STATE COUNTER-INSURGENCY

STATE COUNTER-TERROR

DOUBLE THREAT TO STATE1796-7

• United Irishmen and Defenders

• Organised over wide area

• Claimed 150,000 members

• Infiltrating militia

DOUBLE THREAT TO STATE1796-7

• United Irishmen and Defenders

• Organised over wide area

• Claimed 150,000 members

• Infiltrating militia

DOUBLE THREAT TO STATE1796-7

• French invasion - Bantry Bay

• Surprise

• Response inefficient, chaotic

DILEMNA

Internal threat

• forces should be spread out

External threat

• forces should be concentrated

STATE FORCES

• Militia - not dependable

• Sorted out by courts martial, executions

STATE FORCES

• Regular army - depleted

• Fencibles - too young, old, unfit for regular army

STATE FORCES

• Need for a new loyal force

• Yeomanry - Autumn 1796

• Locally organised, volunteers

• End 1796 20,000 members

STATE FORCES

• Need for a new loyal force

• Yeomanry - Autumn 1796

• Locally organised, volunteers

• End 1796 20,000 members

• Loyal, Protestant, often Orange

• Allied state with Orange Order

COUNTER-TERROR

• Insurrection Act in Antrim and Down - curfew, no habeas corpus

• March 1797 - ‘disarming of Ulster’ by General Lake

• Houseburning, torture, execution - state terrorism

COUNTER-TERROR

• Insurrection Act in Antrim and Down - curfew, no habeas corpus

• March 1797 - ‘disarming of Ulster’ by General Lake

• Houseburning, torture, execution - state terrorism

• Spring, summer 1797

COUNTER-TERROR

• Took United Irishmen by surprise

• 000s of guns seized

• Destroyed organisation

COUNTER-TERROR

• Partly counter-productive - alienated as well as intimidated

COUNTER-TERROR

• Partly counter-productive - alienated as well as intimidated

• William Orr, Presbyterian farmer executed - ballads - martyr

COUNTER-TERROR

• Partly counter-productive - alienated as well as intimidated

• William Orr, Presbyterian farmer executed - ballads - martyr

• Refugees - spread fear

INTELLIGENCE

• State had spy network

• Well informed on all proceedings

• Letters read

INTELLIGENCE

Informers• Leonard McNally - barrister,

playwright• In Dublin Society from beginning• Charged 1794 - released• Supplied information 1794-1820• Defended United Irishmen in court -

gave info to prosecution

FRANCIS HIGGINS

Editor of Freeman’s JournalRan a spy ring for government

INTELLIGENCE

How effective?

• Emphasised in 19th-century histories

• Anti-Fenian propaganda

INTELLIGENCE

How effective?

• Money for information - unreliable

• Loyal observers - magistrates - in panic

• Difficult for Dublin Castle to evaluate

INTELLIGENCE

How effective?

• Some failures

• Didn’t know Tone was in Paris

• Surprised by Bantry Bay

• Surprised by Wexford rebellion

INTELLIGENCE

How effective?

• No information on Defenders

• Less structured organisation

• Unsuccessful attempts at infiltration

INTELLIGENCE

How effective?

• Informers would not testify

• Collapse of high-profile cases