Tone and the Catholics
Tone wanted to improve the laws for Catholics. He went to England with a petition asking the government to get rid of the rest of the Penal laws but Catholics still could not become members of parliament. Tone was very disappointed.
In 1793 the British and French went to war. The British began to fear that the United Irishmen were planning a rebellion. The government banned the United Irishmen. Tone escaped prison by going to America. The United Irishmen now became a secret society and were no longer interested in peace. They wanted a rebellion to achieve a republic.
Attempt at Rebellion
The Rising Begins
¨In 1796 Tone went from America to France and tried to convince France to support their cause. France eventually did and sent one of their best generals Lazare Hoche to Ireland with 43 ships. Tone was on one of the ships. However bad weather and fog separated the ships. Some ships arrived at Bantry Bay but Hoche’s ship was blown off course. The remaining commanders decided to return to France. The chances of surprising the British had been ruined.¨
How the British Reacted:
A death penalty was brought in for those caught taking secret oaths.
¨The United Irishmen’s paper was closed down.
¨The British General Lake and his troops tortured and killed many people in Ulster and Leinster.
¨Many leaders of the Irishmen were arrested including Lord Edward Fitzgerald.
¨They sent spies into the United Irishmen.
The Rising Begins
¨Even though the leaders were arrested the rising still went ahead. The British pitch capped and hung many Irish.(The cruelty of the British made many people rebel against them)
¨In Leinster(Dublin, Meath, Kildare) groups of United Irishmen attacked British soldiers but was easily put down.
In Wexford the most serious rising took place. The rebellion began in a town called Boolavogue.The actions of the yeomanry and the militia provoked a rising by Father John Murphy and Bagenal Harvey, a Protestant Landowner. They brought Irish troops and bet the English at Oulart Hill
They then took Enniscorthy the next day, establishing one of their main camps at Vinegar Hill. Then the rebels defeated a British force at Wexford and they entered the town in triumph - now almost all of the county was theirs.
¨However their next battle was New Ross which the rebels lost. This was a major defeat for the rebels.
The British surrounded the rebels at their camp at Vinegar Hill. The rebels had more men but only had pikes. They lost Vinegar Hill.