2.1.1.1 The Irish Parliament Gains Greater Legislative Power

• The American War of Independence encouraged sympathy from Protestant Irish MPs who wanted greater political power in the Dublin Parliament
• During the war, some Irish MPs began to demand the removal of legislative restrictions imposed by Poyning's Law. This legislation declared that all Irish parliamentary decisions needed approval from the British Parliament and was formalised in the 1720 Act
• The 1720 Act was repealed and Poyning's Law was significantly modified under the Constitution of 1782 which reduced Britain's powers to simply that of a veto. The Whig government hoped this would diffuse the growing demand for reform