Irish Rebellion of 1798
Encyclopedia
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British
rule in Ireland
. The United Irishmen, a republican
revolutionary group influenced by the ideas of the American
and French
revolutions, were the main organising force behind the rebellion.
, Ireland had chiefly been controlled by the minority Anglican Protestant Ascendancy
constituting members of the established Church
loyal to the British Crown
. It governed through a form of institutionalised sectarianism
codified in the Penal Laws
which discriminated against both the majority Irish Catholic
population and non-Anglican Protestants (for example Presbyterians). In the late 18th century, liberal
elements among the ruling class were inspired by the example of the American Revolution
(1776–1783) and sought to form common cause with the Catholic populace to achieve reform and greater autonomy from Britain. As in England, the majority of Protestants, as well as all Catholics, were barred from voting because they did not pass a property threshold.
When France joined the Americans in support of their Revolutionary War
, London called for volunteers to join militia
s to defend Ireland against the threat of invasion from France (since regular British forces had been dispatched to America). Many thousands joined the Irish Volunteers
. In 1782 they used their newly powerful position to force the Crown to grant the landed Ascendancy self-rule and a more independent parliament ("Grattan's Parliament"). The Irish Patriot Party
, led by Henry Grattan
, pushed for greater enfranchisement. In 1793 parliament passed laws allowing Catholics with some property to vote, but they could neither be elected nor appointed as state officials. Liberal elements of the Ascendancy seeking a greater franchise for the people, and an end to religious discrimination, were further inspired by the French Revolution
, which had taken place in a Catholic country.
The prospect of reform inspired a small group of Protestant liberals in Belfast
to found the Society of United Irishmen in 1791. The organisation crossed the religious divide with a membership comprising Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, other Protestant "dissenter
s" groups, and some from the Protestant Ascendancy
. The Society openly put forward policies of further democratic reforms and Catholic emancipation
, reforms which the Irish Parliament
had little intention of granting. The British government was just as unwilling to enforce such reforms until pressured to do so in 1793. The outbreak of war with France
earlier in 1793, following the execution of Louis XVI
, forced the Society underground and toward armed insurrection with French aid. The avowed intent of the United Irishmen was to "break the connection with England"; the organisation spread throughout Ireland and had at least 200,000 members by 1797. It linked up with Catholic agrarian resistance groups, known as the Defenders
, who had started raiding houses for arms in early 1793.
Despite their growing strength, the United Irish leadership decided to seek military help from the French revolutionary government
and to postpone the rising until French troops landed in Ireland. Theobald Wolfe Tone
, leader of the United Irishmen, travelled in exile from the United States to France to press the case for intervention.
, and he accompanied a force of 14,000 French veteran troops under General Hoche
which arrived off the coast of Ireland at Bantry Bay
in December 1796 after eluding the Royal Navy
. However, unremitting storms, indecisiveness of leaders and poor seamanship all combined to prevent a landing. The despairing Wolfe Tone
remarked; "England has had its luckiest escape since the Armada
." The French fleet was forced to return home and the veteran army intended to spearhead the invasion of Ireland split up and was sent to fight in other theatres of the French Revolutionary Wars
.
The Establishment responded to widespread disorders by launching a counter-campaign of martial law
from 2 March 1797. It used tactics including house burnings, torture of captives, pitchcapping
and murder, particularly in Ulster
as it was the one area of Ireland where large numbers of Catholics and Protestants (mainly Presbyterians) had effected common cause. In May 1797 the military in Belfast also violently suppressed the newspaper of the United Irishmen, the Northern Star.
The British establishment recognised sectarianism
as a divisive tool to employ against the Protestant United Irishmen in Ulster
and the divide and conquer
method of colonial dominion was officially encouraged by the Government. Brigadier-General C.E. Knox wrote to General Lake (who was responsible for Ulster): "I have arranged... to increase the animosity between the Orangemen and the United Irishmen, or liberty men as they call themselves. Upon that animosity depends the safety of the centre counties of the North."
Similarly, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
, John FitzGibbon
, wrote to the Privy Council in June 1798, "In the North nothing will keep the rebels quiet but the conviction that where treason has broken out the rebellion is merely popish", expressing the hope that the Presbyterian republicans might not rise if they thought that rebellion was supported only by Catholics.
Loyalists
across Ireland had organised in support of the Government; many supplied recruits and vital local intelligence through the foundation of the Orange Order in 1795. The Government's founding of Maynooth College
in the same year, and the French conquest of Rome
earlier in 1798 both helped secure the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to rebellion; with a few individual exceptions, the Church was firmly on the side of the Crown throughout the entire period of turmoil.
In March 1798 intelligence from informants amongst the United Irish caused the Government to sweep up most of their leadership in raids in Dublin in March 1798. Martial law
was imposed over most of the country and its unrelenting brutality put the United Irish organisation under severe pressure to act before it was too late. A rising in Cahir
, County Tipperary broke out in response, but was quickly crushed by the High Sherrif, Col. Thomas Judkin-Fitzgerald
. Militants led by Samuel Neilson
and Lord Edward FitzGerald
dominated the rump United Irish leadership and planned to rise without French aid, fixing the date for 23 May.
-bound coach halted at Johnstown
, near Naas
, on the first night.
Although the planned nucleus of the rebellion had imploded, the surrounding districts of Dublin rose as planned and were swiftly followed by most of the counties surrounding Dublin. The first clashes of the rebellion took place just after dawn on 24 May. Fighting quickly spread throughout Leinster, with the heaviest fighting taking place in County Kildare
where, despite the Government's successfully beating off almost every rebel attack, the rebels gained control of much of the county as military forces in Kildare were ordered to withdraw to Naas
for fear of their isolation and destruction as at Prosperous
. However, rebel defeats at Carlow
and the hill of Tara
, County Meath
, effectively ended the rebellion in those counties. In County Wicklow
, news of the rising spread panic and fear among loyalists; they responded by massacring rebel suspects held in custody at Dunlavin Green
and in Carnew
. A baronet, Sir Edward Crosbie
, was found guilty of leading the rebellion in Carlow and executed for treason
.
, large numbers rose but chiefly engaged in a bloody rural guerrilla war with the military and loyalist forces. General Joseph Holt
led up to 1,000 men in the Wicklow Hills and forced the British to commit substantial forces to the area until his capitulation in October.
