The numbers taking part in protests during the national day of mourning were unprecedented. In Waterford 20,000 took part in the ‘biggest demonstration for almost 60 years’, while in Castlebar 5,000 people joined in the ‘greatest show of unity in the county town since the days of the Land League’. There were estimates of 10,000 in Limerick, 2,000 in Mallow, 5,000 in Ennis, 3,000 in Skibbereen, 2,500 in Arklow, 1,500 in Newbridge, 6,000 in Wexford, 2,000 in Clones, 6,000 in Kilkenny, 10,000 in Dundalk, 5,000 in Monaghan town, 4,000 in Trim and thousands in Shannon, Drogheda, New Ross, Navan, Tuam, Galway, Carrick-on-Shannon, Thurles, Nenagh and Cork.
1671 Irishman Col. Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London. Having switched sides during the English Civil War, during which he gained a reputation for intrigue and espionage, Blood lost most of his lands with the Restoration and thereafter conducted a terror campaign against the Stuart establishment. None of his operations were remotely successful. A conspiracy to take Dublin Castle and stage a coup d’état was easily foiled, forcing him to flee to the Continent with a bounty of £1,000 on his head. A year later he reappeared in a kidnap attempt on the duke of Ormond in London, which was also unsuccessful, as was an attempt to assassinate the king as he was taking a dip in the Thames. The theft of the royal regalia was similarly botched. Pursued by the guards, with the crown, globe and sceptre stuffed under their clothing, he and his accomplices were promptly arrested. Yet in terms of outcome the botched robbery was his one big success. Refusing to speak to anyone except the king himself, he admitted to all of his conspiracies and warned the king that he had many friends who would ‘expose his majesty … to the daily fear and expectation of a massacre’. On the other hand, were he free to use his experience in the spying profession as a secret agent for the royal administration, he could prevent such attacks. And his arrogance prevailed. Charles was won over and accepted his offer. Blood lived in comfort on a generous royal allowance for another decade. Whether his services were of any use is not known.