Battle of Vinegar Hill, Ireland 1798 - Photos and Stories — FamilySearch.org Battle of Vinegar Hill, Ireland 1798 · · The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Irish Chnoc Fíodh na gCaor was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels. It marked a turning point in the rebellion, as it was the last attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the British military. The battle was actually fought in two locations: on Vinegar Hill itself and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy. Preparations By 18 June, the British had surrounded county Wexford with an estimated 20,000 troops and were ready to pour into Wexford to crush the insurgency. The rebel leadership issued a call to all its fighters to gather at Vinegar Hill to meet the army in one great, decisive battle.

The number assembled was estimated at 20,000, but the majority lacked firearms and had to rely on pikes as their main weapon. The camp also included many thousands of women and children who were staying there for protection against the rampaging military. The British plan, as formulated by Gerard Lake, envisaged the complete annihilation of the rebels by encircling the hill and seizing the only escape route to the west, the bridge over the Slaney. Lake divided his force into four columns to accomplish this; three columns, under Generals Dundas, Duff and Needham were to assault Vinegar Hill, while the fourth column, under General Johnson, was to storm Enniscorthy and its bridge. Bombardment of Vinegar Hill The battle began shortly before dawn with an artillery bombardment of Irish positions on the hill. Advance units quickly moved against rebel outposts under cover of the bombardment and moved artillery closer as forward positions were secured. The tightening ring forced the rebels into an ever-shrinking area and increased exposure to the constant bombardment, including new experimental delayed-fuse shells resulting in hundreds of dead and injured.

At least two mass charges were launched by the rebels which failed to break the lines of the military and the situation on Vinegar Hill soon became desperate for the rebels. Attack on Enniscorthy Meanwhile a detachment of light infantry under the command of General Johnson attacked the town of Enniscorthy but met with fierce resistance. Buildings in the town had been fortified, and the initial attack was driven back, with the loss of munitions and men. A second attack commenced with reinforcements including cavalry, which retook the lost cannon and ammunition while also incurring considerable casualties. The Irish rebels were slowly driven out of the town but managed to hold the Slaney bridge and prevent the British from crossing. Rout and atrocities When British troops crested the eastern summit of Vinegar Hill, the rebels began to slowly withdraw through a gap in the British lines later known as "Needham's Gap", so-named because the late arrival of General Needham's troops prevented a total encirclement of the hill. Although the bulk of the rebel army escaped, many were left behind and killed in the rout phase of the battle, from both cavalry and infantry attack, but also from the advanced field guns which were switched to grape shot to maximise casualties.

In addition to conventional casualties, the military were guilty of instances of gang rape of females amongst the rebel camp and in Enniscorthy, rebel wounded were burned to death when soldiers set fire to a building used as a casualty station. The Irish rebels abandoned much of the supplies they had taken from surrounding areas, and thirteen cannons were captured by the British, a number of which had been taken from the British forces previously. Archibald McLaren, an eyewitness, wrote that the Irish rebel casualties totalled about 1200 men. Aftermath Meanwhile, the bulk of the rebel force streamed unmolested towards the Three Rocks camp outside Wexford town and, following the decision to abandon the town, split into two separate columns in a new campaign to spread the rebellion beyond Wexford. One immediately set out to the west, the other northwards towards the Wicklow Mountains to link up with General Joseph Holt's forces. The defeat was therefore not the immediate crushing blow to the Wexford rebels that it has traditionally been depicted as, but it did alter the course of the fighting as continued resistance now took the form of mobile warfare, raids, and large scale, guerrilla-type operations.

Taken from Wikipedia Remove photo The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Irish Chnoc Fíodh na gCaor was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels. It marked a turning point in the rebellion, as it was the last attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the British military. The battle was actually fought in two locations: on Vinegar Hill itself and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy. Preparations By 18 June, the British had surrounded county Wexford with an estimated 20,000 troops and were ready to pour into Wexford to crush the insurgency. The rebel leadership issued a call to all its fighters to gather at Vinegar Hill to meet the army in one great, decisive battle. The number assembled was estimated at 20,000, but the majority lacked firearms and had to rely on pikes as their main weapon.

The camp also included many thousands of women and children who were staying there for protection against the rampaging military. The British plan, as formulated by Gerard Lake, envisaged the complete annihilation of the rebels by encircling the hill and seizing the only escape route to the west, the bridge over the Slaney. Lake divided his force into four columns to accomplish this; three columns, under Generals Dundas, Duff and Needham were to assault Vinegar Hill, while the fourth column, under General Johnson, was to storm Enniscorthy and its bridge. Bombardment of Vinegar Hill The battle began shortly before dawn with an artillery bombardment of Irish positions on the hill. Advance units quickly moved against rebel outposts under cover of the bombardment and moved artillery closer as forward positions were secured. The tightening ring forced the rebels into an ever-shrinking area and increased exposure to the constant bombardment, including new experimental delayed-fuse shells resulting in hundreds of dead and injured. At least two mass charges were launched by the rebels which failed to break the lines of the military and the situation on Vinegar Hill soon became desperate for the rebels.

