But one and all, the Catholics of Kinsale declared that they would not go to Connaught among their enemies the Irish, who hated them as traitors to their religion, and some of them said they would rather be transported to Barbadoes than to Connaught among the rebels. Rather than do so they would forfeit all their possessions. And on the report of the judges Cromwell exempted them from transplantation and allowed them some proportion of lands in the baronies of Muskerry and Barrymore, provided they were distant at least two miles from any walled town or seaport.[1]
Now comes the question who were to be transplanted into Connaught. The first idea seems to have been that all the Irish were to be moved there. It was certainly so interpreted at first by the Irish. In order to carry out the transplantation all landowners were required to hand in to officials named for that purpose a description of themselves, with the number of cattle, horses, pigs, &c. which they owned, and a list of all their servants and tenants who were to transplant with them. These lists are still extant for Munster, and for eleven counties of Leinster. In some cases in Kerry these lists plainly show that the landlord was accompanied by all his tenants. One such has over 900 names in it. For some reason or other in the Counties of Kerry and Tipperary the transplantation was
- ↑ A fairly complete account of these proceedings is given in Prendergast. The Act of Attainder of 1657 excepted them from transplantation, and provided that they were to receive the equivalents for their former property in these two baronies. At the Restoration they were mostly dispossessed of their allotments without in all cases recovering their original property. The inhabitants of Fethard were also dispensed from transplanting, owing to the terms granted them by Cromwell.
