James Corcoran (c.1780 – 1804) was an Irish rebel leader who following the suppression of the
United Irish insurrection of 1798, maintained a guerrilla resistance to the
British Crown
The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
forces in counties
Wexford and
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
until his final defeat and death in 1804.
Rebel activities
Corcoran played an active part in the 1798 rebellion and led a party of rebels at the
battle of New Ross. Following the collapse of the rebellion, he and a group of survivors established a base in Killaughrim Woods, north
county Wexford
County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...
from where they launched raids in the area and into
county Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
. In August 1801, an upsurge in Corcoran's activities saw him and his men being declared "''dangerous in case of invasion''" by
Dublin Castle and consequently, a force of 200 soldiers was sent to find and destroy the group. However, they met with little success as the populace shielded them from the military.
Corcoran's men were distinguished by their willingness to allow deserters from the military in their ranks and actively sought to subvert soldiers billeted among the populace or at least rob them of their arms. Their fearlessness was demonstrated in an incident near
Mount Leinster in June 1802 when they turned to attack a number of pursuing
Newtownbarry
Bunclody (), formerly Newtownbarry (until 1950), is a small town on the River Slaney in Wexford, Ireland. It is located near the foot of Mount Leinster. Most of the town is in County Wexford; a small area at the north end of town is in Co ...
yeomen who were defeated and soon under pursuit themselves.
The defeat of
Robert Emmet's rising in July 1803, saw renewed British intent to wipe out all remaining rebel activity in Ireland and new campaign was launched against Corcoran. This time account was taken of the fact that Corcoran's men enjoyed support from the population in areas where they operated and also that their permanent bases were in remote localities. Consequently, arrests and severe penalties were handed out to those suspected of harbouring rebels, and the building of military roads and barrack were planned to cover the area between
Mount Leinster and the Blackstair mountains.
Defeat and death
The surrender of
Michael Dwyer in December 1803 left Corcoran and his men as the only rebel faction still active in Ireland as 1804 began. The ongoing military offensive had by now forced Corcoran to relocate to south
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
from where he continued operations and further incensed the government by targeting mail coaches. A reward of £500 was put on Corcoran's head and the pressure soon forced him to split his group into smaller factions and return to his old base at Killaughrim woods outside
Enniscorthy. The end finally came on 11 February 1804 when the reward offered prompted an
informer
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
to betray the location of Corcoran and his remaining few comrades who were surrounded by a party of
yeomen at Killaughrim Woods. After fierce resistance all of the unit were killed or captured, Corcoran dying of his wounds shortly after the fighting. His body and that of his comrades were brought to
Wexford where they were hung outside the town gaol and left on display for a time.
Sources
*Ruan O'Donnell - "''The Rebellion in Wicklow 1798''" (1998)
*Ruan O'Donnell - "''Aftermath: Post-Rebellion Insurgency in Wicklow, 1799-1803''" (2000)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corcoran, James
1770 births
1804 deaths
United Irishmen
Irish soldiers
Irish guerrillas