In the north-east, mostly Presbyterian rebels led by Henry Joy McCracken
http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/henryjoymccracken.htm rose in County Antrim
on 6 June. They briefly held most of the county, but the rising there collapsed following defeat
at Antrim town
. In County Down
, after initial success at Saintfield
, rebels led by Henry Munro
were defeated in the longest battle of the rebellion at Ballynahinch
.
The rebels had most success in the south-eastern county of Wexford
where they seized control of the county, but a series of bloody defeats at the Battle of New Ross
, Battle of Arklow
, and the Battle of Bunclody
prevented the effective spread of the rebellion beyond the county borders. 20,000 troops eventually poured into Wexford and inflicted defeat at the Battle of Vinegar Hill
on 21 June. The dispersed rebels spread in two columns through the midlands, Kilkenny
, and finally towards Ulster. The last remnants of these forces fought on until their final defeat on 14 July at the battles of Knightstown Bog, County Meath
and Ballyboughal, County Dublin
.
The intimate nature of the conflict meant that the rebellion at times took on the worst characteristics of a civil war, especially in Leinster. Sectarian resentment was fuelled by the remaining Penal Laws still in force and by the ruthless campaign of repression prior to the rising. Rumours of planned massacres by both sides were common in the days before the rising and led to a widespread climate of fear.
, New Ross
and Enniscorthy
, burning rebels alive in the latter two. For those rebels who were taken alive in the aftermath of battle, being regarded as traitors to the Crown, they were not treated as prisoners of war but were executed, usually by hanging.
In addition non-combatant civilians were murdered by the military, who also practised gang rape, particularly in County Wexford. Many individual instances of murder were also unofficially carried out by aggressive local Irish Yeomanry
militia units before, during and after the rebellion as their local knowledge led them to attack suspected rebels. "Pardoned" rebels were a particular target.
, County Down and at Rathangan
in County Kildare almost all rebel atrocities during the rebellion were confined to County Wexford. Massacres of loyalist prisoners took place at the Vinegar Hill
camp and Wexford
town, and a massacre of civilians at Scullabogue
. Despite the United Irishmen being an avowedly non-sectarian organisation, the rebel atrocities in Wexford at times took on a sectarian nature especially where rebel discipline broke down, with Protestantism often being equated with loyalism.
On 22 August, nearly two months after the main uprisings had been defeated, about 1,000 French soldiers under General Humbert landed in the north-west of the country, at Kilcummin
in County Mayo
. Joined by up to 5,000 local rebels, they had some initial success, inflicting a humiliating defeat on the British at the Castlebar
(also known as the Castlebar races to commemorate the speed of the retreat) and setting up a short-lived "Republic of Connaught
". This sparked some supportive risings in Longford and Westmeath which were quickly defeated, and the main force was defeated at the battle of Ballinamuck
, in County Longford
, on 8 September 1798. The French troops who surrendered were repatriated to France
in exchange for British prisoners of war, but hundreds of the captured Irish rebels were executed. This episode of the 1798 Rebellion became a major event in the heritage and collective memory of the West of Ireland and was commonly known in Irish as and in English as "The Year of the French".
On 12 October 1798, a larger French force consisting of 3,000 men, and including Wolfe Tone himself, attempted to land in County Donegal
near Lough Swilly
. They were intercepted by a larger Royal Navy squadron
, and finally surrendered after a three hour battle
without ever landing in Ireland. Wolfe Tone was tried by court-martial in Dublin and found guilty. He asked for death by firing squad, but when this was refused, Tone cheated the hangman by slitting his own throat in prison on 12 November, and died a week later.
Small fragments of the great rebel armies of the Summer of 1798 survived for a number of years and waged a form of guerrilla or "fugitive
" warfare in several counties. In County Wicklow
, General Joseph Holt
fought on until his negotiated surrender in Autumn 1798. It was not until the failure of Robert Emmet's
rebellion in 1803 that the last organised rebel forces under Captain Michael Dwyer
capitulated. Small pockets of rebel resistance had also survived in Wexford and the last rebel group under James Corocoran was not vanquished until February 1804.
The Act of Union
, having been passed in August 1800, came into effect on 1 January 1801 and took away the measure of autonomy granted to Ireland's Protestant Ascendancy
. It was passed largely in response to the rebellion and was underpinned by the perception that the rebellion was provoked by the brutish misrule of the Ascendancy as much as the efforts of the United Irishmen.
Religious, if not economic, discrimination against the Catholic majority was gradually abolished after the Act of Union but not before widespread radical mobilisation of the Catholic population under Daniel O'Connell
. Discontent at grievances and resentment persisted but resistance to British rule now largely manifested itself along sectarian lines as in the Tithe War
of 1831–36. Presbyterian radicalism was effectively tamed or reconciled to British rule by inclusion in a new Protestant Ascendancy, as opposed to a merely Anglican one. The result was that Irish politics was, until the Young Ireland
movement in the mid-19th century, steered away from the unifying vision of the United Irishmen, encouraged by Unionists, Dublin Castle
, and exploited by politicians such as Daniel O’Connell, towards a sectarian model which has largely dominated Irish politics to the present day.
) to as many as 50,000 of which 2,000 were military and 1,000 loyalist civilians.
However, modern research suggests this figure may be too high. Firstly, a list of British soldiers killed, compiled for a fund to aid the families of dead soldiers, listed just 530 names. Secondly, professor Louis Cullen, through examination of depletion of the population in County Wexford between 1798 and 1820, put the fatal casualties in that county at 6,000. Historian Thomas Bartlett
has therefore concluded, "a death toll of 10,000 for the entire island would seem to be in order".
Atrocities were committed on both sides, the majority being committed by the government forces, but rebel killings of Protestants in Wexford
were given greater emphasis by the victors in the following years, as the loyalist version of events reduced the rebellion to a sectarian Catholic plot to massacre Protestants—a repeat of the Irish Rebellion of 1641
.
