The Irish standard., 1902-02-08


Where rest at length the lord and
slave,
They'll wondering ask, how hands so
vile
Could conquer hearts so brave.
With much enthusiasm we read of
the glorious deeds OF men who, as is
recorded i'll song OF story, performed
prodigies of valor. We cannot but be
elevated when we read the accounts
of Homer's legendary heroes, or OF
the subject of one Of Macaulay's lays,
that noble warrior that "kept the
\ bridge" However prehistoric or fab
ulous Horatius may have been, deeds
as noble as his have been done in his
toric times, even in comparatively
modern times; deeds which can never
be tinctured with fiction. Two of
these chtvairous and daring Deeds one
of them similar to that performed by
Horatius, at the bridge, happened dur
ing the Jacobite period in Ireland,
writes John Joseph Hennessey in
Notre Dame Scholastic.
In 1880 William of Orange was driv-
en- from within the walls Of limerick
BY women webbing stockings filed
with stones After this repulse ale de-
SPARED Of ever taking that famous
city, and he uttered that memorable
sentence: 'If had this handful of
men who defend the place against you,
yand that your were all within it,
would take It in spite Of you.''
He retreated as quickly as possible
from Limerick, and sailed for England!
leaving his command to- Count de
Solmes and de Ginckle, who took the
army into camp.
Early in January of the following
year, st. Ruth arrived in Ireland to
take command Of the army; and al
:. though he was a skilled general, yet
the idea Of a stranger taking the des-
tintes OF the country into his own
hands was not very well liked by the
natives, who saw their own deserv-
ing leaders, such as Tyrconnell and
Sarsfeld, put in subordinate positions.
Not until June did Ginckle leave his
encampment in Mullingar and march
towards Athlone. Now this town is
cut in twain by the Shannon, and that
section of it on the Leinster side was
called English town, and that on the
Connaught side was known as Irish
town. The governor, Colonel Fitzger-
aid, had but 400 garrisoned fighters
under him, SO he decided to destroy
the English town and protect as long
+, as possible the Irish town, as had
been successfully done before him by
Colonel Grace. But st. Ruth would
not hear of such course. He sent
the colonel squadron of cavalry with
orders to defend both sections of the
town, asking him only to hold out till
he himself with the Irish army should
arrive from Limerick. st. Ruth did
not, however, seem to be in hurry,
and for some mysterious reason ar
rived in Athlone several days late,
just in time to undo what Irish val0r
had done: to lose the town by what
has been called "a strange mixture OF
pride and folly"
Ginckle, on his part, determined to
make the most Of the advantage
gained by st. Ruth's delay. He push
ed on hurriedly towards Athlone, and
was retarded for half day by Col
onel Fitzgerald and his band of 400,
who sailed forth in hopes of delay
ing the enemy till the coming Of St.
Ruth.
The walls of the town are reached
and Ginckle plants his artillery, "such
as had never been seen in Ireland"
' The enemy had not to wait very long
before n breach was effected, and then
came the assault General Mackay with
1900 picked men headed by 300 grena-
diers, mounted the breach. In the at
h tempt to repulse them, Colonel Fitz-
xerald lost 200 of his 400, whilst the