Turning Points in Irish Nationalism for Essay 29/9/23

Question 1

Why were developments towards independence in the US colonies important in Ireland?

Answer 1

• Both Irish and Americans shared experience of subjugation under British power, a connection strengthened by a large number of Irishmen who emigrated to the USA.
• Sending of Irish troops to fight for Britain in the Colonies was opposed by the Patriots and Henry Grattan, who believed success would lead to unfavourable circumstances for Ireland.

Question 2

What were the outcomes of the American Revolution?

Answer 2

• The success of the revolution shared ideas such as republicanism and political rights to enter the country, creating a more forceful nationalist perspective.
• The revolution, in conjunction with the French revolution and the Anglo-French war led to a militarisation of the country - many Protestant supporters of Britain volunteered to defend Ireland’s borders against potential enemies, leading to the formation of militias in Ireland.

Question 3

How did the creation of militias create opportunities to challenge British authority?

Answer 3

Frequent drilling and parades gave volunteers a chance to meet regularly, allowing them to discuss politics and issues of concern.

Question 4

Who were the Irish Volunteers?

Answer 4

The Irish Volunteers were a militia created in the 1780s to defend against the threat of French / Spanish invasion, and by 1782 there were 60,000 volunteers ready to fight.

Question 5

How did the Irish Volunteers become greater involved in politics?

Answer 5

• They became greater involved in Irish politics after the end of the American Revolution, using the change in circumstance as well as their power base to demand greater political liberties.
• These liberties were granted by the Constitution of 1782 which repealed the Act of 1720 and reduced Britain’s control over Irish legislation to a simple veto, and implementing the Mutiny Act.
• This meant that Ireland became a technically independent nation, which shared a monarch with its neighbouring island.

Question 6

When was the the (Society of) United Irishmen founded, by whom, and why?

Answer 6

In 1791, Wolfe Tone, a Protestant, founded the (Society of) United Irishmen, to unite Catholics and Protestants in order to achieve:
- Full male sufferage
- 300 Irish electoral districts equal in population
- An Irish parliament with little to no British influence

Question 7

What were the demands of the United Irishmen made in their manifesto in 1794?

Answer 7

• Ireland would be divided into 300 parliamentary constituencies, equal in population
• Every man should have a vote

In addition to these aims, it was understood that further Catholic emancipation would be necessary since Catholics were not allowed to stand for parliament. Therefore, additional reform would be required for representing the Irish population, which was primarily of that faith.

Question 8

Why did Tone request a French force to land in Ireland in 1796?

Answer 8

• After the outbreak of war with France in 1793, Britain was much more resistant to extending further powers and therefore did not allow further change in Ireland.
• This led the United Irishmen to try more aggressive tactics encouraged by the American and French examples.
• Tone negotiated a deal for a French invasion force of 14,000 to land in Bantry Bay in 1796 to eject the British occupation, however stormy weather scattered the fleet and forced them to return to Brest.

Question 9

How did poor co-ordination lead to the defeat of the 1796 Uprising?

Answer 9

• Despite having approximately 15,000 fighting men, the rebellion was poorly co-ordinated, and since they could not take the cities of Belfast or Dublin, much of the fighting was confined to the countryside.
• The British had a greater force of 20,000 to fight the rebellion, and won a decisive victory at Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy in June.
• As Egypt was a greater priority for France over Ireland, the 1,100 forces sent to Ireland arrived late (in August) and few in number - the rebellion failed to re-ignite

Question 10

What were the effects of the 1796 Uprising?

Answer 10

• Armed conflict in Ireland during a time of British weakness demosntrated the vulnerability of the British position in Ireland, leading to the Act of Union in 1801 to incorporate Ireland into the British state.

Question 11

What were the arguments for making Ireland part of the Union?

Answer 11

• It would make the defence of Ireland easier
• It would boost the Irish economy by linking it to Britain
• It would transform a Catholic majority into a minority and offer greater security to the Protestants

Question 12

What were the arguments against making Ireland part of the Union?

