Defenders (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Defenders were a militant, vigilante
agrarian secret society in 18th century Ireland, mainly Roman Catholic and from Ulster
, who allied with the United Irishmen but did little during the rebellion of 1798
.
in Ulster
in 1784, to protect Catholics from attack by the Protestant "Peep O'Day Boys
". Sectarian conflict had arisen out of the entry of Catholics into the linen
producing business and their being blamed for the downturn in the market, although the actual cause was the increasing industrialisation of the business which was steadily eroding the previous largely cottage-based nature of the industry. Violence continued until the Battle of the Diamond
in 1795 saw the "Peep O'Day Boys" emerge victorious. This victory was marked by the foundation of the Orange Order
and the waging of a campaign of ethnic cleansing
in mid Ulster
which forced thousands of Catholics to seek refuge in Connaught
and Leinster
, and in many cases, bringing the Defender organisation with them.
increased and it was at the small village of Forkhill
that perhaps its most notorious incident took place. In January 1791, the home of the local schoolmaster, a Mr Barclay, was called upon by a body of men. Recognising one of the group Barclay let them into his home. The crowd rushed in whereupon they strangled Barclay until his tongue came out which they then cut off, along with three of his fingers. The same treatment was then given to Barclay's wife - her tongue removed along with a thumb and four fingers - and her brother who had his calf removed.
While this was reported in the newspapers, the Annual Register
of 1791 says that the Barclays and their 14-year-old son's tongues and fingers had been 'chopt off', but not that they had died. 'So black and atrocious an act stands unparalleled in the annals of this country'. The Register was edited by Edmund Burke
.
Tension had also been rising in the area following a controversial will which had been interpreted as not allowing Catholics to buy land or renew their leases. Barclay was a Protestant and had refused to allow the local Gaelic
speaking children to speak anything but English
, and to only say Protestant prayers. He had been given the job by the local landlord Edward Hudson who sought to improve the area, largely by replacing the local tenantry, and as such was very unpopular. The action was an excessive punishment for Mr. Barclay's social crimes, and so the real underlying reason was the non-renewal of farming leases.
in County Down
that the next flashpoint occurred. The sectarian conflict that plagued south Ulster
intensified around the town of Rathfriland in the early part of 1792. In May in the neighbourhood of Banbridge
and Rathfriland these animosities were reported to be carried to a new height. In June a meeting of magistrates declared that the conflict between the Defenders and Peep O'Day boys now affected a considerable part of the Baronies of Upper and Lower Iveagh. The violence was to reach new levels in the Battle of Ballynappoge on 6 May. The problems in the area seem to have been running for some time and there is an account of one Presbyterian from Ballynappoge firing shots into the Defender quarter of Islandmoyle every night. The latest spark appeared to have been the funeral procession of a Catholic schoolmaster to a graveyard at Drumballyroney. The procession was hooted, insulted and pelted with dirt, by the presbyterians, and when they arrived at the grave-yard, and the priests began to chant the requiem of the deceased, they were attacked by the Presbyterians with stones and clubs, and were compelled to flee, leaving the corpse unburied. It would appear that both the Defenders and the Peep O'Day Boys had been preparing for conflict merely awaiting an excuse, and the funeral was to provide just that. Two days of violence followed and by Tuesday an army was assembled, consisting of many thousands and everything was ready for blood and carnage. Through the efforts of the Reverend Samuel Barber
and some others, articles of agreement were drawn up and these were agreed upon by both sides.
Despite this, tension again rose through the summer and a series of meetings that helped to shape the politics of the 1790s took place. Amongst those who met with the Defenders that summer in an effort to restore peace were the United Irishmen Wolfe Tone, Samuel Neilson
, John Keogh
, Thomas Braughall, Alexander Lowry as well as Thomas Russell
who was also visiting this region. These meetings were the first substantial links between the Defenders and the United Irishmen – a link that was to culminate in the rebellion in 1798
. While the Defenders were reacting to bigotry and the tithe
laws, and their lack of power in society, it is ironic that their new allies in France had a policy of Dechristianization which targeted the Catholic Church.
