of Wexford, but many other parts of Leinster and Munster. On the night of the above day a party of them attacked and attempted to enter the houfe of George Horneck; when he and his brother Philip bravely defended it, repulfed the banditti and killed one of them. That event excited the most implacable vengeance in the breafts of thofe ferocious fanaticks, against this loyal but unfortunate family. John Coffey, an old fickly man, was taken in a chaife near Vinegar-hill, and led as a prisoner to the rebel camp. On being asked, whether he was a Roman catholick? he anfwered in the affirmative; but he was alfo required to prove himself fuch by croffing himself and faying fome popifh prayers, which very fortunately for him he could do, though a proteftant for they would have put him to death if he had failed. Two or three days before the rebellion broke out, father Roche, the priest, who became afterwards a general, waited on the reverend Mr. Richards, of Grange, his neighbour, gave him fome arms which he faid had been furrendered to hn; and at the fame time affured him that nothing was to be feared as the people were loyal and peaceable. When the infurrection took place fixteen proteftant families fled to the houfe of Grange, † and kept garrifon there. Father Roche, in two or three days after his pacifick affurances to Mr. Richards, went to his house with. two men more, and promifed him, that neither his perfon or property fhould be injured, provided he delivered to him the Horneck family and the protestant tenants of captain Blacker; but if he refused, that his houfe would be immediately attacked by five thousand men, with two pieces of cannon; but Mr. Richards rejected this infamous propofal with laudable Thefe facts relative to the Horneck family are fubftantiated by affidavit, fworn by George Horneck before Standifh Lowcay, a magatrate, the third of October, 1798. # Plate III 2. * laudable fortitude, and in about ten minutes after, he and his little garrifon, on fixteen cars, fet out for Rofs, where they arrived with fafety; though they had a narrow escape from a body of rebels pofted on a neighbouring hill. t I fhall refer the reader to Appendix, No. XIX. 10. for the fufferings of George Piper, and his family, and his affaffination on Vinegar-hill, and the abominable conduct of father Redmond, of the parifh of Ferns, who not only refused him a protection, when in the hands of the affaffins, or to rescue him from them, which he might eafily have done; but, according to his wife's affidavit, he was inftrumental in fending him there. It often happened that one proteftant was com pelled to kill another: Thus George Walker, parish clerk of Ballycanew church, was compelled to fhoot John Cobourne, a butcher, of the proteftant religion, and of the fame parish, on Vinegar-hill. It is furprising how active and unremitting the popish priests are, in representing the proteftant religion as an abominable herefy, which, they fay, never fails to bring the divine anger on its profeffors. Samuel Hendrick was married to a popish wife by the reverend Mr. Handcock, rector of the parish of Kilcormuck, in which the nuptials were celebrated. On the twenty-ninth of May, having been taken prisoner by a party of affaffins who were fent from Vinegar-hill in queft of proteftants, he prevailed on them to conduct him to the reverend father Patrick Quigley, parish priest of Clone, hoping that he would fave his life by giving him a protection; but he informed him, that his marriage was null and void; that it only served the purpose of gratifying a brutal paffion; and he refufed to grant him a protection, until he was married by a priest. To preferve his VOL. I. Hh * Plate III. 5. † Verified by Horneck's affidavit before quoted. life This was verified by the affidavit of Cobourne's widow, in No. 390 of the archives of the house of commons. life then, he was under the neceffity of being mar ried a fecond time by father Quigley, and of paying him one guinea for celebrating the marriage rites. * The reader will fee fome fhocking inftances of rebel atrocity in the affidavits of Robert Whitney, in Appendix, No. XIX. 11. I fhall refer him alfo, før fpecimens of cruelty practised on Vinegar-hill, to extracts. from the trials of Thomas Clooney, William Fenlon, Andrew Farrell, Nicholas Walth and James Beaghan, in the fame Appendix, and No. