Michael Dwyer
Encyclopedia
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.
. In 1784 the family moved to a farm at Eadesown in the Glen of Imaal
. Dwyer was a cousin of Anne Devlin
who would later achieve fame for her loyalty to the rebel cause following the suppression of Robert Emmet's
rebellion.
Joseph Holt
in battles during the summer of 1798 at Arklow
, Vinegar Hill
, Ballyellis
and Hacketstown
. Under Holt's leadership he withdrew to the safety of the Wicklow Mountains
in mid-July when rebels could no longer operate openly following their defeat in the disastrous midlands campaign of July 1798. Together with Joseph Holt
they tied down thousands of troops.
and yeomen, attacking small parties of the military and eluding any major sweeps against them. His force was strengthened by many deserters
from the military who headed to Wicklow
as the last rebel stronghold and who became the dedicated backbone of his force as they could not be expected to be included in any future offer of amnesty
.
Due to the constant hunt for him, Dwyer was forced to split and reassemble his forces and hide amongst civilian sympathisers to elude his pursuers. In December 1799 at Derrynamuck
he and about a dozen comrades were sheltering in three cottages when an informer led a large force of the British soldiers to the area. The cottages were quickly surrounded, the first two surrendering but following consultation, Dwyer and his men decided to fight on after negotiating the safe passage of the women and children. In the hopeless gunfight which followed, the cottage caught fire and only Dwyer remained unwounded. At this stage, Dwyer's comrade, Sam McAllister stood in the doorway to draw the soldiers fire on him but which allowed Dwyer to slip out and make an incredible escape.
and was apprised of plans for his revolt but was reluctant to commit his followers to march to Dublin unless the rebellion showed some initial success. The subsequent failure of Emmet's rising led to a period of repression and renewed attempts by the Government to wipe out Dwyer's forces. Methods adopted included attempts to deny him shelter among the civilian population by severely punishing those suspected of harbouring his men, offering of huge rewards for information, assigning thousands of troops to Wicklow, and building a series of barracks
at Glencree, Laragh
, Glenmalure
and Aghavannagh and a military road
through county Wicklow.
In December 1803 Dwyer finally capitulated on terms that would allow him safe passage to America but the government reneged on the agreement holding him in Kilmainham Jail until August 1805, when they transported
him to New South Wales
(Australia) as an unsentenced exile.
on 14 February 1806 in the Tellicherry and was given free settler status. He arrived with his wife and two eldest children. He was given a grant of 40.5 ha (100 acres) of land on Cabramatta Creek in Sydney. Michael Dwyer was quoted as saying that all Irish will be free in this new country (Australia). This statement had been used against him and he was arrested in February 1807 and imprisoned. On 11 May 1807 Dwyer was charged with conspiring to mount an Irish insurrection against British rule. An Irish convict stated in court that Michael Dwyer had plans to march on the seat of Government in Australia, at Parramatta
. Dwyer did not deny that he had said that all Irish will be free but he did deny the charges of organising an Irish insurrection in Sydney. Dwyer had the powerful support of Australia's first Jewish
policeman, John Harris, who expressed the opinion in court that he did not believe that Dwyer was organising a rebellion against the Government in Sydney. On 18 May 1807, Dwyer was found not guilty of the charges of organising an Irish insurrection in Sydney.
Governor William Bligh
disregarded the first trial acquittal of Michael Dwyer. Bligh who regarded the Irish and many other nationalities with contempt, organised another trial for Michael Dwyer in which he was stripped of his free settler status and transported to Van Diemens Land (Tasmania
) and Norfolk Island
. After Governor Bligh was overthrown in the Rum Rebellion
in 1808, the new Governor of New South Wales, George Johnston
, who was present at Dwyer's acquittal in the first trial ordered that Michael Dwyer's freedom be reinstated. Michael Dwyer was later to become Chief of Police (1813–1820) at Liverpool, New South Wales
but was dismissed in October for drunken conduct and mislaying important documents. In December 1822 he was sued for aggrandizing his farm. Bankrupted, he was forced to sell off most of his assets, although this did not save him from several weeks incarceration in the Sydney debtors' prison in May 1825. Here he evidently contracted dysentery, to which he succumbed in August 1825.
Originally interred at Liverpool, his remains were reburied in the Devonshire Street cemetery, Sydney, in 1878 by his grandson John Dwyer, dean of St Mary's Cathedral. In May 1898 the coincidence of the planned closure of the cemetery and centenary celebrations for the 1798 rebellion suggested the second re-interment of Dwyer and his wife in Waverley cemetery, where a substantial memorial was erected in 1900. The massive crowds attending Dwyer's burial and the subsequent unveiling of the monument testified to the unique esteem in which Irish-Australians held the former Wicklow hero.
