The Irish Rebellion of 1798

An uprising by the United Irishmen, inspired by the American and French revolutions, against British rule in Ireland.

Background

The Society of United Irishmen was founded in 1791 by Protestants and Catholics who wanted parliamentary reform and an end to religious discrimination. Inspired by events in America and France, leaders such as Theobald Wolfe Tone turned to the idea of an independent republic, and the society was suppressed by the government.

Course of events

French expeditions to Ireland in 1796 and 1798 largely failed. The rebellion broke out in May 1798, with the heaviest fighting in Leinster, especially in County Wexford, and further risings in Ulster and in the west. Government forces defeated the main rebel armies at Vinegar Hill in June, and the violence on both sides cost tens of thousands of lives.

Legacy

Britain responded with the Act of Union, which joined Ireland to Great Britain in 1801. The memory of 1798 became an important part of Irish republican tradition and shaped later movements for independence.