A reluctant rebel
By Aengus O Snodaigh
Today, the most famous priest of 1798 is Fr John Murphy. He is
immortalised in song by PJ McCall, in the writings of the
anti-republican Sir Richard Musgrave in 1801, in the published
memoirs of United Irishman Miles Byrne in 1863 and in the many
publications of Catholic Church propagandist Father Patrick
Kavanagh.
It was Fr Kavanagh's influence which led to one of the biggest
myths of the popular history of the 1798 Rising - that the
Catholic Church were responsible for and supported the Rising in
Wexford. His and his church's aim was to rehabilitate the
Catholic Church in the eyes of nationalists in opposition to the
growth of the ``godless nobodies'' - the Irish Republican
Brotherhood (Fenians).
Father John Murphy was born in Tincurry, County Wexford. He
studied in Spain and returned to Ireland to become a curate in
Boolavogue, County Wexford in 1785. In 1798 he was described as
being ``about 45 years old, light complexioned, bald pated and
about five feet nine inches high. He was well made, uniting
strength and agility''. Bishop Caulfield said of him that he was
``ever giddy [impressionable], but not noted for immorality''.
The collector of eyewitness accounts of the rising, Brother Luke
Cullen, said that in Wexford Father Murphy ``was neither the sole
nor the most effective leader; his importance lay more in the
fact of his having led the first successful action [Harrow] of
the opening night''.
In fact, history shows that Fr Murphy was opposed to a rising
prior to May 1798, though he could not have been ignorant of
their political and military programme, residing as he did at the
house of local United Irish leader Thomas Donovan. He was
instrumental in getting people in his parish to hand in whatever
weapons they held in a hope that such a gesture would relieve the
terror being inflicted on the people of County Wexford by the
crown forces.
But the Yeomanry continued their reign of terror. That
radicalised Father Murphy to the point where he aligned himself
with the highly organised United Irish structure in Wexford,
particularly in the Ferns district. Edward Hay (History of the
insurrection in the County of Wexford, AD 1798, written in 1803)
says that seeing what was happening he advised the people ``that
they had better die courageously in the field, than to be
butchered in their houses''.
From the night of 26 May 1798 Father John Murphy's destiny was
mapped out. The yeomen (the Camilla Cavalry), continuing their
terror, moved against the Harrow community and clashed with Fr
Murphy and a body of men protecting their homes. Two local yeomen
died in the clash that night. As a reprisal the crown forces
decided next day to adopt the scorched earth policy, torching a
number of houses and the church in Boolavogue, with the rebels
responding in kind.
By that afternoon a large body of United Irishmen and many fellow
travellers had gathered at Oulart Hill.
The battle on Oulart Hill on Whit Sunday 27 May is regarded as
being one of the most influential victories of the risings. Far
from being a mass headlong rush of outraged peasants against a
corps of North Cork Militia, it has been proven by Brian Cleary
(``The Battle of Oulart Hill: context and strategy'' in The Mighty
Wave: The 1798 Rebellion in Wexford edited by Dáire Keogh and
Nicholas Furlong, Four Courts Press 1996) to have been the result
of a well-laid battle plan by local United Irish leaders
including Edward Roche, Morgan Byrne, Thomas Donovan and George
Sparks.
Despite wavering for a while the militia was nearly wiped out,
only five of 110 surviving. Six United Irishmen lost their lives
on the field of battle that day.
With the confidence of victory, the thousands who now rallied to
the republican standard and with the capture of nearly 100
muskets and other pieces of equipment, it was decided to proceed
to Enniscorthy next day.
The attack, led by Edward Roche and Father Murphy, saw the town
taken with high casualties on both sides; several hundred United
Irishmen and around 100 of the North Cork Militia garrison lost
their lives. From their camp on Vinegar Hill the United Irish
army, now nearing 10,000, set out for Wexford town which was
abandoned to them by fleeing crown forces. It was in Wexford that
the army set about re-structuring itself properly. Bagenal Harvey
became Commander-in-chief and divisions were sent out to various
outposts with specific objectives.
The division under Edward Roche to which Father Murphy belonged
set out to capture Gorey and overcame crown forces at Bunclody
before proceeding into Gorey unopposed. Here some of the division
set off for Arklow, an engagement which the United Irish army
lost. It was decided then by Father John Murphy, who was not at
Arklow, to return to Vinegar Hill to concentrate the rebel
forces, feeling ``that a short, sharp decisive battle would be
preferable to weeks of skirmishing in the foothills of the
Wicklow mountains''.
Nearly a month of the Wexford Republic ended when on 21 June the
massed forces of the United Irish army were defeated by the crown
forces under Generals Lake, Dundas, Loftus, Duff, Johnson and
Moore.
A large number escaped the encirclement and, seeing the
viciousness of the avenging General Lake as he exerted
retribution on the people in his mopping up operations, resolved
to continue. Turning down a call from their own General Philip
Roche for the United Irish to sue for peace terms, Father Murphy,
in a change from his pre-rebellion position, declared that he
``could have no reliance on such negotiations'' and that he ``never
would advise anyone to surrender and give up their arms.''
Father Murphy and Miles Byrne and the remnants of the United
Irish army in Wexford resolved to attempt to link up with other
groups in the midlands, in the vain hope that the long-awaited
French expedition would arrive or that more agreeable terms would
be on offer. They made their way through Carlow, Kilkenny and
Laois, clashing with crown forces several times, and with
dwindling forces they were forced to retreat once more towards
Wexford.
As they moved through fog towards the Scullogue Gap Father Murphy
and another man, James Gallagher, lost contact with the main body
of the army. When they became separated Miles Byrne and a large
number United Irishmen joined Michael Dwyer in the Wicklow
mountains where they waged war on the English for another five
years. Some others returned to Wexford where they were hunted
down by the English for years to come.
As the fog cleared Murphy decided to head for the safety of a
relative's house in Tullow, County Carlow, and hopefully from
there to eventually return to Wexford. But after a few days
living rough they were captured by yeomen at a farmyard on 2
July. They were brought to Tullow where later that day they were
sentenced to death. James Gallagher was stripped and flogged in
front of Murphy to try to extract their identities from him,
before being hanged.
Father John Murphy, though identified as a priest, was not
recognised and he was taken to Tullow's Market Square, stripped,
flogged, hanged, decapitated and his corpse was burnt in a barrel
of tar outside a Catholic family's house. To allow the ``holy
smoke'' to permeate their dwelling the yeomen forced the family to
open all their windows.
His head was impaled on a spike opposite the Catholic church on
the Sessions House. So ended the life of one of the priests who
the local bishop, James Caulfield would call ``the faeces of the
church''. He went on to say that the rebellion was a ``diabolical
conspiracy'' and that ``this accumulation of misfortunes [was]
brought on the country by the machinations of crazy, ambitious,
revolutionary adventurers, through the credulity of the
incautious and ignorant multitude''.
While men like Father Murphy, who died 200 years ago this week,
played an important role in the rising and in many subsequent
attempts by republicans to wrest Ireland's independence from
Britain, the true history shows that far from being with the
people in their fight, the Catholic Church has been guilty at the
very least of obstructing them and usually being in active
collaboration with the imperial forces in Ireland.
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