Year of the French 1798

pedroeibar1

Not sure if his credibility matched his popularity, but de Gaulle was welcomed when he came in 1969. His mother wrote a biography of Daniel O'Connell. His great-grandmother was Marie Angelique McCartan, descended from Anthony McCartan who, aged 16, fled his home in Co. Down for France following the defeat of James II at the Battle of the Boyne.
P.

mikemac

Cathal O'Shannon did an excellent series on the rebellion back on the bicentennary.

Books are great but what the TV program could do was show how battles developed using computer graphics.

I contacted RTÉ about two years ago looking for a copy to buy.
Got pretty much no answer at all

There is money to be made if they released a DVD

CDfm

I have seen him recently on Crime TV & the History Channel.

Was the show an independent production or an RTE production.

They may have licenced their back catalogue to the Docu Channels ?

So it might be worth another look.

MarchDub

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Not sure if his credibility matched his popularity, but de Gaulle was welcomed when he came in 1969. His mother wrote a biography of Daniel O'Connell. His great-grandmother was Marie Angelique McCartan, descended from Anthony McCartan who, aged 16, fled his home in Co. Down for France following the defeat of James II at the Battle of the Boyne.
P.

I remember de Gaulle's visit - his popularity in Ireland was also very much centred around his attitude to the Brits. He had essentially blocked their entry to the EEC back in 1963 or thereabouts - not that that fact was doing anyone in Ireland a particular favour but it was just that he was bloody minded as regards the British. And Ireland was in that mood at the time.

pavb2

Books are great but what the TV program could do was show how battles developed using computer graphics.

This is a good point and as I saw at Ballinamuck on the Shanmullagh hill it's easy to envisage the events unfolding and almost surreal on an autumn afternoon over 200 years later. The bog is the most deceptive feature from the top of the hill it just looks like ordinary meadow land.

slowburner

Are there any re-enactments these days?

paul71

ftfk00 wrote: »

Hi i am new to this forum and enjoyed reading about our history.

Has anyone here ever seen the tv drama series about The Year of The French that RTE first aired in 1982.
It was a simple tv series but brilliant.

It is the hardest tv series to get on tape or dvd.
Has anyone on here got a copy they would like to share with a fellow enthusiastic.

By one of those wonderful quirks of history, this series was filmed in Carton House in Maynooth, home of Edward Fitzgerald.

pedroeibar1

slowburner wrote: »

Are there any re-enactments these days?

Although I shoot and have an interest in antique firearms, I have not come across any re-enactments, other than the cannon being fired at the Martello tower in Killiney/Ballybrack.
The link for that is on this page http://www.photopol.com/martello/no7.html
The main problem facing anyone interested in re-enactments is getting one’s hands on quantities of black powder – a low(ish) grade gunpowder that is necessary for old muzzle loaders. ‘Re-loading’ – i.e. having the ‘stuff’ to load your own ammunition is forbidden under Irish legislation.................
P.

himperfect

slowburner wrote: »

Are there any re-enactments these days?

Saw this in duncannon , wexford, during the summer-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY8c7rj5w60&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sunnyisland

Ballinamuck is one of the most historic towns in north Longford because of the great battle that was fought there in 1798 between the combined Irish and French forces under General Humbert and General Blake and the English under Lord Cornwallis.

It was the scene of the Battle of Ballinamuck, where a French army aiding the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 was defeated. The prisoners were taken to St Johnstown - today's Ballinalee - where they were executed in what is known locally as Bullys Acre and buried there.
Just thought I would add this.

Fuinseog

pavb2 wrote: »

Just coming to the end of Thomas Flanagan's book which gives an enthralling account of events including the social landscape of the time but my assessment rightly or wrongly is that as he puts it Ireland was a pawn in the wider European conflict between France & Britain 'A scuffle in a pasture' I think he describes it. I would make the following points

General Humbert seems to have been after personal glory,put up token resistance, honourable surrender and nothing worse than being sent back to France leaving the rebels to their fate I wonder how is he generally regarded in Irish history?

It seems the 1798 uprising could never have been successful due to the unco ordinated efforts of Wexford,The Northern counties,midlands & the west.
Also the British were better equipped,better trained & could put more resources in the field even if the French had made further successful attempts to land.

Images of farmers leaving fields with scyths to join the uprising is heroic but seems woefully inadequate against the British.

