School: Caroreigh (roll number 6700)

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1. Boy Insurgent of '98 and The Battle of Ross (continued)

   

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   4.
   The sun in summer's splendour now
   Shines on the Insurgents ranks
   Keen are the pikes their handles grew
   Along the Slaney's banks;
   An ashen forest shod with steel
   Oh, well may Johnson pine
   For his serried ranks in death shall reel
   Before that fighting line.

   
   5.
   The bugle sounds to arms
   The trumpets note is shrill
   But disension and confusion reign
   In the camp at Corbett Hill;
   The chieftains are divided
   Some counsel to fall back
   But gallant Kelly of Killanne
   Prepares for the attack.

   
   6.
   A volley from the redcoats
   Stretched Furlong on the field
   And the English general, Johnson
   Refused the town to yield
   Still Genervey stirr'd not,
   And idly lay the pike
   While the Shelmalers awaited
   The order soon to strike

   
   7.
   At length with boyish ardour
   The brave young hero, Lett
   Pointed to the enemy
   And waved a bannerette;
   At headlong speed he rushed on
   The foremost British square
   And as he went he shouted
   "Follow me who dare."

   
   8.
   Ten thousand pikes are gleaming
   With Kelly in the van
   Shot and shell came screaming
   Still young Lett led them on
   Dwyer, Cloney and Byrne
   Charge Skerrit's Grenadiers
   And the scarlet line went down in death
   Before the Shelmaliers

   
   9.
   Oh! cried the youthful hero
   "Follow me who dare"!
   And the waving bannerette was seen
   'Mid the cannons deadly glare;
   Through leaping flame and hissing lead
   Though bitter was their loss,
   The pikemen swept o'er piles of dead
   And swarmed into New Ross.

   (continues on next page)

   

   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

   Bessie Banville

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shanowle, Co. Wexford

   Informant

   Mrs Banville

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shanowle, Co. Wexford