Irish Volunteers (18th century)
Encyclopedia
The Irish Volunteers were a militia in late 18th century Ireland
. The Volunteers were founded in Belfast
in 1778 to defend Ireland from the threat of foreign invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight across the globe during the American War of Independence. Under the pressure of the American Revolution, and the Volunteers, Westminster would eventually concede legislative independence to the Dublin parliament. Members of the 1st Belfast Volunteer Company would lay the foundations for the establishment of the United Irishmen organisation.
were left to their own defence" according to Lord Charlemount
, the Lord Lieutenant of County Armagh
who said that they had been "abandoned by Government in the hour of danger". The date of the original muster-roll of the Belfast First Volunteer Company was 17 March 1778. It later adopted nationalist colours and called itself the Green Company. While the Chief Secretary in Dublin Castle
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
said that he very much approved their formation, in reality according to A.T.Q. Stewart there was few things he approved of less, but dared not say so in public. The war with the American colonists having drastically reduced the number of troops in Ireland a matter of some importance for the stability in Irish society with the landed gentry reacting nervously. The almost unanimous sympathies of Irishmen during the American War of Independence were on the side of the Americans, whose grievances were very similar. When the Irish Parliament voted money to raise regiments for service against the Americans, it resulted in a 'hailstorm of indignation about its ears.'
However they were also marked by liberal political views. For instance although only Anglican Protestants were allowed to bear arms under the Penal Laws
, the Volunteers admitted Presbyterians and a limited number of Roman Catholics, reflecting the recent Catholic Relief Act of 1778
. The Government attempted to start a scare by saying that Catholics were securing arms under cover of Volunteering, however the Patriot Opposition countered this by requesting that Catholics refrain from Volunteering. The Catholics complying with this request, raising large sums of money in which buy equipment for the Protestant Volunteers, leaving the Government who had tried to divide Protestants and Catholics actually promoted their Union.
The Volunteers would provide in addition to a patriotic outlet, with each corps becoming a debating society, it would also bring about a shift in power with the Volunteers being controlled by progressive politically minded people and not by the Establishment.
In addition, their officers were elected by the rank and file. In 1779, the Volunteers demonstrated in Dublin for Free Trade between Ireland and England. Previously, under the Navigation Acts
, Irish goods had been subject to tariffs upon entering England, whereas English goods could pass freely into Ireland. The Volunteers paraded fully armed with the slogan, "Free Trade or this", as referring to cannon.also cited "Free trade or a Speedy Revolution". According to Liz Curtis the English regime in Ireland was vulnerable, and the Volunteers used this to press for concessions from England using their new found strength. This demand of the Volunteers was quickly granted by the British government. The Dublin Volunteers' review in College Green
in November 1779 was painted by Francis Wheatley
.
In 1782, after agitation by the Volunteers and by a Parliamentary grouping under Henry Grattan
, greater autonomy and powers were granted to the Irish Parliament. Radicals named these concessions, "the constitution of 1782
".
In February 1782 at a Volunteer convention held in Dungannon
, delegates from a number of Ulster Volunteer corps would pledge their support for resolutions advocating legislative independence for Ireland. Whilst proclaiming their loyalty to the British Crown, many of its membership were just as concerned with securing Irish free trade and opposing English governmental interference in Ireland as they were in repelling the French.
The Volunteers became less influential after the end of the war in America in 1783, and rapidly declined except in Ulster. On 14 July 1791, on the second anniversary of the fall of the Bastille, the Belfast Volunteers exuberantly paraded through Belfast and agreed to send a declaration to the national assembly of France, to which they received "rapturous replies".
as the "armed property of the nation". The colour of the Volunteer uniforms varied, for example the First Magherafelt
Volunteers, one of the first corps to be founded in Ireland, in June, 1773, had scarlet uniforms, faced with black. The Aghavoe Loyals had scarlet uniforms faced with blue, whilst the Castledurrow Volunteers wore green uniforms faced with white and silver lining.
Leading Volunteer and Patriot
, Henry Grattan, is recorded as wearing a blue Volunteer uniform.
, and best target shot at 100 yards.
