Sir William Johnson.

Sir William Johnson.



Sir William Johnson

Watching "The Last of the Mohicans" (again) last night brings me to the above and what a debt we owe to Hollywood for the entertainment it provides, whatever your tastes! But old Hawkeye lived a quiet enough life compared to the gentleman above who has been described as the man who saved North America for the British Empire, and there may be more than a little truth in that! William Johnson was born in Smithstown House close to Killeen Castle in County Meath in 1715 and left in more austere times to manage his uncle's estates in North America. When war broke out with the French in 1756 he raised his own army of Indian tribes to fight on the British side and played no small part in ensuring that the North America you see today is as is! Looking up some info on him I see that Fintan Ó Toole published a book in 2006 titled "White Savage" which I'm sure would make for an interesting read. and I can remember wandering through a bookshop in a far and distant place once upon a time and coming across the story of some of his exploits. The last time I watched the above film I borrowed a clip from youtube of Jenny Ó Connor doing a take on Dougie MaClean's "The Gael" which is used on the soundtrack of the film and well worth having  another look at. but don't trust anything I tell you, look it up and enjoy. A book on the history of Meath.... any historians out there?

Photo: From Google Images.