1798 Rebelion

• The Causes of the 1798 Rebellion

  • The Protestant Ascendency: Following the Irish Plantations, Ireland was under complete control of the British Crown. The Dublin parliament dealt with domestic issues but was controlled by the Protestant Ascendency, the wealthy land-owning minority. Only Anglicans (members of the Church of Ireland) could vote or become MPs, leaving most Irish people without a say in Irish affairs.
• 2nd cause of the 1798 Rebellion

  Irish Catholics : made up 75% of the population but owned only 15% of the land. The Penal Laws restricted their freedoms, preventing them from voting, sitting in Parliament, or attending school, leading to poverty and poor education.

  Irish Catholics
• Causes of the 1798 Rebellion.

  • Irish Presbyterians: Presbyterians (dissenters) also couldn't vote or sit in parliament. They made up 10% of the population, mainly in the northeast.

  Influence of the American and French Revolutions: News of these events inspired many Irish people with ideas of liberty and equality.
• • The United Irishmen: Founded in Belfast in October 1791, they aimed for religious equality and removal of British influence through peaceful means.
  • Theobald Wolfe Tone: A Protestant barrister and founding member, he was inspired by the French Revolution's ideals of ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’.

  Wolfe Tone argued for Catholic rights in his 1791 pamphlet, An Argument on Behalf of the Catholics in Ireland
• Response to the United Irishmen

  • British forces used torture (half-hangings, pitch-capping) to extract information about suspected rebels.
  • Part-time armies: Militia (loyal Catholics) and yeomanry (loyal Protestants) were established.
  • The Orange Order was founded to unite Anglicans and Presbyterians against Catholics.
  • Spies led to the capture and execution of several leaders, including Lord Edward Fitzgerald.
• • Despite losing key leaders, the rebellion proceeded:
  • Dublin and surrounding counties: Uncoordinated attacks led to British victories in Kildare, Meath, Carlow, and Wicklow.
  • Ulster: Rebels were defeated in Antrim Town and Saintfield.
  • Wexford: Led by Fr John Murphy, saw early successes but ended in defeat at Vinegar Hill. Atrocities by rebels included burning 200 Protestants alive in a barn at Scullabogue.
• • Death of Wolfe Tone: Captured with French troops at Lough Swilly, he attempted suicide and died days later.
• Consequences of the 1798 Rebellion

  • Growth of Sectarianism: Conflict based on religious divides intensified.
  • The Act of Union (1801): Abolished the Dublin Parliament, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with governance from Westminster.
  • Legacy of Wolfe Tone: Known as the ‘Father of Irish Republicanism’, his ideas inspired future rebellions: Robert Emmet (1803), Young Irelanders (1848), Fenians (1867), and the 1916 Easter Rising.
• Politics

  • The 1798 Rebellion led to the 1801 Act of Union. Under the Act of Union, the Irish Parliament in Dublin was closed and all Irish MPs were elected to sit in Westminster in London instead.
  • The 1798 Rebellion was the first rebellion in Ireland whose leaders were republicans. Achieving an independent Irish Republic would be the goal of many Irish nationalists for the next century and a half, including Pádraig Pearse.
• Objective source considers both sides