Blacks black whites white goods good bad is shite :lol: :lol: i will tell you the way it is :Y: :Y:
A true story..or...Gold in my veins.
- Thread starter reefer
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Help Support Prospecting Australia:
Ha Ha!...I never heard that one before!... :Y: :Y: Is that one of your own?...hehe! 
YOU HIT THE BULLS EYE..Dead center...great shot! ...So that's why you chose the Armalite for your Avatar!.... :Y: I like 'Straight Shooters' ] teehee...
Have you heard from Peter?...sure hope he's up to hiking around the scrub up there...might have to keep an eye on him methinks.
YOU HIT THE BULLS EYE..Dead center...great shot! ...So that's why you chose the Armalite for your Avatar!.... :Y: I like 'Straight Shooters' ] teehee... Have you heard from Peter?...sure hope he's up to hiking around the scrub up there...might have to keep an eye on him methinks.
Yes i think so can't have him laying down on the job again :lol: :lol:
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I ain't going to lay down on the job. Can not make calls out on the phone at the moment due to problems at the exchange. Hope to have the problem resolved sooner rather than later. Can still receive them and still have internet. Go figure. Nice job tho reefer.
Readers of this page will be pleased to know I am working on a new piece of work!..Watch this space for an adventure into... Rebellion, Bloodshed, Intrigue and GOLD! Set in the period 1848 to 1852 and delivered in several chapters. The first of which will appear in this space in the very near future...as soon as I finish it!
Standby for: BIG BOB O'Halloran :lol:
Standby for: BIG BOB O'Halloran
:lol:
Big Bob OHalloran
The Fever of discontent and revolution among the Lower and Middle classes was spreading all across Europe. So too had the insidious Potato Blight a fungus-like microorganism, first encountered in the Toluca Valley in Mexico and now thought to have come via crop shipments to firstly Western Europe, England, and now Ireland. And it was in Ireland, where it ravaged the worst. Crop failure after crop failure in a country where the humble potato was the staple diet of the working classes and an inept and half-hearted attempt by the British authorities to address the growing famine had led to the death by starvation of over one million people and a further two million forced to migrate throughout the Empire and to America. All of this, when those same starving peoples, produced ample Wheat and other grains sufficient to feed the nation, but of which their Pro British Landlords exported to Britain and elsewhere. Others among the British Rule considered the Blight as an act of God in order to get rid of the pesky Irish en masse
It was against this background that the Young Irelanders were formed in an attempt to secure a National Parliament based on the principles of Freedom, Tolerance and Truth consistent with Honour, Morality and Reason. All this was to apply not only to Catholic Ireland but for the Anglo-Protestants as well in a gesture of final reconciliation between these two long-standing opponents.
And so the leaders of the movement William OBrien, Thomas Meagher and Richard OGorman had travelled to Paris to enquire after the French model of political gains. Upon their return OBrien, impressed with the lot of the French peoples and the concessions gained by them by way of their new one rights and liberties, arrived back in Dublin with his own idea of the Tricoloured Flag only this one bore the Green of Catholic Ireland the White of peace and the Orange of the Protestantsthough it survives into the present day as the flag of the Irish Republic, it wasnt well received by the British Rule in that July of 1848. The British declared a state of Habeas corpus a state whereby a persons right to be brought before a magistrate and defend himself through the due process of the law is void and anyone and everyone may be arrested and held indefinitely without trial. The Young Irish Movement are left with no choice but to take up arms and resistand foremost among them is the formidable frame ofBig Bob OHalloran.
The Battle of Mrs.McCormacks Cabbage Patch.
For several days after the declaration of the suspension of habeas corpus OBrien and the other leaders, all by now facing arrest for sedition, had travelled through several counties gathering supporters as they went. By the time they reached the village of The Commons in County Tipperary they got word of the approaching Police and Military, some forty or so in number. And so they had set up a barricade up by the local colliery which gave them the high ground over-looking the road from Ballingarry and the group of Young Irelanders manned it with muskets at the ready. For Big Bob OHalloran there was no turning back, nor for that matter was there any turning back for his comrades, for they were all marked men now. OBriens arrival back from France meant he not only brought back a flag. Somehow, he had smuggled in a couple of cases of the fine long barrelled Charleville Flintlock rifles along with powder and the standard .69 calibre ball shot and they took up positions now and waited for the British to come.