The post-rebellion repression meant few spoke or wrote of the events from rebel perspectives, and as a result almost all initial accounts of the rebellion were written from the loyalist perspective. In many, the role of Catholicism in the rebellion was greatly exaggerated, but ironically this distortion later suited the aims of the Catholic Church in Ireland, allowing it to claim a leadership role in Irish nationalism during the 19th century. The reality that it actively sided with the British during the rising was ignored and the role of the few Catholic priests who took part in the rising, such as Fr. John Murphy, was overemphasised. The secular Enlightenment
ideology of the mostly Protestant United Irish leadership was deliberately obscured. By the centenary of the Rebellion in 1898, conservative Irish nationalists and the Catholic Church would both claim that the United Irishmen had been fighting for "Faith and Fatherland", and this version of events is still, to some extent, the lasting popular memory of the rebellion.
At the bi-centenary in 1998, the non-sectarian and democratic ideals of the Rebellion were emphasised in official commemorations, reflecting the desire for reconciliation at the time of the Good Friday Agreement which was hoped would end "The Troubles
" in Northern Ireland
.
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
rule in Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. The United Irishmen, a republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
revolutionary group influenced by the ideas of the American
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and French
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
revolutions, were the main organising force behind the rebellion.
Background
Since 1691 and the end of the Williamite warWilliamite war in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, Ireland had chiefly been controlled by the minority Anglican Protestant Ascendancy
Protestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
constituting members of the established Church
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
loyal to the British Crown
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
. It governed through a form of institutionalised sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
codified in the Penal Laws
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
which discriminated against both the majority Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
population and non-Anglican Protestants (for example Presbyterians). In the late 18th century, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
elements among the ruling class were inspired by the example of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
(1776–1783) and sought to form common cause with the Catholic populace to achieve reform and greater autonomy from Britain. As in England, the majority of Protestants, as well as all Catholics, were barred from voting because they did not pass a property threshold.
When France joined the Americans in support of their Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, London called for volunteers to join militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s to defend Ireland against the threat of invasion from France (since regular British forces had been dispatched to America). Many thousands joined the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers (18th century)
The Irish Volunteers were a militia in late 18th century Ireland. The Volunteers were founded in Belfast in 1778 to defend Ireland from the threat of foreign invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight across the globe during the American War of Independence...
. In 1782 they used their newly powerful position to force the Crown to grant the landed Ascendancy self-rule and a more independent parliament ("Grattan's Parliament"). The Irish Patriot Party
Irish Patriot Party
The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence, but advocated strong self-government within...
, led by Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
, pushed for greater enfranchisement. In 1793 parliament passed laws allowing Catholics with some property to vote, but they could neither be elected nor appointed as state officials. Liberal elements of the Ascendancy seeking a greater franchise for the people, and an end to religious discrimination, were further inspired by the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, which had taken place in a Catholic country.
Society of United Irishmen
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to found the Society of United Irishmen in 1791. The organisation crossed the religious divide with a membership comprising Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, other Protestant "dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
s" groups, and some from the Protestant Ascendancy
Protestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
. The Society openly put forward policies of further democratic reforms and Catholic emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
, reforms which the Irish Parliament
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
had little intention of granting. The British government was just as unwilling to enforce such reforms until pressured to do so in 1793. The outbreak of war with France
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
earlier in 1793, following the execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, forced the Society underground and toward armed insurrection with French aid. The avowed intent of the United Irishmen was to "break the connection with England"; the organisation spread throughout Ireland and had at least 200,000 members by 1797. It linked up with Catholic agrarian resistance groups, known as the Defenders
Defenders (Ireland)
The Defenders were a militant, vigilante agrarian secret society in 18th century Ireland, mainly Roman Catholic and from Ulster, who allied with the United Irishmen but did little during the rebellion of 1798.-Origin:...
, who had started raiding houses for arms in early 1793.
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
and to postpone the rising until French troops landed in Ireland. Theobald Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone or Wolfe Tone , was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen and is regarded as the father of Irish Republicanism. He was captured by British forces at Lough Swilly in Donegal and taken prisoner...
, leader of the United Irishmen, travelled in exile from the United States to France to press the case for intervention.
Aborted invasion (1796)
Tone's efforts succeeded with the dispatch of the Expédition d'IrlandeExpédition d'Irlande
The Expédition d'Irlande was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule...
, and he accompanied a force of 14,000 French veteran troops under General Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
which arrived off the coast of Ireland at Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
in December 1796 after eluding the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. However, unremitting storms, indecisiveness of leaders and poor seamanship all combined to prevent a landing. The despairing Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone or Wolfe Tone , was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen and is regarded as the father of Irish Republicanism. He was captured by British forces at Lough Swilly in Donegal and taken prisoner...
remarked; "England has had its luckiest escape since the Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
." The French fleet was forced to return home and the veteran army intended to spearhead the invasion of Ireland split up and was sent to fight in other theatres of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
.
Counter-insurgency and repression
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
from 2 March 1797. It used tactics including house burnings, torture of captives, pitchcapping
Pitchcapping
Pitchcapping refers to a form of torture devised by British forces in 18th century Ireland which was widely used against suspected rebels during the period of the 1798 Rebellion, most famously on Anthony Perry, one of the leaders of the Wexford Rebels....
and murder, particularly in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
as it was the one area of Ireland where large numbers of Catholics and Protestants (mainly Presbyterians) had effected common cause. In May 1797 the military in Belfast also violently suppressed the newspaper of the United Irishmen, the Northern Star.
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
as a divisive tool to employ against the Protestant United Irishmen in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
and the divide and conquer
Divide and conquer
Divide and conquer may refer to:* Divide and rule, in politics, sociology and economics, a strategy to gain or maintain power...
method of colonial dominion was officially encouraged by the Government. Brigadier-General C.E. Knox wrote to General Lake (who was responsible for Ulster): "I have arranged... to increase the animosity between the Orangemen and the United Irishmen, or liberty men as they call themselves. Upon that animosity depends the safety of the centre counties of the North."
Similarly, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
, John FitzGibbon
John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare
John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare PC , later known as Earl of Clare or Lord Clare, was Attorney-General for Ireland in 1783, then Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1789, in which capacity he was first promoted to the Irish peerage.He was a controversial figure in Irish history, being described...
, wrote to the Privy Council in June 1798, "In the North nothing will keep the rebels quiet but the conviction that where treason has broken out the rebellion is merely popish", expressing the hope that the Presbyterian republicans might not rise if they thought that rebellion was supported only by Catholics.
