Irish Volunteers (18th century)

:"Irish Volunteers" usually refers to an early twentieth century nationalist organisation in Ireland. This article is about the 18th century militia of the same name."

The Irish Volunteers were a militia in late 18th century Ireland. The Volunteers were founded in Belfast in 1778 to defend Ireland from the threat of foreign invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight across the globe during the American War of Independence. However, the Volunteers were never commanded by government officials and although they were initially loyal to the Crown, they soon became infiltrated by political radicals. By 1779, the Volunteers, commanded by Lord Charlemont, had over 100,000 members.

The Volunteers had to pay for their own uniforms and arms, and they were therefore described by Henry Grattan as the "armed property of the nation". However they were also marked by liberal political views. For instance although only Anglican Protestants were allowed to bear arms under the Penal Laws, the Volunteers admitted Presbyterians and Roman Catholics. In addition, their officers were elected by the rank and file. In 1779, the Volunteers demonstrated in Dublin for Free Trade between Ireland and England. Previously, under the Navigation Acts, Irish goods had been subject to tariffs upon entering England, whereas English goods could pass freely into Ireland. The Volunteers paraded fully armed with the slogan, "Free trade or a Speedy Revolution". While they would probably not have actually used force, the Volunteer's demands were quickly granted by the British government.

In 1782, after agitation from the Volunteers (and a Parliamentary grouping under Henry Grattan), greater autonomy and powers were granted to the Irish Parliament. Radicals named these concessions, "the constitution of 1782".

The Volunteers became less influential after the end of the war in America in 1783. However, after 1789, some Volunteer units showed their sympathy with the French Revolution by holding parades on July 14 to commemorate the fall of the Bastille. The Volunteers were outlawed in 1793, after Britain declared war on Revolutionary France. Some Volunteers later joined the far more radical United Irishmen movement, which advocated an independent Irish Republic and which launched the 1798 rebellion. However, other Volunteers, some of whom came from the ruling class, or Protestant Ascendancy, turned to loyalism and many served in the regular British army.

Legacy

The Volunteers of the 18th century set a precedent for using the threat of armed force to achieve reform. In 1913, Eoin MacNeill founded an organisation the Irish Volunteers of the same name with the intention of ensuring the passing of the Home Rule Bill. They similarly dissolved on the outbreak of war, during the First World War the more moderate members joined the British armed forces, while the radicals formed what would eventually become the Irish Republican Army.

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