and interdicted from the exercise of his spiritual functions. This father Murphy was living quietly in his parish, when some yeomên entered it and burned his chapel. In a sudden sally of fury (for priests have their passions) he with a party of his parishioners fell upon them, and the two officers commanding the yeomen were killed. Imagining then that no retreat was left, the party encamped on the hill of Oularde, all the fugitives and exasperated persons about the country joined the camp, and this formed a commencement of the Wexford rebellion; in two days they were in sufficient force to defeat some of the North Cork militia, who attempted to disperse them. Murphy unquestionably after he had thus engaged in the rebellion employed all the influence which he derived from his character of a priest to encourage and support his party, and omitted no art to animate and fortify them by religious bigotry and enthusiasm. He and the other priests*

Widely as this unfortunate rebellion raged, it would have been truly strange if not one of the Catholic priests had been seduced to join in it. Their number was, however, comparatively small, and it will not be uninteresting to the public to learn what manner of men those, who gave into it generally were. The following account of most of them who joined the rebellion at Wexford is extracted from a letter of dr. Caulfield, the Roman Catholic bishop of Wexford, to dr. Troy, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Dublin,-Dated from Wexford, September 2, 1798. The author has this in the hand writing of that prelate.

1. Thomas Dixon of Castle-bridge, had been curate at the Lady's Island for some years; but for drinking, dancing, and disorderly conduct, was suspended about four years ago. After some time of apparent amendment, he was sent to assist rev. David Cullen of Blackwater, where he relapsed into his former pranks, and was suspected latterly of being active in the accursed business of uniting, for which I interdicted and suspended him above twelve months ago. He was afterwards apprehended, tried, and convicted here, and sent on board the tender lying at Duncannon fort, where he took a fever and died.

2. Rev. Thomas Clinch, native of Camolin, had been appointed curate to rev. Thomas Rogers in Bantry; but turning out a most beastly drunkard and unfit for duty, was suspended about two years ago, and remained so. He join. ed the rebels, and was killed in their retreat from Vinegar hill.

3. Rev. Mogue Kearin or Kearns of the Duffry had been employed by doc tor Delany for some time, but latterly dismissed. He was notorious for drinking and fighting; and joined the rebels, among whom he made a gigantic figure, and was hanged at Edenderry.

4. Rev. John Murphy, curate to rev. Patt Cogly of Boolavogue, ever giddy, but not noted for immorality, was the first to commence the rebellion and became a signal general in it. He had been apparently but not really dutiful to his superior. He was whipped, hanged, beheaded, and his body burnt in the county of Carlow, at Tullow.

5. Rev. Philip Roche, alias general Roache, had been curate to rev. John Synnott of Gorey; had been a proper man and would be useful, but indulging in excess of drinking, and beginning to agitate, he became obnoxious and was removed. He was afterwards sent curate, after reprehension, admonition, and instruction by his superior, to rev. Thomas Rogers in Bantry, the other extremity of the diocese, last winter: I heard nothing remarkable of him there, till he joined the rebels and soon became a leader. He was hanged here and his body thrown into the river the 22d of June.

who were driven into the rebellion either by the intemperance of the loyalists or hurried away by the violence of their own people, celebrated mass constantly, and prayed and preached in the camps; when once embarked in the cause they could not otherwise have given it the sanction of plausibility; and these circumstances have been unwarrantably put forward in order to justify a charge, that the rebellion originated in a religious spirit, and was connected with the anxiety and the efforts used to extend the political privileges of the Roman Catholics.

From this commencement of open hostilities in the county of Wexford, the commotion spread rapidly on all sides; and the collection of rebel parties was greatly promoted by the reports disseminated of numbers of people shot in the roads, at work in the fields, and even in their houses, unarmed and unoffending, by straggling parties of yeomen. Influenced by these reports, which certainly were not without too much foundation, great numbers took refuge with their friends in arms, insomuch, that on the following morning of Whitsunday, the 27th of May, two large bodies were collected, one on the hill of Oulart, nearly midway between Gorey and Wexford, about eleven miles to the south of the former; the other on Kilthomas hill, an inferior ridge of Slyceve Bwee mountain, about nine miles westward of Gorey. They formed a confused multitude of both sexes and of all ages. Reports have varied their numbers from seven or eight to two or three thousand men in arms: against these a body of about 200 yeomen, on the same morning, marched from the neighbouring town of Carnew, in the county of Wicklow. The rebels were struck with a panic, and fled, after a few discharges of musketry from the yeomen, at too great a distance to make any considerable execution. About a hundred and fifty of the rebels were killed in the pursuit: the

6. There is another reptile, rev. Bryan Murphy, who was very active in the rebellion. He had been deprived and suspended about three years ago. Nevertheless he had address enough to procure a protection when the rebels were routed, and remains undisturbed.

