Osuileabhain

Margaret Grogan provided the following excerpt about Morty Oge O'Sullivan from Francis G Tucky's "The City and County of Cork Remembered", c.1830. Tucky's spelling is copied as it was printed.

AD 1754

April 20. - William Sullivan was executed on the new stone gallows, which at that time faced the pound and the lough road, for running away with Miss Margaret Mullane.

May 4. - A party of soldiers under the command of lieutenant Appleton was sent in pursuit of Morty Oge O Sullivan, one of the murders of John Puxley, Esq. on the 4th. About 12 o clock at night, they arrived at Bearhaven, and in a short time after were discovered by the centinels belonging to Sullivan; but the party being too far advanced towards the house, the centinels had not time to warn the inmates of their approach, but made the best of the way to save themselves.

The party immediately surrounded the house, but Sullivan and his party being alarmed by the barking of a dog which was in the house, took the alarm directly. Sullivan being in his shirt, came to the door and opned it with a blunderbuss in his hand; upon which he and his men fired several blunderbusses out of the house at the party, but finding them too strong, he thought of the stratagem of sending out men, one at a time, thinking that the party would have left the house to follow them, by which means he might escape, but he was prevented by the officer, who only fired at the men as they went off.

At length Sullivan's wife with her child and nurse, came out and asked for quarter, which was granted; the officer asked her who was in the house; she answered, no one but her husband and some of his men; upon which he ordered the house to be set on fire, which they were a long time in doing, the men's arms being rendered quite uselesss from the heavy rains; but this being at last accomplished, they were obliged to come out. Sullivan and his men behaved with great bravery, he himself snapped his blunderbuss twice at the party, which missed fire; the officer's party also fired at him twice with as little success, but by the tird time shot him and some others dead, some more were wounded, but they only brought away the body of Sullivan and two prisonoers, John Sullivan and Daniel Connel; the king's boat at the same time went round and sunk the sloop belonging to Sullivan. Had it not been for the wetness of the night, the party would have been discovered sooner, but Sullivan had not his usual centinels out, not expecting any thing to disturb him.

The two prisoners were put into the south gaol until the assizes, when they were hanged on the wooden gallows and their heads spiked on the south gaol; Sullivan's body was lodged in the barracks until further orders; he was afterwards taken to the county court, his head spiked on the south gaol, and his remains interred on the battery in the new barrack.

(Obituary)
Murty Òg O Sullivan of Eyeries, Beara, RC gentleman; charged with harbouring tories, robbers and rapparees 1738; escaped abroad and served in the Austrian army; fought at Fontenoy and at Culloden with Bonnie Prince Charlie 1746; returned to Beara; made his living from smuggling and recruiting for the French army; came into conflict with John Puxley who had accquired the ancestral seat of The O Sullivan Bear at Dunboy; shot Puxley dead and escaped to France; outlawed but still managed to pay frequent vists home to his family; betrayed on this final visit home,1754.

You may view more excerpts at Francis G. Tucky's "The City and County of Cork Remembered"
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