Attack on Enniscorthy Meanwhile a detachment of light infantry under the command of General Johnson attacked the town of Enniscorthy but met with fierce resistance. Buildings in the town had been fortified, and the initial attack was driven back, with the loss of munitions and men. A second attack commenced with reinforcements including cavalry, which retook the lost cannon and ammunition while also incurring considerable casualties. The Irish rebels were slowly driven out of the town but managed to hold the Slaney bridge and prevent the British from crossing. Rout and atrocities When British troops crested the eastern summit of Vinegar Hill, the rebels began to slowly withdraw through a gap in the British lines later known as "Needham's Gap", so-named because the late arrival of General Needham's troops prevented a total encirclement of the hill. Although the bulk of the rebel army escaped, many were left behind and killed in the rout phase of the battle, from both cavalry and infantry attack, but also from the advanced field guns which were switched to grape shot to maximise casualties.

In addition to conventional casualties, the military were guilty of instances of gang rape of females amongst the rebel camp and in Enniscorthy, rebel wounded were burned to death when soldiers set fire to a building used as a casualty station. The Irish rebels abandoned much of the supplies they had taken from surrounding areas, and thirteen cannons were captured by the British, a number of which had been taken from the British forces previously. Archibald McLaren, an eyewitness, wrote that the Irish rebel casualties totalled about 1200 men. Aftermath Meanwhile, the bulk of the rebel force streamed unmolested towards the Three Rocks camp outside Wexford town and, following the decision to abandon the town, split into two separate columns in a new campaign to spread the rebellion beyond Wexford. One immediately set out to the west, the other northwards towards the Wicklow Mountains to link up with General Joseph Holt's forces. The defeat was therefore not the immediate crushing blow to the Wexford rebels that it has traditionally been depicted as, but it did alter the course of the fighting as continued resistance now took the form of mobile warfare, raids, and large scale, guerrilla-type operations.

Taken from Wikipedia Save Battle of Vinegar Hill an altogether friendlier affair this time round By using this website, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information on cookies see our Cookie Policy . X Battle of Vinegar Hill an altogether friendlier affair this time round Hundreds of participants take place in re-enactment of pivotal battle of 1798 rebellion in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford Mon, Aug 5, 2013, 01:00 Redcoats open fire on the rebels during yesterday’s re-enactment of the Battle of Vinegar Hill. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons There is nothing some men like more than playing at being soldiers. Yesterday, hundreds of them gathered on the slopes of Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, Co Wexford to re-enact the last great setpiece battle on Irish soil. The Battle of Vinegar Hill on June 21st, 1798, was a brief and bloody affair. The Irish rebels had used the vantage point of Vinegar Hill to harry the Crown forces across Co Wexford, but the British army attempted to encircle them in their camps.

The British were outnumbered two to one, but had artillery and muskets and decimated the rebel ranks in an 18th-century equivalent of a turkey shoot. An estimated 1,500 rebels were killed, though many others managed to escape through a gap when a company of British soldiers failed to arrive on time. Yesterday, the forces were similarly numbered. The Irish rebels, with pikes and just a few muskets marched through the town to Vinegar Hill. They were mostly locals. They were led on horseback by a Fr Murphy. The original Fr John Murphy was a fabled leader of the 1798 rebellion, who, according to the song Boolavogue, was executed and had his body burned upon a rack. His modern day equivalent was local priest Fr David Murphy . The Crown forces came from the bottom of the hill. Both sides exchanged cannon fire from guns borrowed from the 1798 National Centre in the town. Smoke without ire Then the Redcoats fired on the advancing rebels with muskets which were licenced guns but filled with black powder, rather than shot.

Though it may be the adult equivalent of toy soldiers, a degree of verisimilitude is expected in the dress and weaponry of those participating. There was plenty of smoke but no ire and the two sides shook hands with each other afterwards. ADVERTISEMENT The ranks of Crown forces in their splendid Napoleonic uniforms of red and white were drawn mostly from the Monasterevin-based re-enactment group, the Lord Edward’s Own. They were joined by a coachload of British re-enactors Steve Hars , of the 44th East Essex Regiment of foot, a Napoleonic regiment which fought at the Battle of Waterloo, described the hospitality they received in Enniscorthy as “absolutely wonderful. The hospitality has just been Irish. “We’ve been wanting to do an event in Ireland for ages. The way the political situation has gone, the welcome we have got has been fantastic.” He joked that he and his fellow re-enactors were “not used to being the bad guys”. This year’s re-enactment had some 300 participants and was watched by more than 1,000 spectators. It was organised under the Government’s Gathering initiative, designed to attract tourists to Ireland.

Battle of Vinegar Hill | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Battle of Vinegar Hill "Charge of the 5th Dragoon Guards on the insurgents – a recreant yeoman having deserted to them in uniform is being cut down" ( William Sadler II ) Date British victory, British re-gain control of County Wexford Belligerents Tory Island The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Irish Chnoc Fíodh na gCaor was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy , County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels. It marked a turning point in the rebellion, as it was the last attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the British military. The battle was actually fought in two locations: on Vinegar Hill itself and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy. Contents Edit By 18 June, the British had surrounded county Wexford with an estimated 20,000 troops and were ready to pour into Wexford to crush the insurgency.

