Shane Bernagh Donnelly was an Irish

rapparee Rapparees or raparees (from the Irish ''ropairí'', plural of ''ropaire'', whose primary meaning is "thruster, stabber," and by extension a wielder of the half-pike or pike), were Irish guerrilla fighters who operated on the Jacobite side du ...

who was active in the Cappagh and

Altmore Altmore (from ga, Allt Mór, meaning "great glen")) is a hamlet and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is five miles from Carrickmore and four miles from Pomeroy. The townland is actually called Altmore (alias Barracktown) and is si ...

area of

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...

during the 17th century who would use the mountains as a vantage point to launch daring hold ups on carriages passing through the area on the main

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

to Derry road nearby. Local legend has it that the highwayman assisted impoverished locals with his robberies, which primarily targeted members of the

Protestant Ascendancy The ''Protestant Ascendancy'', known simply as the ''Ascendancy'', was the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland between the 17th century and the early 20th century by a minority of landowners, Protestant clergy, and members of th ...

. A barracks was built in the Altmore area in an attempt to curb his activities but to little avail. Because of this Bernagh has over time become a local legend in the mould of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. He was eventually captured and executed by the

Dublin Castle administration Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, and his body was cast into a lough at the summit of

Slieve Beagh Slieve Beagh () is a mountainous area straddling the border between County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland and County Fermanagh and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. A point just east of its summit is the highest point in Monaghan; however ...

, which straddles the counties of Tyrone, Fermanagh and Monaghan. He was immortalised further by local scholar George Sigerson in his

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

''The Mountains of Pomeroy'' and Irish poet John Montague in his poem ''A Lost Tradition''. There is a small rocky area on the outskirts of Cappagh and Altmore called Shane Bernagh's Chair, called so as it is shaped like a chair. It received its fame from the highwayman, who used the rugged mountain area to hide out and launch his next attack on his unsuspecting victims. The nearby Bernish Glen is named after Donnelly as local oral legend notes that he once jumped across the glen on horse back as he sought to evade Crown forces pursuing him. A verse from Montague's ''A Lost Tradition'' states that:

The heathery gap where the Rapparee, Shane Bernagh, saw his brother die. On a summer's day the dying sun stained its colours to crimson. So breaks the heart, Brish mó Cree.

Notes

External links

Whisky in the Jar

Galbally Pearse’s club

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernagh, Shane 17th-century Irish people Irish highwaymen Irish outlaws People from County Tyrone