The Bloody Bridge: And Other Papers Relating To The Insurrection Of 1641 (Sir Phelim O'neill's Rebellion) - Softcover

Thomas Fitzpatrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461605082 ISBN 13: 9780461605082

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

The Bloody Bridge: And Other Papers Relating To The Insurrection Of 1641 (Sir Phelim O'neill's Rebellion) by Thomas Fitzpatrick. Thomas Fitzpatrick's revisionist study interrogates the widely cited massacre narratives surrounding the 1641 Ulster rebellion. Drawing on depositions gathered by early royal and Commonwealth inquiries, the work argues that sensational reports, hearsay, and biased testimony exaggerated the scale of massacres and often conflated acts of war with deliberate atrocity. The analysis surveys figures from both rebel and Crown sides, including Sir Con Magennis, Lord Iveagh, Sir James Montgomery, and Henry Jones, to illustrate how official proclamations and state-sponsored testimony helped shape public memory. Fitzpatrick dissects key episodes such as the alleged massacres at Lough Kernan, Scarva, Island Magee, Newry, and Donaghmore, showing many claims rested on limited affidavits, geographical confusion, or retrospective storytelling. He distinguishes between warfare, spoil, and murder, and emphasizes the role of "acceptable service" protocols and confiscation in sustaining violence. The book ultimately argues that the true pattern was not mass murder by Catholics, but a contested civil war shaped by propaganda, policy, and partisan testimony.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461605082
• ISBN 13: 9780461605082
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 356