The rebel leadership issued a call to all its fighters to gather at Vinegar Hill to meet the army in one great, decisive battle. The number assembled was estimated at 20,000, but the majority lacked firearms and had to rely on pikes as their main weapon. The camp also included many thousands of women and children who were staying there for protection against the rampaging military. The British plan, as formulated by Gerard Lake , envisaged the complete annihilation of the rebels by encircling the hill and seizing the only escape route to the west, the bridge over the Slaney . Lake divided his force into four columns to accomplish this; three columns, under Generals Dundas, Duff and Needham were to assault Vinegar Hill, while the fourth column, under General Johnson, was to storm Enniscorthy and its bridge. Bombardment of Vinegar Hill Edit The battle began shortly before dawn with an artillery bombardment of Irish positions on the hill. Advance units quickly moved against rebel outposts under cover of the bombardment and moved artillery closer as forward positions were secured.

The tightening ring forced the rebels into an ever-shrinking area and increased exposure to the constant bombardment, including new experimental delayed-fuse shells resulting in hundreds of dead and injured. [2] At least two mass charges were launched by the rebels which failed to break the lines of the military and the situation on Vinegar Hill soon became desperate for the rebels. Attack on Enniscorthy Edit Meanwhile a detachment of light infantry under the command of General Johnson attacked the town of Enniscorthy but met with fierce resistance. Buildings in the town had been fortified, and the initial attack was driven back, with the loss of munitions and men. A second attack commenced with reinforcements including cavalry, which retook the lost cannon and ammunition while also incurring considerable casualties. The Irish rebels were slowly driven out of the town but managed to hold the Slaney bridge and prevent the British from crossing.

[3] Rout and atrocities Edit Vinegar Hill – view from Enniscorthy<center> When British troops crested the eastern summit of Vinegar Hill, the rebels began to slowly withdraw through a gap in the British lines later known as "Needham's Gap", so-named because the late arrival of General Needham's troops prevented a total encirclement of the hill. Although the bulk of the rebel army escaped, many were left behind and killed in the rout phase of the battle, [4] from both cavalry and infantry attack, but also from the advanced field guns which were switched to grape shot to maximise casualties. In addition to conventional casualties, the military were guilty of instances of gang rape of females amongst the rebel camp [5] [6] [7] and in Enniscorthy, rebel wounded were burned to death when soldiers set fire to a building used as a casualty station. [8] The Irish rebels abandoned much of the supplies they had taken from surrounding areas, and thirteen cannons were captured by the British, a number of which had been taken from the British forces previously. [9] Archibald McLaren, an eyewitness, wrote that the Irish rebel casualties totalled about 1200 men.

[10] Aftermath <center>The bridge at Enniscorthy (Vinegar Hill visible in background) <center> Meanwhile, the bulk of the rebel force streamed unmolested towards the Three Rocks camp outside Wexford town and, following the decision to abandon the town, split into two separate columns in a new campaign to spread the rebellion beyond Wexford. One immediately set out to the west, the other northwards towards the Wicklow Mountains to link up with General Joseph Holt's forces. The defeat was therefore not the immediate crushing blow to the Wexford rebels that it has traditionally been depicted as, but it did alter the course of the fighting as continued resistance now took the form of mobile warfare, raids, and large scale, guerilla-type operations. See also ↑ Reinterpreting the 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford – Kevin Whelan, p.28 in The Mighty Wave- The 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford (1996) ISBN 1-85182-253-4 (Eds.

Keogh & Furlong ↑ P.121 The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism, Robert Kee (London 1972) ISBN 0-297-17987-X ↑ The British military journal. London, UK, (1799–1801). p230 ↑ P. 28, Reinterpreting the 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford – Kevin Whelan, in The Mighty Wave – The 1798 Rebellion in Wexford (1996) ISBN 1-85182-253-4 (Eds. Keogh & Furlong ↑ Whelan p. 28. ↑ Mac Laren, Archibald "A Minute Description of the Battles of Gorey, Arklow and Vinegar Hill; together with the movements of the army through the Wicklow mountains" National Library of Ireland and in Charles Dickson "The Wexford Rising in 1798: its cause and course" p.

239-49 (Tralee 1955) ISBN 0-09-477250-9 ↑ Kee, See Part 2 Chapter 10. ↑ Furlong, Nicholas. Fr. John Murphy of Boolavogue, 1753–98. Dublin, 1991. ISBN 0-906602-18-1 ↑ The chronologist of the present war; or general historical and political register: Containing a faithful series of the events which have occurred in Europe, &c. from the commencement of the French Revolution to the end of the year 1798, including a space of nearly nine years. In two parts.-Part I. Amidst a variety of interesting articles will be found the following: acts (principal of Parliament) addresses assassinations battles declarations denunciations executions (remarkable) finance gifts (patriotic) inventions manifestoes motions (remarkable in Parliament) naval engagements proclamations promotions (principal) reports (of Parliament) sieges subsidies supplies treaties (of peace, offensive, defensive, and subsidiary, &c. Chronology- one of the eyes of history.

