▁certain ▁comm ons ▁that ▁had ▁previously ▁belonged ▁to ▁the ▁people . ▁But ▁the ▁pent - up ▁ag ony ▁of ▁a ▁long ▁per sec uted ▁race ▁having ▁once ▁found ▁vent ▁was ▁not ▁to ▁be ▁easily ▁cr ushed , ▁and ▁for ▁a ▁period ▁of ▁twenty ▁years ▁the ▁White bo ys ▁were ▁the ▁only ▁protection ▁the ▁un fortun ate ▁C athol ics ▁had ▁in ▁their ▁troubles . ▁These ▁men , ▁most ▁of ▁whom ▁band ed ▁together ▁for ▁the ▁one ▁noble ▁object — to ▁rel ieve ▁their ▁dist ress ed ▁condition — when ▁going ▁to ▁perform ▁any ▁act ▁of ▁violence , ▁black ened ▁their ▁faces ▁and ▁put ▁on ▁a ▁white ▁sh irt ▁over ▁their ▁dress ▁as ▁a ▁dis gu ise , ▁from ▁which ▁they ▁were ▁called ▁" White bo ys ." ▁For ▁many ▁years ▁they , ▁by ▁the ▁very ▁terror ▁of ▁their ▁name , ▁rest rained ▁the ▁land l ords ▁and ▁agents ▁who ▁were ▁incl ined ▁to ▁opp ress ▁the ▁people — which ▁was ▁most ▁essential ▁to ▁the ▁very ▁existence ▁of ▁the ▁latter ; ▁and ▁when ▁they ▁were ▁at ▁length ▁condem ned ▁by ▁church ▁pri ests , ▁it ▁was ▁because ▁un sc rup ul ous ▁persons ▁had , ▁by ▁blo ody ▁acts , ▁turned ▁the ▁association ▁to ▁their ▁own ▁base ▁purposes . ▁ ▁About ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 7 8 0 ▁there ▁lived ▁in ▁Ba wn ▁House ▁a ▁certain ▁Captain ▁Bar nes , ▁agent ▁over ▁several ▁est ates ▁in ▁the ▁neighbourhood ▁of ▁Mo yd ow , ▁and ▁f amed ▁among ▁the ▁people ▁as ▁an ▁un comp rom