Dammed Hessians

 

Martin Obrien

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The Hessians “To twin or not to twin?” No 13

Have you ever noticed the signs outside towns and cities proclaiming that they are twinned with some place like Timbuktu, Avignon, or even Lazio in Italy? The whole idea is to share your problems and solutions, to make amends for being nasty in the past, to be pals, to come and visit. Well I have a great crowd to twin up with and no we haven’t asked them yet as I am sure the current population of both villages or towns are blissfully unaware of one another .The village of St Mullins in South County Carlow and Hanau and Kassel in Germany have a long history that needs to be resolved.

Bet you thought the British defeated the Irish in 1798 all by themselves, that great empire, not on your nanny they brought in mercenaries from all places Germany, Baron Von Hompesch’s and his dragoons .Yep the very fellows they fought two world wars against they paid them to kill Americans in the American revolution which they lost and in the Irish revolution of 1798 which we lost. The Hessians were German mercenaries, thugs for hire, they had the same reputation as the Vikings for rape pillage and plunder. Can you believe that a quarter of the British troops in the American revolution were Hessians paid for by the Mad King George 111 and sure weren’t s E2all his relations Germans. Now whose pulling whose leg?

Why is 1798 so important to St Mullins? You just have to walk up to the grave yard, thousands were massacred, more were killed in six weeks in Ireland than the entire French revolution and they had their guillotine .Another bad apple who kept turning up was the mad kings pal Charles Cornwallis, the Americans kicked him out in 1781 in Yorktown when he surrendered. Where did he turn up but in Ireland in 1798 with his gang of Hessians to have a go at beating up the local lads who were armed with pikes. He died in India from a dose, “fever” they said, maybe the Indians put the hex on him, that’s a good quality curse.

Back to this twinning, I propose that we contact the Mayors of these towns in Germany, elect a Mayor of our own here in St Mullins, I know a few likely candidates and arrange a twinning ,Let’s make pals with the Hessians, forgive and forget, they might even come over on holidays. There could be a bit of their DNA around! Sure, one of the real locals could be heir to the Hessian crown.