HISTORY WAS brought alive at the weekend as Enniscorthy paid tribute to the 20,000 insurgents who faced the might of 10,000 well-trained and well-armed Crown Forces in 1798.
The National 1798 Centre, which was re-launched on Friday following a €178,000 investment, transformed into a battle ground full of re-enactments and family entertainment to demonstrate one of the bloodiest clashes in Ireland’s history.
Crowds of over 2,000 people passed through the centre over the weekend as family members ranging from toddlers to senior citizens took in the spectacular sights both in the centre and on its surrounding grounds, with the glorious sunshine adding to the jovial atmosphere.
A range of events made sure to keep all visitors entertained, including The Druid Chef who cooked up a storm with food from the era, such as a leg of lamb, chicken, vegetables and dumplings.
Scores of traditional 1798 music tinkled through the summer air while food foraging for Rebellion food with Mary White added to the authentic experience. Ms. White also held a free seminar on Slow Food Foraging, where a taster of food of the 1798 period was offered to one and all.
Laughter of children echoed through the grounds as they had great fun taking part in Pikeman Training, which they left with new skills of battle from the 1700’s, and living history tours provided a real insight into how life was like at that time.
A highlight for most visitors to the centre was the new audio-visual tour, which went down a treat for all history-buffs and children alike.
The tour involves a series of new characters telling the tale of the 1798 Rebellion, as well as uncannily life-like full sized models in full dress of the period. One child was seen staring at a figure trying to judge if he was human or not, such was the realistic detailing, before finally poking him in the shoulder and sighing with relief.
Visitors heard about well-known people associated with the Rebellion including GeneralLake, John Sheehan known as the Croppy Boy, Anthony Perry and the dreaded ‘Tom the Devil’.
A particularly outstanding aspect of the tour is the Battle of Vinegar Hill re-enactment room, which features redcoats and pikemen situated around the darkly lit space before a giant screen which outlines just how brutal the Rebellion was with footage and figures.
A hologram of a young croppy boy being shot in the stomach before speaking chillingly about his experience in the battle caused the packed room to go totally silent – you could hear a pin drop. His unsettling tale brought many of the visitors to tears and as he finished they chatted animatedly about how effective and touching it was.
Meanwhile, kids were kept busy with costumes available to dress up as redcoats or pikemen, complete with muskets and pikes, as well as puzzles and touchscreen monitors where you can check if your ancestors were involved with the Rebellion.
Manager of the 1798 Centre, Jacqui Hynes, told The Echo she was over the moon with the success of the weekend and of the re-opening of the centre.
“It was a fantastic success, we’re all delighted with how it went,” she said. “We have received exceptional feedback, with people saying the new tour in particular is ‘world class’, and it just makes all the hard work over the past while totally worth it.”
