The Wild Geese

Maigh Rein

Hi

I am wondering if anyone would know a good place to start researching the wild geese? I am particularly interested in finding out whether there were many sent off from my own area? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Manach

A starting point might be the book "Wild geese and travelling scholars". I read it a few years back and it provides a short introduction to the topic.

Snickers Man

Is it this book?

Might be quite hard to get hold of. It's a small paperback in the Compact Irish History series from Mercier Press. And it does provide an excellent primer for the subject.

Good luck tracking it down

Qualitymark

It's on amazon.com (not .co.uk) for around $3; with postage, around $20.

There were two big waves of Wild Geese, one on 22 December 1691 when Patrick Sarsfield led virtually all of the officers of the Irish armies on ships to France, and another of Jacobites, who I think went to Spain. We can thank them for some good wine… and of course until the foundation of the State, many middle- and upper-class Irish people were educated in France because of the links formed (and to circumvent the Penal Laws when they were in operation).

Ozymandiaz

Qualitymark wrote: »

It's on amazon.com (not .co.uk) for around $3; with postage, around $20.

There were two big waves of Wild Geese, one on 22 December 1691 when Patrick Sarsfield led virtually all of the officers of the Irish armies on ships to France, and another of Jacobites, who I think went to Spain. We can thank them for some good wine… and of course until the foundation of the State, many middle- and upper-class Irish people were educated in France because of the links formed (and to circumvent the Penal Laws when they were in operation).

A lot of Irish troops who fought during the Cromwellian period were transported to Spain.

Qualitymark

Ozymandiaz wrote: »

A lot of Irish troops who fought during the Cromwellian period were transported to Spain.

I read recently that most of the Wild Geese were killed within a short time; these gentlemen from comfortable Irish homes became the officer-class cannon-fodder of European armies.

KidMeNotA1

Many ended up in Bordeaux, one becoming City mayor, others bought vineyards (many Irish names still there with top class wines) & set up the export market from there. Check Bordeaux history to begin with - good link.

Qualitymark

Yes; look up "wine geese" on Google - a clever neologism - and you'll find plenty about these particular families.