The third edition, with material additions and improvements. Dublin, 1799. p449 ↑ MacLaren, Archibald. A minute description of the battles of Gorey, Arklow, and Vinegar-Hill, tegether [sic] with the movements of the army through Wicklow-Mountains, in quest of the rebels, who were supposed to have been encamped at the seven churches. ... Written by Archibald McLaren, ... [Dublin?], 1798. p30 Primary sources Revolution in Wexford air as Battle of Vinegar Hill fought once more Revolution in Wexford air as Battle of Vinegar Hill fought once more Thousands flock to Enniscorthy for third annual re-enactment of 1798 Rebellion Mon, Aug 4, 2014, 01:00 Redcoats execute a rebel prisoner by firing squad during yesterday’s re-enactment of the Battle of Vinegar Hill, which saw the crushing of the 1798 Rebellion. Photograph: Patrick Browne.

Thousands of spectators gathered in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford over the weekend as pike-charging rebels and musket-wielding redcoats recreated one of the most significant events in Ireland’s history – the 1798 Rebellion. More than 300 rebels and redcoats took part in the third annual battle re-enactment on Vinegar Hill yesterday. Each year the re-enactment attracts huge crowds to the heritage town, which explodes into rebellion with cannon bombardments, cavalry assaults, muskets volleys and pike charges. “This year’s battle on the famous Vinegar Hill site has been a fantastic success,” said Jacqui Hynes, manager at the 1798 National Rebellion Centre.

“We were delighted to have a visit from the French ambassador, Mr Jean-Pierre Thébault, who this year visited in his personal time with a view to developing and supporting the French links that this battle re-enactment holds; given that the ideals of those involved in the French revolution were what inspired the pike-wielding rebels here in Enniscorthy.” The highlight of the weekend in Wexford was the staging of two full-scale battle re-enactments on view free of charge to the public, where on Saturday afternoon the rebels captured Enniscorthy town and yesterday the redcoats took Vinegar Hill. Visitors observed the two armies “fight” on the notorious battleground overlooking Enniscorthy. Battle of Vinegar Hill 1798 - YouTube Battle of Vinegar Hill 1798 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Aug 13, 2014 Fanned by flames of Revolution in America and France, the events of the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland are forever etched on the annals of Irish history……. Category BBC - History - British History in depth: The 1798 Irish Rebellion Print this page Origins The immediate origins of the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland can be traced to the setting up of the Society of United Irishmen in Belfast in October 1791. Inspired by the French Revolution, and with great admiration for the new democracy of the United States, the United Irishmen were led by Theobald Wolfe Tone, Thomas Russell, Henry Joy McCracken and William Drennan. They came together to secure a reform of the Irish parliament; and they sought to achieve this goal by uniting Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter in Ireland into a single movement. The unabashed admiration of the United Irishmen for the French seemed akin to treason.

From the beginning, Dublin Castle, the seat of government in Ireland, viewed the new organisation with the gravest suspicion, and with the outbreak of war between Britain (and Ireland) and France in February 1793, suspicion hardened to naked hostility. The unabashed admiration of the United Irishmen for the French seemed akin to treason. The discovery of negotiations between certain United Irishmen, notably Theobald Wolfe Tone, and the French government confirmed suspicions and led to the suppression of the society in May 1794. Top United Irishmen Driven underground, the Society re-constituted itself as a secret, oath-bound, organisation, dedicated to the pursuit of a republican form of government in a separate and independent Ireland. This was to be achieved primarily by direct French military intervention. The plan came closest to success following the arrival of a French invasion fleet, carrying some 14,000 soldiers, off the southern coast of Ireland in December 1796. Adverse weather conditions, however, prevented the French from landing, and the fleet was forced to make its way back to France.

From this date on, Dublin Castle stepped up its war against the United Irishmen, infiltrating their ranks with spies and informers, invoking draconian legislation against subversives, turning a blind eye to military excesses, and to those of the resolutely loyalist Orange Order, and building up its defence forces lest the French should return in strength. ...there seemed no possibility of French assistance. By the spring of 1798, it appeared that Dublin Castle had been successful in its determined efforts to destroy the Society's capacity for insurrection: many of its leaders were in prison, its organisation was in disarray, and there seemed no possibility of French assistance. Despite these difficulties, on the night of the 23rd/24th May, as planned, the mail coaches leaving Dublin were seized - as a signal to those United Irishmen outside the capital that the time of the uprising had arrived. However, as a result of the failure of Dublin to rise, the Rebellion when it came was distinguished everywhere by a lack of concert and by a lack of focus.

The uprisings outside the capital had been intended by the United Irishmen as supporting acts - sideshows - to the main event in Dublin, but as Dublin did not perform as planned, rebels in outlying areas now found themselves promoted to centre-stage. In the lack of co-ordination between the rebel theatres of war lay the salvation of Dublin Castle and British rule in Ireland. Top Rebellion The initial outbreak of the rebellion was confined to a ring of counties surrounding Dublin. The fighting in Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow and Meath had been largely suppressed by government forces, and the capital secured, when news arrived of a major rebel success in County Wexford. On 29 May 1798 a terse communiqué was issued from Dublin Castle confirming the rumours that had swept the city a day earlier. For the first time in the rebellion, a detachment of soldiers - in this case over 100 men of the North Cork Militia - had been cut to pieces in an open engagement at Oulart, County Wexford. Wexford was ablaze.

