9 October 1997 Edition
Remembering the Past: Murder most foul
In a series of articles, Aengus O'Snodaigh marks the 200th anniversary of the judicial murder of United Irish leader William Orr.
More sympathy for the United Irish cause was created by a single act of brutality than by all the other repressive measures the English colonial masters carried out in Ireland in what became known as The Year of the Lost Opportunity: 1797. The judicial conspiracy and `public' hanging of United Irishman William Orr on 14 October 1797 became a rallying cry for Irish people until the risings the following year.
Ireland in 1797 was under military siege. Ulster was under martial law and much of the rest of the country was feeling the brunt of English military repression as the authorities tried to force the hand of the United Irish leadership; `rise up now and we'll crush you, or we'll crush you anyway'.
What frightened England most was not the United Irishmen's connections with the French revolutionary government or the failed landings in Bantry Bay in December 1796; it was the degree to which the United Irish had penetrated the military structures thus threatening their ability to take action in the event of a rising. Militia regiments, yeomanry companies and regular army soldiers were all found to have adopted the United Irish oath.
With the full backing of England's direct rulers in Ireland, General Gerard Lake set about terrorising a suspect populace. Ulster was first proclaimed - placed under martial law - on 3 March. Within ten days, 5,462 guns, a sizeable portion of the United Irish armoury, was captured. To ensure the loyalty of the Yeomanry and Militia forces Orange Order members were encouraged to enlist into them, prejudices and all.
A stricter martial law was announced on 17 May and this was further augmented on 25 June, which was the final day on which those who had sworn the United Irish oath could come forward to receive a pardon, take an oath of allegiance and give recognisances for future behaviour.
But, even before this date the excesses and barbarity of the English forces against the United Irishmen, or those merely suspected, meant fewer were willing to come forward than on other occasions when England tried the same tactic.
People coming forward to take the oath of loyalty were being arrested anyway, and those who surrendered arms were subject to the same uncontrolled wanton brutality as those who had not. The blatant bias of the courts in favour of the military drove many to seek protection in the United Irish oath, for they were persecuted whether they had taken it or not. The poorer Catholics suffered most in Lake's campaign of terror and they flocked into the republican movement, making the sought-after alliance between the United Irishmen and the Defence a reality.
Hell bent on breaking the United Irish leadership the English were already plotting and scheming. Through the use of secret service agents and informers, the bribing, intimidating or terrorising of others they formulated evidence. In what has been described by the historian Dr Richard Madden as ``judicial murder'' the authorities conspired to do away with one William Orr, a popular United Irish leader in Country Antrim.
A Presbyterian, one-time member of the Masonic Order and a member of a prosperous farming family in Farranshane in County Antrim, William Orr at the time of his arrest was a member of the Head Northern Committee of the United Irishmen and a regular contributor to its newspaper the Northern Star. Along with his two brothers James and Stewart, William organised the spread of republican ideals amongst his farm workers and neighbours who swore the united Irish oath.
It as through his befriending of Samuel Turner of Newry at the Head Northern Committee that Orr came to the attention of the English. Turner was a turncoat who had accepted a bribe to reveal the inner workings of the movement. Unwittingly Orr, when revealing the secrets of the United Irish structure to his confrere was hastening his capture. Turner's role in Orr's arrest and the large amounts of blood money he received did not emerge till years later.
Next week: Orr's arrest and trial
More sympathy for the United Irish cause was created by a single act of brutality than by all the other repressive measures the English colonial masters carried out in Ireland in what became known as The Year of the Lost Opportunity: 1797. The judicial conspiracy and `public' hanging of United Irishman William Orr on 14 October 1797 became a rallying cry for Irish people until the risings the following year.
Ireland in 1797 was under military siege. Ulster was under martial law and much of the rest of the country was feeling the brunt of English military repression as the authorities tried to force the hand of the United Irish leadership; `rise up now and we'll crush you, or we'll crush you anyway'.
What frightened England most was not the United Irishmen's connections with the French revolutionary government or the failed landings in Bantry Bay in December 1796; it was the degree to which the United Irish had penetrated the military structures thus threatening their ability to take action in the event of a rising. Militia regiments, yeomanry companies and regular army soldiers were all found to have adopted the United Irish oath.
With the full backing of England's direct rulers in Ireland, General Gerard Lake set about terrorising a suspect populace. Ulster was first proclaimed - placed under martial law - on 3 March. Within ten days, 5,462 guns, a sizeable portion of the United Irish armoury, was captured. To ensure the loyalty of the Yeomanry and Militia forces Orange Order members were encouraged to enlist into them, prejudices and all.
A stricter martial law was announced on 17 May and this was further augmented on 25 June, which was the final day on which those who had sworn the United Irish oath could come forward to receive a pardon, take an oath of allegiance and give recognisances for future behaviour.
But, even before this date the excesses and barbarity of the English forces against the United Irishmen, or those merely suspected, meant fewer were willing to come forward than on other occasions when England tried the same tactic.
People coming forward to take the oath of loyalty were being arrested anyway, and those who surrendered arms were subject to the same uncontrolled wanton brutality as those who had not. The blatant bias of the courts in favour of the military drove many to seek protection in the United Irish oath, for they were persecuted whether they had taken it or not. The poorer Catholics suffered most in Lake's campaign of terror and they flocked into the republican movement, making the sought-after alliance between the United Irishmen and the Defence a reality.
Hell bent on breaking the United Irish leadership the English were already plotting and scheming. Through the use of secret service agents and informers, the bribing, intimidating or terrorising of others they formulated evidence. In what has been described by the historian Dr Richard Madden as ``judicial murder'' the authorities conspired to do away with one William Orr, a popular United Irish leader in Country Antrim.
A Presbyterian, one-time member of the Masonic Order and a member of a prosperous farming family in Farranshane in County Antrim, William Orr at the time of his arrest was a member of the Head Northern Committee of the United Irishmen and a regular contributor to its newspaper the Northern Star. Along with his two brothers James and Stewart, William organised the spread of republican ideals amongst his farm workers and neighbours who swore the united Irish oath.
It as through his befriending of Samuel Turner of Newry at the Head Northern Committee that Orr came to the attention of the English. Turner was a turncoat who had accepted a bribe to reveal the inner workings of the movement. Unwittingly Orr, when revealing the secrets of the United Irish structure to his confrere was hastening his capture. Turner's role in Orr's arrest and the large amounts of blood money he received did not emerge till years later.
Next week: Orr's arrest and trial