—Dr. William Robert MacDermott, the Confederate— The name is known to many of us, but not the full story. William Robert MacDermott was born in 1839 in Dublin, the son of Dr. Ralph Nash MacDermott of Clare. MacDermott entered Trinity College in 1859, aged 20, and left Trinity in 1864. However, between the years of 1861 and 1864 MacDermott served in the Confederate States Army in Missouri during the American Civil War. At the time, Missouri was the gateway to the West and was still mostly a frontier. Missourians’ loyalties were split right in half during the Civil War, with some supporting the Confederacy and others the Union, but the State never officially seceded. Most of the Irish in Missouri enthusiastically took up arms for their adopted State, mostly in Missouri’s Confederate militia. There were two Irish regiments from Missouri, one in the Union army and the other, the more famous one, was the Confederate ‘Kelly’s Irish Brigade’ which was led by Col. Joseph Kelly of Galway. We don’t know for certain which regiment MacDermott served in, but clues from his book “The Green Republic” tell us he did fight in Missouri, but left the army before the war’s end and came home to Ireland. He was assigned to the Poyntzpass district in 1867 at the age of around 28 and diligently looked after us right up until his passing in 1918. That such a man lived and worked among us and for us is truly a blessing, and to think our ancestors were treated and looked after by someone who saw combat in Missouri’s Confederate forces during the Civil War is amazing. He rests in the Church of Ireland graveyard, and his headstone has recently been restored so as to be readable again; he deserves to be remembered.

Making history!!!

Last night’s Talk by Sean McClory gave an account of 3 local Irish speakers Brother Malachi Conlon, Mary McKiernan (nee O’Donnell) and Johnny McAloone. Great research by Sean and full of little stories about the three characters. Over 70 attended with visitors from Donegal and the Conlon / McSherry Clan well represented

Good on ye Robert Morrow. A bit warmer this year for the kilt!!!

On this day 156 years ago, the battle of Fredericksburg was well underway, and the Confederates had entrenched on Marye’s Heights above the town behind a stone wall. The Union sent regiment upon regiment against the dug-in Confederates, to no end but slaughter. Poyntzpass was well represented, Hugh Murphy was present at the battle with the 21st Massachusetts of the Union army and a number of the Shiels family were serving with the Confederacy; shooting across the wall at one another. Image: The Confederate 24th Georgia (The Irish Legion) behind the stone wall on Marye’s Heights, 13th December 1863.