Today, in the spruce little village of Ballinamuck in County Longford, a stone rebel stands, pike in hand, louring at the long-gone British forces just as his flesh-and-blood forebears might have done in 1798. The villages and hamlets around here are flecked with memorials, plaques, and statues, for it was in these now-quiet fields – about 80 miles north-east of Dublin – that Irish rebels and their French comrades chose to roll the dice for one last time against King George III.
And around the village you can still see the Croppy Pits. ‘Croppies’ was the nickname given by the King’s men to the Irish rebels fighting for independence from Britain – a reference to their hair, which was cut closely and crudely in imitation of the French revolutionary coiffure. After the insurgents were defeated outside Ballinamuck on 8 September, many of those taken prisoner were hacked or shot down, thrown together into pits and covered over.
Blacksmiths
Massed construction of pikes was undertaken by local blacksmiths. During Crown counter-measures, many such craftsmen were arrested and detained rather then let them continue as de facto armourers.