The features of the 100 yard target shot medal, which is now in the hands of the Ulster Museum
, were: oval shaped containing an engravement of two cavalry swords in a saltire
along with the company's name, the year, and the competition. The reverse side contained two sprays of shamrock in a field with a harp bearing a royal crown. It also included the motto Pro Rege et Patria (Latin
: "For King and Country").
. The Volunteers exerted considerable pressure on the British government to ease the Penal Laws on Catholics such as the Relief Acts of 1778 and 1782. At the Dungannon Convention of 1782, a resolution was passed that proclaimed the rejoice at the relaxation of the Penal Laws, whilst saying that Catholics "should not be completely free from restrictions". In contrast at Ballybay, County Monaghan, the Reverend John Rodgers addressed a meeting of Volunteers, imploring them "not to consent to the repeal of the penal laws, or to allow of a legal toleration of the Popish religion". John Wesley wrote in his Journal that the Volunteers should "at least keep the Papists in order", whilst his letter to the Freeman's Journal in 1780, which many would have agreed with, argued that he wouldn't have the Catholics persecuted at all, but rather hindered from being able to to cause harm.
, culminating in sectarian warfare between the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys and the Catholic Defenders
that would rage for over a decade. Many local Volunteers, holding partisan views, became involved in the conflict. In November 1788, the Benburb Volunteers were taunted by a "Catholic mob" near Blackwaterstown. The Benburb
Volunteers then opened fire upon the Catholics killing two, and mortally wounding three others. In July 1789, the Volunteers assaulted the Defenders who had assembled at Lisnaglade Fort near Tandragee, resulting in more lives being lost. In 1797 Dr. William Richardson wrote a detailed analysis for the 1st Marquess of Abercorn
, where he claimed that the troubles were caused by the excitement of volunteering during the American War of Independence, which gave "the people high confidence in their own strength".
in counties Antrim and Down, the Protestants were such an "overwhelming majority" that they had little to fear from Catholics, and became their biggest defenders.
The Belfast Volunteer delegates to the national convention of 1782 were "bitterly disappointed" that their fellow Volunteers were still oppossed to giving Catholics the vote. In 1783 they became the first company of Volunteers in Ireland to admit Catholics into their ranks, and in May 1784 attended mass at St. Mary's chapel. Indeed the building of this chapel was largely paid for by the Belfast Volunteer company.
In 1791, the 1st Belfast Volunteer Company passed its own resolution argueing in favour of Catholic emancipation. A small group of men from this company started to prepare the ground for the creation of a new radical organisation in the town, the United Irishmen.
Other radical Volunteers later joined the United Irishmen movement, which eventually advocated an independent Irish Republic and an end to sectarian laws, launching the 1798 rebellion
in an attempt to secure their aims.
It was the Volunteers of 1782 which would launch a paramilitary tradition in Irish politics, a tradition, whether nationalist or unionist, has continued to shape Irish political activity with the ethos of "the force of argument had been trumped by the argument of force". Irish republicanism an offspring of the Volunteers of 1782, owes much to influences of both the American and French revolutions.
The Volunteers of the 18th century set a precedent for using the threat of armed force to influence political reform. George Washington
, also a member of the landed gentry
, had written about them: "Patriots of Ireland, your cause is our own". While their political aims were limited, and their legacy was ambiguous, combining future elements of both Irish nationalism
and Irish unionism, among early 20th century Irish nationalists the Volunteers were represented as a proto-nationalist organisation.
Renowned Irish historian and writer James Camlin Beckett, stated that when the Act of Union
between Great Britain and Ireland was being debated in the Parliament of Ireland
thoughout 1800, that the "national spirit of 1782 was dead". Despite this, Henry Grattan, who had helped secure the Irish parliament's legislative independence in 1782, bought Wicklow borough at midnight for £1,200, and after dressing in his old Volunteer uniform, arrived at the House of Commons of the Irish parliament at 7 a.m., after which he gave a two hour speech against the proposed union.
Denis McCullough
and Bulmer Hobson
of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB) established the Dungannon Clubs in 1905..."to celebrate those icons of the constitutionalist movement, the Irish Volunteers of 1782"
MacNeill stated of the original Volunteers, "the example of the former Volunteers (of 1782) is not that they did not fight but that they did not maintain their organisation till their objects had been secured".
