Welcome to my Website. My name is John Mooney and I live near Belfast in North East Ireland. The Wild Geese was the name applied to the Irish Jacobite army who were exiled from Ireland as a result of the Treaty of Limerick (3rd October 1691) which ended the Williamite Wars. Under the terms of the Treaty, the Irish army commanded by Patrick Sarsfield could leave Ireland and seek service in other European armies. In return the English promised religious freedom for Catholics in Ireland. The English broke this treaty and over a century of anti Catholic laws were enforced in Ireland.
Although the name "The Wild Geese" specifically refers to Sarsfields army, the name is often used to describe the generations of Irish soldiers who fought in foreign armies.
This Website is dedicated to generations of Irish men and women who gave their lives for their concept of Freedom.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anamacha. May they rest in peace.
Fighters in every clime Every cause but our own.
~ Emily Lawless (1845-1913)
Heres unto the Irish
The men the Gods made mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad.
~ G K Chesterton (1874-1936)
The first thing to note is that in my son's veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels, the Spanish conquistadores, and the Argentinian patriots, Evidently Che inherited some of the features of our restless ancestors. Something in his nature which drew him to distant wanderings, dangerous adventures ~Ernesto Guevara Lynch (father of Che Guevara) and a descendent of "The Wild Geese".
Michael Corcoran & 69th New York Regiment Memorial, Ballymote, County Sligo.