Sir John Oldcastle of Martyrs". Oldcastle was also a minor character in the early Elizabethan history play the "Famous Victories of Henry V" (c. 1586?), which is generally thought to have been one of Shakespeare's sources for his plays on Henry IV and Henry V. The genesis of "Sir John Oldcastle" is crucially linked to the fact that when Shakespeare's "Henry IV" plays premiered on stage in 1597–98, the character Sir John Falstaff was called Sir John Oldcastle. This is indicated by abundant external and internal evidence. The change of names, from "Oldcastle" to "Falstaff," is mentioned in seventeenth-century works by Richard James
Oldcastle, County Meath was arrested and tried for treason which was a hanging offence. However, the charges were dropped. He returned to Oldcastle and treated like a hero by the locals. Two inmates were killed at Oldcastle during the years 1914–1918. One on 17 September 1917 during an escape with another inmate. August Bockmeyer was shot when he refused to stop. Although he survived the shooting he later succumbed to his injuries. There was an enquiry and it was declared that ‘Private Tiernan’s actions to be “quite justified” in the “discharge” of his duty.’ As stated by the article by John Smyth. The