And come they did, however their wily commander upon seeing the armed barricade before him, diverted his troopers across an adjoining field to the sturdy household of Mrs. McCormack where he took her five children as hostage. The poor lady upon hearing of the abduction of her children risked being shot to pieces and rushed to the house to plead for the release of them but the commander was having none of that so she implored OBrien to make contact with him on her behalf. OBrien went forward and made contact with the British and assured them that if they gave up their guns and set the children free that no harm would befall them. Before the commander could give his reply, a soldier lent out of his cover and shot OBrien. Severely wounded, OBrien was dragged to cover by James Stephens and Terence McManus who were also wounded in the attempt. Upon seeing that OBrien was shot, The Young Irelanders commenced firing from their positions near the cabbage patch. Big Bob OHalloran, seeing the precarious position they were in called for a withdrawal to behind the households sturdy stone fence and it was from there that the battle was taken to the British in the form of volley after volley of .65 calibre musket balls. Patty McBride who had been covering the rear of the house made a desperate attempt to join the others in their new position behind the front gate wall but was seen by a trooper and had the life blown out of his chest. Acrid white gunpowder blanketed the scene and the sound of the Rebels and the Police trading shot after shot mingled with the moans of the wounded and the screams of Mrs. McCormack and so on it went until at last, the rebels were low on powder and shot and they could see a contingent of Cashel Police coming over the Boulea Hill. Their opponents in the house were fortified behind thick stone walls and if they continued the fight they would certainly be surrounded and shot to pieces. There was nothing for it They must give up the battle and run. Run as fast as their legs could carry them just be away and live to fight another day.
News of the gallant stand at The Commons had spread throughout the country side. And good thing it had. For after avoiding the patrol sent up to re-inforce the beleaguered contingent at Mrs. McCormacks Cabbage patch, Big Bob had sought shelter in the house of Paddy Jenkins, a supporter of the cause but a married man with eight little ones and a wife to keep. Upon his arrival just after dark he was ushered in fed and secreted in a small shed at the rear of the house. The Police and the military had arrested poor William OBrien, Thomas Meagher and the other wounded soon after the reinforcements had arrived to relieve those officers besieged in Mrs McCormacks house and were out rounding up as many of the rebels as they could. Thankfully they were concentrating the search north-west of Paddys place. He was safe for the night at least. In the meantime, The wheels of his fate were slowly gathering pace and the news of his non-capture reached far and wide amongst those loyal to the cause.This may be a closely run-thing, yet there was chance he could make his way to freedom. As the night closed in around him and before he succumbed to sleep he swore that the chains of slavery and deportation would never be clasped around his ankles. He would make good use of his Charleville long before that would happen.
to be continued
The Fever of discontent and revolution among the Lower and Middle classes was spreading all across Europe. So too had the insidious Potato Blight a fungus-like microorganism, first encountered in the Toluca Valley in Mexico and now thought to have come via crop shipments to firstly Western Europe, England, and now Ireland. And it was in Ireland, where it ravaged the worst. Crop failure after crop failure in a country where the humble potato was the staple diet of the working classes and an inept and half-hearted attempt by the British authorities to address the growing famine had led to the death by starvation of over one million people and a further two million forced to migrate throughout the Empire and to America. All of this, when those same starving peoples, produced ample Wheat and other grains sufficient to feed the nation, but of which their Pro British Landlords exported to Britain and elsewhere. Others among the British Rule considered the Blight as an act of God in order to get rid of the pesky Irish en masse
It was against this background that the Young Irelanders were formed in an attempt to secure a National Parliament based on the principles of Freedom, Tolerance and Truth consistent with Honour, Morality and Reason. All this was to apply not only to Catholic Ireland but for the Anglo-Protestants as well in a gesture of final reconciliation between these two long-standing opponents.