7. There is a rev. Mr. Byrne, a Carmelite, at Goff's bridge, who shewed himself a very zealous, active rebel. He also got a protection. He was a drinking, giddy man. I advised him to quit the diocese and threatened suspension.

N. B. From dr. Troy. This Byrne was killed in the house of a dr. Waddy, in the county of Wexford, when on a friendly visit in the year 1800, by the fall of a port-cullis, whether by design or accident is not known. The circumstance was mentioned in the public papers.

8. Rev. John Keane, under censures the greater part of his life for drunkenness and other irregularities. He is a weak poor fool. He has not been questioned, nor is he worth notice.

9. Rev. John Redmond, curate of rev. Francis Kavanagh, a most regular, attentive, zealous priest, without reproach ever until the accursed rebellion; whether he joined them through terror, as was the case with some, or volunteer'd, I know not. He surprised me more than all the rest. He was hanged near Gorey, on the 21st or 22d of June last.

yeomen burned two Roman Catholic chapels, and about a hundred cabins and farm houses of Catholics in the course of seven miles march.

The event of battle was very different, on the same day, on the hill of Oulart, where father Murphy commanded. A detachment of a hundred and ten men of the North Cork militia, under the command of lieutenant colonel Foote, marched from Wexford, and attacked the rebels on the southern side of the hill. The rebels fled at the first onset and were pursued by the militia, without rank or order. Father Murphy rallied again some hundreds of the rebels who by his encouragement charged their pursuers with so much fury, that with their pikes they killed, almost in an instant, the whole detachment, except the lieutenant colonel, a serjeant, and three privates. If we may believe the accounts of some of the insurgents, no more than about three hundred of their number ventured on this furious attack, of whom only six were armed with firelocks, the rest with pikes, and that only three of them were killed, and six wounded, by the disordered soldiery.

While the country exhibited a scene of distress and consternation, houses in flames, and families flying on all sides for asylum, the loyalists to the towns, others to the hills, the body of rebels, under father Murphy, marched from Oulart, flushed with victory, and perpetually augmented on its way by new accessions. They first took possession of Camolin, a small town six miles westward of Gorey, the loyal inhabitants of which had taken refuge in the latter; thence they advanced to Ferns two miles further, whence the loyalists had fled, six miles southward to Enniscorthy, whither they were followed by the rebels; who on their arrival before that town amounted to the number of 7000 men, 800 of whom were armed with guns, which they had seized at Camolin almost immediately after they had been sent to that place by the earl of Mountnorris. About one o'clock on the 28th of May, Enniscorthy was attacked by this vast multitude, and after a vigorous defence by the comparatively small garrison, was left in possession of the insurgents. The garrison retreated and fell back on Wexford: they lost above ninety of their men, and the town was on fire in several places: they were attended by a confused number of unfortunate loyal inhabitants, but fortunately were not pursued by the rebels, who easily might have cut them off in their retreat. Having arrived at Wexford, they again retreated from that town on the 30th of May. The cutting off a company of the Meath militia coming to their relief on that morning; the taking of the two howitzers they had with them, and the Donegal detachment being obliged to fall back into Wexford, after an unsuccessful conflict with the rebels, threw that whole garrison into consternation: the men of the North Cork,

under the command of captain Snowe, became extremely insubordinate: they had been without food, except a very trifle, since their arrival from Enniscorthy, and had been upon constant duty; except the night they marched in, no provisions were to be bought. Although captain Snowe and some other officers were against retreating, the Scarawalsh yeomanry, with their officers, and the men of the North Cork, in spite of all the officers' endeavours, marched out of the town; some scaled the breast work; captain Snowe thought it his duty not to abandon such a number of men, he therefore took the charge of them, and succeeded in keeping them together on the retreat, and preventing every species of depredation and violence, not a single instance of which occurred, except the taking some horses from the adjacent fields to mount some of the fainting and worn-out soldiers.

