Thomas Cloney

Thomas Cloney (1773 - 1850) was a Co. Wexford leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

He was the only son of Denis Cloney, of Moneyhore, Co. Wexford, Ireland. His mother was Mary Kavanagh (d. 1782), of Ballybeg, Co. Carlow. They were Catholics. He had at least three sisters.

He fought at the Battle of Three Rocks, Battle of New Ross, Battle of Foulksmills (or Goff’s Bridge) and led the attack on Borris House. He was often subsequently referred to as 'General' Cloney because of this. New Ross was one of the bloodiest battles in Irish history.

Cloney also had a role in the minor Emmet Rebellion of 1803. In his "Memoirs", Myles Byrne describes a meeting he arranged between Robert Emmet and Cloney at Harold's Cross Green, Dublin, just prior to Emmet's Rebellion.

Cloney was the author of a book on the 1798 Rebellion - a slightly abbreviated form of its title is:

"A personal narrative of those transactions in the County Wexford, in which the author was engaged during the awful period of 1798"."

It was published in Dublin by James McMullen, 1832. It contains an Appendix which includes a report of Cloney's trial by Court Martial that began 5 July 1799. He had wished to publish his book earlier but was advised against it by his attorney, Peter Burrowes.

After a period of imprisonment after the Rebellion, Cloney went to live at Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny, where his home was named 'Whitehall'.

Cloney was visited at 'Whitehall' by many prominent Irish figures of the period, including Father Theobald Mathew, Daniel O'Connell and Archibald Hamilton Rowan.Joyce, p. 54.] In 1848, he was visited there by William Smith O'Brien, Thomas Francis Meagher and John Blake Dillon, just prior to the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848.Joyce, p. 55.] In 1849, Charles Gavan Duffy visited him there.

Cloney never married. He died at Graiguenamanagh on 20 February 1850, and is buried in St Mullin's Cemetery, County Carlow, where a large tombstone marks his final resting place, overlooking the River Barrow. [His grave is located near the rear of the cemetery (if one enters by the main gate) - among the ruined ecclesiastical buildings - near the river.]

References

Footnotes

ources

*Edward Hay, "History of the Insurrection of the County of Wexford, A. D. 1798" (Dublin, 1803).
*Thomas Cloney, "A personal narrative of those transactions in the County Wexford, in which the author was engaged during the awful period of 1798" (Dublin: James McMullen, 1832).
*Stephen Gwynn (ed.), "Memoirs of Miles Byrne - edited by his Widow", 2 vols. (Dublin & London, 1907). [See: Myles Byrne]
*K. Whelan (ed) & W. Nolan (assoc. ed.), "Wexford: History and Society" (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1987).
*John Joyce, "General Thomas Cloney: A Wexford Rebel of 1798" (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1988).