Examination of John Reirdan

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The examjnacion of John Reirdan of Castlehinch in the County of Corcke <A> aged fforty fiue yeares or thereabouts taken the second day of december 1653
Who beeing duely sworne and examjned, deposeth and saith the frome the begining of the Rebellion the examjnant comanded the Castle of Blarny belonging now to the Lo Muskry and by & orders of Generall Barry and that Donnogh Reirdan was Ensigne to the examjnant, Company comanded by the Examjnant, That about the begining of harvest after the rebellion as the Examjnant remember s the said donnogh ô Reirdan went to Maccrome to visitt his wife that liued thereabouts, that on his returne to Blarny hee was comanded by the Lord of Muskery (to who who was then at Macroome) as to convoy Mrs Hussy and other English to Cor c ke Aghanboy in about two myle from Corcke, all which the said donnogh tould the examjnant after the same day, hee saith that the said Mrs Hussy and the other English were murthered in theire passage towards Corcke aforesaid, by some of the Inhabitants of the Country and some of the warde the n who were then at Blarny, and particularly

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particularly by William Slabagh, lately liueing in the County of Watterford, donnogh Long, John <B> since dead, John (as the examjnant thinketh) John ffitz=Morris Long, Edmond Murphy since killed <symbol> Teige Roe since dead, all the said persons beeing of the ward at Blarny, and allsoe by a weaver whose name hee knoweth not, beeing an Inhabitant of the Country and liueing about Tower=bri g de Hee saith that Murtagh Reirdan lookeing to the examjnants horse at grasse about halfe a myle from Blarny the said Murtagh heard a Cry and went to the place where hee conceaued the said Cry was which was about halfe a myle further and there hee saw seuerall English murthered but the said Mrs Hussy and two of her children were then aliue who the said Murtagh intended to haue said saued (as hee tould the examjnant) and carryed them towards Corcke, but immediately William Slabagh Edmond Murphy and the weauer pursued the said Murtagh and tooke away the said Mrs Hussy and her children, and carryed them backe backe and murthered them, wherevppon the said Murtagh came to the sai examjnant to Blarny and tould him of the murther aforesaid and that then the examjnant went forth then and meeteing the persons aforesaid that comitted the said murther tould

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tould them of the foulenes of the said murther, and the examjnant intended to haue questioned them for the same, but the examjnant said Ensigne <C> tould the examjnant that if hee should question them for that fact they would perhapps giue vpp the place they liueing soe neare an English=Guarrison, wherevppon the examjnant went the next day to the Lord Muskery to Macroome intending to acquaint him therewith (but finding him gone thence to kilkenny and some of his seruants then ready to goe after him the examjnant wrote a letter to the said Lo: Muskery giueing him him notice of the said murther, and allsoe an other letter to Generall Barry and therein a list of the names of the murtherers, hee saith that that about a quarter of a yeare after as the examjnant remembers hee receaued a letter from the said Lord Muskery intimateing to the examjnant that hee had sent the examjnants letter to the said Generall Barry, and charged the examjnant to haue a charge bee carefull of the said Castle, hee saith that about a yeare that the said persons who comitted the said murther continued vnder the examjnants comand in Blarny aforesaid vnpunished vntill Major Generall Purcell about a yeare after (a little before the Cessacion) encamped with parte of the Irish Army betweene Corcke & Blarny whither the examjnant & marched with parte of his Company, among whom hee brought the said murtherers

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murtherers, and then acquainted the said Major <D> Generall Purcell with the murther comitted by the said persons, and deliuered them vpp vnto him, but the examjnant did not heare that any of them were punished, but but but hee the Examjnant and the rest of his Company were ordered to lay downe Armes within a weeke after the Cessacion beeing then concluded vppon and said to deliuer the said castle of Blarny to John mc Callaghan then seruant to the Lord Muskry which the examjnant did accordingly, hee saith that the said Ensigne donnogh ô Reirdan returneing from the said Convoy as aforesaid, tould the examjnant that doctor healy (since executed) and Charles Vaughan then liueing a t in Baretts Country, tooke away rescued two of the English that were in the Company whereof one was a Collier, and carryed them away and after hanged them, as the Beeing demaunded Examjnant heard, hee saith that hee did see some of the clothes of the said persons that were murthered, brought to Blarny but denieth that euer hee the examjnant had any of the said clothes or any goods of the said English that were soe murthered, And further saith not.

Jo: Rirordan
Taken the day and yeare
aforesaid before vs
Fr Willoughby
Rob Meredith
J Temple
James Standish
Hen: Jones
J. Vernon