Dwyer had seven children and has numerous descendants throughout Australia. In 2002, in Bungendore near Canberra
, a family reunion took place with descendants of Michael Dwyer's family including descendants of related Australian Irish families the Donoghues and Doyles. One of Michael Dwyer’s sons was the owner of The Harp Hotel in Bungendore, New South Wales
in circa 1838. Dwyer’s nephew John Donoghue (1822–1892), built The Old Stone House, Molongolo Rd, Bungendore, circa 1865, a huge strongly constructed Bungendore landmark and a monument to pioneering and hard-working Irish Australian
settlers.
Society of the United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was founded as a liberal political organisation in eighteenth century Ireland that sought Parliamentary reform. However, it evolved into a revolutionary republican organisation, inspired by the American Revolution and allied with Revolutionary France...
leader in the 1798 rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
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...
. He later fought a guerilla campaign against the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
from 1798-1803.
Early life
Dwyer was born in Camara, County WicklowCounty 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...
. In 1784 the family moved to a farm at Eadesown in the Glen of Imaal
Glen of Imaal
The Glen of Imaal is a remote valley in the western Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It is ringed by the Lugnaquilla massif and its foothills, including Table mountain and Keadeen...
. Dwyer was a cousin of Anne Devlin
Anne Devlin
Anne Devlin was an Irish republican who acted as housekeeper to Robert Emmet and who was also a cousin of two leading United Irish rebels, Michael Dwyer and Arthur Devlin.-Revolutionary involvement:Devlin was born in Rathdrum Co...
who would later achieve fame for her loyalty to the rebel cause following the suppression of Robert Emmet's
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
rebellion.
Dwyer in 1798 rebellion
Dwyer joined the Society of United Irishmen and fought with the rebels as captain under GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
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...
in battles during the summer of 1798 at 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...
, 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...
, 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....
and Hacketstown
Hacketstown
Hacketstown , historically known as Ballydrohid , is a town in County Carlow, Ireland.It is located on the R747 regional road at its junction with the R727...
. Under Holt's leadership he withdrew to the safety of the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
in mid-July when rebels could no longer operate openly following their defeat in the disastrous midlands campaign of July 1798. Together with 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...
they tied down thousands of troops.
Guerilla Campaign
Dwyer and his men began a campaign targeting local loyalistsUlster 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...
and yeomen, attacking small parties of the military and eluding any major sweeps against them. His force was strengthened by many deserters
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
from the military who headed to 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...
as the last rebel stronghold and who became the dedicated backbone of his force as they could not be expected to be included in any future offer of amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
.
Due to the constant hunt for him, Dwyer was forced to split and reassemble his forces and hide amongst civilian sympathisers to elude his pursuers. In December 1799 at Derrynamuck
Donard
Donard is a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland located at the northern end of the Glen of Imaal, in the western part of the Wicklow Mountains....
he and about a dozen comrades were sheltering in three cottages when an informer led a large force of the British soldiers to the area. The cottages were quickly surrounded, the first two surrendering but following consultation, Dwyer and his men decided to fight on after negotiating the safe passage of the women and children. In the hopeless gunfight which followed, the cottage caught fire and only Dwyer remained unwounded. At this stage, Dwyer's comrade, Sam McAllister stood in the doorway to draw the soldiers fire on him but which allowed Dwyer to slip out and make an incredible escape.
Dwyer and Robert Emmett
Dwyer later made contact with Robert EmmetRobert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
and was apprised of plans for his revolt but was reluctant to commit his followers to march to Dublin unless the rebellion showed some initial success. The subsequent failure of Emmet's rising led to a period of repression and renewed attempts by the Government to wipe out Dwyer's forces. Methods adopted included attempts to deny him shelter among the civilian population by severely punishing those suspected of harbouring his men, offering of huge rewards for information, assigning thousands of troops to Wicklow, and building a series of barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
at Glencree, Laragh
Laragh
-Villages in Ireland:* Laragh, County Wicklow* Laragh, County Cavan* Laragh, County Monaghan...
