The Carnew Massacre was the summary execution of 38 prisoners being held as suspected United Irishmen by the local garrison in the British army barracks base of Carnew Castle, Carnew

Carnew

Carnew is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Wicklow situated just a mile from the border with County Wexford...

, County Wicklow

County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 on 25 May 1798.

By the morning of the 25 May, news of the long-expected outbreak of the 1798 rebellion

Irish Rebellion of 1798

The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...

 in neighbouring County Kildare

County Kildare

County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...

 and of military losses in the battles of Ballymore-Eustace

Battle of Ballymore-Eustace

The Battle of Ballymore-Eustace was one of the events in the United Irish rebellion of 1798. It took place on 24 May 1798 after the stationing of the 9th Dragoons, and members of the Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh Militias at Ballymore in County Kildare near the Kildare-Wicklow border on 10 May...

, Naas

Battle of Naas

The Battle of Naas took place in Ireland on 24 May 1798.-Background:One of the first engagements of the 1798 rebellion, a force of over 1,000 rebels, led by Michael Reynolds attacked Naas, the strongest Crown garrison in County Kildare, following the successful mobilisation of United Irishmen,...

, and Prosperous

Battle of Prosperous

The Battle of Prosperous is the name given to a military engagement between the forces of the British Crown and the United Irishmen during the 1798 rebellion...

 had reached the garrison in Carnew, who decided to take preventative measures by assembling the rebel suspects in detention, who were marched from Carnew Castle to the local handball

Gaelic handball

Gaelic handball is a sport similar to Basque pelota, racquetball, squash and American handball . It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association...

 alley and executed by firing squad as a warning to the local populace.

News of the summary execution

Summary execution

A summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is killed on the spot without trial or after a show trial. Summary executions have been practiced by the police, military, and paramilitary organizations and are associated with guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and...

s, together with news of a similar massacre at Dunlavin

Massacre of Dunlavin Green

The Massacre of Dunlavin Green refers to the summary execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners by the British military shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion of 1798...

, spread throughout County Wicklow and across the border into County Wexford

County Wexford

County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

, giving substance to the rumours of widespread killing already prevalent. On 7 June, the town was burned and sacked in a revenge raid by Wexford rebels, led by Anthony Perry

Anthony Perry

Anthony Perry , known as the "screeching general" was one of the most important leaders of the United Irish Wexford rebels during the 1798 rebellion.-Background:...

.

See also

• List of massacres in Ireland
• Massacre of Dunlavin Green
  Massacre of Dunlavin Green
  The Massacre of Dunlavin Green refers to the summary execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners by the British military shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion of 1798...
  
  
• Gibbet Rath massacre
  Gibbet Rath massacre
  The Gibbet Rath massacre was the massacre of some 300–500 rebels by British forces which took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on the Curragh of Kildare on 29 May 1798.-Background:...