John Murphy (priest) - Start of The Rebellion

Start of The Rebellion

Fr. Murphy was initially against rebellion and actively encouraged his parishioners to give up their arms and sign an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. On the 26 May 1798, a group of men gathered under Fr Murphy to decide what to do for safety against the regular yeomanry patrols at a townland called the Harrow. At about eight o'clock that evening, a patrol of 20 Camolin cavalry spotted the group and approached them, demanding to know their business. They left after a brief confrontation, having burned the cabin of a missing suspected rebel whom they had been tasked to arrest. As the patrol returned they passed by Fr Murphy's group who were by now angry at the sight of the burning cabin. As the cavalry passed by the men an argument developed, followed by stones being thrown and then an all out fight between the men and the troops. Most of the cavalry quickly fled, but 2 of the yeomen, including the lieutenant in command, were killed. The rebellion in Wexford had begun and Fr Murphy acted quickly; he sent word around the county that the rebellion had started and organized raids for arms on loyalist strongholds.

Parties of mounted yeomen responded by killing suspects and burning homes, causing a wave of panic. The countryside was soon filled with masses of people fleeing the terror and heading for high ground for safety in numbers. One group gathered on Kilthomas Hill but was attacked and destroyed by the crown forces on the morning of May 28. At Oulart Hill a crowd numbering upwards of a thousand, had gathered including many women and children. Spotting an approaching military column, Fr Murphy and the other local United Irishmen leaders such as Edward Roche, Morgan Byrne, Thomas Donovan, George Sparks, and Fr Michael Murphy organised their forces and sprang a deadly ambush on the North Cork Militia.

Victory at the Oulart Hill followed, and then in Enniscorthy, which swelled the Irish rebel forces and their weapon supply. However defeats at New Ross, Arklow, and Newtownbarry meant a loss of men and weapons. Fr John Murphy had returned to the headquarters of the rebellion at Vinegar Hill before the Battle of Arklow and was attempting to reinforce its defences. 20,000 British troops arrived at Wexford and defeated the rebel army at the Battle of Vinegar Hill on 21 June. However, due to a lack of coordination among the British columns, the bulk of the rebel army escaped to fight on.