The 1798 Rebellion; Photographs and Memorabilia From the National Museum of Ireland
Dublin: Country House, in association with The National Museum of Ireland, 1996. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Format is approximately 6.25 inches by 9.5 inches. 48 pages. Illustrations (some in color). Bibliography. Cover has minor wear and soiling. Michael Kenny was a Curator with the National Museum of Ireland. The rebellion of 1798 was one of the bloodiest and most dramatic events in Irish history. Brought about by a combination of French-inspired republicanism, government brutality and the sufferings of a brutalized peasantry, it ran its bloody course in one summer, ending in the utter defeat of those who had sought to overthrow the existing social and political order. The immediate results included wholesale murder, destruction and deportation. The chief political consequence was the abolition of the Irish parliament and an enforced union with Britain. That union, although achieved by thoroughly unsavory methods, might have succeeded, had the British government kept its promise to grant emancipation to the country's Catholic majority. The commitment was not kept, and the twin legacy of a brutally suppressed rebellion and broken promises was to colour and influence Anglo-Irish relations into the twentieth century. The rebellion and its aftermath also had a profound effect on religious and political loyalties in Ireland itself. In this way it exerted a major influence on the course of modern Irish history. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organizing force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced by the ideas of the American and French revolutions: originally formed by Presbyterian radicals angry at being shut out of power by the Anglican establishment, they were joined by many from the majority Catholic population. Following some initial successes, particularly in County Wexford, the uprising was suppressed by government militia and yeomanry forces, reinforced by units of the British Army, with a civilian and combatant death toll estimated between 10,000 and 50,000. A French expeditionary force landed in County Mayo in August in support of the rebels: despite victory at Castlebar, they were also eventually defeated. The aftermath of the Rebellion led to the passing of the Acts of Union 1800, merging the Parliament of Ireland into the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Despite its rapid suppression the 1798 Rebellion remains a significant event in Irish history. Centenary celebrations in 1898 were instrumental in the development of modern Irish nationalism, while several of the Rebellion's key figures, such as Wolfe Tone, became important reference points for later republicanism. Debates over the significance of 1798, the motivation and ideology of its participants, and acts committed during the Rebellion continue to the present day. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Society of United Irishmen, Wexford, Castlebar, Acts of Union, Charles Lucas, Leinster Directory, Kildare, Ulster, Jean Joseph Amable Humbert, Wolfe Tone, Nationalism, Robert Emmet
ISBN: 0946172501
[Book #82124]
Price: $40.00