The North Cork Rifles was a regiment of the Irish Militia raised in County Cork in 1793. It saw a great deal of action during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, suffering many casualties. It later became a battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) and served in South Africa during the Second Boer War, mainly on railway defence and convoy escort. It was disbanded in 1908.
Precursors
Although there are scattered references to town guards and local units, no organised militia existed in Ireland before 1660. After the Stuart Restoration more formal militia forces were organised. In August 1666 the Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Ormond, made a 'progress' through County Cork and was accompanied by the horse militia of each barony. During the Williamite War in Ireland the Governor of Cork, Sir Richard Cox, increased the militia of the county to three regiments of foot (6000 men) and 26 independent troops of horse in 1691, which played an active part in the fighting. In 1715 the Irish Militia came under statutory authority, but its numbers fell away until the War of American Independence when, with a serious threat of invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain, Ireland had no national militia. It was not until the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War In 1793 that the Irish administration passed an effective Militia Act that created an official Irish Militia. The new Act was based on existing English precedents, with the men being conscripted by ballot to fill county quotas (paid substitutes were permitted) and the officers having to meet certain property qualifications.Hay, pp. 146–7.Hay, pp. 197–8. Hay, pp. 390–3.McAnally, pp. 1–31.Richey, pp. 3–6.
North Cork Militia French Revolutionary War In March 1793 County Cork was given a quota of 1464 men to find, to be organised into three regiments each of 488 men in 8 companies:Frederick, p. 167.McAnally, Appendix VI. North Cork Militia at FermoyFrederick, p. 243. South Cork Militia at RathcormacFrederick, p. 275.Hay, pp. 427–8. Royal Cork City MilitiaFrederick, pp. 983–5.Litchfield, pp. 56–8.>
The new militia was widely unpopular, and Cork was one of the slower counties to fill its quota. The order to embody the three regiments for service was not issued until 30 September and it was not carried out until 15 October.McAnally, pp. 41, 43, 48. In 1795 the Irish militia was augmented, and each of the County Cork regiments was raised to an establishment of 612 men.
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars saw the British and Irish militia embodied for a whole generation, becoming regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in Britain or Ireland respectively), which the regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manned garrisons, guarded prisoners of war, and carried out internal security duties.Knight, pp. 78–9, 111, 255, 411. In August 1794 the North Cork regiment was stationed at Mitchelstown, with a company detached to Mallow.McAnally, Appendix III.
Anxiety about a possible French invasion grew during the autumn of 1796 and preparations were made for field operations. A large French expeditionary force appeared in Bantry Bay on 21 December and troops from all over Ireland were marched towards the threatened area. Soon afterwards news arrived that the French fleet had been scattered by the winter storms. Several ships had been wrecked and none of the French troops succeeded in landing; there was no sign of a rising by the United Irishmen. The invasion was called off on 29 December, and the troop concentration was dispersed in early 1797.McAnally, pp. 96–102; Appendix III.
Early in 1797 the light companies of the militia were detached to join composite battalions drawn from several militia and regular regiments. The light companies of the three Cork regiments joined 1st Light Battalion. The militia regiments were each issued with two light six-pounder 'battalion guns', with the gun detachments trained by the Royal Artillery. When the militiamen of 1793 reached the end of their four-year enlistment in 1797, most of the Irish regiments were able to maintain their numbers through re-enlistments (for a bounty).McAnally, pp. 102–9, 121–6.Richey, pp. 18–9; Appendices IV & V.
Irish Rebellion
The expected Irish Rebellion finally broke out in May 1798, with large rebel forces active in County Wexford. At that time a wing of the North Cork Militia was stationed at the town of Wexford. A considerable body of insurgents gathered on Oulart Hill about from Wexford and Lt-Col Foote with a detachment of the regiment, reported at 110 men, went out on 27 May to disperse this gathering. Foote joined up with a Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry – only 16 strong, the remainder having joined the rebels – and marched towards Oulart. The advance party of the rebels fired from the cover of the hedges, but then fled. The militia pursued them up the hill without taking precautions, despite Foote's efforts to reform them. The main body of the rebels on this hill, armed only with pikes but believing that they were surrounded and would have to fight it out, turned and overwhelmed the militia. Foote got back to Wexford with one sergeant and three privates, from which writers have assumed that the other 105 were killed; 6 officers died. After this disaster a number of small government-held positions were abandoned and their garrisons concentrated at larger posts. Another detachment of the North Cork Militia was in action at Ballitore in County Kildare, on the same day as the Battle of Oulart Hill.McAnally, Appendix VIII.Maxwell, pp. 90–4.
