The 1798 Rebellion and the Byrnes
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.
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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 >