The Fenian Boy (Ballad of billy Byrne)
Billy Byrne of Ballymanus was no myth — he was a real man, a Wicklow farmer who refused to kneel. In 1798, he chose honour over safety, turning his back on the redcoat’s oath while his own brother swore loyalty to the Crown. Betrayed in whispers and hanged at Wicklow Gaol in 1799, he never broke, never begged, and never gave a name.more