Sir Connell Ferrall was an Irish soldier of the seventeenth century noted for his service during the

War of the Two Kings The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called the ...

. Ferrall was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

from Tirlickin in

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. He was a member of the

Farrell clan Farrell ( anglicization of the Irish ''Ó Fearghail'') is a surname and may refer to: * Farrell (surname) * Farrell Lines, shipping company (acquired by Maersk) * Farrell, Nevada, an American city * Farrell, Pennsylvania, an American city * Farre ...

by descent. Ferrall went into exile on the Continent following the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland wi ...

. He served in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

leading a force of exiled Longford troops. However following the

Treaty of Brussels The Treaty of Brussels, also referred to as the Brussels Pact, was the founding treaty of the Western Union (alliance), Western Union (WU) between 1948 and 1954, when it was amended as the Modified Brussels Treaty (MTB) and served as the foundin ...

between Charles II and the Spanish King, they changed sides and handed over control of the

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

fortress town of

Saint-Ghislain Saint-Ghislain (; pcd, Saint-Guilagne; wa, Sint-Guilin) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 the municipality had 23,335 inhabitants. ...

to the Spanish. In gratitude Charles knighted Connell and his cousin Lisagh O'Farrell. Although Charles recommended that Farrell should have lands granted to him after the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, this was rejected by the Irish Parliament. Ferrall served, along with many other Irishmen, as part of Charles' garrison at

English Tangier English Tangier was the period in Moroccan history in which the city of Tangier was occupied by England as part of the English colonial empire from 1661 to 1684. Tangier had been under Portuguese control before King Charles II acquired the c ...

. In the 1680s he was a supporter of the Catholic James II, he was a Jacobite serving in the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

. Ferrall commanded a regiment based at

Boyle, County Roscommon Boyle (; ) is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key in the north of the county. Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, the Drumanone Dolmen and the lakes of Lough Arrow and Lough Gara a ...

. He led a force of troops to try and stop

Lord Kingston Baron Kingston is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1660 when the military commander Sir John King was made Baron Kingston, of Kingston in the C ...

's withdrawing Protestant garrison of

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

from reaching

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

, but they were driven back near

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

. He was reportedly killed during the

Siege of Derry The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by a first attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates ...

in 1689.D'Alton p.362

References

Bibliography

* Childs, John. ''The Williamite War in Ireland, 1688-1691''. Continuum, 2007. * D'Alton, John. ''King James's Irish Army List''. The Celtic Bookshop, 1997 17th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the army of James II of England People from County Longford Irish soldiers Irish knights Irish Jacobites 1689 deaths Year of birth unknown Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison {{Ireland-bio-stub