Answer 12

• Ireland was a separate society with separate and distinct tradtions
• Ireland would become a provincial backwater under British domination
• George III refused to break his Coronation Oath to uphold the Anglican Church

Question 13

What was the Young Ireland Movement?

Answer 13

• Young Ireland was a group of Irish nationalists associated with the Repeal Association and supported it through the newspaper ‘The Nation’ set up in 1842.
• They embraced the concept of Irish nationality, regardless of religion, and wanted radical Irish indepence from Britain.
• They also took a more romantic view of nationalism, drawing inspiration from the 1798 Uprising and welcomed personal sacrifice to achieve its goals.

Question 14

What caused the 1848 Rebellion?

Answer 14

• The emergence of Young Ireland at the same time as the Penal Association meant it acted as a competitor and weakened the Association, contributing to its decline.
• The arrest and trial of John Mitchell for sedition led to a planned rebellion in the summer, to copy the coup in France that had ended the French monarchy.

Question 15

Why did the 1848 Rebellion fail?

Answer 15

• The uprising was hastily planned, and lacked the resources and co-ordination required for success.
• Upon the outbreak of rebellion, the British poured 10,000 troops into Ireland and suspended habeas corpus on 21 July 1848
• The fighting was drawn into the countryside, when after several skirmishes at Killenaule and Ballingary, where the Young Irelanders made a stand against the British forces. After two rebels were killed, the rest broke rank and dissapeared.
• Several of the Young Irelanders, including O’Brien were sentenced to transportation to Australia

Habeas Corpus is a writ that requires a person after arrest to be brought to a judge or court in order to establish whether their detention is legal - it acts as a safeguard against abitrary arrest and prevents detention without charge.

Question 16

What were the effects of the 1848 rebellion and Young Ireland?

Answer 16

• The failure caused the demise of Young Ireland after less than ten years in existence - the movement failed to meet any of its tangible goals.
• However, the movement promoted the cause of independence, and rekindled a sense of Irish nationalism reaching back to the United Irishmen and traditional defiance. This renewed the cause of Irish nationalism and ensured that it remained throughout the 19th Century.

Question 17

What were the causes of the Easter Rising?

Answer 17

• The IRB had recovered from their failed 1867 rising and, following the postponement of the Home Rule legislation in 1914, agreed that a new rising should commence during WWi so as to recieve help from Germany.

Question 18

How successful was the planning for the Easter Rising?

Answer 18

• In May 1915, a small military council was made responsible for the preparations, and they decided that Easter Week 1916 would be the best opportunity for an uprising.
• However, the British government was aware of a planned uprising after intercepting radio transmissions between the IRB and Germany. However, it decided not to arrest the perpetrators until after Easter Monday, by which time the Rising had begun.

Question 19

How many people were involved in the Easter Rising?

Answer 19

• 1,000 armed Volunteers
• 200 Irish Citizen Army Personell

Question 20

How many people were killed in the Easter Rising?

Answer 20

• 64 rebels
• 200 civillians
• Immense damage to property after the British used artillery to subside the rising.

Question 21

When did the Easter Rising begin?

Answer 21

24 April 1916

Question 22

What were the impacts of the Easter Rising?

Answer 22

• Although many people were against the Rising at first, the heavy-handedness of British authority in using artillery to suppress the rising as well as executing 15 of the rebel leaders over a nine-day period embittered much of the general public to British rule.
• This elevated the desires for separation from Britain across a much wider scope of the Irish population
• Sinn Fein organised itself into a new parliament for Ireland called Dail Eireann, to carry out policies of obstructionism. This was met with huge anger by Unionists in the north, and Britain sent in troops to the country to break up the parliament there, starting the Irish war of Independence.

This changed the course of Irish nationalism from dissent through tradtional defiance to a more open and sustained conflict with Great Britain, leading to civil war and partition by 1922.