from 1778 onward had removed some of the penal restrictions
imposed upon Catholics, who were now allowed to vote and join grand juries
. However, the declaration of war by revolutionary France against Great Britain
in February 1793 was also followed by the passing of the Militia Act which was a form of partial conscription. Wealthier Catholics such as the young Daniel O'Connell
joined the Militia as it was proof of their gradual acceptance into the establishment, but it was harder for poorer rural Catholics whose help was needed on a family farm. Although the terms of the Act stipulated that conscripts would serve in Ireland, it was widely believed that men would be sent abroad and the resultant opposition saw thousands taking the Defender oath. Members were usually sworn in catechisms, one such oath went:
The Defenders did not have a centralised leadership but were organised in loosely connected local cells and were limited by their lack of firearms. They sought to obtain them by launching raids on the big and small houses of the Ascendancy
. In January 1793 the 'Annual Register' reported that forty farms had been raided for weapons near Dundalk
, County Louth
. However County Leitrim
saw the most Defender activity with raids on Carrick-on-Shannon
and Manorhamilton before eventual defeat at Drumkeerin in May 1793. Despite the ensuing wave of repression, the Leitrim Defenders again rose in open rebellion in 1795 and hundreds of soldiers had to be poured into the county to defeat them. The Defenders retained enough strength to rise in support of the French during the 1798 rebellion
, with strong Defender contingents present at the defeats at Granard
, Wilson's Hospital and Ballinamuck
.
had regularly travelled throughout the country organising cells and distributing propaganda such as the Northern Star newspaper. Defender cells were easily transformed into United Irish cells and those who held dual membership were often referred to as being "up and up". The precise role of the Defenders as an organisation during the rebellion is therefore hard to assess but Colonel Foote, commander of the British force and one of its few survivors of the battle of Oulart Hill
referred to the victorious rebels as "Defenders" as opposed to United Irishmen in his official account of the defeat.
The Defenders of County Down
withdrew support before the United Irish defeat at the Battle of Ballynahinch
on 12 June 1798, as their leader John Magennis had received good local information on the size and placing of the British forces. Magennis had also suggested a night attack which Munro
would not allow. The Defenders were also absent as a group from the earlier Battle of Antrim
.
The Defenders were usually depicted as subject to residual sectarianism, ultra-Catholic, guilty of anti-Protestantism
and having only paid at best lip service to the non-sectarian ideals of the United Irishmen. While this was undoubtedly true of a proportion of Defenders, Catholic priests were not immune to their wrath as in Athlone in 1793 where a priest who preached in favour of the Militia Act was almost hanged to death.
The fortunes of the Defenders were closely tied to the United Irishmen by the outbreak of the rebellion in 1798
and they did not survive its failure; however their influence endured in the later formation of similar groups like the Ribbonmen in the 1830s.
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
agrarian secret society in 18th century Ireland, mainly Roman Catholic and from Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, who allied with the United Irishmen but did little during the rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
.
Origin
The Defenders originated in County ArmaghCounty Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in 1784, to protect Catholics from attack by the Protestant "Peep O'Day Boys
Peep O'Day Boys
The Peep o' Day Boys was a Protestant secret association in 18th century Ireland, active in the 1780s and '90s and a precursor of the Orange Order.-Origins:The Peep-of-day Boys arose in the year 1784, in County Armagh, Ireland...
". Sectarian conflict had arisen out of the entry of Catholics into the linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
producing business and their being blamed for the downturn in the market, although the actual cause was the increasing industrialisation of the business which was steadily eroding the previous largely cottage-based nature of the industry. Violence continued until the Battle of the Diamond
Battle of the Diamond
The Battle of the Diamond was a violent confrontation between the Catholic Defenders and a Protestant faction including Peep o' Day Boys, Orange Boys and local tenant farmers that took place on 21 September 1795 near Loughgall, County Armagh, Ireland. The Protestants were the victors, killing...
in 1795 saw the "Peep O'Day Boys" emerge victorious. This victory was marked by the foundation of the Orange Order
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
and the waging of a campaign of ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
in mid Ulster
Mid Ulster
Mid Ulster can refer to:* Central Ulster* Mid Ulster * Mid Ulster * Mid Ulster English* the proposed Mid-Ulster District local authority...
which forced thousands of Catholics to seek refuge in Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
and Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
, and in many cases, bringing the Defender organisation with them.
The Forkhill Disturbances
For some time Defender violence in south ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
increased and it was at the small village of Forkhill
Forkhill
Forkhill or Forkill is a small village in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Ring of Gullion, near Slieve Fuad. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 366.- Name :...
that perhaps its most notorious incident took place. In January 1791, the home of the local schoolmaster, a Mr Barclay, was called upon by a body of men. Recognising one of the group Barclay let them into his home. The crowd rushed in whereupon they strangled Barclay until his tongue came out which they then cut off, along with three of his fingers. The same treatment was then given to Barclay's wife - her tongue removed along with a thumb and four fingers - and her brother who had his calf removed.
