Hell or Connaught: The Cromwellian Colonization of Ireland, 1652-1660

by Peter Berresford Ellis

An acclaimed account which chillingly recreates the 'curse of Cromwell', the executions and mass transportations, the confiscation of lands, and the banishment of Irish landowners to 'Hell or Connaught'.

Genres: History, Ireland, Irish Literature

268 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1975

About the author

Peter Berresford Ellis is a historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as an authority on Celtic history and culture. Under Peter Tremayne, he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.

He began his career as a junior reporter on an English south coast weekly, becoming deputy editor of an Irish weekly newspaper and was then editor of a weekly trade journal in London. He first went as a feature writer to Northern Ireland in 1964 for a London daily newspaper which had a profound effect on him. His first book was published in 1968: Wales: a Nation Again, on the Welsh struggle for political independence, with a foreword by Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament. In 1975 he became a full-time writer. He used his academic background to produce many popular titles in the field of Celtic Studies and he has written numerous academic articles and papers in the field for journals ranging from The Linguist (London) to The Irish Sword: Journal of the Irish Military History Society (UCD). He is highly regarded by academics in his own field and was described by The Times Higher Education Supplement, London, (June, 1999) as one of the leading authorities on the Celts then writing. He has been International Chairman of the Celtic League 1988–1990; chairman of Scrif-Celt (The Celtic Languages Book Fair in 1985 and in 1986); chairman and vice-president of the London Association for Celtic Education 1989–1995, and now is an Hon. Life Member); He was also chairman of his local ward Labour Party in London, England, and was editorial advisor on Labour and Ireland magazine in the early 1990s. He is a member of the Society of Authors.

Apart from his Celtic Studies interests, Ellis has always been fascinated by aspects of popular literature and has written full-length biographies on H. Rider Haggard, W. E. Johns, Talbot Mundy as well as critical essays on many more popular fiction authors. His own output in the fictional field, writing in the genre of horror fantasy and heroic fantasy, began in 1977 when the first "Peter Tremayne" book appeared. Between 1983 and 1993 he also wrote eight adventure thrillers under the name "Peter MacAlan". Ellis has published (as of January, 2009) a total of 91 books, 95 short stories, several pamphlets, and numerous academic papers and signed journalistic articles. Under his own name he wrote two long running columns: 'Anonn is Anall' (Here and There) from 1987–2008 for the Irish Democrat, and, "Anois agus Arís" (Now and Again) from 2000–2008 for The Irish Post. His books break down into 34 titles under his own name; 8 titles under the pseudonym of Peter MacAlan and 49 titles under his pseudonym of Peter Tremayne. He has lectured widely at universities in several countries, including the UK, Ireland, American, Canada, France and Italy. He has also broadcast on television and radio since 1968. With the great popularity of his 7th Century set Sister Fidelma Mysteries, in January, 2001, an International Sister Fidelma Society was formed in Charleston, South Carolina, with a website and producing a print magazine three times a year called The Brehon. In 2006 the Cashel Arts Fest established the first three-day international gathering of fans of the series which is now held bi-annually and receives the full support of the Society

Reviews

[An Seachránaí]

Another thoroughly researched and articulated book from Ellis. Details the oppression and inhumanity of the English forces in Ireland, before, during, and after Cromwellian rule.
The Irish will still steadfastly continued against all odds

[Rhuff]

Early modern ethnic cleansing - there's no doubt we've progressed not a whit since the days of Cromwell, a humbling fact no one desires to face. The massacre of Protestant settlers during the uprising of 1641 - Britain's "October 7th" - touched off not only the English civil war but Cromwell's victorious crusade to crush and subdue, extirpate and dispossess the Catholic Celtic population. Even Scots-Irish Presbyterians were not safe from his iron hand. He is seen by the Irish, with good reason, as the Bibi Netanyahu of his time.

Ellis cites Sir William Peel's statistics as to numerical losses during the period, due to war and outright slaughter, famine, disease, and migration, to 40% of the prewar population. Peel's enumeration is not based on modern quantification methods: more recent deductions have human losses at 20%. But if not genocide it was certainly a removal comparable to Indians in America or the Nakba of Palestine. While Catholic chroniclers and nationalists have no doubt inflated the grue and gore of famous slaughters like Drogheda, revisionists in turn have posited that Cromwell was unjustly accused, that he was an "honorable enemy."

This goes too far the other way, and does not answer by what right England ever invaded the country in the first place. Opposition in Parliament fell to the Levellers, a "progressive democrat" faction of Parliament led by John Lilburne. Ellis gives these anti-war protestors their due in challenging the colonial policy which led to the uprising and the subsequent repression; they were treated as their modern parallels in Europe and the US - defamed, prosecuted, imprisoned.

The long-term damage of this period explains why it took two centuries for the country to regain enough leg to stand and rise again. Locals were driven into the western wilds or off the island, while English real estate barons claimed vacated land as their "rightful patrimony." Sound familiar? Ireland was certainly lucky there was no modern military-industrial complex to rake profit from its continued repression.

[Dan]

Very good book. Essential reading if you want to understand Ireland and the Irish.