairs for that purpose. I have shared its fatigues, its dangers and its pleasures with Your Excellency ever since — a man who has sacrificed everything for the service of his country.”</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: George Washington in 1776, as painted<br/> by Charles Willson Peale 1741-1827).</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312601494?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12312601494?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Washington had not lost his confidence in Moylan. Or perhaps he realized his own faulty strategy had made Moylan’s Quartermaster duties impossible. He took Moylan back on his staff. Moylan later wrote to Robert Morris of his exhilaration riding with Washington as the army pursued the defeated British following the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. “The feeling when pursuing the flying enemy is unutterable .. inexpressible. I know I never felt so much like one of Homer’s Deities before. We trod on air. It was a glorious day.”</p>
<p>Now that the army was mobile and not just laying siege to the enemy in Boston, Washington had a desperate need for cavalry. A few days after Princeton, Moylan was commissioned Colonel of the newly formed 1<sup>st</sup> Pennsylvania Regiment of Cavalry, later renamed the 4<sup>th</sup> Continental Light Dragoons, but usually referred to as Moylan’s Dragoons. The term “regiment” is, in some ways, a misnomer here. In most instances, the U.S. Army has considered a regiment to consist of 1000 men. The dragoon “regiments” were actually closer to company size, i.e. 100 men. Moylan would spend the rest of the war in cavalry commands. Supply problems were not magically corrected under Thomas Mifflin or the others who followed him as Quartermaster during the war. Moylan’s unit was forced to wear red uniform coats captured from the British.</p>
<p>On May 12, 1777, Washington wrote to Moylan about the dangers of these uniforms. “I therefore desire that you will immediately fall upon means for having the colour of the Coats changed, which may be done by dipping into that kind of dye that is most proper to put upon Red. I care not what it is, so that the present Colour be changed.” Moylan had just the color in mind for his regiment’s coats. He had them dyed green. No one would doubt what regiment they were seeing after that.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313554871?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313554871?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Among the men serving in Moylan’s Dragoons were General Washington’s nephew, William Washington, and Zebulon Pike. Pike’s Peak in Colorado was named for his son, also Zebulon, who was killed in the War of 1812. The number of men involved in the dragoon regiments was never large enough to make them a force in any significant battles. Their main use was in scouting, gathering intelligence, and guarding the army’s flanks. These were vital contributions to the final victory but lacked the glory of large cavalry formations fighting in great battles.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Left: William Washington at the Battle of Cowpens.)</strong></span></p>
<p>In the 2<sup>nd</sup> half of 1777, Washington brought in Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman with military experience in Europe, to help train his nascent mounted units. Pulaski was commissioned a general and given command of all the cavalry units. He had a rather imperious attitude and limited English skills. This led to much friction with his American subordinates, including Moylan. Pulaski had Moylan court-martialed after one dispute with him, but the court acquitted him. Pulaski resigned his cavalry command in March 1778 and organized his own unit, the Pulaski Cavalry Legion. He was mortally wounded while leading a cavalry charge in October 1779 during <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/semper-et-ubique-fidelis-the-dillons-and-the-irish-brigade-of-fra">the siege of Savannah</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: Casimir Pulaski)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313554899?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313554899?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Moylan’s Dragoons shared the deprivations of the army in Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–78. Many were from Pennsylvania and used their area knowledge to guard the camp. When Pulaski resigned, Moylan was named overall commander of the cavalry corp, tiny as it was. Moylan’s men helped harass the retreating British returning to New York after the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. They spent the rest of the year patrolling northern New Jersey and keeping an eye on British forces around New York.</p>
<p>Throughout the war, Moylan would struggle to keep his corps armed, clothed, and, crucially for cavalry, mounted. Horses were used up quickly by the strenuous work demanded of them. Cavalry units were much harder to keep supplied than infantry units. In addition to needing the normal arms and ammunition, there had to be a constant supply of new horses, saddles and other tack, and food for the horses in addition to food for the troopers.</p>
<p>The lack of timely pay was also a problem for Moylan’s command. In July 1777, nineteen of Captain Craig’s dragoons took the nearly fatal step of attempting to march on Congress in Philadelphia to get their pay. In August, they were court-martialed, convicted, and sentenced to hang. General Washington commuted the sentences and had them transferred to infantry regiments.’</p>
