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County Kildare History and Heritage

1798 Rebellion in County Kildare

Friday May 25th

(United Irish Prisoners shot at Carnew; Battles of Hacketstown and Carlow)

Kildare Town 1.00 a.m.
Rebels marched in three columns from Kildare to attack Monasterevan.

Monasterevan 4.00 - 5.00 a.m.
Around 1,300 rebels under Captain Padraig O'Beirne from Nurney attacked Monasterevan. The rebels from Kildare, Nurney, Kildoon, Riverstown and Kildangan were opposed by a corps of yeoman cavalry under Captain Frederick Hoystead and infantry under Lieutenant Bagot. They attacked in three different directions but after some serious fighting in the streets they fled. Around 63 rebels were killed as against 5 yeomen. Many rebels went on to Queens County.

Kilcock and Leixlip - Morning 25th May

Both Kilcock and Leixlip were attacked with no loss to the government troops but heavy loss to the rebels.

Naas - 25th May

John Andoe hanged in Naas for his part in the attack of the previous night.

Ballitore and Newpark near old Kilcullen

The rebels fortified Ballitore and the Quakers were unharmed. The house of the Reverend Annesley of Newpark was plundered and partly burned by rebels under Hetherington of Kildare.

Rathangan 3.00 p.m.

Captain Langton and the South Cork Militia marched out of Rathangan to reinforce Dundas in Naas. Mr. Spencer refused to go and the loyalists remained on alert through the day.

Lucan - Evening
Rebels driven off after attack on Lucan. Some of the north Kildare men marched northwards and reinforced the United army on the Hill of Tara with guns from the Locan Ironworks. It seems the army on Tara was commanded by the son of a Lucan innkeeper, in the white uniform of the Kildare Militia.

 

Published by Kildare County Council Written by Mario Corrigan .