The eruption of Wexford was a most unexpected (as well as most unwelcome) development for Dublin Castle for the county had, by and large, escaped official scrutiny in the months and years before the rebellion. The Castle had had very few informants (or informers) in Wexford and, most unwisely, it had clearly considered this lack of information as pointing towards a general quiescence among the people there. Accordingly, the garrison in that county numbered only a few hundred men. On 26 May came stunning news of the summary execution of some 34 suspected United Irishmen at Dunlavin... Two developments had pitched Wexford over the edge and into full-scale rebellion. The first of these was the campaign of terror unleashed - particularly to the north of the county from mid-May 1798 onwards. Reports of half-hangings, floggings, pitch-cappings and house-burnings conducted principally by the North Cork Militia, under the direction of loyalist magistrates, inflamed that part of County Wexford that bordered on Wicklow, and induced panic everywhere.

On 26th May came stunning news of the summary execution of some 34 suspected United Irishmen at Dunlavin, in south Wicklow; and there was a further report that at Carnew, across the border in Wexford, 35 prisoners had been summarily executed. Fevered rumours of extirpation now appeared to have substance. In terror, the peasantry - United Irishmen or not - prepared to resist. Top Irish breakthrough United Irishmen on the attack © The second precipitating factor was the very fact of the crushing rebel victory at Oulart. This victory in an open engagement, the first such for the rebels anywhere, electrified the county, tempting many to join in who might otherwise have hung back. Undoubtedly, it also had the effect of re-igniting the rebellion in those areas near Dublin in which it had shown every sign of petering out; and in a broader context, news of the rebels' success at Oulart sparked off renewed efforts to raise the hitherto quiescent north-east of Ireland, principally counties Antrim and Down. The defences of the town were swept aside by means of a stampede of cattle...

On 29th May, under the command of Father Murphy of Boolavogue, a priest who had been in dispute with his bishop and who had reluctantly stepped forward as leader, the Wexford insurgents, gaining strength as they advanced, stormed Enniscorthy. The defences of the town were swept aside by means of a stampede of cattle, and behind the terrified animals came the rebels. The next day the rebel army, by now possibly 15,000 strong, turned its attention to Wexford town. Plans to defend the county capital were given up on news of the destruction of the approaching relief column, and the town was abandoned by its defenders. The fall of Wexford was the highpoint of the rebellion in the south-east: thereafter, the rebels' campaign met with devastating defeats at New Ross, Arklow and Newtownbarry and these had the effect of corralling them within the county. Demoralised, and having suffered thousands of casualties, the rebels fell back to re-group on Vinegar Hill, outside Enniscorthy. Top Ulster rising Soldiers seek out the ringleaders © While rebellion had been raging in the south-east, the north generally had been quiet.

On receipt of news of the fighting in Leinster, there had been a stormy meeting of the Ulster Provincial Council of the United Irishmen on 29th May, at which there were loud protests at the failure to rise in support. The existing leadership was accused of having 'completely betrayed the people both of Leinster and Ulster' and it was promptly deposed. New men, Henry Joy McCracken among them, were now appointed and plans were hurriedly made for a rising. On 7th June a large number of rebels assembled in different parts of County Antrim. In Ballymena, the green flag was raised over the market house, and there were attacks on Larne, Glenarm, Carrickfergus, Toomebridge and Ballymoney. The rebels, almost entirely Presbyterian, captured Antrim town for a few hours but were then driven out 'with great slaughter' by government artillery fire. An attempted mobilisation in County Derry had come to nothing, and by the evening of 8th June, the Antrim rebels had also lost heart and had begun drifting home. Some weeks later McCracken was captured and executed.

At Ballynahinch, some 12 miles from Belfast, the rebels were routed... As the rising in County Antrim, and elsewhere was petering out, on 10th June (known thereafter as 'Pike Sunday') the United Irishmen in the adjacent County Down began to assemble their forces. This was under the command of Henry Monro, a shopkeeper from Newtownards and, ironically, a direct descendant of General Robert Monro who had commanded the Scottish force in Ulster in the wars of the 1640s. At Ballynahinch, some 12 miles from Belfast, the rebels were routed on 12th-13th June, suffering several hundred casualties. Military losses were three dead and some thirty wounded. 'General' Monro was captured and, a few days later, hanged outside his front door. The rebellion in the north-east was over. Top Vinegar Hill The Battle of Vinegar Hill © With the rebels scattered in the north, attention shifted once again to those still 'out' in Wexford, and the army laid plans to attack their camp at Vinegar Hill.

On 21st June, General Gerard Lake attempted to surround Vinegar Hill with some 20,000 men, in four columns of soldiers, in order to prevent a rebel breakout. Battle was joined. It lasted about two hours: the rebels were mercilessly shelled, and artillery carried the day. 'The rebels made a tolerable good fight of it' wrote Lake, and then pronounced the 'carnage ... dreadful' among them; hundreds of men may have fallen on the field of battle, though numbers managed to escape. Although a 'little war' continued in the Wicklow mountains for some time afterwards, in effect, after Vinegar Hill, the rebellion in the south-east was over. In defeat, rebel discipline collapsed in some places. After the defeat at New Ross, about 100 loyalists had been killed at a barn in Scullabogue; and now, following the disaster at Vinegar Hill, about 70 Protestant prisoners were piked to death on the bridge at Wexford town.