<p>Moylan commanded his regiment along with Sheldon’s 2nd Dragoons and French Colonel Armand’s Legion for most of the next three years. Operating mainly in New York and Connecticut, he set up a base in Pound Ridge, NY. The British actively raided along the Connecticut coast in the summer of 1779. On July 11, Moylan led the 4<sup>th</sup> Dragoons as they took part in the effort to oppose a large British raid on Norwalk, CT. They captured four British soldiers in that action.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313556069?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313556069?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>Moylan apparently had time for some personal pursuits during this time as well. The Middlebrook, New Jersey, home of former militia Colonel Col. Phillip Van Horne, became a frequent stop for American officers, including Moylan. With the various movements of the two armies around New Jersey, Van Horne would also sometimes host British officers. It was said that one day, he served breakfast to General Lincoln of the American army and lunch to British General Lord Cornwallis.</p>
<p>Van Horne had five daughters. In 1778 Moylan began to court one of them, Mary, who was known as the “Belle of Middlebrook.” They were engaged in July and married in October.</p>
<p>In 1780, there were only small engagements and raids going on as the Americans kept the British penned up in New York City. Moylans was involved in General Wayne’s failed attempt to capture a blockhouse at Bull’s Ferry, New Jersey, on July 20-21. Two days later, they participated in General Nathaniel Greene’s successful repulse of a 5,000-strong British force commanded by Hessian general Baron Wilhelm von Knyphausen at Springfield, New Jersey. This battle was the last significant engagement of the war in the northern theater.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Below: A trooper of Moylan's Dragoons, painted by Don Troiani.)</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313557287?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313557287?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>In the summer of 1781, Moylan and his dragoons joined in the Yorktown campaign. They were sent to serve with the troops of Generals Lafayette and Wayne, who were desperate for cavalry help. Moylan was at Yorktown for the surrender of Cornwallis but then left for Philadelphia due to health problems. He was brevetted to the rank of Brigadier General as the war ended.</p>
<p>Moylan continued to be a good friend of General and then President Washington. In 1785, he and his wife visited the Washingtons at Mount Vernon. He wrote to him saying, “… sincere thanks for the polite attentions which Mrs. Moylan and myself received from you & your good Lady during our agreeable sojourn at Mount Vernon. You may be assured it will be long remembered with pleasure.”</p>
<p>Moylan resumed his merchant business in Philadelphia and bought a farm near West Chester, where the family resided. He and Mary had two children that lived to adulthood, Elizabeth and Maria, and two more that did not. Mary passed away in 1795.</p>
<p>In 1792-93, Moylan served as Chester County Recorder of Deeds. Governor Mifflin, his army comrade, appointed him Major General in the Pennsylvania militia in May 1793. He was also appointed Commissioner of Loans for the State of Pennsylvania by President Washington in December of that year. In 1796, he was reelected president of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563461?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563461?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left" style="padding: 10px;"/></a>Stephen Moylan died at age 74 on April 11, 1811, after what was called a “lingering illness.” He was once again living in Philadelphia then and is buried there in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Roman_Catholic_Church_(Philadelphia)">St. Mary’s Churchyard</a> on 4<sup>th</sup> Street. Unfortunately, the location of his gravesite within the cemetery has been lost, though a memorial has been placed in the cemetery. Another thing about Moylan that had been lost for years was recently discovered through historical research.</p>
<p>Historians have always been on the lookout for the first mention of the term “United States of America” in the colonial period. For many years, people thought the first public mention was June 1776, weeks before Jefferson enshrined it in the Declaration of Independence. At least two members of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Continental Congress used the term United States of America that June. One was Moylan’s friend, Pennsylvania delegate John Dickenson, and the other was Massachusetts delegate Elbridge Gerry. The anonymous writer Republicus, who may have been another member of Congress or possibly Thomas Paine, also used the term in a Philadelphia newspaper.</p>
<p>Then, researcher Byron DeLear found an earlier mention of the term in an anonymous, pro-independence essay by “A Planter.” It was published in the Williamsburg newspaper, the Virginia Gazette on April 6, 1776, but he continued to search.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563498?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563498?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>In his latest research, Delear has found that the first known instance of the use of the United States of America was months earlier than that. It was in a letter discovered in the papers of Moylan’s friend, Joseph Reed. In a letter to Reed from Stephen Moylan dated January 2, 1776, when Moylan was hoping to be named ambassador to Spain, we see this: “I should like vastly to go with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain.”</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563679?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313563679?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right"/></a>Does this mean the name “United States of America” originated with Moylan and that it was then passed on by Reed and spread to others? There is no way to know. As far as is known, Moylan never made any claim to have invented the name. This letter was written while Moylan and Reed were both on Washington’s staff, and it could well be that the term was then commonly used among his staff and originated by someone else.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><strong>(Right: Stephen Moylan in his later years.)</strong></span></p>
