1775 1780 1785 1790 EXPLORING THE 1798 REBELLION1795 1800 EXPLORING THE IRISH HISTORY 10 1798 REBELLION – The Impact of the Physical Force Tradition in Irish Politics

Use the information in this page to create a mind map of the causes of the 1798 Rebellion.

2 Catholic and Presbyterian Discontent 1 The Power of the The Protestant Ascendancy used the 3 Protestant Ascendancy Poverty in the Countryside penal laws to maintain its power. These At the end of the 18th were laws that discriminated against The majority of people in Ireland century, Ireland was Catholics and Presbyterians. lived in the countryside. Most of ruled by a parliament the people were tenant farmers Catholics, who formed 75 per cent of the in Dublin that was and landless labourers. The population, lived all over Ireland, but under the control population of Ireland doubled in Presbyterians, who formed 10 per cent, of Great Britain. The the 18th century, so many farms lived mainly in Ulster. Irish parliament was were subdivided. Many people controlled by the After 1770, some of the penal laws were were very badly off. abolished (repealed). However, Catholics Protestant Ascendancy, Agrarian (rural) societies, such and Presbyterians still protested about that is, by members of as the Whiteboys, were formed the remaining laws. They also had to the Church of Ireland (or to protest against high rents and pay tithes (one-tenth of their crops) to Anglican Church). Even tithes. though they made up support the Anglican clergy. only 15 per cent of the population, they owned most of the land of 4 Ireland, which they got The Causes of the The Influence of the American and during the plantations. French Revolutions 1798 Rebellion The events of the American and French Revolutions created great excitement 5 in Ireland. The Americans had won their Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen independence from Britain, and this was an example for some in Ireland who Theobald Wolfe Tone was born in Dublin into a middle-class Anglican wanted the Irish parliament to have more family. He was trained as a lawyer (barrister) in Trinity College Dublin power. Up to 40,000 Ulster-Scots had and in London, but he was more interested in politics. Tone admired migrated to the US in the years prior to the ideas of the French Revolution. He argued that no reform in the War of Independence. Ireland was practical unless it included voting rights for Catholics. Many people in Ulster, especially, were The Founding of the United Irishmen sympathetic to America. There was also The principles of the French Revolution were very popular among the success of the Irish Volunteers in Belfast Presbyterians. A group of them invited Wolfe Tone to a winning legislative independence for meeting in Belfast on 18th October 1791, and at this meeting the the Irish parliament. In the case of the Society of United Irishmen was formed. The main beliefs of the United French Revolution, the French principles Irishmen were: of liberty, equality and fraternity • They wanted to unite all religions and reform the Irish parliament were popular, especially among the • They wanted to reduce English power in Ireland Presbyterians of Belfast. In 1791, the • They did not favour rebellion or a republic. anniversary of the fall of the Bastille was celebrated in Belfast and Dublin. Some The Influence of the War political leaders wanted the French The beginning of the war between Britain and France in 1793 revolutionary principles put into practice changed everything. Now there was a real fear of a French invasion. in Ireland. This led to the founding of the The British government believed that the United Irishmen were United Irishmen in Belfast. Soon after planning such an invasion. The government stopped any further this, the outbreak of the war between reforms and also brought in a policy of repression. Britain and France in 1794 had important The United Irishmen also changed. They were now banned, and they influences on Ireland. became a secret oath-bound society. Instead of seeking parliamentary reform, they started planning an anti-English rebellion and a republic. 95

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