smoke

"In The Reverend McGhee's house successfully defended against the Rebels — [George} Cruikshank's thirteenth illustration for William Hamilton Maxwell's History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798 (1845), the illustrator, adopting a conventional English stance towards his subject matter, shows the Protestant clergyman's cool demeanour as the badly outnumbered Protestants of Hacketstown, with but a single soldier (seated at the table) for professional military leadership, defend the second storey of the Reverend McGhee's house. Here, at least Cruikshank does not denigrate the Irish rebels (whom he has elsewhere depicted as drunken louts ruled by a mob psychology rather than military discipline), showing only the determined resistance of seven defenders (one apparently a mere youth, and one a woman, the minister's wife, at the fireplace, making bullets from the pewter plates before her on the floor. Of a more genially humoristic order are his well-known book illustrations, now so deservedly esteemed for their inimitable fun and frolic, among other qualities, such as the weird and terrible, in which he excelled. But here, without hyperbole, distortion, or embedded symbols or texts, Cruikshank only implies the opposition without by the bullet-holes in the shutters and the smoke of the burning buildings blowing into the windows and mingling with the gunpowder smoke. Billowing white and darker smoke rises dramatically as one man, kneeling, discharges his weapon, two reload, and one prepares to fire. Cruikshank has made several noticeable changes: although there are two windows, as in the text, he has reduced the number of defenders from ten to six (since several men are guarding the front and the back of the house on the lower level), and has the wounded lieutenant rather than the clergyman making cartridges at the table, throwing the focus onto the middle-aged man in waistcoat and white breeches whom we may assume is the owner of the house, the stalwart Reverend McGhee. " From - victorianweb.org/history/ireland/ireland3.html

"Hacketstown was also subjected to attack on the night of 25 May [1798]. Who the leaders were is not clear but Rev. James McGhee gives this account: ‘In consequence of an information received this morning that a large body of rebels were marching to attack this town, Lieut. Gardiner and the men under his command and a party of - yeomanry commanded by Captain Hardy went out to meet them. Having reconnoitred their force, which amounted to about three or four thousand, they took up post on the hill under the Church and when the rebels came tolerable near, the officers made a fent, and retreated into the barracks. The rebels seeing this came on with a great shout imagining the day to be their own. In a few minutes Captain Hardy came up with about thirty of his troops and instantly charged them. On which the rebels retreated and general pursuit took place, and so complete was the rout that above 300 of the miscreants now lie dead on the field of battle. " From - www.igp-web.com/Carlow/attack.htm

"In 1798 Hacketstown was the scene of two battles. The first, on May 25th, was little more than a skirmish when the poorly armed United Irishmen attempting to take the village were easily driven off by the troops garrisoning the town. The second battle, on June 25th, was a far more serious affair. Several thousand rebels, led by Garrett Byrne of Ballymanus, and including Michael Dwyer and his followers, tried to capture the military barracks in order to get the stores of firearms and ammunition that were kept there. The fighting lasted for nine hours and most of the houses in the village were destroyed when thatched roofs were set on fire to provide a smokescreen as the rebels attempted to capture the stone-built barracks. Several hundred rebels were killed and they failed to take the barracks although the military evacuated it and retreated to the safety of Tullow after the rebel forces had drawn off." From - www.hacketstownparish.ie/our-parish/hacketstown-history/

Sometimes Always the NLI is amazing - from 1798 - "Accounts have been received from Lieutenant Gardiner, of the Antrim militia, that early on Monday the 25th instant, a body of rebels, consisting of several thousands, marched from the mountains of Wicklow, to attack Hacketstown...." See - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000208706

Flickr is sometimes amazing! Via the British Library, this illustration and a link to the original book online - access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_00000001772A#?cv=... Edit - the grisly text details about what happened at McGhee's house are on page 172 - access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_00000001772A#?cv=...

WINTON HOSPITAL. MAIN BUILDING DESTROYED. WINTON, June 16. About half-past two o'clock the afternoon the alarm was given that the Winton Hospital was on fire. Before the Fire Brigade arrived on the scene efforts were made with buckets and a small hose to combat the flames. The fire made its way above the ceiling and quickly spread throughout the main building. The water mains only reach the edge of the Hospital reserve at the top of Oondooroo-street, about 300 yards from the building. After a delay, sufficient lengths of hose was coupled to reach the fire, but all efforts to save the building were futile, although a good pressure was obtained and the Brigade worked strenuously. Attention was given to confining the fire and saving the nurses' quarters and isolating the Hospital. This was successfully done after the patients had been conveyed to safety. Almost all the furniture, fittings, drugs, and instruments were saved. There were about twenty patients in the Hospital, all of whom can be accommodated in the isolation ward. The fire originated in the kitchen. The property was insured with the State Insurance Company; the building for £48.000, the furniture and contents for £800, and the Delco lighting plant for £600. Source: Morning Bulletin, 19Jun 1922 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/54021469#

Bundaberg Rum is a dark rum produced in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, by the Bundaberg Distilling Company. It is often referred to as "Bundy". In 2010, the Bundaberg Distilling Company was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. Bundaberg Rum originated because the local sugar mills had a problem with what to do with the waste molasses after the sugar was extracted (it was heavy, difficult to transport and the costs of converting it to stock feed were rarely worth the effort). Sugar men first began to think of the profits that could be made from distilling. The vital meeting was held at the Royal Hotel on 1 August 1885, W M C Hickson served as the chairman, and other notables in attendance included all the big sugar mill owners of that time, W G Farquhar, F L Nott, T Austin, J Gale, S McDougall, T Penny, S H Bravo and A H Young, all to become the first directors of the Company. They started with a capital of £5,000. The Bundaberg Distilling Company began its operations in 1888. Bundaberg rum was first produced in 1889. Production ceased from 1907 to 1914 and from 1936 to 1939 after fires, the second of which caused rum from the factory to spill into the nearby Burnett River. Christsen Pty Ltd operated their own Bundaberg Rum bottling plant in Bourbong Street, Bundaberg at the rear of their large grocery and hardware business in the centre of town. The spirit was sold at UP and OP strength from their business. Spokesperson for the original family, Mr Rod Patch, recalls the origins of the shape of the current "Bundy Bottle". It originated from the Bushells Coffee Chicory bottle that Bundaberg residents sold to his grandfather at the firm for one penny a bottle, after which they were washed and filled with the spirit. The shape remains the same but the capacity has been increased to the current 700ml. Patch's great grandfather, Hans Truval Christensen, a Danish immigrant from Copenhagen and his son Frederick Christsen had an employment policy of employing staff from the Salvation Army faith in the rum bottling process as they were less likely to be tempted to sample the spirit. The Christsen family supported settlement farming families through hard times and these good deeds were acknowledged with the naming of Christsen Park at Bargara Beach. Source: kids.kiddle.co/Bundaberg_Rum