The town square
This is just another angle of the town square in Macroom. It was quite a pretty little town and in retrospect a very interesting town from an historical perspective. Prior to all these other incidents I mentioned between the Irish and the English, back in the 1600's the forces of Oliver Cromwell marched into this part of Ireland and crushed the Irish forces. To hear the Irish and contemporary historians tell the story, it was that evil Cromwell and his vicious English Protestants storming into a land where they didn't belong trying to impose their will. Fortunately I read some Irish history books back in the 1970's before political correctness and the "blame the English and Americans for everything" mindset invaded historical circles. The reason Cromwell invaded Ireland was because forces loyal to King Charles and the Monarchy were being harbored there. In order to protect his own claim to power back in London he was forced to put down the rebels. As a result of their victory, the Cromwellian forces hanged the leader of the rebels, the local bishop.
Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than se... ... read more 