The motivation of the Yeoman/ militia is also interesting as I know this wasn't a sectarian uprising and indeed the Cork militia as I understand it had many catholics in their number.

A fascinating insight into this period of history as I think Flanagan seems to give all points of view though how accurate is this i.e. Cornwallis the a reluctant soldier doing what he had to do while General Lake etc taking responsibility for most of the slaughter

if I am not mistaken Humbert landed with only a thousand troops, a similar venture happened at Fishguard in 1796. not intended to succeed, just the vex the English.

Fuinseog

realies wrote: »

Ballinamuck is one of the most historic towns in north Longford because of the great battle that was fought there in 1798 between the combined Irish and French forces under General Humbert and General Blake and the English under Lord Cornwallis.

It was the scene of the Battle of Ballinamuck, where a French army aiding the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 was defeated. The prisoners were taken to St Johnstown - today's Ballinalee - where they were executed in what is known locally as Bullys Acre and buried there.
Just thought I would add this.

I thought the rebels were herded into a field and massacred by cavalry and fencibles?
by the way, Osprey has a new book out on the subject.

Fuinseog

mikemac wrote: »

Cathal O'Shannon did an excellent series on the rebellion back on the bicentennary.

Books are great but what the TV program could do was show how battles developed using computer graphics.

I contacted RTÉ about two years ago looking for a copy to buy.
Got pretty much no answer at all

There is money to be made if they released a DVD

RTE did bring out an excellent CD of songs of 1798. Their production of the Year of the French from 1984 was good, but they only ever showed it once.
TG4 had a series on recently about retracing the steps of historical events and one episode featured the Humbert Way in Mayo.

Dionysus

Fuinseog wrote: »

RTE did bring out an excellent CD of songs of 1798. Their production of the Year of the French from 1984 was good, but they only ever showed it once.
TG4 had a series on recently about retracing the steps of historical events and one episode featured the Humbert Way in Mayo.

Is this the one you mean? Éirí Amach 1798 in Érinn, edited by Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh and dedicated to the late Liam de Paor?

I bought it at the time and it was a brilliant way to improve my Irish (all the articles are in Irish). It has a cd with it, but I never listened to it.

---

I'd be disappointed if, in the context of authentic songs from the 1798/Napoleonic period, somebody here has not mentioned the great An Góilín Singers' Club (they're no doubt in full flight in Club na Múinteoirí as I write) in Dublin. Club an Ghóilín members have produced several cds of songs from the 1798 period. Unlike many other so-called 1798 collections which include late 19th-century songs like Boolavogue, An Góilín's singers are quite serious about ensuring their songs have historical pedigree from the period - e.g. Dunlavin Green.

The architect and song collector, Frank Harte, played an important role in many of these 1798/Napoleonic albums. Here he is singing 'Napoleon Bonaparte' in 1977, in the style you'd find sung in An Góilín on a Friday night.

Here are three An Góilín-connected 1798/Napoleonic cds:

1. The Croppy's Complaint

2. My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte

3. 1798- The First Year of Liberty

Fuinseog

Dionysus wrote: »

Is this the one you mean? Éirí Amach 1798 in Érinn, edited by Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh and dedicated to the late Liam de Paor?

I bought it at the time and it was a brilliant way to improve my Irish (all the articles are in Irish). It has a cd with it, but I never listened to it.

---

I'd be disappointed if, in the context of authentic songs from the 1798/Napoleonic period, somebody here has not mentioned the great An Góilín Singers' Club (they're no doubt in full flight in Club na Múinteoirí as I write) in Dublin. Club an Ghóilín members have produced several cds of songs from the 1798 period. Unlike many other so-called 1798 collections which include late 19th-century songs like Boolavogue, An Góilín's singers are quite serious about ensuring their songs have historical pedigree from the period - e.g. Dunlavin Green.

The architect and song collector, Frank Harte, played an important role in many of these 1798/Napoleonic albums. Here he is singing 'Napoleon Bonaparte' in 1977, in the style you'd find sung in An Góilín on a Friday night.

Here are three An Góilín-connected 1798/Napoleonic cds:

1. The Croppy's Complaint

2. My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte

3. 1798- The First Year of Liberty

i went to the launch of that book when it came out.O Tuathaigh is great to listen to.
the CD I meant was Who Fears to Speak. green writing on a black background. still available in some music shops but hard enough come by.
a lot of big names sing on it.