The last civil disturbance in Britain or Ireland to feature full-scale battles, the 1798 rebellion was the bloodiest domestic event on either island of the last two hundred years, and led to the Act of Union that absorbed Ireland fully into the United Kingdom in 1801. Ireland had been on the threshold of insurrection since 1795, and the rising finally broke out in late May 1798, raging throughout the summer, particularly in the south-east, north-east and west of the country. The rebellion can be seen as having three distinct phases and theatres. The eastern province of Leinster saw armies as large as 20,000 in the field, and major battles were fought, particularly in county Wexford. In early June largely Presbyterian rebel armies were defeated at Antrim and Ballynahinch in the north-east,…
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Citation: Shanahan, James Anthony. "Irish Rebellion of 1798". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 January 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=962, accessed 26 November 2024.]
