Page 273 - Demo

Chapter eight 273
Grattan had four main points of change on his wish-list
1. He wanted the Irish Parliament placed in an absolute equality with that of Eng- land
2. He wanted the restrictions imposed on Irish trade by the English Parliament lifted 3. He wanted to make Irish judges independent of the Crown-as they then were in England
4. He wanted to obtain a liberty of conscience for all Irishmen
Eloquent, competent, and conident, as he was, his ruling campaign would, perhaps, have had little impact had International matters not intervened. The outbreak of hostili- ties between England and her American colonies in 1775, the American Revolution, or the American War of Independence, as it is also known, by some of its indirect consequences, set in motion a train of events which completely altered and brought about great and pro- found change in the social and political situation in Ireland.
Following the outbreak of the American War, thousands of British re-enforcements were sent out to bolster the forces then engaged in America. The withdrawal of these troops de- prived the British military authorities in Ireland of many of their necessary garrisons, and as a result no part of the country was left so poorly unprotected than the coastal areas, especial- ly the vunerable harbours, many of which quickly became easy prey for French and Ameri- can privateers. Indeed, in 1778, the noted Scottish-born commander, John Paul Jones, de- iantly anchored his ship, the USS Ranger in Belfast Lough, before capturing a British vessel, the HMS Drake, of Carrickfergus. Daring and deadly incursions such as this brought home to many how defenceless the country then was. So in this particular emergency, several well- to-do gentlemen sought permission of the Lord-Lieutenant to raise bodies of volunteers for the country’s defence, and though sensing that all was not as it appeared, the Government consented to sanction the movement-with, it is said, ‘great reluctance! As one commentator prophetically observed:- ‘So, in forming the Volunteer association, seemingly for the pur- pose of protecting Ireland against invasion, the originators desired to have an armed force in Ireland which would threaten the English power, and thereby compel England to remedy Irish wrongs.’
Begun in Belfast in 1779, the Volunteer Movement swept the country like wildire, and in a very short time several thousand men were numbered in its ranks. The Volunteers had