The United Irishmen
For several reasons, new ideas about democracy and liberty spread very quickly in Ireland in the 1790s. Protestants were a small minority of the population of Ireland. Catholics made up the vast majority of the people on the island. However, seats in Parliament were available only to members of the Anglican Church; Presbyterians, Methodists and other types of Protestants, along with Catholics, were not allowed to take seats. Most Catholics were not even allowed to vote.
Catholics had hardly any say in how they were treated in society. To make matters worse, many Catholics were very poor and had little chance of improving their lot.
The French Revolution and the American War of Independence made some Irish people think about the way Ireland was governed. Many of those who wished to improve the lot of the vast majority of Ireland's population were well-off Protestants, such as Wolfe Tone, who embraced Enlightenment ideas. These men were idealistic and wanted justice and democracy for everyone.
Crest of the United Irishmen
The United Irishmen designed a crest incorporating the harp to represent Ireland. The motto read as follows: Equality: it is new strung and shall be heard. This gave a clear warning to the authorities. The red cap of liberty, presented to freed Roman slaves, is included in the crest.
Courtesy of Merlin/Wolfhound Press.Crest of the United Irishmen
Courtesy of Merlin/Wolfhound Press.
Courtesy of Merlin/Wolfhound Press.
Crest of the United Irishmen
The United Irishmen designed a crest incorporating the harp to represent Ireland. The motto read as follows: Equality: it is new strung and shall be heard. This gave a clear warning to the authorities. The red cap of liberty, presented to freed Roman slaves, is included in the crest.
Courtesy of Merlin/Wolfhound Press.A group of mainly Presbyterian thinkers, scholars and political activists set up an organisation called the United Irishmen in 1791. The organisation spread, and anyone could join, regardless of their religion or station in life. The United Irishmen believed that religion was used by those in power to divide Irish people, when they should join together to try to achieve a just society for all.
The British Government feared the United Irishmen and their popularity. The organisation was banned by the authorities in 1793 because its ideas had become so popular among ordinary people.
The authorities then tried to get rid of the United Irishmen through the use of imprisonment and terror. The leaders of the organisation then thought that the only way it could improve the lives of Irish people was to start an uprising and fight the government.