Page added Jan. 10th 2001

Tuesday August 7^th 1821, Page 3, Col. 2

"On the 4^th of September, 1795, there was a fair at Loughgall, about two o’clock in the afternoon, the Peep o’ day Boys entered the north end of the town in considerable force, armed with every kind of offensive weapons, and without the least provocation attacked indiscriminately every Catholic they met, numbers of whom they shot, cut, mangled, battered and abused in the most inhuman manner; several of whom expired of their wounds shortly after. Yet there was not one man convicted for such atrocious conduct!!! Mr. J. Q. a very respectable old man, narrowly escaped with his life, as several bullets were fired after him as he fled; and his son, who had taken such an active part to call out the military in the month of June previously was obliged to seek refuge in a Protestant’s house, who afforded him protection until a party of the Clare militia arrived from Armagh, to quell such a barbarous mob, and protect the innocent people from being murdered."

Thursday August 9^th 1821

"The position occupied by the Orangemen at the DIAMON, was convenient to the residence of Mr. James Quigley, of Castleraw; he and his wife being far advanced in years, the youngest upwards of seventy, were extremely agitated, and in consequence dispatched their son to Loughgall, to request the detachment of the Clare regiment, which was quartered there, might be drawn out for the protection of the inoffensive people. It seemed that the Orange party was determined on the ruin of this family, for when Robert Q. mounted his horse, to proceed to the quarters of the soldiers, there was a fire opened on him from an adjoining hill, and the bullets cut through the hedges repeatedly close to him."

By this time the Orange troops had overrun a considerable part of the country, and with avowed savage ferocity, dreadfully battered every Catholic that they met, and destroyed and plundered their houses. Mr. James Quigley’s house being the first of any consequence that they came at, this worthy Orange mob, actuated by pure principles of religion, and to shew their zeal in the service of God, and support of the Protestant ascendancy, attacked like bloodhounds let loose on a particular object. The servants fled at their approach, except one female who happened to be a Protestant, and who was the only assistant that remained with the hoary proprietors, who being perfectly conscious of not having given an offence to any of their neighbours, avoided even the semblance of resistance; yet these savage attackers wantonly fired into the house at sundry places; one of the bullets grazed the old man’s head, his wife fell, seemingly lifeless, on the floor; in this situation they hauled the old man out of his own house a prisoner, and with firelocks and bayonets directed to his head and breast, vehemently threatened his life, if he did not swear to recant the errors of the Church of Rome. Virtuous Reformers! They never lost sight of the moral support due to the Protestant ascendancy. One of the party interfered, and said that he would not consent to murder the old man, as he must soon die of old age, and urged on his behalf his numerous charitable acts to his Protestant neighbours; but they unanimously declared that if they should catch his son the Captain, they would wreak their vengeance on him by the most protracted tortures. Yet they did not suffer the most minute article of property in his house to escape their plunder, carrying away whatever they thought proper, and destroying the remainder on the premises. They shattered every article of furniture, doors, windows, &c.; they shot the dogs, pigs and geese, and were proceeding to the fields to shoot the horses and cows, till one of their party, probably the same person who saved the old man’s life, exerted his influence to prevent them. They continued their devastation and plunder in the dwellings of the poor Catholics, till they came to the farmhouse occupied by one of Mr. Q-‘s sons, who was engaged extensively in the linen manufacture, and were plundering it in like manner, whilst they had the proprietor on his knees, every moment expecting death; and at this time the soldiers, under the command of the Magistrates, were within shot of them. To the honour of both officers and soldiers, be it told, they anxiously requested permission to fire on them, but the Magistrates absolutely refused, and only permitted them to march, at a slow pace, towards this highly-favoured Orange Banditti, who, on the approach of the military, retreated only to the adjoining hills, and there continued their virtuous and religious support of the Protestant ascendancy in the same way.

Saturday 12^th September 1835

Page 3 Column 5

…there was a road-side public house, kept by one of their sworn associates, named Winter, which was situate about three miles from the town of Loughgall, and four miles from Verner’s house. Here they established their head-quarters, whence they sallied forth on the 19^th September, 1795, and attacked the dwelling of Mr. James Quigly, of Castleraw, they robbed the house of all valuable articles, totally destroyed the furniture, and a valuable collection of books in various languages, shattered the doors and windows, and shot the hounds, spaniels, swine and poultry. They then proceeded to wreck and rob the dwellings of every member of Mr. Quigly’s family.

Monday September 11^th, 1837

Page 3, column 3

…the robbery of everything valuable, even the wearing apparel of the hoary proprietor and his old and infirm wife, and total destruction of the dwelling of Mr. James Quigly, of Castleraw, on Saturday, the 19 ^th. day of September, 1795, by the Peep-o’-day Orange gang.