The Irish standard., 1916-01-22

!. I'LL .lVuu vi VLVlVlvlLk
nected with the history of Clonmel,
was the great siege of 1850. In Feb
ruary of that year Major General
Hugh O'Neill, nephew of Owen Roe,
was appointed governor of Clonmel;
which was then garrisoned by about
1900 men, and with this small force
he inflicted the most serious check
that Cromwell ever experienced in
Ireland. In April, the Parliamentary
forces moved against Clonmel under
the personal direction of the redoubt-
able Oliver himself. "The town of
Clonmel at this period regarded from
a strategic standpoint" says the his
torian, was parallelogram, lying
east and west, with the base on the
river, the sides being roughly 500 by
400 yards long. The enclosing walls,
originally built in the fourteenth cen
fury, were from 20 to 80 feet high, and
5 feet in thickness. They were pierced
by four gates, and strengthened at
intervals of about 70 yards by tur-
rets. The southeast quarter of the
town was occupied by the old Fran
ciscian Church, and Monastery which
had been kept in repair and partly,
in the time of James l, devoted to
military purposes" It was at the
north gate that the fiercest attacks
were delivered, and owing to the SUI
perior weight of the enemy's ordi.
nance, the walls began to give way.
This gave added zest to the besieging
force which prepared for the final as
sault with high hopes of victory. On
the other hand the Irish troops within
the walls, who appear to have un-
bounded confidence in their general,
set themselves to lay trap for the
; inrushing force. From "The Irish
Wars of 1641, by an officer in Sir John
Clotworthy's Regiment" we learn that
Hugh Duff (O'NeilD did set all his
men and maids to work, townsmen and
soldiers, only those on duty attending
to the breach and the walls-to draw
dung hills, mortar, stones and timber,
and made a long lane, mans height
and about 80 yards in length on both
sides of the breach with foot bank
from same, and two guns at the end
of it, invisible, opposite to the breach
and so ordered all things, against a
storm" Early the following morning
the Cromwellians advanced against
: the breach, down the lane they
pressed, and then from all sides a
terrific musket-fire broke out, and
with mighty shout the pikemen
rushed upon their foes. The psalm
, singing Roundheads offered stout
resistance, but nothing could with
stand the fury of the Irish garrison
> each one of whom appeared as if en-
dowed with an almost super-humar
strength. At length the invaders
! staggered and fed before the might,
onslaught and Cromwell ordered W
l. a picked body of veterans, the victorl
of hundred fights, to take the town
This force was repulsed with grea,
loss, and in short space of time, the
whole of the besieging army had re
treated leaving the Irish in posses
. sion of the breach. O'Neill, feeling
the want of strong reserve, wisely
: decided on leaving the town in secret
y and when Cromwell again advanced tt
. the assault, he discovered that hi.
; enemy had gone with all his troop.
y and a large quantity of provisions
The town was surrendered by tn,
Mayor, and Cromwell was left to en-
, joy barren victory which had cos
him between 1000 and $500 men, be
sides large number of officers. I
}. is interesting to learn that the gal
= liant defender of the town, was il
command at Limerick during tn,
= siege of that town in 1851. He wa
afterwards held close prisoner in til,
. Tower of London, and died in Spail
u about 1860.
ClOnmel now became, like othe
y places in Ireland, the seat of Crom
= wellian settlement, and the old in
habitants were almost all dispossesse'
of their holdings. The new planter
made an attempt to carry on trad,
and manufactures in the town, an,
!. for time the wooden business wa
- in a fourishing condition. Negotia
tons were entered into for the intro
duction of Walloon tradesmen iron
Canterbury, and start was made
. but the policy pursued during tn
:. reign of William III, soon crushe,
the trade of Clonmel, as it did that O
the remainder of Ireland. Clonme
!. returned two members to the Parlia
ment held in Dublin by James II, an,
- one of the first acts of this assembl,
was to attain the Cromwellian set
= tiers. The Williamite forces unde
Schomberg entered the town, unop
. posed, on July goth, $780,, and tn
Dutchman himself spent several day
in Clonmel during the followin,
month.
n During the eighteenth century
J. Clonmel rapidly increased in popula
J, ton and prosperity, and the followin,
n doacrintiOn If fha town at %hio por}r,