Music and song to tell the tale of legendary Russell

Music and song to tell the tale of legendary Russell

14 August 2013

THE life and times of Thomas Russell (1767-1803) will be presented with music and songs in Old Court Chapel, Strangford, on Friday, August 23.

Tickets are £7.50 each and are available from Kevin Óg, Newsagent, Strangford. Seating is limited in this quaint little chapel, so it is important to purchase tickets in advance.

This cross-community show was produced and presented for the first time by Noreen Napier, from Saul, on behalf of the Friends of the Down County Museum during the St. Patrick’s Festival in Downpatrick earlier this year.

It will also be presented in Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church in Belfast on Thursday, October 3, and again in the Down County Museum on Wednesday, October 23.

The harpist and singer, Sarah McVeigh, from Saul, who recently won the Ulster Fleadh Championship, will be playing amongst other airs the melody, ‘The Coolin’, which won first prize in the Belfast Harp Festival of 1792. Niamh and Breagh McGreevy, from Darragh Cross, have classical training on violin but are also accomplished traditional musicians and have recently joined the show.

The highly talented traditional musician Danny McGreevy from Downpatrick will be playing Uilleann pipes and whistles. Danny has recently composed a lament for Thomas Russell and will be performing it on the evening.

Kevin Óg Kearney, from Strangford, is one of the finest singers in County Down and will be singing some of Robbie Burns’ best known songs. News reader Michelle Napier will be reading the narration in between the musical sets.

Thomas Russell, soldier, magistrate, librarian and United Irishman, was hanged and beheaded at Downpatrick gaol on October 21, 1803. He was convicted on a charge of high treason for his part in the Robert Emmet rebellion of 1803.

His life story unveils a unique period in Irish history when a small number of Anglicans, Catholics and Dissenters (non-Anglican Protestants) formed The Society of United Irishmen to work peacefully for parliamentary reform, Catholic emancipation and just government in Ireland.

In 1794 this society reformed into a revolutionary organisation which led to the bloody rebellion of 1798 in which over 30,000 people were killed in an effort to gain independence from British rule.

Russell was appointed Commander of County Down in 1796 and was arrested shortly afterwards. He remained in prison without charge until 1802 and many of his close associates were killed or executed for their part in the events of 1798.

Upon his release he conspired with Robert Emmet to attempt another rising in Ireland. This ultimately led to his arrest in Dublin after attempting to raise the men of Loughinisland in rebellion to seize arms stored in Downpatrick.

He was sent back to Downpatrick for trial and there was an extremely heavy military presence at his trial and subsequent execution.

In recent years the historical significance of Thomas Russell’s role in Irish history has received considerable recognition. There appears to be no doubt that he was a man with a passionate hatred of injustice who truly believed that his mission was a ‘sacred’ one.