School: Christian Brothers, Athlone
- Location:
- Athlone, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Brother Meskill
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0749, Page 252
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Christian Brothers, Athlone
- XML Page 252
- XML “Retreat across the Bridge of Athlone - 19th July 1691”
- XML “Sergeant Custume's Heroic Sacrifice”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- (continued from previous page)A wail of dismay burst from their comrades on the Connacht side. There was a moment's pause. Then the doomed men made one last desperate rush at their enemies, forced them back a few short paces, hurled their weapons after them with a shout of defiance, and then, turning again dashed foreward to the gap and dived into the river.Under cover of darkness the enemy brought planks and made a footway across the chasm.
- Sergeant Custume's Heroic Sacrifice
Dawn disclosed these operations to the Irish Garrison, but their own Artillery was out of action, buried beneath the fallen masonry, and the approach to the broken arches was covered by several batteries of Ginkel's Guns.
Fully appreciating the position, a Cavalry Sergeant of the Irish Army, Custume by name, called aloud, "Are there ten men to die with me for Ireland" and his shout was answered from the lusty throats of as many brave companions.
Custume and the ten chosen men, grasping Axes and Crowbars, dashed forward to the bridge, and heedless of the deadly fire that now poured down on them, began to throw the timber structure into the river. But not a single member of this heroic band survived to complete the task.
Then another heroic leader, whose name is not preserved, called for another ten men. Once again the bridge was rushed, and once again the spot was swept by a murderous fusillade. Nine of the eleven fell, but two men survived. The last plank was hurled into the river and Athlone was saved, for the time being, one again. However later on a Ford was discovered lower down which D'Usson the Defender was unable to hold, and soon the Williamite Dragoons crossed the river and throwing planks across the bridge opened the West to their further advance.(continues on next page)
