The late 1770s were a period of unrest with the Protestant Peep o’ Day Boys and the Catholic Defenders on opposing sides. With the outbreak of the American War of Independence in 1775, many regular British troops were withdrawn from Ireland and sent to North America to defend the colonies.
That left British power in Ireland dangerously exposed, so local uniformed and armed militias called ‘Volunteers’ were formed to protect the status quo, usually under the command of an important local landowner with the militia rank of Major or Colonel. Many of these commanders had already seen military service, as was common for oldest sons of the owners of big estates.
One of these was John Moore who led the Drumbanagher Volunteers. Although he had a reputation for being a good man who treated all his tenants equitably, he was still a fierce Protestant who saw Catholic threats all around him, and that coloured his world view. Remarkably, Moore managed to antagonise both sides.
In 1787, the Peep o’ Day Boys threatened to “pay a visit” to Capt. Moore after he accused one of his servants of being a member (Paterson, Armachiana) but the threat came to nothing. It is worth quoting Paterson (1943) at length on the actions of John Moore and his Drumbanagher Volunteers on 23rd June 1789:
“In the Drumbanagher neighbourhood as everywhere in the country, it had long been the custom [for Catholics] to celebrate St. John’s Eve in traditional style, but as Defenders had been active in the district, he decided not to allow the usual assembly that year. Two versions of the story have come down and neither reflects any great credit on the Drumbanagher company or its captain.”
[1] “Mr. Moore came with a large party of volunteers and others; He demanded a Garland which they had been carrying. It was delivered to him without resistance. Almost immediately a number of shots were fired. One party says Mr. Moore ordered them to fire; This was contradicted by the other. One man was wounded in the shoulder by a ball and I believe he is the only one so wounded. The consequences that have resulted from this affair are too many and to various to be comprised in a letter.”
[2] “I will now take notice of the affair at Drumbanagher, near Ballymore; it was on the St. John’s Eve, that a number of Roman Catholics were celebrating the ancient festival of St. John; men, women and children were present on this occasion; dancing with fiddlers, pipers and a large garland of flowers, such innocent rural merriment as this is held time immemorial in most parts of Ireland. However the Peep o’ Day Boys construed this meeting into a mob of Defenders and a gentleman in that quarter brought down the Volunteers to scatter the meeting and after advancing up to these merry country folks demanded their garland which they readily gave him. There was a great mob that attended the Volunteers and as soon as this gentleman waved his whip as a signal for the Volunteers to depart, the mob immediately fired on these poor people and a ball was lodged in the back of one man and another slightly wounded…The affair was left entirely on this gentleman and the Volunteers.
“This unfortunate episode brought repercussions of an extremely unpleasant and serious nature, and by the middle of the following month that country for 10 miles around the affected area was in a state of “absolute rebellion and confusion”. According to John Moore, the Roman Catholics were out to murder and destroy the Protestants of the neighbourhood, “who each night are obliged to leave their houses and sit up on the hills lest their habitations would be burned over their heads”. At Acton nearby there was trouble also, and Moore with some of his men on their way to “release a party of Protestants who were in danger of being cut to pieces were shot from behind ditches and pelted with stones, many of them being dangerously hurt”. At the same time an attempt was made to burn Drumbanagher House.”
Lord Charlemont[1] was extremely displeased at the anger Moore’s actions had stirred up in the area.
Matters came to a head between the Defenders and the Peep o’ Day Boys with the Battle of The Diamond near Loughgall on 21st September 1795, which led soon after to the founding of the Orange Order.
Another local militia was the Acton Volunteers, under the command of Francis Dobbs[2].
The United Irishmen
The late 1700s also saw the rise of the United Irishmen.
On 11th March 1797, just over three months after Theobald Wolf Tone’s failed attempt to invade Ireland via Bantry, with a force of 15,000 French troops, the Marquis of Downshire[3] sent an order to John Reilly of Scarva House:
“An order goes out from General Nugent to search every house in and about Scarva to take up arms, ammunition, etc. Mr Watson, you and Fivey will give every assistance and take every precaution that nothing is left undone that ought to be done. Be secret and expeditious. The orders to the officers are very plain and intelligible and positive. The order for the officers is not to be opened till 5 am the morning. Poyntzpass, Banbridge and Loughbrickland is all in your predicament.’
[1] James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont, was a leading figure in the founding of the Volunteers and was head of the First Armagh Company.
[2] See “Francis Dobbs And the Acton Volunteers” by Barbara Best, BIF Vol 12, 2013
[3] Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquis of Downshire. He was vigorously opposed to the Act of Union and as a result was later dismissed both as Colonel of the Downshire Militia and as Governor of Co Down.