Redmond O’Hanlon is a dispossessed Irishman whose lands have been lost during the war. He is anxious to have them reinstated, but chooses rather ‘direct’ means to do so. He is an associate of Donal Oge and the swordsman Penn.

In this tale he will bear a charmed life, since he is a real historical character and is destined to become a highwayman of some note over the next decade or two.