The army repaid these atrocities with interest: the mopping-up operations after Vinegar Hill resembled, to the fury of the newly-appointed Lord Lieutenant, Marquis Cornwallis, little other than universal rape, plunder and murder. Retribution for the rebel leaders was swift and largely uncompromising. Bagenal Harvey, Cornelius Grogan, Mathew Keogh, and Anthony Perry - all Wexford commanders (and, incidentally, all Protestants) - were executed; their heads were cut off and stuck on spikes outside the courthouse in Wexford town. Father John Murphy, the hero of Oulart and Enniscorthy (or a latter-day mixture of Attila, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, as loyalists viewed him), was captured in Tullow, County Carlow. He was stripped, flogged, hanged, and beheaded: his corpse was burned in a barrel. With an eye for detail, the local Yeomanry spiked his head on a building directly opposite the local Catholic church, and with great glee, they forced the Catholics of Tullow to open their windows to admit the 'holy smoke' from his funeral pyre.

Humbert scored a striking victory at Castlebar but then his campaign ran out of steam. For a brief period in late August, there appeared a prospect that the rebellion would flare up again. On 22nd August, a French force of some 1,100 men, under the command of General Humbert, waded ashore at Kilcummin Strand, near Killala, County Mayo. Humbert scored a striking victory at Castlebar, but then his campaign ran out of steam. It soon became clear that the apparent signal victory at Castlebar was an empty triumph. On 8th September at Ballinamuck, County Longford, the French force, vastly outnumbered, laid down its arms. The French were treated as honoured prisoners of war, but those Irish auxiliaries who had recklessly joined them were promptly massacred. The rebellion was finally over: between 10,000 and 25,000 rebels (including a high proportion of non-combatants), and around 600 soldiers had been slain, and large areas of the country had been effectively laid waste.

Top Legacy The 1798 rebellion, and its aftermath, shattered existing relationships within Ireland, awakened ancient fears and evoked memories of the bloody rebellion of 1641. The very fact that a rebellion had occurred at all also called into question the future of the Irish political structure. Marquis Cornwallis had been charged in June 1798 not only with crushing the rebellion, but also with seizing the opportunity the crisis offered to put through a legislative union between Ireland and England. The Irish parliament was to be another casualty of the 1798 rebellion, while Union was represented as the perfect answer to those separatists who had sought to pull Ireland and Britain apart. Union was duly accomplished in January 1801. The memory of 1798 would be both a proud inspiration for some and a dire warning to others. The decade that began with the founding of the United Irishmen, with high hopes for an international 'brotherhood of affection' and for the inauguration of an Irish 'fellowship of freedom', was to close with increased sectarian bitterness. It also saw the end of the Irish parliament, and Ireland and England drawn ever closer together.

The rebellion would cast a long shadow before it, bequeathing to subsequent generations a legacy of republican separatism, of insurrection with assistance from abroad, of heroic sacrifice, of murderous government reprisals and of sectarian cruelty. The memory of 1798 would be both a proud inspiration for some and a dire warning to others. The commemoration of the rebellion in historical writing, popular literature, and ballads was to prove equally contentious: some 200 years on, the 1798 rebellion continues to fascinate, to inspire and to appal. Books The People's Rising: Wexford 1798 by Daniel Gahan, (Dublin, Gill and MacMillan, 1995) Life of Theobald Wolfe Tone. Compiled and arranged by William Theobald Wolfe Tone', Thomas Bartlett (ed) (Dublin, Lilliput Press.

1998) The Mighty Wave; the 1798 Rebellion in Wexford by Daire Keogh and Nicholas Furlong (eds) (Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1996) The Summer Soldiers: the 1798 Rebellion in Antrim and Down by A T Q Stewart (Belfast, Blackstaff Press, 1995) The Fellowship of Freedom: Companion volume to the Bicentenary Exhibition by the National Library and National Museum at Collins Barracks, Dublin 1998 edited by Kevin Whelan (Cork University Press, 1998) Places to visit National 1798 Centre , Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland. Museum featuring interactive exhibits taking the visitor through the major events of the 1798 Rebellion and its aftermath. Top About the author Thomas Bartlett MRIA is Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin.

He has published The Fall and Rise of the Irish Nation: The Catholic Question 1690-1830 (Dublin, 1992), and has edited, with Keith Jeffery, A Military History of Ireland (Cambridge, 1996). 1798 Rebellion in County Clare 1798 Rebellion in County Clare by Tony Downes, Clare Local Studies Project In 1797 the United Irishmen actively recruiting in Clare, even attempting to recruit from the ranks of army. 'Emigrants' from Dublin and Northern Ireland came to Clare on recruiting missions. A number of locals were also actively recruiting new members, including Martin Devitt, a carpenter from Lackamore; Michael Mulqueeny, a blacksmith from Torr; and Michael Murphy, a labourer from Tullygarvan, Lahinch. Clare was regarded as being of utmost importance. A French landing, advocated by Wolfe Tone, was seen as practicable by the river Shannon and on coastal bays. In the summer of 1797, it was discovered that many men had joined the United Irishmen.