And so the leaders of the movement William OBrien, Thomas Meagher and Richard OGorman had travelled to Paris to enquire after the French model of political gains. Upon their return OBrien, impressed with the lot of the French peoples and the concessions gained by them by way of their new one rights and liberties, arrived back in Dublin with his own idea of the Tricoloured Flag only this one bore the Green of Catholic Ireland the White of peace and the Orange of the Protestantsthough it survives into the present day as the flag of the Irish Republic, it wasnt well received by the British Rule in that July of 1848. The British declared a state of Habeas corpus a state whereby a persons right to be brought before a magistrate and defend himself through the due process of the law is void and anyone and everyone may be arrested and held indefinitely without trial. The Young Irish Movement are left with no choice but to take up arms and resistand foremost among them is the formidable frame ofBig Bob OHalloran.
The Battle of Mrs.McCormacks Cabbage Patch.
For several days after the declaration of the suspension of habeas corpus OBrien and the other leaders, all by now facing arrest for sedition, had travelled through several counties gathering supporters as they went. By the time they reached the village of The Commons in County Tipperary they got word of the approaching Police and Military, some forty or so in number. And so they had set up a barricade up by the local colliery which gave them the high ground over-looking the road from Ballingarry and the group of Young Irelanders manned it with muskets at the ready. For Big Bob OHalloran there was no turning back, nor for that matter was there any turning back for his comrades, for they were all marked men now. OBriens arrival back from France meant he not only brought back a flag. Somehow, he had smuggled in a couple of cases of the fine long barrelled Charleville Flintlock rifles along with powder and the standard .69 calibre ball shot and they took up positions now and waited for the British to come.
And come they did, however their wily commander upon seeing the armed barricade before him, diverted his troopers across an adjoining field to the sturdy household of Mrs. McCormack where he took her five children as hostage. The poor lady upon hearing of the abduction of her children risked being shot to pieces and rushed to the house to plead for the release of them but the commander was having none of that so she implored OBrien to make contact with him on her behalf. OBrien went forward and made contact with the British and assured them that if they gave up their guns and set the children free that no harm would befall them. Before the commander could give his reply, a soldier lent out of his cover and shot OBrien. Severely wounded, OBrien was dragged to cover by James Stephens and Terence McManus who were also wounded in the attempt. Upon seeing that OBrien was shot, The Young Irelanders commenced firing from their positions near the cabbage patch. Big Bob OHalloran, seeing the precarious position they were in called for a withdrawal to behind the households sturdy stone fence and it was from there that the battle was taken to the British in the form of volley after volley of .65 calibre musket balls. Patty McBride who had been covering the rear of the house made a desperate attempt to join the others in their new position behind the front gate wall but was seen by a trooper and had the life blown out of his chest. Acrid white gunpowder blanketed the scene and the sound of the Rebels and the Police trading shot after shot mingled with the moans of the wounded and the screams of Mrs. McCormack and so on it went until at last, the rebels were low on powder and shot and they could see a contingent of Cashel Police coming over the Boulea Hill. Their opponents in the house were fortified behind thick stone walls and if they continued the fight they would certainly be surrounded and shot to pieces. There was nothing for it They must give up the battle and run. Run as fast as their legs could carry them just be away and live to fight another day.
