Clan O'Byrne registered with the Clans of Ireland 2018
  • CLAN O'BYRNE HOME PAGE
  • New Page
  • NEW!! UNCOVER YOUR PAST ! !
  • CLAN O'BYRNE EVENTS ARCHIVE
  • Who do YOU think you are ? The Clan O'Byrne DNA Project
    • DNA PROJECT 2013 UPDATE
    • Y-DNA - A genealogical Aid by Richard Byrne
    • DNA Progress Report Mar 2012
  • FORUMs
  • BYRNE HERALDRY
  • Clan O'Byrne Gathering Rally Poll
  • The Gathering Rally Quick Guide
  • News , Updates and Archives
  • Clan O'Byrne Background
  • The Clans of Ireland
    • 1998 Clans of Ireland AGM
    • The 2003 Gathering of the Clans of Ireland , Portumna
    • 2010 Clans of Ireland AGM
    • Clans of Ireland 2012 Annual Conference and AGM
  • Histories of the O'Byrnes
    • Clan System in Gaelic Ireland
    • The Byrnes 1050- 2000 by Hughie O'Byrne
    • Famous Battles of the O'Byrnes
    • 1580 The Battle of Glenmalure
    • 1650 Byrnes and the Confederatiom
    • 1798 Rebellion and the Byrnes
    • Rebel Byrnes in 1798
    • The O'Byrnes and O'Tooles
    • Clan O'Byrne History Postbox
  • Sept families of the Leinster Byrnes
    • Crioch Branach, The O'Byrnes Country >
      • Castles of the O'Byrnes.
    • Family of the Downes of Crioch Branach >
      • Downes Hill Climb 1992
    • Family of Kiltimon of Crioc Branach
    • Family of Newrath, Crioch Branach >
      • The O'Byrnes of Newrath by Dr. Emmett O'Byrne
    • Family of Croneroe, Crioch Branach
    • Family of Gabhall Raghnall of Glenmalure >
      • Glenmalure >
        • Balllinacor, Glenmalure
        • Ballinacor Picture Gallery
    • Family of Ui Lorcan of Clonmore
    • O'Byrne Placenames and Castles
  • Leinster Clans Alliance
  • Clan Rallies of the O'Byrnes
    • 1953 Clan O'Byrne, An Tostal Rally, Aughrim.
    • Clan O'Byrne Rally, Aughrim 1991 >
      • 1991 Rally images P1 of 2
      • 1991 Rally images P2 of 2
      • The Chieftains Banquet
    • 1992 Clan O'Byrne Rally, Aughrim >
      • 1992 Wicklow People News item
      • 1992 Clan Rally Gathering
      • Pat Byrne of Florida >
        • The Downes climb 1992
      • The Mercenaries
      • Ardmore Studios
      • Chateaux de St. Geri
    • 1998 Clan Rally, Woodenbridge. >
      • The Lure of Glenmalure
      • Later at the 1998 Clan O'Byrne Rally
      • Clan Rally Miscellany
  • St. Geri 2008
    • Count Henri O'Byrne of Chateaux St. Geri, France.
  • Well known and not so well known Byrnes
    • Feaghe mac Hugh O' Byrne, Lord of Glenmalure
    • Miles Byrne of Monaseed
    • Billy Byrne of Ballymanus
    • Charles Byrne of Derry, the Irish Giant
    • Edward Byrne of Saggart
    • Alfie Byrne, Lord Mayor of Dublin
    • For Whom the Bell tolls
  • Ancestors sought and hoped for.
    • Clan O'Byrne Forum
  • Blogs for Byrnes
  • Clan O'Byrne Video Vault
  • Publications, Links and Sources
    • Publications
    • LINKS
  • Irish Order of Knighthood
  • Google Wicklow
  • Drives thro County Wicklow
  • Membership registration form
  • Clan Ó Byrne Members only
    • Membership Information