While this was reported in the newspapers, the Annual Register
Annual Register
The Annual Register is a long-established reference work, written and published each year, which records and analyses the year’s major events, developments and trends throughout the world...
of 1791 says that the Barclays and their 14-year-old son's tongues and fingers had been 'chopt off', but not that they had died. 'So black and atrocious an act stands unparalleled in the annals of this country'. The Register was edited by Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
.
Tension had also been rising in the area following a controversial will which had been interpreted as not allowing Catholics to buy land or renew their leases. Barclay was a Protestant and had refused to allow the local Gaelic
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
speaking children to speak anything but English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and to only say Protestant prayers. He had been given the job by the local landlord Edward Hudson who sought to improve the area, largely by replacing the local tenantry, and as such was very unpopular. The action was an excessive punishment for Mr. Barclay's social crimes, and so the real underlying reason was the non-renewal of farming leases.
Escalation
The strife that had begun in Armagh had now spread into the neighbouring counties but it was around the town of RathfrilandRathfriland
Rathfriland is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a hilltop Plantation of Ulster settlement between the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Croob and Banbridge. It had a population of 2,079 people in the 2001 Census.-History:...
in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
that the next flashpoint occurred. The sectarian conflict that plagued south Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
intensified around the town of Rathfriland in the early part of 1792. In May in the neighbourhood of Banbridge
Banbridge
Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing...
and Rathfriland these animosities were reported to be carried to a new height. In June a meeting of magistrates declared that the conflict between the Defenders and Peep O'Day boys now affected a considerable part of the Baronies of Upper and Lower Iveagh. The violence was to reach new levels in the Battle of Ballynappoge on 6 May. The problems in the area seem to have been running for some time and there is an account of one Presbyterian from Ballynappoge firing shots into the Defender quarter of Islandmoyle every night. The latest spark appeared to have been the funeral procession of a Catholic schoolmaster to a graveyard at Drumballyroney. The procession was hooted, insulted and pelted with dirt, by the presbyterians, and when they arrived at the grave-yard, and the priests began to chant the requiem of the deceased, they were attacked by the Presbyterians with stones and clubs, and were compelled to flee, leaving the corpse unburied. It would appear that both the Defenders and the Peep O'Day Boys had been preparing for conflict merely awaiting an excuse, and the funeral was to provide just that. Two days of violence followed and by Tuesday an army was assembled, consisting of many thousands and everything was ready for blood and carnage. Through the efforts of the Reverend Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
and some others, articles of agreement were drawn up and these were agreed upon by both sides.
Despite this, tension again rose through the summer and a series of meetings that helped to shape the politics of the 1790s took place. Amongst those who met with the Defenders that summer in an effort to restore peace were the United Irishmen Wolfe Tone, Samuel Neilson
Samuel Neilson
Samuel Neilson was one of the founder members of the Society of United Irishmen and the founder of its newspaper the Northern Star.-Background:...
, John Keogh
John Keogh
-Biography:Keogh was a leading Irish campaigner who struggled to get Irish Roman Catholics the right to vote and the repeal of the Penal Laws. He was of an obscure family and made his considerable fortune in land speculation, brewing, and silk trading...
, Thomas Braughall, Alexander Lowry as well as Thomas Russell
Thomas Russell (rebel)
Thomas Paliser Russell was a co-founder and leader of the United Irishmen was executed for his part in Robert Emmet's rebellion in 1803.-Background:...
who was also visiting this region. These meetings were the first substantial links between the Defenders and the United Irishmen – a link that was to culminate in the rebellion in 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. While the Defenders were reacting to bigotry and the tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
laws, and their lack of power in society, it is ironic that their new allies in France had a policy of Dechristianization which targeted the Catholic Church.
Militia Act 1793
Catholic EmancipationCatholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
from 1778 onward had removed some of the penal restrictions
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
imposed upon Catholics, who were now allowed to vote and join grand juries
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
. However, the declaration of war by revolutionary France against Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in February 1793 was also followed by the passing of the Militia Act which was a form of partial conscription. Wealthier Catholics such as the young Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
joined the Militia as it was proof of their gradual acceptance into the establishment, but it was harder for poorer rural Catholics whose help was needed on a family farm. Although the terms of the Act stipulated that conscripts would serve in Ireland, it was widely believed that men would be sent abroad and the resultant opposition saw thousands taking the Defender oath. Members were usually sworn in catechisms, one such oath went:
The Defenders did not have a centralised leadership but were organised in loosely connected local cells and were limited by their lack of firearms. They sought to obtain them by launching raids on the big and small houses of the Ascendancy
Ascendancy
Ascendancy is a 4X science fiction turn-based strategy computer game. It was originally released for MS-DOS in 1995 and was updated and re-released for iOS in 2011 by The Logic Factory. Ascendancy is a galactic struggle to become the dominant life force; hence the title. The game's introductory...
