Lord fitzwilliam, seated on a board or short stretcher carried by two priests, is the centre of a procession (right to left) of shouting irish ragamuffins. He sits complacently, looking to his left, and towards the spectator, wearing (incorrectly) a ribbon and star; he is not caricatured. The foremost priest says "now we shall have no bonfires". [underlined in uncoloured impression only] in front walks a man clutching a rosary and holding up a crucifix. Behind walks a tall gaunt man carrying a board inscribed: 'to get into both houses to claim lost titles & estates, to abolish churches & meeting houses & to keep no faith with heriticks'. Behind him (right) walks a man waving a bottle of 'whiskey' and shouting "arrah my sweet william & will you go & leave all these fine things behind you". In the foreground (right) is a ferocious-looking man cramming into an open chest (already full) an armful of instruments of torture: shackles, pincers, a headsman's axe, a dagger, &c. He says: "aye, you must be laid by for the present. " the chest is inscribed: 'fundamental principles of our holy religion or cool arguments for the conversion of protestants. '
winged creatures fly off on the extreme left and right. One (left), a demon with small webbed wings and a barbed tail, holds a scroll: 'discord', 'disaffection', 'religious war', 'racks', 'tortures & intolerancy'. The other, a cherub (right), holds a scroll: 'unity peace & concord'. On the extreme right in the background, houses are indicated, inscribed 'dublin'. Above the design: 'the journey to [erased] from dublin'. 20 march [1795]
hand-coloured etching. Date: 1795. Dimensions: Height: 246 mm; Width: 405 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: William Wenthworth Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl of Fitzwilliam. Collection: British Museum. An Irish howl or the Catholics in Fitz! (BM 1851,0901.968)
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