Why Did the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland Fail?
ESSAY TITLE
Why did the 1798 rebellion in Ireland fail?
Student name: STEVEN HEMPKIN
Date: 25 February, 2013
Word count: 1420
Signature:
To understand the failure of the 1798 rebellion we need to consider the nature of Irish society prior to the rebellion. The upheavals of the 1600s resulted in the confiscation of almost all land owned by Catholics.[1, 2] The Penal Laws aimed at the Catholic majority and the dissenters meant that Ireland in the 18th century was dominated by a Church of Ireland elite (Protestant Ascendancy) who owned most of the land and monopolised politics.[3] Dissenters, including Presbyterians, who constituted the majority of Ulster Protestants, were second-class citizens while Catholics were third-class citizens.
Ireland underwent a period of economic growth in the 1700 's with the emergence of a dissenter and Catholic urban middle class which became increasingly irritated at the restrictions on Irish trade imposed by the British parliament. The vast majority of Catholics and many dissenters lived an impoverished existence on the land and was bound to cause later unrest.[4]
The American Revolution of 1776 appealed to dissenters because of the key role played by emigrant Ulster dissenters. It also caused the need to withdraw British troops from Ireland and send them to America. The Protestant Ascendancy established the Irish Volunteers in 1778 to defend Ireland from invasion.[5] The Volunteers came under the influence of the liberal patriot opposition in the Irish parliament who sought political reform. The Irish Government was based on a thoroughly undemocratic franchise controlled by individual aristocrats and by the British government through the patronage system. They were unwilling to permit Catholic emancipation while the more liberal members of the ruling class sought to improve the the rights of Dissenters and Catholics.[5]
In 1791 the United Irishmen were established to promote parliamentary reform in
Why did the 1798 rebellion in Ireland fail?
Student name: STEVEN HEMPKIN
Date: 25 February, 2013
Word count: 1420
Signature:
To understand the failure of the 1798 rebellion we need to consider the nature of Irish society prior to the rebellion. The upheavals of the 1600s resulted in the confiscation of almost all land owned by Catholics.[1, 2] The Penal Laws aimed at the Catholic majority and the dissenters meant that Ireland in the 18th century was dominated by a Church of Ireland elite (Protestant Ascendancy) who owned most of the land and monopolised politics.[3] Dissenters, including Presbyterians, who constituted the majority of Ulster Protestants, were second-class citizens while Catholics were third-class citizens.
Ireland underwent a period of economic growth in the 1700 's with the emergence of a dissenter and Catholic urban middle class which became increasingly irritated at the restrictions on Irish trade imposed by the British parliament. The vast majority of Catholics and many dissenters lived an impoverished existence on the land and was bound to cause later unrest.[4]
The American Revolution of 1776 appealed to dissenters because of the key role played by emigrant Ulster dissenters. It also caused the need to withdraw British troops from Ireland and send them to America. The Protestant Ascendancy established the Irish Volunteers in 1778 to defend Ireland from invasion.[5] The Volunteers came under the influence of the liberal patriot opposition in the Irish parliament who sought political reform. The Irish Government was based on a thoroughly undemocratic franchise controlled by individual aristocrats and by the British government through the patronage system. They were unwilling to permit Catholic emancipation while the more liberal members of the ruling class sought to improve the the rights of Dissenters and Catholics.[5]
In 1791 the United Irishmen were established to promote parliamentary reform in
References: Simms, J,G. (1956) The Williamite confiscation in Ireland 1687-1703. London, Faber & Faber. Foster, R. F. (1990) Modern Ireland 1600-1972. London, Penguin Books. Simms, J. G. Chapter 13, pp. 204-216 in The Course of Irish History. Edited by Moody, T. W. and Martin, F. X. Revised and enlarged edition 1994. Dublin, Mercier Press. Wall, M. Chapter 14, pp. 217-231 in The Course of Irish History. Edited by Moody, T. W. and Martin, F. X. Revised and enlarged edition 1994. Dublin, Mercier Press. Johnston-Liik, E. M; Johnston, E. M. (1994) Ireland in the eighteenth century. Dublin, Gill and Macmillan. McDowell, R.B. Chapter 15, pp. 232-247 in The Course of Irish History. Edited by Moody, T. W. and Martin, F. X. Revised and enlarged edition 1994. Dublin, Mercier Press. Rosamund, J. (1937) The rise of the United Irishmen, 1791-94. London, Harrap.