Ireland 1778–1803

What Ireland 1778–1803 covers

Ireland 1778–1803 is examined in A2 2, Historical Investigations and Interpretations — the option chosen from four. It covers Molyneux, Swift and the Patriot tradition, the American War and the rise of the Volunteers, the Free Trade campaign and the Constitution of 1782, the decline of the Volunteers by 1789, Grattan's Parliament and the Castle executive, Henry Grattan and Henry Flood, Ireland's economy and commerce 1782–1800, the Catholic Relief Acts and the Fitzwilliam episode, the French Revolution and the United Irishmen, Wolfe Tone and the alliance with France, the Defenders, the Orange Order and sectarianism in Ulster, government repression in the 1790s, the 1798 Rebellion, the making of the Act of Union and Emmet's rebellion of 1803.

The 15 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Molyneux, Swift and the Patriot traditionMolyneux's central argument about English authority over Ireland and wood's Halfpence.Open →
• The American War and the rise of the VolunteersThe effect of the American war on Irish opinion, the formation and composition of the Volunteers and the Dungannon convention.Open →
• The Free Trade campaign and the Constitution of 1782The non-importation agreements, the concession of free trade, the repeal of the Declaratory Act and the Renunciation Act.Open →
• The decline of the Volunteers by 1789The reform conventions and their failure, the Catholic question as a source of division, and the withdrawal of gentry support.Open →
• Grattan's Parliament and the Castle executiveWhat legislative independence did and did not change, the powers of the Lord Lieutenant, and the roles of Grattan and Flood.Open →
• Henry Grattan and Henry FloodGrattan's greatest parliamentary achievement and grattan's position on Catholic relief.Open →
• Ireland's economy and commerce 1782–1800Staples of the provisions trade and two Dublin buildings that expressed the prosperity of the period.Open →
• The Catholic Relief Acts and the Fitzwilliam episodeThe Acts of 1778, 1782 and 1793, the Catholic Convention of 1792, and the recall of Earl Fitzwilliam in 1795.Open →
• The French Revolution and the United IrishmenOriginal aims of the United Irishmen, northern Star and three leaders of the reorganised United Irishmen besides Tone.Open →
• Wolfe Tone and the alliance with FranceTone's argument in the Argument on Behalf of the Catholics, the reorganisation of the United Irishmen and the Bantry Bay expedition.Open →
• The Defenders, the Orange Order and sectarianism in UlsterFounded on the day of the Battle of the Diamond and armagh outrages.Open →
• Government repression in the 1790sThe Insurrection Act and the Militia and Yeomanry, the dragooning of Ulster and the arrests that preceded the rebellion.Open →
• The 1798 RebellionThree Wexford successes in the first week of the rising, decisive defeats of the Wexford rising and course of the rising in Ulster.Open →
• The making of the Act of UnionCastlereagh's part in the Union and main terms of the Act of Union.Open →
• Emmet's rebellion of 1803Emmet's aims and the proclamation, the rising in Dublin and the reasons for its collapse, and his trial and execution.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Ireland 1778–1803 further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Peep o' Day Boys vs Defenders

  Peep o' Day Boys: a Protestant raiding movement searching Catholic houses for arms. Defenders: the Catholic body formed to resist those raids.

• The Volunteers vs The yeomanry

  The Volunteers: an independent armed movement raised by the gentry in 1778 beyond government control. The yeomanry: a part-time force raised by government in 1796 and used against the disaffected.

• The militia of 1793 vs The yeomanry of 1796

  The militia of 1793: a full-time force raised by compulsory ballot with a largely Catholic rank and file. The yeomanry of 1796: a locally raised part-time force, overwhelmingly Protestant.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Who wrote The Case of Ireland's Being Bound by Acts of Parliament in England, Stated, and when?

   Model answer

   William Molyneux, a Dublin philosopher and member of the Irish Parliament, published the pamphlet in 1698.

2. 2

   What was Molyneux's central argument about English authority over Ireland?

   Model answer

   Molyneux argued that Ireland was a separate kingdom joined to England only by a shared crown, so that only the King, Lords and Commons of Ireland could make laws binding Ireland.

3. 3

   How did the English Parliament react to Molyneux's book?

   Model answer

   The English House of Commons condemned the book in 1698 as of dangerous consequence to the Crown and to the parliament of England.

4. 4

   What did the Declaratory Act of 1720 assert?

   Model answer

   The Declaratory Act stated that the British Parliament had full power to make laws binding the kingdom of Ireland, and it stripped the Irish House of Lords of its right to hear final appeals.

5. 5

   Under Poynings' Law, how was legislation in Ireland controlled?

   Model answer

   Poynings' Law of 1494 required that no Irish parliament could meet or pass laws until its proposals had first been approved by the King and Privy Council in England.

6. 6

   Explain the 'heads of bills' procedure used by the Irish Parliament.

   Model answer

   Because Poynings' Law barred the Irish Parliament from originating bills, members drew up proposals called heads of bills, and the Irish and British Privy Councils could then alter or suppress them before they came back as bills to be passed or rejected.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Ireland 1778–1803 revision questions

What does Ireland 1778–1803 cover in CCEA A-Level History?

15 subtopics: molyneux, swift and the patriot tradition, the american war and the rise of the volunteers, the free trade campaign and the constitution of 1782, the decline of the volunteers by 1789, grattan's parliament and the castle executive, henry grattan and henry flood, ireland's economy and commerce 1782–1800, the catholic relief acts and the fitzwilliam episode, the french revolution and the united irishmen, wolfe tone and the alliance with france, the defenders, the orange order and sectarianism in ulster, government repression in the 1790s, the 1798 rebellion, the making of the act of union and emmet's rebellion of 1803. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Ireland 1778–1803 organised?

By the CCEA 4010 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.