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
. The Volunteers were founded in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in 1778 to defend Ireland from the threat of foreign invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight across the globe during the American War of Independence. Under the pressure of the American Revolution, and the Volunteers, Westminster would eventually concede legislative independence to the Dublin parliament. Members of the 1st Belfast Volunteer Company would lay the foundations for the establishment of the United Irishmen organisation.
History
In late 1778, alarmed by the activities of French and Spanish privateers and the prospect of a French invasion, "the inhabitants of BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
were left to their own defence" according to Lord Charlemount
James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont
James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont KP PC was an Irish statesman.The son of the 3rd Viscount Charlemont, he was born in Dublin, and succeeded his father as 4th Viscount in 1734...
, the Lord Lieutenant of County Armagh
Armagh
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...
who said that they had been "abandoned by Government in the hour of danger". The date of the original muster-roll of the Belfast First Volunteer Company was 17 March 1778. It later adopted nationalist colours and called itself the Green Company. While the Chief Secretary in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire was an English nobleman and politician.The son of John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire by his first marriage, he was educated at Westminster School and Christ's College, Cambridge. He was Member of Parliament for Norwich from 1747–56, having also been...
said that he very much approved their formation, in reality according to A.T.Q. Stewart there was few things he approved of less, but dared not say so in public. The war with the American colonists having drastically reduced the number of troops in Ireland a matter of some importance for the stability in Irish society with the landed gentry reacting nervously. The almost unanimous sympathies of Irishmen during the American War of Independence were on the side of the Americans, whose grievances were very similar. When the Irish Parliament voted money to raise regiments for service against the Americans, it resulted in a 'hailstorm of indignation about its ears.'
However they were also marked by liberal political views. For instance although only Anglican Protestants were allowed to bear arms under the Penal Laws
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....
, the Volunteers admitted Presbyterians and a limited number of Roman Catholics, reflecting the recent Catholic Relief Act of 1778
Papists Act 1778
The Papists Act 1778 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain and was the first Act for Catholic Relief. Later in 1778 It was also enacted by the Irish parliament....
. The Government attempted to start a scare by saying that Catholics were securing arms under cover of Volunteering, however the Patriot Opposition countered this by requesting that Catholics refrain from Volunteering. The Catholics complying with this request, raising large sums of money in which buy equipment for the Protestant Volunteers, leaving the Government who had tried to divide Protestants and Catholics actually promoted their Union.
The Volunteers would provide in addition to a patriotic outlet, with each corps becoming a debating society, it would also bring about a shift in power with the Volunteers being controlled by progressive politically minded people and not by the Establishment.
In addition, their officers were elected by the rank and file. In 1779, the Volunteers demonstrated in Dublin for Free Trade between Ireland and England. Previously, under the Navigation Acts
Navigation Acts
The English Navigation Acts were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England and its colonies, a process which had started in 1651. Their goal was to force colonial development into lines favorable to England, and stop direct colonial trade with the...
, Irish goods had been subject to tariffs upon entering England, whereas English goods could pass freely into Ireland. The Volunteers paraded fully armed with the slogan, "Free Trade or this", as referring to cannon.also cited "Free trade or a Speedy Revolution". According to Liz Curtis the English regime in Ireland was vulnerable, and the Volunteers used this to press for concessions from England using their new found strength. This demand of the Volunteers was quickly granted by the British government. The Dublin Volunteers' review in College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
in November 1779 was painted by Francis Wheatley
Francis Wheatley (painter)
Francis Wheatley was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Life and work:Wheatley was born at Wild Court, Covent Garden, London, the son of a master tailor. He studied at William Shipley's drawing school and the Royal Academy, and won several prizes from the Society of Arts...
.
In 1782, after agitation by the Volunteers and by a Parliamentary grouping under Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
, greater autonomy and powers were granted to the Irish Parliament. Radicals named these concessions, "the constitution of 1782
Constitution of 1782
The Constitution of 1782 is a collective term given to a series of legal changes which freed the Parliament of Ireland, a Medieval parliament consisting of the Irish House of Commons and the Irish House of Lords, of legal restrictions that had been imposed by successive Norman, English, and later,...
".
In February 1782 at a Volunteer convention held in Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
, delegates from a number of Ulster Volunteer corps would pledge their support for resolutions advocating legislative independence for Ireland. Whilst proclaiming their loyalty to the British Crown, many of its membership were just as concerned with securing Irish free trade and opposing English governmental interference in Ireland as they were in repelling the French.