The 1798 Rebellion and the Byrnes

Picture
The year 1789 witnessed a world shattering event which would alter circumstances  and life in many countries but particularly France, America and Ireland. The  event, The French Revolution when the untamed mobs and peasants rose up and  overthrew civilisation and society. The hierarchy of power which had lasted for  centuries, based on the divine rights of kings, lords and bishops was no more -  property, rights and kings were overthrown. The old order was no more and for 12  years the old institutions of civlisation fell. The King of France Louis XVI was  guillotined in 1793 followed 9 months later by his Queen, Marie Antoinette,
followed by the heads of the aristocracy and those who remained loyal - even the  minor lords like the O'Byrnes of Bordeaux (vineyard estates), were not to escape  as their vast landed estates were taken from them.
In England shock and  horror turned to fear and in Ireland, the aristocracy ever fearful of the  immense Catholic majority and ever conscious of their hostility, were terrified  of losing control over the peasant people. And they were right-discontent was
smouldering as grievance was added to grievance; remember the Catholics had no  rights or votes and when in 1790 the extreme Protestant ascendancy increased  control the two would - be protagonists grew further apart. This increasing
resentment led to the formation of a Catholic committee to win civil liberties  and in 1791 a young Protestant lawyer Theobold Wolfe Tone helped form a new  society named the United Irishmen - his aim to bring Irishmen of all
persuassions, Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter into a movement for reform - so  liberal Protestants in Wexford "Radical" dissenters in Belfast and Catholic  landowners like Roche and Fitzgerald.Stunned at the accelerated growth of
the French terror and then by the declaration of war on England by Revolutionary  France, the reaction in Ireland was extreme and thus pushed the United Irish  Society into a more radical course. The Irish parliament of 1793 established a
militia, a part time local defence force of the British Army and in the summer  of 1793 the Wexford Militia were involved in an incident which meant there would  be no turning back. A country crowd marched on Wexford to protest and  demonstrate against the arrest of some of their commanders who had attended a  peaceful demonstration. In the melee that followed over 80 lay dead and innocent  men were later hanged - a widespread feeling to protect yourself by arms was now  set. The manufacture of pikes now began on an even larger scale - the symbol of  revolt.Wexford United Irishmen were to reap a harvest of growing fear among  the Catholic peasants, and French successes on the continent gave them renewed
and confident hopes.
The governmemt now fearful that the Catholic rank and  file in the militia might prove unreliable created a new fighting force of part  time soldiers - the Yeomen. During 1796 and '97 the preparations of the French  for landing in Ireland were being discussed by United Irishmen, and military  units were being formed throughout the country - some estimates give the number  of armed men as 400,000 and this at a time when the populations of Britain and  Ireland were 10 and 5 million respectively.Dec., 1796 and the French fleet  under General Hoche anchors off Bantry Bay with orders to link up with the Irish  Revolutionary party, expel the British and create an Independent Irish Republic  and then to overthrow England through invasion. Ireland for one week was at the  mercy of revolutionary France stemmed only by a week of extreme storms which  meant the invasion force could not land and had to return to France. Miles Byrne  preparing to join in, remembered in his memoirs "It is quite fresh in my memory  and I shall never forget it, the mournful silence, the consternation of the poor  people at the different chapels on Christmas Day and the following Sunday after
learning that the French fleet had re- turned to France. The Government now  recruited extra personnel as did the United Irishmen, acting as if another  French landing was imminent. Another organisation founded in 1795 in Armagh  after a murderous riot between Catholics and Protestants, and known as the  orange order, its aim, extermination of the whole race of Catholics, arrived in  Wexford and spread fear throughout the area, and in the late autumn of 1797 and  spring of 1798 preparation was being made in North Wexford amd South Wicklow for  a general uprising - Miles Byrne remembered the preparations "Nothing could  exceed the readiness of the United Irishmen to procure arms as they set about  firearms or pikes easily had at this time as almost every blacksmith was a  United Irishman. The pikes were soon had but it was more difficult to prepare  handles for them".
In April 1798 the County of Wexford was proclaimed under  martial law and the extreme North Cork "Orange" militia were posted to Wexford.  The patrols raids, arrests, burnings, floggings and pitchcapping continued and  people began to surrender their pikes so as to be perceived as being of no  threat - there would now be no reason to persecute them if they handed up their  arms. Torturings continued to give up information and in May the leaders were  arrested. Horror followed honor none worse than Carnew, Wicklow when after  floggings, torture and patchcapping, 28 fathers of families were taken prisoners  and shot dead - the inevitable road to revolt was quickening. Disasters and  rumours of disasters in Wicklow and Wexford abounded - the die was cast and  after a yeomen battalion were attacked, They set numerous houses ablaze - the
rebels followed suit - the county was ablaze.The arms stored at Carnolin  Park, Oulart, was the next stage in the opening salvo.
 The 1798 insurrection was  on and the Byrnes were among those who played prominent parts. The battle of  Oulart Hill sounded the alarm bells and the leaders Edward Roche, Myles Byrne,  Fr. Michael Murphy, Fr. John Murphy, Tom Sinnott Morgan Byrne and others  conferred on plans.Myles Byrne was fully briefed on United Irish afffairs, a  united Irish officer and one fired with ambition for the cause. Vinegar Hill the  site of the Wexford encampment was joined by other United Irishmen from Wexford  and parties of 10's and 20's began to arrive from the Wicklow hills, Garret  Byrne of Ballymanus member of an aristocratic Gaelic family arrived at the head  of a large party of followers. 
Next
  >

Design and Graphics by Val Byrne.        Copyright © 2013 Val Byrne.    All rights reserved.