The Yeomanry was formed from the ranks of the landlord and planter classes to counteract the spread of sedition. The Yeomanry searched the country for anyone sympathetic to the rebels or United Irishmen, and meted out cruel and instant punishment if the desired co-operation was not forthcoming. Whipping, transportation and hangings were the usual punishments. The Kilrush Yeomanry was installed in May 1797. On 24 June, 1797, the City of Dublin Militia took up quarters at Clarecastle and Ennis. During 1798 Clare was represented at the meeting held in Dublin to make the final plans for the rebellion and Claremen fought in the major battles of the uprising, and on both sides. Fireball McNamara fought with the rebels at Vinegar Hill (21 June, 1798). Denis O'Duffy of Clooney led a considerable number of men in the same battle. The Clare Militia, which had been recruiting heavily, lost 5 dead, 10 missing and 3 wounded at the Battle of New Ross (5 June, 1798).

Major Vandeleur, Clare Militia, took Irishtown, in New Ross. Control of the town swung back and forth between the army and the rebels for several hours until the army finally took firm control. In the winter on 1798, rebellion broke out in western Clare, but was quickly dealt with by the Kilrush Yeomanry, officers and seamen of His Majesty's gunboats and some strong detachments of dragoons. By early January 1799, reports were reaching Dublin of a series of 'outrages' in several parts of Clare. These seem to have been triggered by the recent switch to grazing on the part of the landlords, which deprived tenants of badly needed land for tillage. Tenants reacted violently, attacking the stock and estates of their landlords - houghing cattle, cutting down trees, etc. Among the first targets were Edmond Armstrong of Lemenagh, Bindon Blood of Applevale, Edmond Powell of Roughan, Kilnaboy, and Thomas Crowe, J.P., Ballyvaskin, who between them had some 17 animals houghed and stabbed.

As the attacks increased in number and severity, large rewards were offered for information leading to the conviction of the culprits. It was becoming clear that the government was losing control, and the area between Miltown Malbay, Ennistymon and Corofin was virtually in a state of rebellion. Members of the United Irishmen now began to raid the houses of the gentry and Yeomanry and carried off whatever arms they could find. Indeed, many of the Yeomanry were sympathetic to the cause, and handed up their arms with little or no resistance. Among those whose houses were raided and whose arms were plundered were Thomas Moroney of Miltown Malbay, Lieut-Colonel Christopher O'Brien of Ennistymon House, Robert Kean of Ballyvoe, other houses near that town, and most of the houses in Corofin. Most of the Janesborough, Corcomroe and Miltown Cavalry also had their arms plundered. As conditions deteriorated, the Courthouse in Ennis (then in the Square) was converted into a barracks to house the Longford Militia.

The Ennis Cavalry was put on permanent duty, and several families, women and children in particular, were sent to Ennis, where it was felt they would be safe. On January 6, 1799, Clare's magistrates met, and, concluding that many parts of the country were "much disposed to insurrection and riot" demanded that a strong military force be sent into Clare. The Clare Journal of January 11, 1799 reported that strangers, some of whom were suspected of having escaped from the 1798 rebellion, had got among the insurgents and were leading them on. Meanwhile, the raids continued and intensified. The homes of Andrew Lysaght of Ballyvorda, above Liscannor Bay, and Hugh Floyde of Moher, were both raided and whatever arms they contained carried off. The insurgents were actively recruiting new members in Liscannor, while the Protestant church in Ennistymon narrowly escaped being completely destroyed.

Fears were growing that the insurgents, gaining in strength, and now numbering some 5,000 according to some reports, were sufficiently strong to march on, and capture, Ennis, where only a detachment of the Longford Militia blocked their path to Limerick. On the night of January 11, a meeting was held in a field in Lisnagoneeny, a short distance from the home of Francis (Frank) "Rua" Lysaght, a member of the prominent Lysaght family of Kilcornan, near Ennistymon. It was the practice of the insurgents to enlist the gentry and appoint them as officers whether they liked it or not. Men like Martin Devitt, and Hugh Kildea, a schoolmaster who lived near Lysaght, were prepared to use whatever persuasion was necessary to make the gentlemen co-operate. The meeting was attended by a large crowd, armed with guns and scythes. The men were formed into ranks and sergeants were appointed. Kildea collected 1s. per man to buy ammunition.

The next day, Saturday, 12th January, was market day in Ennistymon, and a large number of rebels gathered in the town to put on a demonstration of their power. Described as being "in a belligerent mood, and armed for rebellion", they paraded up and down the town, forcing many of the locals to march with them. After some time, a group left the market place (then at the bottom of Church Hill), and marched to Woodmount House, the home of George Lysaght, from where they had previously plundered arms and forced George Jr. and his brothers to take the oath. They now took George Jr. hostage, and held him for four hours while they cut down some 4,000 trees. George estimated that there were some 4,000 rebels in the town, some of whom were armed with French muskets. They remained in the town practically all day, and were still patrolling the streets late that night. During that night, news reached Ennistymon that the army were on their way, burning, ravaging and destroying all before them. It was decided that now was the time to oppose the enemy.

