Peter O'Neill Crowley (23 May 183231 March 1867) was an

Irish republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

who died in the Fenian Rising of 1867.

Early years

O'Neill Crowley was born in

Ballymacoda Ballymacoda () is a small village in County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 185 people. Located in East Cork, the village is home to one pub, a post office, and Saint Peter in Chains Roman Catholic church. T ...

in 1832; his father was a farmer and his granduncle Fr. Peter O'Neill was a Catholic priest, who had been

flogged Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, Birching, rods, Switch (rod), switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging ...

after participating in the

1798 Rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

, and later

transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she wou ...

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

. He was a

teetotaller Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

Fenian Rising

O'Neill Crowley joined the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

and led a local group in Ballymacoda of about 100 men. In 1867, he took part in the Fenian Rising. Under the command of Captain John McClure, he was part of the 5 March attack on Killadoon coastguard station, with the aim of seizing weapons kept there. They took the weapons and marched towards

Killeagh Killeagh () is a village in east County Cork, Ireland. It is approximately from Cork city, between Midleton and Youghal on the N25 national primary road. Demographics The population of Killeagh increased significantly between the 2002 census ...

with prisoners, expecting to join up with units from

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

and

Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satellit ...

. However, there were only a few men to meet them; the rising was a failure in the area, in part due to

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

y weather and local informers. McClure decided to disband all unarmed men, and march with the remaining men and prisoners to

Castlemartyr Castlemartyr (, formerly anglicised as ''Ballymarter'' or ''Ballymartyr'') is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located 25 minutes east of Cork city, 10 km (6 mi) east of Midleton, 16 km (10 mi) west of Youghal and 6&n ...

, where the prisoners were released. With some comrades he took refuge in Kilclooney Wood. There, on 31 March, they were ambushed by British soldiers and O'Neill Crowley was injured. The Fenians were captured and taken to

Mitchelstown Mitchelstown () is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 3,740. Mitchelstown is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains, 12 km south-west of the Mitchelstown Caves, 28 km from Cahir, 50& ...

, where O'Neill Crowley died.

Legacy

O'Neill Crowley was noted for his

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

and the priest who administered the

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

noted his faith, recounting his last words: "Father, I have two loves in my heart – one for my religion, the other for my country. I am dying today for the fatherland. I could die as cheerfully for faith." O'Neill Crowley became a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

of the rebellion. His comrades reputedly carried his body on their backs from Mitchelstown to Ballymacoda, about . Many places in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

are named for O'Neill Crowley, including: *O'Neill Crowley Terrace,

*O'Neill Crowley Street,

*O'Neill-Crowley Quay, Fermoy *O'Neill Crowley Terrace,

*O'Neill Crowley Bridge, Cork City (formerly the

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

Bridge) In 1898 a monument to his memory was erected at Sraharla, on the road to

Kilfinane Kilfinnane or Kilfinane () ( or , ) is a small market town in County Limerick, Ireland. The town's name comes from the Irish (church) and (Finnian), making its meaning "Church of Saint Finnian". Kilfinnane is located approximately 40 ...

, near to Kilclooney Wood. Commemorations took place in 1967 and 2000, and a viewing platform erected in 2013. In the 1900s, the Peter O'Neill Crowley Club was founded in

Clonard, Belfast Lower Falls was one of the nine district electoral areas which existed in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2014. Located in the west of the city, the district elected five members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Beechmo ...

. Nicknamed "the Crowley Club", they won the

Antrim Senior Hurling Championship The Antrim Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bathshack.com Antrim Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Antrim SHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Antrim County Board of the ...

in 1903 and 1907. A statue of O'Neill Crowley makes up part of a monument on

Grand Parade, Cork Grand Parade is one of the main streets of Cork city, Ireland. It runs from South Mall in the south to St. Patrick's Street/Daunt Square in the north, with intersections with Oliver Plunkett Street, Tuckey Street, Washington Street, Augustine ...

Song

Irish rebel song In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs refer to folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against English (and later British) Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supp ...

in his honour is recorded: As I rambled out one evening, all in the month of June, I strayed into an old churchyard to view a noble tomb. I overheard an old man pray as the tears rolled from his eyes, And it’s ‘neath that cold, cold, clay today, poor Peter Crowley lies. And the grave where Peter Crowley lies, o'er it the grass grows green, And underneath poor Peter sleeps because he loved the green. It grieves my heart to see you there, a hero once in bloom, But untimely death has brought you here to fill a silent tomb. Oh Crowley, oh Crowley come tell to me the truth: Who went along that night with you, to Kilcloney’s this lonely one? Who stood beside that brave old oak and fired that signal gun? Who fought and died for Ireland’s rights, was Crowley’s only son. So fare thee well young Crowley, so fare thee well again. It’s many the mile we shouldered you, through storm and through gale. It’s many the mile we shouldered you, ''a storín gheal mo chroí,'' rish: "bright darling of my heart"Because you were a Fenian boy and died for liberty. He is also mentioned in "Erin's Lovely Lee": Now one of them stepped up to me and asked me did I know The green woods of Kilclooney or the Glens of Aherlow Or could I tell where Crowley fell his native land to free Or the tower that Captain Mackey sacked down Erin’s lovely

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

‘Tis I can tell where Crowley fell ‘twas in Kilclooney Woods And the tower that Captain Mackey sacked twas was by his side I stood. When he gave the word we raised a cheer that made the tyrants frown, Sure we raised the green flag o’er our heads, the harp without the crown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill Crowley, Peter 1832 births 1867 deaths 19th-century Irish people Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood People from County Cork