Thomas Cloney (1773 – 20 February 1850) was a

United Irishman ''The United Irishman'' was an Irish nationalist newspaper co-founded by Arthur Griffith and William Rooney.Arthur Griffith ...

, and leader of the rebellion in County Wexford in

1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of ...

, and with

Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 177820 September 1803) was an Irish Republican, orator and rebel leader. Following the suppression of the United Irish uprising in 1798, he sought to organise a renewed attempt to overthrow the British Crown and Prote ...

a co-conspirator in the attempt to renew the republican insurrection in 1803.

Rebel

Thomas Cloney was born to Catholic parents: Denis Cloney, a prosperous middleman, of Moneyhore, Wexford, and his wife, Mary Kavanagh (d. 1782), a native of Ballybeg, County Carlow. Thomas had three sisters but no male siblings. As a young man, Cloney was appointed a Colonel in the United Irish ranks shortly before the outbreak of the 1798 rebellion. During the insurrection in Wexford he fought at the battles of Three Rocks, New Ross, Foulksmills/Goff's Bridge and led the attack on Borris House. He was often subsequently referred to as "General Cloney". Following the failure of the rebellion, Cloney was imprisoned at Wexford and, briefly, at the notorious

Geneva Barracks Geneva Barracks ( ga, Beairic na Ginéive) in County Waterford, Ireland, was a barracks created in 1783 by converting a settlement which had been created for an 18th-century colony (New Geneva) of disaffected citizens of Geneva following the Gen ...

and was condemned to death. This sentence was later commuted to banishment for life to the Penal Colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Later, after spending twenty-one months in gaol, he was released on condition that he leave Ireland for two years, which he primarily spent in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. (T. Cloney, ''A narrative of those transactions in the county of Wexford in which the Author was engaged in the awful year of 1798'',(Dublin), 1832). On his return to Ireland in May 1803, Cloney immediately involved himself with

and his associates. In Byrnes's ''Memoirs'', he describes a meeting he arranged between himself and Emmet and Cloney at Harold's Cross Green, Dublin shortly before Emmet's uprising. Circumstantial evidence would suggest that Emmet had appointed Cloney to act as his General for County Wexford, had the anticipated success of the rising in Dublin come about.Joyce, pg. 43. Following the collapse of Emmett's rising, Cloney was again arrested and lodged in Dublin Castle and later in Kilmainham Gaol from where he was released on health grounds in November 1804. After his release, Cloney went to live at

Graiguenamanagh Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh () is a town on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the County Carlow side of the river, and Carlow County Council refers to the whole village as "Grai ...

, County Kilkenny, where his home was nicknamed "Whitehall". Of the principal leaders of the 1798 rebellion, he, along with

Joseph Holt Joseph Holt (January 6, 1807 – August 1, 1894) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. As a leading member of the Buchanan administration, he succeeded in convincing Buchanan to oppose the secession of the South. He returned to Ke ...

was only one of two rebel leaders to survive and remain in Ireland.

Historian

Cloney wrote a history of the 1798 Rebellion which was one of the first written from the perspective of the defeated rebel
''"A Personal Narrative of those Transactions in the County of Wexford, in which the author was engaged, during the awful period of 1798."''
It contains an Appendix which includes a report of Cloney's trial by

Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

which began on 5 July 1799. He had wished to publish his book earlier but was advised against it by his attorney, Peter Burrowes.

Later life

Cloney continued his involvement in political affairs, becoming one of the most active and enthusiastic supporters of

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

in his efforts to secure

Catholic Emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

and Repeal of the Union. Cloney was visited at his home at "Whitehall" by many prominent Irish figures of the period, including Father Theobald Mathew,

and

Archibald Hamilton Rowan Archibald Hamilton Rowan (1 May 1751 – 1 November 1834), christened Archibald Hamilton (sometimes referred to as Archibald Rowan Hamilton), was a founding member of the Dublin Society of United Irishmen, a political exile in France and the Unit ...

.Joyce, p. 54. In 1848, he was visited there by

William Smith O'Brien William Smith O'Brien ( ga, Liam Mac Gabhann Ó Briain; 17 October 1803 – 18 June 1864) was an Irish nationalist Member of Parliament (MP) and a leader of the Young Ireland movement. He also encouraged the use of the Irish language. He ...

, Thomas Francis Meagher and

John Blake Dillon John Blake Dillon (5 May 1814 – 15 September 1866) was an Irish writer and politician who was one of the founding members of the Young Ireland movement. John Blake Dillon was born in the town of Ballaghaderreen, on the border of counties Ma ...

, just prior to the

Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement, part of the wider Revolutions of 1848 that affected most of Europe. It took place on 29 July 1848 at Farranrory, a small settlement about ...

.Joyce, p. 55. In 1849, Charles Gavan Duffy visited him. Cloney never married but played a prominent role in the parochial and political life of

and lived there for the remainder of his life. He died on 20 February 1850, aged 76 or 77, and was interred at St Mullin's Cemetery, County Carlow, where a large tombstone marks his final resting place, overlooking the

River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...

.His grave is located near the rear of the cemetery (if one enters by the main gate) - among the ruined ecclesiastical buildings - near the river.

References

Sources

* Edward Hay, ''"History of the Insurrection of the County of Wexford, A. D. 1798"'' (Dublin, 1803) *Stephen Gwynn (ed.), ''"Memoirs of Miles Byrne - edited by his Widow"'', 2 vols. (Dublin & London, 1907). *K. Whelan (ed) & W. Nolan (assoc. ed.), ''"Wexford: History and Society"'' (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1987) *Joyce, John. ''General Thomas Cloney: A Wexford Rebel of 1798'' (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1988) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cloney, Thomas 1773 births 1850 deaths Date of birth unknown United Irishmen People from County Kilkenny People from County Wexford