Seamus McMurphy () was an Irish

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

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 Royalist side dur ...

, who lived c. 1720–1750.

Early life

He was born at Carnally, Creggan parish, near

Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...

, in

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

about 1720. His father's name is unknown although his mother was Aine. A grandfather was said to have been killed at the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim () was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland), Irish Jacobitism, Jacobite army loyal to James II of England, James II and the forces of Will ...

in 1691 (see Diarmuid Mac Muireadhaigh). McMurphy had four sisters; one of whom, Aillidh, was married to Mr. Duffy, a nephew of the poet Niall McMurphy () to whom he was closely related.

Rapparee

He was noted as a handsome man, and used to introduce himself to his victims by saying, "My name is Seamus Mac Murphy, the handsomest man in Ireland." (). He had a reputation as a great drinker and a charming companion of many women. Yet it was

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and

promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

that were to lead to his downfall. His close friend was

Peadar Ó Doirnín Peadar Ó Doirnín (c. 1700 – 1769), also known in English as Peter O'Dornin, was an Irish people, Irish schoolteacher, Irish language poet and songwriter who spent much of his life in south-east Ulster. Biography Ó Doirnín was born c.1700 po ...

, a fellow-poet with whom he founded a

hedge school Hedge schools ( Irish names include '' scoil chois claí'', ''scoil ghairid'' and ''scoil scairte'') were small informal secret and illegal schools, particularly in 18th-century Ireland, teaching the rudiments of primary education to children ...

teaching

Irish bardic poetry Bardic poetry is the writings produced by a class of poets trained in the bardic schools of Ireland and the Gaelic parts of Scotland, as they existed down to about the middle of the 17th century or, in Scotland, the early 18th century. Most of t ...

. They held regular sessions at Dunreavy Wood and Mullaghbane. The two were actively involved in the planning for the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

; McMurphy had also been an active

since at least 1740. His main adversary was John Johnston of Roxborough, known as ''Johnston of the Fews'', an infamous local tory- and

priest hunter A priest hunter was a person who, acting on behalf of the English and later British government, spied on or captured Catholic priests during Penal Times. Priest hunters were effectively bounty hunters. Some were volunteers, experienced soldiers ...

. In the summer of 1744, Mac Murchaidh and O'Doirnin organised a monster meeting on

Slieve Gullion Slieve Gullion ( or ''Sliabh Cuilinn'', "Culann's mountain") is a mountain in the south of County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The mountain is the heart of the Ring of Gullion and is the List of Irish counties by highest point, highest point in t ...

to motivate the local people for the imminent arrival of

Prince Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

. As a result of the unrest caused by the Slieve Gullion meeting, Johnston was attacked and very seriously wounded. Though he survived, he met with McMurphy and Ó Doirnín, where they agreed to "an uneasy

truce A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

." McMurphy and Ó Doirnín often attended a sibín or

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

at Flagstaff (or Upper Fathom?), a mountain route to

Omeath Omeath (; or ''Uí Meth'') is a village on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly midway between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down bor ...

, owned by Patsy MacDecker, known as Paddy of the Mountain. The area remains particularly remote even in the 21st century, and in the 1740s was the perfect hideaway for rapparees. McMurphy also took Paddy Mac Decker's daughter, Molly, as his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

. However, their affair was stormy; after a heated argument and breakup, Molly allegedly vowed revenge on McMurphy. To this end, she gave Ó Doirnín alcohol one evening and persuaded him to compose a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

poem about Johnston called ''The Heretic Headhunter''. Molly then showed the poem to Johnston, claiming McMurphy was the author. Johnston was angered by this violation of their truce. In return, Molly was offered £50 by Johnston to help entrap McMurphy. However, another version places the blame on one of Mac Murchaidh's lieutenants, Art Fearon, who wanted to win Molly’s favour. According to this account, he told her detailed stories about McMurphy’s numerous affairs with other women. Equally angered, Paddy MacDecker decided to claim the £50 that had already been offered as a reward, and joined the plan. On the Saturday night before the

Pattern Day A pattern () in Irish Roman Catholicism refers to the devotions that take place within a parish on the feast day of the patron saint of the parish, on that date, called a Pattern day, or the nearest Sunday, called Pattern Sunday. In the case of a ...

Killeavy Killeen"Killeen" is the official name of the townland. or Killean () is a small village and townland in the civil parish of Killevy, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about four miles (6.5 km) south of Newry, near the border with Cou ...

, McMurphy was scheduled to stay at the inn; the MacDeckers got him extremely drunk and off-guard. However it came about, Johnston and his men caught McMurphy at MacDecker's sibín, sometime in late 1749 or early 1750.

Trial and aftermath

McMurphy spent eight months in prison in

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, before being tried, found guilty, and sentenced to execution. It is said that he had no fear on the day of his execution and forgave all those who helped capture him, including Molly. His body was left hanging for three days before it was taken down, laid out for two nights at his mother's barn in Carnally, and then buried in Creggan churchyard.

Legacy

Paddy MacDecker is said to have received his bounty in copper coins at

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, so disgusted were the authorities with him. Folk legend has it that the effort of carrying the reward twenty miles home caused him to die just short of his house. For violating the traditional Irish

code of silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onese ...

regarding both the police and the courts, Molly MacDecker was

ostracised Ostracism (, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often us ...

by her community, and became

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. She eventually drowned herself at Narrow Water. In 1973, Jem Murphy, a relation of the rapparee's family, erected a

headstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The u ...

to Seamus McMurphy in Creggan churchyard.

External links

* https://www.orielarts.com/songs/seamus-mac-murfaidh/ * http://creggan.armagh.anglican.org/second.html * http://creggan.armagh.anglican.org/fourth.html * http://www.newryjournal.co.uk/content/view/275/31/ * http://creggan1.tripod.com/CregGui2a.htm * https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxnYXBvdGhlbm9ydGh8Z3g6NTdlMmYwMzE4ZTNkYmYzNw {{DEFAULTSORT:McMurphy, Seamus Irish poets 18th-century Irish-language poets Irish highwaymen Irish outlaws Irish Jacobites People from Crossmaglen 1720s births 1750 deaths Executed people from County Armagh People executed by Ireland by hanging