The command of the Corps consequently devolved upon Mr. Thomas Tyrrell, the first Lieutenant, who had also at this critical period been appointed High Sheriff of the County of Kildare.—Upon the tenth of May 1798, he received an official letter, ordering the Clonard Cavalry upon permanent duty; in this emergency Mr. Thomas Tyrrell, finding his own house at Kilreiny about one mile and a half from Clonard inconvenient, and in truth indefensible from its situation, removed with his family to his Kinsman's house at Clonard, before described, where
he mounted a guard of one Serjeant and 18 men who were to be relieved every week.
Orders were about the same time issued to Captain O Ferrall of the Ballina Cavalry, to mount a permanent guard at Johnstown, near the Nineteen Mile house, which were accordingly complied with: but upon the 16th of May, reports of a general rising having been circulated, and being corroborated by encreasing outrages in the neighbourhood, Captain O Ferrall was permitted to fall back from Johnstown to Clonard in the night time for protection; repairing to Johnstown at four o'Clock in the morning, and retiring to Clonard in the evening.
In this way matters went on for some time, when the country becoming still more disturbed and apprehensions of an attack upon Clonard becoming more serious, Lieutenant Thomas Tyrrell repaired to Dublin, with an escort of his Corps, leaving the command at Clonard with Lieutenant Barlow. The object of this visit to Dublin, was to represent to Government the situation of that part of the country, the daily apprehensions
of an attack, and the necessity of a reinforcement. Lord Castlereagh, to whom these representations were made, answered, that under the existing circumstances no force could be sent to Clonard, but Mr. Thomas Tyrrell was authorized to raise some Supplementaries, for whom he would be supplied with arms and ammunition.
Pending this application in Dublin, viz. upon the 29th of May the Rebels assembled to the number of 800 in the village of Carbery, five miles from Clonard, where they burned the Protestant Charter School and several houses; they then proceeded through Johnstown, burning and destroying the house of every protestant near the road. Towards evening they halted at a place called Gurteen, where they destroyed the house of Mr. Francis Metcalf.—When intelligence of these transactions reached Clonard, Lieutenant Barlow marched out with a party of the guard, and being joined by Captain O Ferrall they went in pursuit of the Rebels, but did not over take them, until they had halted at Gurteen, where
they had taken a very advantageous position upon each side of a narrow road, behind strong quickset hedges, so that Cavalry could not approach them with any prospect of success. Lieutenant Barlow halted his men, and then advancing some paces towards the enemy, took off his helmet, and challenged them to come forward. They however declined leaving their entrenchments, and night approaching, the Yeomenry with great reluctance returned to their Guard house.
On the 30th of May Lieutenant Thomas Tyrrell arrived safe from Dublin, with his escort, carabines for the Troop, musquets for the Supplementaries and a quantity of ammunition. The next day he enrolled nineteen well affected protestants to act as Supplementaries and dismounted.
By this time the Rebels had collected a very considerable force and every night committed some outrage and depredation. They encamped upon an Island in the bog of Timahoe, and also at Mucklin and Dreihid; they plundered almost every
house in the neighbourhood of their respective places, drove away all the fat cattle and horse they could meet, and intercepted the supplies for the Dublin market.