Vinegar Hill is in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. It was the site of battles in at least two wars. In the Rebellion of 1798, Vinegar Hill was the scene of one of the final battles, "the fatal conclave." In the poem, "Requiem for the Croppies," Seamus Heaney wrote, of the Battle of Vinegar Hill: "Terraced thousands died, shaking scythes at cannon. The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave. They buried us without shroud or coffin And in August the barley grew up out of the grave." In 1916, Vinegar Hill was the scene of yet another encounter with the British, when Irish soldiers took refuge there after battles in Enniscorthy. The British employed "Enniscorthy Emily," a 15 pounder artillery piece mounted on a train. After firing one shot from across Enniscorthy, the British convinced the Irish to leave the Hill. If your Murphy relatives came "from Vinegar Hill," that means you should probably concentrate your search on Enniscorthy. It so happens that I have a Murphy connection with Enniscorthy, in the person of my great-grandmother. I actually have someone looking into the connection right now in Ireland, so I may have detailed information in a few weeks. Regards, Bernard Wilson Los Angeles, CA -----Original Message----- From: Michael & Robyn Mischin [mailto:mischin@iinet.net.au] Sent: Sunday, April 09, 2000 6:39 AM To: WEXFORD-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [WEX] MURPHY family - Vinegar Hill Hello all I'm researching my MURPHY family who apparently come from Vinegar Hill in Wexford. Could someone tell me a little about this place and its location (my Times Atlas doesn't come within a bull's roar of listing it). Many thanks, Robyn Mischin Perth, Western Australia RESEARCHING: POLLIE, Belgium CHAPMAN, Wiltshire, England VINECOMBE, Channel Islands and Devon, England WEAR, Somersetshire, England STEVENS, Wiltshire, England COLLINS, Birmingham, England PANTON, Tasmania, Australia HAINES, New South Wales, Australia UNDERWOOD, Australia GIESE, Australia PROPOSCH, Germany and Australia BORRACK, Germany and Australia