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Ffhall now. proceed to give an account of two attacks which were made by the garrison of Vinegarhill, on Borris, the feat of Mr. Kavenagh, † in the county of Carlow. ATTACK ON BORRIS. Mr. Kavenagh, of Borris, having been diftinguished for his loyalty, and his activity as a magiftrate, was peculiarly the object of rebel vengeance; and as his beautiful feat was but fourteen miles from Vinegar-hill, but ten miles from Lackan, and not far diftant from the Roar, § a populous and rebellious district in the county of Kilkenny, his fituation was ferious and alarming. The fyftem of free quarters had been enforced. with confiderable ftrictness in the county of Kilkenny, in the month of May; and, by the orders of general fir Charles Afgill, it was foon to be extended to the county of Carlow, unlefs the deluded inhabitants precluded the neceflity of it, by a speedy furrender of their arms, of which they were well known to poffefs large quantities. The general's orders, and the Verified by affidavit fworn the 25th day of March, 1799, beFore A Jacob. See Appendix, No. XIX. 12. + Plate II. 6, 7. A gentleman lineally defcended from the kings of Ireland, and frit coufin to the earl of Ormond. § Plate VII. 3. the exertions of the gentlemen of that county, had made the furrender of pikes rather general; but it was checked by an order from the directory in -Dublin, which was printed and circulated by their captains and ferjeants. It exhorted them, by no means to give up their arms, as an infurrection was immediately to take place. It providentially happened, that Mr. Kavenagh's corps of yeomanry, though not on permanent duty, was affembled early in the morning of the twentyfifth of May, for the purpofe of arrefting all the difaffected blacksmiths in their district; and as their exertions in that fervice was attended with confiderable fuccefs, it occafioned a great spirit of commotion in the neighbourhood; which induced captain Kavenagh to keep his corps together, as he had every reafon to think that his poft would be attacked that night; and which the rebellious inhabitants were induced to undertake from the following motives: The orders of their directory for a general infutrection: The great quantity of pikes, and pike-handles furrendered to the captain, and known to be in his poffeffion: The plunder of his houfe, and the hopes with which the leaders infpired their deluded follow ers, that they would not meet with refiftance. The houfe of Borris was attacked on the night of the twenty-fifth of May, by a party of about five thoufand rebels, who were received with very great fpirit by the Borris corps, who repulfed them; but not until they had broke upon the lower windows of the houfe, which were but flightly barred, and refcued the blacksmiths who were confined in it. It was believed that not lefs than fifty rebels were killed and wounded on that occafion. The exertions of the yeomanry corps of the neigh bourhood, for three or four days, completely cleared the country of the moft active rebels, and their leaders, who joined their affociates in the county of Wexford, where they carried every thing before them. The poft of Borris having been reinforced with thirty of the 9th dragoons, and twenty-four of the Donegal militia, and as captain Kavenagh's corps confifted of thirty-five mounted, and twenty-two dif mounted cavalry, the garrifon remained unmolefted till the twelfth of June, though not far distant from fome of the strong rebel camps. On the day before, fir Charles Afgill, by concerted movements of the troops in his diftrict, furrounded and difperfed the rebel camp formed in that difaffected diftrict, the Roar, oppofite to Ross, after having that many of the affaflins who compofed it. The events of that day, and the fubmiffion of the adjoining diftrict, had lulled the garrison of Borris into a fecurity, which was near proving fatal to them; for about one o'clock on the next day, they received an account, that great multitudes of rebels were pouring down from the different paffes through the mountains, which feparated that poft from their camps in the county of Wexford. At that time the fmall garrifon was weakened by the abfence of every officer but one, as they were engaged with several of their men in different duties in the adjacent country. The rapid movements of the enemy allowed no time for calling them in; for in lefs than two hours after the notice of their approach, they filled the town of Borris, and fet fire to all the houfes in it belonging to Mr. Kavenagh and his yeomen; they, however, met with a gallant refiftance at the manfion-house of Borris, though its garrifon was reduced to twenty of the Donegal, and feventeen of the yeomanry, including their ferjeants, who commanded them. The rebels had a howitzer, which they brought to bear upon the houfe, but were unable to batter it. They were commanded by father Kearns, a prieft, and a noted rebel leader, who was afterwards hanged at Edenderry. Seven rebels were found dead on the fpot; but it has been fince learned, that they carried off many of their killed and wounded on cars, and that they |