Loyalists
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
across Ireland had organised in support of the Government; many supplied recruits and vital local intelligence through the foundation of the Orange Order in 1795. The Government's founding of Maynooth College
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...
in the same year, and the French conquest of Rome
Roman Republic (18th century)
The Roman Republic was proclaimed on February 15, 1798 after Louis Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome on February 10....
earlier in 1798 both helped secure the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to rebellion; with a few individual exceptions, the Church was firmly on the side of the Crown throughout the entire period of turmoil.
In March 1798 intelligence from informants amongst the United Irish caused the Government to sweep up most of their leadership in raids in Dublin in March 1798. Martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was imposed over most of the country and its unrelenting brutality put the United Irish organisation under severe pressure to act before it was too late. A rising in Cahir
Cahir
Cahir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. The town is best known for its castle and the Swiss Cottage. It is in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.-Location and access:...
, County Tipperary broke out in response, but was quickly crushed by the High Sherrif, Col. Thomas Judkin-Fitzgerald
Judkin-Fitzgerald Baronets
The Baronetcy of Lisheen, in the County of Tipperary, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 5 August 1801 for Col. Thomas Judkin-Fitzgerald , who had adopted the surname of Judkin in compliance with the will of his maternal uncle John Lapp Judkin, of Cashel...
. Militants led by Samuel Neilson
Samuel Neilson
Samuel Neilson was one of the founder members of the Society of United Irishmen and the founder of its newspaper the Northern Star.-Background:...
and Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...
dominated the rump United Irish leadership and planned to rise without French aid, fixing the date for 23 May.
Outbreak of the rebellion
The initial plan was to take Dublin, with the counties bordering Dublin to rise in support and prevent the arrival of reinforcements followed by the rest of the country who were to tie down other garrisons. The signal to rise was to be spread by the interception of the mail coaches from Dublin. However, last-minute intelligence from informants provided the Government with details of rebel assembly points in Dublin and a huge force of military occupied them barely one hour before rebels were to assemble. Deterred by the military, the gathering groups of rebels quickly dispersed, abandoning the intended rallying points, and dumping their weapons in the surrounding lanes. In addition, the plan to intercept the mail coaches miscarried, with only the MunsterMunster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
-bound coach halted at Johnstown
Johnstown, County Kildare
Johnstown , historically known as Freaghillan , is a village in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. It is located 2 km north of Naas just off the N7 at junction 8. It is approximately 25 km from Dublin City Centre, and is a home for commuters working in Dublin and Naas...
, near Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
, on the first night.
Although the planned nucleus of the rebellion had imploded, the surrounding districts of Dublin rose as planned and were swiftly followed by most of the counties surrounding Dublin. The first clashes of the rebellion took place just after dawn on 24 May. Fighting quickly spread throughout Leinster, with the heaviest fighting taking place in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
where, despite the Government's successfully beating off almost every rebel attack, the rebels gained control of much of the county as military forces in Kildare were ordered to withdraw to Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
for fear of their isolation and destruction as at Prosperous
Battle of Prosperous
The Battle of Prosperous is the name given to a military engagement between the forces of the British Crown and the United Irishmen during the 1798 rebellion...
. However, rebel defeats at Carlow
Battle of Carlow
The Battle of Carlow took place in Carlow town, Ireland on 25 May 1798 when Carlow rebels rose in support of the 1798 rebellion which had begun the day before in County Kildare...
and the hill of Tara
Battle of Tara Hill
The Battle of Tara Hill was fought on the evening of 26 May 1798 between British forces and Irish rebels involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in a heavy defeat for the rebels and the end of the rebellion in County Meath.-Background:...
, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, effectively ended the rebellion in those counties. In County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, news of the rising spread panic and fear among loyalists; they responded by massacring rebel suspects held in custody at Dunlavin Green
Massacre of Dunlavin Green
The Massacre of Dunlavin Green refers to the summary execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners by the British military shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion of 1798...
and in Carnew
Carnew massacre
The Carnew Massacre was the summary execution of 38 prisoners being held as suspected United Irishmen by the local garrison in the British army barracks base of Carnew Castle, Carnew, County Wicklow, Ireland on 25 May 1798....
. A baronet, Sir Edward Crosbie
Sir Edward Crosbie
Sir Edward Crosbie was the first United Irishman to be executed for treason after the 1798 Rebellion in Carlow, Ireland....
, was found guilty of leading the rebellion in Carlow and executed for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
The rebellion spreads
In WicklowWicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
, large numbers rose but chiefly engaged in a bloody rural guerrilla war with the military and loyalist forces. General Joseph Holt
Joseph Holt (rebel)
Joseph Holt was a United Irish general and leader of a large guerrilla force which fought against British troops in County Wicklow from June–October 1798. He was exiled to Australia in 1799 where he worked as a farm manager and eventually returned to Ireland in 1814.-Background:Holt was one of six...
led up to 1,000 men in the Wicklow Hills and forced the British to commit substantial forces to the area until his capitulation in October.
In the north-east, mostly Presbyterian rebels led by Henry Joy McCracken
Henry Joy McCracken
Henry Joy McCracken was an Irish industrialist and a founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen.-History:...
http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/henryjoymccracken.htm rose in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
on 6 June. They briefly held most of the county, but the rising there collapsed following defeat
Battle of Antrim
The Battle of Antrim was fought on 7 June 1798, in the county Antrim in Ulster, Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between British troops and Irish insurgents led by Henry Joy McCracken...
at Antrim town
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
. In County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, after initial success at Saintfield
Battle of Saintfield
The Battle of Saintfield was a short but bloody clash in County Down, in Northern Ireland. The battle was the first major conflict of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in Down. The battle took took place on Saturday, 9 June 1798.-Background:...
, rebels led by Henry Munro
Henry Munro (United Irishman)
Henry Munro was a United Irishman born in Lisburn, County Down.Munro was a linen draper, senior freemason and popular raconteur who became leader of the United Irish organisation in Down following the arrest of its leader Rev. Willam Steel Jackson on June 5...
were defeated in the longest battle of the rebellion at Ballynahinch
Battle of Ballynahinch
The Battle of Ballynahinch was fought outside Ballynahinch, County Down, on 12 June, during the Irish rebellion of 1798 between British forces led by Major-General George Nugent and the local United Irishmen led by Henry Munro .-Background:...
