About Rory O'Moore- The Man

The Rory O'Moore School of Pipes & Drums Band was named for one of Ireland's many leaders in revolt against their oppressors. The Moore crest appears below.

Rory O'Moore was the descendent of a family which epitomized the history of Ireland. His ancestor, Gillepatrick O'Moore, who ruled the Celtic chiefry of Leix, had been among the first to feel the effect of the plantations. The O'Moore's resisted so tenaciously that Rory's grandfather was known as "the terror of the Pale." The O'Moore's were eventually transported to Connaught...their choice being the infamous statement, "To hell or Connaught."

Rory O'Moore was a traveled and scholarly man, described by his contemporaries as "one of the most handsome, comely and proper persons of his time, affable and courteous speaking well both English and Irish." He had the largeness of mind to advocate of all forms of religion.

As a member of Parliament, he agitated for fifteen years for constitutional reforms to address Irish grievances. He finally concluded that neither king nor Parliament was capable of an impartial investigation of these grievances. In disgust, Rory turned his persuasive genius to the plotting of the Rebellion of 1641. Joining with men with famous family names like O'Neill, O'Reilly and MacMahon, they planned to seize the province of Ulster and Dublin Castle.

In other areas of Ireland, local arms depots were to be seized. Rory was in charge of seizing Dublin Castle, a bold plan which, had it succeeded, would have given the Irish vast stores of arms and ammunition and would have had a positive psychological effect on the people as Dublin had not been in Irish hands since it was reduced by Strongbow in 1170. Unfortunately, the plot was discovered and the raid on Dublin Castle failed although the revolt went on in other areas of Ireland.

The O'Moore tradition of rebellion and independent thought continues to the present day. The O'Moore name can be found in the rolls of every Irish revolt down to the present time. The famous Patrick Sarsfield defender of Limerock, and commander of Irish troops in the revolt of 1689 was the grandson of Rory O'Moore.

In Rory's time, a song was written:

On the green hills of Ulster the white cross waves high,
And the beacon of war throws its flame to the sky,
Now the taunt and the threat let the coward endure,
Our hope is in God and Rory O'Moore.

Do you ask why the beacon and banner of war
On the mountains of Ulster are seen from afar?
'Tis the signal of our right to regain and secure,
Through God and our Lady and Rory O'Moore.

After the Uprising of 1641 failed, it is thought that Rory escaped to Scotland and later returned to Ireland. He reportedly died in the west of Ireland.

Our Kilt
The plaid selected by the members of The Rory O'Moore School of Pipes & Drums Band is the Baird clan of Scotland. The fortunes of this family began when William the Lion, King of Scotland from 1165 to 1214, rewarded a Baird with land grants for saving his life. The Bairds were granted the Barony of Cambusnetham by Robert de Bruce and subsequently spread to Banffshire and Auchmeddan. They were involved with the losing side in the wars between Scotland and England during the fifteenth century.

The Rory O'Moore School of Pipes & Drums has members who are descendents of O'Moore, Baird and de Bruce.

Historical notes courtesy of Keith Wood, Pipe Major, Rory O'Moore School of Pipes & Drums