Winthrop University Digital Commons @ Winthrop University Graduate Theses The Graduate School 5-2011 Leaders of '98: Murphy and McCracken A Comparison of the 1798 Rebellion in Wexford and Antrim David Carton Winthrop University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses Part of the European History Commons Recommended Citation Carton, David, "Leaders of '98: Murphy and McCracken A Comparison of the 1798 Rebellion in Wexford and Antrim" (2011). Graduate Theses. 18. https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/18 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LEADERS OF ’98; MURPHY AND MCCRACKEN AjCOMPARISON OF THE 1798 REBELLION El WEXFORD AND ANTRIM A Thesis Presented to the Faculty Of the College of Arts and Sciences In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Of Master of Arts In History Winthrop University May, 2011 By David Carton Dacus Library Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC 29733 Ill Abstract This study examines the relationship between the Irish nationalist risings in Wexford and Antrim in 1798. The Antrim Rising was a largely ideological movement that was influenced by the beliefs of the United Irishmen; in contrast, the Wexford Rising was a reactionary movement that was influenced by the leadership of Fr. John Murphy of Boolavogue. An analysis of the differences and similarities of these two leaders serves as the primary mode of analysis. McCracken restructured the United Irishmen in Belfast into a secret revolutionary ■society, as Murphy mobilized rebel forces in Wexford and inspired a military uprising. This thesis seeks to uncover the similarities and contrasts and ultimately, the reasons for the eventual British victory. The objective is to identify the degree of reliance that these movements had on one another, especially the influence the United Irishmen had over the rebellion in Wexford. Could the methods employed in Ulster have worked in Wexford? Was the Wexford rebellion a reactionary uprising in opposition to the atrocities of the British, or was it motivated by the beliefs and actions of the United Irishmen in the North? Sources include eyewitness accounts from significant participants in the events of 1798: Miles Byrne, Sir Richard Musgrave, Rev. James Gordon and Richard Robert Madden provided great insight into the political, religious, and personal motivations of principal players, Murphy and McCracken. Madden’s work chronicles the history of the United Irishmen from their origins in 1791, through their military reorganization, to their military efforts in 1798. IV While unsuccessful in their.immediate aims, both rebellions played major roles in the formation of present-day Ireland, affecting the psyche of the Irish people and influencing a sentiment of nationalism and republicanism that permeated through generations of Irish people, especially those in the North. V Acknowledgements I would like to show my appreciation to the many people who contributed to the completion of this project, without whose knowledge, patience and kindness, this study would never have happened. Firstly to my Thesis Adviser, Dr. Rory Cornish, whose expertise and patience I will never be able to repay. To Dr. Andy Doyle and Dr. Dave Pretty for all their insight and co-operation. To Nicholas Furlong, you are a tribute to the legacy of Fr. John Murphy. To all the friends I have made during my time at Winthrop. To Renata, por todo tu amor, apoyo y paciencia. Finally, to my parents, Sean and Eileen. I owe everything to you. VI Table of Contents Abstract..................... ............................................................................................................................ Ill Acknowledgements....................................................................... ^ Table of Contents.................. Chapter Page Introduction Chapter 1: Background and Causes of The United Irishmen and the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland......................................... Chapter 2: Henry Joy McCracken and the United Irishmen in Belfast.............................................................. 30 Chapter 3; Fr. John Murphy and the United Irishmen in County Wexford........................................................ ..53 Chapter 4: The Rising in Wexford.................................................... .79 Chapters................................................................. 113 Chapter 6: Conclixsion................................................. 134 Bibliography.................................................. 147 1 Introduction The year 1798 witnessed Ireland in a period of ideological dichotomy, underpinned by two varying campaigns of rebellion, both of which were trying to achieve independence from Britain. The first modem republican ^jpovement in Ireland, the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland produced two strands in Irish politics which dominated the 19* and 20* centuries in Ireland. The situation in Ireland during this period of revolutionary philosophy developed extremely volatile and unstable conditions as the oppressive British rule in Ireland pushed the native Irish further and further to the brink of rebellion. The plight of the Irish and this revolutionary undercurrent was essentially influenced by events in France and in North America. The American Revolution concerned basically matters of national independence and the notion of a republic, but in 1789 the revolution in France introduced the concepts of liberty, equality and fraternity. These concepts carried with them the radical revolutionary vision of a fundamental reorganization of the whole of society, including the violent abolition of monarchy and the creation of a republic. The new French model emerged as the ideal of an enthusiastic group of Irishmen, most of them yoimg members of the Protestant and Presbyterian middle-class and in 1791, overcome with yearnings for independence, they founded the Society of United Irishmen in Belfast. The United Irishmen developed into a brotherhood, an assemblage of like-minded republicans and 2 radicals, united by the common goal of Irish independence. A.T.Q. Stewart describes the influence of the French Revolution on Irish affairs, A Deeper Silence, the Hidden Origins of the United Irishmen, when he wntes; “The French Revolution changed the politics of Ireland in an instant, dividing society into Aristocrats and Democrats. The Aristocrats were those, of whatever station in life, who believed that the Constitution was like a living tree, to be reformed by gentle pruning, or left alone. The Democrats were those who, like the French, believed in taking an axe to the root and starting all over again”.^ The original founders of the United Irishmen were largely influenced by the works of the European Enlightenment, by the progress of the French Revolution and by Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “TTie Rights of Mari\ published in 1791 as a response to Edward Burke’s pro-monarchist ^''Reflections on the Revolution in France”, as Paine’s pamphlet became essential reading and doctrine for these emergent members of the United Irishmen. The scope of this paper will investigate the two different facets of the 1798 Irish rebellion that existed in the country during this time. One in the northern county of Antrim, a largely ideological movement, generated by the influence of the United Irishmen, and the other in Wexford, a reactionary movement largely led by Fr. John Murphy of Boolavogue, a romanticized figure in Wexford that rallied the county to arms. A comparison will be drawn between Fr. Murphy in Wexford and Henry Joy McCracken in the North, ‘ A.T.Q. Stewart, A Deeper Silence: The Hidden Origins of the United Irishmen (London: Faber and Faber, 1993), 143. A quote from the Autobiography of Wolfe Tone used by Stewart. McCracken, a member of the United Irishmen in Belfast, who helped to restructure the Society into a secret society with revolutionary motivations. Parallels can be drawn between both efforts, but this paper will attempt to uncover the main contrasts and ultimately the reasons for the eventual British victory. The relationship between the two rebellions exists as a major aspect of this study. The objective is to identify the degree of reliance that one movement had on the other and to reveal the sum of influence the United Irishmen actually had over the rebellion in Wexford. Could the methods employed in Ulster have worked in Wexford or was the disparity of ideologies between both too great? Was the rebellion in Wexford just a reactionary uprising in opposition to the atrocities of the British or was it a rising-of ideals motivated and inspired by the beliefs and actions of the United Irishmen in the North? These questions that will be addressed in this study. Chapter one will provide the backdrop to the 1798 Rising in Ireland. Politically and socially, Ireland had maintained a stagnant state of animosity and disillusionment caused by centuries of violent oppression and displacement by British rule in Ireland. Chapter One will chronicle these disruptive causes, but also trace the short term causes which primed Ireland for revolution. Chapter two will explore the religious and political background and contribution of Henry Joy McCracken to the genesis of the United