Timeline of 1798

A decision was made to commence the Rebellion in Dublin in April 1798. However, in March 1798 the rebellion plans suffered a setback. On 12 March 1798, leading members of the Leinster Directory of the Society of United Irishmen were arrested in Dublin. The home of Oliver Bond was raided by Crown Forces while a meeting was in progress.

It was on this date that sixteen leading members of the Society of United Irishmen were arrested across Dublin.

The Rebellion was then postponed until late May. The United Irishmen’s plan was to seize Dublin on 23 May. Simultaneously, United Irishmen in the counties of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Carlow were to engage the Crown Forces in their given county to prevent military reinforcements from entering Dublin. Finally, it was expected that other counties across Ireland would join the Rebellion.

In Dublin, the United Irishmen planned to occupy key public buildings such as Dublin Castle. Mail coaches would be stopped as a signal to the United Irishmen in other counties that the rebellion had commenced. The intelligence available to the Crown Forces enabled them to intercept the United Irishmen. As a result, the Rebellion in Dublin was a failure.

The Crown Forces mobilised 4,000 troops and took possession of key points in the city. Clashes took place between the United Irishmen and Crown Forces at Clontarf, Santry, the North Strand, Ringsend and Donnybrook, with the United Irishmen defeated at each location. Uprisings in counties surrounding Dublin were also unsuccessful.

In County Kildare, the Rebels took the town of Prosperous and the village of Kilcullen before suffering defeats at the hands of the Crown Forces at Nass and Clane. In County Wicklow, the Rebels attempted unsuccessfully to capture the towns of Dunlavin and Baltinglass. In County Meath, the Rebels lost several hundred men when their camp at Tara Hill was attacked.

In order to break into the town, Rebel commanders decided to stampede cattle into the ranks of defenders. The Infantry were sent into disarray and the Rebels pressed their advantage by sending a full pike charge at the retreating soldiers. Following several hours of intense fighting, the Rebels succeeded in capturing Enniscorthy Town. They then set up their main camp on Vinegar Hill.

News of their success filtered across the parishes in the surrounding countryside. Over the course of the next 24 hours, Rebel leaders from the local parishes gathered their forces and made their way to the encampment on Vinegar Hill, considerably bolstering the rebel numbers. The permanent camp on Vinegar Hill also acted as a place of refuge from attacks by the Crown Forces for family members of the Rebels or other non-combatants who sympathised with the Rebels’ cause.

While encamped on Forth Mountain, the Rebel forces learnt of a column of Meath Militia traveling to bolster the garrison defending Wexford town. After quick deliberations, Rebels from the Barony of Bantry sprang an ambush on these re-enforcements and annihilated the column at the Battle of Three Rocks. After hearing of the ambush, the 1,200 strong garrison of Crown Forces under Colonel Maxwell abandoned Wexford town for Duncannon. Now almost all of County Wexford was in control of the Rebels.

Following deliberations, it was decided to divide their forces into two attacking groups, commonly referred to as the North Division and the South Division. The latter, under the leadership of Bagenal Harvey marched west to attack the town of New Ross. The former would split in two, with a detachment led by Myles Byrne to attack the town of
Newtownbarry and a larger force under the leadership of Anthony Perry to attack the towns of Gorey and Arklow.

On 9 June, Rebel forces commanded by Fr. Michael Murphy, Anthony Perry, Edward Roche and Billy Byrne commenced their assault on Arklow, Co. Wicklow. They opened with cannon fire from various strategic points around the outskirts of the town. Crown Forces under the authority of General Needham, numbering 1,700, returned artillery fire from the fortified barricades they had constructed at all the main entry points to the town. The Rebel forces numbering approximately 10,000 and divided into separate contingents, bravely moved towards them. However, they were pushed back at all locations. Although a British cavalry charge was repulsed back across the Avoca River by the Rebels, they were defeated and forced to withdraw at nightfall under cover of darkness. They were unaware that Crown Forces throughout the town were almost out of ammunition.

Fr. Michael Murphy lost his life during the battle, along with almost 500 of his men. The Crown Forces lost approximately 100 men. With the loss at Arklow and combined losses at New Ross and Newtownbarry, everything was now about to change for the United Irishmen.

On the morning of 21 June, there were approximately 10,000 Crown Forces in position. The Crown Forces were well armed with cannons and muskets, in comparison to the Rebels who had meagre weapons such as pikes. The Rebels’ position ahead of the battle was further weakened by the absence of Edward Roche and re-enforcements from Wexford town, who had yet to arrive. Furthermore, in the weeks leading up to the Battle of Vinegar Hill, the Rebels had made no attempt to make the hill a formidable defensive position. Miles Byrne, one of the youngest rebel leaders who fought at Vinegar Hill, gives the following account:

‘I had not seen Vinegar Hill since the morning after the Battle of Newtownbarry, the 2nd of June, and I was surprised to find that scarcely anything had been done to make it formidable against the enemy. The vast fences and ditches which surrounded it on three sides, and which should have been leveled to the ground, for at least a cannon shot, or half a mile’s distance, were all left untouched.’

On June 21 at 3 am, the battle commenced. General Johnson commenced artillery bombardment on the Rebel positions on the outskirts of Enniscorthy town, while General Lake commenced artillery bombardment of the Rebel positions on Vinegar Hill. Following intense artillery bombardment Rebel leaders positioned on the outskirts of the town retreated towards the Duffry Gate.

At 7 am, Lake’s forces commenced infantry assault on the Rebels on Vinegar Hill. By this time the Rebels in the town were engaged in intense house to house fighting with General Johnson’s troops. The Rebels based in the town pulled back over Enniscorthy Bridge and a stalemate ensued. During the stalemate the Rebels and Crown Forces inflicted heavy casualties upon each other.

By 9 am, the Rebel leaders believed that their defense of Vinegar Hill was futile without reinforcements from Wexford town. They made the decision to retreat towards Wexford town. This retreat was only possible because General Needham who was meant to be positioned on the southern slope, was late for the battle. As the Rebels retreated towards Wexford they encountered General Needham and his troops. Needham pursued the Rebels and had it not been for the arrival of reenforcements from Wexford town, under the leadership of Edward Roche, the retreating Rebels would have suffered significant casualties. Roche’s forces engaged with Needham and his troops, until Needham gave up his pursuit of the retreating Rebels.

Rebels led by Fr. John Murphy and Myles Byrne headed for Killedmond, Carlow where they defeated government forces. They were also victorious at Goresbridge and Castlecomer.

On 26 June, Fr John Murphy and a companion became separated from the main body of Rebels, which under Miles Byrne fought its way back to Wexford.
At Wexford most of them dispersed, but Byrne and a few hundred supporters headed to Wicklow. Father Murphy and his bodyguard James Gallaher were captured and sentenced to death in Tullow, Co. Carlow.

Rebel forces, under the leadership of Edward Roche and Anthony Perry, unsuccessfully attacked Hacketstown, but were victorious at Ballyellis. They then set out for Carnew, failing to capture the town. They were joined by Miles Byrne and the remnant of the Fr Murphy Column. They headed for County Wicklow, marched North to Blessington, into Kildare and onto Meath and then south again to Dublin, fighting skirmishes along the way. Their intention to link up with Rebel forces from Ulster did not materialise. The last major clash was at Ballyboghill, in North Dublin, where the Rebels were defeated by General Gordon’s forces.