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The Burren / Doolin, County Clare. Dedicated to the memory of Micko Russell,Doolin.
The Cromwellian Settlement
by Catherine O' Donovan

The execution of Charles I in 1649, on the orders of Oliver Cromwell, brought the English Civil War to an end. England became a Commonwealth or republic ruled by parliament with Cromwell as Lord Protector. Cromwell and his army of well trained and experienced soldiers, called Ironsides, came to Ireland in August 1649 with the intention of subduing the rebellion and stamping out all opposition to parliament. Cromwell, a Puritan, 'believed he was an instrument of divine retribution for (alleged) atrocities committed by Catholics against Protestants in 1641 and he accordingly gave orders to deny mercy to Catholics.' His campaign was savage and is remembered for the slaughter of women and children as well as unarmed captives. He captured Drogheda and slaughtered the garrison. At Wexford the townspeople as well as the garrison were put to death. Cork, Kinsale, Bandon, Youghal and Clonmel had surrendered before he returned to England in May 1650.

Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell

His son-in-law, Henry Ireton, continued the campaign. He captured Waterford, then Athlone and Portumna and finally attacked Limerick which surrendered after a four-month siege. Ireton died in November 1651 and was replaced by General Ludlow. Ludlow proceeded to break down the resistance of the remaining garrisons. Galway was the last to surrender, in April 1652, after which the rebellion was declared over. Government agents were employed to round up beggars, widows and orphans to be transported to the sugar plantations of the West Indies where they became servants and indentured slaves. The Puritan Parliamentarians persecuted not only Catholics but Ulster Presbyterians, members of the Church of Ireland and those of other minority religions. Priests were hanged, exiled or transported to the West Indies and Puritan preachers were brought over from England to replace them.

Parliament was now faced with settling its enormous debts. The English army in Ireland had not been paid for 18 months and the adventurers were demanding to be recompensed. The adventurers were so called because they lent or adventured money to parliament, a decade earlier, in response to an act called the Adventurers' Act. They were members of Parliament, merchants and tradesmen. Cromwell himself was one; he advanced £600. The money was required to raise an army to subdue the rebels in Ireland. The adventurers were offered two and a half million acres of Irish land, which was to be confiscated at the end of the rebellion, as security of their money. Suppliers of provisions and ammunition to the army also had to be paid. Irish land was to be used to settle all these debts. The lands of the defeated Irish and Old English Catholics were declared confiscated and preparations began for its distribution to the various people to whom the government was indebted. In order to facilitate the redistribution a survey of the land was begun.