.
The rebels had most success in the south-eastern county of Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
where they seized control of the county, but a series of bloody defeats at the Battle of New Ross
Battle of New Ross (1798)
The Battle of New Ross took place in County Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought between the Irish Republican insurgents called the United Irishmen and British Crown forces composed of regular soldiers, militia and yeomanry...
, Battle of Arklow
Battle of Arklow
The second Battle of Arklow took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 9 June when a force of United Irishmen from Wexford, estimated at 10,000 strong, launched an assault into County Wicklow, on the British-held town of Arklow, in an attempt to spread the rebellion into Wicklow and to...
, and the Battle of Bunclody
Battle of Bunclody
The battle of Bunclody or Newtownbarry as it was then called, was a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, which took place on 1 June 1798 when a force of some 5,000 rebels led by Catholic priest Fr...
prevented the effective spread of the rebellion beyond the county borders. 20,000 troops eventually poured into Wexford and inflicted defeat at the Battle of Vinegar Hill
Battle of Vinegar Hill
The Battle of Vinegar Hill was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels...
on 21 June. The dispersed rebels spread in two columns through the midlands, Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, and finally towards Ulster. The last remnants of these forces fought on until their final defeat on 14 July at the battles of Knightstown Bog, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
and Ballyboughal, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
.
Atrocities
Government
The aftermath of almost every British victory in the rising was marked by the massacre of captured and wounded rebels with some on a large scale such as at Carlow, New Ross, Ballinamuck and Killala. The British were responsible for particularly gruesome massacres at Gibbet RathGibbet Rath massacre
The Gibbet Rath massacre was the massacre of some 300–500 rebels by British forces which took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on the Curragh of Kildare on 29 May 1798.-Background:...
, New Ross
Battle of New Ross (1798)
The Battle of New Ross took place in County Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought between the Irish Republican insurgents called the United Irishmen and British Crown forces composed of regular soldiers, militia and yeomanry...
and Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...
, burning rebels alive in the latter two. For those rebels who were taken alive in the aftermath of battle, being regarded as traitors to the Crown, they were not treated as prisoners of war but were executed, usually by hanging.
In addition non-combatant civilians were murdered by the military, who also practised gang rape, particularly in County Wexford. Many individual instances of murder were also unofficially carried out by aggressive local Irish Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
militia units before, during and after the rebellion as their local knowledge led them to attack suspected rebels. "Pardoned" rebels were a particular target.
Rebel
Apart from small scale atrocities near SaintfieldSaintfield
Saintfield is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and...
, County Down and at Rathangan
Rathangan, County Kildare
Rathangan is a town in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, with a population of 1,718. It is located from the centre of Dublin, and from Kildare, at the intersection of the R401, R414, and R419 regional roads. The Slate River and the Grand Canal run through the town.Rathangan is situated beside...
in County Kildare almost all rebel atrocities during the rebellion were confined to County Wexford. Massacres of loyalist prisoners took place at the Vinegar Hill
Vinegar Hill
Vinegar Hill could refer to:*Vinegar Hill , a 1999 novel by A. Manette Ansay.*Vinegar Hill , a 2005 TV-Movie starring Mary-Louise Parker...
camp and Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
town, and a massacre of civilians at Scullabogue
Scullabogue Barn massacre
The Scullabogue massacre was an atrocity committed in Scullabogue , near New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland on 5 June 1798, during the 1798 rebellion when insurgents massacred 100-200 loyalists, both Catholic and Protestant, held prisoner in a barn.-Background:A farm and out-buildings in the...
. Despite the United Irishmen being an avowedly non-sectarian organisation, the rebel atrocities in Wexford at times took on a sectarian nature especially where rebel discipline broke down, with Protestantism often being equated with loyalism.
French intervention
Kilcummin
Kilcummin is a beachhead on the northern coast of County Mayo, in northwestern Ireland. The Kilcummin area is sparsely populated. A Mr Noel Collins is the owner of the only pub on Kilcummin Pier.-Name:...
in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. Joined by up to 5,000 local rebels, they had some initial success, inflicting a humiliating defeat on the British at the Castlebar
Battle of Castlebar
The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. A combined force of 2,000 French and Irish routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later became known as the "Castlebar Races", or Races of...
(also known as the Castlebar races to commemorate the speed of the retreat) and setting up a short-lived "Republic of Connaught
Republic of Connaught
The Irish Republic, more commonly referred to as the Republic of Connacht, was a short-lived Irish breakaway state established with French Directory military support for 13 days during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Proclamation:...
". This sparked some supportive risings in Longford and Westmeath which were quickly defeated, and the main force was defeated at the battle of Ballinamuck
Battle of Ballinamuck
The Battle of Ballinamuck marked the defeat of the main force of the French incursion during the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland.- Background :The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped...
, in County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
, on 8 September 1798. The French troops who surrendered were repatriated to France
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
in exchange for British prisoners of war, but hundreds of the captured Irish rebels were executed. This episode of the 1798 Rebellion became a major event in the heritage and collective memory of the West of Ireland and was commonly known in Irish as and in English as "The Year of the French".
On 12 October 1798, a larger French force consisting of 3,000 men, and including Wolfe Tone himself, attempted to land in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
near Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three known glacial fjords in Ireland....
. They were intercepted by a larger Royal Navy squadron
Squadron (naval)
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet...
, and finally surrendered after a three hour battle
Battle of Tory Island
The Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland...
without ever landing in Ireland. Wolfe Tone was tried by court-martial in Dublin and found guilty. He asked for death by firing squad, but when this was refused, Tone cheated the hangman by slitting his own throat in prison on 12 November, and died a week later.
Aftermath
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
" warfare in several counties. In County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, General Joseph Holt
Joseph Holt (rebel)
Joseph Holt was a United Irish general and leader of a large guerrilla force which fought against British troops in County Wicklow from June–October 1798. He was exiled to Australia in 1799 where he worked as a farm manager and eventually returned to Ireland in 1814.-Background:Holt was one of six...
fought on until his negotiated surrender in Autumn 1798. It was not until the failure of Robert Emmet's
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
rebellion in 1803 that the last organised rebel forces under Captain Michael Dwyer
Michael Dwyer
Michael Dwyer was a Society of the United Irishmen leader in the 1798 rebellion. He later fought a guerilla campaign against the British Army in the Wicklow Mountains from 1798-1803.-Early life:...
capitulated. Small pockets of rebel resistance had also survived in Wexford and the last rebel group under James Corocoran was not vanquished until February 1804.
The Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
, having been passed in August 1800, came into effect on 1 January 1801 and took away the measure of autonomy granted to Ireland's Protestant Ascendancy
Protestant Ascendancy
The Protestant Ascendancy, usually known in Ireland simply as the Ascendancy, is a phrase used when referring to the political, economic, and social domination of Ireland by a minority of great landowners, Protestant clergy, and professionals, all members of the Established Church during the 17th...
. It was passed largely in response to the rebellion and was underpinned by the perception that the rebellion was provoked by the brutish misrule of the Ascendancy as much as the efforts of the United Irishmen.
Religious, if not economic, discrimination against the Catholic majority was gradually abolished after the Act of Union but not before widespread radical mobilisation of the Catholic population under Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
. Discontent at grievances and resentment persisted but resistance to British rule now largely manifested itself along sectarian lines as in the Tithe War
Tithe War
The Tithe War was a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience, punctuated by sporadic violent episodes, in Ireland between 1830-36 in reaction to the enforcement of Tithes on subsistence farmers and others for the upkeep of the established state church - the Church of Ireland...
of 1831–36. Presbyterian radicalism was effectively tamed or reconciled to British rule by inclusion in a new Protestant Ascendancy, as opposed to a merely Anglican one. The result was that Irish politics was, until the Young Ireland
Young Ireland
Young Ireland was a political, cultural and social movement of the mid-19th century. It led changes in Irish nationalism, including an abortive rebellion known as the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848. Many of the latter's leaders were tried for sedition and sentenced to penal transportation to...
movement in the mid-19th century, steered away from the unifying vision of the United Irishmen, encouraged by Unionists, Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, and exploited by politicians such as Daniel O’Connell, towards a sectarian model which has largely dominated Irish politics to the present day.
Legacy
The 1798 rebellion was possibly the most concentrated outbreak of violence in Irish history, and resulted in thousands of deaths over the course of three months. Contemporary estimates put the death toll from 20,000 (Dublin CastleDublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
) to as many as 50,000 of which 2,000 were military and 1,000 loyalist civilians.
However, modern research suggests this figure may be too high. Firstly, a list of British soldiers killed, compiled for a fund to aid the families of dead soldiers, listed just 530 names. Secondly, professor Louis Cullen, through examination of depletion of the population in County Wexford between 1798 and 1820, put the fatal casualties in that county at 6,000. Historian Thomas Bartlett
Thomas Bartlett (historian)
Thomas Bartlett MRIA is an Irish historian and author. Since 1995 he has been a Professor of History at University College Dublin and more recently holds a Chair in Irish History at the University of Aberdeen.-Academic life:...
has therefore concluded, "a death toll of 10,000 for the entire island would seem to be in order".
Atrocities were committed on both sides, the majority being committed by the government forces, but rebel killings of Protestants in Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
were given greater emphasis by the victors in the following years, as the loyalist version of events reduced the rebellion to a sectarian Catholic plot to massacre Protestants—a repeat of the Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
.
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
ideology of the mostly Protestant United Irish leadership was deliberately obscured. By the centenary of the Rebellion in 1898, conservative Irish nationalists and the Catholic Church would both claim that the United Irishmen had been fighting for "Faith and Fatherland", and this version of events is still, to some extent, the lasting popular memory of the rebellion.
At the bi-centenary in 1998, the non-sectarian and democratic ideals of the Rebellion were emphasised in official commemorations, reflecting the desire for reconciliation at the time of the Good Friday Agreement which was hoped would end "The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
" in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
List of major engagements during the rebellion
| Date | Location | Battle | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May | Ballymore Eustace Ballymore Eustace Ballymore Eustace is a small town situated in County Kildare in Ireland, although until 1836 it lay within a "pocket" of County Dublin... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Ballymore-Eustace Battle of Ballymore-Eustace The Battle of Ballymore-Eustace was one of the events in the United Irish rebellion of 1798. It took place on 24 May 1798 after the stationing of the 9th Dragoons, and members of the Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh Militias at Ballymore in County Kildare near the Kildare-Wicklow border on 10 May... |
United Irishmen repulsed |
| 24 May | Naas Naas Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Naas Battle of Naas The Battle of Naas took place in Ireland on 24 May 1798.-Background:One of the first engagements of the 1798 rebellion, a force of over 1,000 rebels, led by Michael Reynolds attacked Naas, the strongest Crown garrison in County Kildare, following the successful mobilisation of United Irishmen,... |
United Irishmen repulsed |
| 24–28 May | Rathangan Rathangan Rathangan may refer to:*Rathangan, County Kildare*Rathangan, County Wexford... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Rathangan | United Irish victory, rebels repulsed 28 May |
| 24 May | Prosperous, County Kildare Prosperous, County Kildare Prosperous is a village in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is within the townland of Curryhills, at the junction of the R403 and R408 regional roads, about from Dublin. Its population of 1,939 makes it the 14th largest town in County Kildare.... |
Battle of Prosperous Battle of Prosperous The Battle of Prosperous is the name given to a military engagement between the forces of the British Crown and the United Irishmen during the 1798 rebellion... |
United Irish victory |
| 24 May | Kilcullen Kilcullen Kilcullen , formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. Its population of 2,985 makes it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growing in the county, having doubled in population from 1,483 in the census of 2002... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Kilcullen Battle of Kilcullen The Battle of Kilcullen took place on 24 May 1798 near the two settlements of that name in County Kildare, and was one of the first engagements in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 consisting of two separate clashes between a force of United Irish rebels and British military.-Old Kilcullen 7 a.m:The... |
British abandon Kilcullen |
| 25 May | Carnew Carnew Carnew is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Wicklow situated just a mile from the border with County Wexford... , County Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Carnew massacre Carnew massacre The Carnew Massacre was the summary execution of 38 prisoners being held as suspected United Irishmen by the local garrison in the British army barracks base of Carnew Castle, Carnew, County Wicklow, Ireland on 25 May 1798.... |
British execute 38 prisoners |