<p>Although born in Ireland, Stephen Moylan was as dedicated and patriotic an American as any then or since. He could have easily sat out the war in Philadelphia and probably made massive amounts of money transporting war-related supplies. A lesser man might have left the army after Congress blamed him for the supply disaster resulting from Washington’s imprudent decision to defend Long Island with the British controlling the sea around the island. But Moylan swallowed his pride, resigned as Quartermaster General, and continued to serve the nation. He then undertook another strenuous and often thankless task, helping provide Washington with a cavalry corp. His contributions to the birth of the United States deserve to be recognized more widely than they are. And it can be a source of pride for all who have Irish ancestry that an Irishman may have been the first person to put down on paper the words: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.</p>
<p><strong>BIBLIOGRAPHY:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313651072?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313651072?profile=original" width="250" class="align-right" id="img167691" name="img167691"/></a>Danaher, Kevin (Ó Danachair, Caoimhín) "General Stephen Moylan" The Irish Sword, Vol. 3 (1957-1958), p. 159</p>
<p>Griffin, Martin (1909) ”Stephen Moylan, Muster-Master General, Secretary and Aide-de-Camp to Washington, Quartermaster-General, Colonel of Fourth Pennsylvania Light Dragoons and Brigadier-General of the War for American Independence, the First and the Last President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia.” </p>
<p><span>Kuntz, Daniel J. (1999). </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofir0000unse/page/632">"Moylan, Stephen (1737–1811)"</a><span>. In Glazier, Michael (ed.). </span><i>The Encyclopedia of the Irish in America</i><span>. </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame,_Indiana" title="Notre Dame, Indiana">Notre Dame, IN</a><span>: </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame_Press" title="University of Notre Dame Press">University of Notre Dame Press</a><span>. p. </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofir0000unse/page/632">632</a></p>
<p><span class="a-size-base">Tucker, Phillip Thomas "</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Won-American-Revolution/dp/1510755675/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D0YQA2UHJHI&keywords=how+the+irish+won+the+american+revolution&qid=1702241963&s=books&sprefix=how+the+irish+won+%2Cstripbooks%2C90&sr=1-1">How the Irish Won the American Revolution: The Forgotten Heroes of America's War of Independence</a>"</p>
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<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_American_Revolution">Timeline of the American Revolution - Wikipedia</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdPI6T1kqD0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liberty - Battle of Long Island PBS</a></p>
<p>ARTICLES FROM TWG ON THE IRISH IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION</p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-o-sullivan-beare-clan-taking-the-fight-to-america" target="_self">The O’Sullivan Beare Clan: Taking the Fight to America</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-irish-american-signers-of-the-declaration-of-independence" target="_self">Irish American Signers of the Declaration of Independence</a> <a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/stephen-moylan-first-president-friendly-sons-of-saint-patrick" target="_self"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/gustavus-conyngham-usn-the-dunkirk-pirate-from-donegal-2" target="_self">Gustavus Conyngham, USN: The “Dunkirk Pirate” from Donegal</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/john-paul-jones-and-the-irish-marines-1" target="_self">John Paul Jones and His Irish Marines</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/ham" target="_self">Hercules Mulligan: George Washington's Irish Spy</a><a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/stephen-moylan-first-president-friendly-sons-of-saint-patrick" target="_self"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/hercules-mulligan-washington-s-man-in-new-york" target="_self">Hercules Mulligan -- Washington’s Man in New York</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/for-faith-and-fame-and-honour-the-irish-brigade-in-the-service-3" target="_self">'For Faith and Fame and Honour':</a><span> </span>The Irish Brigade in the Service of France Part 4 of 5: Across the Deep Waves</p>
<p><a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/stephen-moylan-first-president-friendly-sons-of-saint-patrick" target="_self">Stephen Moylan, First President Friendly Sons of St. Patrick"</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/a-monument-for-haslet-s-delaware-regiment" target="_self">A Monument for Haslet's Delaware Regiment</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/honoring-those-who-saved-washington-s-army" target="_self">Honoring Those Who Saved Washington's Army</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/view-from-battle-hill-is-green" target="_self">View From Battle Hill Is Green</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/honoring-matilda-and-willam-tone-in-brooklyn" target="_self">Honoring Matilda and William Tone</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/a-monument-for-haslet-s-delaware-regiment" target="_self">A Monument for Haslet's 'Delawares'</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-resurrection-of-edward-hand" target="_self">Brigadier on 'The Resurrection of Edward Hand'</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/washington-s-irish-christmas-present" target="_self">George Washington's Irish Christmas Present</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/4th-of-july-post-yorktown" target="_self">To Celebrate the 4th of July ... The Siege of Yorktown</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/commodore-john-barry-day-13th-september" target="_self">Commodore John Barry Day, 13th September</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-resurrection-of-edward-hand" target="_self">The Resurrection of Edward Hand</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/an-irish-american-of-renown-general-richard-montgomery" target="_self">An