Adverting to the protracted struggle between the =Royalists= under Charles I. and the =Parliamentarians= under the Cromwellian Parliament, no two nicknames could have been more suggestive of their origin than those respectively of the =Cavaliers= and the =Roundheads=. The latter arose out of the Puritan fashion of cropping the hair close round the head, the former from the cavalier manner in which a number of gentlemen offered themselves as a permanent escort to the King after he had been subjected to insult in December, 1641. The word Cavalier is synonymous with the French _chevalier_, a mounted knight, from _cheval_, a horse, derived from the Latin _caballus_, and the Greek _kaballes_, an inferior horse.
The Protestants in Ireland received the name of =Orangemen= owing to their adherence to William III., Prince of Orange, while the Roman Catholics were styled =Jacobites= from their adhesion to James II., _Jacobus_ being the Latin form of the King’s name. The =Peep o’ Day Boys= were so called because they broke into the houses of the people at dawn of day in quest of arms; and the =White Boys=, from the white smocks they wore over their clothing. The depredations of both these insurgents were finally put an end to by the Insurrection Acts, passed in 1786-7. The secret brotherhood of the =Fenians=, organized for the overthrow of the English rule in Ireland, derived its name from Fiona Mac Cumhal, better known as Fingal, after whom FINGAL’S CAVE is designated. The correct interpretation of the Gaelic word _Fenian_ is “a hunter.” Another secret society of quite recent origin is that of the =Irish Invincibles=, established, as was publicly stated by Carey the Informer, for the “making of history by killing tyrants.” Their title is due to the boast that they defy extermination. The =Ribbonmen= take their name from the distinctive badge which they wear. =Emergency Men= are the more active members of the Irish Defence Association. The =Separists= and the =Parnellites= are one and the same, sworn to support the measures of Mr. Parnell and the Irish National Party in promoting Home Rule for Ireland. The now familiar word =Boycotting=, in connection with Irish affairs, arose out of the troubles experienced by Captain Boycott, of Lough Mask Farm, near Ballinrobe, County Mayo, the land agent of Lord Erne. His house was besieged, his labourers were threatened, his crops remained ungathered, and tradesmen refused to supply him with goods. This occurred on the 11th and 12th of November, 1880, after which the military was despatched to his aid, and a “Boycott Fund” subscribed for his benefit. The expression “to boycott” a man practically means to place him beyond the pale of civilization.