The Volunteers became less influential after the end of the war in America in 1783, and rapidly declined except in Ulster. On 14 July 1791, on the second anniversary of the fall of the Bastille, the Belfast Volunteers exuberantly paraded through Belfast and agreed to send a declaration to the national assembly of France, to which they received "rapturous replies".
Uniform
The Volunteers had to pay for their own uniforms and arms, and they were therefore described by Henry GrattanHenry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
as the "armed property of the nation". The colour of the Volunteer uniforms varied, for example the First Magherafelt
Magherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...
Volunteers, one of the first corps to be founded in Ireland, in June, 1773, had scarlet uniforms, faced with black. The Aghavoe Loyals had scarlet uniforms faced with blue, whilst the Castledurrow Volunteers wore green uniforms faced with white and silver lining.
Leading Volunteer and Patriot
Irish Patriot Party
The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence, but advocated strong self-government within...
, Henry Grattan, is recorded as wearing a blue Volunteer uniform.
Competitions
Volunteer Corps would participate in competitions against each other. The First Magherafelt Volunteers are recorded as having won two silver medals in 1781, for skill with broadswordBroadsword
Broadsword may refer to:*Broadsword , a military sword used by heavy cavalry during the 17th to early 19th centuriesIn more modern times, it has also been used to refer to:...
, and best target shot at 100 yards.
The features of the 100 yard target shot medal, which is now in the hands of the Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
, were: oval shaped containing an engravement of two cavalry swords in a saltire
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
along with the company's name, the year, and the competition. The reverse side contained two sprays of shamrock in a field with a harp bearing a royal crown. It also included the motto Pro Rege et Patria (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: "For King and Country").
Organisation
By 1782, the Volunteers appear to have been organised into battalions and brigades, with ten to twelve companies each. Each company would consist of between 60 and 100 men, and would be raised in each parish where the number of Protestants made it viable. Where necessary two or three parishes would be merged to form a company. Alongside the parish companies, towns would have one or more. Officer wise a company had a captain, lieutenant, and ensign.Catholic emancipation
The Volunteers had no unified view in regards to 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...
. The Volunteers exerted considerable pressure on the British government to ease the Penal Laws on Catholics such as the Relief Acts of 1778 and 1782. At the Dungannon Convention of 1782, a resolution was passed that proclaimed the rejoice at the relaxation of the Penal Laws, whilst saying that Catholics "should not be completely free from restrictions". In contrast at Ballybay, County Monaghan, the Reverend John Rodgers addressed a meeting of Volunteers, imploring them "not to consent to the repeal of the penal laws, or to allow of a legal toleration of the Popish religion". John Wesley wrote in his Journal that the Volunteers should "at least keep the Papists in order", whilst his letter to the Freeman's Journal in 1780, which many would have agreed with, argued that he wouldn't have the Catholics persecuted at all, but rather hindered from being able to to cause harm.
County Armagh disturbances
In the 1780s sectarian tensions rose to dangerous levels 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...
, culminating in sectarian warfare between the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys and the Catholic Defenders
Defenders (Ireland)
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.-Origin:...
that would rage for over a decade. Many local Volunteers, holding partisan views, became involved in the conflict. In November 1788, the Benburb Volunteers were taunted by a "Catholic mob" near Blackwaterstown. The Benburb
Benburb
Benburb is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies seven miles from Armagh and nine miles from Dungannon.Recently Benburb has seen a revival in businesses basing themselves there, Arts and Crafts being the main businesses, there is also a café and a restaurant at...
Volunteers then opened fire upon the Catholics killing two, and mortally wounding three others. In July 1789, the Volunteers assaulted the Defenders who had assembled at Lisnaglade Fort near Tandragee, resulting in more lives being lost. In 1797 Dr. William Richardson wrote a detailed analysis for the 1st Marquess of Abercorn
John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn
John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn KG, PC was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:He was the son of Captain Hon. John Hamilton and grandson of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn. He was educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Cambridge...
, where he claimed that the troubles were caused by the excitement of volunteering during the American War of Independence, which gave "the people high confidence in their own strength".