Irish-American of Renown - General Richard Montgomery</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/from-the-battle-of-stono-ferry-to-the-battle-of-yorktown-first" target="_self">Tracing the Irish at War: From Stono Ferry to New Orleans: Part 1</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/2001-brooklyn-holds-a-bash-for-the-maryland-400" target="_self">2001: Brooklyn Holds a Bash for "The Maryland 400"</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/paddy-colvin-s-unforgettable-new-year" target="_self">Paddy Colvin's Unforgettable New Year</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/america-s-birthday-and-the-irish" target="_self">America's Birthday and the Irish</a></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: December 10 - December 16tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-10:6442157:BlogPost:3076282023-12-10T01:30:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715494?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715494?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a> <font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 10, 1710</font>, the Irish regiments in the service of Spain fought in the battle of Villaviciosa during the<span> …</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715494?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84715494?profile=RESIZE_320x320" class="align-left"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>DOMHNAIGH</strong></span></b></font> -- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 10, 1710</font>, the Irish regiments in the service of Spain fought in the battle of Villaviciosa during the<span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D12%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fb%26y%3D16%26field-keywords%3DWar%2520of%2520Spanish%2520Succession%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">War of Spanish Succession</a><img alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" width="1" border="0"/>. France and Spain had fought since 1701 to have Louis XIV's grandson, Philip of Anjou, placed on the Spanish throne. They were opposed, however, by the forces of England, Holland, Austria, Portugal, and Prussia, who were attempting to place the crown on the head of Archduke Charles, son of Hapsburg (Austrian) Emperor Leopold I.</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-1">(Left: Uniforms and colonel’s flag of the Hibernia Regiment.)</span></strong></p>
<p>The war had been raging across Europe; Italy, Spain, and Holland, among other countries, had seen numerous battles. Archduke Charles landed in Spain in February 1704. The battle of Villaviciosa took place as Charles, and his allied army retreated from Madrid, which they had managed to hold for several months. Three Irish regiments fought with the Spanish army in this battle, commanded by Col. Don Demetrio MacAuliffe, Col. Don John de Comerford, and Col. Don Reynaldo Mac Donnell. This last became known as the Hibernia Regiment. Though all three regiments had fought well, it was later said that the dragoons of Count Daniel O'Mahony, a cavalry commander in Philip's army, as well as those of Marquis de Val-de-Canas saved the battle for Philip by flanking the allies' left and getting into their rear just as it appeared Philip's army had lost the battle. O'Mahony also damaged the allies on their retreat by capturing 700 of their pack mules, laden "with all the plunder of Castile."</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702529?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702529?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-right"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b>CÉADAOIN</b></font></strong> -- On <font color="blue">Dec. 13, 1862</font>, <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/irishbrigade">the Irish Brigade</a> of the Army of the Potomac suffered horrendous casualties as they assaulted massed Confederates firing from within a sunken road beneath Marye's Heights during the <a>Battle of Fredericksburg</a>.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Right: Courtesy of <a href="http://www.historicalartprints.com" target="new">Historical Art Prints</a></strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-1"><strong>Don Troiani's "Clear the Way," showing the 28th Massachusetts advancing its colors against Confederate fire at Fredericksburg.)</strong></span></p>
<p>The attack, ordered by the new commander of the Army, Gen. Ambrose Burnside, was undoubtedly one of the most ill-conceived of the entire war by an army whose staff was famous for ineptitude during the war's first half. Just 3 months earlier, <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/irishbrigade">the Irish Brigade</a> had been similarly mauled as it assaulted another Confederate position within a sunken road during the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D12%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fb%26y%3D20%26field-keywords%3DBattle%2520of%2520Antietam%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Battle of Antietam</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/>. Now, reinforced by the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D10%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fb%26y%3D18%26field-keywords%3DIrish%252028th%2520Massachusetts%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Irish 28th Massachusetts</a><img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" border="0"/>, which had replaced the 'Yankee' 29th Massachusetts, and the 116th Pennsylvania, the Brigade would advance with only one of its signature green banners. After Antietam, the bullet-torn flags of the New York regiments were no longer fit for use and had been returned to the city. Replacements were on the way but did not arrive in time to be carried that day. Only the 28th Massachusetts would carry a green banner up Marye's Heights that day, but that would not be the only green to go into the fight with the Brigade. As they stood in formation in Fredericksburg, with a few Confederate shells falling around