The Roots of Ireland's Troubles by Robert Stedall

Author:Robert Stedall [Stedall, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Europe, Great Britain, General, Ireland, Military, Wars & Conflicts (Other)
ISBN: 9781526742193
Google: RE8IEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2019-07-30T22:32:48+00:00

Chapter 21

The rebellion of 1798

Despite the United Irishmen’s setback, everyone expected the French to return. FitzGerald was still free and the Dublin leadership, working underground, identified 500,000 members who had signed their test. Of these, 300,000 were thought able to bear arms and ready to rebel.1 FitzGerald hoped that 100,000 men would rally to his call, in addition to 15,000 French. In February 1798, the leadership appointed a military committee, whose ‘duty was to prepare a plan of co-operation with the French’.2 With the authorities well aware of their prospect of French support, ‘the rebellion never should have been permitted to arrive at that dangerous maturity’.3 ‘Had the rebels possessed arms, officers and discipline, their numbers would soon have rendered them masters of the Kingdom.’4 Yet the Government was militarily prepared: it deployed 114,000 armed troops at an annual cost estimated at £4 million. Of these, 50,000 were members of the Yeomanry, which had scope to increase in numbers.

The authorities made a concerted effort to seek out weapons, even looking for cannon at several mills and factories, but nothing was found. The Dissenter prisoners in Dublin began to hope that they would avoid trial. There had been an understanding among them that none would accept release unless all were freed together. Yet the families of Neilson, Haslett and the seventeen-year-old Charles Teeling took steps to arrange for their exile in return for them revealing the Society’s organisation and plans for rebellion. As a first step in this process, they were moved from Newgate prison to Kilmainham, where Harry met them. He was furious at their attempt to gain release without him. Mary Ann had much sympathy for Neilson, who was also in poor health. He had lost his livelihood as proprietor of The Northern Star and needed to support his five young children. She wrote most persuasively to seek Harry’s reconciliation with him. This seems to have succeeded after her second visit to see Harry. With evidence against the rebel leaders being so sparse, efforts to gain their release were renewed, with bail being sought on grounds of ill-health. The McCracken family scratched around to find enough for the bail money, the settlement of the prisoners’ other bills during their incarceration and the cost of medical certificates to confirm their illnesses. When at last the McCracken brothers wrote to confirm their release, they returned to Belfast to be nursed back to health. Harry was soon well enough to return to travelling on behalf of their businesses. When visiting Dublin, he showed a continuing concern for the welfare of weavers still in custody, but was never, intimately at least, involved in planning the coming insurrection.

Following Neilson’s release three months later, he remained in Dublin as the close confidant of FitzGerald, now recognised as their leader. Senior officers were appointed to command insurgents in different counties, with Dickson becoming the ‘general’ for co. Down. They had great difficulty in preventing small groups from jumping the gun but remained crucially dependent on French assistance.

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