Cromwell in Ireland

no figure in irish history is perhaps as reviled and hated as oliver cromwell

In England some regard him as a hero and his statue stands proudly outside the Houses of Parliament.
However, many people in Ireland still talk about the curse of Cromwell!!!!
We have to focus on THREE QUESTIONS:

WHO is this man?
WHY is he so hated
Is it FAIR that he is still so hated?

WHO WAS CROMWELL?

Cromwell was one of the most famous men who ever lived in England!

There he is famous for fighting for the right of PARLIAMENT to have a powerful voice rather than the KING.
He led an army, fighting for Parliament against the King of England, King Charles 1 and won! He even had the King beheaded !!

Cromwell however came to Ireland for a reason!
It was almost all to do with one huge event in the year 1641!

One part of history is to be like a detective. We have to try to come to a conclusion over what happened in the past based on EVIDENCE.

Of course evidence from the past may be from different sources - and may be BIASED.

1641 is one period of history where we know there was undoubtedly a Rebellion in Ulster and that many were killed. However in England at the time reports suggested up to 150,000 Protestants had been killed. Books and Pictures showing the 'massacres' were bestsellers. We have to try to sort out what was FACT and what is FICTION. Certainly however Cromwell heard the reports and was determined to act !

WHY DID CROMWELL COME TO IRELAND?

Cromwell came to Ireland in 1649 with a well trained professional army of several thousand soldiers. Cromwell was a deeply committed Protestant and mistrusted Catholics. He came to Ireland for a number of reasons:

Firstly, to put an end to the Irish rebellion, help save the Protestant settlers and take revenge.
Secondly, he wanted to kill any of the remaining Kings supporters in Ireland
Thirdly, he wanted to stop the threat of Ireland being used as a base for Catholic countries to attack England.

Cromwell was determined to teach the Irish a lesson and to show them that he was in charge. He also wanted his war in Ireland to be over as quickly as possible.
However, the Irish troops soon defended themselves behind strong town walls. Cromwell found himself not fighting battles but sieges. This was a long and difficult way to fight.

The first town to stand in his way was DROGHEDA.

It was a town full of soldiers and civilians. Many were actually English and loyal to the ex King.
Evidence suggests Cromwell 'offered QUARTER' This means he promised women and children safe passage in return for the town being surrendered. However, the governor Arthur Aston refused. Cromwell was going to have to take Drogheda the hard way!
Cromwell's men pounded at the walls of Drogheda and eventually, after many losses, broke through the city walls. What happened next still haunts Ireland.
Cromwell's men went on a rampage killing men women and children. The Governor was actually beaten to death with his own wooden leg! Many civilians were killed in the church when it was set on fire! The bloodshed was awful. Is Cromwell to be completely blamed however?

Cromwell came to Ireland to stop the rebellion that had went on since 1641.

He wanted to protect the Protestant settlers in Ulster and get revenge for what had happened to them.
Cromwell also wanted to make Ireland safe and under English control again so no other European power could attack England using it as a base.

His time in Ireland led to thousands of deaths as he tried to bring the country under control
He confiscated huge amounts of Irish land and gave it to his soldiers or Protestant settlers.
He also sent many Irish Catholics West to Connaught where the lands were poor... others were sent as slaves to places like the West Indies.

Cromwell's effect on Ireland and complete control when he had finished was so complete that Ireland would remember this period of time for centuries with bitterness. Is Cromwell's bloodthirsty reputation deserved however or was he just doing what any general at that time would do?

GUILTY

Thousands of people were killed across Ireland by Cromwell. Many were women and children
He had Catholics in Ireland sent as slaves to the Bahamas or to the west of Ireland where land was poor. He told them they could go to Hell or Connaught' (Connaught is a Western Irish Province)
He was against the Catholic religion in Ireland and treated them badly

INNOCENT

Cromwell was operating in a very violent time in Europe where bloodshed was common.
He had offered Drogheda QUARTER - which they had refused as a result many of his men had died or been wounded trying to take the town - revenge afterwards seemed natural?
He did not want England threatened by a rebellious Ireland
He wanted to take revenge for the 1641 massacre

CROMWELL - THE RESULT

Cromwell did bring peace to Ireland and ended the Rebellion . He also created a huge amount of hatred on the island which would remain for centuries