them, Brigade commander Thomas Francis Meagher and his staff distributed sprigs of boxwood that the men placed in their caps. Only about 1,200 men began the Irish Brigade's advance toward one of the finest natural defensive positions that either side ever occupied during the war. The Confederate infantry not only had the sunken Telegraph Road at the base of the heights in their favor but also a stone wall on the side facing the Federals. And the rebel artillery had the heights behind them to fire over their own men and down on the Federal advance. Gen. French's division had already assaulted the position and failed, as had Zook's brigade of Winfield Hancock's division. The Irish Brigade, also in Hancock's division, was next, going in at the double-quick, rifles at 'right shoulder shift.' It was more like murder than war, but on the Brigade went, through a maelstrom of shot and shell. The Georgians in the sunken road, many of them also Irish, cut down the Brigade by tens and twenties; great gaps appeared in their ranks until finally they had done all humans could do and they lay down to try to hold their position. The National flag of the 69th would be saved by the color sergeant., who wrapped it around his body under his greatcoat before he died. One flag would be lost -- a guidon or camp color of the 69th. It was the only flag of any kind that the regiment would ever lose. The Brigade losses would total over 540, about 45%. With some stragglers still making their way back, the entire Brigade numbered barely over 260 men present for duty the next day. When that sad remnant of the Irish Brigade fell in for morning formation on the 14th, Gen. Hancock noticed three privates of the Brigade, standing off by themselves, slow to fall in. 'Damn it, you there," shouted Hancock, "close up on your company!" One of the privates saluted and answered, "Sir, we are a company." "The hell you say," replied Hancock, no doubt saddened and impressed. He straightened up and returned the salute smartly, "As you were."</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84708784?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84708784?profile=original" width="280" height="326"/></a><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>SATHAIRN</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">Dec. 16, 1971</font>, soldier and politician General Richard Mulcahy (left) died in Dublin. Mulcahy was born in Waterford. After being educated in the Christian Brothers schools, Richard went to work for the postal service, like his father before him. He was a member of the Gaelic League and joined the Irish Volunteers soon after they were formed in 1913. During the <a>Easter Rising</a> in '16, he was second in command to Thomas Ashe during the Volunteers' attack at Ashbourne. Mulcahy was arrested and interned at Frongoch. He was released during the general amnesty in 1917 and was soon appointed Chief of Staff of the republican army. He was elected MP from Clontarf in 1918 and was Minister of Defence until Cathal Brugha assumed the post in 1919. Mulcahy worked closely with Michael Collins during the War of Independence and supported the <a>treaty in 1922</a>. He was Chief of Staff of the National Army as well as Minister of Defence in the Free State government. He tried very hard to arrange an accommodation with the republican forces to avoid the civil war before it began and then met in September 1922 with de Valera to negotiate an end to the war. When those efforts failed, he vigorously prosecuted the war against the republicans. Following his failed effort with de Valera, he asked for and was granted, a Special Emergency Powers act which gave him a free hand against the republicans. Between November 1922 and May 1923, 77 republicans would be executed as a direct result of this Act. After the war, Mulcahy remained involved with Irish politics, serving in the Dáil, Senate and in various government ministry posts and was the leader of the Fine Gael party through the late 40s and 50s. He retired from politics in 1961 and spent the last 5 years of his life organizing his papers, which he donated to University College, Dublin, before his death.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><b><font color="blue">VOICES</font></b></span></p>
<p><b><i>It will be a sad, sad Christmas around many an Irish hearthstone in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.' <br/> </i></b><i> -- An unidentified officer in the Irish Brigade's 88th New York Infantry quoted in </i><i>The Irish American newspaper after the battle of Fredericksburg.</i></p>
<p align="center"><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>10, 1822</strong><span> - Thomas Devin (Union General, son of Irish immigrants - New York City.)</span><strong><br/> 10, 1960</strong><span> - Kenneth Branagh (Actor and director.)</span><strong><br/> 13, 1905 </strong>- Críostóir Mac Aonghusa (writer and promoter of the Irish language - Blackwater, Co. Offaly)<strong><br/> 14, 1791</strong> - Charles Wolfe (poet and clergyman - Blackhall, Co. Kildare)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>10, 1605</strong> - John Lee founds the Irish College in Paris.<br/> <strong>10, 1710</strong> - Irish in Spanish service fight at the battle of Villaviciosa.<br/> <strong>10, 1920</strong> - The British authorize “official reprisals,” which had been going on unofficially for months already, against civilian property in Ireland.</span><strong><br/> 11, 1809</strong><span> - The Spanish garrison at Gerona, including the Irish Ultonia regiment, surrender to Napoleon's troops.</span><br/> <strong>11, 1799</strong><span> - </span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/general-charles-edward-jennings-le-brave-kilmaine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Edward Kilmaine</a><span>, Gen. in the French army, dies in Paris.</span><br/> <strong>11, 1920</strong><span> - Black and Tans and Auxiliaries <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/dillon-s-cross-and-the-burning-of-cork-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go on a rampage of burning and looting in Cork</a>, following an ambush.