1771 - 1776 AD

1771 AD February: The Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament, re - assembled, this time with the British Conservative Tory Ascendancy Government in under Lord North, firmly in control of the Anglo - Irish House of Commons due to their new "Placemen," and John Ponsonby resigned as the Speaker. -

      Benjamin Franklin was visiting Dublin from America, and he put forward the suggestion that in the future Ireland and America should co - operate to receive, "A more equitable treatment from the British Imperial Government."

     An Act was passed in the Westminster Parliament in England, to give some small gain, when the Irish Catholics were allowed to reclaim and lease, bog land for 61 years, instead of the 31 years previously allowed.   

1772 AD November: Lord Townshend, who was the British Tory Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, left to return to England in the knowledge that he was sure that the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament House of Commons was now, once again, firmly under the control of the British Tory Ascendancy Government, due to his own ground work, and that of the new batch of British Undertakers / Placemen in the Anglo - Irish Parliament itself and he was to be replaced by Harcourt as the British Tory Viceroy in Ireland. By this period in time there was by now a much clearer dividing line, as the British Undertakers Placemen were in reality by now in Ireland on their way out, and it was clear to all the Irish and Anglo - Irish no matter what religion, that the oppression from the British Imperial Government in England was still the main cause and the main item on their common agenda, and division on religious grounds was not good for the National Irish cause. The Irish Patriots, who would shortly be formed under the real leadership of Henry Grattan, were to eventually confront the British Tory Imperial Government's Dublin Castle authorities stranglehold on Ireland with the conduct of regular elections and with the British Imperial Tory Government under Lord North and German George 111 now in conflict with their colony in America, the same thoughts occurred to the Irish Patriots, regarding their Constitutional Rights in Ireland, and this simple fact was to be now further awakened throughout all of the Irish population.

     Jenkin Conway's kinsman, Conway Blennerhassett, who was originally from Cumberland in England, tried to do away with the long running Irish Lammas Fair (Puck Fair) in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province. 

1773 AD Previously, in 1768 Art O Leary had married the widow, Eileen O Connell from Macroom in Co. Cork in Southern Munster who was to be Daniel O Connell - the Liberator's aunt and on May 4th, Art O Leary, who was now 26 years of age, had since returned to Ireland, after serving in the Hungarian Army, where he was given a bay horse in appreciation by the Empress Maria Theresa, which he brought back with him to Ireland, but under the British Conservative Government's Irish Penal Laws, no Irish man was allowed to own a horse of more then 5 pounds value. Abraham Morris the High Sheriff of Cork, confronted Art O Leary and offered him 5 pounds for the horse, and he refused, and he was then declared an "outlaw," and went on the run, until he was shot dead by a soldier at Carriganimmy / Carraig an Ime in Co. Cork and his body was interred in the Kilcrea Abbey on the main road to Macroom outside of Cork City and there would be repercussions from the Irish later on for this terrible deed.

November: With the Irish National Debt now running at just under 1,000,000 pounds, twice that of 1763 AD, Harcourt the British Tory Imperial Government Viceroy in Ireland, put forward that there should be a tax of 2 shillings on every pound that was continually being forwarded over to England to the "Absentee - Land Lords," but it was to be defeated, mostly by their "Absentee" votes, and the further suspicion that he might also then introduce a tax on all of the Estates in Ireland held by the numerous Land Lords.  

      Another Bounty was put on exported grain to once again encourage the growing of corn.

    An Ascendancy  Society was now formed to educate the poorer Irish Catholics and bring them up as non - Catholics, in what were called Charter Schools.  

   Castle Archdale was constructed this year at Irvinstown in Co. Fermanagh in the south - west of the Ulster Province were the Irvine / Ervine family Castle, now known as Nescarne Castle still exists.

1774 AD This year John Hely came out in favour of Catholic Emancipation, and the British Conservative Tory Imperial Government then passed the first Catholic Relief Act, "To allow Catholics, the right to take an Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown," without violating their conscience, which was bought about by the Quebec Act in Canada, where the British Imperial Government had already allowed religious tolerance there so as to hold on to their allegiance, due to the strong French influence that still existed there. This particular positive move in Ireland, had come directly from the British Conservative Tory Imperial Government who were under Lord North the British Prime Minister, who was now "a very worried man," but despite this, there was still no relaxation of the Catholic Penal Laws in either Britain or Ireland. 

