Annotation:Death of Staker Wallace (1) (The)

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 DEATH OF STAKER WALLACE [1], THE. AKA - "Lament for Staker Wallace." AKA and see "Bean Dubh an Ghleanna (An)" (The Dark Woman of the Glen). Irish, Slow Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Staker Wallace was born William Wallace or Wallis in 1733 at Tiermore, County Limerick, near the town of Kilfinnane. Several theories have been given to explain his curious nickname, 'Staker': one has to do with his sabatogueing of enclosures of common land by landlords in the latter half of the 18th century. Wallace either drove stakes into the enclosure land to prevent mowing, or removed stakes used to fence the boundaries. Another explanation, printed in the notes for Leo Rowesome's Claddagh LP for one, for the nickname 'Staker' is that during the rebellion of 1798 Wallace defended a breach in the walls of Limerick city armed only with at stake. Terry Moylan points out, however, that Limerick was quiet during 1798, although it was the site of a famous seige one hundred years previous. A final theory postulates that his nickname was earned after his lifetime on account of the circumstances of his death. Wallace, a 65 year old smallholder, was involved in the disturbances leading up to the uprising of 1798 and had become a leader of the local United Irishman, elected a captain. A charge was made against him by the Olivers of Castleoliver, to the effect that Wallace was trying to raise money to have the the local magistrate, member of Parliament and Yeomanry Captain, Charles Silver Oliver, assassinated. Although warned, Wallace could not make good his escape and was tried and convicted, not, however, before he was tortured by flogging for the names of other United Irishmen in the area. After his execution by hanging, he was decapitated and his head placed upon a stake (hence 'Staker') at the old castle of Kilfinnane, where it remained for several weeks until it was blown down on a windy night. His family collected it and buried it in the family plot, but his body had likely been buried in front of Kilfinnane jail. See also "Lament for Staker Wallace."  Source for notated version:  Printed sources: Roche Collection, 1913; vol. 1, p. 29, No. 58.  Recorded sources:

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