</span><strong><br/> 12, 1714</strong><span> - Thadeo O Daly, is appointed a colonel in the Portuguese Army by King Dom Joao V.</span><strong><span><br/> 13, 1867</span></strong> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HCLYLY6?creativeASIN=B00HCLYLY6&linkCode=w01&linkId=63MOI27PBJB7O5BZ&ref_=as_sl_pc_ss_til&tag=thewildgeeset-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fenian explosion of Clerkenwell gaol.</a><br/> <strong><span>13, 1862 </span></strong>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/undaunted-courage-the-irish-at-fredericksburg-1" target="_self">Battle of Fredericksburg (VA) - Irish Brigade</a> attack on the "Sunken Road."<strong><span><br/> 14, 1602 </span></strong>- Red Hugh’s O’Donnell’s brother, Rory, surrenders to Mountjoy at Athlone.<strong><span><br/> 14, 1715 </span></strong>- Irish-born Thomas Dongan, soldier and colonial governor of New York, dies in poverty in London.<strong><span><br/> 14, 1918 </span></strong>- Sinn Fein, pledged to an Irish Republic, wins 73 of 105 Irish MP seats.<strong><span><br/> 14, 1921</span></strong> - Dial Eireann begins Anglo-Irish treaty debate.<strong><br/></strong> <strong>15, 1899</strong><span> - </span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/fighting-the-vampire-irish-commandos-in-the-boer-war" target="_self">Irish units of the Boer army</a><span> face the Dublin Fusiliers, Connaught Rangers, and the Inniskillings in the battle of Colenso</span><br/> <strong>15, 1993</strong><span> - Albert Reynolds and John Major announce that Sinn Fein can enter all-party talks if violence ends.<br/> <strong>16, 1971</strong> - General Richard Mulcahy, soldier and politician, dies in Dublin.</span></p>This Week in the History of the Irish: December 3 - December 9tag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-03:6442157:BlogPost:3074362023-12-03T01:00:00.000ZThe Wild Geesehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84714646?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84714646?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="154"></img></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>MÁIRT</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">December 4, 1887,</font><span> Maria Winifred (Winnie) Carney, trade unionist and </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">revolutionary</a>,<span> was born at Fisher's Hill, Bangor, Co. Down. Her father, Alfred, was a protestant, and…</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84714646?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84714646?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="154" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>MÁIRT</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">December 4, 1887,</font><span> Maria Winifred (Winnie) Carney, trade unionist and </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">revolutionary</a>,<span> was born at Fisher's Hill, Bangor, Co. Down. Her father, Alfred, was a protestant, and her mother, Sarah (Cassidy) was a catholic. Winnie was reared as a catholic. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Belfast, and her parents separated. Winnie went to Hughe's Commercial Academy and graduated as a shorthand typist. At this same time, she was becoming involved in the Gaelic League as well as the socialist and suffragist movements. In 1912 she became the secretary for the Irish Textile Workers Union in Belfast. Winnie met James Connolly as a result of her involvement with the 1913 lockout in Dublin. Winnie then became deeply involved in the republican movement. She was present at the founding of the Cumann na mBan in Dublin in 1914 and joined Connolly's Citizen Army, becoming his personal secretary. On the day of the </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thewildgeese/1366666">Easter Rising</a>, <span>she was the only woman in the group that seized the GPO "with a typewriter in one hand and a Webley [revolver] in the other," it was said. Though other women arrived later, all of them except Winnie were evacuated before the final day. Patrick Pearse attempted to get her to leave, but she refused to leave Connolly's side. She stayed until the end, tending to Connolly and other wounded men. Following the surrender, she spent eight months interned in Mountjoy and Aylesbury prisons, finally being released in December. After her release, she was appointed president of the Cumann na mBan branch in Belfast and was imprisoned again for a short time in 1918. She ran for a seat in parliament that year but was easily defeated by the large unionist majority in her region. During the War of Independence, she was Belfast's secretary of the Irish Republican Prisoners' Dependents Fund. Winnie opposed the treaty and was again jailed for a time in 1922. Winifred continued to work for Socialist causes during her later life. She married a protestant socialist, George McBride, in 1928. In her mid-50s, perhaps affected by her time in various prisons, her health began to deteriorate. Winifred died on November 21, 1943, in Belfast and was buried in the Milltown cemetery. Though she is little known or remembered today, she was one of the unsung heroines of the republican movement and the Easter Rising.</span></p>
<p><span>Read more about Winnie Carney <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/winifred-winnie-carney-the-silent-rebel-the-typist-with-the" target="_self">HERE</a>.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702425?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84702425?profile=RESIZE_480x480" class="align-right"/></a><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>CÉADAOIN</span></b> </font></strong>-- In the early morning hours of<span> </span><span>December 6, 1921</span>, representatives of the Irish government appointed by President Eamon de Valera and those negotiating for the Crown signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, ending the Irish War of Independence against Great Britain.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><strong>(Above, right: Michael Collins signature (in Irish) on the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Immediately after he signed it, he commented to a member of the British negotiating team that he had just signed his own death warrant. He would die at the hands of his former comrades in the IRA within the coming year.)</strong></span></p>