, Glenmalure
Glenmalure
Glenmalure is a valley in the Wicklow Mountains in eastern Ireland. It is a u-shaped glacial valley, with only one road leading into it, which connects to the 'Military Road' at the mouth of the valley....
and Aghavannagh and a military road
R115 road
The R115 road is a regional road in counties Dublin and Wicklow in Ireland. It follows the Military Road for its entire length. The R115 is long; the full length of the Military Road is...
through county Wicklow.
In December 1803 Dwyer finally capitulated on terms that would allow him safe passage to America but the government reneged on the agreement holding him in Kilmainham Jail until August 1805, when they transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
him to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(Australia) as an unsentenced exile.
Australia
Dwyer had arrived in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 14 February 1806 in the Tellicherry and was given free settler status. He arrived with his wife and two eldest children. He was given a grant of 40.5 ha (100 acres) of land on Cabramatta Creek in Sydney. Michael Dwyer was quoted as saying that all Irish will be free in this new country (Australia). This statement had been used against him and he was arrested in February 1807 and imprisoned. On 11 May 1807 Dwyer was charged with conspiring to mount an Irish insurrection against British rule. An Irish convict stated in court that Michael Dwyer had plans to march on the seat of Government in Australia, at Parramatta
Division of Parramatta
The Division of Parramatta is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the locality of Parramatta. The name Parramatta has been sourced to an Aboriginal...
. Dwyer did not deny that he had said that all Irish will be free but he did deny the charges of organising an Irish insurrection in Sydney. Dwyer had the powerful support of Australia's first Jewish
History of the Jews in Australia
The history of the Jews in Australia dates back to 1788, when a number of Jews were among the convicts brought to the country aboard the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews live in Australia...
policeman, John Harris, who expressed the opinion in court that he did not believe that Dwyer was organising a rebellion against the Government in Sydney. On 18 May 1807, Dwyer was found not guilty of the charges of organising an Irish insurrection in Sydney.
Governor William Bligh
William Bligh
Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
disregarded the first trial acquittal of Michael Dwyer. Bligh who regarded the Irish and many other nationalities with contempt, organised another trial for Michael Dwyer in which he was stripped of his free settler status and transported to Van Diemens Land (Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) and Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
. After Governor Bligh was overthrown in the Rum Rebellion
Rum Rebellion
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's history. The Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh, was deposed by the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston, working closely with John Macarthur, on 26 January 1808, 20...
in 1808, the new Governor of New South Wales, George Johnston
George Johnston
George Norman Johnston was a politician elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the first time in 1921, He served as Speaker of the Alberta Legislature from 1921 to 1936. He was defeated in 1935 when Social Credit swept to power...
, who was present at Dwyer's acquittal in the first trial ordered that Michael Dwyer's freedom be reinstated. Michael Dwyer was later to become Chief of Police (1813–1820) at Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
but was dismissed in October for drunken conduct and mislaying important documents. In December 1822 he was sued for aggrandizing his farm. Bankrupted, he was forced to sell off most of his assets, although this did not save him from several weeks incarceration in the Sydney debtors' prison in May 1825. Here he evidently contracted dysentery, to which he succumbed in August 1825.
Originally interred at Liverpool, his remains were reburied in the Devonshire Street cemetery, Sydney, in 1878 by his grandson John Dwyer, dean of St Mary's Cathedral. In May 1898 the coincidence of the planned closure of the cemetery and centenary celebrations for the 1798 rebellion suggested the second re-interment of Dwyer and his wife in Waverley cemetery, where a substantial memorial was erected in 1900. The massive crowds attending Dwyer's burial and the subsequent unveiling of the monument testified to the unique esteem in which Irish-Australians held the former Wicklow hero.
Dwyer had seven children and has numerous descendants throughout Australia. In 2002, in Bungendore near Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, a family reunion took place with descendants of Michael Dwyer's family including descendants of related Australian Irish families the Donoghues and Doyles. One of Michael Dwyer’s sons was the owner of The Harp Hotel in Bungendore, New South Wales
Bungendore, New South Wales
Bungendore is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Palerang Council. It is on the Kings Highway near Lake George, the Molonglo River Valley and the Australian Capital Territory border. It has become a major tourist centre in recent years, popular with visitors from...
in circa 1838. Dwyer’s nephew John Donoghue (1822–1892), built The Old Stone House, Molongolo Rd, Bungendore, circa 1865, a huge strongly constructed Bungendore landmark and a monument to pioneering and hard-working Irish Australian
Irish Australian
Irish Australians have played a long and enduring part in Australia's history. Many came to Australia in the eighteenth century as settlers or as convicts, and contributed to Australia's development in many different areas....
settlers.