| 25 May | Dunlavin Dunlavin Dunlavin is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland, situated about thirty miles south west of Dublin. It is centred on the junction of the R412 and R756 regional roads... , County Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Dunlavin Green massacre Massacre of Dunlavin Green The Massacre of Dunlavin Green refers to the summary execution of 36 suspected rebel prisoners by the British military shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion of 1798... |
British execute 36 prisoners |
| 25 May | Carlow Carlow Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The... , County Carlow County Carlow County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Carlow Battle of Carlow The Battle of Carlow took place in Carlow town, Ireland on 25 May 1798 when Carlow rebels rose in support of the 1798 rebellion which had begun the day before in County Kildare... |
British victory |
| 26 May | The Harrow, County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of the Harrow Battle of the Harrow The Battle of the Harrow took place on 26 May 1798 and was the first clash of the 1798 rebellion in County Wexford. It was fought between British troops and insurgents under the leadership of a local priest, John Murphy who had mobilised following reports of the outbreak of the rebellion led by... |
United Irish victory |
| 26 May | Hill of Tara Hill of Tara The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland... , County Meath County Meath County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Tara Hill Battle of Tara Hill The Battle of Tara Hill was fought on the evening of 26 May 1798 between British forces and Irish rebels involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in a heavy defeat for the rebels and the end of the rebellion in County Meath.-Background:... |
British victory |
| 27 May | Oulart Oulart Oulart , is a small village in the southeastern corner of Ireland. It is situated in County Wexford just off the R741 regional road halfway between the towns of Gorey to the north and Wexford to the south.Oulart's population is 197.... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Oulart Hill Battle of Oulart Hill The Battle of Oulart Hill took place on 27 May 1798 when a rebel gathering of 1,000 annihilated a detachment of militia sent from Wexford town to stamp out the spreading rebellion in county Wexford.-Background:... |
United Irish victory |
| 28 May | Enniscorthy Enniscorthy Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Enniscorthy Battle of Enniscorthy The Battle of Enniscorthy was a land battle fought during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, on 28 May 1798, between forces of the British Crown and a force of Irish Rebels at Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland. The attack began at about 1 P.M, when the Rebels drove a herd of cattle through the towns’s... |
United Irish victory |
| 29 May | Curragh Curragh The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Gibbet Rath massacre Gibbet Rath massacre The Gibbet Rath massacre was the massacre of some 300–500 rebels by British forces which took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on the Curragh of Kildare on 29 May 1798.-Background:... |
British execute 300–500 rebels |
| 30 May | Newtownmountkennedy Newtownmountkennedy Newtownmountkennedy is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It developed within the historic townland of Ballygarny . It is just off the N11 road to Wexford, just south of Kilpedder and south-west of Greystones. It is about north of Wicklow Town approximately from Dublin.The R772 regional road... , County Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Newtownmountkennedy Battle of Newtownmountkennedy The Battle of Newtownmountkennedy was a battle fought on 30 May 1798, between forces of the British Crown and a force of Irish Rebels, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Sources:... |
British victory |
| 30 May | Forth Mountain, County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Three Rocks Battle of Three Rocks The Battle of Three Rocks was a United Irish victory during the 1798 rebellion against a British artillery column marching to reinforce Wexford town against anticipated rebel attack.-Background:... |
United Irish victory, Wexford taken |
| 1 June | Bunclody Bunclody Bunclody is a small town located on the River Slaney, on the border between counties Wexford and Carlow, Ireland. The R746 regional road intersects the N80 in the centre of the town. It is a picturesque town near the foot of Mount Leinster. Most of the town is situated in County Wexford... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Bunclody Battle of Bunclody The battle of Bunclody or Newtownbarry as it was then called, was a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, which took place on 1 June 1798 when a force of some 5,000 rebels led by Catholic priest Fr... |
British victory |
| 4 June | Tuberneering, County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Tuberneering Battle of Tuberneering The Battle of Tuberneering was fought on 4 June 1798, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. it was fought between British troops and insurgents mobilised by the revolutionary organisation named the United Irishmen... |
United Irish victory |
| 5 June | New Ross New Ross New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of New Ross Battle of New Ross (1798) The Battle of New Ross took place in County Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought between the Irish Republican insurgents called the United Irishmen and British Crown forces composed of regular soldiers, militia and yeomanry... |
British victory |
| 5 June | Scullabogue, County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Scullabogue massacre Scullabogue Barn massacre The Scullabogue massacre was an atrocity committed in Scullabogue , near New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland on 5 June 1798, during the 1798 rebellion when insurgents massacred 100-200 loyalists, both Catholic and Protestant, held prisoner in a barn.-Background:A farm and out-buildings in the... |
Irish rebels kill 100–200 loyalists |
| 7 June | Antrim Antrim, County Antrim Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council... , County Antrim County Antrim County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000... |
Battle of Antrim Battle of Antrim The Battle of Antrim was fought on 7 June 1798, in the county Antrim in Ulster, Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between British troops and Irish insurgents led by Henry Joy McCracken... |
United Irishmen repulsed |
| 9 June | Arklow Arklow Arklow , also known as Inbhear Dé from the Avonmore river's older name Abhainn Dé, is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Founded by the Vikings in the ninth century, Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion... , County Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Arklow Battle of Arklow The second Battle of Arklow took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 9 June when a force of United Irishmen from Wexford, estimated at 10,000 strong, launched an assault into County Wicklow, on the British-held town of Arklow, in an attempt to spread the rebellion into Wicklow and to... |
United Irishmen repulsed |
| 9 June | Saintfield Saintfield Saintfield is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and... , County Down County Down -Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:... |
Battle of Saintfield Battle of Saintfield The Battle of Saintfield was a short but bloody clash in County Down, in Northern Ireland. The battle was the first major conflict of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in Down. The battle took took place on Saturday, 9 June 1798.-Background:... |
United Irish victory |
| 12–13 June | Ballynahinch, County Down | Battle of Ballynahinch Battle of Ballynahinch The Battle of Ballynahinch was fought outside Ballynahinch, County Down, on 12 June, during the Irish rebellion of 1798 between British forces led by Major-General George Nugent and the local United Irishmen led by Henry Munro .-Background:... |
British victory |
| 19 June | Shannonvale, County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of the Big Cross | British victory |
| 19 June | near Kilcock Kilcock Kilcock or Killcock is a town and townland in the north of County Kildare, Ireland, on the border with County Meath. Kilcock is a dormitory town for many of those who work in Dublin... , County Kildare County Kildare County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Ovidstown Battle of Ovidstown The battle of Ovidstown, was a clash between British military and Irish rebels during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It took place at 19 June 1798 at Ovidstown Hill, about three miles south-west of Kilcock in County Kildare.- Background :... |
British victory |
| 20 June | Foulkesmill Foulkesmill Foulkesmill or Foulkesmills is small village located in the south of County Wexford, Ireland.-History:The Irish name Muileann Fúca was historically anglicised as Mullinfooky. The English name comes from Sir Foulkes Furlong who was Seneschall of Bree.A battle was fought near here on 20 June 1798,... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Foulksmills Battle of Foulksmills The Battle of Foulksmills, known locally as the Battle of Horetown and also known as the Battle of Goff's Bridge, was a battle on 20 June 1798 between advancing British forces seeking to stamp out the rebellion in County Wexford during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and a rebel army assembled to... |
British victory |
| 21 June | Enniscorthy Enniscorthy Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going... , County Wexford County Wexford County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local... |
Battle of Vinegar Hill Battle of Vinegar Hill The Battle of Vinegar Hill was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels... |
British victory |
| 30 June | near Carnew Carnew Carnew is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Wicklow situated just a mile from the border with County Wexford... , County Wicklow County Wicklow County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Ballyellis Battle of Ballyellis The Battle of Ballyellis on 30 June 1798 was a clash during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 , between a surviving column of the dispersed Wexford rebel army and pursuing British forces which resulted in a victory for the rebels.... |
United Irish victory |
| 27 August | Castlebar Castlebar Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years... , County Mayo County Mayo County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552... |
Battle of Castlebar Battle of Castlebar The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. A combined force of 2,000 French and Irish routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later became known as the "Castlebar Races", or Races of... |
United Irish/French victory |
| 5 September | Collooney Collooney -Transport:Collooney is located just off the N4 and N17 roads, having been bypassed twice, by the N4 in 1998, and the N17 in 1992, and is the meeting point of both roads. The town was a significant railway centre, with no less than three railway stations... , County Sligo |
Battle of Collooney Battle of Collooney The Battle of Collooney refers to a battle which occurred on 5 September during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when a combined force of French troops and Irish rebels defeated a force of British troops outside of Collooney near Sligo Town... |
United Irish/French victory |
| 8 September | Ballinamuck Ballinamuck Ballinamuck is a small village in north County Longford, Ireland.It was the scene of the Battle of Ballinamuck, where a French army aiding the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798 was defeated. The prisoners were taken to St Johnstown - today's Ballinalee - where they were executed in what is known... , County Longford County Longford County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Ballinamuck Battle of Ballinamuck The Battle of Ballinamuck marked the defeat of the main force of the French incursion during the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland.- Background :The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped... |
British victory |
| 23 September | Killala Killala Killala is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West , which contains numerous ancient forts.- History :... , County Mayo County Mayo County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552... |
Battle of Killala Battle of Killala The Battle of Killala was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It was fought on Sunday, 23 September 1798, between forces of the British Crown and a combined force of Irish Rebels and a small number of French troops at Killala, County Mayo, Ireland.... |
British victory |
| 12 October | near Tory Island Tory Island Toraigh is an inhabited island 14.5 km off the northwest coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It is also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh, Oileán Thoraí or Oileán Thúr Rí.-Language:The main spoken language on the island is Irish, but English is also understood... , County Donegal County Donegal County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county... |
Battle of Tory Island Battle of Tory Island The Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland... |
British victory |
See also
- Battles during the 1798 rebellion
- List of Irish rebellions
- United Irish UprisingUnited Irish UprisingIn April 1800, rumours flew through St. John's, Newfoundland that up to 400 Irishmen had taken the secret oath of the Society of the United Irishmen. It is believed that some 80 or more Irish soldiers in the British army planned to meet and mutiny at the powder shed behind the British garrison at...
in Newfoundland - Castle Hill convict rebellionCastle Hill convict rebellionThe Castle Hill Rebellion of 4 March 1804, also called the Second Battle of Vinegar Hill, was a large-scale rebellion by Irish convicts against British colonial authority in Australia...
in Sydney, Australia - French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
- Atlantic RevolutionsAtlantic Revolutions"Atlantic Revolutions" is a cover term for a wave of late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century revolutions associated with Atlantic history during the The Age of Enlightenment.* Corsican Revolution * American Revolution...
Sources
- Thomas Bartlett, Kevin Dawson, Daire Keogh, Rebellion, Dublin 1998
- W. Tone, The Life of T. W. Tone (Gales & Seaton, Washington 1826).
- James Smyth, The Men of No Property: Irish Radicals and Popular Politics in the late 18th century. Houndsmills/Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992.
- Miles Byrne (1780–1862)- Memoirs.
- T. Packenham, The Year of Liberty (London 1969) reprinted in 1998.
- Kevin Whelan, The Tree of Liberty: Radicals, Catholicism and the Construction of Irish Identity, 1760–1830. Cork: Cork University Press, 1996.
- J.B Gordon "History of the Rebellion in Ireland in the year 1798" (1801)
- Edward Hay "History of the Insurrection of County Wexford" (1803)
- H.F.B Wheeler & A.M Broadley "The war in Wexford: an account of the rebellion in the south of Ireland in 1798, told from original documents" (1910)
- Richard Musgrave "Memoirs of the different rebellions in Ireland" (1801)
- C. Dickson "The Wexford Rising in 1798: its causes and course" (1955)
- G.A Hayes-Mc Coy "Irish Battles" (1969)
- CD by Martello Multimedia (National Library of Ireland, Dublin 1998).
- R. Madden, The United Irishmen (4 vols. to 1862).
External links
- National 1798 Centre – Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
- The 1798 Irish Rebellion – BBC History
- The 1798 Rebellion in County Clare – Clare library
- The 1798 Rebellion – Irish anarchist analysis
- General Joseph Holt of the 1798 Rebellion in Wicklow
- Fugitive Warfare – 1798 in North Kildare
- Map of Dublin 1798