News of the gallant stand at The Commons had spread throughout the country side. And good thing it had. For after avoiding the patrol sent up to re-inforce the beleaguered contingent at Mrs. McCormacks Cabbage patch, Big Bob had sought shelter in the house of Paddy Jenkins, a supporter of the cause but a married man with eight little ones and a wife to keep. Upon his arrival just after dark he was ushered in fed and secreted in a small shed at the rear of the house. The Police and the military had arrested poor William OBrien, Thomas Meagher and the other wounded soon after the reinforcements had arrived to relieve those officers besieged in Mrs McCormacks house and were out rounding up as many of the rebels as they could. Thankfully they were concentrating the search north-west of Paddys place. He was safe for the night at least. In the meantime, The wheels of his fate were slowly gathering pace and the news of his non-capture reached far and wide amongst those loyal to the cause.This may be a closely run-thing, yet there was chance he could make his way to freedom. As the night closed in around him and before he succumbed to sleep he swore that the chains of slavery and deportation would never be clasped around his ankles. He would make good use of his Charleville long before that would happen.
to be continued
I assume you know that you can get his military records online (that often gives further info, such as birth dates, where he lived where he enlisted etc). I have got a lot of info on my family that way, my father, my uncle, my grandfather and even my great grandfather (e.g. I know where my father was virtually every single day for 7 years in the Pacific). Also, there would be people around Gobur who might recall him (I was chatting to someone familiar with the mining there last year, and years ago the store in Merton? had a book for sale on local history including mining history).AtomRat said:
A great read Reefer.
Mackka :clap: :clap: :clap:
Mackka :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thank you, Makka!... I am tied up with family visiting right now..but I wanted to get the story out there for a bit of a 'new-year' read for all my followers...should I say...readers. I can assure one and all that things are about to become life-changing very soon and we have barely scratched the surface of the story of Big Bob O'Halloran!
So it might be a while but I'll try to ensure I get on with when I can.
So it might be a while but I'll try to ensure I get on with when I can.
Big Bob OHalloran.Chapter.2
The finely clad figure standing by the mid-ship railing bore no resemblance to the one who had arrived tired and untidy in Dublin just 2months before. The Young Irelanders Movement had taken great pains to ensure that Big Bob OHalloran was not captured by the Authorities and that had meant being ferried from pillar to post by all sorts of conveyances across three different Counties. Never in one place for more than a week at a time. Eventually, he reached Dublin and was ensconced in the rather substantial but safe house of Molly OLeary a sworn member of the Movement. He had been through a torrid time of it and it was decided that he remain here while he was able to rest and build up his strength until a more permanent arrangement could be found. It was fully three weeks before word came to him via a rather substantial envelope and a large trunk dutifully placed outside his door By Molly and the deliverer, who was also working in the service of the cause. Big Bob was among the few in the battle at The Commons who could actually read and write and reading through the words he was almost overwhelmed with the gravity of it. Essentially it was from the highest echelons from within the organisation, thanking him for his brave service to the cause. It made good note of his coolness under fire and his rallying of the insurgents when OBrien was wounded an unable to participate in his leadership. He was to consider himself an established member of the movement with orders to inform and instruct the Movements supporters in New York, as to the current state of affairs and to further the course by way of seeking financial and moral support among the many Irish already present in many States of the American Union. To that end, he was to personally deliver another letter in a Wax sealed envelope addressed to a Mr Charles Flanagan. Also included was an envelope which contained forged papers identifying him as one Robert Sweeney a wool buyer and Merchant. Also, enclosed in a separate envelope was a letter of credit to the order of 200 US Dollars andwhats this!... none less than a ticket of passage on the U.S.S. RINGLEADER to New York. AND! Whats more, she sails in three days hence. The trunk revealed all the trappings of an upper-class traveller.
Among the items therein were three fine coats, five cotton shirts, three pair of trousers, and underwear as well as socks, kerchiefs and accessories including two pair of shoes and a pair of knee-length English riding boots. Also included was a small Double Barrelled pistol in .38 CAL. with extra shot, caps and powder included in a stylish felt lined case. Whether he liked it not he was now in the official employ of his countrymens cause, inexorably swept up in the machinations of history. For the sake of his own security and that of the Movement, there could be no personal contact with any of his family. He was assured however that his dear Ma and Da would be informed once he was safely at sea and in the due course of timelittle comfort, but at least he would know that they knew he was alive and well.
Figure 1. Circa 1848 The USS RINGLEADER.
