School: Béal an Átha Móir (B.)

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1. The Battle of Ballinamuck (continued)

   

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   passed in ones and twos. This soldier got back to France some time later.

   The exhausted French-Irish reached Cloone at nightfall and lay down to rest. It is said that Humbert received a message that night advising him to abandon the march on Granard. Some locals were left to guard the camp that night. Humbert slept in the house of Fr. Dunne, I may not be right in the name, then P.P of Cloone, who was a class-mate of his in France. A Protestant named West invited the leaders to share his hospitality, and gave them permission to store their guns on his premises, and in the Protestant churchyard.

   Mr. West bribed his workmen, one a local named Keegan, the other a weaver from the north of Ireland, to steal the chains of the guns while the fatigued soldiers slept. An old song connects a Quinn family from Cloone with helping to steal the chains. This they did and threw them into a deep well in the vicinity. Though these traitors were rewarded by the English , yet none of their descendants remains.

   • Next morning when the chains were missed, West was suspected but he had disappeared. His house was levelled by cannon. The chains were found by Tom McCartin, Gubb, and his uncle John Conifry from near Greagh cross-road, in 1913 in the P.P's yard-I cannot supply the missing figure-neither can McCartin. Yes Mr C Flynn N.J supplied it :- the 3

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. 1798 (~642)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Seán Ó h-Eslin

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim