Driscoll of Cork
Denish O Driscoill of Ardagh
Contributed by Jean Prendergast

Hibernian Chronicle, 24/1/1793

Editorial -' Extract of a letter from Waterford dated Ja… 3, 1793.

'I p….. so give you to the account ……….Queen's birthright, which indeed ….. very brilliant; and the Characters so numerous that I could not recollect one half of them. For the present I shall give you a specimen of a Countyman of yours, a Denish O Driscoill, but who personated the character I could not discover. He appeared as a County Cork Papist Farmer; the following state of his guis was handed about by himself.

'The case of Denish O Driscoill of Ardagh, in the barony of West Carbery, in the County of Cork. - Sheweth, that I, Denish O Driscoill, who now solicits the liberality and protection of the honest and good Protestant ………. of all descriptions in the county of Waterford, the only part ……….and denounce to slavery their poor Catholic brethren - I say that I had a comfortable farm of tin acre, which my poor father took a lease of in the year 1758, for 31 years, the ground then being only marshy, and not taxable; but my father …tence M'Teuge O Driscoill, son to Teuge Roe, who was son to Denish Beg M'Carthy More's grand-daughter, who all had estates, but what of that now: my father, myself, and my two brothers, Darby and M'Gillicuddy, by out work, early and late, brought the marsh and moor to be tillage ground - and what of that; my worthy gentlemen, our lease being out March 1789, myself put in my proposal to the landlord of a high rent, more by forty shilling a year than any one else offered, and the agent told me I must quit my house, as I had not been qualified to serve the master by giving him a vote, as I was a Papist, but if I turned and would be a voter, I may have my house and plot at my own offer; and as I could not swear what he wanted me, as I would rather be an honest and honourable beggar than a perjured rouge, I was forced to quit my poor house, and farm, which was set to a man from Tantahouse, in the Black North; and myself hearing that this county was a place where all was united like born brothers, myself was glad to come among you, and rather trust your generosity, humanity, benevolence, and liberality, in hopes of getting a comfortable resting place for my poor old bones, in my old days, rather than stay in Carbery, where I see men contrary to ourselves; so I came among you and am sure that in the best and unprejudiced county Waterford, where the ….. are well paid, and where no policemen or [Militia?] are a charge on the poor, and where the greatest may spend their fortunes among their tenants, and don't throw it away in London, I'll get a let and place, where I myself and Nell, and young Darby, Florence, Denish, Teuge, and Phelim would live honestly and free from being B….. ….. as they and myself now is; and let me say it, that my five boys shall ….. the die for honest and good King George - who wishes his Protestants ….. ….. ….. Catholics, every thing that’s good; and myself heared that there is nobody that won't follow the good King's advice, and that he will be turned off the sack where he sits, as I was out of ….. ….. and devil mend him, says Denish O Driscoill.

Tom Paine, represented by a person incognito was informed that his room was preferable to his [company?]. - He was taken prisoner by O Driscoill, who told him his wattle would free this country from sedition, ….. from serpents. For want of a justice to commit him, [he?] was offered to the recruiting party, who refused [him?], and handed Tom to the press-gang, who shipped [him?] down theirs, while the band struck up 'Long Live the King.'

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