Thomas Russell (1767-1803) was one of the principal leaders of the Society of United Irishmen. Born to an Anglican family in Dromahone, County Cork, Russell at the age of fifteen joined the British Army, serving in India, however returned to Ireland disillusioned and disgusted by the British treatment of the native population. In 1790, he would meet for the first time Wolfe Tone, ‘the most memorable of Irish friendships’ as Pádraig Pearse would describe it as. In October 1791, Russell would become a founding member of the United Irishmen. Russell would spend the remainder of his life dedicated to the cause of Irish liberty. Russell would be imprisoned from 1796 to 1802, being released on condition he was exiled in Hamburg, however he secretly returned to Ireland the following year to take part in the 1803 rebellion. In the aftermath of the rising, Russell was taken to Downpatrick Gaol, convicted of high treason and hung on October 21, 1803. He is affectionally known in local folklore as the “Man From God Knows Where.”
Writings
Letter To John Templeton, June 5, 1802
Proclamation To The Men of Ireland (1803)
Letter To Mary Ann McCracken (1803)