Above: Towards Rebellion A few days after the departure of lord Fitz- william, the new lord lieutenant earl Camden arrived. Grattan brought in his emancipation bill, but it was rejected by more than three to one. The people were exasperated and desperate; and the active spirits came to the fatal determination to attempt revolution, hoping for foreign aid and the ultimate establishment of a republic. The United Irishmen banded themselves as a secret oath-bound- and of course illegal society, with branches all through the ... Read More

Above: Disappointed Hopes The government kept a strict watch on the United Irishmen, the Catholic Committee, and all such associations, so as to be ready for prosecutions as occasions might arise. At a meeting of United Irishmen held in Dublin, in February, 1793, with the Hon. Simon Butler as chairman, and Oliver Bond, a Dublin merchant as secretary, an address was adopted and circulated, animadverting on the conduct of the lords in a secret inquiry about the Defenders. For this Butler and Bond ... Read More