Phil Cunningham : Short Biography

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Biography of Phil Cunningham

Australia

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Phil Cunningham

Murher (Kerry) Clonmel St Peter Paul (Tipperary)

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Phil Cunningham is often regarded as the forgotten leader of the Vinegar Hill uprising in New South Wales, Australia. Born in an area now known as Moylahiffe, Co. Kerry, Cunningham relocated to Clonemel, Tipperary sometime in the 1790's. He worked there as both as stonemason and a publican. After the 1798 Irish rebellion, Cunningham became involved in arms raids and helping prisoners to escape. This activity landed him under arrest in 1799, and he was sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay for life.

Cunningham's journey to New South Wales was made aboard the Anne. Conditions aboard this ship were notoriously poor, with the captain exerting extremely harsh punishments upon the prisoners. This led to a failed attempt at mutiny. Cunningham was punished for his role in the mutiny by being sent to the infamous Norfolk Island, but his skills in stonemasonry were desperately required in New South Wales, and so he was sent back.

The rebellious spirit did not die easily in Cunningham as he tried and failed to escape in 1802. In 1804, he became the principal leader of the Irish rebels in the convict rebellion. Cunningham and his 233 followers escaped from their prison with the intention of capturing ships to sail them home to Ireland. This resulted in the first ever declaration of martial law in Australia's history. The Irish rebels were defeated on Vinegar Hill, just one day after their escape. Cunningham was arrested under truce. Nine of the rebel leaders were executed, but it is uncertain what became of Cunningham, though it is commonly believed that he was hanged in Windsor, where his plae of death is now marked as a point of historical interest.

Additional Information
Date of Death	5th Mar 1804 (circa)

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I understand that Phil Cunningham was a native of Moyvane (Newtownsandes) in North Kerry.
I have never heard of a 'Moyvane' place-name in the Molahiffe area.

Are you sure that you have the correct location?

Nicholas Leonard,

Abbeyfeale.

P.S. The following extract from The Kerryman Newspaper of 7th October 2004 will outline the Moyvane aspect:

...But not many people would know that Philip Cunningham, one of the leaders of the uprising by the Transported United Irishmen in Australia, was a native of Moyvane.

Philip Cunningham has been described as the Michael Collins of his time – he was head of the United Irishmen for Munster. He was eventually arrested in 1799, tried for ‘treason felony’ against the Crown – notably for planning the capture of Clonmel – and deported to Australia in 1800.

The Moyvane man, however, continued his revolutionary activities in Australia, leading a short rebellion against the British authorities – for which he was subsequently hanged.

In March this year Cunningham and his men were honoured in several ceremonies in Australia. The weekend of ceremonies in Kerry began on Friday night in Moyvane with a lecture from well-known historian Dr Ruan O’Donnell.

Dr O’Donnell spoke about the history of the era and the known history of Cunningham both in Ireland and Australia...

abbeylubber

Thursday 27th June 2019 11:10PM

Hi Nicholas,

What I found was that he was from an area called Glenn Liath, Moyvane in what is now Molahiffe civil parish. IrelandXO works on civil parishes so this seemed the most appropriate way to connect him with a modern parish as the other option would be to simply broaden it out to the entire county.

A very interesting character indeed.

Chronicles Editor

Friday 28th June 2019 07:22AM

Hi, Ireland Reaching Out team,

Moyvane was in 1837 part of Murhur/Murher/Murhir Civil Parish. It was probably the same when Phil Cunningham was born, and when he died in Australia in 1804 .

Glenlea - in Irish Gleann Liath (The Grey Glen)- is in Moyvane Parish in North Kerry; Phil Cunningham is still revered there as a local hero of the 1798 Rebellion, and later of the Castle Hill insurrection in Australia. He was transported after 1798 to Botany Bay, and led the Castle Hill Rebellion in March 1804. Whilst a truce was being held to parley with the military authorities, a Captain Laycock treacherously shot Cunningham in the back, and killed him.

Molahiffe Civil Parish is near Farranfore and Firies, Co. Kerry, a long way to the south from Moyvane, about 32 miles by road.

The only connection between the two places that I can see is that Molahiffe and Moyvane, in Irish, have the same first word: Molahiffe has Maigh Fhlaithimh and Moyvane has Maigh Mheáin. In addition, Murhur is Maigh Oirthir in Irish.

It would be incorrect to use Molahiffe as the Civil Parish for Moyvane. As well as being an impracticable arrangement, there is no evidence that Moyvane had any known connection, administrative or ecclesiastical, with Molahiffe. There were persons from North Kerry who held extensive lands in the Molahiffe area, though, but this did not change the Civil Parish.

The only correct option would be to use Murhur as the Civil Parish- or its older form, Murher, as this latter form of the name dates to 1596.

The oldest recorded different version goes back to 1426.

This would clear up ambiguity for persons searching for Moyvane connections.

Best wishes,

Nicholas Leonard.

Abbeyfeale.