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Carlow County - Ireland Genealogical Projects (IGP TM)
1798 Rebellion
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Kilcumney
Massacre
General Thomas
Cloney describes the massacre which took place after the battle of
Kilcumney. Much of what he writes applies to the parish of Borris. For the
convenience of readers we transpose the entire passage from Bro. Luke's
narrative: "Whether humanity
or a less noble motive actuated Sir Charles Asgill, it is certain that he
adopted great caution in coming to close quarters with the retreating
insurgents, who kept a party of good sharp-shooters to cover their retreat;
these had caused many officers and men to fall earlier in the engagement. But
Sir Charles reserved his troops for an easier victory. Men, women and children
were this day 26 June, butchered in cold blood…. They were all slaughtered
without mercy. Some of the troops were ordered to the houses of the
farmers.....the several houses they had robbed before they took their leave
they burned to ashes. They killed at
Kilcumney, Thomas Myron, and his two sons and burned their house. They murdered
Andrew MacKesy and his son, burned their house and left two children both deaf
and dumb without a protector. They murdered James and Edward Tuite, two
brothers, one of whom was already on the poor of death and burned their house.
They murdered James and John Walsh, two brothers and eleven others near
Scollagh Gap and murdered others in flying from their cabins; many of these
afterwards died. At Ballinasillogue they murdered eighteen of the inhabitants
and of these were five brothers named Neill all living in the same house with
a widow, their mother and two female children. There were two carpenters in
Neills' house and two neighbours who had just walked in, and these were also
murdered. They murdered also
in this townland Peter Kinchela, who at the time, was surrounded by seven small
children crying in vain for mercy. They also murdered Darby Ryan
who was
discovered under a turf kish. Michael Laffan and his daughter were shot dead
and his wife received a shot that broke one of her thigh-bones. Five of his
neighbours were shot in his house and the house set fire to over the dead
bodies. In Coshill near
this place, there were five men murdered, to Lacken, the next townsland there
were seven men murdered among whom were Edmund Joyce and his sons—David,
Thomas and Andrew, leaving several young children orphans. At Spahill Phelim
Doyle and Patrick Doran both aged about eighty years were murdered on the same
floor. In the same place Patrick Fitzpatrick and his wife
Margaret fell dead
in each others' arms: the same bullets ended their lives. The house of this
ill-fate couple was set fire to over the heads of their five children and the
innocent creatures ran into a neighbour's house who had escaped by hiding
himself, crying "My Daddy is killed; my Mammy is killed, and the pigs are
drinking their blood.” About one hundred
and forty persons were slaughtered, leaving perhaps four or five hundred
unprotected orphans. Divisions of the
Downshire and Wicklow Militias, different corps of Queens Co. yeomanry and
Leighlinbridge yeomanry disdistinguished themselves in carrying out this
bloody massacre. The insurgents were on their way to Scollagh Gap while this
butchery was taking place. A body of the Kings Cavalry were hanging on their
rear, but kept at a respectful distance."
Fr. Martin Brophy
P.P. Ballinakill who died 13 Sept. 1955 preserved the following tradition: After the Kilcumney
massacre, a band of tinkers were passing and saw one of the Tuite children of
Kilcloney crying piteously. They took him away with them and reared him. When
he was sufficiently old they brought him back. He went to school, entered
college and became a priest in U.S.A. Fr. Brophy gave other particulars which
have been mislaid. He added that the itinerants were very good people. Many of
them came of noble stock; nobody should interfere with them but should help
them.
Fr. Murphy's
journey from Kilcumney to Rathgeeran and his visit to
Murphys of the
Bawnogue
are described by Fr. McDonnell PP at p. 66. Other parishioners of
Borris who
were killed after Kilcumney are referred to by Bro. Luke at p. 34.
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