Shenanigans on The Road to Ballinamuck

 7 Sep 1798: The Franco-Irish forces made temporary camp in So. Leitrim at the village of Cloone. They had marched for days from Castlebar, Co. Mayo, enroute to what would be a disastrous last gasp for the heroes of '98 at the Battle of Ballinamuck.

At Cloone, officers were lavishly fed and entertained at the home of a wealthy local farmer called William West, while rank and file bedded down for a few hours nearby. The story was recorded in verse:

“At Cloone in fair Leitrim they rested

For two days then Dublin they struck

And mounted on the eighth of September

The hillsides of Ballinamuck”

While French records do not indicate the same, local legend has it that the chains used to haul the French light artillery were stolen during the night, with the bulk of suspicion resting on West himself.

Folklore indicates that theft delayed the rebels arrival at Ballinamuck, costing them both the element of surprise and the battle itself. But in reality, the combined French and Irish forces were vastly outnumbered and outgunned.

Where are those cannon chains today you say? Various tales emerged in the ensuing years, yet the mystery seems destined to remain unsolved. The most popular story was that they were thrown into nearby Keeldra Lough, possibly along with some artillery. Another is that they were hidden in a stable on the nearby Mitchell farm. Yet another version has them being dropped down a well on the property of West himself.

Some say the links were eventually melted down and repurposed. Purported pieces of the chains have appeared locally as well, though there is no way to prove their connection to the events of '98.

Regardless, the Battle of Ballinamuck meant the end for the United Irishmen and the 1798 Rebellion.