The Belfast Volunteers
Outside of Ulster, Catholics found few supporters as Protestants where a minority concerned with their privileges. In Ulster, Protestants and Catholics where almost equal in number and sectarian rivalries remained strong, exemplfied by the County Armagh disturbances. In contrast, east of the River BannRiver Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland, the total length being 80 miles . The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh...
in counties Antrim and Down, the Protestants were such an "overwhelming majority" that they had little to fear from Catholics, and became their biggest defenders.
The Belfast Volunteer delegates to the national convention of 1782 were "bitterly disappointed" that their fellow Volunteers were still oppossed to giving Catholics the vote. In 1783 they became the first company of Volunteers in Ireland to admit Catholics into their ranks, and in May 1784 attended mass at St. Mary's chapel. Indeed the building of this chapel was largely paid for by the Belfast Volunteer company.
In 1791, the 1st Belfast Volunteer Company passed its own resolution argueing in favour of Catholic emancipation. A small group of men from this company started to prepare the ground for the creation of a new radical organisation in the town, the United Irishmen.
Other radical Volunteers later joined the United Irishmen movement, which eventually advocated an independent Irish Republic and an end to sectarian laws, launching 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...
in an attempt to secure their aims.
Demise and legacy
The demise of the Volunteers occurred during 1793 with the passing of the Gunpowder Act and Convention Act, both of which "effectively killed off Volunteering", whilst the creation of a militia, followed by the yeomanry, served to deprive the Volunteers of their justification of being a voluntary defence force.It was the Volunteers of 1782 which would launch a paramilitary tradition in Irish politics, a tradition, whether nationalist or unionist, has continued to shape Irish political activity with the ethos of "the force of argument had been trumped by the argument of force". Irish republicanism an offspring of the Volunteers of 1782, owes much to influences of both the American and French revolutions.
The Volunteers of the 18th century set a precedent for using the threat of armed force to influence political reform. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, also a member of the landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
, had written about them: "Patriots of Ireland, your cause is our own". While their political aims were limited, and their legacy was ambiguous, combining future elements of both Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and Irish unionism, among early 20th century Irish nationalists the Volunteers were represented as a proto-nationalist organisation.
Renowned Irish historian and writer James Camlin Beckett, stated that when the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
between Great Britain and Ireland was being debated in the Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
thoughout 1800, that the "national spirit of 1782 was dead". Despite this, Henry Grattan, who had helped secure the Irish parliament's legislative independence in 1782, bought Wicklow borough at midnight for £1,200, and after dressing in his old Volunteer uniform, arrived at the House of Commons of the Irish parliament at 7 a.m., after which he gave a two hour speech against the proposed union.
Denis McCullough
Denis McCullough
Denis McCullough was a prominent Irish nationalist political activist in the early 20th century.-Early career - IRB activist:Born in Belfast, Ireland McCullough was a separatist nationalist from an early age...
and Bulmer Hobson
Bulmer Hobson
John Bulmer Hobson was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Brotherhood before the Easter Rising in 1916...
of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
(IRB) established the Dungannon Clubs in 1905..."to celebrate those icons of the constitutionalist movement, the Irish Volunteers of 1782"
MacNeill stated of the original Volunteers, "the example of the former Volunteers (of 1782) is not that they did not fight but that they did not maintain their organisation till their objects had been secured".
Sources
- Stewart, A.T.Q. (1998). A Deeper Silence: The Hidden Origins of the United Irishmen. Blackstaff, ISBN 0 85640 642 2.
- Jackson, T.A. (1946). Ireland Her Own. Cobbett Press.
- Curtis, Liz (1994). The Cause of Ireland: From the United Irishmen to Partition. Beyond the Pale Publications. ISBN 0 9514229 6 0.
- F.X. Martin, T.W. Moody (1994). The Course of Irish History. Mercier Press. ISBN 1 85635 108 4.
- Llwelyn, Morgan (2001). Irish Rebels. O'Brien Press. ISBN 0 86278 857 9.
- Connolly, S.J., Oxford Companion to Irish History, Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7
- Kelly, M. J. (2006). The Fenian ideal and Irish nationalism, 1882-1916. Boydell & Brewer Ltd,.ISBN 9781843832041.
- Townshend, Charles (1983). Political violence in Ireland: government and resistance since 1848. Clarendon Press. ISBN 9780198217534.