And so Big Bob, Clad in a fine Navy Blue, double-breasted three-quarter length coat, with fawn trousers and brown knee-length boots surveyed the last vestiges of dear Erins Isle, as it slowly disappeared into the horizon and the Ringleader, amongst one of the finest Clippers in the world, emerged from the Celtic Sea and rounded Cape Clear in County Cork. All hands were soon aloft as the order was given to make all available sail and the Ringleader leapt forward as the sails were unfurled and the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean lay before them.
to be continued
The finely clad figure standing by the mid-ship railing bore no resemblance to the one who had arrived tired and untidy in Dublin just 2months before. The Young Irelanders Movement had taken great pains to ensure that Big Bob OHalloran was not captured by the Authorities and that had meant being ferried from pillar to post by all sorts of conveyances across three different Counties. Never in one place for more than a week at a time. Eventually, he reached Dublin and was ensconced in the rather substantial but safe house of Molly OLeary a sworn member of the Movement. He had been through a torrid time of it and it was decided that he remain here while he was able to rest and build up his strength until a more permanent arrangement could be found. It was fully three weeks before word came to him via a rather substantial envelope and a large trunk dutifully placed outside his door By Molly and the deliverer, who was also working in the service of the cause. Big Bob was among the few in the battle at The Commons who could actually read and write and reading through the words he was almost overwhelmed with the gravity of it. Essentially it was from the highest echelons from within the organisation, thanking him for his brave service to the cause. It made good note of his coolness under fire and his rallying of the insurgents when OBrien was wounded an unable to participate in his leadership. He was to consider himself an established member of the movement with orders to inform and instruct the Movements supporters in New York, as to the current state of affairs and to further the course by way of seeking financial and moral support among the many Irish already present in many States of the American Union. To that end, he was to personally deliver another letter in a Wax sealed envelope addressed to a Mr Charles Flanagan. Also included was an envelope which contained forged papers identifying him as one Robert Sweeney a wool buyer and Merchant. Also, enclosed in a separate envelope was a letter of credit to the order of 200 US Dollars andwhats this!... none less than a ticket of passage on the U.S.S. RINGLEADER to New York. AND! Whats more, she sails in three days hence. The trunk revealed all the trappings of an upper-class traveller.
Among the items therein were three fine coats, five cotton shirts, three pair of trousers, and underwear as well as socks, kerchiefs and accessories including two pair of shoes and a pair of knee-length English riding boots. Also included was a small Double Barrelled pistol in .38 CAL. with extra shot, caps and powder included in a stylish felt lined case. Whether he liked it not he was now in the official employ of his countrymens cause, inexorably swept up in the machinations of history. For the sake of his own security and that of the Movement, there could be no personal contact with any of his family. He was assured however that his dear Ma and Da would be informed once he was safely at sea and in the due course of timelittle comfort, but at least he would know that they knew he was alive and well.
Figure 1. Circa 1848 The USS RINGLEADER.
And so Big Bob, Clad in a fine Navy Blue, double-breasted three-quarter length coat, with fawn trousers and brown knee-length boots surveyed the last vestiges of dear Erins Isle, as it slowly disappeared into the horizon and the Ringleader, amongst one of the finest Clippers in the world, emerged from the Celtic Sea and rounded Cape Clear in County Cork. All hands were soon aloft as the order was given to make all available sail and the Ringleader leapt forward as the sails were unfurled and the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean lay before them.
to be continued
Thanks, Spin. The pics look great. I only hope my story is doing them justice!...it was great to chat last night even if I did get chastised by the Mrs! layful: for talking too much hehe!, Anyway mate 'The Ringleader' is captured in full sail, now running at an incredible 18 knots steering north by north-west in search of the Trade Winds to carry them all to the 'Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave'.... or so they say!
layful: for talking too much hehe!, Anyway mate 'The Ringleader' is captured in full sail, now running at an incredible 18 knots steering north by north-west in search of the Trade Winds to carry them all to the 'Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave'.... or so they say! 