On the morning of Sunday, 13th January, well over an hour before day-break, the blowing of horns could be heard summoning the United Irishmen to action. Armed with guns and pistols, scythes and pitchforks, bayonets and hatchets, all were bound for Ennistymon. Some 200 came from Miltown Malbay; these were augmented by many more along the way, including many who came down from Mount Callan. On reaching Moy, their leader, Kildea, ordered them to destroy Ennistymon Bridge upon their arrival in the town. They stopped just above Bogberry, on the south side of the river, but apparently made no attempt to destroy the bridge or obstruct the approaches to the town. On his way to Ennis that morning, George Lysaght met a group of some 20-30 men; on speaking to them he discovered that they were not in the least bit interested in establishing a republic or in promoting the idea of the "common name of Irishmen". Their concern was for the immediate relief of their intolerable misery and the alleviation of the vile conditions under which they lived.

They were, they said, grievously oppressed, land was too dear, and they believed that the landlords were ready to send the soldiers to fight, and evict them. They would fight for their rights and were ready to take on any opposition. The United Irishmen gathered in Ennistymon now numbered six or seven hundred. When the army had not arrived, after about an hour of waiting, the crowd began to disperse. Although a formidable force numerically, they were not a fighting force. They were a mob, full of enthusiasm, but untrained, ill-equipped and without officers to lead them. At Miltown Malbay, the remnants of the crowd attended a huge meeting, at which the town crier, Tom Ryan, was instructed to proclaim that every man worth from ï¿½10 to ï¿½2,000 should come out when called on, and that blacksmiths should engage in no work, other than the making of pikes. Thus, it would seem that the idea of resistance had not yet been abandoned.

On Sunday night, General Meyrick, General of the District, with a strong detachment of the Longford Militia and the Roden Cavalry, marched to Ennistymon from Ennis. Troops from Limerick and Galway also set out for Clare. The arrival of the troops and their raids throughout the county brought to an end the possibility of a large scale insurrection, as no large groups were prepared to fight them. Nonetheless, a few days later, the Lord Lieutenant, acting on the advice of the Clare Magistrates, declared the county to be in a state of disturbance. By January 21st the insurrection was considered suppressed. According to contemporary reports, 300 insurgents had been shot down, and the others had retired in the face of the army. The arrests now began. Upwards of fifty prisoners were taken, and it was said that the "most culpable" would be hanged. They were detained in the Guard House at Ennistymon. Thirty-two were later released; the other eighteen were held on capital charges. Rumours were circulating about the army in Ennistymon, of whom it was said that they were prepared to march through the countryside in defiance of the rebels.

There was great consternation among the people. Meanwhile, the Ennis Cavalry brought in sixteen prisoners from Miltown Malbay, while arms raids in Ennis, Corofin and Ennistymon yielded muskets and pikes, and led to many arrests. Two smiths, both named Marlborough, were charged with making pikes. The parish priest of Corofin, Rev. Colman Hynes, was lodged in Ennis Gaol. By the end of January, there were over 80 prisoners awaiting trial in Ennis. On the 18th of January, the Clare magistrates met again in Ennis, and imposed a curfew. Anybody found out of doors between one hour after sunset and sunrise was liable to be handed over as a recruit to the British Navy, as was anyone taking an unlawful oath or found assembled in a public house after 9 at night or before 6 in the morning. Persons found distributing seditious handbills and pamphlets were liable to have similar penalties imposed on them. The round-up continued in February, but there were still occasional outbreaks of violence, with livestock being houghed, mangled and stabbed in separate incidents near Gort and near Crusheen.

March saw the beginning of the trials at the Clare Assizes. Both Hugh Kildea and Michael Murphy were found guilty and sentenced to death. Francis Lysaght was sentenced to transportation, to serve in the Prussian army. Others were sentenced to gaol, whipping or transportation. All of the seven sentenced to death were brought back to their own towns to be executed. The executions drew huge crowds, and both Kildea and Murphy were left on the gallows for three hours as an "awful warning to the spectators". Some of those acquitted at the Assizes were rearrested by the military after they had been released; they were then tried by court martial, which began in late March. Once the court martials had finished their business, the story of the rising in Clare comes to an end. The United Irishmen in the county were not yet finished however, and in 1800 it was considered advisable to station a detachment of soldiers in Ennistymon, where it was felt their presence would awe the disaffected and reassure the loyalists.

In 1803, a spy in the county reported that he had found men giving an oath which they called the "finisher", each known to the other by a special handshake. The grievances which led to the disturbances remained, and continued to trouble the county until the final resolution of the land question almost a century later. FURTHER READING: Kieran Sheedy, The United Irishmen of County Clare (Ennis, Clare Education Centre, 1998). Francis J Litton, 'Reluctant rebel: the story of Francis Lysaght, Esq., United Irishman' in Dal gCais (1982) pp.5-12

Question: In which country was the Battle of Vinegar Hill fought in 1798?
Answer: Ireland