Henry Downs

DESCRIPTION: "Many an Orange villain fell Beneath the hand of Downs" "The trembling tyrants did propose A partial amnesty" which took "unsuspecting clowns" out of the battle. Downs continued to fight. In Dublin he was taken by Sirr, tried, condemned, and hanged.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1887 (Madden's _Literary Remains of the United Irishmen of 1798_, according to Moylan-TheAgeOfRevolution-1776-1815)
KEYWORDS: rebellion execution trial Ireland patriotic police
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
April 1799 - Henry Downs is hanged at Malahide after being taken by Major Sirr in a Dublin alehouse.(source: Moylan-TheAgeOfRevolution-1776-1815)
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan-TheAgeOfRevolution-1776-1815 125, "Henry Downs" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Edward (III) (Edward Fitzgerald)" (character of Major Sirr)
cf. "The Man from God-Knows-Where" (character of Major Sirr)
cf. "The Major" (character of Major Sirr)
NOTES [106 words]: For more about Major Sirr see "Edward" (III), "The Man from God-Knows-Where," "The Major" and the notes to "Who Killed Cock Robin?" (II).
Moylan-TheAgeOfRevolution-1776-1815 adds some information illuminating the events here. There was an amnesty and it was accepted by many insurgents. Downs, while a member of Joseph Holt's guerilla band, killed Jonathan Eves, mistakenly taking him to be an informer. He broke with the guerillas on this account. He came close to killing Major Sirr while being taken. Moylan reports Madden, in Literary Remains of the United Irishmen of 1798, believed that Downs was executed for shooting Eves. - BS
File: Moyl125

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