Above : Portrait Of Henry Joy McCracken

The Insurrection broke out at three different points : in mid-Leinster, that is to say in the counties of Kildare, Carlow, Meath and to some extent in Dublin ; in the Ulster counts of Antrim and Down ; and in Wexford and Wicklow In Cork there was one encounter between a few hundred peasants and a troop of yeomanry, but the rest of Munster, and the entire province of Connaught, remained quiet.

Meanwhile the ” little place,” as the Pale was now called, continued to shrink and decay. The unfortunate inhabitants were oppressed as much by the exactions of the lords as by the raids of the clans. ” Coyne and livery ” was still imposed upon them despite frequent laws against it, and the King’s own Deputy set the example.

In 1416, they petitioned the King to pity his ” poor lieges who are environed on all sideswith English rebels and Irish enemies.” Four years later they begged him to obtain the aid of the Pope on their behalf.

While the farmers were spoiled by ” coyne and livery ” the townspeople were impoverished by the anti-Irish enactments which • prohibited them from trading with the Irish. Many fled to England ; others affiliated themselves to neighbouring chiefs and lords. In 1422, Dunlavin, Trim, Collon and Dundalk indicate the borders of the Pale.

Above : Picture Of Father John Murphy

Father Murphy took up a strong position on Oulart Hill, and soon found himself at the head of 5,000 men. They repulsed with great slaughter an attack made on them by the North Cork Militia, and, advancing, captured without much difficulty the town of Enniseorthy. The garrison and many of the inhabitants with their families fled to Wexford. So much were the loyalist party discouraged that, after a fresh victory of the insurgents at a place called Three Rocks, they abandoned the town, of which the insurgents took possession (May 30th). The soldiers marked their line of retreat by the perpetration of disgraceful outrages on the unarmed peasantry ; whereas the conduct of the victors at Wexford was, save in a few isolated instances, very creditable.