<p>It was then, and remains, one of the most debated moments in Irish history. The British negotiating team, led by Winston Churchill and Prime Minister Lloyd George, was composed of old masters at the game of politics. Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins led the Irish team; they were brave and intelligent, but had nowhere near the political acumen of the British<span> </span><span class="skimlinks-unlinked">side.De</span><span> </span>Valera, a shrewd, experienced politician, may have been the only man in all of Ireland who might have matched them, but he refused to join the negotiations. With less reluctance about forcing their political opponents to negotiate "with a gun to their heads" than they appear to have developed recently, the British gave the Irish an ultimatum on the evening of Dec. 5: Sign the treaty as is, or face military annihilation in three days. (See quote below.) The treaty Collins and Griffith had signed contained several clauses that de Valera and his supporters would<span> </span><span class="skimlinks-unlinked">reject. Chief</span><span> </span>among them was the treaty's partition of the country and its requirement that Irish officials must swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown. The cabinet split 4 to 3 in favor of the treaty, and in January, the full Dáil Eireann accepted the treaty 64-57. The stage was set for the brutal Irish Civil War, and the seeds of the tragic political mistake known as Northern Ireland were sown. Ever since, Irish historians have debated how events might have turned differently. Was Collins right to accept anything less than full Irish independence? Were the British bluffing? Did the world's -- especially America's -- revulsion at the atrocities of the Black and Tans make impossible the threat of Lloyd George's threatened siege of the Irish population? Would further resistance by the Irish have resulted in the dreamed-of 32-county republic, or might it have resulted in a continued 32-county colony? We will never know and will always wonder.</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read more about</span> <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-anglo-irish-treaty-seed-of-the-troubles" target="_self">the Anglo-Irish Treaty.</a></b></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td><b><span class="font-size-1">The executioner of King Louis XVI shows the head of the King of France to the crowd. The king -- and Tipperary native William Bulkely -- were only two of the thousands of victims of the French Revolution's "Reign of Terror."</span></b></td>
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<p><strong><font color="#008040"><b><span>DEARDAOIN</span></b></font></strong><span> </span>-- On<span> </span><font color="blue">December 7, 1768</font>, William Bulkely, an officer in the<span> </span><a href="http://www.cafeshops.com/irishbrigade_fr" target="new"><u>Irish Brigade of France</u></a>, was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary. In 1785, the young Bulkely went to France. His uncle, Richard Butler, who had been a colonel in the Irish Brigade, used his influence to retain a spot for William in Walsh's regiment. William later married a well-to-do French widow. Like most of the Irish soldiers in France, Bulkely opposed the French Revolution and left the army when the republicans seized power. In 1793, he took part in the royalist insurrection, commanding the district of La Roche, near his wife's estate. He led an attack on the rebels at Les Sables, but the attack failed. Bulkely continued to fight for the royalist cause through 1793, and finally he and his wife were captured by the republicans and taken to Angers. While fighting the republicans, Bulkely's men had captured a number of prisoners, and many of the royalists -- including his wife -- had urged him to shoot them, but Bulkely refused. Now a captive, Bulkely would not be so lucky. He was quickly tried by a military tribunal and condemned to death. On January 2, 1794, 25-year-old William Bulkely suffered the same fate as a number of other former officers of the brigade that shed much blood in the service of France: he was taken to the guillotine and bled for France one last time, another victim of the Revolution's bloody "Reign of Terror."</p>
<ul>
<li><b><span class="font-size-2">Read<span> </span><span class="skimlinks-unlinked">Encyclopedia.com story</span> about</span></b><span> </span><a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/French_Revolution.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The French Revolution's 'Reign of Terror.'</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3759910961?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3759910961?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-right" style="padding: 10px;"/></a></p>
<p><font color="#008040"><b><span><strong>AOINE</strong></span></b></font> -- On <font color="blue">December 8, 1831</font>, James Hoban, the architect of the White House, died in Washington, D.C. Hoban, a native of County Kilkenny, was educated as an artist by Thomas Ivory in Dublin. He worked as one of the architects on a number of buildings in Ireland, including the Customs House, before emigrating to the United States in 1785. In 1792, Hoban won a competition for the design of the President's house in the new national capital.</p>
<p><b><span class="font-size-1">(Right: Smithsonian Institute - James Hoban and George Washington inspect the unfinished White House in 1798. Washington would never live in it.)</span></b></p>
