The remaining regiments of the old Irish Brigade of France were disbanded after the French Revolution in 1789, lost their distinctive red uniforms and were absorbed into the regular French army, although for many years after they were still regarded as ‘Irish regiments’. Although none of them accompanied the Bantry Bay expedition, a number of … Read more
The French fleet had slipped past the principal Royal Navy squadron blockading Brest, but their departure had not been unobserved. Earlier in December, Captain Sir Edward Pellow’s frigate squadron and local spies had seen increased activity at Brest and anchored at Falmouth to notify the Admiralty that the French were about to take to the … Read more
The Irish in occupied France were fortunate to have an unjustly forgotten individual to look after their interests. When the official Irish legation followed the French government to Vichy, Count Gerald O’Kelly de Gallagh, from County Tipperary, was posted back to Paris as ‘special plenipotentiary’. Count O’Kelly thus defied German and Vichy French instructions for … Read more
Excerpt/translation from Kerzhentsev’s Revolutsiayannaya Irlandiya (1918): Easter Monday in Ireland — a day with an aura of reverence. Therefore, the arrival of a small group of Irish volunteers in the province did not give rise amongst individuals to any particular attention. The vigilance of the administration was weakened, even more so, [as] many responsible people were on … Read more
Patrick Joseph Ramsbottom (1891–1965)—my great-grand uncle. Edward Ramsbottom (1901–66), brother of Patrick—my great-grandfather. Eamonn Ramsbottom (b. 1937), son of Edward—my grandfather. Linda Murphy (b. 1969), née Ramsbottom, daughter of Eamonn—my mother. Adam Murphy (b. 2004), son of Linda—me!