The main rebel force was gathered at Vinegar Hill, and after Oulart the garrison of nearby Enniscorthy was on full alert. An 80-strong detachment of the North Cork Militia under Captain Snowe held the bridge over the River Slaney, a yeomanry cavalry detachment held the street connecting it to the town, and the Duffry Gate on the Carlow Road was protected by the yeomanry infantry. Key points such as Enniscorthy Castle and the market house each had a sergeant's guard for protection. The insurgents made their first attack on 28 May against the yeomanry infantry drawn up in line in front of the Duffry Gate. The yeomanry opened fire, but the insurgents drove cattle in front of their advance and extended to threaten both flanks so, covered by a charge by the yeomanry cavalry, they withdrew to the town. The North Cork Militia drove off an attempt to cross the bridge, but the insurgents then forded the river out of range of the militia's muskets. The suburbs of the town were now on fire, and the garrison retreated to hold the market square. Eventually the musketry of the loyalist troops began to tell on the poorly armed rebels, and another party of rebels advancing from Vinegar Hill was driven off by a company of the North Corks. The loyalists regained control of the town, but having lost around a third of their force (rebel casualties were much higher) and being completely outnumbered, the garrison decided to evacuate the burning town before nightfall and withdraw on Wexford. Having captured and sacked Enniscorthy, the Wexford rebels made Vinegar Hill their main encampment.Maxwell, pp. 94–7.
The town of Wexford was garrisoned by 300 of the North Cork Militia, about the same number of local yeomanry horse and foot, and had been reinforced by 200 men of the Donegal Militia, who occupied Windmill Hill outside the town. With most of Co Wexford in rebellion, the town needed reinforcements, but the advance guard of the Meath Militia marching to Wexford without precautions was ambushed and overrun at Forth Mountain (the Battle of Three Rocks) on 30 May. The commanders at Wexford decided that without reinforcements the large town was indefensible and ordered a retreat to Duncannon Fort. Some of the North Cork Militia may have abandoned their positions even before the order was given. The Donegal Militia fought their way out by Forth Mountain, the North Cork under Capt Snowe had got to within of Duncannon after dark when they were attacked in the rear by a party of rebel horse. After firing a few shots the militia ran to Taylorstown Bridge, where they came under fire and a number of militiamen and loyalists were killed, while about 50 militia and yeomanry were captured.Maxwell, pp. 104–8.
Meanwhile the detached Light Company of the North Cork Militia formed part of the garrison of Carlow that drove off a disorderly attack on 25 May, killing large numbers of rebels in the subsequent pursuit.Maxwell, pp. 75–6. Another detachment of the North Cork Militia, together with some of the Antrim Militia, reinforced the Wingfield Cavalry (known as the 'Black Mob') under Capt John Hunter Gowan and defeated a group of rebels at Ballycanew on 1 June.John Hunter Gowan at Dictionary of Irish Biography. As the insurgents advanced into County Wicklow, reinforcements were sent from Dublin to strengthen the garrison of Arklow. A detachment of 1 subaltern, 1 sergeant, 1 drummer and 28 other ranks (ORs) of the North Cork formed part of 1st Brigade. On the evening of 9 June a large mass of rebels with two cannons was observed advancing on the barricades protecting the lower town. The rebels threw themselves repeatedly against the musketry and battalion guns of the defenders until they began to fall back as darkness fell. The defeat at the Battle of Arklow halted the rebels' advance, and they retreated into Cos Wexford and Kilkenny.Maxwell, pp. 130–9.
The government troops under Lieutenant-General Gerard Lake now concentrated for an advance against the camp on Vinegar Hill. On 20 June Major-General John Moore's column, including the militia light battalions, cleared Goff's Bridge (the Battle of Foulksmills) and Vinegar Hill was attacked at dawn on 21 June. Lake's columns came under fire from rebel skirmishers among the hedges, but they advanced steadily, converging on the hill, capturing the rebel cannon, and clearing the camp and the town of Enniscorthy. 1st Light Bn suffered a number of casualties in this action.Maxwell, pp. 139–46. The decisive defeat at the Battle of Vinegar Hill broke the Wexford Rebellion, but there were still rebels active in Cos Kildare and Kilkenny. A detachment of 100 of the North Cork formed part of General Dunn's force that successfully defended Athy on 24 June and then followed the defeated rebels to Goresbridge, where they were taken in the rear. The rebels broke and ran, and many were killed in a pursuit lasting two hours.Maxwell, pp. 183–4. Over the following weeks the remaining rebel groups in other parts of Ireland were largely destroyed before a French force arrived on 22 August. It was too late to affect the outcome, and after initial success was forced to surrender on 8 September.Maxwell, pp. 223–43.
Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald,Member of Parliament for County Cork, was appointed Colonel of the North Cork Militia on 3 November 1798. His son, also named Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald, was appointed supernumerary lieutenant-colonel of the regiment on 17 May 1801, and several other members of the Uniacke family were also commissioned as officers in the regiment.War Office, 1805 List.Uniacke-Fitzgerald, Burke's Landed Gentry, Vol I.
After the rebellion the Irish Militia settled down to garrison duty once more. With the diminishing threat of invasion after 1799, the strength of the militia could be reduced, and the surplus men were encouraged to volunteer for regiments of the line.McAnally, pp. 148–53. The light battalions were reformed in 1800, with the Cork companies once more in 1st Light Bn.Richey, Appendix X.