Rich Anglican land owners (Known as the Protestant Ascendancy) controlled the country

Catholics and Presbyterians could not run for election & had to pay a religious tax (tithe) to the Anglican Church

Catholics were also very poor and had to deal with anti-catholic laws (called Penal Laws)

Anglicans lived in country or city mansions, such as Leinster House (where the Dail is today)

Anglican _____________________________________

Presbyterian __________________________________

Penal Laws ___________________________________

Protestant Ascendancy _________________________

Tithe ________________________________________

Ireland’s Parliament was weaker than the English Parliament in London

Irish Laws had to be approved by the UK Parliament – this was known as Poynings’ Law

Only Anglicans (Protestants) could run for election

American Revolution French Revolution

An Anglican who hated what Catholics and Presbyterians had to deal with

Wrote a pamphlet called An Argument on Behalf of the Catholics of Ireland

Set up the Society of United Irishmen in 1791 to reduce English influence in Ireland

Banned by England in 1793, the Society became a secret revolutionary society and started planning for a rebellion

Tone believed that since France and Britain were enemies, France would support an Irish rebellion

A French General known as Hazare Loche was ordered to help with the Irish Invasion

After the failure of the French help to reach Ireland, the British, led by General Lake, used torture to crush the United Irishmen

The United Irishmen planned to spark off a Rebellion in 1798

However British spies were watching the leaders....

British arrested many of their leaders and the rebellion was in trouble from the start

The arrest of Lord Edward Fitzgerald

Most fighting was in Leinster, with 30,000 United Irishmen attacking British Forces

In Wexford, the rebels set up their HQ on Vinegar Hill

Bagenal Harvey was leader but the troops were poorly armed....

Vinegar Hill today

Thousands of rebels rounded up, either executed or exiled to Australia

Leaders publicly executed, heads placed on pikes (such as Bagenal Harvey, below)

Massacre of Protestants in Scullabogue made Ulster’s Protestants reluctant to join the rebellion

Small uprisings took place but the rebels were defeated easily

Rebel leaders like Henry Joy McCracken (below) were hanged

In August a small French army of 1,100 men landed in Killala, Mayo, led by General Humbert

The British retreated in fear of the French (the Races of Castlebar) but eventually gained the upper hand

Humbert was eventually defeated by General Lake and the rebellion in Connacht was over