The name 'Jacobite' derives from the Latin for James - Jacobus.
James II was the last Stuart king of Great Britain and Ireland. He was king for only 3 years, from 1685 until 1688. He had converted to catholicism in 1669, and ceased attending Anglican ceremonies from 1676. He was deposed in 1688 by none other than his own daughter, Mary II, and her husband, William of Orange aka William III aka King Billy. William of Orange also happened to be a nephew of James II. Of more significance, he was a protestant, and a major player in political developments in the continent. He led military opposition to catholic King Louis XIV of France.
James II was supported by catholics and by royalists - he believed in the divine right of kings to rule their subjects. He was opposed by protestants and by parliamentarians - they wanted a share-out of power between king and parliament.
The turning point for James arrived with the birth of his son in 1688. Prior to that, the next in line to the throne was his daughter Mary. She was a protestant. However, the male heir now went to the top of the succession queue, and it was feared that catholics were about to regain longterm control of the throne.
Hence, an invitation to William, already king of much of what is now Holland, to come to England. On 5th November, 1688, William invaded England. James was deposed, and William became king of England, Scotland and Ireland. In British history, this event if known as The Glorious Revolution.
James fled to France, regrouped, and planned to regain the throne. At that time, most Irish parliamentarians were catholic, after James had relaxed a host of anti-catholic laws. The viceroy of Ireland who had been appointed by James ensured that all garrisons in Ireland remained loyal to James. However, Derry openly supported William. A force of 1200 catholic soldiers was organised to take over the city, but as they approached, 13 apprentice boys locked the city gates.
James arrived in Ireland on 12th March, 1689, with 6000 French soldiers. He quickly took control of Dublin, and thousands of Irish catholics joined his army. He headed north, arriving at Derry on 18th April, 1689. When the garrison refused to surrender, the siege of Derry commenced. However, William sent over a fleet to relieve the city. The fleet was successful, and the siege ended in August, 1689. Thereafter, the Williamite army quickly expelled Jacobites from most of Ulster. To this day, a protestant association known as The Apprentice Boys of Derry commemorates the siege by a series of parades around the city walls and through the city. The 'Parades Commission' was established in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement in an effort to eliminate or at least reduce the serious violence associated with the parades.
William himself arrived in Ireland on 14th June, 1690. James and William met up on 1st July, 1690, along with their combined entourage of 50,000 soldiers. William won the day, the success of The Glorious Revolution was cemented and parliament would continue to rule the roost in Britain, the reign of James II was well and truly over and with it any prospect of peaceful political coexistance of catholicism and protestantism. James fled back to France, and the Irish were left to slug it out with William at the Battle of Aughrim, which saw the end of the Jacobite cause in Ireland. Limerick held out for a further few months under the stewardship of Patrick Sarsfield. The siege ended with the Treaty of Limerick, following which 14,000 soldiers who maintained support for James sailed to the continent - this event is known as The Flight of the Wild Geese.
Anyway, back to the Battlecry of Munster / Rosc Catha na Mumhan - it is a slow air that :
became the anthem of opposition to colonial rule not alone in Munster but eventually worldwide,
became the anthem of the Jacobites,
holds a central place in the history of literature and particularly Jacobite poetry,
provided the melody for the Dominic Behan rebel song 'Come Out Ye Black And Tans',
has been recorded by a succession of internationally-acclaimed performers including the RTE singers, the Wolftones, and most Sean Nos singers of note.
The composer of this historic masterpiece was Piaras Mac Gearailt, a farmer and poet born near here in 1709 outside the village of Ballymacoda, and who was forced to convert from catholicism to protestantism in order to retain the family farm (a personal crisis addressed in his poem A Chogair, A Charaid). Please reflect and show reverence to this land as you walk towards the cache.
A simple plaque adorns the gateway to the farm and enclosed Hill Cemetery.
The cache location affords a unique over-view of Ballymacoda village. Please stay on the headland/boreen adjacent to the fence and which leads to the Hill Cemetery. Wear boots in wet weather.