CONTESTINGCONTESTING HISTORYHISTORYOPPOSINGOPPOSING VOICESVOICES

7: 7: Peasant Uprisings or Terror Campaign? Peasant Uprisings or Terror Campaign? Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-1798Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-1798

Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-17981798

Post 1745: key questions of Catholic loyalty to the CrownPost 1745: key questions of Catholic loyalty to the Crown and the repeal of Penal Lawsand the repeal of Penal Laws

1756-63: Seven Years War1756-63: Seven Years War 1756: Formation of the Catholic Association1756: Formation of the Catholic Association 1760: Formation of the Catholic Committee1760: Formation of the Catholic Committee 1760s: Whiteboy (1760s: Whiteboy (Buachaillí Bána)Buachaillí Bána) outbreaks in Munster – outbreaks in Munster –

against enclosure, high rents for potato plots, & Tithes – against enclosure, high rents for potato plots, & Tithes – oath-taking societyoath-taking society

1763: Oakboys in Ulster – against County Cess & Tithes1763: Oakboys in Ulster – against County Cess & Tithes 1766: Fr Nicholas Sheehy executed1766: Fr Nicholas Sheehy executed 1770-2: Steelboys in Ulster1770-2: Steelboys in Ulster

Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-17981798

1775-6: American War of Independence 1778: Volunteers formed 1778-82: start of the repeal of the Penal Laws 1784: outbreak of violence between Catholic and

Protestant weavers in Armagh Triangle Protestant Peep-o-Day boys – raiding houses of Catholics Catholic Defenders 1780s: Rightboys - for Tithe reduction Peep-o-Day boys recruited by Protestant gentry into

volunteers Defenderism became an underground secret society

Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-17981798

1789: French Revolution 1791: United Irishmen formed 1795: Orange Order founded 1798: Rebellion General causes:General causes: Economic: rising population, land shortage, growing Economic: rising population, land shortage, growing

poverty – agrarian discontentpoverty – agrarian discontent Political: disaffected local elites, disgruntled Catholics at Political: disaffected local elites, disgruntled Catholics at

failure to pursue reform to its full extentfailure to pursue reform to its full extent Social: radical education – French ideas – sense of Social: radical education – French ideas – sense of

IrishnessIrishness

Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-Conflict in Rural Ireland, 1750-17981798

Further Reading: Bartlett, Thomas, The Fall and Rise of the Irish Nation:

The Catholic Question 1690-1830 (Dublin, 1992). Donnelly, J. S., ‘The Whiteboy Movement, 1761-5’, Irish

Historical Studies, xxi (1978-9), 20-59. Donnelly, J. S., ‘Irish agrarian rebellions: the Whiteboys of

1769-76’, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 83, section C (1983), 293-332.

Magennis, Eoin, ‘’A “Presbyterian Insurrection”? Reconsidering the Hearts of Oak disturbances of July 1763’, Irish Historical Studies, xxxi (1998-9), 165-87.