<p>One of the men he beat out for this prestigious assignment may very well have been none other than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D12%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fgw%26y%3D20%26field-keywords%3DThomas%2520Jefferson%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thewildgeeset-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Thomas Jefferson</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" alt="" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thewildgeeset-20&l=ur2&o=1" height="1" width="1" border="0"/>, who is thought to have competed under a pseudonym. If so, Jefferson would have to be content with one day being the second president to live in the White House designed and built by Hoban rather than being its architect. (Jefferson would make a few changes to the design when he moved in; whether out of practicality or jealousy, history does not record.) The cornerstone was laid in October 1793, and Hoban was also given the job of supervising the construction. Though it was not quite finished when President Adams arrived in 1800, he and Abigail moved in as its first residents. Hoban's finished product bore a striking resemblance to <a href="http://www.irish-architecture.com/archdublin/18thc/leinster.htm" target="new">Leinster House in Dublin</a>. Hoban continued to have a successful career as an architect around Washington, and when the British burned the White House in 1814, near the end of the War of 1812, Hoban was brought in to restore the gutted structure. It took him three years, but Hoban fully restored the building. James Hoban found great success in his adopted homeland. He and his wife Susannah lived out their days in Washington, raising ten children. James was a wealthy man when he died there in 1831</p>
<p><b><i>'Here are the alternative letters which I have prepared, one enclosing the Articles of Agreement reached by His Majesty's Government and yourselves, the other saying that Sinn Fein representatives refuse the Oath of Allegiance and refuse to come within the Empire. If I send this letter, it is war - and war within three days. Which letter am I to send?'</i></b><br/> -- British Prime Minister Lloyd George to the Irish negotiating team on the evening of December 5, 1921</p>
<p><strong><em>'Our Holy Mother Guillotine is busy at work. Within the last three days she has shaved 11 priests, a general and a man (William Bulkely) of splendid physique of 6 feet, whose head was too large for the guillotine; it is now in the sack.'<br/></em></strong> <strong><em> </em></strong><span> </span>-- The mayor of Angers, France, January 1794</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-4">December - <i>Nollaig</i></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">BIRTHS</span></strong></p>
<p><strong>3, 1852</strong><span> – </span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/a-special-father">George Noble Plunkett</a><span> (Father of Easter Rising martyr Joseph Mary Plunkett & first abstention MP.)</span><strong><span><br/> 4, 1831 </span></strong>- <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/robert-horatio-george-minty-past-imperfect-hero" target="_self">Robert Horatio George Minty</a> (Bvt. Major General in Union Army in U.S. Civil War, Westport, Co. Mayo.)<strong><span><br/> 4, 1887 </span></strong>-<strong> </strong><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/winifred-winnie-carney-the-silent-rebel-the-typist-with-the" target="_self">Winifred Carney</a> (Trade unionist, revolutionary - Bangor, Co. Down.)<strong><br/> 5, 1841</strong><span> - </span><a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/marcus-daly-the-king-from-cavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marcus Daly</a><span> (Mine owner, "the copper king" - Derrylea Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan)</span><strong><br/> 6, 1886<span> </span></strong>- Alfred Joyce Kilmer, journalist, poet and World War I soldier in the 165th Inf. (69th NY) (New Brunswick, NJ)<strong><br/> 7, 1768<span> </span></strong>- William Bulkely (Officer in the Irish Brigade of France - Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.)<strong><br/> 8, 1860</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/amanda-mckittrick-ros-world-s-worst-poet-you-decide" target="_self">Amanda McKittrick Ros,</a> ('World's Worst Poet’ - Drumaness, Coo Down.)</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-3">SIGNIFICANT EVENTS</span></strong></p>
<p><span><strong>3-8 1792</strong> – Meeting of the “Back Lane Parliament” Catholic Convention.</span><strong><span><br/> 4, 1649 </span></strong>– Publication in Cork of the first newspaper in Ireland: Irish Monthly Mercury.<strong><span><br/> 4, 1882 </span></strong>- John Curran, Dublin magistrate, opens a special inquiry into the <strong><span><a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/photo/the-phoenix-park-murders-were-the-fatal-stabbings-on-6-may-1882" target="_self">Phoenix Park murders</a>, in which Parnell is falsely accused.</span><br/> 5, 1920</strong><span> The burned and mutilated bodies of Volunteers Pat and Henry Loughnane, murdered by the Auxiliaries, are found in a pond at Owenbristy near Ardrahan, Co. Galway.</span><br/> <strong>5, 1921</strong><span> – The Irish committee negotiating the Anglo-Irish treaty is told to accept the terms or face "immediate and terrible war" by Lloyd George.</span><br/> <strong>6, 1820</strong> - Spanish Gen. Diego O'Reilly defeated by Peruvian revolutionaries.<br/> <strong>6, 1876</strong> - Jack McCall was convicted for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok and sentenced to hang.<br/> <strong>6, 1921</strong> - Signing of <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/the-anglo-irish-treaty-seed-of-the-troubles" target="_self">Anglo-Irish Treaty</a>.<br/> <strong>7, 1688</strong> - The Apprentice Boys of Derry close the gates against King James' troops.<br/> <strong>7, 1972</strong> - "Special position" of Catholic Church removed from Irish constitution.<br/> <strong>8, 1831</strong> - <a href="http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/james-hoban-irish-architect-of-the-white-house-and-the-mystery-of" target="_self">James Hoban, architect of the White House</a>, dies in Washington D.C.<br/> <strong>8, 1922</strong> – Irish Republicans Liam Mellows, Rory O'Connor, Joseph McKelvey and Richard Barrett, are executed by the Free State forces.<br/> <strong>9, 1710</strong> - The Irish "Hibernia" regiment and other Irish units of Spain fights at the battle of Brihuega.</p>