Children's Experiences of Violence during the Irish Rebellion of 1641

Abstract

The killing of Protestant infants and children by Irish Catholics is at the centre of the mythologization of the Irish Rebellion of 1641. My article looks behind the myth by examining the way children's experiences of violence are remembered within the 1641 depositions, an extraordinary collection of more than 8000 witness testimonies made mainly by Protestant settlers in the aftermath of the rebellion. By exploring the way children are represented as perpetrators, victims, and survivors of violence, my article offers a child-centred account of the 1641 rebellion that contributes to broader understandings of childhood and war in early modern Europe.