. In January 1793 the 'Annual Register' reported that forty farms had been raided for weapons near Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
. However County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
saw the most Defender activity with raids on Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is also the smallest main county town in the country . It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon and is the largest town in the county. The population of the town was 3,163 in 2006. It is in the barony...
and Manorhamilton before eventual defeat at Drumkeerin in May 1793. Despite the ensuing wave of repression, the Leitrim Defenders again rose in open rebellion in 1795 and hundreds of soldiers had to be poured into the county to defeat them. The Defenders retained enough strength to rise in support of the French during the 1798 rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
, with strong Defender contingents present at the defeats at Granard
Granard
Granard is a town in the north of County Longford, Ireland and has a traceable history going back to 236 A.D.. It is situated just south of the boundary between the watersheds of the Shannon and the Erne, at the point where the N55 national secondary road and the R194 regional road...
, Wilson's Hospital and Ballinamuck
Battle of Ballinamuck
The Battle of Ballinamuck marked the defeat of the main force of the French incursion during the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland.- Background :The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped...
.
Society of United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen had early identified the Defenders as potential allies and leading members such as James HopeJames Hope (Ireland)
James Hope was an United Irishmen leader who fought in the 1798 and 1803 rebellions against British rule in Ireland.-Background:...
had regularly travelled throughout the country organising cells and distributing propaganda such as the Northern Star newspaper. Defender cells were easily transformed into United Irish cells and those who held dual membership were often referred to as being "up and up". The precise role of the Defenders as an organisation during the rebellion is therefore hard to assess but Colonel Foote, commander of the British force and one of its few survivors of the battle of Oulart Hill
Battle of Oulart Hill
The Battle of Oulart Hill took place on 27 May 1798 when a rebel gathering of 1,000 annihilated a detachment of militia sent from Wexford town to stamp out the spreading rebellion in county Wexford.-Background:...
referred to the victorious rebels as "Defenders" as opposed to United Irishmen in his official account of the defeat.
The Defenders of County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
withdrew support before the United Irish defeat at the Battle of Ballynahinch
Battle of Ballynahinch
The Battle of Ballynahinch was fought outside Ballynahinch, County Down, on 12 June, during the Irish rebellion of 1798 between British forces led by Major-General George Nugent and the local United Irishmen led by Henry Munro .-Background:...
on 12 June 1798, as their leader John Magennis had received good local information on the size and placing of the British forces. Magennis had also suggested a night attack which Munro
Henry Munro (United Irishman)
Henry Munro was a United Irishman born in Lisburn, County Down.Munro was a linen draper, senior freemason and popular raconteur who became leader of the United Irish organisation in Down following the arrest of its leader Rev. Willam Steel Jackson on June 5...
would not allow. The Defenders were also absent as a group from the earlier Battle of Antrim
Battle of Antrim
The Battle of Antrim was fought on 7 June 1798, in the county Antrim in Ulster, Ireland during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between British troops and Irish insurgents led by Henry Joy McCracken...
.
The Defenders were usually depicted as subject to residual sectarianism, ultra-Catholic, guilty of anti-Protestantism
Anti-Protestantism
Anti-Protestantism is an institutional, ideological or emotional bias, hatred or distrust and against some or all forms and divisions of Protestantism and its followers.- History :...
and having only paid at best lip service to the non-sectarian ideals of the United Irishmen. While this was undoubtedly true of a proportion of Defenders, Catholic priests were not immune to their wrath as in Athlone in 1793 where a priest who preached in favour of the Militia Act was almost hanged to death.
The fortunes of the Defenders were closely tied to the United Irishmen by the outbreak of the rebellion in 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
and they did not survive its failure; however their influence endured in the later formation of similar groups like the Ribbonmen in the 1830s.
Sources
- Thomas Bartlett, Kevin Dawson, Daire Keogh, "Rebellion", Dublin 1998
- Liam Kelly "A Flame now Quenched: Rebels and Frenchmen in Leitrim 1793-98", Dublin 1998
- David Miller "Peep O' Day Boys and Defenders", Belfast 1990