    Another 30,000 non - Catholics left the Ulster Province this year, bringing the total to 250,000 altogether who had migrated from there, which included also their women, making up two fifths of the immigrants to America, who when they reached their destination there were to basically remain in separate communities. 100,000 Catholic Irish had also left from the south of Ireland in the same period, but they were mostly men only.

      Henry Flood the unofficial leader of the Irish Patriots in the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament, decided it was now time for him to work in with the British Conservative Tory Imperial Government authorities in the Dublin Castle known as the Devil's 1/2 Acre, and informed his colleagues in the Irish Patriots that this would be a means of obtaining further reforms for Ireland.

     Oliver Goldsmith who was a highly respected Anglo - Irish poet and novelist, died this year, who had been born at Arnagowna in Elphin in Co. Roscommon in the east of the Connacht Province who had  been born in 1728 AD, and grew up at Lissoy / Auburn near Uisneach in Co. Westmeath and was later educated in Edgeworthstown / Mostrim in Co. Longford also in Northern Leinster and he was well known for "The Vicar of Wakefield," and the poems "The Traveller, The Deserted Village, and The Last Irish Bard" (Turlough O Carolan).

 1775 AD Lord Audley leased his Estates in Skibbereen and Skull in Co. Cork in Southern Munster to middlemen, for 99 years for 527 pounds a year. 

    The Battle of Ballyragget occurred in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster, were there was the largest assembly involving the "Whiteboys," of 300 horsemen and 200 on foot.

 April: The British Imperial Tory Government Militia clashed with the American Colony troops at Lexington there in America, and the "American War of Independence" was begun to rid themselves of the tax and ongoing oppression of Lord North, German George 111 and those in authority in England, and this was to make a great difference to what would occur in the future in Ireland and when the American markets closed, Ireland who was now also threatened with bankruptcy, realised that those in authority in England could just as easily introduce a similar tax into Ireland, but despite this imminent threat, one of the unforseen positive consequences of the Anglo - American turmoil was to be an increase in trade from England and also Lord North the British Tory Imperial Prime Minister, did not want any trouble at this time in Ireland, as he needed to make use of the Irish troops that he had secured previously to be used as "cannon fodder."

 August 6th: Daniel O Connell who was descended from the Heberian Eoghanacht Ui Fidgeinti Sept, and was destined to become the first Irish Catholic M.P, who would be known as "The Liberator," was born this year at Carhair House in Cahirciveen on the Co. Kerry coast to the east of the Mac Gilly Cuddies (Kerry Mountains) in the south - west of the Munster Province and his family in order to survive had been involved in smuggling, which gave them opportunities that were not usually available to the Mere Irish in Ireland under the oppressive British Imperial Ascendancy Laws. Morgan O Connell, his father, had fostered him out for 4 years with another Irish Family, and he was then sent to Derrynane to the care of Maurice O Connell, his uncle, who had no children of his own, while another uncle, Daniel O Connell had gone over to France to join the Irish Wild Geese in 1761 AD. Maurice O Connell, his uncle, adopted him and in time he was to inherit his territory at Derrynane, and when he was to turn 13 Y.O. he  was sent with his brother, Maurice, to be educated at a Catholic school at Cobh near Cork, which was to be the first Catholic Seminary to be opened by a Catholic priest in Ireland since the Irish Penal Laws had been imposed. The next year they were sent off to mLiege in France and then to St. Omer's in France from 1791 - 1792 AD and then to Donay, but because of the disruptions caused by the French Revolution they returned to Ireland in 1794  AD and became students at Lincoln's Inn. (There still at Caher Daniel, are the 2 ruined churches of Kil Crohane, containing a cell of  St. Crohan, and also the Derrynane Abbey were Daniel O Connor was to live and were he was to marry his cousin, Mary O Connell). During his lifetime, he would be capable of drawing crowds of up to 750,000 people to his Irish political meetings, while trying to bring about Catholic Emancipation (the right to vote and be represented in the Irish Parliament, which was to create great fear among the overall control of the long running Ascendancy in Ireland.

