Oliver Cromwell is today held with outstanding virtue by many people in Britain. Numerous Britons still see Cromwell as the father of modern British democracy because of his role in the English Revolution. Nevertheless, his reputation in Ireland is altogether different. Cromwell spent nine months of his life in Ireland yet many Irish people see Cromwell as someone who was a genocidal monster hell-bent on massacring the Irish population. Cromwell’s attitude towards the people of Ireland can be seen through his writings. However, even when these are examined confusion is still apparent. Having heard of soldiers murdering and pillaging ‘the country people’ Cromwell sent out a proclamation that declared, ‘I do hereby warn and require all Officers, Soldiers and others under my command henceforth to forbear all such evil practices’. By this statement it would seem that Cromwell was against any kind of non-provoked violence against ordinary people but this seems to be untrue. Cromwell along with the English army had one aim in sending the army to Ireland and that was to establish power. It was power that drove Cromwell and his parliament. This can be clearly seen by their activities in England when the House of Commons was purged. It can therefore be concluded that it was likely that Cromwell would be willing to use brutality if he saw it as a necessity to ensure parliamentary power. It has often been pointed out by historians that Cromwell’s methods in Ireland were