Children's play ground on Gallow's Hill
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Children's play ground on Gallow's Hill by Eric Jones as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Children's play ground on Gallow's Hill
Image: © Eric Jones Taken: 30 Apr 2013
Today, this site is very peaceful but immediately prior to the United Irishmen's Rebellion of 1798 the picture was quite different. A privately raised regiment of Welshmen - known sarcastically after their Colonel, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, as "Sir Watkin's wee lambs" and more formally as the Ancient Britons or the Ancient British Fencibles - terrorised the Newry and Armagh areas. Here on Gallows Hill they hung, drew and quartered their prisoners. Sir Watkin, who on account of his vast land holdings was referred to by his fellow countrymen as the Prince in Wales, regarded Papists and Presbyterians with an equal measure of contempt. The Ancient Britons also carried out a massacre at nearby Ballyholland. Such was the hatred they engendered that during the Uprising of 1798 any of Sir Watkin's men taken prisoner were summarily executed by the rebels. Only a handful of the Ancient Britons regiment survived to see Wales again. http://www.newryjournal.co.uk/2004/12/21/ancient-britons/ http://www.newryjournal.co.uk/2010/01/06/reaction-to-ballyholland-massacre/
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Image Location
Latitude
54.177322
Longitude
-6.333725