October: Lord North had Harcourt, the English Imperial Government's Viceroy in Ireland, re - assemble the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament for the purposes of condemning the "American Rebels," but those in the political opposition outsmarted him by putting forward a conciliation motion instead, and left out the condemnation of the "American Rebels," but despite this positive motion, their amendment was still defeated by the British Imperial Government's "Placemen," and the original condemnation motion was then passed as per his instructions. October: Henry Flood, who was previously the unofficial  leader of the Irish Patriots in the opposition in Ireland, and who was also anti - Catholic, was the son of a judge, and was also a lawyer in his own right, and he now took up his newly appointed British Tory position, as one of their new "Placemen" in a non - job, as Vice - Treasurer in Ireland, at 3,500 pounds a year, which was actually a bribe to win him over to the British Conservative Tory Imperial Government's side. As he had now been bought off by the British Imperial Government  the rest of the Irish Patriots believed this showed his real colours and Henry Grattan, who politically was of Irish Patriot persuasion also, at this time was a young barrister of great eloquence, and under the patronage of Lord Charlemont he was to enter the Anglo - Irish House of Commons only 3 months later on, and due to his outstanding qualities of leadership he soon gathered up the remnants of the Irish Patriots. Henry Flood was then in a state of shock and disbelief, that he had replaced him so easily, and Henry Grattan, who previously had great respect for Henry Flood's patriotic sympathies, was now to comment that, "There he stands with a metaphor in his mouth and a bribe in his pocket." The British Imperial Tory Government now demanded that Ireland send 4,000 Irish men to fight against the "American Rebels," for which they would pay their costs, which was opposed by the Irish Patriots in the political opposition in Ireland, but they were once again defeated by the numbers of the British Imperial Government "Placemen" in the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament.

    Sir William Chambers constructed  one of the finest buildings in Ireland, at Cloonbannin in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, known as "The Casino."

   John O Twomey / Sean Ua Tuama the poet, who had been born at Adare in 1706 AD, and had also been the Innkeeper at Croom in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, died this year and had previously in 1754 AD instigated a poet school to preserve the Irish language.

1776 AD February: The Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament, endeavouring to make a stand for National Irish rights, placed an embargo on the export of any Irish provisions, which was not popular, as it only restricted trade further, while in the meantime, two of the Money Bills sent over for confirmation from the Anglo - Irish Parliament to the British Imperial Tory Government to be passed, were also altered there and then defeated. (In another act of retaliation the British Tory Imperial Government then also suspended the Irish linen and timber trade.)

March: Harcourt the British Tory Viceroy in Ireland, dissolved the Anglo - Irish Parliament again, to try and seek out new "Undertakers / Placemen" to act on behalf of the British Tory Imperial Government in the Boroughs in Ireland, by handing out British Government honours, and all up he was to be responsible for the granting of 22 new Peerages, with 17 of these in just one day, creating 7 English Barons into English Viscounts, and 5 English Viscounts into English Earls and he also increased the Irish Pension allotment fund, while he was at it by 22,000 pounds, as he desperately sought out 138 new British Conservative Tory Imperial Government "Placemen," who could be easily bought and placed in the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament, who would then act only on instructions from the British Tory Imperial Government.

June: Harcourt the British Tory Viceroy in Ireland then brought his newly constructed Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament together for only a very brief session, possibly to see which way the wind was blowing by now. 

October: Harcourt the British Tory Viceroy in Ireland, assembled the the Ascendancy Anglo - Irish Parliament together once again, endeavouring to continue on with the British Tory Imperial Government's overall authority over their opposition in Ireland.

November: Harcourt the British Tory Viceroy in Ireland resigned his position as he was not doing as well as the British Government was expecting him to do.

December: John Hobart the English Earl of Buckinghamshire was appointed to replace Harcourt as the new British Imperial Viceroy in Ireland.

       The Catholic Irish although they were still the majority of the Irish population, being 75% , were by now only holding onto 5% of their Irish land, in spite of the Irish Penal Laws, and the many previous "foreign plantations" as the population in Ireland was now 25 % non - Catholic, but most of these were by now also discriminated against and disenfranchised by the British Conservative Imperial Government, who were still continuing on with their Irish mercantile oppression and although being 25% of the population, only a very small percentage of these made up of the "Ruling Class" in the the Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland minority, who were nevertheless, always protected by British Imperial Government Militia and the Irish Penal Laws.  

     A company of Irish Volunteers were put together in Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster, on the basis of protecting the coastline of Ireland against attack, while other Irish groups were also forming throughout the Country, and the numbers in the United Irishmen Society were also growing due to the continuing opposition to the British Imperial Government, as they were always being pushed forward by the continual commercial, ethnic, and religious oppression and because of this ongoing situation, the United Irishmen Society were also able to  swear in another 6,000 members in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province alone, where they now had a total of 117,000 members in the whole of Ulster and nearby in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster.

    Frederick Hervey, the flamboyant Ascendancy Church of England Bishop in Derry, constructed the Battery Road at Downhill in Co. Derry in the north - east of the Ulster Province.

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