The revolt of the American colonists, the speeches of Henry Grattan in the subordinate and exclusively Protestant Irish Parliament, the writings of Dean Swift and the republican creed of the French Revolution brought to life again the glimmering hopes of Irish freedom.

In October 1791, the Protestant Theobold Wolfe Tone founded the Society of United Irishmen in Belfast with the object of uniting Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter in a free Ireland. He asserted:-

"that it was necessary to break the connection with England, the never-failing source of all our political evils and assert the independence of my country".

The movement spread rapidly throughout the country and Tone was emboldened to go to Paris where he succeeded in persuading the French Directory governing authorities that the Irish people would support a French invasion.

A large French fleet carrying some 14,000 men and thousands of stands of arms sailed from Brest for Ireland but was scattered by violent storms and only half the fleet arrived off Bantry on Christmas Day 1796. The second-in-command, General Grouchy, showing the indecision that later lost the battle of Waterloo, decided to await the rest of the fleet although advised to land immediately. Fresh hurricanes blew up, causing some ships to slip anchor and the order was given to the others to return to France. The government, through informers, was aware of the United Irishmen's plans and succeeded in capturing and executing many of the leaders. Tone, following capture, died in prison, by his own hand it is said.

The most important actions in the rebellion took place in County Wexford where a local Republic was declared but, despite great deeds of heroism , "the men of '98" led by Father Murphy were overcome amid great slaughter at Vinegar Hill.

In County Cork, although Arthur O'Connor from Manch, (near Bandon) and the brothers Sheares from Inishanon were important leaders in the United Irishmen, the Society was badly organised there and the Government, worrying about further French invasions, garrisoned it heavily with militia and Scottish troops.

The United Irishmen in the Clonakilty area under the leadership of Tadg-an-Asna (O'Donovan) decided to come out in support of the Wexford insurgents. The lower ranks of the Westmeath militia of the English forces stationed at Clonakilty, agreed to join the local United Irishmen. The authorities learned of this and Sir Hugh O'Reilly, the commanding colonel, was ordered to march his men to Bandon. This decision was made known to Tadg-an-Asna on the 18th June (1798) and he assembled a large body of United Irishmen at Ballinascarthy the next day, planning to coalesce with the rebelling militia.

The insurgents expected only token resistance but when Tadg-an-Asna seized the reins of the colonel's horse the militia changed their minds , obeyed their officer's orders and fired on the rebels. A detachment of the Caithness Legion, fully equipped with artillery, on their way to Clonakilty to relieve the militia marched straight into the battle and poured heavy fire on the insurgents who were armed only with pikes. They fought bravely but were literally massacred.

The body of Tadg-an-Asna was taken to Clonakilty, left for days outside the market-house and later thrown into the tide at a place called the Croppy's Hole. Two of Tadg's brothers were transported. Eleven suspected ring-leaders of the Westmeath militia were court-martialled and four of them condemned to death. The men who fought at Ballinascarthy became tradition formers in West Cork. They were publicly honoured and they inspired young men to follow their example. An elaborate monument was erected to commemorate their memory. The inscription reads:

"On the 19th day of June 1798 the principal engagement in the South took place in this area. Over a hundred United Irishmen lost their lives in the fighting. They rose in dark and evil days to right their native land."

In the aftermath of the Rebellion, William Pitt, the British Prime Minister, decided on a Union of the British and Irish Parliaments. His thinking was that a Union would encourage British investment in Ireland, thus raising living standards, and by transforming the position of Irish Protestants from that of a minority in Ireland into a majority in the United Kingdom, both countries could develop economically without serious ideological or religious differences. He had not reckoned with the spirit of Irish Nationalism. When his proposal came before the subordinate and Protestant Irish Parliament, Henry Grattan influenced its members to reject it by a narrow margin.

The Government, subsequently, partly by bribery succeeded in obtaining a majority of both Houses of the Parliament and in January 1801, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom and lost its own parliament. Apart from the brief foray of "the bould Robert Emmet" in Dublin in 1803 rebel action was quietened.

In the post-Waterloo depression farmers in Ireland were unable to pay the high rents demanded by the landlords. Evictions were common , secret societies like the Whiteboys became very active in West Cork. Landlords houses were raided for arms and agrarian outrages were frequent. Catholic tenants strongly objected to paying tithes to the clergy of the Established Protestant Church and many running battles with the police and soldiers took place. The Tithe War, as it is known, again brought the country to the verge of open revolt but since Catholics did not possess arms their revolt could only be expressed in the form of agrarian crime. The most famous event in the Tithe War occurred on 18th December, 1834, when Archdeacon Ryder left Fermoy in County Cork to collect tithes amounting to four pounds, sixteen shillings from the Widow Ryan. He was accompanied by two companies of dragoons and a large force of police. About 150 people offered passive resistance and had placed carts across the laneway. The Archdeacon read the Riot Act and when the crowd did not disperse he ordered the dragoons to fire. Nine of the Widow's supporters were shot dead. In a situation of almost open insurrection the Government passed a bill in 1838 which converted the tithe charge into a rent charge.

Thomas Davis, Charles Gavin Duffy and John Blake Dillon in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.

The foundation in 1842 of the weekly newspaper The Nation was an important event in reawakening nationalist ideals. Its editor was Charles Gavan Duffy, an Ulster Protestant and the main contributor was Thomas Davis, a Protestant from Mallow. Its aim was to unite all classes and to change the Irish from being a serf nation into a free people. They eulogised in patriotic ballads those who participated in the 1798 rebellion. John Kells Ingram's ballad "The Memory of the Dead":-

Who fears to speak of Ninety Eight?
Who blushes at the name?
When cowards mock the patriots' fate,
Who hangs his head in shame?

became a favourite recitation and stirred patriotic sentiment in West Cork. Young Ireland leaders like John Mitchel and Thomas Francis Meagher - Meagher of the Sword - were strongly of opinion that only by physical force could the Irish Nation ever gain its freedom.

Meagher said "The man that will listen to reason, let him be reasoned with; but it is the weaponed arm of the patriot that can alone avail against battalioned despotism".

The Widow McCormacks, Ballingarry 1848

Their insurrection in County Tipperary in 1848 was an absolute failure. Mitchel was transported. James Stephens and John O'Mahony fled to France. Charles Gavan Duffy emigrated to Australia saying he left the cause of Irish freedom "A corpse on the dissecting table". Duffy had underestimated his contribution. His nationalist weekly newspaper continued to be published. His writings and those of Thomas Davis continued to have an enormous influence on later generations in arousing the political conciousness of the Catholic masses.