Worksheet  6

Civil War in England. Cromwell comes to Ireland.

1 What does Alys call the battle of Drogheda? (Chapter 1)


2 What does Alys say will happen to the priests if Cromwell gets control of County Clare? (Chapter 9)


3 What was the name of Cromwell's son-in-law? (Chapter 14)



4 What does Máire Rua say that Cromwell plans to do to the rich Catholics in Cork and Tipperary? (Chapter 13)



5 What will he do to the landowners in Clare, according to Máire Rua? (chapter 13)

Oliver Cromwell was a country gentleman and then a Member of the English Parliament.. He was also a Puritan and the Puritans hated the king of England. Oliver Cromwell led an army to victory against King Charles I's army. Even though he had no military experience, Cromwell turned out to be a brilliant cavalry leader. The defeat and then the execution of the king left Cromwell in charge as virtual dictator of England.
Soon after Cromwell landed in Ireland he marched his army up to Drogheda. His guns  opened a hole in the ancient walls in two days, and he stormed the town on September 11. Most of the defenders and many of the townsmen, particularly the Catholic clergy, were massacred by Cromwell's troops when the town fell and all the garrison's officers were put to death the following day.

The name of Oliver Cromwell used to be one of the most hated names in Ireland. Try an experiment of asking ten people over fifty what the name means to them and then try ten people under thirty. Compare the results.

Imagine that your brother or uncle is a priest. He is hiding. You hear that the Cromwellian army is coming to search the neighbourhood. Write the story of how you warn him.


Imagine that you are living in Drogheda and that it is September 11 1649. Write the story of how the town was stormed by Cromwell's army and its inhabitants massacred. (What other terrible event occurred on September 11 recently?)