The men were kept together till night-fall, when upon an unexpected fire on them at Tailor's town bridge, they dispersed notwithstanding every thing were done to rally them, and captain Snowe, after experiencing much suffering during the night, did not arrive at Duncannon fort till seven o'clock the next morning. *To disperse the insurgents, if possible, without battle or concession, or perhaps to divert their attention and retard their progress, an expedient was assayed by captain Boyd of the Wexford cavalry. This officer had, in consequence of a requisition to that purpose of the sheriff and other gentlemen, on the 25th and 27th, from information or suspicion of treasonable designs, arrested Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey of Bargycastle, John Henry Colclough of Ballyteigh, and Edward Fitzgerald of Newpark, all three respectable gentlemen of the county of Wexford. Visiting them in prison on the 29th, captain Boyd agreed with these gen tlemen, that one of them should go to the rebels at Enniscorthy, and endeavour to persuade them to disperse and return to their homes; but would not give authority to promise any terms to the insurgents in case of submission. Colclough, at the request of Mr. Harvey, agreed to go, on condition of his being accompanied by Mr. Fitzgerald. On the arrival of these two gentlemen at Enniscorthy, about four in the afternoon of the same day, they found the rebels in a state of confusion, distracted in their councils, and undetermined in any plan of operation; some proposing to attack Newtownbarry, others Ross, others Wexford,

Gordon, 2d edition, p. 117. Whenever I refer to the authority of the rev, Mr. Gordon, I do it under a full conviction, that he has throughout his history meant and intended, as an upright and honourable man, to represent facts as they really existed. I give him credit therefore for what he advances positively. The public is much indebted to a gentleman of his profession, who nobly dares to support the truth at the risk of his own promotion in the church. There is unfortunately too much ground to presume, that the contrary conduct would have rendered his preferment more sure.

others to remain in their present posts: the greater number to march home for the defence of their houses against Orangemen.*

It was but the resolution of a moment to march in a body to attack Wexford. Mr. Fitzgerald they detained in the camp, and Mr. Colclough they sent back to announce their hostile inten

tions.

Mr. Colclough arrived in Wexford early in the evening, and waited in the bull ring (a small square in the town so denominated) until the officers and other gentlemen in the place had there assembled, when he informed them, in a very audible voice from on horseback, that having gone out, according to their directions, to the insurgents on Vinegar hill, he found, as he had already suggested before his departure, that he possessed no influence with the people, who had ordered him to return and an. nounce their determination of marching to the attack of Wexford; adding that they had detained Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr. Colclough then requested to be informed, if it were intended to make further trial of his services, or to require his longer attendance, as otherwise they must be sensible how eager he must be to relieve the anxiety of his family by his presence. He was then entreated to endeavour to maintain tranquillity in his own neighbourhood, which having promised to do as much as in his power, he called at the gaol to visit Mr. Harvey, with whom he agreed (according to the compact with captain Boyd) to return next day and take his place in the gaol, and then set off through the barony of Forth, for his own dwelling at Ballyteigue, distant about ten miles from Wexford.

Early in the morning of the 29th, colonel Maxwell, of the Donegal militia, with two hundred men of his regiment and a six pounder, arrived in Wexford from Duncannon fort, despatched by General Fawcett, who had been apprized of the insurrection on the 27th, by captain Knox, an officer sent to escort serjeant Stanley, a judge of assize, on his way to Munster. This reinforcement being insufficient, an express was sent from the mayor of Wexford to the general, requesting an additional force; he expeditiously returned with an exhilarating answer, that the general himself would commence his march for Wexford on the same evening from Duncannon, with the 13th regiment, four companies of the Meath militia, and a party of artillery with two howit

On the receipt of this intelligence, colonel Maxwell, leav ing the five passes into the town guarded by the yeomen and

*The dread of Orangemen, not of Protestants, appears to have affected those rebels throughout. Thus sir Richard Musgrave has perhaps unintentionally admitted (p. 335), "That on Whitsunday they rose in mass, armed with pikes "and guns, and vowed vengeance against the Protestants as Orangemen."

Hays, page 103.